Work Text:
Draken called Mitsuya pet names to annoy him.
He knew how much pet names irked Mitsuya, but he did it anyway because it was just too much fun to see Mitsuya grumbling while simultaneously being flustered. Draken wouldn't think that he would enjoy doing this thing, but he did.
The first time it happened, they were out with their friends.
It was several weeks after Draken and Mitsuya were officially dating, but apparently, it was still quite a wonder for the group to talk about.
Being best friends, then roommates who shared apartment, and now, their relationship took a surprising turn to lovers. It was not as surprising as it should be. But the obvious pining, others had to endure, after the whole 'Draken and Mitsuya are too close, those two won't confess' fiasco; Mikey, Baji, Kazutora, and Pah-chin thought that they got every right to pry into this new development.
They had no shame, in trying to get the lovebirds to talk. Mitsuya answered the question carefully, doing his best to not blush. Even, amidst the jokes and teases, Draken was eventually fed up with them.
It was one thing for them to be curious, but it was another thing when those questions clearly made Mitsuya uncomfortable and put him in the spotlight.
So, Draken did what he gotta do.
“Babe, pass me the chicken wings,” Draken casually said to Mitsuya when the food and beers were served.
Mikey and Baji snatched the opportunity to make fun of them, while Draken tried his best to act nonchalantly about it, throwing a dazzling smile in Mitsuya's direction.
Kazutora and Pah-chin laughed when they noticed how Mitsuya froze at the pet name.
"Seriously, Draken?" Kazutora wheezed. He turned his head to Mitsuya. "You let him call you that?"
Draken munched his food. "Go get your own boyfriend, maybe you'll understand."
Kazutora made a face at him.
"In serious note, if you don't stop pestering him, I might do something you may regret," Draken chugged down his beer.
Pah-chin snorted. "What are you gonna do, huh?"
Draken hauled Mitsuya by his shoulder. "Should we show them, babe?"
Mitsuya stammered, completely red but not because of the alcohol. "Wh-wh-what?"
It happened so fast.
Mikey and Baji threw nutshells at them. Pah-chin pretended to gag, while Kazutora cackled madly.
"I can use the tongue," Draken licked his lips, chuckling when Mitsuya woke up from his trance to smack his head, prompting a wave of laughter from the others.
The second it happened, Draken didn't mean to do it.
He and Mitsuya were finally having a real date: a fine dining in a quite luxurious restaurant. Draken had been saving for this special occasion. He really wanted to make this day special. Making a reservation, ordering a bouquet of flowers days before, and even digging up his wardrobe for a nice suit (in the end, Masaway was kind enough to lend him one of his suits).
It was a perfect plan.
Or it was supposed to be.
He wouldn't think that anything could go wrong, but of course, it did.
A very angry customer came and complained when he was about to close the shop. He had told Inupi to go home early, so it was just him. The whole thing turned out taking way longer than he had expected, and he had to call Mitsuya to go to the restaurant ahead of him.
Even if Mitsuya had told him that it was okay, but Draken still felt shitty.
And here he was.
Three hours late.
Good thing, he still managed to get his flowers, and again, bless Masaway for delivering the suit to the shop when he heard how Draken was in trouble and couldn't pick it up himself.
"He's so attractive, I can't believe his girl stood him up."
Draken didn't mean to eavesdrop, but the girls who were walking past him were loud.
"You see how many times the waiters walked to him? Poor guy." One of the girls glanced back and it was unmistakable that her gaze was directed to a very familiar black-lilac-haired man.
Draken was too focused on that, he ended up clashing with a couple of elderly who were about to walk out. They noticed the flowers that Draken instinctively put away so they didn't get crushed, and smiled.
"On a date?" The old lady winked.
Draken nodded, mumbling his apology, and then fled, straight to where Mitsuya had been waiting.
It didn't escape Draken that several pairs of eyes were paying attention to them, especially the women.
Mitsuya was scrolling his phone, but he looked up when Draken stood before him. And there was no slight annoyance or any irritation on his face.
Instead, Mitsuya gave him his smile. The kind that was only reserved for Draken, so soft and yet so bright as if he just didn't spend hours waiting alone, like he was about to be stood up.
"Hey," he greeted, eyeing the white roses in Draken's arm. "Is that for me, or are you delivering flowers now?"
Draken bent down. "Sorry, I'm late, sweetheart."
Mitsuya didn't have time to protest, because the next thing he knew, Draken cupped his cheek and kissed him.
That definitely earned them audible gasps from several directions.
Draken couldn't help to smile when he pulled back to Mitsuya blinking confusedly.
"Are you ordering yet, sweetheart?"
As the time passed by, it just happened naturally.
"I told you, we should go earlier, but you didn't listen." Mitsuya ran his trolley, entering the toiletries aisle. He grabbed several packs of shower gels and shampoos. Draken walked behind him, yawning.
"I didn't sleep a wink last night, spare me."
Mitsuya rolled his eyes. Draken was the one who asked him to binge a full season of TV series he had wanted to watch. Among the episodes and the making outs, they clearly didn't rest enough.
They both overslept.
"So did I," Mitsuya said, as he scanned the shelf, looking for the face wash. Draken spotted the brand he used in one glance and went to pick it up.
"Worth it, though," Draken yawned again. "I regret nothing."
Mitsuya pushed the cart forward, entering another aisle. "You will be, once you see how long the queue in the cashier. It's the peak of the day, on the weekend."
Draken looked around for things they might need for one month ahead. Mitsuya tried to split ways with him to make the monthly grocery shopping more efficient, but Draken abided by no one.
He purposefully brought the wrong kinds of stuff whenever Mitsuya ordered him to get something. The constant eye-rolls and bitchface apparently didn't work when Draken chose to be a little shit. The shopping went longer than they expected because it was essentially Mitsuya who tried to do the work and Draken tried to sabotage it by acting childish.
Of course, he used the golden opportunity to mess around, knowing full well that Mitsuya would never get mad at him for real, and that actually amused him even though the man wouldn't want to admit it to the world.
When their grocery list was all checked out, Mitsuya's words were proven right.
The was a long line at the cashier. Draken used the time to make a quick run and grab more candy, snacks, and sort.
"Are you serious?" Mitsuya gave him, a super judgemental face.
"What?" Draken smiled innocently as he dumped more sweets into their cart. "Luna and Mana love them, and don't tell me, snacking on these don't give you joys."
Mitsuya sighed.
"Draken—"
Draken fluttered his eyelashes in exaggeration. "Yes, honey?"
"You're infuriating," he grumbled, pushing the cart, and started queueing their grocery to be scanned. The cashier did a poor job attempting to not look at the very unusual pair before her.
Mitsuya was about to pull out his wallet when Draken stopped him and pull out his own.
"Honey, let me."
Mitsuya didn't play along, he merely slapped his hand.
"Forgive me," he said to the cashier. "He didn't get much attention. Here you go."
The cashier accepted his card, as Draken bagged their groceries, grumbling to himself. Mitsuya rolled his eyes, but anyone could see how he tried to fight to smile.
She grinned when she handed him the receipt.
"You two are adorable."
There were also the other times when Draken called him, "Heya, handsome, you forget your lunch," as he visited Mitsuya's office to give him the said meal. Or that time, when Draken was half-asleep but clearly was conscious enough to whisper to him, "Morning, sunshine, whatcha making?" then laughing when Mitsuya spilled his orange juice.
Or that one time, when Mitsuya was laying on the bed, adamantly reading the book, and ignoring Draken's seduction until Draken explored his neck and breathed out, "Am I not more interesting from that book, love?" which strangely worked out.
And yet, when they were alone, in each other’s company, Draken couldn’t resist using the most intimate nickname of all: Taka.
The first time, Draken called him, Taka, Mitsuya froze. The first name was passed like a sacred prayer and fell elegantly off Draken's lips into Mitsuya's. It was not meant to be a playful act or joke, it was genuine adoration, manifesting in two syllables.
"What did you say?" Mitsuya staggered back, blinking.
Draken stared into his eyes, the black orbs were so captivating, Mitsuya let himself be pulled.
"Taka," Draken called again. "I've been dying to call you that."
Mitsuya blinked. "That's just my name."
"Exactly. It's just yours." Draken cupped his face for the second time, or third time, or fourth time—honestly, Mitsuya had lost count. He let himself drown in those kisses, the way Draken whispered, Taka, in every interlude. He made Mitsuya's name, sounded like a song, flowing gracefully, serenading them and the intimacy between.
"I like," Mitsuya managed to say, when they stopped to regain their breath. "when you call me, that."
And as if for good measure, he looked up and searched for Draken's eyes. "Ken."
Draken froze, not for long, because he had pushed Mitsuya back to the mattress, devouring his lips hungrily.
"Taka," he panted.
Mitsuya pulled Draken down by his neck and smiled against his lips.
"Yes, Ken?"
That was when Draken and Mitsuya discovered something important about themselves. That there was nothing, nothing more intimate than calling your partner by their names. They were Draken and Mitsuya to others, they also could be Honey, Sweethearts, or many various pet names.
But in each other's embrace, stripped naked to their core, metaphorically and quite literally, they were just Ken and Taka.
Ken was Taka's.
As much as Taka was Ken's.
Honestly, they didn't need more endearments, when there were so many feelings lacing the name they whispered to each other.
What could be more intimate than being yourself when you were with someone you love?
"If I knew how much you'll like it, I would be doing it sooner."
"Ken."
"Yes, Taka?"
"Shut up, and just kiss me."
fin.