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Both sat on the grass, looking over the scenery. Zenitsu was still recovering from the training, while Inosuke was tapping his fingers impatiently for a reason beyond Zenitsu. It was already night, and the lanterns over the town mimicked the stars in the night sky. It was beautiful.
The tapping stopped. “Hey.”
Zenitsu looked over at Inosuke, who was still staring off into space. Probably.
He decided long ago to not think about the mask.
“Yes, Inosuke?”
“What’s a ‘kiss’?”
Absentmindedly, Zenitsu calmly muttered to himself. “A kiss, huh?” Suddenly aware of the question, he stared in disbelief. “Wait, wait. Hold on. Do you… really not know what a kiss is?”
Inosuke growled. “So what if I don’t?”
The silence hung long until a wild cackling came from Zenitsu, catching Inosuke off guard. Tears were forming in his eyes as he struggled to speak through the laughter. “You! You don’t even know what kissing is!!”
Inosuke’s face became dark as he grabbed the still laughing Zenitsu by the collar. “Just tell me dumbass!” he shook him, finally getting the blonde boy to stop. Although he may have shaken him too hard.
“J-just gimme a moment…” Zenitsu’s eyes spun.
Inosuke put him down. “I’m just asking you something, cheese stick.”
“Why do you want to know all of a sudden?” Zenitsu asked, finally coming around. “It doesn’t seem like something you’d have an interest in.”
“How can I know if I don’t know what it is? Now hurry up and tell me.”
“Jeez, alright. A kiss...” the weight of the meaning of the word started to dawn on Zenitsu and he started to become flustered. “A kiss is um.”
Zenitsu became red and Inosuke returned to being impatient.
“Spit it out!”
“You do it to show that you like someone!”
“There, that wasn’t that hard!”
“But it’s not that simple!”
Inosuke made a fist as steam came out of his nose. “Then why’d you lie?”
“I didn’t!” Zenitsu started to panic. “I didn’t lie, it’s just more complicated than what I just said!”
Inosuke snarled, dropped down, crossed his legs, and slapped his knees, the boar’s nose nearly touching Zenitsu’s own. “Fine! I’ll be quiet, just tell me everything you know.”
Zenitsu felt overwhelmed by this. Why was this happening? Where did Inosuke learn about this? And why was he asking him of all people?
“Just,” Zenitsu closed his eyes. “Give me a minute to think about how to explain.”
Inosuke nodded, much to Zenitsu’s surprise, and he got to thinking about it. Kissing, huh? It’s something to show a strong bond between two people. Mainly romantic, sometimes platonic. He’d never done it, as much as admitting it depressed him, but he’d wished of kissing the beautiful lady of his dreams one day. It’d be nice, and warm, and her lips would be soft against his. They’d lie in bed and he’d kiss her forehead and she’d giggle, returning the gesture…
Inosuke cleared his throat and Zenitsu came back. “Y-yeah?
Inosuke was quiet. “You were puckering your lips.”
“Was I?”
“So does kissing have to do with lips?”
“You really don’t know.”
Inosuke slapped his knee and Zenitsu flinched.
“Yes, it has to do with lips. To kiss, you put your lips on someone else’s.”
It almost sounded like Inosuke gagged. “That sounds disgusting.”
“What? You have no right to judge, Mr. ‘I don’t know what kissing is.’ It’s supposed to be great!”
“So have you done it then?”
“I, n-no, but-”
“Gah! Then why am I even asking you!” Inosuke shouted, throwing his mask to the ground.
“That’s what I’d like to know!” Zenitsu screamed back. “Asking me about kissing out of nowhere like that and then calling it disgusting!”
“I just said it sounds disgusting!”
“What then, do want to try it even if it sounds repulsive to you?”
“So what if I do!”
“What?”
A breeze flew through the quiet moment where Zenitsu was struggling to pick up the pieces of his sanity. “Could… you say that again?”
“I said,” Inosuke crossed his arms. “I want to try it. I learn better through action anyway.”
Zenitsu stared at Inosuke. “Do you have someone you want to kiss?”
“Can’t I just kiss you?”
Zenitsu felt his soul leave his body. “Me? Like. Right now?”
Inosuke stepped toward him, determination filling up his bright green eyes. “Why not?”
Oh no. No no no no. Nope. This couldn’t be happening. There was no way this was happening. This was a nightmare. He had passed out after training too hard, that’s all. Ha. Haha. And he would wake up and laugh and never have to see Inosuke’s pretty face asking to kiss him ever again.
Inosuke grabbed Zenitsu’s arms and he stiffened.
“Just kiss me you idiot, it can’t be that hard,” Inosuke muttered, annoyed.
The blonde felt his face get hotter and hotter. His heart was beating fast now, and his eyes kept scanning Inosuke’s feminine face. On the rare occasions he didn’t wear his mask, he almost looked beautiful. Not almost. He was beautiful. Prettier than any girl he’d seen on his travels.
Zenitsu couldn’t bring himself to think straight anymore. All he saw were Inosuke’s sparkling eyes and pretty lashes and-
He felt Inosuke’s lips brush against his own and a bolt ran up his body. The shadow of the other boy’s rough lips tingled on his own. Even something as little as this had such an impact?
Inosuke felt Zenitsu relax and he grinned to himself, content in his victory. Another thing added to the list of things he was great at.
Much to Inosuke’s shock, Zenitsu pulled him back in, his previous hesitation melting away. Inosuke, who thought that the brushing of lips was enough to count as a kiss, was caught off guard by the sudden strength shown by the guy who, just a few moments before, was struggling to form complete sentences. Inosuke wasn’t really sure what was happening, but he certainly didn’t like losing what he thought was a win.
Quickly recovering from the surprise, Inosuke bit Zenitsu’s lower lip, getting a shudder from the blonde boy.
He should have bitten harder.
Taking advantage of the fact that Zenistu’s mouth had parted, he decided to stick his tongue in there. He wasn’t sure how he came to the conclusion that that would work, but it seemed to have done something. Zenitsu was now cupping his cheek with his hand, also moving his tongue.
Inosuke was at a loss as to what he could do now, but Zenitsu pulled away before Inosuke could give any hint he was losing.
A strand of saliva still connected them, and Inosuke suddenly realized how energized he was from this. His whole body was hot and roaring to go, and his stomach was fluttering with a feeling he wasn’t used to.
Zenitsu, flushed, removed his hand that was still on Inosuke’s cheek to break the string before looking the other way.
“That…” he took a deep breath and turned back to Inosuke. “That’s kissing.”
Inosuke stared at him, then slowly nodded. “Yeah.”
A cool night breeze mingled with their hot breaths, and Zenitsu was stressing about how to deal with this situation. Kissing felt damn good. He felt amazing. Every little touch felt electric and he wanted more. But doing any more would be taking advantage of Inosuke, who didn’t know that kissing should be reserved for people special to him. He should really reiterate that point before he gets tempted to do it again.
Zenitsu took a shaky breath. “Inos-”
“I’m better you know.”
The blonde blinked. “What?”
Inosuke’s eyes were fierce. “I said,” he licked his lips. “That I’m better at kissing.”
“Hah?!” Zenitsu was offended. “You didn’t even know what you were supposed to do, how can you be better?”
Inosuke leaned closer again, and any semblance of thought left in Zenitsu’s already fried brain left completely.
“Need me to show you?”