Kiss Me (Like You Wanna Be Loved)

Chapter Eleven: Terms and Conditions

They avoid each other for the next two days. It gives Keiji plenty of time to panic and analyze the situation and realize he may have overreacted a bit.

Really, he has nothing to be ashamed of. So what if his roommate jerked him off? They are two consenting adults. There's nothing wrong with what they're doing. Sure, it's not a very smart idea to fool around with your roommate. Actually, it may very well be the stupidest thing Keiji has done to date. But...

He doesn't want to stop. And they've already come this far, already crossed the line between appropriate roommate behavior and... whatever the hell this is. But with proper communication they might just be able to make this work. After all, they get along well enough, and they're clearly physically attracted to one another, and neither of them wants a romantic relationship.

This could work.

At the very least, it's worth discussing.

So, on the third day after coming in his roommate's hand, Keiji makes them both dinner.

When Bokuto returns home after practice, he looks surprised to see Keiji cooking.

"Hey," he says hesitantly, shifting in the hallway just outside the kitchen.

"Hello, Bokuto-san," Keiji replies calmly. "Dinner will be ready soon."

"Um. Okay."

"And while we eat, I think we need to have a conversation."

Bokuto gulps. "O-okay."

"I'm sorry!" Bokuto blurts out as soon as they sit down at the table, steaming bowls of oyakodon in front of them. "I took things too far the other night. I shouldn't have... done that. I'm sorry."

Keiji frowns a little. "I was the one who asked you to."

"Yeah, but I kinda pressured you..."

"You didn't. I wanted to."

"But... it seems like you regret what happened, so."

Keiji sighs. "I don't regret what we did, I only regret my reaction," he admits. He uses his chopsticks to poke at his food, though he's not yet eating. Bokuto isn't eating either, and Keiji really wishes he would, if only so he would stop staring. "I was... embarrassed to be seen in such a vulnerable state, and I handled it poorly."

"Oh," Bokuto says softly. Then, "Sorry."

Keiji sighs again. "It wasn't your fault. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Still. I'm sorry."

"It's going to get very tiresome if you apologize like this every time we hook up."

"Yeah, but-wait, what? Are there going to be more times? I thought... you said you didn't want it to go any further..."

"I meant further emotionally, not physically."

"Oh. So... what does that mean?"

"Start eating and I'll tell you."

Bokuto nods and starts on his food. Keiji takes a bite as well, giving himself a moment to consider how to propose his idea.

"As I've mentioned before, I'm not interested in dating. I don't want a boyfriend, or any kind of emotional attachment. But I do enjoy being physical with you, and I would be interested in continuing with that, if that's something that you'd like as well."

"Huh," Bokuto says, chewing thoughtfully. "So like, friends with benefits?"

"If that's what you'd like to call it. Is that..." Keiji's tugs on his fingers under the table in an attempt to calm his nerves. He's not used to feeling so fragile and hopeful; not used to wanting with his body instead of his brain. "Is that something you would want?"