Can Ram Say, "I Love You."?

Three Words

Heavy. That's how lovesick boy felt when he groggily woke up. His curtained eyes gradually exposed blurry shapes around the room. A practically sleepless night left him wanting to close his eyes and snuggle soundly back to slumber. If Ram was asleep, he didn't have to worry about anything. Instead, he was left to dreams about being in a wolf pack and trying to figure out how to mate with wolf King.

Brushing away yesterday's memory, Ram lazily lifted from the bed and stretched towards the sky with a loud yawn. Tense, his muscles resisted his extendedness and recoiled back to their tightened state. His body felt like a giant anchor trying not to sink down to the depths of the sea.

A scented trail of bacon tickled under his nose, enticing him to wander out of the bedroom. He licked his lips and went to see what awaited him in the kitchen.

There was the view of the day. King was hovering over the stove, wearing one of Ram's black tee-shirts and a pair of boxers. His slender frame was shaped by the fit of his clothes and exposed his smooth skin. If King wasn't set on being an engineer, Ram would've suggested he be a model. Then again, he didn't want others to see what belonged to him, so it was probably for the best that King stayed humble.

Piles of eggs were cooking in one pan, with a bundle of crispy bacon sizzling in the pan adjacent. Smoke floated above and was vacuumed into the fan. King reached out and sprinkled a spoonful of basil into the eggs and hummed a little tune. His body subtly swayed to the music in his mind.

"Morning," Ram said in a raspy voice. He stepped into the kitchen and pulled out a jug of orange juice from the fridge.

"Oh, hey. You're just in time," King said with a sunny smile. How King had this much energy in the morning was beyond him.

Ram poured two glasses of juice and set them on the table. After placing silverware next to the cups, he scooted himself into his seat and watched King finish with their breakfast.

This was just like King. He was unceremoniously thoughtful. There didn't need to be an occasion for King to do something nice. The senior did it out of the goodness of his heart. He shrugged their food onto their plates and headed to Ram.

"I love you," Ram said.

Startled, King dropped both plates to the ground and let them crash beside his feet. Like a statue, he stood there and fixated on Ram with his lips slightly agape. His hands were frozen in place, positioned as if they were still holding the dishes.

Ram's eyes widened as he was punched with the realization of what escaped him. How could he have so carelessly stated that? For a solid minute, they sat there and stared at each other. Both hadn't taken a breath since the three words danced in the air.

"What did you say?" King asked when he came back to his senses.

Did Ram dare to? He couldn't take it back now.

"I love you," Ram said again, firmer this time. Yeah, he loved him! What of it?

The brightest smile that Ram had ever witnessed shone on King's face. Jumping for joy, the boy rushed to his boyfriend. His foot slammed into a shard of glass, but he didn't let that bother him. Instead, he hobbled over and slung his arms around his neck, standing with his injured foot avoiding the ground.

Ram immediately felt a rush of warmth and alleviation flood his mind. This was the best response he could've hoped for, and King hadn't even said he loved him back. All he wanted was reassurance that it was okay for him to love King.

The ecstatic man leaned down to deliver a sweet kiss to his cool boy's lips. Happily, Ram kissed him back and settled an arm around his waist. He played with the elder's soft lips, squishing them between his and letting the taste of mint toothpaste amuse his taste buds. A mini explosion erupted from his heart at the sensation of transferring physical affection. Too soon, King broke their kiss, still grinning from ear to ear.

"I love you too, Ram," King whispered.

Ram's lips tugged into a smile and reached out to capture King's lips again. As he felt his body teetering against him, Ram remembered that King absentmindedly hurt his foot. He abruptly pulled away and anxiously looked at King's foot.

A navy shard stuck a few centimeters inside and was trimmed with dripping blood. Flesh was torn on the sides, exposing pink undertones of his skin. It looked like it would hurt immensely.

"What?" King pouted and followed Ram's attention. "Never mind that. You love me!"

Leave it to King to focus on the wrong thing at the right time. Despite Ram wanting to continue exploring their new openness together, whether by word or mouth, he knew that they would have plenty more time to pick up where they left off. What he didn't know was how badly King injured his foot and if he required medical assistance.

Ram resisted the temptation to roll his eyes at King's remark and swung him into his lap. He carried him bridal-style over to the couch to tend to his wound.

"Oi!" King yelped in surprise and clung to him like a koala bear. As he was sat on the couch, he held his leg out to allow Ram to inspect it.

Ram left to grab medical supplies and came back with a bottle of alcohol, a towel, and ointment. He plopped onto the ground and unscrewed the cap of the alcohol.

"Ai'Ning, why are you so good to me?" King asked cutely.

"Because I love you."