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The soft glow of the moon shone through Kai’s window as he sat crisscrossed on his bed, back against the wall.
This feeling wasn’t foreign to Kai. Most nights, he’d lay awake, staring at his ceiling, waiting for sleep to finally overcome him.
His computer, tucked away in the corner, lit up the room with a blue-ish hue. The early AM was Kai’s favorite time of day, despite the despondent feeling that pools in his chest. The quiet of the night, the stillness of the air, the stars shining in the sky, all of it comforted Kai immensely.
Regardless, sometimes Kai wondered if being dead was better than this.
A knock on the door cut Kai’s thoughts short. There was a brief pause, and then Damon was slowly opening the door.
“Hi,” he said quietly, standing in the doorway.
“Hey, why are you still up?”
Damon hummed a little before responding, “I was thinking about you.”
Kai’s heart did a little flip hearing that. He patted the spot beside him on the bed, inviting Damon in.
Despite not ever needing an invitation, Damon always waited for permission. It was something Kai loved about him.
Damon delicately shut the door before climbing onto Kai’s bed.
Watching Damon settle into his spot, Kai noticed a soft blush that fell upon Damon’s cheeks.
“Have you been drinking?”
The question made Damon look Kai in the eyes.
“Just a little.”
“Alone?”
“I know how you feel about that stuff so I didn’t ask you to join me,” Damon averted his eyes, opting to look out the window instead.
Kai hummed, “I would have joined today.”
“Ahhhhh,” he drew the word out, “Sorry if I get annoying.”
Kai laughed lightly, admiring the way Damon’s pink cheeks looked in the moonlight.
“You’re cute,” Kai’s boldness caused Damon to blush even further.
A moment passed before Damon broke the comfortable silence.
“Oh yeah! I got you a gift, let me go grab it.”
Damon got up swiftly and walked out of the room, though he was a little wobbly. Kai adjusted himself so he was lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling.
He knew Damon was coming back, but he couldn't help but immediately feel a strong sense of emptiness the moment he left the room.
Kai sighed, wondering what to do about these feelings. The thought of ruining whatever he and Damon had was world ending for Kai. Damon was a pillar in his life, and Kai was sure he would spiral without him.
Interrupting his thoughts, Damon walked back into the room, hands behind his back. Kai propped himself up on his elbows, watching Damon walk closer to him. He raised an eyebrow, prompting Damon to show him the gift.
“It’s a little silly but,” he pulls out a pile of yellow stars, varying in sizes. “I know how much you like stars, so I figured you'd like having them on your ceiling. They glow in the dark.”
Damon looked so adorably shy in that moment, Kai thought he was going to explode right then and there.
“Can we put them up now?” Kai smiled. Damon's face lit up with the confirmation that Kai liked his gift.
That was a trait of tipsy Damon that Kai loved. He never was able to control showing emotions on his face, unlike how he was when he was sober.
Damon put the pile of stars on Kai’s desk before walking over and sitting next to him.
“Not yet.”
Damon then pulled out a pair of wired earbuds, plugging them into his walkman. Huh. Kai didn’t expect him to be so… retro.
The surprise made Kai giggle. “What the hell? A walkman?”
“Don’t make fun of me.”
“I’m not making fun of you. I just… didn’t expect it.”
Damon laughed lightly at that.
He pulled out a small piece of paper from the case. “I have a list of the songs on the tape here.”
Kai hums. “Let me see.”
Damon hands him the slip of paper.
“Apocalypse” by Cigarettes After Sex, “Four Seasons” by Jay Chang, and“I Wanna Be Yours” by Arctic Monkeys.
Kai wasn’t really sure what kind of music he expected Damon to listen to, but it certainly wasn’t this.
“You have good taste. I expected something more… basic? Like shitty rap songs” Kai admitted.
Damon gently put one of the earbuds into Kai’s right ear, while simultaneously pushing the other into his own.
The low hum of the cassette buzzed in Kai’s ear. Laying back down, he felt Damon shift in the bed next to him.
The crackly music on the tape began to play. Kai turned his head, admiring the beauty that was Damon Maitsu. The slope of his nose, the rise and fall of his chest, the pink hue on his cheeks, Kai loved it all.
He was painfully aware of Damon’s gaze on him. Although the thought of being observed so closely terrified him, he let it happen. Something about this moment was important to Kai.
Gently, Damon pulled Kai towards him. He laid his head on Damon’s chest, cuddling into his side.
For some reason, Kai felt like crying.
-
With Damon, nothing else mattered. The time spent in the AM was reserved for them only.
Laying there, curled up in each other, Kai realized the importance of Damon in his life. He never liked speaking about his problems, but regardless, Damon was there to comfort him in other ways. Through small gestures like making dinner or laying a blanket over him on the couch, Damon managed to become Kai’s biggest comfort.
Kai looked up at Damon and tapped his chest lightly.
“Can we put up the stars now?”
Damon smiled, stroking Kai’s pink hair.
“Sure.”
-
“I might be able to stick them from here.” Kai reached towards the ceiling, exposing the lower half of his stomach.
Like it was habit, Damon ran his hand across Kai’s exposed skin. “You could get on my shoulders?”
The touch startled Kai, but the suggestion startled him even more.
“What? No way!”
A flicker of hurt flashed across Damon's eyes. He picked up a small, golden star, and stuck it directly on Kai’s cheek. Grabbing his hand, Damon led Kai to the bed.
“It’s fine. Just get on.”
Reluctantly, Kai awkwardly climbed onto Damon’s shoulders. He picked up a pile of stars and began sticking them onto the ceiling.
Damon’s hands rested on Kai’s thighs, stabilizing him. The simple touch made Kai’s heart flutter.
The pair spent the next ten minutes sticking stars of various sizes all across Kai’s ceiling.
It was a bit clumsy, but knowing that this was the work of Kai Monteago and Damon Maitsu, made it perfect.
“Can you let me down now?”
“Fine.”
Somehow, Damon managed to contort his body and throw Kai onto the bed. The impact left Kai panting, and his breath was taken away again when Damon hovered over him.
Kai could feel his breath graze his face as he spoke.
“Can I kiss you?”
The words got caught in Kai’s throat as he watched as Damon’s eyes flickered between his own and his lips, and he slowly nodded.
Damon smiled reassuringly before leaning down, gently pressing their lips together. The kiss was sweet and tender. Kai thinks he could drown in this feeling.
Without breaking the kiss, Damon pulled Kai’s body up, bringing him into his lap. He rested one hand on Damon’s chest, and the other on his cheek. Kai thought that their lips were made to fit perfectly together.
As Damon pulled away, Kai chased his lips, not wanting the moment to end. Giving up, Damon laughed against Kai’s lips, bringing his hands to rest on the latter’s hips.
Kai simultaneously felt like he was melting and floating. Damon Maitsu was his own personal drug, possessing the ability to get him instantly high.
Desperately needing air, Kai pulled away, breathing heavily.
“What the fuck…” Kai whispered breathlessly.
All Damon could do was laugh as he pulled Kai down to cuddle with him.
In the quiet of the night, Kai and Damon looked up to the stars, cuddled in each other's arms.