Chapter Text
Kenma sighed, shaking his head. He watched his friends bouncing around and having fun – and honestly, he was too. Even if he wasn’t as open or crazy about it, he wasn’t jumping around or dancing, he still was enjoying himself.
He felt lucky to have the friends that he did – and the fact that they understood that he was not always the most social or loud of people was a blessing. It was nice to not have to awkwardly decline an invite to participate in something he had no interest in. They knew his limits and it worked.
He looked to his right, where Sugawara was sitting and animatedly telling a story. Sawamura was laughing beside him, the two pressed together tightly as per usual. Ever since he had known them, they were Daichi and Suga. Some days they were like awkward parents, other days they were like horny teenagers, but whatever they did, they did together.
If he was being honest (which he more often than not wasn’t), Kenma did want that for himself. The intimacy, not the sex. Sex really just didn’t interest him. He’d tried, a few times, and then a few times more in an effort to appease his partner, but he just didn’t feel any desire or enjoyment out of it.
“Kenma!” Lev called as he bounded over. His long, gangly limbs got caught underneath him and he stumbled, collapsing on the couch next to Kenma with a loud huff. How was someone who participated in sports so well so completely ungraceful? It was partly in due to the alcohol, but, who cared at that point.
“Hey, Lev,” he responded quietly, not minding when Lev used his shoulder to sit himself up and help get balanced.
“Kenmaaaaaa!” he repeated, a wild grin on his face. He didn’t drink a lot but when he did he was an extremely silly drunk. Kenma couldn’t help but chuckle at watching him.
“Lev,” he repeated, smirk still in place.
“I’m tired.” Lev yawned and stretched, his long limbs high above his head and nearly whacking Nishinoya who was walking behind him. The shorter scolded him and Lev laughed sheepishly, apologizing.
“Me, too.” Kenma sighed. He was used to staying up late, but socializing was exhausting for him.
“Wanna walk back together?” He asked, perking up like a puppy dog. He may have said he was tired, but he sure looked fine.
“Sure,” Kenma nodded, standing up from the couch.
It was quieter now – most had left, or were in the process of leaving, so Kenma stuffed his phone in his pocket as he headed to the door, stepping into his shoes.
They said their goodbyes, which were always much more dramatic than they needed to be, and finally Kenma was exposed to the crisp night air. He headed down the pathway, shivering when he realized he’d left his coat back in Sawamura and Sugawara’s house.
He turned to head back as Lev finally caught up to him, padding down the steps with his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. “Oh, Kenma, are you cold? You can wear my jacket. I’ve got a sweater, too.” He outstretched his hand where he was holding his coat.
Kenma decided that maybe he didn’t really need his jacket. Not today, anyway.
So he nodded slowly, accepting the offering. Lev’s jacket was soft, a simple black button-up. It was obviously way too long for Kenma but he threw it around his shoulders anyway, burying himself into the warm material. It smelled like Lev, which was oddly comforting in its own way.
“Tonight was super fun!” Lev bounded and Kenma just nodded alongside him. They didn’t live too far away from Sugawara and Sawamura’s, so their walk wouldn’t be too long, “It’s nice to get everyone together like that. We should do it more often.”
Kenma nodded again, muttering a soft “yeah”.
They walked in silence for the rest of the walk, which was surprising. Every time that Kenma looked over at Lev, he was staring pointedly at his feet. It was weird, but Kenma didn’t want to shatter this easy atmosphere that had enveloped them, so he let it go.
“Well, looks like we’re here.” Lev sighed, stopping in front of Kenma’s building. His was just a block away. He leaned back against the building, looking up at the sky. “Kenma?”
“Yeah?” Kenma looked up at him curiously.
“I…” Lev looked away, “I wanna do something. And if, uh, you don’t wanna do it, can you promise me things won’t get weird?”
Now Kenma paled. “Ummm…”
“I swear it’s nothing weird!” Lev jumped quickly and waved his hands in front of his face. “It’s just. Um. I like you.”
Now Kenma took a step back and blushed. What?
“What?” He asked, voicing his thoughts.
“Um yeah. There it is. I like you. I would like to kiss you? But most of the time you seem to be annoyed by me so I’ll understand if you don’t want that too.”
“What?" Kenma repeated, staring at Lev incredulously.
“Aw man are you really gonna make me say it again?” Lev blushed, he fucking blushed and Kenma was still standing there staring like a complete idiot.
“Lev, you know I’m… right?”
“You mean asexual? Yeah. So?” Lev tilted his head to the side. “That doesn’t mean you can’t like people, right?”
“Well, no, it doesn’t-“
“Then I don’t see how it’s relevant…” Lev looked away, “Like I said just tell me if it’s a no and we can forget all this-“
“No.” Kenma paused and Lev’s face visibly fell. “Oh, um, shit, wait. I mean no, it isn’t a no. Not no. Yes. Yes!”
“Yes?” Lev looked at him hopefully.
“Yeah… I mean… as long as you are okay with… you know…”
“I don’t care, Kenma. You’re still you.”
Kenma blushed, completely frozen. He was taken off guard by Lev, as he somehow always was. How did he manage to tear down each of his defenses so easily? The taller grinned, leaning down and forward slowly.
“So I can?”
Kenma nodded.
He closed his eyes, too embarrassed to say anything, as he felt Lev kiss him. It was small – nothing spectacular or particularly passionate – but it was nice, and sweet. He pulled away and offered Kenma a sheepish smile.
“So… uh… can I come up?” Lev smiled at him hopefully. Kenma stared at him until he added, “I’m a great cuddler, you know.”
Kenma nodded slowly. “Alright. That sounds good.”
As it turned out, Lev was telling the truth.
Once they'd made it up to Kenma's apartment, Lev had taken the liberty of looking around on his own. Kenma didn't stop him; he really didn't care, just hanging up his keys, taking off his shoes and making his way to the bedroom. He contemplated hanging out in his living room, but his couch was small and there was no way Lev was going to get comfortable on there.
"Just... give me a minute," Kenma said quietly to Lev, who nodded. The taller man busied himself poking through Kenma's extensive game collection while Kenma headed into his room, closing the door behind him with a soft click.
It all crashed down on him there.
Lev was here. In his apartment.
They'd kissed.
He bit his lip, mind racing as he tried to figure out what excuse he could offer that Lev would buy to play this off. Would he believe Kenma was sick? No, he was not a good actor. Would he believe Kenma had a temporary lapse of sanity? Maybe. It was likely.
Kenma's mind was racing as Lev called from the living room, "Kenma! Wanna watch a movie?"
He took a deep breath, remembering that he hadn't agreed to anything. Lev wasn't going to force him to do anything he wasn't ready to do. He quickly stripped out of his clothes, choosing a comfortable pair of sweatpants and a plain grey t-shirt. He came out of his bedroom, nodding.
"Sure, pick something and we'll watch in my room."
"I-In your room?" Lev stuttered, red in the face.
"Do you really think we can both fit on this couch?"
Lev looked over at the couch, then shook his head. "No."
"Well, then. Pick."
Lev turned, rubbing at the back of his neck sheepishly. He selected a title - comedy, by the looks of it - and headed over to Kenma. "This okay?"
"Sure," he said, not looking at the title. It didn't matter anyway. He turned, leading him back to his bedroom.
Kenma wasn't big on decorating, so his room was organized very simply. Some photos were propped up on his desk, but other than that it was mostly bare. Lev took a quick look around before turning to Kenma, who had popped the DVD into his player. The blonde lifted the covers, sliding underneath them quickly. He turned his face so to hide his blush.
"Well, are you coming?"
"Um, right." Lev chucked a bit before settling on to the bed, leaving a little bit of distance between him and Kenma. They shuffled, getting comfortable, as the movie began to play.
The further along it got, the closer they shuffled together.
Until Kenma gathered his courage, and pressed his back against Lev's chest. The taller sucked in a breath as Kenma rested his head against his chest, curling comfortably into his embrace. Lev's arms wound their way around him, hooking around his stomach.
Okay, Kenma thought as he closed his eyes. This isn't so bad.
In fact... it's pretty nice.