Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Ibara rapped gently on the door of Nagisa's dorm.

The person who opened it was not Nagisa, though, but gave him a bright smile and a salute. "Deputy Director! Good morning." His voice was a bit softer than usual, though it was early.

Ibara saluted back with an equally shining smile, and as Yuta moved back he entered the room. "Always a good morning to see you! Is- ah." Nagisa's bed had an appropriately-sized lump in it. "I see. His Excellency is taking the opportunity to sleep in."

Yuta shrugged on his jacket. "I'm on my way, so you two have fun. I'll debrief after the commercial shoot, alright?" Without waiting for a reply, he waved and was out the door. Having respectful roommates who didn't care if they were dating was very nice indeed. 

As the door closed, Ibara regarded the sleeping Nagisa thoughtfully.

There were many ways he could wake his partner, ranging from sweet to mischievous, but he decided simple was best. Considering Yuta had been up already, Nagisa wouldn't be deeply asleep anyway. Ibara crossed the room and eased himself to sitting on the edge of Nagisa's bed.

He'd let his hair free again, despite knowing it always became a tangled mess overnight. Had he done it so Ibara had an excuse to brush him…? That sounded like a Nagisa thing to do. Ibara reached out and stroked down his shoulder, brushing a bit of hair away as he did.

"...nn…" An amber eye opened just a slit.

"Good morning, Nagisa," Ibara said warmly. 

Nagisa sat up unsteadily and rubbed his hands over his face in an adorable way. "Nnh. This is good… I wanted to talk to you."

Ibara made a chirp of surprise and laughed. "Your Excellency, I'm sure it can wait until you've been awake more than a second." Nagisa tended to be more unpredictable than normal early in the mornings, which was what made waking him so fun. "Shall I go start breakfast?"

"Nn-nn." Nagisa grabbed his sleeve. "It's not a talk for outside."

An eyebrow raised, but he smiled. "In that case, I can stay."

Nagisa smothered a yawn in one hand and blinked himself more awake. "...I've been thinking about the other day, in your office. When we had our little incident."

Ibara's other eyebrow rose. "Oh, that's not still bothering you, is it?" A stupid question, given Nagisa had just brought it up again. "I promise you, I'm fully capable of calling yellow or red if need be." And he'd been nowhere remotely near calling either in his office.

"I know you are." Nagisa shook his head. "...It's not bothering me in the same way it did, but I think I've realized why I broached that particular subject."

Ibara gave an inquisitive hum and scooted closer, sitting up against the headboard next to Nagisa.

"Ibara. I don't want to fuck your ass." The words in Nagisa's serious, deep voice were so unexpected Ibara choked on a laugh. Nagisa wasn't joking, but he couldn't help it.

He grinned at Nagisa. "That's fine. Like I said, it's-"

"I want mine fucked."

Ibara's words shriveled into a barely-audible high pitched squeak. His brain just kind of blanked out for a moment.

Yes indeed Nagisa did just say that.

Amber-red eyes watched him carefully, evaluating his response. "More than that… I want to try your role, as well. I don't think I'll be fully settled until I experience at least a small fraction of your world, however that looks to me."

An uncomfortable fist clenched his heart as the humor drained out. In hindsight he absolutely should have seen this coming. Some of the things Nagisa had said… of course he wanted to try it.

A beat of silence between them as Ibara turned this information over and over again in his mind and tried not to panic. "Hmmmm." He leaned into Nagisa. Nagisa leaned back, a warm anchor. "Physical reversal is a solid maybe. There are of course tools for that job, though I have no experience in using them. I'd be concerned about doing something… harmful." He could see the headlines now: Superstar idol forced into early retirement by rectal tearing. 

Nagisa kissed his forehead. "I have faith in you."

And damn if that wasn't the scariest five words Ibara had heard in recent history. "I'd need to research extensively." And maybe do a bit of solo exploration. Starting with himself would likely be less risky. "The mental…"

Silence fell again. Ibara knew damn well he wouldn't be able to Dom Nagisa as effectively as the opposite. Could he do it at all? He'd sound like a Saturday morning cartoon villain, he was sure. The best he could likely do would be to echo the old persona he'd made for Nagisa, which would be more likely to evoke laughter than submission.

The silence had stretched too long. Nagisa gave a soft sigh.

"...I can do without. It's human nature to desire things out of reach, after all."

"No no, you do deserve to try it, sir. I just… don't know how effective I'd be at showing you that world. I suppose I'll just have to… try my best." The idea was scary as hell, but not near as scary as losing Nagisa. 

Nagisa's eyebrows drew together, and he settled back against the headboard and folded his arms. "I don't like that. …Not that I don't have faith in you, but it will be hard on you."

Ibara hummed. "I won't deny that it doesn't exactly thrill me, but I want you to be satisfied."

They looked at each other for a minute.

"...The other option is getting someone else to explore with only for a night…?" His voice was more hesitant than usual, and it had a strange edge to it Ibara couldn't identify.

Ibara shook his head. "That's so much additional risk. We'd need to find someone who meshed with both of our personalities, which is already a difficult task. Then with us being publicly known figures, most of the general populace would be off-limits. We'd either need to find someone who hasn't interacted with idol culture at all, or who is already… in the… business…" His sentence trailed off as their eyes met and understanding passed between him and Nagisa. "Oh, no. Oh, nonono."

Nagisa gave him a sheepish little half-smile. "...Eve seems to be perfectly situated for this."

Ibara's mouth opened. Closed. It couldn't be that simple.

Then Nagisa's smile faltered again. "...Eve…" He sighed in a long, slow breath, his expression melting down into a lost little face. "...I wanted to ask… Do you think that a person can only have one romantic target at a time?"

Oh. It was time for this conversation. Ibara turned a bit more toward Nagisa, smiling. "I think that varies per person, sir. For some, romantic interest by definition is exclusive - to be romantic means to put that person above all else, which you can't do with more than one person."

Nagisa gave a thoughtful hum. 

"For others," Ibara continued, "romantic love doesn't have to be exclusive. It's about the type of feelings they have, not where a person ranks. For them, loving multiple people is natural. His Highness and Jun would not take kindly to someone telling them they could only truly love one person. While they are exclusive for now, that's more a function of their career than their feelings."

Nagisa tugged Ibara's arm, and Ibara followed the nonverbal request and settled himself in Nagisa's lap.

"...I think," Nagisa started softly, "I misunderstood my feelings from the start. I wasn't… I didn't know enough about the different types of love. It won't hurt you, if that's the case?"

A considering hum of his own. He'd known this would be coming, and he'd had plenty of time to think about sharing. Hiyori was not exactly the most sharing of people, but Ibara was used to working around him, and Hiyori couldn't deny Nagisa pretty much anything. He was confident they could work things out. "Have your feelings for me changed at all? Or your understanding of them?"

Nagisa shook his head firmly. "Never ever." His hands tightened around Ibara.

Ibara gave Nagisa a soft smile. "Then no. From the very first day you kissed me, I knew that I would likely have to share you someday. This isn't a surprise to me, and it's not a threat to me."

Nagisa pulled him into a tight hug, making the other squeak. The gentle scent of his shampoo still clung to him, and Ibara gave a happy hum. They hugged for a long moment, just enjoying the touch.

"I think we can arrange a plan here for Eve to conquer Your Excellency's ass." An absolutely wild statement he'd never have expected to say. "If Your Excellency desires it, of course your humble servant will make it a reality. And if more comes out of the encounter than one good time? We'll adapt. We'll overcome. And in the end, we'll be stronger for it."

Nagisa loosened his grip and smiled down at Ibara. "...We're Adam. We get what we want, and woe betide anyone who tries to stop us."

Against any form of sound judgement, Ibara scheduled a meeting with Hiyori the next day. Having such a conversation in his office felt wrong so he booked a meeting room that was recorded straight to his own server instead of the shared information department one. Like hell he was going to risk someone overhearing this.

Hiyori, for once, was close to on time. It was only one minute past their meeting time when the door opened and Hiyori breezed in. "Ibara! Fancy meeting you here."

Ibara cleared his throat and simply nodded, too nervous to respond in his normal more exuberant manner.

Something focused in Hiyori. He was a fool, yes, but Ibara was well aware of the sharp intellect behind the facade. Hiyori would easily notice his deviation from the norm. In addition, Ibara had brought no papers with him, which was a clear signal they weren't talking contracts or future projects.

"H-Hello, Your Highness!" Ibara finally managed. "Before we get too far into anything, let me reassure you that you may opt out of this conversation at any point with no negative effects. This is… not a typical conversation, for us, and I'll bear you no ill will for leaving."

Hiyori's brows drew down as he grew confused and concerned. "Ibara…?"

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "For the most part, you and I have kept a decent distance in our personal lives. Obviously, there's much we share as unitmates, but for the more private side of our lives Your Highness has very generously given me space and not pressed. However… I have questions. And… possibly a favor to ask."

A brief flicker went through Hiyori's expression, just a tiny sliver of the sharply intelligent person he didn't allow himself to be. Then he tilted his head and smiled, back in his pretty flower mode. "Relationship advice!" he declared. "Oh Ibara don't be so stiff , of course I'll help! I'm your relationship senior, after all, so it's my duty to help shepherd you toward a good relationship. Plus, you know I'd do just about anything for Nagisa-kun. Spill, spill, what's going on? I need the gossip."

Heat was already rising to his face, but now that he'd opened the gate he wouldn't allow himself to back down. "Well… as I suspect you know, His Excellency had no experience prior to us forming a relationship. We focused fairly hard in the beginning on expanding his experience and created what I felt to be a decent foundation." He cleared his throat. Hiyori was watching him raptly and it was distracting. "However, there are things one couple simply can't do, and things I myself don't have any experience in either… and recently His Excellency has expressed interest in things that aren't feasible between the two of us." Even admitting that much was intensely uncomfortable. 

Hiyori's lower lip pushed out. "Oh, poo, Ibara, give me details . I'm not going to tell anyone except Jun-kun. Stop talking so vaguely," ordered the noble who was famous for talking vaguely. 

Ibara grimaced. "In particular, he's talked about experiencing bottoming, and possibly submission."

A beat of silence as Hiyori absorbed that.

"The… hope is for an encounter with Eve where he can be the recipient, with some light dominance themes to see if he's interested in exploring that facet further." Ibara cleared his throat. Maybe he should have brought papers in anyway, to give him something to fuss with.

Hiyori gave a hum, tilting his head and tapping his chin. "Definitely something Eve can handle, preventing the issue of introducing someone truly new to the bedroom. We've already established trust, and Nagisa-kun adores both of us. Me more, of course! But Jun-kun's strap game is frankly incredible at this point, so I'm certain he'd be able to give Nagisa at least part of what you're looking for."

Ibara's brain stuttered out a little. "J-Jun…?"

"Mhm! I've trained him so-" Hiyori cut himself off when he noticed Ibara's face, and emotions flipped rapidly over his face. "Oh. Oh. Wait, you were thinking of me?" He gave an incredulous little laugh. "Oh, Ibara, you think I top Jun?! You poor thing."

His face heated. Okay, so he hasn't put a lot of time into thinking about the potential sexual dynamics of his unitmates, but yes he did kind of assume that. "Ah…"

Hiyori's laugh was high and happy, and he clapped his hands together. "What wonderful weather! Ibara, I am the most bottom of bottoms. We switch it up sometimes, but Jun-kun isn't all that fond of penetration anyway. It works better for both of us the other way around."

Ibara made a terrible miscalculation here and he regretted everything… except things might still work out, just in a different way than expected.

Now apparently in a fantastic mood, Hiyori folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. "Hmhmhm. If your favor is for me to top Nagisa-kun, then the answer is no. Not even for you, my darling viper. Despite what I suspect you think, I really truly have no interest in Nagisa-kun beyond perhaps kisses, and I'm not willing to risk what we already have to satisfy curiosity. Being his first kiss was risky enough."

Ibara gave a little wheezy noise. "Y-You were…?"

Hiyori's eyebrows rose. "Oh, did he not tell you that? Oopsie. You didn't hear that, alright? It didn't mean much to either of us."

Ibara had thought that Nagisa had taken to kissing awfully fast… but he'd assumed it was more of Nagisa's 'good at everything' special talent. He opened his mouth to speak without considering what he'd say, so nothing came out but an awkward little squeak.

He was doomed.

In another section of the same floor, Jun rapped once on the door before entering. "S'cuse me…"

The room was empty save for Nagisa, which made his heart give an awkward little jump. Even after so much time in Eden, being alone with Nagisa did terrible things to him.

"Ah… hey, Nagi-senpai. Is it just you and me?"

Nagisa smiled up at him and nodded. In his hands was a small rock, being turned over and over again. 

Stones were always good conversation starters with their enigmatic unit leader. Jun slipped into the seat opposite Nagisa. "What's today's favorite rock, huh?"

Nagisa's eyes caught his and the older idol smiled wider. His thumb trapped the stone against the table, then rolled it to one side. Glints of green light danced across the surface as the sun caught the moving stone. "...It's peridot. A gem that's formed only under the most extreme circumstances, much like diamonds… Usually from volcanoes, though it's been found in meteorites."

" Meteorites?!" Jun repeated incredulously, a bit enchanted despite himself.

Nagisa held up the rock, letting the gentle green facets catch the light. "...despite that, it's a soft stone… It can be scratched and damaged easily. Harsh beginnings made it beautiful, but did not harden it…" He set the rock in front of Jun, who took it to admire it more closely.

"Huh… amazing little thing."

"...Jun. It's your birthstone." Nagisa's eyes crinkled in his cutest smile, so cute that Jun almost didn't process what he'd said. "August."

A hot flush rose to Jun's face. "O-Oh…" He'd looked that up at one point, seen green, and decided Eve had enough green going on. He hadn't bothered digging deeper into specifics.

He lifted the stone into the light again, tilting it to see each facet illuminate.

"...As fun as it is, I'm not here to talk about rocks." Nagisa's voice was still light and sweet, not firming into his Serious Business tone.

Jun tilted his head a little. "Does this have to do with the weird meeting Ibara scheduled with Ohiisan? Ohiisan didn't say much but…" Some time ago he'd bowed to the inevitable and gotten Ibara to agree to share Hiyori's schedule with him so Jun could be a more effective keeper, so he knew that those two meeting up in a random conference room wasn't how things were usually done.

"...somewhat," Nagisa admitted with a devious smile. "Hmhm. Ibara is probably regretting everything by now." He waved a hand. "But we can talk about what they're talking about later. I wanted to talk to you about something else first… Clearing the way, so to speak. There are things I should have said openly long ago."

That was even more confusing than Nagisa usually was. Jun raised an eyebrow, a little motion he'd picked up from Ibara. He offered the peridot back to the other, who made no move to take it.

Nagisa's smile faded, and he crossed his arms. "Jun… Do you see yourself as my equal?"

Jun inhaled sharply and choked on his own spit. Of all the things to ask! "S-Senpai, what…" Jun trailed off in favor of just staring at Nagisa.

The corners of the other's mouth twitched downward. "...Ah. I see."

And now Nagisa looked sad and it was his fault. Ugh. Jun cleared his throat and tucked his new gifted rock in his pocket. "Look, it's not… a bad thing, exactly. But Nagi-senpai, you're so goddamn far above me. You and Ohiisan both are just in a different class. I've gotten a lot better with being around you, but what you're asking…" He shook his head. It wasn't going to happen.

Nagisa's 'neglected puppy' face was far too potent. It made Jun squirm. "...why? Jun… I don't want you to be separated from us. From me. We're Eden, and I've never once considered you as less than me."

The words sent a warmth through him, even as he tried to figure out how to word things in a way Nagisa would accept. "I'm grateful for that, and it's one reason I have been able t' get comfortable with you." He scratched the side of his neck. "I'm not sure what you're asking is… possible. I'm a lucky guy, but luck doesn't fill the kind of gap between you and me."

Nagisa was silent for a minute. Obviously this wasn't the answer he wanted, but Jun couldn't help that. Nagisa was beautiful and kind and as near to perfect as humans could hope for, and Jun was just… Jun.

"...you know," Nagisa started softly, "I've always thought that more than Hiyori-kun, more than Ibara, you were the one in Eden most like me."

Jun blinked at him in disbelief. "Huh?!"

Nagisa pulled a lock of his hair forward and started twisting it. "...I adore the other two, obviously. But Hiyori-kun… He was raised in a home filled with open love and many people, and all that was expected of him was staying out of the way. There were facets that were… harmful, of course, and Hiyori-kun bears emotional scars. But his upbringing couldn't be more different than mine.

"Ibara, even more… he may not have gotten the love Hiyori-kun did, but he grew up where not even survival was expected of him. He was disposable. Until his connection to Father was discovered, at least."

Jun didn't really know what to say, or if he should say anything at all. This felt like something Nagisa needed to get out, even if Jun wasn't sure where he was going with it.

Nagisa's pretty red eyes met his. "...You and I, though… We weren't like that." A faint smile teased his lips. "...We were raised by our fathers to be extensions of them. Generational weapons. We were given love and cruelty in measured doses, designed to hone us to the sharpest edges we could be."

The breath left Jun's lungs.

"The weight of expectation is something the other two will never understand. And more than that… They'll never know the way that we were shaped to crave our role. The way we were pushed and pushed until we reached for our destination of our own will."

Now Jun's heart is pounding way too fast. 

"...My father had more resources, a grander scope, and perhaps was… less tied to traditional moral bounds. My isolation is the major difference between us. You had a somewhat normal childhood, despite your shaping. I didn't. Despite that, you can't deny the parallels." Nagisa shook his head, and his eyes gentled. "When Hiyori-kun told me about your past, he spoke of your father with thinly-hidden disgust and fear. But I… I was so happy. 'Thank goodness', I thought. 'There are others like me after all'. Someone who could understand my past without pity. Someone who knew the weight I carried… the weight I carry. I was so used to being an anomaly, that having someone to relate to made me… incredibly happy."

Jun's throat was dry. He swallowed several times. His chest ached as the crush he'd tried so hard to stomp on bloomed under Nagisa's outpouring of truth.

Nagisa's eyes held the love that Jun had never been able to see properly. Never let himself see properly. "...that's why I've never seen you as lesser, Jun," he whispered. "No matter what else… there's a foundation we share. Knowing you existed… A loneliness I'd felt my whole life melted away. You're my mirror, my shadow, my dear reflection in the water."

Finally, silence fell. Jun swallowed. Blinked. When he spoke again, his voice was a little hoarse. "You… you really see me that way…?" The words came out smaller than he intended.

The smile was answer enough. "...I do," he confirmed. "I love you. It's different from the color of love I have for Ibara, but I've come to realize it's no less valid or special."

The words took his breath away again, and Jun desperately tried to hold back the tears pricking the corners of his eyes. 

"Jun… can I hold you?"

Rather than give permission verbally, Jun moved forward, and Nagisa's arms closed around him and enveloped him in warmth.

Hugging Nagisa felt so fucking right. Jun tilted his head up, and Nagisa's face was so close to his.

Their lips met, and a weight of inevitability settled on Jun. Their lips touched again and again, gentle kisses combining to form a waterfall of emotion too long ignored. Jun's tears finally overflowed, but when Nagisa tried to pull back Jun grabbed him fiercely to keep the kisses going.

Nagisa kissed as if they had a thousand years to burn. Slow, unhurried touches that soaked into Jun so differently than Hiyori's - and thinking of Hiyori made Jun pull back with a gasp. 

'W-Wait, wait, we can't…" He swallowed hard. "We're both… taken, Nagi-senpai. We can't do this. We've got to… do things properly." As earth-shaking as it was to find out Nagisa wanted him, Jun wasn't going to betray Hiyori. He shouldn't have even let the kisses happen. Still, he clung to Nagisa's arms, his body unwilling to let go after so long denying the attraction.

And Nagisa laughed at him. "...right, right. We should talk to Ibara and Hiyori-kun and make sure they're done talking about us."

Talking about them? Jun blinked, utterly confused.

Nagisa's grin sharpened with delight and an open desire that took Jun's breath away. "Ibara called Hiyori-kun in to discuss the possibility of you and me having sex."

"He what?!"

Nagisa got the all clear text from Hiyori not long later, and he and Jun headed to the other meeting room. Jun looked… stunned, to say the least. He must still be absorbing the whole 'I asked my partner to ask your partner if I could have sex with you, except my partner thought I wanted your partner and your partner already knew what was going to be asked and wanted to have some fun embarrassing my partner' thing, which in hindsight would probably take some time to absorb.

He mourned just a little that he couldn't see Ibara's face when Hiyori flipped the script on him, but Jun's thunderstruck expressions - and sweet kisses - made up for it.

As they entered the meeting room, Ibara turned him the pissiest little pouting face, and Nagisa had to clamp down on his amusement to keep it from showing much. Hiyori, on the other hand, was openly delighted and positively shining. Nagisa could feel the love and excitement radiating off him. Hiyori had been so patient, and now his hopes were in reach.

Nagisa sat next to Ibara and took his hand. After a second's hesitation, Jun sat next to Hiyori.

Ibara gave a long-suffering sigh. "I don't even know where to begin here."

"Fufu. Life is brighter for you when you don't know what's coming." His free hand poked Ibara's cheek and got swatted away.

Hiyori nodded. "Surprised Ibara is definitely the cutest Ibara. Today is such wonderful weather~" Jun gave him a look of disgust. "And you too, Jun-kun! Our juniors make the most adorable faces."

"You're terrors," Jun and Ibara said simultaneously, which only made the older two laugh anew.

Then Nagisa blinked. "...Ah. I just realized… I've kissed everyone in Eden now." That fact filled him with a strange sort of pride. It felt right. Eden was his in so many ways.

Ibara made a sound like a punctured balloon, and Jun gave a yelp.

"W-Wait, when did you kiss Ohiisan?!"

Nagisa and Hiyori shared a smile, and he could feel the weight of the bond between them. His Hiyori. 

"The day before Nagisa-kun got with Ibara," Hiyori volunteered happily, which made Ibara suddenly jack upright again. 

"Wait, what?! When you said you were his first kiss, I assumed you meant it happened when you two were young!"

"...Why would you assume that?" Nagisa asked curiously. "I had no interest in that type of love until relatively recently. Until you."

Jun slumped forward and rested his forehead against the table, clearly overwhelmed. 

Ibara gave another long wheezy sound and rubbed his forehead. "I think I need an actual explanation," he admitted weakly.

Nagisa leaned in to kiss his cheek in reassurance. "...I felt my attraction to you growing, and I knew I was going to want to act on it soon. But with no experience, I didn't know how to even initiate. I asked Hiyori-kun to teach me." His feelings had been so new and overwhelming, all he could do was run to Hiyori like a child seeking parental shelter. 

"Nagisa-kun was in distress. There was no way I could heartlessly turn my back on him!" Hiyori gave his brightest smile. "A few kisses later he felt ready, so we were done and we moved on with our lives."

Jun narrowed his eyes at Hiyori. "Wait… if that was right before these two got together… we were together. You kissed Nagi-senpai and didn't even mention it?!"

"It wasn't necessary," Hiyori responded cheerfully, completely unruffled. "It wasn't going to repeat, so it didn't change anything between us."

Jun swore softly, shaking his head.

"So back to the main topic, the reason all of this is even happening," Ibara growled. "Jun, do you want to fuck His Excellency?"

Jun gave a yelp, panic returning to his expression. He glanced guiltily at Nagisa, then Hiyori, then back to Nagisa. "Wh-Why is this the main topic?" he asked weakly in return.

Nagisa remained silent, not wanting to pressure Jun. 

Hiyori, however, did not share his concern. "Nagisa-kun wants to get pegged," he volunteered. "Ibara's never done it, so they asked me to ask you!"

Jun's face went completely blank for a long moment.

"Oops, I think we broke him." Hiyori poked Jun's cheek. "Earth to Jun-kun." He didn't seem worried, so Nagisa wouldn't worry yet. His heart was beating faster, but Hiyori knew Jun the best. 

Jun squeaked, swatting Hiyori's hand. "G-Give me a second, my whole world just tilted. Nagi-senpai wants to be topped? I…" His mouth worked, but nothing came out. "Y-Yes…? Is there a catch here?"

And maybe Nagisa was just projecting, but when Jun looked back over to him he swore he saw hope in the other's eyes.

"No catch," Ibara confirmed. "The gist of it is that you two take a night to explore things he hasn't gotten to do yet, and then a day or two later we all come talk about it and… see where we are."

Jun gave a high sound that might have been a whine. "I… y-yeah, fuck yeah." Wonder and joy filled his expression like he'd gotten every birthday gift all at once as he looked back to Nagisa.

Nagisa beamed at him. His whole chest was filled with warmth. "...I'd really like that," he murmured.

An almost panicked expression took Jun's face then, and Nagisa recognized it well from his early relationship with Ibara. That was fine - he'd done this dance before, and he had every faith that Jun would come to the point of accepting his affection. He and Ibara were soulmates, and he and Hiyori were soulmates of a different kind. The pattern would eventually balance. It was as inevitable as the ocean. 

"Dunno how I'm going to make it through without my heart exploding," Jun said weakly.

Hiyori giggled. "That's what you thought when we first got together, too. You sure warmed into that quickly, didn't you?" He poked Jun's cheek again, and this time the other didn't bother swiping at him. They started bickering back and forth, and Adam let them fuss for a bit.

That was heartening to hear, though. It had taken months for Ibara to get accustomed to any degree of emotional vulnerability between them, so if Jun was… pre-softened, so to speak, he'd be grateful.

The same way Hiyori would eventually appreciate the work he'd put into softening Ibara.

That thought evoked a grin, and Hiyori caught his eye and grinned too. The opening of Eden would be a graceful dance orchestrated by the two seniors, and all four of them would benefit from it. Like the blooming of a flower.

Ibara massaged his temple. "Okay! Okay. So, I'll schedule an evening where you two can have a hotel room to just… go have fun by yourselves. I've got a few hotels-"

"Wait," Jun interjected. 

Ibara paused, and all three of the others looked at Jun, who tensed a little at being the focus yet again.

"Uh. I just…" He rubbed the back of his head, face reddening. "If something does go wrong… you and Ohiisan should be nearby, right?"

The opening could not have been more perfect if Nagisa had planned it himself. He felt Hiyori's sharp spike of joy and love for Jun, emotions Nagisa echoed.

Nagisa crossed his arms and frowned. "...Jun has a point," he started slowly. "First times are risky, and we can't risk Eden. Having our established partners nearby so we can address any issues that arise sounds smart." The roundabout praise drew a sweet little smile from Jun.

Ibara, on the other hand, took a deep breath in and out. "...how close are you suggesting…? I'm not particularly interested in trying to figure out the logistics of a foursome at this time." His voice was dry, but it got a giggle out of Hiyori.

"If you're intending to learn, you need to be able to see us, no?" Nagisa tilted his head. "Being within sight range solves you learning and you both being on hand for potential trouble. Better than you watching through the cameras like you planned."

Jun gave a weak wheezy sound.

Hiyori nodded decisively. "So what we do is get a hotel room with two queens or kings. Ibara and I stay on one, and Jun and Nagisa-kun have fun on the other. That way, if anything comes up we're there to help work through it, but they have enough space to do their own thing without trying to figure out a foursome." Ibara would have no idea what he was signing up for, Nagisa was sure. With him in reach, Hiyori would move decisively. Their master tactician would be in checkmate before he knew the game had begun.

Hiyori's plan sounded like a good idea to Nagisa, so he looked over at Ibara. The other looked like he was thinking hard.

"I… can't think of a better setup, honestly."

Jun groaned and covered his face. "I'm topping Nagi-senpai with Ohiisan watching? That sounds…"

"How else am I supposed to ensure you're doing it properly?" Hiyori demanded.

Identical whines from both their juniors.

"Okay okay rule one, no correcting of Jun's sexual technique," Ibara said firmly. "We stay on our side, and let them do their thing unless otherwise ASKED for it."

Jun shot him a grateful look, while Hiyori didn't look convinced.

"We can save that for later attempts," Nagisa soothed. Assuming there would be later attempts. "Think of this as establishing a baseline."

Hiyori sighed gustily. "Fine, fine, I will graciously allow Jun-kun agency."

"Thanks," Jun said dryly.

And thus the game was begun.