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The smell of copper was heavy in the air, making William's sinuses feel like they were burning after breathing it in for a short while. He was sitting on the porch steps at the log cabin, his legs tucked into his chest and chin resting on his knees as he watched the blood rain patter down from the sky.
There was a slight chill in the wind, creating prickles and goosebumps along William's arms when it blew past the exposed skin, his hoodie sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He felt surprisingly peaceful considering the ongoing threat of another planet eating theirs.
The other three boys were cooped up inside, playing various board games to waste their time away. William had been playing with them for a little while at one point, but he had decided to sit outside for a bit and get some fresh air.
He huffed about nothing in particular, listening to the pattering of blood rain on the roof and the muffled shouts and voices of his friends. After a few moments, he noticed a light pair of footsteps padding down the hall towards the front door. He wouldn't have noticed it if he hadn't been paying attention.
He couldn't tell if it was Vyncent or Ashe, considering both of them had near identical sounding footsteps. He quickly learnt it was Vyncent when he heard his charming voice call out at him when the door swung open, "Hey Will,". He turned his head to look at the other, reciprocating the smile Vyncent wore and replying with his own greeting.
"Just came to see what you were doing," Vyncent said plainly, breaking eye contact with William for a moment to eye out the empty spot beside him, "Mind if I sit with you?".
William nodded his head gingerly, "Yeah sure,". Vyncent made his way surprisingly quickly to the empty place and sitting down, his tail swishing gently as he went. William had noticed it tended to do that whenever he was nervous. And honestly? William found it rather adorable - but he'd never admit that out loud.
Vyncent's eyes were fixed on the treeline a few feet away from them, whilst William's were on the boy next to him. He noticed how quickly the boy's shoulders slumped and he let out a rather deep sigh. The way he held himself made William assume something was wrong, but the smile and peaceful look in his eyes proved otherwise.
Puddles of blood had started to pool on the grass, creating a rather gruesome scene ahead of them. William couldn't help but grimace slightly, even though the reasoning behind the red liquid pouring down from above hadn't had anything to do with fighting (yet). The smell seemed to get to Vyncent, as his face scrunched up and he shook his head. Will had to hold back an amused giggle.
The two boys sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, just listening to the rain hitting the roof when William felt something soft brush against his forearm. He jumped, quickly looking to see the end of Vynce's tail wrapped around his arm. Vyncent either wasn't aware he was doing that, or was extremely good at acting because his face and position remained unchanged.
William felt his cheeks grow warm, "Uhm, Vynce?" He asked nervously, chewing on the inside of his cheek. "Hm?" He replied without looking at William, which only seemed to add to the nervousness that William was feeling. "Your uh- You tail,"
"What about it-" Vyncent started, cutting himself off as his eyes wandered over to see his tail. "Oh shit, I'm so sorry!" He exclaimed, cheeks turning a shade red-er as he quickly grabbed his tail and pulled it to his chest.
"It has a mind of its own sometimes," Vyn mumbled, his embarrassment clear in how he held his tail and looked away shyly. William let a small laugh slip, his once small smile growing wide as he grinned at Vyn.
"It's okay, I don't mind." He admitted truthfully, watching Vyncent nod at him rather awkwardly and turn back to watch the rain. William could hear Dakota cheering Ashe on rather loudly in the background.
Around a minute had to have passed when William felt the rather ticklish sensation of Vyncent's tail wrapping around his arm, but this time instead of it being his right arm it was left, so his tail was draped loosely over William's lower back. He had to resist a shudder, leaning into Vyncent's side slightly.
One thing William could tell immediately from the slight contact was how warm Vyncent was. Similar to the warmth you feel after crawling under a thick duvet after a long, cold day, or the gentle warmth of a campfire. He couldn't tell if he was just making things up in his head or not but Will swears he could feel Vyncent lean into him too.
William let out a sigh and fully crumpled against the other boy, leaning his head on his shoulder softly. Almost instantly Vyncent wrapped his arm around Will in retaliation, resting his head on top of William's. Butterflies multiplied swiftly inside Will's stomach, and the feeling of safety washed over him.
"Hey, Vyn?" William said softly, his heart beating wildly in his chest. The rain and wind had started to get harder now, making it rather difficult to hear what was being said. His mind was racing, and he kept thinking about going back before he said something he'd regret. What if he was getting the wrong impression from all of this?
"Mhm?" He heard faintly over the rain. He knew he'd regret it later (if there would ever be a later) if he didn't do it. And so, after taking in a deep breath from his nose, William shakily spoke his confession.
"I think I like you."
Vyncent didn't respond at first, and William was beginning to think he hadn't heard him in the first place, but after a while, he heard Vyn's familiar voice ring out, "Like as in like like or just like?". William froze, mentally conflicted as to whether to play it off or tell the truth. Vyncent lifted his head to look at Will, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Oh god had he fucked up?
'No turning back now' He thought to himself before lifting his head to look Vynce in the eyes. "Like as in like like," He murmured, almost shamefully. Vyncent smiled, and god William felt like his heart nearly stopped.
"Oh yeah? Well, what if I told you I like like you too?" He grinned, watching eagerly William's cheeks flushed a shade darker. Will's mind was racing with questions he wished to ask, but there were too many to ask all at once, but he managed to choke out a "Wait really?".
Vyncent carefully cupped William's cheek, brushing his thumb gently over the light freckles that dotted themselves over his cheeks. They weren't very easy to see, and the redness wasn't helping very much, but Vyn knew they were there. The elf nodded his head, face moving ever-so-slightly closer to William's and murmuring "May I?", silver eyes focused on William's lips.
Will answered not with words, but by pressing his lips against the other's, eyelids fluttering shut. Vyn was as still as a statue at first, but he was swift to kiss back. He tasted of mint and lemonade, lips slightly chapped and rather dry, but Will didn't care.
William sighed into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Vyncent's neck and pulling the other closer. The elf lifted his free hand to cup Will's other cheek, his tail unlooping itself to almost wag happily. The rain seemed to only get harder with each minute that went by, the loudness of it hitting against the roof drowning out every other sound.
Vyncent broke them apart after around a minute, his lungs burning from the deprivation of oxygen. Will waited a second before opening his eyes, softly smiling at Vyn. Neither of the boys moved their hands, sitting comfortably with each other - that didn't last very long though.
The sound of the door slamming open out of the blue startled them, separating within split seconds. Dakota emerged from the doorway, Ashe following closely behind him,
"Let's go kick some planet ass!".