Over Parting Flesh

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at [Link]

Rating: Mature
Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: F/M
Fandoms: Dandadan (Anime), Dandadan (Manga)
Relationship: Ayase Momo/Takakura "Okarun" Ken
Characters: Ayase Momo, Takakura "Okarun" Ken
Additional Tags: Shameless Smut, Cunnilingus, Established Relationship, Body Worship,
Oral Sex, Emotional Sex, Alternate Universe - College/University,
Aged-Up Character(s), Vacation, Dry Humping, Porn With Plot, Water
Sex
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2025-02-27 Words: 5,381 Chapters: 1/2
 Over Parting Flesh
by highviews

Summary

A study session gone between kisses, and a planned romantic getaway for firsts.

Momo takes Ken to see her part of the world.

Notes

yeah.

See the end of the work for more notes

It had been a long day for the two of them. They had been sitting in silence for sometime,
easing into looking at everything. The two of them had just got done discussing study notes
the other had made for their upcoming midterm.

It had been months on end between them with this arrangement. Momo helps Ken study, and
sometimes he’ll edit her papers for her since his mind can never focus. She’s the better one at
being able to remember the random information in class. She’s always been good at this.

He's beside her on the bed, hip to hip, his fingers drawing circles on the skin of her thighs. It's
his favorite part about her. Momo had insisted on only wearing a t-shirt and panties around
him, not that he really cares. He does. Ken respects it though, even though she's tried to tell
him to get comfortable before.

Ken reminds himself he's going to get an apartment soon, and imagining Momo there all the
time makes him want to bury his head in sand. Momo, one room, alone.

Ugh. He has to ask her first. If she wants to get up out of her dorm and live with him. How
soon is too soon again? He really should ask her. Instead, he let himself fantasize too much of
an idealistic vision of her and him together. Their domesticity is so palpable in the imagery in
his head. He should've never been study partners with her.

“Okay, so how about this,” she starts. He pulls his hand back, listening. The imagination with
it going. She grins, twisting around to sit up more.

“Want to go study in Hokkaido?”

Ken raises a brow. “You want us to travel all the way to Hokkaido to study?”

Momo glares at him. “What? You think it’s silly to travel together to Hokkaido?”

Ken rolls his eyes, she's jumping to conclusions again. “No, but – I mean, we’re kind of
studying now aren’t we? Unless the flash cards I made are useless to you.” He worked really
hard on those, especially using her notes. Momo sets them aside.

She purses her lips, then her eyes take on this shimmer that makes his gut twist. The
sensation of a flame coiling itself. “You don’t want to go somewhere alone ?”

Ken takes a stance. “I mean why do that, Momo?”

She sighs, giving him that familiar look that reflects so much.

A part of him knows what she wants. His mouth opens.

Oh . Huh.

“You want this to be a trip between us? As in –? ”

He tries to see if he can pry it out of her. She only huffs.

“Yes, yes! You know like —” and she makes a gesture. He flushes bright red.

“You could’ve just said that!”

Momo shoves him by the shoulder. “How could I? I've been dropping signals!”

Ken groans, covering his face with his hands. “How was I supposed to know? You’re too
vague!”

“Am not! You’re too dense!”

Ken lifts his head, his expression agitated. She can tell he’s not entirely mad, but she knows
he’s going to fire back. “I’m too dense? Says the one who won’t even say she wants to have
sex with her boyfriend?”

Momo turns bright red. “Shut up!” She crosses her arms, leaning back against the wall. “Ugh,
you’re such a pain!”

Ken rubs his forehead, when did it start pulsing?

“I’m the pain? Momo,” he starts, finally looking at her. He reaches for her hand, letting his
fingers intertwine with hers. She softens considerably at the action, although she’s too
stubborn to look at him.

“You don’t have to create some elaborate scheme just so we can have alone time together.
You can just tell me directly.”

Momo swallows, her other hand coming to pry his fingers apart and play with them. “Yeah,
well I’m still getting used to getting what I want.”

She looks at him then and he feels his heart clench. God, he needs to kiss her senseless again.

“You’re maddening, you know that.”

She grins. “Did you want to make out? My roomie is not coming back,” she adds.

He sighs, feeling himself grow warm. He glances at her and then away. “We can try
something, if you want.” He schools his features in the best way he can. His heart is
thumping wildly and he feels his gut twisting. It’s just Momo, and she drives you crazy, he
thinks.

It’s fine.

“Like?” She prods, her voice dropping low.

Ken swallows, licking his lips, focusing on not letting his eyes linger to her thighs. “You on
top, while we makeout?” It can start slow. It's something he's thought about for months since
they started dating.

Momo’s smile breaks out wide. “Can I you know –”

He raises an eyebrow. “You can say it.”

Momo makes a face at him. “Shut up!” Her cheeks are bright. “You know, grind on you?”
She adds quietly, biting her lip.

Fuck it all, she could literally tear him apart and he’d let it her.

“Yeah,” he says breathlessly, his throat tight. And his pants.

After a moment, she settles on him. “I’m only going to wear my panties,” she sings teasingly,
pulling up her shirt to fling it to the other side of the room. Ken snorts, his heart picking up in
speed.

“Do what makes you happy, I’m here for you,” he tells her, his hand coming to touch her face
tenderly. Momo’s eyes shimmer.

“You’re so sweet,” she murmurs softly. Her lips brushed against his own. “I should rip that
out of you.” She dips low, pressing against him and her teeth nipping at his bottom lip.

He hums in satisfaction, feeling all too tight against her. “If it makes you happy.”

She muffles his voice, pressing her lips against his again. His hands still hover over her.
Momo forces them to touch her, having them hold her by the thighs. “Here, right here,” she
nibbles on his lips and he groans. “You can force me down on you while I move, you can
bruise me, do whatever.”

She pulls back. “I want you, Ken.”

Ken grips her tightly, letting his hands smooth themselves against her skin. This is something
of his dreams, being against her like this. He wants to be inside, he craves that connection
with her. It feels like a buzz of cicadas clustered in his chest, a deep rumble forming. His
kisses become firmer and her tongue invades his mouth.

God, she tastes so good. He could die here under her.

She could have his heart in her palms, and devour it for all he cares.

“Ken,” she says his name in between kisses. “Tell me what you want.”

She grinds against him hard, her hips moving down on him and he grips her thighs harshly,
he can feel his fingers curling against her skin. His nails are digging into flesh and it only
encourages her. She moves closer, her lips brushing against his cheek.

“Ken,” she presses his name against his skin. Her tongue licks his cheek.

“Yeah?” He’s struggling and she’s relishing in it.

“Open your eyes,” she tells him, her hand touching his face.

He does, and he swallows because god, she’s beautiful.

She’s everything he’s ever wanted.

Momo smiles, her eyes shining. “There he is,” and she grinds against him again.

He lets out a whine. “You’re playing mean,” he whispers.

“Only a little.”

She kisses him again and he lets hands roam around her skin. She’s warm, pliant and so soft.
He’s rock hard. He may just come in his pants at this rate.

Momo pulls away, pouting. “Tell me what you want.”

Ken leans his head back, letting it fall against her pillow. “I want you,” he mumbles. He’s
trying hard not to look at her breasts. This is ridiculous. He can look, it’s not like she’s telling
him no. His heart thrums when she moves to kiss his cheek, his nose, his eyelids. She’s
peppering him all over and he still doesn’t know what to do with his damn hands.

“You can finger me if you want,” she suggests. He pulls back.

“Oh, you’re granting me some control?”

She bites his cheek for the sass. “You can do anything you want to.” He reaches up to hold
her face. He lets his thumb linger on her lips and she looks directly at him, her eyes
darkening as she takes the digit in her mouth.

He makes a noise, the heat of her tongue around his skin makes his mind short circuit.

Fuck.

“Is that okay?” she asks then, waiting for his approval.

He nods, pulling her back down for another kiss, and his hands running over her back. His
fingers dance against her skin and she laughs against him. “You’re tickling me?”

“Only a little,” he echoes her tone from earlier, trying to fight a smile.

Ken does it again, this time at her side and she laughs in the middle of having her tongue in
his mouth. “Hey!” She can’t stop her laughter and she collapses on him.

He shifts them around to where he can be above her. “Better?”

“No, you said I could be on top.”

Ken hums, his tongue gliding over his canines. “Yeah, well, I don’t really listen.”

Momo sighs, getting to really look at him. She reaches up to wrap her legs around his hips, to
pull him closer. “You’re so cute, I love your face.”

Ken’s eyebrows twitch. “I’m cute?”

She nods, eyes shimmering with so much affection that it causes him to press his forehead
against hers. “I love you,” she says. “You’re so cute when you’re being an ass.”

He snorts, nuzzling into her neck. He could just stay like this forever. “We don’t have to do
anything, you know that.”

Momo laughs. “I want to though. You’re like my favorite thing to think of when I
masturbate.”

Ken groans, digging his chin into her shoulder. She runs her fingers down his back. “Don’t
say that, you’re driving me crazy.”

“Hehe, I live to tell the tale,” she teases. She pulls his head back so he can look at her.
“Okarun, I know we don’t have to do anything. I like being like this with you.”

“Naked underneath me?”

“Yeah, you're always sweet.”

Ken smiles, he does enjoy this. She’s pushy, but not enough to harm her boundaries or his
own. He’s happy he can be intimate with her like this. Even if she’s the only one naked, and
he’s clothed.

“You didn’t want me to at least have my shirt off?”

“No, I like the idea of ruining your clothes,” she grins. She latches onto his neck to suck, and
bite. Ken groans. She does that a little too well.

“You’re crazy,” he moans.

“For you, yeah. I wanna ruin you.”

"God, you're a horrible woman," he mumbles. She continues pulling him to her, tightening
her legs around him. Momo nibbles on his skin, her teeth sharp.

He can't deny it. He loves this.

She pulls away. "Did you want me to —" she bites her lip. What's she so shy for?

"You can say it," he reminds her again. Only for her to puff her cheeks out in embarrassment.

Momo side-eyes him for a moment. "Did you want me to give you a blowjob, a handjob?"
She asks, paying with the collar of his shirt. Did it get hotter?

He can feel his dick throbbing. "Momo," he says. "I told you, you don't have to do anything."

Momo touches her hand upon his face. "Did you want me to? Because I want to? I want to
swallow you or whatever."

"Momo!"
"I do! I want to make you feel good, you're always wound up tight."

She smiles, her dimples flashing in the way he loves. She's beautiful, and devious.

"How do you want me?" He asks quietly.

She squeals excitedly. "I want you sitting up, edge of the bed, now." It came out more of an
order than a direction. She's so bossy.

Momo moves away from him, letting him shift over. "Okay? Anything else."

She stands up completely bare, aside from her panties. They were very cute, they had little
cherries on them.

Ken looks back up, and she grins. "Here, I'll do you one better."

She pulls them down, flinging them aside. Ken's eyes widen, and he looks to where she threw
them and back at her. " Momo ," he hisses. "What?"

"Isn't this like every man's wet dream, seeing their hot girlfriend naked?"

He shakes his head, completely helpless with her around. She walks over, he halfs expects
her to get in on his lap, instead she straddles his thigh. "No way, you're going to feel how you
make me feel," she tells him. He shivers, his heart completely ruined.

"Momo," he whines, and she kisses him. She rolls her hips on his leg and he grunts. Her little
sounds she makes completely undoing him. He grabs her waist. She was too far from him, he
wanted to touch her.

"Momo, wait —"

"Wha —?"

He pulls her closer, her body so wound up she moans at the drag of fabric against her.
"Fuck," she kisses him again. She lets her body do all of the work, everything about her
wanton and completely focused on getting herself off. Ken doesn't mind, he's making the
same high pitched whines as she does.

Then he remembers, they're in a dorm space with some thin walls. He bites his lip, her hands
coming up to grab him through his pants.

He curses loudly, his head dropping to her shoulder. "Fuck, Momo —"

"That's it," she tells him, her voice wobbling, concentrating on riding her high. "Can you let
me touch you?"

"You can do anything you want," he groans, kissing her shoulder.

Momo continues, her hand finally grabbing his cock, and he moans. His tongue licks up her
neck and Momo whines. "Oh, god— "
Ken nearly has a heart attack when she pushes him back. "I have to be on top of you, inside,
now."

He grabs her hips, holding her back. "Momo, can I touch you first?"

She stops, hair messy, and face flushed. Damn.

"Huh?"

He licks his lips. "I want to touch you —" he swallows. "Everywhere, with my mouth. I want
to taste you."

Something in her stutters, overwhelmed by all of it. Everything around her was dizzying.
Momo suddenly notes how real this all is. She feels a surge of inexplicable emotions. She
gapes. "Really?"

He nods, saying all of that nearly made him cream himself. Fuck, he's weak. Ken needs to tell
her his fantasy is just staying in between her legs.

Momo's eyes water, and he jolts up. "What? Momo, what's wrong?" He's trying to hold her,
feeling ridiculous with a wet spot on his pants, and his cock out — but really his girlfriend
was crying in the middle of foreplay.

"I'm sorry, I just — I thought and I think — I really want to have sex with you, but I —" she
blubbers, the tears coming out and Ken jumps to action. He fixes his pants, and pulls off his
shirt to put her in it.

"Momo, please, breathe."

She's a mess, she's completely upset. "I'm sorry, Okarun — I really wanted to have sex, but
what if I'm —"

He's frantic, scoping the area until he can find her panties and goes to her. "Here, Momo,
please put these back on —"

She cries harder, sobbing so loudly that he's scared the entire dorm will come busting in. He'd
deserve it for making her cry like this. She takes her undergarments putting them on and cries
louder than he's heard her before.

Her sobs wracked her entire body and he holds her, letting her weep into him. He doesn't
know what else to do, other than just let her get it out.

When she's coming down, she sniffles, wiping her nose on the collar of his shirt. He can't
help but smile, she's very cute. "Hey, talk to me, please. I'm freaking out."

She laughs and it's wet, messy, and honestly her. "I think my period's coming," she admits,
her cheeks bright red.

Ken would have guessed that. "It's okay," he touches her cheek. "What's going on? You're
overthinking. That's supposed to be my job, remember."
Momo smiles, her bottom lip quivering. "I'm scared," she says, strangely quiet. "I really want
to be with you and I wanted it to be romantic and I thought maybe you'd want me to just sort
of take you —"

"Momo," he stops her. "We don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with. I was
going along with whatever you wanted. I don't care about the sex, you know that."

She inhales, looking at him then. "I really want to have sex with you, can we go somewhere
romantic and do it then?"

Ken softens. "Of course, please just tell me that."

Momo makes a face, and it looks so shattered. "I was trying to, but then it never came out
right and you looked very hot and I wanted to just tease you a little."

"Well, that did backfire, huh?"

She snorts. "Shut up." She flushes then. "I don't want the whole dorm hearing us have sex
anyways."

"I was a little worried about that — I was scared they were all going to come in."

Momo blinks, after a moment. "So you really want to go to Hokkaido with me? We can go
somewhere, maybe have something romantic and —"

Ken sighs, nodding. "Momo, I'm yours for the rest of my life. I want everything to be with
you and only you. I mean it."

Momo flushes. "Like — like marriage?"

Ken looks at her, cheeks brightening, but his gaze is steady. "I do intend to marry you — not
right now, if you —"

"You want to marry me?"

He swallows. "Yes, but Momo —"

"Me?" She repeats, her eyes watering again. "Really?"

"I don't have a ring yet, well — but yes."

She throws her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Do you want to elope?"

"Momo, your studies!"

"I don't care, I'll marry you whenever!"

Ken has to stop her. "Hold on, wait — I haven't even asked you if you wanted to move in
with me yet!"
Momo's eyes widened, pulling back. "You're going to ask me to move in with you? Like in
the city?"

Fuck, he screwed up. It was supposed to be a surprise. "Yes, I do, I was actually going to ask
you once I got the apartment keys, I —"

"Okarun," she starts to cry again. Shit. He's hoping those are happy tears.

"Momo, wait please — I want to move in with you, it was going to be romantic, but I —"

"But?" She freezes, the worry draining her face. Oh no, he didn't mean it like that.

"Listen to me, listen, don't turn away — Momo," he holds her face, thumbs wiping her tears.
"I want to ask you to move in with me, I want to go with you to Hokkaido, I want to have sex
with you and only you. Yes, I want to marry you. I fully intend to do everything in whatever
order you want from me. Do you understand me?"

He squishes her cheeks just a little. She nods.

He sighs, swallowing, his heart thrumming so loudly he knows he's going to pass out. "I want
you and only you. I am letting you take the lead because I want you to be comfortable. I am
ready for whatever you want. You, you're my guiding star, you tell me where to go and I'll
follow."

She sniffles, wiping her nose. "But what if you get tired of me? What if you don't want
anything I want?"

"Did you not just hear my spiel? I can say it again?"

"I know that, but I get scared. It's easy to say —"

"It's not easy for me to say, Momo," he reminds her sternly. "You know who I am. You know
me, I know you. You're the motivation and inspiration in my life, I mean it."

Momo's inhale of her breath is shaky. "Can we go to Hokkaido, Okarun?"

"Yes, I want to go to Hokkaido."

She grins, pulling him in for a kiss. Then she glances down to his pants. "I'm sorry I got you
all wound up —"

"It's fine, I can figure it out."

"Did you want me to help?"

Ken flushes. "If—" he stutters. "If you want. Don't do it on my account," he warns her.

She feels a lot better now after talking with him. He has that ability. She laughs, kissing his
nose. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't tease you."
"You're mean," he mumbles. She pulls him in for a kiss. Ken wrapping his arms around her,
she's sweeter like this. Momo pulls back, dragging him with her to wrap her legs around his
hips.

"I want to help you," she whispers, her hands sneaking down to grab him. He lets out a moan.

"How can you do this after everything?" He asks, a little troubled. Not really though.

Momo smiles. "Because I love you and I want to make you feel good."

She pulls him back down, entrapping him in her arms. The moans he makes are shameless
into her mouth. “I love you,” he whines, and she grins. She latches onto his neck, letting her
hands unbuckle his pants.

He grunts. “Fuck, Momo, you –” he stops. He moves away from her and she waits, pulling
her own hands back.

“Yes?”

“Are you sure?” He doesn’t want to force her. “You literally just got done crying.”

Momo purses her lips. “I’m one hundred percent certain – look into my eyes – do you see my
eyes, Okarun?”

He rolls his eyes. “Yes, I do and they’re beautiful.”

She crawls over to him. “I want to make you feel good, will you let me?”

Ken feels his stomach twist. She’s too patient with him sometimes, despite how she usually
is. She’s known for doing instead of asking, but since their whole thing is talking while being
intimate it’s really no issue there. He feels himself relax. “Go on, do your worst.”

Momo bites her lips, pushing him down on the bed. “Oh, I will.”

When she gets on top of him, her hands on his cock, and the sounds he makes. He gets lost in
the feeling of having her break him apart, leaving a blazing path from his chin to his neck.

He’s pretty sure he forgot his own name.

This is fine, he’s here for her.

When they cleaned up afterwards, Ken was a little irritated after cumming onto his own shirt.
He really liked that one.

"Don't worry, you still have some clothes you left over here —"

"Yeah because you keep stealing them from me," he mutters, wrapping up the soiled garment
into a plastic bag.
She sticks her tongue out. "Well then don't let me use any," she pouts. She turns away putting
away the extra bags into a drawer.

Ken approaches, wrapping his arms from behind her. His breath tickling her neck. "I don't
mind it, you know."

She leans into him. "Sure, sure. I get it."

He kisses her neck, she smells good. Even still after what they just did, his nose comes close
to her skin. Ken drags his lips down to her chin. "Hm," he says thoughtfully.

She pulls back. "What? Do I stink?"

"No," he says, his arms holding her tighter. "I just want to stay like this."

She laughs, bumping her behind onto his crotch. "Come on, let's go get something to eat."

"Why Hokkaido?" He asks suddenly, pulling away. He never did ask her why she's been so
adamant on that location.

Momo grins. "Because of Granny, we used to go all the time, and I want to go with you."

"And to do what?”

"I thought it’d be nice to go by the lake area. I just want to spend time with you alone, you
know. Somewhere we can make new memories.”

Ken feels his heart throb. She wants to take him places with her. She wants him to be there
too.

"Also, it's where my parents Honeymooned too."

Ken lips manage a small smile. "Are they from there?"

Momo nods. "My dad was, Granny took him in at like eight."

Ken wants to ask. What were they like? Does Momo have her fathers smile and her mother’s
hair? He wants to know what they look like. He hasn’t heard Momo ever talk about her
parents much since they’ve gotten together, even before when they were still just friends.

"I can show you pictures one day, they're all back at Gran’s."

Ken nods. "Of course, I—"

"And your parents? Have you spoken to them?”

Ken frowns. "No, not lately.”

He told her everything one day, all about his childhood. The memories come back to him
sometimes. Where he’s alone in an apartment, ramen noodles for lunch. Sometimes he’d
watch the news, stay up late and watch the game shows playing at night. It had been a bit of a
sad time for him. His past was his past for a reason. He hasn’t spoken to them in almost a
year, the last call from his father about him being in Germany.

His mother – a whole other story, she had a whole new husband and family in Hawaii. They
had divorced, and he chose to be with his father. Well, his father wasn’t much around anyway
– he sent him allowances, and Ken saved enough to get himself out of that hideous apartment
once he graduated from his third year.

He met Momo almost right after, a godsend, really.

When he told Momo this before, she had been so horribly pained. He would say things in
passing, never really expanding on what it is that would keep him so quiet. He told her
everything, and she hugged him so tight to her that he thought he would've molded against
her. He wouldn't have minded, really.

He wanted to live inside Momo, in every way possible. He wanted to exist in her world of
dreams. Where her stories of spirits and mythology can sing him to sleep. He felt like a leech,
burrowing his way into her skin and devouring. She reminds him there's not anything harmful
in that, that he's just touch-starved and full of love. He just never got to experience it with
anyone but Momo. He's glad she is who she is. He’s so happy he met her. He fears the kind of
person he'd be at this time.

Would he even be alive at all?

Momo makes a face. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Ken's voice is low. "Nothing, just having some thoughts."

"Do you want to cuddle? I can hold you," she offers. Ken almost tears up. How easy it is for
her to give him what he wants.

"Yeah," he rasps. "I don't mind that."

Momo moves towards the bed, patting the space beside her. "Get over here."

He does, feeling the relief when he settles into her arms. It's easy this way, to exist in her
space, in her skin. He loves her. Ken doesn't know what to do with those feelings. He did just
spoil their entire future. She doesn't seem to mind.

"I have some tickets planned for the Hokkaido trip," she says after a while. "I have a hotel
resort in mind and everything."

"Did you want me to give you some money?"

"No, this is my little excursion to you. A gift, actually," she laughs, and he loves hearing her
happy.

Ken quiets a moment, his arms pulling her closer. He hides in her neck. "What did I do to
deserve all of that?"
Momo saddens at his tone. Did he ever get something like this before? "You do so much for
me already, I want to make you happy."

Ken always covers the costs of train rides and meals. He does those all in little spurts, he's
told her he's been saving since he was sixteen. He did odd jobs setting aside cash somewhere
until he was old enough to stash it away in a bank. Ken had wanted to separate himself from
his family for a long time.

It made Momo hurt in so many ways, envisioning him so young and so incomplete. She
wishes she got to know that boy with his large glasses, messy hair, and thoughtful opinions.
She plays with his hair, letting her fingers run through the mess. He's very handsome, she
thinks. She beams, peppering his head in kisses.

"What?" He mumbles, still buried deep within her neck. His lips brushing against her skin
and she giggles even harder.

"Hey, quit that."

He hums, refusing. "Nope, I'm in your arms."

She holds him tighter to her, giving him another row of kisses. "I think you'll like Hokkaido,
have you been there before?"

Ken makes a noise, thinking. He's only ever been in that small apartment from childhood. His
family never really left outside of that. Only his Mother. Never Hokkaido or even Okinawa.
He’s never been that far.

"No, I can't say I have," he notes. He looks up at her, and her smile is so sweet that he has to
look away from her. How does she do that so easily? His cheeks are growing warm. Damn,
he's obvious.

Momo holds him close, he's already entirely in her lap and arms. How is she comfortable
with his weight on her? He thinks she enjoys being able to cradle him, maybe to have him
disappear in her shape. He doesn't mind it, he'd get lost where she is any day. It's something
he's always wanted.

"I think you'll enjoy it a lot. The tickets I got have us staying at Lake Shikotsu," she says, she
looks proud of it.

Ken starts at this, moving out of her arms. Momo makes a sound of protest, her pout forming.
Cute, he thinks. "Lake Shikotsu? That's expensive?"

"Yeah, and? Why, you don't think a country bumpkin like me has the funds for that?"

Ken rolls his eyes. "Momo, I just don't think you should be doing all of this for me."

She raises a brow, clearly annoyed with the way he talks about himself. He's still gaining
confidence in himself. He may have seemed like the top dog in their courses, but he seriously
beats himself up internally on the daily. He just hid it well, journaling it somewhere no one
could see it. Momo does though, as clear as day on his face.
Especially in the way he regards himself.

"You seriously need to quit talking like that, Okarun," she says. "It hurts me to think you
don't see how wonderful you are."

He feels clumsy, his heart doing somersaults, and his stomach clenching. "I know, I just — to
do all that. I didn't, I mean I did, I had everything growing up technically."

Momo purses her lips. She knows he’s lying. "Well, not everything. Were you even taken
anywhere for fun?"

Ken can't say he has. Momo's face twists in a way that makes his heart pang. She looks so
upset. Not at him, but at the way his loneliness seems to linger over him like a shadow.

He shakes his head and Momo looks completely shattered. "Okarun," she says softly. She
touches her hand onto his cheek and he's still not used to the warmth she provides him. How
easy it is for her to love someone like him. She had been willing to connect this entire time.
It's been months now. It doesn't feel real sometimes, like she's a shooting star — and if he
blinks she'll be gone.

He leans into her touch, her thumb brushing his cheeks. "I love you, and you're worth it.
Please, let me take you somewhere romantic. Just the two of us."

"You're too good to me, Momo," he mumbles. He pulls her hand raising the palm to his lips.
She smiles.

"Come here, dork. Let me hold you some more, you need it after the emotional rollercoaster I
put you through."

He exhales, melting into her embrace.

Ken thinks maybe he wouldn't mind disappearing into her. It’s his biggest wish.
End Notes

title taken from I Like My Body When It Is With Your by ee cummings.

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