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'I hate laser tag,' Thought Kenji as he and his friends walked into the arcade. He thinks this because despite his boasting earlier when Yaz had suggested it, he had never played laser tag before. He had always thought that it was over-rated. Running around in the dark, shooting people? Never really his thing. He had been about to make some excuse about how he was too good at it to be playing with the other kids, when Ben had made an excited comment about how he loved laser tag. He had looked so happy at the thought of it, that Kenji had, regrettably, agreed immediately. Sammy had driven Yaz, Ben, and Darius and Kenji had picked up Brooklynn because that was the most convienient, but Kenji had secretly wished Ben lived closer to him and Brooklynn lived farther away because he wanted to hang out with Ben.
He spent most of his time in and out of the group watching and thinking about Ben these days. He didn't know what had changed between their meeting and the point at which they had come to, but there had been a large shift. In the beginning the two had tolerated each other, and now, besides Sammy and Yasmina, the were the closest of the group, and Darius and Brooklynn were dating! Kenji knew all of Ben's different expressions and what they meant. The one on his face now, as they listened to the rules the tired teenage instructor was telling them, was determination.
After the long talk about rules, safety, and the like, their instructor split them into teams. It went Sammy, Brooklynn, Kenji, and Yasmina, Darius, Ben. Sammy didn't want to be on the opposite team of Yasmina, but by the time she started to protest, the instructor was telling them how to put on their harnesses and hold their guns. When Kenji tried and failed to put his harness on, Ben walked over to him.
"Laser tag expert, eh Kenji?" The shorter boy teased as his hands moved over the harness straps and straightened them out.
Kenji blushed slighty, and was glad the training room was not well lit. "Well, this place uses different harnesses than the one that I'm used to! I can put mine on in eight seconds flat! I had them time it," Kenji replied, crossing his arms over his chest once Ben had removed his hands from the harness.
Ben rested a hand on Kenji's shoulder and smiled at him. "Sure, Kenji. Good luck trying to escape Yasmina in an enlosed space," he said as he stepped away and clicked the button on his harness that said he was ready.
Kenji grabbed his gun, tested out the grip and the trigger a few times before pressing the same button on his own harness and stepping into the red circle placed on the ground for his team. Ben stepped into the blue circle and once he did, an announcement came on and told them they had thirty seconds to walk into the laser tag room and find a place to hide or attack.
Kenji walked hesitantly into the arena when the timer started and found a partially hidden place that was up high where he could try and snipe people without being seen. The timer buzzed and the game began. It took about thirty seconds before he saw anybody. It was Darius. He got set up, aimed, and shot him in the sensor on the back of his harness before ducking down, trying to hide himself. He saw Darius hear that his sensor had gotten hit and look around, but he couldn't see anyone. The younger boy scowled slightly and started walking before straightening his back and aiming. A moment later, Kenji heard a curse from Brooklynn and a giggle from Darius. As Kenji was watching, he heard someone trip behind him and saw Yaz. He immediately jumped up from his hiding spot and ran to find a new one.
After a few moments he slowed down and was creeping through the arena. Suddenly, he was pulled by his arm into a very well hidden alcove. He was pressed against a wall by a boy a few inches shorter than him. "Hi Kenji," Ben whispered, smiling.
Kenji's face blushed bright red and he was once again thankful for that dark lighting. "U-uh, Hey Ben," he managed to squeak out, his voice cracking. "Why am I against a wall in the laser tag place?"
Ben could definitely see the red on his face. "Well, originally, I was just going to shoot you, but you're blushing, so I think you might be expecting something else." The aubern haired boy quietly teased.
The older boy's eyes widened as they flickered from Ben's lips to his eyes frantically. He was stammering, and then he wasn't. Then he was kissing the boy he'd had a crush on for months, and it was amazing. He brought the hand that wasn't holding his gun to cup Ben's face softly, pulling him in close.
After a few moments of kissing, the slightly younger boy pulled away and pressed their foreheads together. "This was definitely not my original plan, but it worked out just fine. We'll talk after the game, yeah?" he said as he moved his gun to press right against the sensor on Kenji's chest and pulled the trigger. There was a fake laser sound effect and Kenji could barely register what was happening before Ben slipped out of the alcove and away from him.
He felt strangely giddy despite having been shot and he decided it wasn't worth it to try and find another sniping spot, so he chose to occupy Ben's spot, as he obviously was not using it anymore. Throughout the game he shot each of his friends at least twice, besides Ben. He only got Ben one time and it was because he was occupied in a standoff with Brooklynn.
After the game, everyone was slightly sweaty and running on the adreneline that came with the dangers of laser tag, so they decided to stay at the arcade for a while and get a terrible pizza.
Yasmina finished off her second slice and looked up at the group. "Yknow, I could see pretty much everything from where I was camped out, but there was about a minute and a half where Kenji and Ben just. . . disappeared. Something to tell us boys?" She asked them, smiling. Yaz had been very perceptive when it had come to the two of them. She was also incredibly sick of their pining.
The boys head snapped up from where they were both looking at the table. "What do you mean? I hardly saw Ben the entire game. I must have just been hiding or something its not big deal, don't make a thing out of it. Maybe your eyes are going." Kenji sputtered. He never could lie to Yasmina and get away with it.
Sammy raised her eyebrow at the two of them and almost audibly gasped when she saw the blush on their faces. "Yeah, you're right Kenji. I'm sure its not a big deal. Oh! Yaz and I need to get home soon! We'll see you guys later! Brooklyn, Darius, do y'all need a ride? I know your cerfew's soon, D," the texan rambled on.
Darius shrugged. "Yeah, I could get home. How about you, B?" he asked his girlfriend. When she nodded in agreement, two thirds of the group stood up. They all said their goodbyes, Sammy and Yaz with cryptid winks and good luck messages and Brooklynn and Darius with confused looks towards the two girls.
Once they were gone, Ben and Kenji sat there by themselves, fiddling with their hands (Ben) and looking around at anything but the other boy (Kenji). "So. You uh, you kissed me while we were in laser tag. Maybe you'd care to explain that to me?" Kenji asked as he looked at the table and then at the empty pizza pan.
Ben looked like he was about to sponaneously combust where he stood. "Well. Hmm. I was going to ambush you by pulling you into that tiny little hiding space and shooting you, but then you were blushing, and I sorta kinda just. . . took my chance. I've liked you for a while now." His voice got more quiet at the end. His face was more red than usual and Kenji recognized his expression as embarrassed.
"Oh. You- you have? I mean, really, actually, no joke, you like me? Like, like-like me?" Kenji asked. He had hardly been able to grasp the concept that the rest of the group actually wanted to be his firends, let alone the boy he liked was into him back.
Ben nodded and the fidgeting of his hands got worse. It sounded like Kenji was going to reject him. He knew that Sammy was wrong about Kenji. He din't like him back. This was going to tun out to be soe sick prank, and he was never going to be able to make eye contact with anyone ever again. Kenji watched the nervous expression on his face and came to a decision. He took out his wallet, left money for their pizzas and a very good tip, and stood up. "Hey, Ben, lets go on a walk. Some fresh air will do us both good." Without waiting for an answer, he yanked Ben out of his seat and pulled him outside, thanking their waitress on the way. Ben said nothing. He just stared up at the taller boy and let himself be pulled along. Before either of them knew it, they were walking down the streets of a suburb that neither of them lived in.
"So," Ben said awkwardly.
"So," Kenji said before continuing with, "I like you too. Have for a while. What should we do about this?" For the first time in a while his outward awkwardness matched Ben's. He stuck his hands in his pockets as they walked along the sidewalk, collecting a few stares. This seemed like a eighborhood where everyone knew everyone, and no one knew them. Suddenly, Ben tripped over an uneven block on the sidewalk and Kenji moved lighting fast to catch him. "Wow, I mean I knew you liked me, but I didn't know that you actually fell for me!" Kenji attempted to joke.
Ben stared at him deadpan for a moment before busting out laughing. "Kenji, that. . . that was the worst joke I have ever heard!" He said with a grin once he was finished with his giggles.
Kenji smiled at him. "Hey, you're the one that likes me. I can't possibly see why, but you do! You like me of all people. My terrible jokes and my amazing hair."
"I like you because you don't treat me differently than you'd treat anyone else. Even back in detention, when we all first met like we were the damn breakfast club or something, and you were super mean, you were mean to me too. Yaz was mean, but not to me. Brooklynn was aloof, but not to me. Darius. . . Darius doesn't count, he was fourteen, and Sammy is nice to everyone. Then, when you started to be tolerable, you were nice. You never acted like I was different than anyone else in the group, and I like that."
"i've always treated you differently Ben." Kenji said, his eyebrows burrowed. "You were never like anyone else. It was a good thing. You're the glue to this group, man. Despite all of your self doubt, this group wouldn't work without you. At least, not for more than like, a month. Without you, Brooklynn would still be a shallow influencer, Darius would still be a dino nerd with no friends outside of his brother, Yaz would be a closed off track star, and Sammy would only ever care about her family's farm. You bring out the best in people, even me. Without you, I would still be. . . for lack of some better words, a complete and utter jerk." It was then that they both came to the realisation that Kenji was still holding Ben by the shoulders.
"Kenji. . ." Ben whispered, his arms moving to wrap around the other boy's neck. "Thank you. Thanks for saying that. Also, now would probably be a more convienient time to kiss me that me kissing you for the first time hiding in a laser tag arena." His voice was at a normal level now, and he was smiling.
Kenji smiled and leant down. "Despite the inconvienience, I'm glad you did it." Then they were kissing. This time it wasn't rushed, and it wasn't a surprise to either of them. They fit together like puzzle pieces. They finally pulled away after seconds, or minutes, or maybe hours. Neither of them knew. They were both slightly dazed and their lips were swollen. They looked at one another for a moment before breaking out into grins. "Drive me home?" Ben asked as he took Kenji's hand in his.
There was barely a second before the reply came. "Always."
They walked back to the arcade building to pick up Kenji's car and they drove away. Kenji got lost while driving to Ben's house, but neither of them minded all that much. They knew it didn't mater because it was far from the most eventful thing that had happened that day.
After dropping Ben off at his house, Kenji was driving to his own and a thought popped into his head. 'I love laser tag," he thought with a smile.