Work Text:
Alfred plopped down onto the couch, his electric blue eyes practically glowing with sheer excitement as he tossed the latest volume of Attack on Titan onto the coffee table in the living room.
“Dude,” Alfred began seriously, his eyes glimmering with eagerness, “I can’t believe we just got this. Like, this is gonna be insane. We’ve been waiting for this all month and it’s finally here!”
He climbed onto the couch, letting his knee nudge Kiku’s, who sat on the far other end of their tiny shared apartment couch, already opening the volume with focused intent, his warm brown eyes dancing with excitement.
Kiku, his dark, silky hair falling gently over his eyes, pushed it aside with the back of his hand. He barely even looked up from the book as Alfred’s foot gently nudged him again, this time a little harder than the previous time. When he glanced up, Alfred winked. A smile tugged at Kiku’s lips despite himself as his eyes slid down to the page again.
“Hm..?” Kiku hummed, still absorbed in the artwork. “Oh, yes. I’m very excited too. It looks really good.”
Alfred rolled his eyes, half-joking, half-impatient. “C’mon, Kiku. Get hyped! We’ve been waiting for this, like, all month, and you’re sitting there all calm and zen while I’m practically bouncing out of my skin!”
Kiku finally looked up, meeting Alfred’s eager gaze with his own calm irises that sparkled just slightly at the sight of his bright-eyed boyfriend bursting with energy as he always did. It was beyond endearing to the point where Kiku thought he could die. A tiny smile formed on his lips, so soft and subtle, that it could easily be missed by anyone who didn’t know him as well as his Alfred did.
But Alfred saw it, and his heart skipped a beat. He always noticed the little things about Kiku, and so easily too — the way his smile barely reached his lips but filled his eyes with gushing warmth, or the way his cheeks turned a faint shade of pink whenever he got flustered, even though he tried to hide it. Alfred just knew him like that, and it was enough to make his head cloud over with appreciation and affection.
“I am excited,” Kiku murmured, leaning back against the couch and shifting to make more space for Alfred to join him. “But it’s… how do you say… restrained?” He made a small, teasing gesture with his hands, as if trying to capture Alfred’s bouncy energy and squish it down into something manageable. Alfred’s eyes crinkled with understanding and his face split into an adorable grin.
He laughed, shaking his head. “Oh, man! You and your restraint. You know, you could learn a thing or two from me about letting loose. Sometimes you just gotta go for it, y’know?”
Kiku nodded thoughtfully, his lips twitching up at the corners, and Alfred could immediately tell he was holding back a chuckle.
“Ah, perhaps! But if I were to, ‘let loose’, as you say, you wouldn’t have anyone left to balance your colourful personality out, would you?”
Alfred grinned widely and threw his arm over Kiku’s shoulders, pulling him closer until their sides touched. His arms moved down to wrap around his boyfriend’s waist, squeezing their bodies even closer together. The shorter of the two breathed out a chuckle.
Kiku went willingly, resting his head against Alfred’s shoulder with a small sigh of contentment. Their cosy living room felt even cosier with the warmth shared between them.
Their small apartment had always felt like a little world they shared with each other — cheap messy shelves filled with towers upon towers of manga volumes and other geeky assortments of comics, a few figures of their favourite characters from their plethora of loved animated media perched on their apartment’s shelves and even their work desks, and posters covering almost every single inch of wall space.
It was like living inside their shared passion for all things anime, a place where the tangles of the outside world melted away and all that mattered was the next big story arc or a new release. And each other. And everything they loved and loved together.
A little haven just for the two of them.
“Dude,” Alfred said, pulling the manga from Kiku’s hands. “I’m so reading this out loud to you. Gotta do this the right way.”
Kiku raised an eyebrow, a playful glint in his eyes. “You? Reading? Are you sure you can handle that?”
Alfred’s jaw dropped in exaggerated shock. “Wow. Wow. That was cold, Kiku. I thought we were supposed to be a team, but apparently, we’re in roast mode now.” He pretended to be wounded, clutching his heart comically, but Kiku’s soft laughter betrayed that he wasn’t actually offended. His act dropped immediately as he melted into a fit of giggles as well.
“Perhaps you’re better suited for reading manga," Kiku said innocently, batting his dark lashes, “rather than talking about it.”
“Alright, you’re killing me here, babe,” Alfred said, though he couldn’t keep the bright sunny grin off his face. “All right now, get ready. You’re gonna hear the most epic reading of Attack on Titan that you will ever hear in your life. Trust.”
He flipped open the first page and cleared his throat exaggeratedly, starting to read in the most dramatic, overly theatrical voice he could muster up.
Kiku stifled another laugh, and Alfred knew he’d won. It was always like this between them — gentle teasing, affectionate banter. Alfred loved how easy it was, how natural. He might be the more vocal one, always filling the air with energy and excitement, but Kiku’s quiet presence grounded him, made everything feel safe and steady. He really did balance things out.
As Alfred continued to read, Kiku nestled closer, his head resting comfortably on Alfred’s chest. He could feel Kiku’s breath against him, warm and even, the weight of him soft and familiar against his body. It was moments like this, Alfred thought, where nothing else really mattered. Not the noisy city outside their apartment, not the pile of used dishes in the sink, not even the looming deadlines for work and the towers of documents that’d wait in the headquarters the next day. It was just the two of them, sharing something they loved, wrapped up in each other’s company and mirth.
“Okay, okay,” Alfred interrupted himself after a particularly intense page. “Can we just take a second to talk about how crazy this part is? Like, what even is going on with Eren right now? This is so wild!”
Kiku opened his eyes, though he hadn’t moved from his comfortable position. He tilted his head up to look at Alfred with that same subtle, affectionate smile. “It’s quite the twist. But I think you may have enjoyed that page more than me.”
Alfred gave him a playful nudge, raising a curious eyebrow as he glared down at Kiku accusingly. “Pssht, you know you’re just as invested as I am. Don’t pretend you weren’t freaking out a little on the inside.”
Kiku chuckled softly, his gaze softening as he looked up at Alfred. “Perhaps! But I prefer to watch you freak out. It’s much more entertaining.” Kiku grinned, biting his tongue.
Alfred barked out a laugh. “Man, you are so sneaky sometimes, you know that? Always acting like you’re so chill, but deep down, you’re the biggest nerd out there. You can never hide your true self from me. I just know you that well!”
Kiku smiled, his cheeks blooming with a violent, searing pink. He didn’t respond, just curled closer into Alfred, letting his hand rest on Alfred’s thigh. It was a small gesture, but Alfred loved how Kiku always found little ways to show affection, even when he wasn’t saying much. It was like they had their own language, one built on their shared silences and simple touches. They were content like that.
Alfred flipped another page, but this time his voice softened as he read. The excitement was still there, but now it was wrapped in something more intimate and soothing, like he was sharing a secret only the two of them understood. That was how it felt sometimes, anyway. None of the others quite enjoyed the joys of animated media quite as much as Alfred and Kiku did.
The calmness of the growing night enveloped them as his voice took on that more gentle lilt. He read through the next few pages, and Kiku occasionally hummed in agreement or made a soft comment, but they mostly just sat there in each other’s sweet embrace, letting the rush of the story wash over them.
After a while, Alfred set the book down, stretching his arms overhead. “Okay, I’m officially wrecked. That was intense, dont’cha think?”
Kiku sat up slightly, brushing a hand through his hair as he blinked up at Alfred. “Ah. Yes, I agree… I think I need a moment to process everything.” Kiku’s mouth fell open in a long yawn, his eyelids fluttering tiredly.
“God, same,” Alfred agreed heatedly, though he was smiling. He reached over and tousled Kiku’s dark hair affectionately. “You look really cute when you’re all serious and focused, you know that?”
Kiku blinked, caught off guard by the compliment. His cheeks turned an even deeper shade of pink. “I-I wasn’t—“
“Yep, totally cute. You can’t even deny it. I always win.” Alfred teased, leaning in closer to plant a soft, lingering kiss on Kiku’s warm temple. “You’re probably my favourite person ever.”
Kiku lowered his eyes, visibly flustered but not protesting. Instead, he leaned into Alfred’s side again, the warmth between them settling back into that comfortable and close familiarity they both enjoyed so much. Guess they were sleeping on the couch for the night.
They sat like that for a while, the soft hum of the night-shrouded city filtering in through the ajar window, mixing with the faint sound of distant traffic and cars flying by.
The room was quiet, though, the high-energy chaos of the manga near forgotten, replaced with the quiet thrum of their connection and shared exhaustion of the day’s events and the tapering off adrenaline rush. Alfred’s arm rested around Kiku’s shoulders, and Kiku’s head found its place back against Alfred’s chest, as if they were two puzzle pieces that fit perfectly together.
“Hey, Kiku?” Alfred murmured against his hair after a long moment of silence.
“Hm?”
“I’m really glad we get to do this, you know? Just… hang out, read manga, be nerds together. It’s pretty awesome.”
Kiku smiled against Alfred’s shirt, his voice soft as he replied, “Yes. It is. I really enjoy spending time with you like this.” He ducked down and pressed a long, gentle kiss to Alfred’s clothed chest, nuzzling against the gentle warmth that radiated from Alfred’s skin.
Alfred sighed and pressed his lips to Kiku’s forehead. “I love you so much,” he whispered. “Goodnight, my precious.”