CHARACTERS: ShotaroxPhilip, Akiko, Terui

Disclaimer: Toei and Bandai

Shotaro and Philip both sat half reclined in the couch and the arm chair respectively while listening intently to the radio embedded into the wall. It was time for Wakana-hime's regularly scheduled program and they have been such avid listeners the show rarely ever missed them, especially Phillip because he almost never left the house.

Akiko was out getting groceries and Shotaro reveled in the small amount of peace he was privy to while she wasn't around. He sometimes wished she was the type to spend the entire day at the Fuuto City Mall but unfortunately, she took greater pleasure in butting into his business.

"And this concludes today's Wakana-hime programming. Be sure to order the exclusive Wakana-hime limited edition t-shirts today!"

The radio trailed off into the usual jingle that was the show's theme song and with a huge smile on his face Philip got up and turned the device off.

"Oi, Philip, did Akiko say anything about work today?" Shotaro asked.

Worrying his bottom lip for a second the younger male answered with a short no.

"Aah, we haven't gotten any big cases for the past week," Shotaro sighed out in exasperation. "Dopants' must be hibernating or on strike!"

Philip watched as Shotaro crossed his legs and threw his head back on the arm of the couch before pulling his customary black fedora over his face. He was probably going to fall asleep because he always did that when he was bored. Philip couldn't help but let him, it was the time he took to study his partner more closely after all.

"I'll be in the secret room researching," Philip said and Shotaro waved him off with one hand. He nodded his head before turning and walking towards the room, deciding he would give Shotaro twenty minutes before he returned and praying Akiko didn't come back in that time.

Philip worried his bottom lip with the fingers from his left hand once he was alone, leaning on the wooden door of the secret room. What if Shotaro found out about his hobby? He loved his partner too much to want to risk their relationship. Once he had stumbled across sex in his research and had become fascinated with the subject. When the topic of gay sex came up he knew he wanted to do it with Shotaro, but unfortunately the next page of the book was geared towards the homophobic stigma and hate towards those who revealed such sexual preference. He was scared Shotaro might have some bad feelings towards two men being together even though he felt his partner wouldn't hate him. But he wasn't willing to take that risk and he was too afraid to ask. He looked up at the analog clock on the wall and realized he'd been thinking about it for the last ten minutes. Only ten more and he could do what he'd become accustomed to doing in the open before Akiko showed up. He decided to go make some coffee in the meantime to calm his frayed nerves.

Ten minutes later Philip placed his coffee cup into the kitchen sink and he walked over to where Shotaro was laying. He listened to the telltale sign that the older male was asleep; a soft, barely audible snore that rose from the back of his throat whenever he was out. Walking over and getting on one knee he slowly reached a hand out and removed the fedora from Shotaro's face. With a soft smile on his lips Philip used his left hand to brush a lock of stray bangs out of Shotaro's closed eyes. He loved how soft his partner's hair felt and how smooth his skin was. He was glad Shotaro was a heavy sleeper because that meant he could run the back of his hand softly over his face without fear of waking the other man up. With his other hand now free of the fedora he placed it softly on his partner's leg, wanting to feel as much of him as he could.

Philip couldn't contain the rapid beating of his heart whenever he was as close to Shotaro as he was now. There was so much he wanted to do, so much he wanted to try but was scared to. He quickly drew his hand away from Shotaro's face when the other stirred before turning his face towards him. Fortunately for him Shotaro was still asleep but now those soft, lush looking lips were exposed to him and he was really tempted to kiss them. Threading his fingers softly through the other's hair he couldn't stop himself from wanting to bring his lips closer to Shotaro's.

The moment seemed so ethereal, like a dream and Philip desperately wanted that kiss. His face was so close to Shotaro's he could feel the warm breath he exhaled on his cheek, ghosting softly over his skin.

Philip was so focused on his partner he failed to realize that somebody had entered the agency without his knowledge.

"What are you doing?"

With a startled gasp Philip tumbled backward in an effort to straighten himself but only managed to lose his footing and fall on his butt.

Shotaro only stirred at the noise.

"Terui…" Philip muttered after he saw who it was. The Detective stood there watching him intently and with wide eyes he asked the man what he was doing.

Terui's gaze then hovered over Shotaro's entire body and Philip didn't like it; not one bit. But still, he felt scared because the other man now knew his secret. He could only pray he wouldn't hate him for it or worse, tell Shotaro.

"I need to borrow him for a while to help me with something," the other rider answered evenly before walking over and grabbing Shotaro by the shirt, jerking him awake.

"Oi, leave me alone Akiko….!" Shotaro shouted with a balled fist in the air before he realized who had grabbed him.

"Oh, Terui, why the hell are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Shotaro asked annoyed.

Terui sighed, "Remember that thing we talked about? I still need your help with it."

"Oh, that thing…" Shotaro chuckled and Philip couldn't understand how they weren't trying to tear each other's throat out. Judging by the informal way they were speaking with each other it didn't look like Terui was going to say anything to Shotaro about what he'd seen either. Philip released the breath he didn't realize he was holding when he made that conclusion.

"Coffee?" Terui asked with a smug grin on is face before walking towards the kitchen and Shotaro muttered irately under his breath about being able to make better coffee.

His partner was about to walk off when he noticed him still sitting on the floor.

"Oi, Philip…" Shotaro said before reaching a hand out towards him. He accepted the help and pulled himself to his feet.

"Arigato, Shotaro," Philip muttered while the other male dusted his behind off with one hand.

"Be careful next time," Shotaro smiled before walking off and Philip smiled fondly in return. It was just the way Shotaro looked at him that had many different types of emotions running through him at times. He couldn't remember ever feeling this way for anybody besides Shotaro, as a matter of fact he didn't remember a thing before Shotaro. But that's why their bond felt so strong; they were made for each other, true partners, one kamen rider; two sides of the same soul.

They both headed towards the kitchen where Terui was about to add sugar to the three steaming cups of coffee.

Philip watched the liquid swirl in each cup while the other sweetened it and Shotaro's brow knitted into a frown.

"Here," Terui muttered after handing each of them a cup and he took it because even he knew the man made amazing coffee.

"Shotaro, I need us to be alone this evening," Terui sighed and Philip's ears perked up at that. Why would his partner want to be alone with that guy? He didn't even like him.

"Mou…sure," Shotaro answered simply before taking the first sip of his coffee.

Stunned, Philip looked between both males. He expected his partner to object to the idea, if even a little bit. He surely didn't expect him to give in so easily.

"How about some flowers?" Shotaro asked and Philip's eyes widened even further.

"Flowers sounds good," Terui answered while he watched Shotaro intently.

Philip was getting a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Mmm, bubble bath?" Terui asked a moment later.

"Bath salt," Shotaro answered readily.

What the hell was this, when had they become…friends?

"Condoms?"

"Definitely," Shotaro grinned and that's when Philip spit the coffee he was drinking all over the table.

"Oi, Philip, that's embarrassing," Shotaro said annoyed, watching the teen who was coughing while coffee ran out his nose. He tried covering his face with his hands and Shotaro quickly grabbed a towel from the kitchen and handed it to him.

"Arigato Shotaro-kun," Philip nodded before wiping his nose and mouth, then the table. He took a sideway glance at Terui who had a deceivingly innocent look on his face.

"What happened, you sick, catching a cold?" Shotaro asked and Philip nodded his head in a negative gesture.

He wasn't sick; he was pissed. What the hell was Terui trying to do?

"I guess we should leave for our engagement?" Terui asked and Shotaro nodded his head at him, leaving an even more confused Philip staring at them.

What exactly was going on between them both? Philip wanted to scream at the other rider that Shotaro was his and he could never have another partner in any way shape or form but all he could do was stare; hopefully stare the guy to death. He seriously didn't like the smirk Terui had on his face while he turned to leave with Shotaro following suit.

"Ano… Shotaro, where are you going?" Philip asked before his partner could disappear out the room.

Stopping, Shotaro took the fedora off his head and dusted away some unseen dirt with his hands.

"Aibou, I'll be spending the evening with this guy," Shotaro answered in a mildly annoyed voice before pointing at the other man.

Philip nodded his head slightly, not wanting to seem too eager to find out where they were going. He was now more suspicious than ever and if he didn't like Terui before he surely hated him now.

"I'll be back in a few hours Philip, tell Akiko to look after dinner," Shotaro smiled before ruffling his hair and Philip smiled fondly in return at the gesture. But his smile quickly deflated when Shotaro closed the door behind him.

Sighing in defeat the youth flopped down on the nearby couch, taking stock of all the confusing feelings running through his mind. Terui Ryu was a Detective, a kamen rider in training and a guy that might be after Shotaro; bad, bad man that guy was.

There was suddenly a loud bang and Philip looked around to see Akiko straining to enter the house with two paper bags full of groceries, one in each arm.

"Philip, help me with these!" Akiko squeaked and that's when he moved to give her a hand.

Taking one of the bags he promptly deposited it on the kitchen table.

"Arigato, Philip-kun," Akiko nodded after she set her bag down. Philip walked back over to the couch with a despondent demeanor and Akiko took a good look at him while he moved.

"Philip-kun, you ok?" the woman asked before walking over and plopping herself down beside the youth, making sure to focus all her attention; or at least what was left of it, on him.

Philip worried his bottom lip with the fingers of his right hand before confessing, "Ano, my relationship with Shotaro might be threatened."

"Huh?" Akiko asked in a confused voice. "Philip kun, I don't think anybody can come between you and Shotaro's relationship."

Philip turned his worried gaze at Akiko, "but he…"

"No, don't think about it," Akiko cut him off. "I've never seen a bond as strong as you and Shotaro's and I honestly don't think it can be easily broken."

She smiled a very reassuring smile and surprisingly, Philip felt a little better. He did think Akiko was amazing after all; contrary to Shotaro's belief.

"Arigato," Philip smiled before walking away towards the secret room, leaving an eyebrow raising Akiko behind.

"Oi, be quite dammit," Shotaro hissed to the bumbling man trailing behind him. It was now three in the morning and both he and Terui were just returning to his place. He decided to put the Detective up for the night…or more like morning since he was too drunk to get home by himself.

"Damn Shotaro, that was really good," Terui laughed and it scared Shotaro to see the man with such an expression on his face. He was so accustomed to the other's usual frown this happy go lucky attitude irked him. He slipped his key into the front door and tried to carefully pry it open; but Terui had other plans.

"Let me in dammit," Terui pouted before pushing his way past Shotaro and noisily entering the agency.

"Oi, wait!" Shotaro shouted before watching the other rider trip over the arm chair in the middle of the room and falling flat on his face. Landing over the other side one of Terui's legs was sticking up into the air. Sighing, he pulled the man up by the collar of his red leather jacket before pushing him down to sit in said chair; it was times like these he was glad Akiko slept in her father's room upstairs, somewhere he hadn't set foot in from the man died. Terui's head lolled to one side while he tried to fix him into a comfortable position because that's where he would be spending the rest of the morning.

"Shotaro… it felt really good tonight," Terui muttered with his head still hanging down and the detective smiled.

Shotaro stood up and with both hands on his hips he swaggered dramatically, "That's what it means to be…hard-boiled."

"Shotaro?"

Scared out of his wits the older man turned around to face the sound of the voice he heard.

"Philip…?" Shotaro asked, recognizing the teens frame against the semi dark of the secret room's doorway. "...are you cold?"

Phillip stood hugging himself tightly and he had to wonder why that was so. Walking over he placed both hands on Philip's arms and started to rub them in an effort to warm him up. He realized after a moment Philip just stood there not doing a thing and it worried him. Was he researching so early in the morning? It'll be the death of him.

"Where were you?" Philip asked in an even voice, not clueing the clueless Detective in that he wasn't ok at the moment.

Shotaro drew in a breath before turning around and walking towards the kitchen, "Aaah, I was out with Terui."

"That I deducted from the minute you walked through the door," Philip answered while his eyes followed the man milling about. Why was Shotaro being so vague?

"He asked me to teach him something," Shotaro added before pulling a coffee cup from the small cabinet hanging on the wall.

"Teach him something… Like what? Maybe I could research and help him too," Philip offered in a bid to get more information.

"Ano…this one is personal Philip, Terui wouldn't appreciate me telling you," Shotaro muttered hesitantly. He always told Philip he was his one and only partner and he could tell him anything at all. He even came up with a no secret between them rule once when Philip wanted to keep his research from him. But he knew Terui would never forgive him if he talked and he was just getting on the man's good side. He felt stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"You can't tell me or you won't tell me?"

"Philip…" Shotaro sighed before placing both hands on his waist in an exasperated gesture.

Philip slowly backed himself back into the secret room before Shotaro could get to him and he made sure to lock the door behind him.

"Philip…" Shotaro muttered before knocking lightly on the door. He tried the handle but it was locked.

"I'm going to bed Hidari-san, good night."

"Hidari…?" Shotaro muttered under his breath. That was a very bad sign. "Philip, open the door." He knocked twice more and got no answer and he wanted to keep knocking but the night's activities were finally catching up to him and he felt extremely tired. His muscles felt a little cramped and he wanted to go sleep and relax.

Deciding that he could deal with Philip in the morning, Shotaro headed over to the single bed the teen normally slept on in a corner of the room and languidly flopped himself down on it, falling asleep the instant his head hit the pillow.

The next morning the fog in Shotaro's mind was slowly being penetrated by a loud tapping noise coming from somewhere close by. It took a moment for him to fully regain consciousness and realize that somebody was tapping a spoon against a porcelain cup. Cracking one eye open he was greeted by the sight of Akiko, with her hair pulled into a ponytail, seated around the small dinner table stirring relentlessly her coffee cup, causing that annoying noise to bother him.

"Dammit…Akiko," the man groaned before covering his head with a pillow. He wanted to get some more sleep but he knew with that kid around that probably wasn't possible.

"Shotaro-kun, is Philip sick?" Akiko asked.

Shotaro removed the pillow from his head. "Huh?"

"I went into the secret room this morning and he was spacing out a lot," the woman answered.

Dammit, what is up with him? "I'll go talk to him in a bit," Shotaro resolved. He went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and freshen up before making his way towards where Philip was. He was about to enter the room when he did a double take; Terui was still sleeping in the arm chair.

"Oi, I thought you'd wake him up and send him home," Shotaro said to Akiko who turned around to look at him with a perplexed expression.

"Me?" the woman asked after pointing an index finger at her nose. "You brought him home, why don't you move him."

Akiko stuck her tongue out at him and Shotaro tsked in annoyance. Walking over to the sleeping man clad in his regular red leather clothing and a black t-shirt he grabbed him by the jacket and proceeded to try to wake him.

"Oi, Terui, wake up," Shotaro shouted. Terui didn't move an inch.

Slinging both hands under the other rider's arms and linking his fingers across his back Shotaro tried to pull the man into a standing position. He had to widen his legs for balance and was straining a bit but he hadn't expected what happened next. In his sleep fogged mind Terui wrapped both hands around his shoulders and clumsily pulled him down into a chaste kiss.

Stunned, Shotaro just stood there for a few seconds with wide eyes, his brain trying to process what had just happened when Terui slumped back into the chair heavily. When he came back to his senses he pushed the other man back down before muttering darkly under his breath.

"Shotaro-kun…!" Akiko gasped while pointing a finger at the man. She saw the kiss and didn't know what to think. Weren't they enemies?

"Nani…?" Shotaro asked dumbfounded. His brain still wasn't processing fully what had just happened.

"I see."

Both pairs of eyes turned towards Philip when his voice was heard.

"Philip…" Shotaro started; his body tense. "It' not…."

"No need to explain," Philip cut in before walking over to where Akiko stood. He didn't want anybody to know how much it had hurt to watch Terui kiss Shotaro a while ago. Did that kiss mean they were now partners?

Shotaro stormed over to where Philip stood before grabbing him by the shoulders and turning him around to face him.

"A…aibou, that wasn't what it looked like," Shotaro stuttered while pointing to Terui. Philip was too young to be seeing two grown men kissing; he might end up researching the subject for days; and getting way too curious!

"Oh, then what was it?" Philip asked nonchalantly. Nobody was supposed to know how he was feeling at the moment.

"It was an accident!"

"What was an accident?" Terui slurred slightly. All the commotion had woken him up but his mind wasn't completely cleared as yet.

"You, get out!" Shotaro screamed at the semi-awake man who was looking around dazed.

"Fine," Terui muttered angrily before getting up and walking towards the door. He tripped on a toy ball near the exit and fell flat on his face, but managed to straighten himself with all the dignity he could muster before slamming the door shut behind him.

Aah, Philip's too young to understand the intricacies of intimate relationships. Maybe in another few months I'll have the bird and the bees talk with him.

"Shotaro, are you sleeping with him?"

That question had the Detective gaping like a fish out of water while he looked between both Philip and Akiko.

"Mou, I'd like to know too…" Akiko added after folding her arms and nodding her head. "…you both weren't really being subtle last night."

"N…no!" Shotaro screamed in frustration. "I could never sleep with that asshole!"

"Why?" Philip then asked in a quizzical voice. "Are you homophobic?"

With more curiosity than she probably should have had Akiko just watched the two's exchange, for once not butting in with advice of her own. She had a pretty good idea what was up with Philip; she just had to be sure.

"Huh?" Shotaro queried. What was Philip going on about?

"Homo…eh?!"

"Don't bother," Philip muttered before grabbing a bottle of juice out the fridge and walking back to the secret room.

Shotaro was too stunned to speak after Philip's little analysis and his confused gaze followed the teen until he disappeared behind the wooden door.

"Akiko…" Shotaro cried in frustration after turning his exasperated gaze at the woman. "Aki…."

Akiko ran over and patted Shotaro on the back.

"Don't worry Sho-kun, I'm sure you'll be able to work this out with Philip-kun," Akiko tried to reassure. She prayed she was right because she knew there was no way they would be able to function properly as double if they themselves were having problems.

"Just explain to Philip-kun what's happening between you and Terui-kun," she finished with a shit eating grin on her face. She was so smart…………

"Eh!? I can't tell him that," Shotaro griped.

"Why not?" Akiko asked with her lips turned downward into a frown. "Philip-kun needs to hear the truth!"

"But…"

"No buts!" Akiko screamed before hitting the man across the back of the head with her slipper.

"Ow, what was that for?" Shotaro huffed while rubbing the sore spot on the back of his head. He swore one day he'd burn every single one of Akiko's slippers.

"If you don't tell Philip-kun the truth you'll be sorry!" And with those words she stormed off.

"Ano… bloody hell," Shotaro muttered under his breath, unsure of what he should do in his current predicament.