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Sometimes he wonders if he should feel bad.
if shame - or guilt maybe? something mean definitely - shouldn't be on his mind.
but well.
its not Taki's fault that ever since Maki got tall he's right at perfect pout height.
really these days all it takes is a bit of blinking and just barely poking out his lip and maki will just. give him anything. do anything.
"You should give the boy a break," K scolded as they ate. The others were scattered across the room, none close enough to hear the tenth iteration of the same argument.
"But I'm not really doing anything!" Taki's protest was garbled through his mouthful of noodles, but by the look on K's face he heard it loud and clear.
"Taki. Sweetie. Yesterday he got in trouble with the managers for sneaking out because you were craving boba."
Taki winced. Not his best moment.
But he stood by his reasoning! Besides, he hadn't even really done it on purpose that time. He'd just been craving something sweet and Harua had cleared out the last of their stash without telling him. Its not his fault he was rightfully upset and Maki decided to do something about it.
(He did feel a little bad about the dressing down he got from the managers though. And that he'd covered for him. One cup, because Maki doesn't even like boba, and its not on his dumb muscle diet. But he said it was for him, because it isn't really on Taki's diet either.)
Taki was busy thinking (not pouting) about this when a shadow fell over his bowl. He looked up and into warm brown eyes, almost as if thinking about him summoned him.
Sat down like he was, Taki got a front row seat to the way Maki's face softened when he looked up. His mouth curling, his eyes going molten with affection, everything just bleeding fondness just from looking at him. It put a heat in Taki's cheeks that he could feel spread across his nose and up to his ears.
"You look like a chipmunk with these cheeks, Tak," he said, voice warm warm warm. Taki watched as he lifted a hand, bigger now than they were but still so pretty and clean, just to cup it around the swell of his face. To brush a thumb gently across his cheek and simultaneously melt every bone in Taki's body to mush.
"Do you need anything?"
And. It's almost scary how sharp the rush of longing is. Taki's been fighting off thoughts of things he needs from Maki for years now. Touches, kisses. Specific words in specific orders with specific meanings built to carve out the desperation from his chest and replace it with softer things. Like belonging and hope and even... maybe love.
Love like what K and Fuma have, playful and doting. Or like Yuma and Harua were building, with teeth to it. Or... or even like Jo was finding with Euijoo. Something sweet and easy. With no expectations, more like safety and room to grow.
He's gotten pretty good at ignoring it though. Learned how to ask for the smaller stuff, the easily written off stuff. Learned how to let that be enough.
But... he's only human.
Later, he'll say thats why he does it. Why he leans in to Maki's grip. Why he practically nuzzles his hand and looks up at Maki through his lashes, hums, and asks
"Can I have a kiss?"
For a second, Maki freezes. Taki holds his breath once his brain has caught up with what his foolish heart has done. Evidently its realized its mistake, with how hard its beating. Waits for the hit, for Maki to laugh it off as just another scrap of affection for the cuddle bug. To pass it off as normal.
Instead Maki's face somehow melts even further. His smile is crooked, like he can't help it, when he speaks.
"Of course you can, dummy. All you had to do was ask."
And - oh.
okay.
He can work with that.