Archive of Our Own ^beta

True to his word, Kaitou doesn't stay. But he also doesn't stay gone, so that's okay. The crew will come back from a treasure hunting venture and find dinner on the table, or something odd stashed in the hold, and once Joe finds a bracelet studded with sapphires on his pillow. Finding Kaitou himself is more rare than finding the signs of his presence, but he sometimes stays long enough to share a meal or play a few hands of cards. He puts up a better fight against Luka than most people, even when she's playing seriously. And if they catch him in the right mood, he'll fall into a bunk with Joe, or Marvelous, or both of them.

So he's not a member of the crew but he's not not a member of the crew, either, and for now that's enough. It's like trying to make friends with an alley cat, Joe figures. You can't crowd him, or he'll run.

Then there's the night when he shows up with a bloody lip and a black eye, and flops on the couch like he intends to sleep there. "What happened to you?" Joe asks, but he doesn't really think he'll get an answer.

"Ah, you know how it is." Kaitou shrugs. "Sometimes people are wrong about who a treasure belongs to, and they want to argue about it."

"Imagine that." Joe takes him by the arm. "Come on, you should be commandeering a bunk instead of the couch, or your back will hate you in the morning."

"You're so selfless, looking out for me," Kaitou says. He looks pointedly at Joe's crotch.

"It's nice to be appreciated," Joe says. He pretends he didn't notice.

Kaitou lets himself be steered down to Joe's cabin. He's limping a little, but Joe pretends not to notice that, either. Instead he just helps get Kaitou's boots off and tucks him into bed.

"What, you're leaving already?" Kaitou asks when Joe straightens up.

"That's usually my line," Joe says. That earns him a brief smile. "I thought you might want to be left alone to recuperate."

"I suppose you have other things to do," Kaitou says, looking away.

"You can say what you want," Joe says, even though he's starting to suspect that for some reason Kaitou really just can't. Sure enough, that gets him no answer. "I'm going to leave unless you tell me not to."

Kaitou shoots him a betrayed look. Getting the word out still seems to take a minute. "...Stay."

Was that so hard? Joe wants to ask, but he manages to stop himself. "Okay," he says. "I will." He takes off his boots and his shirt and climbs into the bunk beside Kaitou, sliding an arm around him. "Sleep well."

From the tension in Kaitou's body he's expecting some kind of response, probably some kind of challenge. But slowly Kaitou relaxes into him, and eventually he murmurs, "Good night."

It used to be hard for Joe to sleep next to anyone, and he still sometimes has nights where he can't do it, where the presence of another person beside him leaves him keyed up and too alert to drop off. It's the main reason he hasn't moved into Marvelous's cabin full time. Tonight's okay, though. Kaitou's all starving sharp angles, but he doesn't move around much when he sleeps, so it's not so bad.

Joe wakes up still holding him, in the gray light of dawn when the rest of the ship is still sleeping. Kaitou is just slightly too tense to still be asleep himself. Joe tugs him closer and kisses his nape, and he shivers gently.

"Morning," he says, his voice still sleep-rough. "I should have figured you'd be an early riser."

"Mmm." Joe kisses him again. "Feeling any better?"

Kaitou rolls over and smiles. "Much," he says. His lip appears to be completely healed, and his black eye looks more like it happened three days ago than yesterday.

"Good," Joe says. He kisses Kaitou properly, and Kaitou nips at his tongue, pressing close against him. This is definitely one of the up sides of sharing a bed with someone.

For a few minutes they trade lazy kisses while Kaitou plays with his hair and strokes meaningless patterns across his back. Joe slides one leg between Kaitou's and rocks into him, and Kaitou pushes back, already hard and grinding against his hip.

Joe bites Kaitou's lip, then pulls back. "What are you up for?"

Somehow it's the wrong thing to say. Kaitou shrugs jerkily and doesn't answer, just rocking against Joe and leaning in to bite at his throat.

"Come on, seriously," Joe says. He pulls away, even though it feels good. "Tell me how you want this to go."

The look on Kaitou's face is hard to read. "I'm not going to beg for it."

"Who said anything about begging?" Joe sighs. He's not sure what happened to make Kaitou so skittish about this, but he doubts asking about it would get either of them anywhere good. "Look. Can I trust you to tell me if you want me to stop?"

"...Yeah," Kaitou says.

"Okay. That'll do for now," Joe says. He rolls Kaitou onto his back and pins him there, kissing him hard. Kaitou arches up underneath him in a way that would be completely ineffective for trying to get free, but is perfect for testing their strength against each other and enjoying the struggle. He bites at Joe's tongue, moaning, and when Joe grabs his wrists he shudders all over.

It's weird to not talk about it, when he's used to Marvelous, but Joe figures he'll manage somehow. Kaitou's body language is clear enough, at least. He moves like he can't get close enough, like every touch just makes him want more. His breathing is shaky and ragged, and he tips his head back when Joe goes for his throat. Joe bites down and sucks hard, leaving bruises for Kaitou to take with him when he disappears again.

"Take this off?" Joe asks, tugging up the thin fabric of Kaitou's t-shirt.

Kaitou nods, squirming out of it. His skin is deliciously warm. He looks at Joe with an expression that's simultaneously needy and wary, as if he expects this to stop at any minute. Hasn't he figured them out better than that by now?

Joe leans down and presses a kiss to the hollow beneath Kaitou's sternum, reaching for the buttons of his jeans at the same time. Kaitou arches his back, lifting his hips to make it easier for Joe to pull him out of the rest of his clothes. He looks good, sleek and lean, with a delicate bone structure that belies his strength. His cock curves up against his belly, flushed and stiff. Joe strips the rest of his own clothes off too, and stretches out beside Kaitou again.

"Feels good," Joe says, and Kaitou will at least nod agreement with that. Joe nuzzles at his throat, kissing the bruises he's left there. "I want to ride you."

"Fuck," Kaitou says. He grabs Joe by the hair and drags him into a rough, sloppy kiss. "Sure, let's do that."

Joe kisses him again, then rolls away to grab the lube out of the drawer beside his bunk. "Here," he says. "Slick me up?"

"Yeah," Kaitou says. He takes the bottle from Joe's hand and pops the cap. Joe's smiling at he spreads his legs. He's getting the idea. As long as Kaitou doesn't have to ask for anything, it's not that hard to get him to admit that he's enjoying himself.

His fingers are slippery and cool, sliding into Joe easily, and Joe doesn't even try to hold back the moan. It feels good, and the way Kaitou looks at him is even better, hungry and hopeful. Joe wraps a hand around his cock and strokes himself slowly in time with Kaitou's fingers moving inside him.

Kaitou curls his fingers inward, focusing the next stroke, and Joe gasps. "Yes, fuck, you're good at that," he says. "Feels so good, right there."

"Gonna feel good to fuck you, too," Kaitou says. He licks his lips, takes a deep breath. "I want you."

"I'm ready," Joe says. "Let's do it."

He exhales smoothly as Kaitou pulls his fingers out, then pushes him down onto his back and straddles his hips. Kaitou's eyes are wide and dark, his lips parted, his expression breathless and hungry. He holds his cock steady and Joe sinks down on him, slow as he can make himself go, savoring the stretch and slide.

"God," Kaitou says, "fuck." He slides his hands up Joe's thighs, shaky.

Joe takes hold of his wrists and presses them down against the bed, pinning him there, and Kaitou moans. "Yeah," Joe says, "that is good, isn't it?"

"Fuck—I—" Kaitou rolls his hips in a slow, deep thrust. Joe leans down to kiss him, sloppy and needy, more of his weight pressing down on Kaitou's wrists as he shifts forward. Kaitou moans into his mouth, thrusting up into him harder.

"Yes," Joe pants, "want this, want you—just like that, you feel good there." He pulls back enough to look Kaitou in the eyes, because he thinks he knows where this needs to go. "We want you here. We want you to enjoy yourself. If I ask you what you want, it's not because I want to make you beg, it's because I want to make you feel good."

"You don't—it's not...." Kaitou squirms under him, looking away, his whole body tense.

"You can tell me to stop, and I will," Joe reminds him.

Kaitou shakes his head.

Joe rocks down harder onto Kaitou's cock, taking him, enjoying the feeling of fullness and the needy ache of his own cock as he rides. "If you can't ask right now, that's okay. But you'll get there." Kaitou writhes under him, fighting his grip, still not telling him to stop. "You'll get there and it'll be good, you'll get what you want, what you ask for."

"Fuck," Kaitou says, "fuck me, it feels good, I want this."

"Yeah," Joe says, "me too, want you right there." He shifts his weight, pushes Kaitou's hands up over his head so he can catch both wrists in one hand. It would be easy for Kaitou to break his grip now but he doesn't—the way he pulls against Joe's grip is careful not to get free. Joe leans down and kisses Kaitou again, wrapping his free hand around his cock to stroke himself in time. "I want you, and I want you to enjoy yourself, and I want you to be happy."

Kaitou whines through his teeth, the muscles of his arms standing out in sharp relief as he struggles. His breath comes in desperate pants and he looks almost like he's hurting, but his hips snap up hard and fast, driving his cock into Joe deep. Joe rocks down to meet each ragged thrust, coaxing him into giving up more.

It feels good, the friction and shifting pressure, but Joe doesn't let himself surrender, not while Kaitou still needs more. He holds on, waiting, as Kaitou's thrusts grow sharper and more erratic, as the look on Kaitou's face becomes less wary and more nakedly hungry—and when Kaitou comes, he lets out a sharp breath like the wind's been knocked out of him, like it's painful to give in.

He pulls one hand free after he's done and reaches down to stroke Joe's cock himself. "Do you always let your partners go first, or am I getting special treatment?"

"I don't mind waiting," Joe says. He rocks into Kaitou's hand, letting himself focus on how good it feels and how much he wants this. "And I like making you come."

Kaitou laughs breathlessly. "What good luck for me that you're so obliging," he says. He has such clever hands, twisting his wrist at the top of each stroke to make his fingers tease the crown of Joe's cock.

"Is it really that unusual?" Joe asks, but Kaitou's expression goes shuttered and brittle again. "Sorry, you don't have to answer that."

"I know that," Kaitou says. "You don't have to worry so much." Still, the reassurance does make him less tense, his expression a little warmer. "After all, it's my turn to take care of you now." He smiles that brilliant, disarming smile and picks up his pace, and Joe lets the subject drop.

Now that he's letting himself focus on how it feels to be touched, it gets overwhelming fast. Kaitou's cock slips free, softening, and it doesn't even matter. Joe rocks into his hand, thighs flexing, sparks of pleasure humming through his nerves. He pants for breath, lets himself moan encouragement, tense all over and trembling with it.

"Please," he says, "fuck, I'm—"

"Yeah, do it," Kaitou says, "go on, come all over me," and he sounds like he wants it, sounds like he's craving it, and Joe lets go, splattering Kaitou's chest and belly, moaning with the pleasure of release.

Kaitou runs his fingers through the mess and lifts them to Joe's lips, one eyebrow raised in challenge. Joe meets his eyes steadily as he licks his come off Kaitou's fingers, then leans down for a kiss with the taste still bitter on his tongue. Kaitou looks surprised for a split second, but he kisses back with plenty of warmth, and it turns from a challenge into something comfortable and easy.

Joe slides out of Kaitou's lap and stretches out beside him, sliding one arm under his narrow shoulders to hold him close. Kaitou leans into being held like he's starved for it; Joe doesn't say anything about that, just wraps both arms around him and holds on while they both relax.

Eventually Joe says, "We should go stake a claim on the shower before anyone else is up." They're both sticky and sweaty, and the chance to fix that before Luka gets up and commandeers the bathroom sounds tempting.

"Mmm, together?" Kaitou says. "You're not worried that might lead to further debauchery?"

"Worried? No." Joe kisses Kaitou's throat, where the pulse beats steady and strong. "More like hopeful, I think."

"Oh. Well then." Kaitou kisses him, easy and unhurried. "I'd hate to disappoint."

It takes a few more minutes before they can pry themselves out of bed, and by that point it seems almost certain that the shower will just lead to round two. Joe can't complain.

Eventually Kaitou will leave again, and he'll probably keep having those skittish moments for a long time. But he'll come back again, too, and there will be more moments like this one, when he's comfortable and relaxed enough to tease. He'll come back, and the crew will make him welcome, and maybe, someday, he'll decide he's home.