Step on Me, Boss!

Naru closed the door behind him. He undid his shoes in the hallway and put them between Yasuhara's polished brown dress shoes and Mai's well-worn red sneakers. He took a moment to examine the view in front of him.

Most of the time, Mai came to the office or the investigations wearing these second-hand sneakers or her school uniform shoes. He rarely saw her with other pairs. Did she have any others, Naru wondered. If so, Yasuhara seemed better off, judging by the multiple pairs of decent shoes on the shoe rack near the entrance.

His own shoes were, well, black. Naru bought – or rather, Luella bought him several new pairs of shoes in England right before he returned to Japan. He had outgrown his old ones, but he didn't noticed until Luella pointed out the black nails of his big toes. The bruises had appeared just after the case in Nagano and finding Gene's body. Luella had dragged him (and Martin for some reason) to the nearest shoe store, and had him fitted. Naru did not protest. If it took their minds off Gene funeral, then the better.

Seeing Mai's sneakers made Naru wonder if Mai took care of herself.

He ran a hand through his hair.

No, he was in no position to worry over something like this. He was her boss, but he wasn't her parent, and he wasn't her – A dull noise came from the living room.

Naru tilted his head up.

Mai stood stock-still in the middle of the hallway.

"Mai?"

She didn't respond. Instead, she slowly shuffled into the direction of the living room.

Something had caught her attention.

He walked over and stopped right behind Mai who stood in the doorway.

"Sorry, I bumped into these by accident."

A stack of books had toppled from the low table at the centre.

"Late study session last night. Forgot to clean up after." Yasuhara picked up the books and shoved them into the bookcase near the bedroom. He squinted at Naru and Mai in the doorway. His glasses had disappeared. "Would you like a drink? Tea? Coffee?"

"Tea," Naru replied. "Your glasses–"

"I dropped them by accident. Could you find them for me? Then I'll make some–" He turned around and bumped his leg against the table again. "Ow!"

Yasuhara apologized again and limped into the small kitchen.

Naru looked down at the girl.

"Tea or coffee?"

"Oh, yes. Taniyama-san? What about you?" Yasuhara said, scratching the back of his head. He seemed unusually nervous. Naru shifted his gaze to Mai, who seemed no better by the look of her tense shoulders.

This was going to be troublesome, Naru thought. Mai had seemed off during the dinner, but it didn't seem too bad. It wouldn't the first time she spaced out. Unless on a case, Mai usually did that when she was tired. Naru was tired as well. He couldn't wait for a well-deserved massage.

Impatient, Naru poked her shoulder blade.

"Mai. He asked you something."

Mai spluttered. "Oh, uh. Tea, please!"

Naru heaved a sigh and strode past her into the small living space. He picked Yasuhara's glasses up from the floor.

"Okay, the water is boiling," Yasuhara said, re-entering the living room. Naru handed his glasses over. "Thanks, boss."

Naru shrugged. "You're welcome."

Yasuhara put the glasses back on his nose, then slid open the door to the bedroom.

"We can roll out an extra futon, but I don't have the space for another one," he said, opening a closet. "Well, if I had another one."

Naru stared at Mai's profile. Her face had frozen into a strange expression.

It was only then he realized the implication.

He hadn't given much thought to staying over with Yasuhara and Mai in one room. All three of them were used to spending nights in the same spaces during investigations. They were colleagues, and that included Mai. Naturally, he hadn't thought this situation through beforehand.

Naru cleared his throat.

"…Are you okay with this?"

Mai turned to look at him.

"What?"

"Staying the night."

"Uh yeah, I don't mind. It's not like we haven't slept in the same room before."

She laughed nervously.

"Those were…" He looked at Yasuhara. "…different situations."

Yasuhara nodded.

"Shibuya-san is right," he said. "Now it's just the three of us. With no Takigawa-san and Matsuzaki-san helicoptering over you."

"Y-yeah. I guess so?" Mai stared down at the tatami mats. "But it's still three people. Not two. …If you know what I mean?"

Her ears were fiery red from where he could see.

Naru frowned. Did he just make it worse? He looked at Yasuhara for more input.

"Well…" Yasuhara's face froze into an awkward expression. "I know that, but–"

Useless.

Naru lifted his hand and slapped Mai's back.

She turned with a glare. "Hey! What was that for?"

Naru smirked. As expected, it took Mai out of her stupor.

Yasuhara breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'll get the tea," Naru said, turning around.

Ge walked into the kitchen and reached into a pantry for the cups. After returning with three steaming cups of tea on a tray, Mai stared at him with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. Yasuhara placed the cups on the table.

"…I feel like a guest here," she said. "The roles are reversed."

"Oh." Yasuhara gave her a meaningful look. "There's more where that comes from."

Mai shot her boss a confused look. Naru shrugged. He wasn't going to explain that.

In the following minutes both Mai and Yasuhara behaved strangely.

Their dialogue was filled with awkward pauses and strange turns in topics ("I'm sorry for the mess." "It's not at all messy!" "Really?" "It's a nice room. I like the… airco." "Yes... Airco's are amazing. I simply can't live without them. My landlord said this one's spanking brand-new." "…I wish I had a proper airco. My airco died last week." "Oh my… I'm sorry for your loss."), in which Naru did not care to partake.

His eyes began to droop.

"Massage," he prompted after finishing his tea.

The other two nodded and downed the remainder of their teas at once. Yasuhara went on to push the small table out of the way, and Mai helped him with rolling out an extra futon.

"So, who goes first?" Mai said.

Naru stood up. "Yasuhara-san."

"Alright."

Yasuhara grabbed the underside of his shirt and proceeded to pull it off.

"Don't!"

They turned to look at her.

Mai had crossed her hands in front of her distinctly red face. Her eyes were shut tight.

Yasuhara blinked. "Pardon?"

"Can't you… leave your shirt on?"

"Uh."

"Please?" she begged.

Naru tilted his head.

"…Yasuhara-san said it feels better without clothing."

"T-that's not the point here…"

He frowned.

"Then what's the problem?"

"I think, I might… pass out or something."

Yasuhara and Naru exchanged confused glances with each other. What was she talking about?

"I mean… I don't know how to put it, but…" Mai took a deep breath. "This is my first time seeing you guys half-naked!"

After a short silence, Yasuhara dramatically sighed, letting go of his shirt.

"…It defeats the point of buying massage oil. All that effort for nothing."

Naru shrugged. "I still don't see the problem, Mai."

Mai groaned, lowering her hands.

"Guys! Give me a break, please!"

Yasuhara clapped his hands to gain their attention.

"Okay, I think I understand. I'll keep it on."

Mai sighed. "I'm sorry, and thank you…"

Naru folded his arms together. Yasuhara had noticed.

"Don't be sad, boss. I suppose Taniyama-san is not yet ready for our six-packs."

"Six-packs?!"

Mai widened her eyes.

"I lied, Taniyama-san." Yasuhara said and smirked. "We don't have any."

Naru tapped a finger against his arm.

"Lay down."

"Yessir!"

Yasuhara took his glasses off and laid down on his stomach.

"Okay," he said. "Step on me, boss!"

Naru froze.

What?

"Err. You want Naru to do a foot pressure massage?" Mai said.

"Foot pressure?"

She snorted.

"You enjoy massages, but you don't know about it? Even I know."

"Not enough to properly research the techniques, Taniyama-san," Naru said, ruffling his hair. "In any case, I don't see the point of stepping on Yasuhara-san."

Mai shook her head.

"…He wants you to massage him using your feet. Not actually step on him."

"Hear, hear," Yasuhara said. "A foot pressure massage is about slowly gliding your feet over muscle tissue rather than walking."

Naru glared down at him.

"Then don't say things in such a roundabout way."

Yasuhara grinned back. "Well, I wouldn't mind if you actually stepped on me."

Naru ignored him and poked Mai's back. "You go first."

"Huh?"

"You're the apprentice here."

Mai groaned.

"Yes, perhaps Taniyama-san can show the boss how to do it?"

"Um, okay," she said, and sighed. "Just don't expect too much from me."

"I know, I know," Yasuhara said, then turned to look at Naru. "Shibuya-san, could you keep her upright? I'm afraid she might fall over otherwise..."

He snorted.

"Safety precautions. I see." Naru smirked at a frowning Mai. Then he took her by the arm – Mai yelped "Hey!"

He dragged her in front of Yasuhara's legs.

"Show me how it's done."

Mai looked at his hand on her arm, and sighed in defeat.

"Right." She placed her right foot atop Yasuhara's leg. "Here I go."

She slid her foot against the lower leg.

Naru observed her. It didn't seem too difficult.

"Is this okay?"

Yasuhara gave a thumbs-up.

"Totally okay! Please go on."

"Alright!" A wide smile appeared on Mai's face.

She continued to massage his leg, but after a few moments, she paused with a frown.

"Yasuhara-san. You're tense."

Yasuhara turned his head a little. "My leg, you mean?"

"Well, ...yeah."

Mai moved to Yasuhara's upper leg and continued there.

"Hmm, that feels good."

"Really?"

"I can do it for you too."

Mai's arm stiffened. Naru looked down at her face. Her cheeks were pink.

"Um, let me think about it," Mai said and looked up to see Naru staring at her. Her eyes widened. She looked away at once. "Anyway, I think I'm done... It's your turn."

Naru let go of her. They moved to Yasuhara's other leg.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his arm. Naru froze, then turned around to see Mai smiling at him.

"Safety precautions."

He pursed his lips, then looked away. Well, at least she seemed more relaxed this time. Naru sighed and put his foot on Yasuhara's right leg. He didn't particularly like the idea of using his feet on Yasuhara. But if Yasuhara wanted it then he would give it to him.

He slid his foot against the lower leg, putting a good amount of pressure on it.

Yasuhara's leg indeed felt tense.

"Whoa." Yasuhara said, "You're great."

Mai frowned. "I'm good and he's great?"

Naru smirked. "Jealous?"

"No." She heaved a sigh. "But what did you do differently?"

"...It's a matter of weight and pressure."

"Yes," Yasuhara said. "He put more weight against me than you did."

Mai raised an eyebrow.

"...Is that why you let Naru here? Because he's… heavier?"

"Well, yes, but not only that."

"Not only that...?" Mai said, confused.

Naru and Yasuhara exchanged glances.

"I'll... explain later," Yasuhara said.

"Uh okay."

Naru continued to massage the rest of his leg in silence. He sighed, starting to feel a bit sleepy.

"Anyway, leave my arms for another time," Yasuhara said. " Could you massage my back, Shibuya-san?"

Suddenly, Mai pulled at his arm.

"What?"

"Hey. What if you break his ribs?"

Naru glared at her.

"…I'm not heavy enough for that."

"Did you forget Yasuhara-san fractured his ribs last summer?"

He massaged the bridge of his nose.

"No. I did not."

How could he forget when he was the one who caused it?

Yasuhara held up a hand. "I'm fine, Taniyama-san. It's been almost a year. I've healed since then."

"But it's too early!"

"No, I'm fine, really."

"I'll use my hands," Naru said. "That should be fine. Right, Mai?"

Mai blinked

"Uh yeah," she said with some hesitation, and looked down at Yasuhara. "But please tell us if it hurts?"

"Of course," he said, "But... can I take my shirt off?"

"NO."

Yasuhara let out a sigh of disappointment.

In the meanwhile, Naru kneeled next to him and grabbed his shoulders.

"You can sit on me if that's easier."

"..."

Naru didn't know whether he was joking, but it sounded like a tempting offer. He was starting to feel very sleepy, and positioning himself on top of Yasuhara seemed like a good idea. Naru moved – Mai gulped for some reason – and sat down on Yasuhara's lower back.

He put his hands on Yasuhara's shoulders. It was indeed a more comfortable position.

While Naru massaged him, Mai sat by their side and watched them intently.

"Taniyama-san, you're a sadist."

Yasuhara's voice was low.

"A sadist? How?"

"...You're keeping us from having skin-on-skin contact."

When Mai didn't reply, Naru turned to look at her – her cheeks were flushed.

"Boss."

Naru sighed and returned his concentration to the person below him. Yasuhara was staring at him, because he had stopped massaging.

"Go on."

His eyes beckoned.

Skin-on-skin. Without showing anything.

The solution to that problem was hidden in plain sight.

Naru lowered his hands down to Yasuhara's hip and slipped them under his Yasuhara's shirt. The skin was warm to touch.

Mai gasped loudly.

"N-Naru!"

"Oh boss, you're brilliant!" Yasuhara yelled out.

Mai stammered. "How could you–"

"You don't see anything, Mai."

"I know, but–"

Yasuhara interrupted with a low moan.

"Yasuhara-san. Please, can you not–" she said, covering her own mouth.

He chuckled.

"What do I hear? You don't like if I whimper erotically?"

Mai squeaked.

Naru continued to massage him. The shirt rode up his back, but she didn't protest anymore. She watched them the entire time. The more time passed, the more her breathing quickened.

He stopped once he deemed it enough. Yasuhara whined in response, but Naru ignored him.

"Mai, it's your turn."

When she didn't react, Yasuhara turned to look at her. "Taniyama-san?

Naru looked as well. Mai's skin was flushed all over. A hand covered her mouth. She was obviously bothered by something. He tilted his head. Did she feel ill?

Suddenly, Mai scrambled to her feet.

"S-sorry, I need to go to the bathroom first."

Yasuhara was equally confused.

"Ah, sure."

She wobbled into the bathroom, barely holding herself upright.

"...Is she okay?"

Naru shrugged. "She's probably tired. Let her go next."

"Alright. ...By the way," Yasuhara got on all fours and whispered: "Why did you tell her that I would explain it?"

Naru froze. He knew that Yasuhara wouldn't be pleased at what he said to Mai at the dinner table.

"… Because you're better at this than me," he finally replied.

Yasuhara gave him a long look. Dissatisfaction.

"No," he said. "We should do this together."

Naru sighed. It did feel wrong to shove the responsibility to Yasuhara, but at the same time it seemed unreasonable to take the lead by showing romantical interest in Mai. Up until now, Mai expressed no interest in him, and he had no desire to make her feel uncomfortable.

"We're on board of the same ship. I want us to move together – with Mai," Yasuhara continued, moving closer into his quarters.

Their foreheads touched. He wasn't alone in this. They could act together.

"Okay?"

"Yes," he said with a soft voice.

"Good."

Naru lifted a finger and put it against Yasuhara's forehead.

"And you."

Yasuhara widened his eyes.

"What?"

A smirk surfaced on his lips.

"Just be yourself. You're being too nervous."

Yasuhara laughed a little.

"Alright, I will. But it does help that we're both on the same page now."

Author's notes

So this ended up becoming a four-parter, which means you'll have to wait longer for part 4, I mean, enjoy this fic a little longer than expected.

By the way, I updated A Matter of Contention (a.k.a. Fanfic AU) with the 3rd chapter. Check it out on AO3!