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In retrospect, Reki should have known better.
He doesn’t know how in the world past him would reach at the conclusion that the best way to make sure he doesn’t absolutely fucks up his first kiss would be to ask someone to practice with him. And he definitely doesn’t understand why he thought that asking it from Lang out of all people was a good idea.
Like, really, past Reki? You’re an idiot! A complete, unbelievable idiot, and now the present Reki is the one suffering with your shortsightedness and poor choices.
Reki groans into his pillow for the nth time that day. He’s vaguely aware of the passage of time, yet too lost in his self-inflicted misery to truly care. But, maybe, he should care more, even if just a little. After all, there’s no running away from the fact that time doesn’t stop—and with every minute that passes, Reki grows closer to the one moment he dreadfully and enthusiastically waits for.
Langa is coming, a small voice in the back of his mind helpfully provides.
He is coming to do exactly what Reki asked him to all those months ago: to kiss him. To kiss him over and over again, until Reki could hardly remember his own name yet couldn’t fathom the idea of stopping. And it won’t stop today. He’ll keeping coming day after day, week after week, until Reki deems it enough.
He’s a great friend just like that, caring and attentive to the extreme.
Maybe, just maybe, that’s exactly why Reki fell for him.
This time he doesn’t just groan: he screams into the pillow.
So... Now what? What is the morally correct thing to do in this situation? Should he just call off this whole arrangement? If he does, should he tell Langa why? Reki thinks it’d probably be the right choice, but he can’t help but worry. What if his feelings end up ruining their friendship? Though he knows Langa would never be disgusted—Reki believes it’s very unlikely, at least, considering Langa accepted to kiss him for months on end—it certainly has the potential of making things awkward between them. Maybe Langa will deem it too much work to deal with and, and—
“Reki.”
Reki’s entire body shudders at the sound of Langa’s voice. It grew remarkably deeper over the past two years, deep enough to make girls and boys sigh and fawn over him. And it’s not only Langa’s voice that changed, either. His eyes became sharper and the curve of his jaw more prominent. The clothes he wears these days changed as well, with tighter pants and looser shirts, which necklines are low and loose enough to show his collarbone and the barest hint of a defined chest... Reki knows, for he lost his mind over those small displays of skin more than once by now.
Needless to say... He doesn’t actually look up from his pillow. But Reki has no doubt that Langa looks as breathtakingly hot as he always does.
The door closes with a the softest of sounds. Reki doesn’t find in himself the energy to curse past Reki for not locking it. But, maybe, it was for the best. His mother was probably the one who left Langa in. If Reki were to have his room locked and left Langa waiting, she’d definitely ask questions... And questions are definitely the last thing Reki wants now.
He swallows when the mattress dips beside him. He wishes he wasn’t so aware of the warmth irradiating from Langa, the scent of his cologne, the—wait, since when does Langa wear cologne? Reki doesn’t know if he’s more disturbed by the possibility of not noticing before or that he noticed the change at all. Isn’t it too creepy? Langa would get mad if he learned, wouldn’t he? Reki just feels it, and—“First you miss school, now you refuse to look at me... Won’t you tell me what’s wrong?”
Oh, damn it. Reki feels bad just for considering not answering now that Langa asked with that specific voice tone of his. It’s so effective Reki doesn’t even have time to marvel how far Langa came where communication is concerned.
He bites his lip. “Can I... ask you something?”
“Of course,” Langa replies easily. The familiar softness in his voice soothes Reki’s nerves a little.
Or, maybe, a little too much.
“I like you.”
There’s silence, long enough for Reki to regret every single decision he took in his life. What the heck?! And it wasn’t even a question! Forget all about past Reki being an idiot, present Reki isn’t any better! If anything, he’s worse!
“Reki...” Langa pauses, hesitating. Reki’s braces himself for the inevitable rejection. “D-Do you mean it?”
Reki lets out the breath he was holding up to now. He shifts slightly, just enough so he can take a small peek at Langa. Langa, who’s staring at him, wide-eyed and red-faced and every bit beautiful and every bit lovely.
He quickly hides again. His heart is beating so loud he can hear it in his ears. Reki nods.
The whole world seems to roll around for a moment. Then, Reki realizes: it’s not the world, but him. It was him who was rolled around, too powerless and shocked to do anything to stop it. It’s strange, but not nearly as terrifying as it should, for the next moment he feels something warm and soft against his lips.
He closes his eyes and parts his lips out of instinct. Langa has no hesitation in taking the opportunity to deepen the kiss. And, heavens, did all these months of experience teach Langa exactly what to do to make Reki an absolute mess. It’s equal parts scary and terrifying to have someone who knows him so well, who can elicit the most embarrassing of reactions with such ease.
Reki wants more. He wants so, so much more he feels he’ll go crazy with desire.
Langa presses tiny, butterfly kisses along his cheeks. Reki’s face flushes anew from the sheer tenderness. “I like you too, Reki.”
Oh.
Oh.
Reki struggles to form a coherent answer that can properly convey the elatedly complicated feelings filling his heart at the moment. In the end, he just groans in frustration. “Kiss me again?”
And Langa does.