Kiss Me (Like You Wanna Be Loved)

Chapter Eight: Quick Study

Keiji wakes up to a dull headache and a steaming pot of coffee waiting for him in the kitchen. Beside the coffee maker is a glass of water and a couple painkillers sitting on a post-it note that reads TAKE THESE!!!!! in Bokuto's messy scrawl.

He stares at it for a moment, and thinks of warm lips pushing hesitantly against his own. Then he swallows the pills, gulping down the cool water, and pulls out his phone to message Konoha.

[Akaashi] I need you to talk me down from doing something stupid.

[Konoha] ur not planning to murder another roommate are u?

[Akaashi] No. Quite the opposite.

[Konoha] ...the fuck does that mean?

[Akaashi] Bokuto-san has offered to teach me how to kiss.

A gray bubble pops up, indicating that Konoha is typing, but after a second it disappears. And suddenly Keiji's phone is ringing.

"Konoha-san," he says by way of hello, and he's greeted with no less than thirty seconds of hysterical laughter. Keiji scowls. "This isn't funny."

"That's where you're wrong," comes the wheezing response. "This is the funniest thing that's ever happened to me, oh my god."

"Konoha-san, I'm being serious."

"I know! That's what makes it so hilarious!"

"Konoha-san, please."

It takes entirely too long for Konoha to compose himself. Once he does, the first thing he says is, "Do you wanna know what he said to me after you guys first met?"

"No," Keiji says immediately. Fortunately Konoha knows this is a lie.

"He said, and I quote, 'Dude, he's like the most beautiful person I've ever seen in real life and I don't know if I should punch you or thank you for doing this to me.'"

Keiji feels himself blushing. "You're supposed to be talking me out of this," he says insistently. "Tell me all the reasons this is a bad idea."

"Pffft. You don't need me to do that. You already know. Probably have a fuckin itemized list all about it. No, what you really want is for me to give you permission."

Annoyance bubbles in Keiji's chest. "That's not-"

"Akaashi. Listen. I honestly think it'd be good for you," Konoha goes on. "And sure, things might get awkward 'cause you live together and all, but you can deal with that when it happens. You've never dated anyone before-never even shown interest in dating someone. So yeah, I think you should go for it."

"I'm not going to date him," Keiji says, feeling flustered and fighting to not let it show in his tone. "It's not like that. It would be-purely physical. An experimentation based on mutual attraction and convenience."

"Uh-huh," Konoha says, and he sounds so unconvinced that Keiji opens his mouth to reply with a very convincing rant before he second guesses himself. Would getting worked up and defensive just prove Konoha's point and give him more fuel to tease?

Keiji grits his teeth. "I am never asking you for advice again."

"Sure, sure. Have fun with the kissing lessons, Loverboy."

"Fuck you, Konoha-san."

A peal of laughter sounds through the phone in the seconds before Keiji hits the END CALL button.

He stares at the pot of coffee again for a moment before pouring himself a cup and retreating back to his room to get ready for the day.

That night at dinner, Keiji can't stop staring at Bokuto's mouth. He's been turning over the idea of kissing him all day, considering and evaluating and trying to decide if this is truly something he wants to do without the haze of alcohol clouding his judgement. And now, as he watches Bokuto's lips stretch into smiles and move as he talks, all Keiji can think about is how badly he wants that mouth pressed against his own.