Work Text:
There was a faint sound that stirred you from your light slumber. Had you left the TV on again? Perhaps music?
After multiple attempts, you successfully forced your eyes open and pushed yourself up from your tousled and groggily state to be met with a powered down flat-screen TV prompted up onto your sandy brown painted wall, along with a small beady-eyed bird, specifically a Chaffinch, resting on the ledge through your window.
It opened its mouth and tweeted once more, a melody you heard one too many times. Not that it bothered you. You had heard forenoon alarms worse than this which made this one of the best "wake-ups" you could receive.
There was shuffling of your blanket next to you and you snapped your head towards the source. You could see the back of a dishevelled black rooted blonde head from where you were. Then it suddenly clicked.
That's Kozume Kenma, the love of your life.
You stared at him as the thick blanket he was under was rising and falling with each breath of air he took. It was kinda shocking. After all these years of longing for a lover, you finally got one. Someone that you could wake up to and call yours until the end of your days.
You quietly slip out from under the cover and climb over him, careful not to wake him but to instead see if he was actually sleeping. And he was, as he truly looked tranquil in the sleeping state he was in. You almost wanted to wake him up to see his golden eyes, but no one likes to be roused.
Forcing yourself to leave the bed (or just Kenma burried in blanket next to you), you walked across the floors while avoiding certain spots for fear that it's creak under your feet and wake the also light sleeper still in bed. Then you remembered that this isn't the wooden floors back at your mother's house; this was marble, something that doesn't purposefully let the whole house know where you are.
You slid open the Japanese influenced bedroom doors and stepped out into the colder atmosphere of the Kenma residential in search of the bathroom. With the hallways dark and silent, chilly yet calming, goosebumps appeared on your arms and legs. The fact that you were simply in your undergarments and one of Kenma's stupidly oversized shirts compared to you, goosebumps were a valid reaction.
Suddenly remembering that you left your toothbrush in Kenma's room, you let out an exasperated huff and spun around on your heels, opening his room door up again. He shifted in the bed again, turning around a full 160-degree angle to attempt to smuggle where you would have been hadn't you got up. Just the lingering warmth was left of you and he seemed to have noticed. You watched as the half-sleep 17-year-old patted your sleeping spot a few more times before pulling the black sheets from your side of the bed, revealing... nothing. Like I said, just the lingering of your body heat. He shot up and with tired eyes and bedhead hair, double-checking to see if you were actually gone or if you had just travelled to the end of the bed in your sleep like you usually do. You couldn't hold back an amused "pft" and he turned to you, his confusion subsiding.
"Hi," he murmured, stretching out in a catlike manner, "planning on sneaking out without me?" You could visibly see fatigue take over him again, making your heart ache in love.
He made the butterflies in your tummy do triple summersaults and whatnot. It was simply ridiculous, the effect he had on you. You had never submitted to such a charisma before and he wasn't even trying. He was half unconscious for crying out loud!
He slid out of bed and tumbled onto the floor, resulting in him on his back and his bemused eyes staring straight at the ceiling just as yours did when you woke up. Kozume wasn't exactly... functioning when just awakening. He always looked as if he was warped into a different world he didn't recognize. (I bet you just made an expression.) He let out a heavy exhale right before a yawn escaped his lips and his shut eyes watered up. Afterwards, he smacked his lips together and glanced at you. How more precious could this rare breed of a human be?
"What time is it?" He asked. You shrugged. You hadn't checked your phone when you woke up.
"I just know it's still morning."
"Then why aren't you in my arms?" He groused, making your heart flutter once more. "We wake up when it's 2 in the afternoon or when my parents force us up. Come."
He stretched his arms out to you and clamped his hands open and shut like a baby would but since he was obviously older than that of a child, he might've been mistaken for a pervert trying to grope you if you hadn't known him.
You glanced over to his dresser where your toothbrush and toothpaste lay, waiting to be used. My teeth. You mouthed while pointing to his dresser. It's not like you didn't want to snuggle up next to him and dream about you two talking to street doggos and stealing parrots from nature walks but you had already woke up and when that happens and you're ready to do something, it's difficult to just let that goal go.
"Let me brush my teeth real quick. I'll be right back." You quickly made a grab for your items and then dashed out the room before he could even think to respond, his mind just sputtering out noises as he watched your flimsy body maneuver the room before he let out an amused "ha!"
━━━━━
After you were done washing up, you made your way to the living room. Kozume was leaning against the kitchen counter on his phone while his mom was pulling something out of the fridge. He didn't bother brushing his shoulder-length hair, leaving random bristles shooting out of place. His mother, Kotone Kenma, noticed you before her son. She had a carton of milk in her hands and some butter in the other.
If it weren't for the masculine build, short and dyed hair, and placid vibe; Kozume would've looked frightening like his mother. Genetics like this always fascinated you.
"Well, look who finally decided to join us." Mrs Kenma teased, making Kozume look up at you.
You laughed nervously, afraid that she was upset. "Sorry, Mom. I was brushing my teeth and you know how that gets." Hopefully, she wouldn't have questioned as you weren't good with explaining yourself, not that you were in trouble. At least, you weren't aware that you weren't in trouble.
"It's alright," she replied, "Kenma was the one waiting. Not I. You two can't go a second away from each other."
You could feel your cheeks heat up and you laughed again, trying to avoid eye contact with them both. To avoid fiddling with your fingers and arms, which you considered a bad habit due to how skinny your arms were from high metabolism, you instead pick up a dish rag hung over the back of the dining room chair, feeling the dampness soaked in the towel. It's was nothing shameful. Just embarrassing.
"Mom," Kozume mumbled, "please don't embarrass her." You could see him push himself from the kitchen counter and make his way over to you, taking the rag from you and setting it back over the chair before engulfing your hands in his. "Are you ready to go?"
"You won't stay for breakfast?" Mrs Kenma asked crestfallenly, pouring herself a glass of milk to go with her plate of pancakes (or waffles if you no like) that she made before you arrived. There was a stack of freshly baked vanilla pancakes on the counter, some that looked free to pick and consume; some that you really, really wanted...
Kenma shook his head, looking back at her. "We've got some stuff that we need to do."
His mother looked from him to you and back to Kenma. You felt a combined pang of guilt and hunger hit you. You never spoke to Mr and Mrs Kenma like your friends did their boyfriends. Speaking with adults, especially those whose kids you knew, was never easy for you. Maybe it was the introverted social awkwardness that kicked in whenever it got the chance. Or maybe it was the fact that attractive people intimidated you, and coincidentally, calling Mrs Kenma attractive was a factual understatement.
You did want to make her like you more and since your insecurities on physical appearance couldn't back you up, you quickly decided that this opportunity was worth relying on. On top of that, you wanted pancakes. It was a win-win situation, and so you slipped past the 5'6 boy, making him let out an ever so quiet "huh?"
"Actually, I'd love pancakes on the go. I'm sure they're really good. I haven't had homemade ones in such a long time."
You could feel Kenma's eyes on you as you spoke to his mother but you ignored it. Mrs Kenma smiled and you saw her eyes vanish by her flawless grin, making you subtly smile along with her. When it came to Kenmas, you give in.
Mrs Kenma turned around to grab a plastic plate from the stacks of styrofoam dish/silverware, aka the "Dish on the Go". You turned around and made eye contact with Kozume. Though he didn't have to look down because you were inevitably his height; quite possibly taller (or maybe you're shorter than him which in this case), he was still intimidating. But the atmosphere almost immediately changed when you saw him try to hold back a small smile whilst his face flushed red. You were relieved because seeing him blush was a way better thing to focus on rather than whether or not he was upset because you didn't want to leave right then. Perhaps you were overthinking.
Who knows?
After you get a small plate with two pancakes on it, both you and Kenma exited the residence. The morning was still visible and the sky was a baby blue. The sun was halfway risen out from the horizon, reflecting off the cherry blossom trees that bloomed a little less than a week prior. You could see the bird from the room still sitting on the window sealing and you tipped your imaginary cowboy hat at it.
You were going to bring up what your plans were but as soon as you both turned the corner out of the line of sight from the house, Kenma jumped at you, embracing you in a hug.
"Ehm..." You managed to let out, balancing the breakfast plate in one hand and patting his back with the other, as he had your arms tucked in. You could feel his heart beating rapidly and you could hear him let out a muffled exhale from his face being buried in your sweater.
He poked his head out from your grey winter sweater and you freeze. You immediately noticed how red his face was; how quickly his nose turned red from the slightly windy breeze out. He was inches away from pecking your lips and his eyes were still full of exhaustion. Jeez, he was your boyfriend, right? No one else's? Fantastic.
But there was silence. You wanted to move but you didn't want to move, and droopy eyes stayed on you as he continued to hold you. His touch was warm. It was secure. It felt loving. You still couldn't move though. I mean... even if you wanted to, he held you so tight, almost as if letting you go would cause you to disappear like Spiderman. Then...
"You're such a good person." He mumbled ever so softly. How do you respond to that? Thank you? No, you are?
"Uhm... Kozu?"
He closes his eyes again, kissing your cheek. "Hm?"
"What do you mean? I didn't do anything."
When he heard that, he pauses. After a moment, he pulled away from you which made you disappointed as the new gush of wind cools your skin again. "My mom."
Ah, that's what he's on about? I just wanted some pancakes...
"Kenma... that's nothing. I was hungry and those pancakes looked scrumschious. I don't see how you could say no." You smiled and blew in his face, making his face scrunch up.
"I still think you're a good person." He mumbled before pulling back and getting a good look at your face. It made your heart smile at how affectionate he could be.
Be kind to his mother. Got it.
That's something you're absolutely sure you won't be forgetting any time soon. It's not like you aren't kind to her, but now you know that he likes that as much as his mother also appreciates the young attention.
━━━━━
You two spent the day together. Though he wasn't good with expressing himself through words, his actions made up. When someone would give you side stares or when you needed to confront someone because you always get wrapped up in something, he would stand up for you.
Or when you were too nervous to order food. Wait, what's that saying about bottoms being afraid to ask for extra ketchup? It wasn't specifically ketchup but more like an entire meal. Sheesh, he may have seemed kind and dainty but he was truly a young man of wonders, and probably a top (because he came back with your order carefree). Not that you two would know or find out any time soon. He was and planned on staying a virgin. Not like you weren't. (Or maybe you aren't?) Either way, whether you were ready to give it to him or not, he settled on waiting until marriage. And yes, you were most definitely going to marry him. No matter how many obstacles, you two would overcome them.
Because you love him. You care.
And love will get you far in life. So you're willing to wait for him, even if your friends called you two the virgin couple. They respected your decisions because they too care.
"You are annoyingly beautiful, Mrs Y/N (L/N)," Kozume whispered almost to himself as he stared at your side profile while you two were walking down the quiet streets with glazed croissants in your hands. "You don't see what I see but... care I do not. Because you're beautiful to me and I will continue to think that way until the day I die. This is so stupid. Illegal even. You're so stupidly perfect."
Even if he couldn't see the heat creeping up on your face, he knew you were embarrassed by his sweet words due to you pursing your lips in a small smile. When he saw your reaction, he let out a breathy laugh and let his hand travel to yours in which he wrapped his fingers around yours.
"Don't you mean Y/N Kenma?" You teased, glancing at him before taking a sudden interest in the half-eaten croissant in your sticky left fingers.
Some older couples passing you two glanced at the young love they walked by. You couldn't tell what they were thinking, but you didn't care. I mean, you pulled a sweet and attractive guy who cares about you. This is a once in a lifetime chance you believe. You won't ever let him go and you're almost certain he won't either. Thanking God every moment for finally blessing you with him has now become a routine...
Because oh my goodness, you two were in love.