Chapter Text
What made a first date great? Lots of things if Cater and his advice were to be trusted – and Kalim obviously did. It all began with the meet-up – the very base so to speak. Hidden behind a wall, Kalim snuck a look at Jamil waiting a few feet away from there, leaning on a lamppost. His boyfriend wasn't doing anything other than check his phone from time to time, yet he looked effortlessly cool, probably helped by the fashionable clothes he was wearing… Or maybe it was because Kalim wasn't used to seeing him in street clothes these days? Their school uniform wasn’t bad and the Scarabia one fit Jamil perfectly as did his basketball jersey, a casual outfit felt different as if today was truly special. It didn't really matter in the end – Jamil was simply handsome and that was a very big problem at the moment.
According to every movie, series, and book Cater recommended to him, Kalim was supposed to be a little late to their meet-up. Why? He wasn't sure himself, but that was a staple of everything he looked at so he followed the guideline even if he really, really, really wanted to just come out of his hiding place and jump in Jamil's arms right now. Jamil's frequent glances toward him didn't help.
Of course, they came here together so he knew where Kalim was and was just playing along with whatever he was doing. Every time their gazes crossed, Kalim's body unconsciously moved toward Jamil, but he bit his lips and retreated behind the wall. Who knew a first date could be so hard?
* * *
“Rejected.”
“Why?!”
Kalim's plan was supposed to be perfect. After all, he went through it with Lilia and Cater and took every suggestion into account so when Jamil shook his head, he didn't understand at first. What was the point of contention?
“We're not going outside separately,” Jamil finally explained in front of Kalim's incomprehension. “Remember what happened last time you went in town by yourself?”
“I met Fellow and Gidel so it wasn't that bad–”
“It was!”
“Tch.”
Jamil firmly pinched Kalim's cheek. “Whatever you say. We're going together.”
“Then it's not like a real date!”
“What does that change? We live in the same place anyway.”
An impressive feat of logic but Kalim wasn’t about to give up on his idea. It wasn't about going outside alone really. Rather, it was deeper than that – it had to feel different from their usual outings because a date was special, wasn't it? Treating it just like when they went into town to buy books or go to a café didn't sit right with him. The pressure on his cheek had lessened, but Jamil still hadn't let go of his face, waiting for his explanation.
“Jamil… It's a date, right?”
“Of course. Have you forgotten already?”
“Absolutely not! That wasn't what I meant…”
“Then what?”
“Guuuh… Just wait a sec!”
Batting away Jamil's hand, Kalim rushed to the corner of his room where he had thrown his schoolbag – despite Jamil's warnings – when he came home and rummaged through his books until his hand closed around the thing he wanted. He flipped through the worn-out pages – from what Cater had told him, his sisters bought it a long time ago – until he found what he was interested in. Then, he scurried back to Jamil, thrusting the book in his face.
“That!”
Jamil pushed him away just enough so he could read properly. At first, his face only expressed confusion, then as his eyes moved across the pages, his lips curled downward and when he finished reading, he sighed. Kalim's shoulders slumped in disappointment, but he quickly perked up at Jamil's next words.
“You're so embarrassing…” He mumbled before adding, “Do whatever you want.”
“For real?”
Jamil held up a finger. “There's a condition though.”
Kalim nodded without even listening to it first.
* * *
Jamil's condition ended up being a simple compromise. They'd go out together, so Jamil could keep an eye on him, but they'd separate before arriving at their meet-up place – could they really call it that when they met up that morning already? – and from then, Kalim had five minutes to come to Jamil. His boyfriend truly thought about everything – both his safety and his wishes were protected.
Kalim ignored Jamil's impatient glances as he looked at his phone one last time. There were still thirty seconds before their meet-up and after these five minutes spent observing Jamil under every angle, Kalim… Well, he wasn't sure his heart could survive the whole date. If simply looking at Jamil from afar made him want to hug him and not let him go forever, what would happen if they held hands? Walked around together? Was that the power of dates Lilia talked about? Perhaps that was a greater magic than anything Kalim could ever produce…
Kalim crouched, hiding his burning face in his hands. A few seconds later, he slapped his face and rose to his feet, full of determination. Dates were a hundred times more amazing than what he expected, but he couldn't disappoint Jamil and not show up–
“What are you doing?”
“Uwaaah! Jamil, you scared me!” Kalim tilted his head. “Weren't you supposed to stay there?”
“I said I'd give you five minutes, and you've been here for six.”
“Wow, I didn't notice at all…”
Jamil sighed. “Yeah, I thought so.”
“Sorry, sorry! I was thinking too hard about something”
“What did you need to think about?”
“You were so cool that I thought I'd fall in love with you again!”
He didn't quite catch what Jamil replied but seeing his boyfriend reach for his – nonexistent as he wore a simple jacket – hood to hide his face and his reddened ears, Kalim smiled. He didn't even feel the slightest twinge of disappointment at not being able to follow his plan. Yep, dates were truly magical if only because he could see so many facets of Jamil in so little time!