Work Text:
It was just another quiet afternoon, like any other. They were lying on Manjiro's bed, side by side. Barely touching. Manjiro had said he didn’t want to play games, so Ken figured he might take a nap like they sometimes did. But a few minutes passed, and Manjiro was just staring at the ceiling, his eyes wide open with no sign of wanting to close them. Ken wanted to speak, to ask him what was going on in his mind, but he couldn’t bring himself to. He just kept looking at the ceiling too, wondering if it was the right time to press the matter.
“Ken-chin, I want to do it.” Manjiro suddenly declared, interrupting Ken’s thoughts. His statement was so blunt that Ken froze.
“Do what?” he asked, completely confused; a few seconds passed before his brain caught up.
“Sex. With you," Manjiro said, as if he were talking about the most normal thing in the world. His voice didn’t betray a hint of hesitation. His expression was blank, eyes still fixed on the ceiling. His hands gripped the sheets tightly, the softness of them soothing his anxiety.
“Uhm…” Ken wasn’t even sure what to say. His face turned mechanically towards Manjiro, but the smaller one still wasn’t looking at him.
“Is it a no?” Manjiro’s voice betrayed a hint of insecurity, and he still didn’t look back at Ken.
“I mean… isn’t that something you’re supposed to do with someone you love?” Ken asked, still in disbelief. It was Manjiro, and he was used to him being weird, but this? He hadn’t even considered that Manjiro would be interested in that kind of thing. And Ken had never dared to consider it as an option.
“Well, I do love you.” Manjiro said firmly. His tone completely switched compared to the beginning of the conversation.
“That’s not what I mean, Mikey.” Ken said, frustration creeping into his voice.
“Ken-chin. I do love you.” Manjiro turned to face him for the first time since the conversation started. He had thought about it. To Ken, it might have looked like he didn’t, like none of it made sense. But he did. His eyes locked onto Ken’s, hiding any insecurities or fears that led to that decision.
Manjiro pouted. Was he being rejected, or was Ken just being stubborn? What was so hard to believe about it?
Ken sighed. They’d been lying there all afternoon, and he figured it was time to get up before things went too far. But Manjiro had other plans. Slowly, he crawled on top of Ken, dropping onto his stomach and burying his face in Ken’s abdomen.
“Oi, Mikey? What the hell are you doing?” Ken’s voice was filled with frustration.
Manjiro hesitated. Was he pushing his luck? He knew if he was, Ken would probably forgive him. He always did.
“I was being serious.” His voice came out muffled, not quite looking up. He didn’t have the courage to meet Ken’s eyes, so he stayed with his face pressed against him, eyes closed, needing that extra measure to make sure Ken couldn’t look at him.
Ken’s face flushed, but his eyes softened. He was glad Manjiro hadn’t noticed.
“I’m not saying that I don’t believe you. But you have a way of rushing things so…”
“Yeah, but it’s not like I go around confessing to people.” Manjiro said, annoyed, still refusing to look him in the eyes.
Slowly, Ken reached out, running his fingers through Manjiro’s hair, gently ruffling the soft, blonde curls—almost golden like the sun. Manjiro let out a surprised squeak, and Ken chuckled.
It was rude to say, he thought. He was letting his insecurities speak for him.
Manjiro immediately lifted his head, ready to snap at Ken, but then he saw his expression. It was soft, warm, full of care. He couldn’t get mad anymore. His eyes softened as he only found devotion in Ken's eyes.
Despite the embarrassment, Ken leaned forward and quickly kissed him on the lips. “Let me think about it.”
It wasn’t just about the sex. There was a real conversation to be had. But as usual, Manjiro was rushing things.
Manjiro pouted again. “Okay, but hurry up and give me what I want.”
With that, he threw his head onto Ken’s collarbone, taking Ken’s hand, silently telling him to keep caressing him. Ken smiled and did as he was told, his fingers continuing to run through his messy, soft hair. His heart was beating, and he wondered if Manjiro could hear it.
Ken sighed. He looked up at the ceiling. “Well, I don’t go around kissing people either.”
Manjiro was a handful, but Ken would never let anyone else see him so vulnerable, so childish. This was only for him.
The answer never came. But in his mind, one thought kept circling: “Yeah, but you’d never make the first move, Ken-chin.”
Like he would ever have risked their relationship without a tiny bit of certainty on Ken's part. He would never have risked losing him, no matter how impulsive he might have been.
And yet, Manjiro knew Ken was the same. He would never have risked it, so it was Manjiro who ended up taking the first step.
He moved closer to Ken’s collarbone, almost like reclaiming him unconsciously. The smoothness of the sheets from before was nothing compared to Ken's skin.
“You've been mine since the beginning, Ken-chin,” he said, muffled.
Ken smiled silently. It infuriated him, but he knew it too. Since the very beginning, and the worst part of it was, he never tried to fight it.
And the way Manjiro hurried him? That was just a lie. He would have waited. Or accepted a no. And they both knew it.