Just In Case
It started as a lie, a necessity, a ruse to get some pervs to just back the fuck off.
They were at a house party, living it up in the peak of their college years, and Tanaka had gone to the bathroom. Like a good bro, Noya waited for him in the hallway, eyes on his phone, which is why he didn't notice the two leering men until it was too late and they had him crowded against the wall.
"You got a cute face," said one.
"Cute ass too."
"We've been watching you all night."
"But we can't decide which one of us gets you."
Noya sneered. "Consider me not flattered."
The tall lanky one laughed, and his alcohol-laden breath washed over Noya's face. "C'mon, baby, don't be like that."
"I'm not your baby," Noya snapped.
"You could be," said the other one. He was shorter than the first but sported a hi-top fade that put him almost on the same level, like he was trying to compensate. Noya wondered what else he was compensating for.
"If you can't decide, you can even have both of us."
"If you think you can handle us," he added with a sly voice.
Noya put on his most feral grin and thought about which one of them he wanted to kick in the nuts first. "Oh, boys, you're the ones who couldn't handle me."
"Feisty," said the tall one, reaching out to trace a finger along Noya's jaw. Noya slapped his hand away before he got the chance, but then the short one snatched his wrist and pinned it to the wall.
"Hey, we're complimenting you," he said angrily.
"Get off of me," Noya growled, beginning to panic just a little.
"You stuck-up little—"
"Hey, babe," said a new voice, one that Noya knew better than his own.
Tanaka shouldered his way in between the two men until he was the one standing right in front of Noya. He'd spotted Noya being harassed the second he left the bathroom but had hesitated at first. Noya was perfectly capable of handling himself and didn't like others to fight his battles for him, but as soon as they touched Noya Tanaka just couldn't stay back anymore.
He slid an arm around Noya and pulled him into his side, surprised for a moment by how natural it felt, but then again maybe it wasn't so surprising considering how many times over the past five years he'd imagined doing so. Then Noya easily tucked himself close and their bodies fit together almost like they were made to, and Tanaka couldn't help but think of how unfair it was that his dreams were practically coming true but it was all a lie.
"Fellas," Tanaka said tersely to the two men who'd backed up in their shock. Noya leaned even more into the side hug, resting one hand on Tanaka's hip and the other on his chest. He hoped Noya couldn't feel the pounding of his heart underneath his fingertips.
"Baby, can we go dance again?" Noya asked, fingers curling into the fabric of Tanaka's tank top.
It's an act , Tanaka told his heart as he smiled warmly down at Noya, at his best friend, at the love of his fucking life. "Anything you want," he replied sincerely.
Then, just to keep up the ruse and not at all to indulge one of his deepest longings, he tightened his arm around Noya and leaned in to press a kiss to Noya's forehead. A moment later, and far too soon for Tanaka's liking, he pulled away and unwound his arm from Noya but took his hand instead. Their fingers interlocked perfectly, like Tanaka always knew they would.
"Enjoy the party," Tanaka sourly told the two guys, then dragged Noya back to the basement where the house party was in full swing.
Noya let himself be pulled along without paying much attention, too busy trying to commit the feel of Tanaka's lips on his skin to memory since he'd probably never get to experience it again. His mind reeled with what had just happened, from the guys' harassment to Tanaka swooping in at the right moment to the absolute warmth and affection with which Tanaka looked at him, as if they were actually dating.
When they reached the dance floor again, Tanaka released his hand, and everything inside of Noya ached. He couldn't believe he'd been given this tiny taste of everything he's wanted since high school, and while it was more than he ever thought he'd get it still wasn't nearly enough.
"Sorry about that," Tanaka half-yelled in Noya's ear. "I just…it was instinct."
"Nah, thank you," Noya yelled back. He glanced behind him and saw the two men had followed them back to the dancing and were now watching from the outskirts of the writhing mass of bodies. Then, an idea came to him.
He reached up and wound his arms around Tanaka's neck, then pressed close and brought their bodies flush together. Tanaka went stiff as he bent over a bit to accommodate Noya's height, his hands awkwardly hanging in the air like he wasn't sure if he was allowed to grab Noya back or not.
"N-Noya, what—" he stammered.
"Dance with me," Noya said into his ear. "They're watching."
Tanaka's gaze lifted past Noya's shoulder, his eyes narrowing. "Right," he said, and his hands settled on Noya's hips. "Yeah, okay."
Noya bit his lip and leaned his forehead against Tanaka's shoulder to hide his expression, because he was certain it was ridiculous and lovelorn. Tanaka guided them into a sway, using his hands to hold Noya close as they moved together.
"This okay?" Tanaka asked, lips brushing over Noya's cheek and ear.
He just nodded, and they lost themselves to the music. It pounded in time with Noya's heart as they danced and rocked with the beat. Bodies pressed in all around them, but all Noya could focus on was Tanaka, on his hands and his chest and his darkened eyes. He couldn't tell you if the guys were still watching them if his life depended on it.
Song after song played on, and they grew more comfortable with dancing like this, settling into the lie with heartbreaking ease. Tanaka's hands roamed, sliding from Noya's hips up to his hair, his neck, his shoulders, then under his shirt to his bare back slick with sweat. Noya felt Tanaka's fingers trace the bumps of Noya's spine up to the bottom edge of his sports bra, and goosebumps erupted over his arms despite the sweltering heat of the basement.
Noya flipped around, hoping he might be able to clear his head a bit if he wasn't facing Tanaka, but that was a lost battle as he pressed his ass to Tanaka's hips and grinded with abandon. Tanaka's hands were on his waist again, large and warm and steady as always. Noya tipped his head back against Tanaka's chest, arms lifted so he could still press his fingers to the back of Tanaka's neck.
This was a mistake , he thought, melting back against Tanaka's chest and letting him control their rhythm. He'd thought he could let himself indulge in this, that he could have this one thing and pretend Tanaka was his for as long as possible and that it would be okay when it ended because he'd always have this evening to look back on. But he could tell even now that there'd be no recovering from this night. And he couldn't even blame it on alcohol, because he and Tanaka hadn't had a drink in hours.
Tanaka's arms slid from his waist until he was basically hugging Noya, holding him tight against his chest, and then Noya felt a pair of lips press to his neck, and he thought, Fuck it.
If he's going to be heartbroken in the morning, he might as well go all the way.
He flipped around so they were front to front again, and Noya slotted a leg between Tanaka's as he brought their bodies close again. Their hips and thighs rocked in tandem as Noya gripped either side of Tanaka's face, foreheads pressed together.
"Kiss me," Noya breathed.
Tanaka's eyes went wide. "I—uh—a-are they still…?"
Noya shrugged because he didn't know and he honestly didn't care. "Just in case."
"Right," Tanaka said, then leaned in and closed the distance.
The moment their lips touched, everything in Tanaka felt like it was breaking apart and being put back together all at once. Noya surged up against him as if he thought they could be possibly be any closer than they already were. Tanaka's arms wound around him, holding him tight like he never wanted to let go, because he didn't.
Noya's tongue traced the seam of his lips, trailing electricity in its wake, and he opened to its request. Their mouths slid easily over each other, hot and wet and insistent. This was it, Tanaka knew. This was everything he'd been craving, everything he'd wanted, and yet it still wasn't enough, and he knew now that he was absolutely ruined for life for anyone who wasn't Noya. He didn't think he'd ever be able to get the taste of him off his lips. Not that he'd ever want to, anyway.
They pressed together and peeled apart again and again and again, and as it continued it began to feel less like a lie, but that had to be impossible. Still, there wasn't any reservation in the way they consumed each other, desperation bleeding out across each other's skin in the wake of their trailing hands. Tanaka felt nothing but the overwhelming love and desire that burned in his heart and threatened to burst from his chest at any given moment.
And when Noya moaned into his mouth as Tanaka's fingers twisted in his hair, Tanaka dared to wonder if maybe—just maybe—Noya felt the same.
"Let's go home," Noya panted when they broke apart ages later, and the huskiness in his voice sent a thrill up Tanaka's spine as he nodded without hesitation.
They wove through the crowd as quickly as possible to get to the stairs, laughing as they stumbled up them and out the front door into the cool night air. Noya took his hand as they began to trudge down the sidewalk toward the apartment they shared.
"Just in case. What if they're following us?" Noya said.
They weren't, Tanaka knew. The street was empty except for them, and the two guys had probably lost interest long ago after they'd started groping each other in public. But he squeezed Noya's hand anyway and smiled.
It continued like that as they grew ever closer to their destination.
"In case they hacked the cameras," when Noya crowded Tanaka against the wall of the elevator and kissed him.
"In case they're spying on the apartment," when he hooked his legs around Tanaka's waist and instructed him to take them to his bedroom.
"In case they're watching through the window," when he lowered his body over Tanaka's and sealed their mouths together.
Tanaka's head spun with adrenaline and hormones and quickly rising hopes. This had gone beyond a ruse. They were well past the need to keep up an act, especially as they writhed together on Tanaka's bed with Tanaka's hands in Noya's hair and Noya sucking bruises into Tanaka's neck. He just didn't know if this was a one-night indulgence or something that would last forever.
"Oh, fuck," Noya whimpered when Tanaka flipped them over, and his hands ripped Tanaka's shirt up over his head before he could descend again to cover Noya's body with his own. Noya's hands explored the bare expanse of his back, feeling the muscles as they undulated under the skin. Tanaka laid between his legs, and there was no disguising the hard length held back by his jeans where it rutted against the warmth at the apex of Noya's thighs.
"Shit," Tanaka gasped against Noya's neck.
"You're so hard," Noya moaned, hips kicking up in search of more pressure and friction.
"S-sorry, I—" Tanaka stammered, ever respectful as he realized the boundary he was probably causing.
Tanaka tried to lift himself away, but Noya's hands slipped under his jeans to grip his ass, keeping their hips flush together.
"No, please, Ryuu, I—me too," Noya said, because if he had a penis it would definitely be rock hard right now. "Fuck, I want you so bad," he said, and his voice trembled with the weight of how much he wanted this. In truth, he wanted even more than this, but he'd take what he could get.
Tanaka stared down at him with desire and amazement. "You…you're sure? We can stop, or do something else, or—"
"I'm sure, Ryuu, so fucking sure," Noya said, and he wrapped his legs around Tanaka's waist to emphasize his point. "More sure than I've ever been about anything," he continued, which was dangerously close to playing all his cards and baring his entire heart and soul, but he didn't really have anything else to lose at this point.
"They're not watching," Tanaka said softly, as if to remind Noya, as if Noya was still concerned about those two creeps from earlier.
Noya raised one hand to touch Tanaka's cheek. "I know, baby," he replied, and then they were kissing again.
They hardly stopped kissing for the rest of the night as they slowly stripped and explored and chanted exaltations into the night, thinking of no one but each other.
/ / /
In the morning, Tanaka woke up with his head pillowed on Noya's chest. Noya was already awake, phone in his hands, scrolling idly through one of his multiple social media feeds.
"Morning," he mumbled, shyly, and he started to pull away from Noya, but the Noya put an arm over his shoulders to keep him there.
"Morning," Noya replied with a soft smile.
"Whatcha doin'?"
"Changing my relationship status," Noya replied, then set his phone down on the covers.
Tanaka's heartrate picked up. "Oh?" he asked, hoping Noya didn't pick up on the slight tremor in the one-syllable response.
"Yeah. It says we're dating now," Noya said. "Just in case they find us online, you know?"
"Right," Tanaka said, and throat began to tighten just as Noya winked at him.
A smile broke out on his face as he suddenly realized that they've probably both been very stupid for a very long time. A feeling too big to contain bubbled up out of him in the form of laughter. He buried his face in Noya's chest to muffle himself and hide his red cheeks, and Noya laughed along with him as his hand rubbed soothingly over Tanaka's shoulders.
It may have started as a lie, but his feelings for Noya had always been the truest thing in his life.
"So, uh…how long are we gonna keep up the act?" Tanaka asked with a wry grin once their laughter died down.
Noya pretended to think about it as he stroked one finger over Tanaka's cheek. "Hmm…our whole lives, probably. Just to be on the safe side."
"You're so right," Tanaka replied. He licked his lips and paused, then said, "Guess I'd better plan on marrying you someday."
Noya smiled. "Guess you'd better."
Happy TanaNoya day! This was written to fulfil the "Fake Dating" square on the TanaNoya Day 2021 Bingo Card ( /tananoyaarchive on Twitter). I love these boys so I'll probably work my way through these prompts until I do them all (in either writing or fanart) regardless of the day
~Ki