Chapter Text
It seems impossible to make it work, at first. It feels like it takes them everything they've got to catch a glimpse of each other, even if they just spent a handful of days together in a short amount of time, right before. If one has a moment, the other has stuffed some appointment or some amount of work to finish during it. They soon realize they don't quite have got this tandem thing down, but if anything, it makes them laugh. And maybe... appreciate what they managed the week before.
Anyway, they've both got a clear Sunday, and a strong will to see the other. It's especially been nagging at Shiro's consciousness since he got the hey I'm feeling better text
And the last thing to clear up seems to be:
Shiro- Want to sleep over on Saturday night? Even if your day ends late, that's okay. We can have breakfast together Sunday morning, that way.
Keith- Are you booty-calling me already? I'd like to have dinner first, like real gentlemen
jk Ill be there at 22h, with my donuts and coffee aroma :')
Shiro- You're killing me.
It takes a moment for Shiro to write and send even those few words. Then he drops his phone to his chest and rubs his eyes for a disbelieving moment, staring at the ceiling of his bedroom. The rest follows much quicker:
Shiro- But please, you know sex with me is going to be amazing. ;) Although it can definitely wait, because I also happen to want it to be meaningful and special. ... I'll jerk off privately in the meanwhile.
There is nothing he can blame his words on. No alcohol, no fatigue... he thinks he just enjoys the thrill it sends all the way into the tips of his fingers. And also the terror of self-sabotaging. He suspects he's a bit masochistic. But he won't know the line if he doesn't test it a little, will he... even if it does raise the hair at the back of his neck in anticipation.
Keith groans loudly, and turn on his bed to drown the sound in his pillow.
Keith- /youre/ killing me.
⁂ ⁂ ⁂ ⁂ ⁂
During his Saturday shit, before going to his friend/boyfriend's house, he thinks a lot.
Does he need to bring condoms? He’s pretty sure they are not going to have sex, really, but he if it happens naturally, he’d be mad not to have planned it.
Does Shiro want to have sex? He stops the train of thoughts right there. They haven’t even kissed yet, dammit!
How are Shiro’s kisses going to feel like? Does he prefer lips kisses or tongue kisses?
Does he prefer them soft, or rough?
He’s reminded to stop thinking so much when he ends up doing the wrong order three times in a row for three different customers. Oops.
⁂ ⁂ ⁂ ⁂ ⁂
Keith knocks on Shiro’s door at 22h10. He's a little bit nervous, and feels silly to be, but really, he can’t help it.
There's a moment of silence from inside, before loud clanging is heard, as well as a somewhat muffled swear. Then the door flings open to a breathless, if beaming Shiro. Keith soon gets to see how there's nothing less than the coat hanger down on the floor, along with everything that'd been on it now scattered. Shiro gestures the other inside, right as he gets to his knees to pick everything up.
The scene takes Keith off-guard, and he can feel himself relaxing, as he chuckles and gets in.
"Sorry about this, I'll have a place for you to hang your coat in no time-" Shiro informs him. "How was your day?"
"No problem. I can throw it on the floor too." Keith answers the coat part. "It was fine. Socially draining, though. We have this new girl at work? And she speaks none stop. If it was only that, I guess I could mute her mentally, but she asks a lot of questions. And apparently ignoring people is rude, so..." He gives a little shrug, not daring mentioning his messed-up orders.
"Oh no..." Shiro pauses in his rummaging, lifting his eyes up, to maybe find Keith. He's smiling gently. "So, on a scale of one to ten, now, how exhausted are you?" It's conversational, and as he finishes the sentence, he's back to picking stuff up, soon getting back on his feet to finish tidying up.
"I won't have any deep philosophical conversation with you tonight, if that's what you're asking." Keith half answers, with a smile. Then he gestures toward the fallen hanger. "What were you up to?"
The question catches Shiro in a bashful expression. And as he puts the coat hanger back upward, with everything back on it, his hand only leaves it to connect with the back of his neck where he rubs a little. He isn't looking at Keith, and there might be a faint flush creeping up his neck. He feels hot.
" 'Was rushing to the door. Excited to see a certain someone, I think." And now, his hand lowers back to his side. Slowly. He glances at his friend and finds a smile.
Ok, that's cute. Keith snorts elegantly at Shiro's confession, as he puts his coat on the hanger.
"So... you're not sick anymore." Takashi says, and it's not a question. Or, if it is, it's rhetorical. He's just buying himself a few seconds.
Keith’s heart starts hammering in his chest. He really wishes he could be 100% relaxed, like he usually is when he visits Shiro, but he really can't help the thrill in his chest. He feels his cheeks reddening, and if he's not mistaken, Shiro's skin is flushed as well.
"I'm not… and you're not either,” he points out, with a little smile.
"Okay," Shiro's smile widens shortly. It's not that it falters, after. It's that he softens again, his expression sobering despite the red rising to his cheeks too.
He feels light as he takes a step to move into Keith's space. The same way the guy did with him when he came over to check up on him a few weeks ago. Except when his hands reach for him, it's to cup his cheeks. And when he leans closer, it isn't to connect their foreheads. There is no pause as he tilts his head, shuts his eyes, and touches his lips to Keith's. There's barely any pressure. He's just brushing them against the other guy's. Like a shy nudge that's more of a promise for more than any sort of proper kiss. But the way it almost tickles is heavenly. And then, he pushes his mouth on Keith's, thumbs stroking his cheeks gently. He keeps it soft, chaste. Moves his lips just a little. Just enough. And he takes his time to notice every little thing.
Their breathing: how Keith’s is unsteady against his, like he wants to hold his breath but doesn’t quite manage it.
Whether they are relaxed or tense: Keith starts with two seconds of stillness, then he moves his lips back, softly against his, and his whole body melts against Shiro’s.
Where Keith's hands are: on his waist at first, before he wraps his arms around it to pull him closer, with more confidence.
Shiro loves every part of it.
It still ends up feeling far too short. Yet he parts, his eyes opening again, almost unable to tear away from his friend's lips. "Been waiting to do that. Thank you."
"Why're you thanking me?" Keith asks, barely parting.
"For this," Shiro says quietly, with another chaste little press of lips on Keith's. He only parts to allow himself a happy little smile.
"Then I should thank you too, silly." Keith objects. He'd put his arms around Shiro's neck to pull him down, in another kiss, but with the man holding his face, this move cannot be done. All he can do is look up and hope Shiro will kiss him again, and for a little bit longer.
"Alright," Shiro agrees, nudging his nose on the side of Keith's, hands still very much in place. He cannot help how much he loves it. How small the guy feels in his grasp and how good it is to have his warm skin against his palms.
He kisses him again. He parts his lips, mouths softly into this new kiss, but never deepens it.
He loses himself in that moment, for a while. Of letting Keith reciprocate. Of having his eyes closed, and realizing how tired he is. He'd fall asleep kissing this boy, despite his racing heart. If he doesn't get moving, he just might...
So this time, when he retreats, his hands also fall away. Although one of them grabs Keith's, so he can guide him into his place. He catches a glimpse of Keith’s smile, and grins right back.
"Did you want a drink or a snack before bed? I'll just let you brush your teeth and stuff if not, though." And then bed. And sleep. With Keith ♡
Keith shakes his head, thanking him for the suggestion. Then Shiro has to let go of his hand, to let him prepare himself to sleep. Keith walks to the bathroom, rinses his face, brushes and teeth, and changes into an old red shirt and loose dark pajama pants.
Shiro's already in his bed, having taken care of his own routine earlier. So when Keith enters his room, there's only one last dim light on, and the man is already beneath the covers. He sees the other, though, and pulls a corner of the blanket back in invitation, eyes on him.
The whole setting looks awfully comfortable, and Keith joins him without hesitation, sliding under the blanket.
"I love your bed. It's way larger than mine."
"And warmer," Shiro grins, immediately lowering the blanket on Keith, to scoot over, and pull the guy to himself. There's only one type of hesitation to his movements, and it's from the novelty of doing this. It's from not being a hundred percent certain, even as he moves closer that this is what his friend wants too, and it's by some level of concern that they might end up uncomfortable, but won't admit it to one another, in the favor of proximity. All in all, it seems there's a lot of room for awkwardness. But as soon as it registers in his mind how docile Keith is, and that if he needs to move, he will, Shiro relaxes, and his movements become a bit more natural. He tucks Keith against his side, keeping an arm around him, and hopes the guy will wrap his limbs around him.
Keith hums in contentment, and passes an arm around Shiro, and without thinking too much about it, insert his leg in between his boyfriend's, to snuggle closer. "Very warm," he confirms.
Shiro exhales contentedly. There's a smile lighting up his whole expression, even as he realizes he will need to put himself through some effort to stretch away even an inch from the other, at some point, and turn the light off. For now, though, there is just the one question lingering at the back of his mind.
"How many kisses am I allowed before we actually sleep...?" His voice isn't so much sleepy, as it is relaxed.
"Hmmmm. Two long ones, five short ones." Keith answers, mostly on the fly, amused.
This time, the breath Shiro lets out is a huff. Okay. Okay. That's doable. He'd certainly have settled for maybe... twenty more, but he can manage this.
He starts with his first kiss on Keith's forehead. His hand slides into his hair, and he parts before it becomes a 'long' one. His second is on his cheek. Right below his eye, which means he can feel his eyelashes on the tip of his nose. It makes him smile. And then he kisses his friend on the corner of his mouth, guiding his head's position (barely-- Keith lifts his chin toward him of his own accord) with his hand.
The next kiss is a long one. And he's going to take advantage of the broad term. He tilts his head as much as he can in his current position, just so his nose rests right next to the other man's, and he waits a few interminable seconds, before he leans in, closing the distance. His lips lock with Keith's, pressing against them comfortably. Keith tastes of toothpaste and lip balm, and Takashi almost breaks the kiss from smiling. But as long as he hasn't parted, he's sure he's still good, and so even through the smile, he keeps close, stays right against him. Then he's pressing in again. Jaw slack and tongue poking through to softly caress Keith's lower lip. It isn't long until he's gasping slightly, shifting on the bed, and pushing his tongue into the kiss, where he can run it along the inside of the other's lip. And boy, Shiro did say he was going to be the one doing the kissing, so Keith better comply.
Obviously, the younger man does, body already shivering from how much he’s feeling. He parts his lips, allowing his boyfriend to reach softer part of his mouth. He pokes his own tongue, gently meeting Shiro’s, as he shifts his body closer to his.
Takashi’s hand soon leaves Keith's face, in favor of sliding down to his hip. He firmly presses his palm on it, pulling the guy's waist to himself, and hoping it'll do something to help him relax. Especially with how his thumb keeps stroking slow curves into his shirt. He can feel how feverish the other is, and while it's a good sign, he also hopes he isn't stressing or anything.
This kiss keeps going for a moment, with the bigger guy getting carried away in it: he keeps his tongue feeling the inside of Keith's mouth for a while, meeting his, and then, after another moment, he's gnawing at his lower lip. Suckling at it and apparently refusing to let go, as he's hanging on by just his teeth, giving gentle and patient tugs. Keith's breathing gets faster, keeping up with the pace of his heartbeat. His hand in Shiro's back moves softly, and he keeps his lips parted, ever so open to deepening the kiss, as if he's never had enough.
Shiro is ready to press back into the kiss-- ready to push it into a soft direction again, when he gasps, and moves away all of a sudden.
"Oh fuck! Keith. You're my boyfriend, right? Can we make that official? I love you and all, but I don't think I'd do any of this for anyone less than a boyfriend. Which happens to be what I want you to be."
For a moment, Keith is a little bit too startled to answer, and he just stares at Shiro. Then he starts giggling, butterflies in his stomach, as he leans his forehead against Shiro's torso. "God. Yeah. I'd love to be your boyfriend. And please be mine."
"I'm afraid it's a two-way thing, you didn't have much of a choice," he states, highly amused and happy, as he makes sure to give Keith a real good proper hug while he's hiding out into his chest. The next short kiss is on the top of his head. Maybe that'll coax him into coming back for the second long one. ... and coax him out of listening to his boyfriend's crazy-fast heartbeat.
Keith is grinning too, as he raises his head once again. Takashi is now officially his boyfriend. It sounds great. He gives a short little kiss on the man's neck.
Shiro moves his head back a little bit, giving access to Keith, who keeps trailing his lips all over the tender skin. He likes Shiro’s neck. He may be a little bit obsessed by how nice it is, and how much he loves kissing it. It's very warm, and soft- and a little bit less soft when he gets closer to his face because of the remnant of facial hair, but he still loves it.
Takashi breaks the general with a low hum as Keith trails his lips and kisses him right under his jaw. He smiles and can’t really keep still. He's still got that hand- the one secured around Keith's waist... it gives him a new heartfelt squeeze. He absolutely refuses for this to stop. It feels so nice- just on the verge of tickling, yet it's so warm.
Keith obliges, gladly not interrupting his ministrations. He runs his lips lower on the man's neck, and finds himself poking at the skin with his tongue, when his mouth covers the skin. And he wonders if he can- He starts suckling at the skin.
There's an unexpected sharp twinge in the pit of Shiro's stomach when he does. He'd been following his progress with so much anticipation, that he swears his whole being has been reduced to that spot where Keith's lips met with his skin. The other unexpected thing is the breathy "Yes" that comes out in a sigh, no more than in a whisper. As if in answer, Keith starts suckling harder, and Shiro shifts, neck craning as he makes sure his boyfriend can do this comfortably.
Keith trails his lips on the man's neck, sometimes nibbling, sometimes suckling, and other times only kissing. He likes how he can feel his boyfriend's heartbeat, and how lots of little sounds and reactions can be felt from there. He’s pretty sure he’s indulging a neck fetish he never realized he had.
Shiro’s hand keeps pawing at Keith’s waist, pressing particularly hard into his flesh whenever the sensations are very stimulating. Of course, he cannot help any of the hitches in his breath. He tries. Gives it a go in some attempt at self-preservation, or not to show how much Keith is getting to him. He holds it, and only makes it shorter each time. It’s a few breaths before he’s eventually caught it enough to speak. But he’s still breathless.
“Do these... count as kisses....?”
"Hmmm, yes, but these are mine, so they don't count in your series." Keith says, before pulling a little bit away, judging he's mouthed and marked his boyfriend's neck enough for the moment.
“I didn’t give you a number...” Shiro protests, still trying to get control back on his breath.
"You didn't." Keith confirms, with a teasing little smile.
"Aren't you going to ask for one?" This time, his tone is a little more snippy, but barely so. Like Keith isn't exactly going where he wants him to, yet he knows the guy must be playing on that, so his expression is building a bit of a pout, even if he still feels very red in the cheeks.
"You really want me to be restrained in my kisses?" He asks, almost mirroring Shiro's pouting expression.
"You restrained mine!" He's acting all hurt, but his hand is still very much on Keith's waist, and it now slides around it to reach his back. Oh God, he really likes this guy. Who else would even deal with bickering in bed before sleep? He can't help but break into a smile.
"You asked! Which was considerate because I'm tired of my day, but you're too pretty not to kiss." Keith is making sense in his head, really.
“Is that why you don’t want me to set a limit for you then...?” Shiro feels his smile curl into a grin, and he leans closer again, giving Keith his fifth short kiss on his lips. “Might’ve known. But hey, for the record, if you did ask, my limit was going to be around ten thousand...”
Keith is smiling against the little kiss, nodding to the man's first interrogation. "Ten thousand? Sounds reasonable, for tonight. Would you have counted them?"
“Yes,” Shiro lies, voice warm. “Every one of them. And then you’d have fallen asleep from how boring it would become. Like counting sheep. Oh! Haha- but you know what? I think I just found a really fun solution for whenever one of us gets insomnia.” They’re so warm, so well tucked in together, that it feels like there’s a protective bubble around them. Like nothing could reach the bed right now. Takashi’s persuaded he hasn’t felt this safe since scooting in between his parents after a nightmare.
"Counting kisses, uh? I like it. It's a good idea." Keith approves before letting out a deep and relaxed exhalation. His eyes have trouble staying open now and it doesn’t go unnoticed by his boyfriend. Therefore, Shiro’s very last kiss is to his forehead. He lets his lips linger where they press gently, even as he next speaks:
“Then it’s a plan. This... is a short kiss by the way. Cashing in the last long one for the next time we’re too tired not to have a limit.”
"Duly noted." Keith says, before shifting a little bit, and pressing his face against Shiro's neck, and closing his eyes, with a happy little hum.
“Good night, sweetheart.” He feels ready to burst with how happy he is. It’s just a sleepover. Keith better watch out for tomorrow, especially if Shiro remains in this blissful state.
The younger man smiles against the man’s neck, and gives it a tender nuzzle.
"Good night, baby." The pet name feels just right on his tongue.