The Epic Highs and Lows of Giving a Sheltered Teenager a Manicure
Words: 3262
Rating/Warnings: General Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Nikaido Benimaru & Shun’ei, Nikaido Benimaru & Meitenkun, Shun’ei & Meitenkun
Summary: @shannonsketches drew this adorable KOFtober sketch, and I couldn’t leave well enough alone <3
And HUGE shoutout to my lovely beta reader @dreamcrow!
Preview:
Benimaru Nikaido’s right leg is thrown over the arm of his white leather sofa, and the left is crossed over his right. He’s laid his head on imported obi cushions, and as he enjoys the first quiet-time he’s had in what must have been months, he flicks through Instagram casually, appreciating the stillness of his penthouse.
He’s just tapped the ‘like’ heart on Goro’s latest baby picture, cooing softly at Kogoro’s spot-on imitation of his father’s fight stance, when the stillness ends abruptly, a soft knock rapping on the nearby walnut chabudai.
Benimaru turns his head without getting up and is greeted with the sight of his new teammate, Shun’ei, who is fiddling restlessly with his headphone cord. The teen does not meet his gaze.
“Everything okay?” Benimaru shuts off his phone.
Shun’ei, to an outside gaze, might look as if he’s impassive— his mouth is set in a neutral line, and his weight is shifted onto one leg— but even though Benimaru’s only known the kid for about two months, he spots immediately the way Shun’ei’s weight is actually transferring to the other leg and then back again, and that his eyes are subtly glancing at the room’s exits.
Shun’ei is nervous.
So Benimaru sits up.
“Cat got your tongue?” He raises an eyebrow, and when Shun’ei’s eyes snap to him, he resists a grin.
It’s almost too easy to prod a response from the teen, who, for all his sullen faces might suggest, is full of barely hidden reaction, and very little calm—he’s different than Meitenkun, in that regard. Meitenkun, whose calm is for the safety of everyone around him, whose emotions are buried far, far beneath yawns and half-lidded eyes.
No, despite how hard Shun’ei tries to seem collected and relaxed, Benimaru’s never had much trouble reading what he might be feeling at any given point. The kid thinks it’s a weakness, but in Benimaru’s opinion— while it might be a dangerous trait to have in show business— he can’t help but appreciate that, unlike himself at sixteen, Shun’ei doesn’t know how to entirely conceal his emotions. It feels like truth-telling; it feels like trust. And Benimaru wants to be someone these boys can trust.
So, he teases, gently, and sits back to watch Shun’ei rise, without hesitation, to the bait.
“No.” The kid snaps. “I was just…”
Evidently, he can’t think of an excuse, as he instead abandons that sentence in favor of the ever classic, “Whatever.”
Benimaru doesn’t bother to hide his snicker, nor does Shun’ei’s petulant glare make him stop.
“Look, I just wanted to ask you something.”
The boy is back to not being able to meet Benimaru’s eyes. “It’s okay if you say no…”
Benimaru raises an eyebrow. “You gotta tell me what it is before I can say no, Shunny.”
The teen rolls his eyes at the nickname, but he doesn’t tell Benimaru not to call him that—a rare occurrence, considering how huffy the name makes him sometimes.
“I noticed your, um. Your nails? They’re… a different color.” The boy frowns, as if he’s actually confused by such a phenomenon, and Benimaru has to purse his lips to resist grinning at that.
“Yes.” He holds out his hand for Shun’ei to get a better look. “They’re gold. Goes with my outfits.”
Shun’ei nods. “Right. I… saw. I was wondering…”
“It’s called nail polish.” Benimaru interjects. “It’s like paint for your nails, but when it dries, it doesn’t come off… er, not for a while, anyway. It gets solid and chips off slowly.”
“It sounds impractical.”
Benimaru chuckles a little. “It is, a little bit. But it does look nice for a while, and who am I to resist looking nice? Not that I even can look bad, but you get the idea.”
Shun’ei rolls his eyes again, but remains quiet.
“Can I ask why you’re asking about it?” A sly grin grows on Benimaru’s face. “Did you want me to do yours, too?”
Shun’ei blinks, and that’s the most outwardly surprised Benimaru has ever seen him look.
“Oh. I was joking, but if you really do want me to do them…”
Shun’ei’s shoulders tense. “I… Only if you don’t mind. I was gonna just… try to do it myself, but I didn’t know what to go get. Or… do…”
Benimaru immediately shoots him an affronted look. “You were going to try and paint your nails without my help?” He shakes his head, tutting. “I’m hurt, Shunny. I thought I raised you better than this.”
He ignores Shun’ei’s quiet “you didn’t raise me at all,” and instead, stands, pocketing his phone.
“Come on. Let me show you my collection. I can confidently say that I have any color you could possibly want.”
diseño y atuendo de Athena Asamiya del KOF14, vaya que la Idol del Kof ha tenido demasiados atuendos en todas las entregas del juego, es mi personaje femenino del KOF que no puede faltar en mi equipo para pelear
