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“Shouhei… you have a lot of cats.”
Shouhei glanced over his shoulder, a small, pleased smile tugging at his lips as he nodded. Kenma could only smile back as he sank down into the veritable sea of cats and held his hand out for them to sniff. Some, like the cream-colored one in the back, were more shy, but one-by-one they all approached him, sniffing curiously before they began to rub up against him. He glanced up. Shouhei held up two fingers, then wiggled them. So there were two more hiding. Kenma shook his head, shoulders shaking in silent laughter as he scratched Kuwagata, a black cat, behind the ears. He’d seen pictures of them all, but it had never quite sunk in until now - but he was more than pleased at the mass of purring bodies around him.
He glanced up.
Shouhei pointed towards the TV - and, more importantly, to the gaming console that lay beneath it. Kenma was up in an instant, cats meowing after him, and they followed him and Shouhei to the cabinet. There were plenty of games inside, and most were titles Kenma recognized. He scratched Chou idly while he flipped through them, then turned around with a small smile. “How about this one?” Shouhei’s lips twitched and he nodded, and Kenma slid the disk in, the old, jazzy music of Fallout 3 greeting them after a moment.
He had to move two of the cats - Hotaru and Tonbo - before he could sit, and they instantly latched onto his lap, purring and kneading his legs as Shouhei fiddled with the controller. He held it out to Kenma, but Kenma waved his hand. “I want to watch you for a bit.” After all, he hadn’t gotten to see Shouhei play games much, though he’d heard from Kuro that Shouhei was good.
He curled up, Batta crawling up in his lap to snuggle up against his stomach, and he buried his fingers into her creamy white fur, smiling as Shouhei opened the game. He was fairly far in the game, enough that it surprised Kenma - it had just been released a week before. Even Kenma hadn’t gotten that far. Mostly because Kuro was withholding it as a bribe.
Shouhei pulled his knees into his chest, Chou settling around his feet, as he began to tap away. Kenma smiled faintly, watched as Shouhei guided his character through the wasteland, in the middle of a mission he must have left off prior.
Kenma watched, intrigued, as Shouhei traversed the landscape easily, a plasma rifle in his character’s hands - one he wielded with brutal efficiency, leaving piles of glowing green goo in his wake. Monsters fell right and left - creepy things that looked like mutant bears, giant deformed men, ghastly ghouls, and more. And Kenma watched, wide-eyed as Shouhei hummed to himself, a faint smile tugging at his lips. One finger would drop to idly scratch Chou on the ears occasionally as he quickly tapped away. His soft gray eyes would flick over and he held the controller out more than once, but Kenma could only shake his head.
It was fascinating, watching Shouhei play video games. He had the same owlish intensity that he had during games, eyes sharp, riveted, almost unblinking as he stared at the screen. His fingers were quick, his reactions even quicker.
The cats settled down around them, draped along the couch, the floor, and on the coffee table in front of them. Kenma had his hands full with cats, so much that he almost didn’t notice when Shouhei paused the game until he glanced up, saw the menu plastered on the TV. Shouhei pointed to the screen. Held up two fingers.
Kenma smiled. “Fine, I’ll pick out a new game.”
Shouhei giggled silently, and Kenma fluttered his fingers back at him before he carefully nudged the occupants of his lap off despite the chorus of protesting meows, and made his way back to the cabinet. His fingers skipped across the titles for just under ten seconds before he hummed, pulled out Portal 2.
Shouhei flashed him an approving thumbs up, and Kenma swapped the discs out, grabbed the second controller on his way back, and stared at the couch. The cats he’d nudged off his lap had taken his seat in return, and Tonbo stared up at him, lazily, almost haughtily blinking. Shouhei giggled, and he reached over and scooped her up and set her on the floor so he could squeeze into the place between Shouhei and Hotaru. It was close - the couch dipped, left them sagging into one another, shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip.
Kenma could feel his ears growing warm, and he ducked his head, blond hair falling in front of his face. It didn’t stop Shouhei’s hand from creeping across their legs to curl over his, cool, his long fingers whispering across Kenma’s skin. He turned his hand over. He could hear the soft puff of breath, a laugh, and that only made his blush spread, hotter, as his heart skipped a little. Shouhei slipped their fingers together, just for a moment, and squeezed before he pulled his hand back. Neither of them said a word, but Kenma couldn’t help but smile and lean closer as Shouhei started the game.
They went to multiplayer, and Kenma chose the short round robot, Atlas, which made Shouhei shake with silent laughter. It disturbed Chou, who meowed at Shouhei before he leapt to the back of the couch and settled there, grumpily flicking his tail. Kenma shook his head. “Your cats are demanding.”
“Cute,” Shouhei said softly. Kenma nodded. He couldn’t deny that, not when Hotaru and Tonbo were currently grooming each other beside him, purring up a storm together while Chou settled on the back of the couch. Kuwagata had hugged a well-loved - and torn - stuffed mouse to her chest, while Batta, Semi, and Kabutomushi had taken over an armchair.
Kenma and Shouhei fell into an easy rhythm. Shouhei’s silence made it a little more difficult, but it wasn’t hard to tell what he wanted after a few minutes. He would gesture with the character, fire his portal gun, and quick enough they managed to blaze their way through the first puzzle. He’s good. Not surprising, since he owned it, but he clearly hadn’t played co-op before - nothing was unlocked, and sometimes Kenma would look over to see his eyes narrowed and lips pursed. It was far too cute, watching that intense stare catalogue everything on the screen - something he didn’t get to see nearly enough with the rush of games and practice.
Kenma edged a little closer.
They worked together, firing portals and slowly but surely making their way through the game, their combined skills and fluid communication making it easy - even when Shouhei teased him on one level by crushing him on the rising portions of ground when he stepped off a button.
They stopped after they completed the second set of puzzles, setting their controllers aside to sit there and stretch, the cats lazily watching them. Kenma glanced over. Saw Shouhei’s eyes on him, wide, curious. Shouhei turned a little. Held his arms out.
Kenma swallowed thickly, but he leaned forward, let those long, slender arms wrap around him, pulling him close into Shouhei’s thin chest. He was warm, smelled like mint, and Kenma felt his ears grow warm once more. He twisted, buried his face into Shouhei’s shoulder with an embarrassed little noise that didn’t quite leave his throat. That only made Shouhei laugh, his body rippling under Kenma as his arms tightened around him, more secure than before. Holding him close and tight.
Warm.
Kenma stilled, fingers half-curled into Shouhei’s shirt, eyes shut. He took a breath. It had only been a few months since they’d come together, a little clumsy, a little uncertain, and yet- Their bodies fit together nicely, even if Shouhei’s knees were a little knobby, if his fingers and toes were constantly cold. He was comfortable, familiar. Never loud, always soothing on the ears and heart. A calm refuge, a good place to go when he needed a quiet place, when he needed space from, well, everything. And someone he knew would always give him what he needed.
And that left him spinning, reeling, and he wasn’t entirely sure what to do with it. But his tongue was stiff, ears too warm, and everything suddenly felt too much. Too many emotions, not enough clarity for them - well, enough to know that they were all good, and Shouhei was the root of it all.
Kenma sucked a breath down and pushed back. Shouhei’s eyes fluttered open, cloudy grays that peered at him, curious. Understanding flashed across his eyes. Shouhei smiled. Shook his head. “It’s okay.”
Kenma managed a tiny smile too, and he leaned forward, brushed their lips together in a shy kiss. Shouhei smiled through it. The second it was over, Kenma reburied his head back into the crook of his neck while Shouhei burst into another fit of silent laughter. But it was nice, and it left Kenma curling his fingers in tighter to his shirt, practically grinning as he pressed closer, stretching his toes against Shouhei’s calves and two furry bodies.
I like this.
And Shouhei did as well, clear in the steady breaths, the easy weight of the hands on Kenma’s back, and the subtle movement of his lips against Kenma’s scalp, forming words that would never pass his lips - simple sentences perhaps, or even poems, stories. Kenma closed his eyes. Sank into the warmth, loosening bit by bit to the sweet scent in his nose and the limbs that encompassed him.