"I'm home!" Karma called out, dropping the packet in his hands in favour of getting his shoes off.
"Welcome back," Gakushuu called out from the living room couch. A cat's mewl echoed with Gakushuu's voice.
Karma paused, a smile breaking out over his face at the reply.
Since his parents had left again, they both and gone back to their same routine, but somehow the atmosphere between them was even lighter and Gakushuu spent, what felt like, even more time at Karma's house.
Not that 'even more time' meant much when Gakushuu was still taking part in a random amount of extracurricular activities, depending on the day and month.
But Karma appreciated all efforts regardless.
"Hmm, what did you get?" Gakushuu asked, rubbing his eyes to get rid of the lingering tiredness. Yuki circled between their feet, before going back to the couch, disappointed at not getting attention or food.
"Caramel pudding," Karma lifted the packet, smiling faintly at the cute grumpy look Gakushuu gave him.
"And of course it's too sweet," he complained, walking to Karma and letting his head drop on his shoulder. Karma rubbed Gakushuu's back, going up to his shoulders and back down.
Gakushuu relaxed into him.
"Well, I didn't really make it so…"
"Then you shouldn't have brought it back," he said grumpily. Karma laughed.
"Maybe you do need some sugar in you after all. Want a bite?" Karma mimed holding a spoon and feeding Gakushuu.
Gakushuu bared his teeth and clicked it shut around the imaginary spoon.
"Ouch, shuu. You'll hurt your teeth. What if it was a metal spoon instead?" Karma gasped. Gakushuu rolled his eyes.
"Then I would have bitten your fingers instead," he stuck out his tongue.
"Kinky," Karma snickered. "Are you trying to tell me something?"
"Only that you need those iron tablets soon," Gakushuu wrinkled his nose.
"Wow. What a heavy expense. I'll be broke soon," Karma rolled his eyes sarcastically.
"Don't mind if I do," Gakushuu smirked in return. Karma eyed him warily.
"How much is your expense?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.
"It's less than my income," Gakushuu batted his eyes innocently.
Karma grinned, letting his hands rest on Gakushuu's waist.
"Wow, hubby, looks like I can live off you now," Karma teased. Gakushuu blushed, opening his mouth to protest before closing it with a pout.
Karma giggled, placing a soft kiss on his nose. Then he slowly pulled away.
"Well, I gotta finish up my homework today. Sensei's getting me through some pretty interesting stuff nowadays," Karma said, placing the pudding inside the fridge.
Gakushuu went back to the couch, where he had basically settled in on a permanent basis. Karma brought a couple of his books down to the dining table and set up shop.
They were both the kind of people who covered up a whole table and their surroundings when they studied, but it was pretty comfortable to have someone around, equally quiet.
In the end, it was just another peaceful day in their lives.
"Phew," Karma blew out a breath, ruffling his hair to get out the droplets of water.
"I don't think that's doing any good," Gakushuu said amused, dropping a towel on the other's head.
Karma rubbed the towel over his head messily, then threw it off to hug Gakushuu while he was still wet.
"Ah!" Gakushuu shrieked, startled. Then judo flipped Karma.
"Pfft," Karma huffed out a laugh, trying to regain his breath at the same time. He dropped his head on the floor, wincing in pain at the unexpected movement.
Gakushuu knelt on the floor, a wry smile on his lips.
"Change your clothes first before you think of resting," he told Karma, watching the other boy for any signs of pain.
Karma shot him a reassuring smile.
"If you're so worried," he started, his eyes glittering with mischief, "You should have gone out to drop the trash then," Karma said. Gakushuu rolled his eyes.
"You're the one who said you'd do it today," he deadpanned.
"Semantics," Karma waved away. Gakushuu rolled his eyes harder.
"Okay, clothes," Gakushuu repeated, narrowing his eyes at the way Karma seemed happy to just keep laying on the ground.
"Yes, love of my life," Karma mocked. A muscle in Gakushuu's jaw twitched and Karma watched amused as the other tried his hardest not to blush.
Gakushuu sighed.
"You're not fair," he dropped a kiss on Karma's forehead, before walking back to the cleaning he was doing before the rain decided to ruin their plans.
Karma smiled softly, a small blush on his cheeks, as he stared at Gakushuu go.
Well, it wasn't like he had been lying.
"Hey, we should fight again," Karma said, dropping his head over Gakushuu's shoulder. Gakushuu hummed absentmindedly as he checked off one of the items of the list, looking thoughtfully over the rest.
Then he blinked, distracted.
"Sorry, what was that?" He asked, tilting his head and enjoying the close contact that sometimes still made him nervous.
But he was much better now than before.
"We should fight," Karma repeated. Gakushuu pulled away, raising a brow at the other.
"Now?" He asked.
"No, well," Karma trailed cool fingers across the back of Gakushuu's neck. Gakushuu shivered. "Sometime soon."
Gakushuu hummed thoughtfully, letting his shoulders relax and his neck rest in Karma's palm. He looked at Karma fondly.
Karma thoughtfully massaged it, digging in his fingers expertly and making circles around the tighter spots.
"Okay," Gakushuu said breathlessly, enjoying the feeling. Karma trailed his fingers behind his ears, sending shivers down Gakushuu's spine. Then he continued massaging Gakushuu's shoulder like he wasn't covertly trying to seduce him.
Karma laid a soft kiss behind his ear, after Gakushuu relaxed entirely under his hands.
"Don't you have some papers to go over?" Karma laughed into Gakushuu's ear, when he didn't try to move even after Karma had stopped massaging him.
The ginger haired boy opened an eye to glare blearily at the other.
"And who's fault will it be if I don't?" Karma grinned in reply, running a single finger from Gakushuu's hairline to the neckline of his shirt. Gakushuu's lashes fluttered at the caress
"I can certainly tell you who's responsibility it won't be," he teased back.
Gakushuu groaned, annoyed. Then he shoved away Karma's mischievous fingers.
"Okay, I agreed. Go away now," he pouted. Karma paused for a moment staring at his boyfriend's tempting pouting lips before he laughed, ruffling Gakushuu's hair and leaving.
Gakushuu grumbled, fixing his hair, feeling warmth bloom in his heart.
Karma, as always, effortlessly gave him exactly what he needed.
"Come on," Karma laughed at the shell shocked Gakushuu laying on the floor.
Gakushuu stared up at Karma wide eyed, too surprised to stand up when Karma did. Karma offered the other a hand.
"Get up already," he said, amused this time.
Gakushuu told the offered hand and stood up, running a hand through his hair.
"Is it that surprising?" Karma asked, raising a brow.
"I mean," Gakushuu paused, looking back down at the spot he had been laying, "Yes!"
"Wow, I'm hurt," Karma's lips quirked up. Gakushuu glanced up, then rolled his eyes when he realised Karma was joking.
"It's been months," he said, more to himself than Karma. "Months," he repeated.
Karma shrugged casually.
"It's a single win," he said, looking at Gakushuu curiously. Gakushuu stared back incredulous.
"Are you aware of the number of years I put in?" He ran his hand through his hair again. Then he frowned, looking at Karma. "I thought you'd be more smug about it. Why aren't you more smug about it?"
Karma stepped closer, curling a hand through the back of Gakushuu's head. Then he pressed their foreheads together.
Karma didn't smile. He let their nose brush against the other's relaxing at the way Gakushuu relaxed at his touch instead of tensing nervously like he normally did.
They closed their eyes, feeling the other close to them.
"You tell me, Shuu," Karma breathed out gently over Gakushuu's lips. Gakushuu's breath stuttered.
Gakushuu trailed an arm up Karma's chest, over his shoulders, and his fingers tangled with Karma's hair.
"You're such an idiot," Gakushuu murmured softly.
And then before Karma could protest to those words and ruin the moment, he pressed their lips gently together.
A gentle press of lips, that felt like a sweet reward and a new beginning at the same time.
Gakushuu's pulse picked up pace, his heart thudded in his chest like it was about to burst from just this new form of contact.
Karma curled his hand around the back of Gakushuu's neck.
They were breathing harder when they pulled away. They spent half a second breathing into the other, keeping their eyes closed and just feeling the other so close. Then Gakushuu pulled Karma in again, far more aggressively.
He swallowed the startled noise from the other boy, pulling a lip between his and moaning softly when Karma tilted Gakushuu's head just right and then it was Karma who took over Gakushuu's clumsy attempt.
Suddenly, his body was lighting up with pleasure, like the sensitivity in his mouth was directly connected to his body. Karma licked into his mouth, his tongue leaving trails of sparks behind Gakushuu's eyes and tingles that spread out from his mouth.
He gasped, the noise swallowed up by Karma's warmth. His mind went hazy, leaning into the heat, but also sharp with the way Karma was playing him like an instrument, accurately, finding all the ways to string him along with ease.
Gakushuu hadn't even known a kiss could feel that good, and Karma was certainly making it a kiss to remember.
He quivered, trembled like a leaf, before he broke away, pulling back from the tempting lips that were making him feel almost faint with desire. He took a few steps back on weak knees, breathing out heavily through bruised lips.
They were staring at the other, both panting.
Then Karma stalked closer, like keeping them so far apart was almost a crime. Gakushuu met his lips eagerly, still breathless but still far more willing to let him steal away his breath from his lungs.
His eyelashes fluttered helplessly against his cheeks, assaulted, and helpless against it. Heat spread from his core to the rest of his body. His chest felt hot, burning up like he had swallowed lava, feeling a thirst that only Karma could quench.
He went back, barely taking a breath, pressing their bodies impossibly close, wanting to almost crawl under Karma's skin if he could.
Karma's hands tightened his neck, tbumb caressing his bobbing apple, and pulling him closer with his hair and Gakushuu felt helpless against the pull. His hands were against Karma's back, keeping them pressed as close as humanly possible.
He breathed out and Karma swallowed the breath right from his lips. He lit up Gakushuu from the inside out, sparking up his veins like there was a wildfire that he didn't want to ever quench.
They slowed down,unwilling to part but needing to breathe far too much. He pulled away, their lips barely parting before Karma stole his lips again.
They pulled away, looking at each other, blushing deeply and breathing hard. Gakushuu smiled. Then he yelped at a sharp sting.
He pressed a finger on his lip, and saw the finger come back with a smudge of red.
He glared at Karma who was smirking smugly. He pressed their lips together once again, letting his tongue flick over the injured spot.
Gakushuu rolled his eyes, his lips curling up against his will.
"Happy?" He asked, raising a brow.
"Unbelievably," Karma replied honestly. His smile was bright enough to light up a block. Karma pressed their lips together once more, and Gakushuu couldn't even pretend to suppress his smile, in spite of the stinging pain.
He dropped his head against Karma's neck breathing out a laugh.
"You're too much," he whispered.
"Mmhmm," Karma agreed.
"You're a terrible person, manipulating me into falling for you," he said. Karma ran a hand through his hair, half comforting, half mocking.
"There, there," Karma replied.
"Ugh, why do I like you again?" He asked, mock disgusted.
Karma laughed softly. Then laid a soft kiss behind Gakushuu's ear that sent a shiver visibly down the other's spine.
"My charming personality and my awesome looks?" Karma suggested. Gakushuu sighed in disgust.
"Hmm? Your personality doesn't really sound like something very appealing though," he tilted his head up to look into Karma's eyes. Karma fluttered his eyes.
"Could be my academic success," he suggested.
"But you haven't even beaten me yet," Gakushuu said, his voice muffled against Karma's skin. Karma blinked in surprise before his lips raised into a smug smile.
"You said 'yet'," Karma said, gleefully. Gakushuu blinked innocently.
"Did I?" He asked. Karma dug his fingers into Gakushuu's stomach teasingly.
They were both startled at the way Gakushuu made a sharp sound. He leap Ed away almost immediately. Karma raised a brow. Gakushuu flushed.
Karma slowly smirked knowingly.
"Fuck," Gakushuu groaned to himself.
"Come to papa~" Karma called out, wiggling his fingers like a creepy lecher. Gakushuu made a face
"No," he refused.
"No?" Karma repeated. A finger tapped against his lip, and Gakushuu was briefly distracted by the bruised, tempting lips, which Karma took advantage of, and leaped to pin Gakushuu down.
They tried to reverse pin, and rolled around the hall childishly, until Gakushuu came up on top, keeping Karma's hands pinned down.
"Hah," he smirked victoriously. Karma fluttered his eyelashes mockingly.
"Did you forget I know where you sleep, pretty?" He reminded Gakushuu sweetly. Gakushuu made a face, narrowing his eyes as he tried to find a way out.
"What do you want in return for forgetting about it?" He tried to negotiate. Karma smiled.
"No way am I forgetting about it, Shuu," he said.
"Hmm," Gakushuu considered it, then stared down at the pinned Karma under him. Karma raised an eyebrow.
Gakushuu leaned down and kissed Karma.
Karma opened up easily even knowing it was a ruse, and Gakushuu slowly exploring stealing away his breath and turning back what he learnt a few minutes ago back at him.
When he let go, Karma stared up at him dazedly.
"What was that again?" Gakushuu asked, between panting breaths.
"Um," Karma replied coherently.
"That's what I thought," Gakushuu hid a grin as he dropped his mouth to meet Karma's again.