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They were trying a new form of affection, which was apparently something they did now. Testing out the waters, so to speak. Apparently, Jim was lacking in affection , whatever that meant, and Oluwande was determined to rectify that.
Today started off easy, something they already knew. Kisses, gentle and light, prickly and tingly, pressed against their cheeks. Jim sighed and gave a little hum. Olu gave a responding hum and changed course. Now, he pressed those same careful kisses against the ridge of Jim’s jaw. Jim smiled, running their hands up and down Olu’s back. This was just as nice, if not better. The kisses were a little more tingly here, but it only made them feel nicer. They stretched out their neck a little to give Oluwande more access, humming again.
And then Olu moved on to what he really wanted to see if they liked that day: neck kisses. And shit , did they feel nice. Jim’s eyes fluttered closed, humming a third time to let him know just how much they liked it. Soft and sweet and – dios mio , that was really tingly. It was the weirdest thing. No matter how much Jim liked it, it seemed like their body had other ideas, and they found themself fighting the urge to squirm away and scrunch up their neck, feeling the oddest urge to smile.
And then a memory snapped into place. Or rather, the fuzzy remains of one. Vague flashes of their brother, the rare moments he would get the upper hand in their play fights. His fingers clumsily scrabbling against their ribs, their stomach, the soles of their feet. It didn’t happen often, Jim winning their wrestling more often than not, but it happened often enough that the memory of the sensation stuck with them.
But they didn’t want Olu to stop , so obviously Olu couldn’t know . So instead they scrunched up their face where Oluwande couldn’t see it, his face tucked into their neck, and carefully controlled their breathing so as to not let loose any of the sounds building up in their chest.
And then, the worst outcome, Oluwande pulled back, his face marred with worry. “Jim, mate, are you alright?”
Jim furrowed their brow. “¿Sí? Why wouldn’t I be?”
He pulled back, and Jim swallowed another sound, this one being something far more disappointed than the ones building in their chest before. He waved a hand between them. “You got all tense.” His expression got all soft and sweet with understanding. “It’s okay if you don’t like it. You can tell me if you’re uncomfortable. It won’t upset me.”
Jim huffed, tilting their head back against the pillow, mussing their hair in the process. Maybe Olu would help them detangle it later. Their mouth twisted. Damn Olu for being so sweet and wonderful. Damn him for breaking through their walls. Damn him for everything. Because now Jim had to – blegh – communicate their feelings .
“‘M not uncomfortable,” they muttered. “You can keep going.”
Olu’s face did some weird scrunching and twisting, like he wasn’t sure whether or not to believe them. “Are you sure ? You just – it seemed like you didn’t like it.”
“Goddamnit, Olu, it tickled , okay?”
“Oh.” Oluwande’s face relaxed. I can stop if you want. We can do something else.”
Jim scowled at them. “I said that you can keep going.”
There was a brief pause, then a sly grin spread over Oluwande’s face. He opened his mouth, a devious light in his eyes, but snapped it closed again as Jim glared. He chuckled, running his fingers through their hair, gently tugging out a few tangles along the way.
“Alright, alright. I won’t say anything.”
“ Good .”
Olu leaned back in, brushing his lips across their neck once more and, oh, that little shit , he was doing it on purpose now. He’d nuzzle in a bit before each kiss, making sure his beard dragged across their skin in the most sensitive of ways. Each kiss left behind a wave of sensation that burrowed deep into their nerves, making them helpless to the slew of giggles they unearthed.
And apparently Olu had magic powers or something, because even when he moved back up to pepper their cheeks with kisses, Jim was overwhelmed by the ticklish feeling even then.
They were never going to live this down.
Maybe Oluwande would give them some more kisses as a consolation.