Loveless, Ritsuka/Soubi, "the one in charge"
Ritsuka stared at his homework, and tried to ignore the sounds of Soubi puttering around just a few feet away, making them both dinner. He'd already offered to help, but Soubi had said no with the kind of smile that wasn't just a polite lie. Ritsuka was getting better at telling those from the fake ones Soubi was so good at.
But he couldn't really concentrate, because there was something else he was getting good at recognising too, know that he'd known Soubi for several years, and that was the way Soubi poked and prodded when he wanted something, but wouldn't come right out and ask for it. He'd tease and drop hints and do his best to manipulate things, but somehow he felt that asking was going too far. Given some of the other antics he was willing to get up to in pursuit of what he wanted, Ritsuka felt this was an odd place to draw the line.
It wasn't that he didn't know what Soubi wanted, either. He'd caught on to that pretty quickly, actually. Although Soubi had said back when they first met that he wasn't attracted to a child (right before he kissed Ritsuka the first time, because Soubi was just perverse and annoying like that), Ritsuka was nearly fifteen now, and not looking quite so child-like. Soubi's kisses had stopped being affectionate little pecks and busses months ago. It had startled Ritsuka the first time Soubi's tongue had slipped inside his mouth, but that was perhaps another sign he was growing up, because he'd definitely liked it.
But Soubi, being Soubi, always had to push things. He'd kiss Ritsuka like that in public. Once he'd done it in front of Ritsuka's school, and they'd had quite an audience by the time he stopped. He'd kiss Ritsuka until the younger boy was dazed and wanting, and then he'd pull back with one of those insincere smiles on his face, and act like nothing was wrong.
Ritsuka knew what he wanted, knew from the hints that Soubi dropped and the things he'd heard of Soubi from other people. Soubi wanted him to take charge in this, too. Perhaps more, but Ritsuka wasn't going to think about that right now. Soubi wanted him to be the dominant one in this aspect of their relationship as well. And Ritsuka wasn't sure he could.
He'd gotten used to Soubi's insistence that he was the one in command when they were fighting. Ritsuka thought Soubi was more than a little muddled in this respect, because if Soubi was the one doing the fighting, protecting Ritsuka from the other Pair, it didn't seem right that Ritsuka was the one in charge. But as long as Ritsuka gave him a few orders, Soubi was happy. Of course, sometimes those orders were to stop, because Soubi was inclined to completely destroy anybody who threatened Ritsuka in even the smallest way, but even as he protested letting them go, something in Soubi's eyes would be oddly calm and happy.
What Soubi wanted now made him a little uncomfortable, though. It didn't seem right to him, that a relationship like that should be so deliberately unequal. He loved Soubi, and knew that Soubi loved him back, but this seemed like mistreating someone he was supposed to care for. And he still didn't even really know that much about sex, anyway, because the class he'd taken on Sexual Health and Reproduction at school never covered anything like this.
He sighed.
“Is something wrong?”
Ritsuka looked up to see Soubi watching him, and knew the older man thought he was having trouble with his homework. If only it were that simple.
“Soubi...”
“Yes?”
Ritsuka's lips firmed, and he said, determination in his voice, “I want to kiss you.”
Surprise flickered across Soubi's face, then he leaned forward to press his lips against Ritsuka's tongue sliding along the crease and inside. Ritsuka placed a hand flat on his chest and pushed him back.
He caught a flash of hurt in Soubi's eyes before he covered it up with a fake smile. “No.” Ritsuka stood, and pulled out another chair. “Sit down.”