𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘣𝘰𝘺𝘧!𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘪 𝘹 𝘺𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴.
♋︎ 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸
꒰ kento gives yn a ring ꒱
2626wc, slice of life fluff. (kissing/romance…should i offer a warning for his mode of transportation? it’s very sexy of him).
You slow to a stop next to Kento, glancing at the ocean before looking back at him. He’s taking in the view, a soft smile on his lips, and you can’t help but stretch to kiss his shoulder as you lean in his direction. “Final destination?”
He looks down at you. “In a hurry?”
“Wha—no?”
“I thought you were an enjoy the journey type of girl, love.”
You look away from him, your face hot as you deal with the side effects of being seen by someone. (Of being teased, too.) “I am. I’m enjoying it. But you’re a destination person.”
“I see,” he murmurs as he looks back out at the ocean. “I see it with you,” he explains, causing your eyes to go wide. “I know where we’re going. And I’m not really in a rush to get there. So, I can enjoy the journey, too…
“Do you remember this spot?”
Your brow furrows as you look around. You’ve escaped to this town with him so many times that they’ve started to blur together. And you’re sure you all have been at this lookout more than a handful of times. You’re just about to tell him that you can’t think of anything special when you realize there was one time—
You laugh. “The time we gave each other the same gift?”
His smile broadens.
“The one that neither of us even liked?”
He pulls off one of his gloves and reaches into his pocket before holding his hand out for you to see. “The very one.”
You peek into his hand to see two thin rings, the same color as the sea glass you all gifted each a few years ago, and can’t help but gasp. “Oh my— oh!”
You frown up at your boyfriend, who closed his fist when you tried to reach for a ring. Kento laughs and you notice that he’s particularly handsome tonight, under the golden hue of an old street lamp. You feel heat pooling in your stomach as you watch him shift rings around in his fist before offering you the larger one.
“Are they really made from those stones?” You turn it over between your fingers, silently wondering if he turned them to rings himself or if he asked Choso to do it.
“Yes,” he divulges. “But, more importantly: This is a covenant.”
The world closes in on you, making you feel as though all there is is this moment: the ocean below, waves crashing along the beach as he offers you a promise —a covenant— and as you look up at him you can’t really make sense of beyond the fact that you’d agree to anything.
He mirrors you, holding up the smaller ring and offering you a look that draws butterflies to your stomach. “If anyone asks,” he explains, voice low and measured, “I’m your boyfriend until the end of the summer.”
“Oh?” You tease. “If anyone asks? And if they don’t?”
“They will.”
“I’m loving the confidence.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“I love you,” he counters, smug amusement on his face, and it’s too attractive. Terribly attractive, if you’re honest.
“Play fair, Nanami Kento.”
“Hold it until we get the water.” He leans closer and presses a kiss to your forehead. You watch as he settles the smaller ring in his palm before he slips his glove back on. “Think about how much you love me, too.”
Before you can say anything, he winks at you and pushes off on his longboard, causing you to laugh in disbelief before slipping the ring on your thumb and peddling after him.
It only takes about five more minutes to get to the beach, and it’s five minutes you enjoy as you watch him skate, the air whipping at his linen shirt as lithe muscle supports every shift of his body. He’s careful to never get too far ahead of you, even as he indulges in taking some of the curves of the hill a little too recklessly for your liking; and, every time one of his hands grazes the ground to support, he flashes you a smile that tells you he knows you find him really hot whenever he does it.
Once you get there, Kento shoulders the backpack from the basket before you let your bike fall into the sand next to his board. You kick your shoes off next to his and look out over the water as he pockets his gloves and cuffs his pant legs. He wordlessly offers you his hand before leading you to walk along the shoreline.
“A covenant, huh?”
He hums, lifting your joined hands and kissing the ring on your right hand. “I already made you a promise,” he reminds you, voice gentle over the waves. There’s a hint of humor as he goes on to say, “But, your request…this is very serious, my love. No take backs.”
You smile to yourself. “No take backs?”
“If you tell someone I’m something other than your summer boyfriend, I’ll be really upset.”
Your eyes meet his and he cracks a smile, slowing to a stop as you say, “You’re awfully cute this evening.”
You can’t be certain in the dark, but you're pretty sure the tops of his ears turn pink. “I watched you secretly pet that cat in the alley while I got you a snowcone” —your face once again goes hot— “the one I told you not to pet, remember?”
“No.”
“I heard you tell it that you’d be in trouble if you were caught,” he deadpans as you giggle. “And then watched as you pulled out one of those lickable treats.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I have photo evidence,” he admits, the matter-of-fact tone of his voice making the whole conversation even more amusing. “Video evidence, actually.”
“…I might have an idea…”
He huffs out a laugh, turning and pulling you into his chest. As you both look out over the sea, he goes on to say, “It was cute. It reminded me that I’m in love with you.”
You laugh nervously and he squeezes you a little tighter.
“Hear me out,” he murmurs. “The cat looked sickly. I didn’t want you to pet it. But, while I was watching you, I realized that there wasn’t much difference between me and the cat—”
“Oh. That’s good. Because I named him Nya~nami.”
The silence that settles between you is deafening, but you eventually feel him shift to rest his forehead on your shoulder before asking, “Did you really?”
“He was blue with gold eyes! How couldn’t I? I invited him home but he didn’t seem too interested…”
He sighs. “I suppose he and I are quite different, then.” When you turn to look at him he reaches for your left hand and plays with the ring on your thumb. “Perhaps he’s a stronger man if he can say no to you.”
You start to laugh in full, the sound clearly startling him before he smiles too, obviously very pleased with himself. Once you’ve settled down, you ask, “You want to deny me something?”
“I’d give you the moon if you asked for it.”
(You’re certain you already have it.)
“I can’t believe a cat made you feel so mushy…anyway he was a nice boy. Just hungry, I think. Maybe got into one too many fights recently.”
“People probably told you to leave me alone, too.”
Oh. It isn’t a parallel you’d drawn as you coddled the cat for a few minutes, but the fact that your stoic boyfriend had seen himself in a stray causes you to realize that he has feelings towards your relationship that you’ve never considered.
He sighs and meets your gaze. “We can go try to find it. If you want. Tomorrow.”
“Oh, you love-love me, huh?”
He just hums and takes hold of your free hand, too. “I do. I appreciate the effort you’ve put into this. Into me. More than I could explain in words. And—”
He sighs. “This isn’t what I planned to say at all, love.”
“I like hearing it.”
“I know.” He swallows thickly and the glimpse of nerves is surprising to you.
“Ken—”
“I wasn’t sure of my purpose anymore, after the accident. I am physically incapable of doing the one thing I’d found valuable. Saw my worth in. It’s…difficult. To stomach that truth.
“And yet, I can only accept that I’m grateful for the hardship. The suffering, really,—” he smiles when you laugh, his gaze searching your face as though to memorize the moment “—because it’s shaped me into this…into this man.
“Someone who is not only willing, but ready to grow. To look at life from both sides…I could not have both. I knew that superficially. But knowing it now is different, because I understand that my worth isn’t measured by what I can do for the world. It’s about what I can do for my world.”
“Kento.”
“Hmm?”
Your heart is in your throat. He’s never put any of this into so many words and you have no idea how you’re supposed to take it at 4am on an old beach. When it’s just the two of you and paradise at your feet. With the moon and ocean as your only witnesses.
“You’re a life worth lived, Yn.”
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing unexpected. I looked at these stones sitting in the office and realized I couldn’t remember which belonged to me and which one belonged to you. It didn’t matter. Doesn’t matter. I…need you to know this.”
“Know what?”
Your heart is in your throat and your head is in the clouds. You aren’t sure if your feet are still in the sand but your hands are certainly in his. They’re real and warm and reassuring.
“I just need you to know I found myself —who I was meant to be— here, on this journey with you. There’s no place I’d rather be…” He lets go of your right hand, gaze meeting yours as he prepares to slip the ring he held on to onto your pinky. Mischief glints in his expression briefly, before he goes on to say, “And, I, a devoted boyfriend, hope you, a loving girlfriend, feel the same.”
You’re trembling. You know it, he knows. He even squeezes your hand after to help steady and assure you. “You know I feel the same.”
He grins. “Could you say it again?”
He starts to play with the ring on your finger, as though making sure it’s there despite the fact that he slid it on himself. You have to catch his fingers in yours to help yourself think straight, and the patience that flows from him weighs heavier on you.
Because what is he doing?! Everything he’s said feels as though they should be part of vows, not thrown into him fulfilling your whimsical ideas. And just underlines the fact that every moment with him has always felt like a dream. Or like it was written well in advance of meeting in a hospital elevator.
You gasp when you feel his finger brush your cheek, the healed texture of his skin smooth over yours.
“Why are you crying, love?”
“Because what’s happening?”
“I’m making us official. I’m not sure what you’re doing.”
He sounds so much like you that it’s startling for a moment, and you can’t help but laugh. You reach up to settle your hand over his where he’s cradling your face, the ghost of a smile on his lips causing your words to start to free fall.
“I’m glad you didn’t give up after your accident. I’m glad this world shaped me into the person you needed most when we met. I want to keep waking up everyday and deciding that this is worth it.
“And I love the way you make me want more for myself, so that I can be better for you, and for us.” You stroke your thumb across the back of his hand and he brushes away some more tears. “You have no idea how proud I am of you, how relieved I am, honestly, that you allowed this to exist between us…
“Ah, babe. What are you doing to me, right now? I thought we were just going for a ride. And instead I’m on an emotional high because... You even made these rings from a gift neither of us even liked. It’s— yeah. I, a loving girlfriend, feel the same as you, a devoted boyfriend. Thank you for thinking of and prioritizing me.
“If you’re a stray, so am I…which…lucky me, if we are. It means I can stick with you and we can go wherever.” You gently pull his hand away from your face, changing your hold in order to affectionately rub his scarred knuckles to your cheek. “I feel like we’re reciting vows.”
“Please don’t refer to either of us as strays, when the time comes. Some people would never let us hear the end of it.” Kento smiles and pinches your cheek. “And, this is a covenant, love.”
Laughing, you let go of his hand and take his ring off your finger. “Right. With that in mind…” You kiss it, feeling your face go hot when he realizes how focused he is on you. “Kento. I love you. This journey we’re on together —whatever power brought us here— I will always value and prioritize it. You. Us.”
You reach for his unharmed hand and cradle it in yours. “May I?”
“Mm. I need you to.”
“Ha— what?”
He leans closer, forcing eye contact. “I need you to take responsibility for me.”
You swallow, butterflies filling your stomach distractingly. It takes a second, but you slip the ring onto his pinky. “These feelings are much stronger than I expected.”
“Should I tone it down?”
You stroke your thumb over his rings, lingering over the band on his middle finger (the one that represents his promise to get to this point with you…beyond this point, really). “No. I’ll take whatever you give me with grace.”
“Good thing I love you.”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
He pulls you into a hug, rubbing your back soothingly as your arms circle his waist. He’s warm and solid, perfectly comforting as he holds you as close as possible. The moment feels indulgent, which makes you want more.
“Babe?”
He hums, weighing a little heavier into you as he continues to rub your back.
“I think you should kiss me.”
He chuckles, lingering a few seconds longer before pulling away enough to look at you. Your eyes fall closed as he leans back in, and he surprises you by kissing your forehead. He follows it by brushing the tip of his nose yours ahead of tilting his head to kiss your lips.
“Actually, I really was just taking you on a ride. To watch the sunrise.”
You laugh, shaking your head as you pull away from him and sit down in the sand. “Ok.”
Kento blinks down at you, mouth curling amusedly when you pat the space next to you. As you hug your legs to your chest, you go on to say, “Com’mon. We’ve nearly missed it because you have me out here…covenanting. As though you aren’t already the only one I see.”
He squats down, head tilting to catch your gaze. “What was that?”
Your face is still hot and the butterflies still have ownership of your stomach, and even if you can’t help but melt under his attention, you focus all of yours on him. “Should I s-say it again?”
He surprises you by shaking his head, but you know him well enough to see the playful edge behind his phlegmatism. “I think you should kiss me.”
♋︎ “say you’re mine / say it slow / to be sure we know” —tennis, traveling