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Their first kiss isn’t a kiss, not really. Actually it’s more Bart not stopping quickly enough to keep from toppling them over, thus ending with their mouths smearing together awkwardly as they skid backwards. However when Bart pulls back Jaime is staring at him with an almost dazed expression, his cheeks pink and eyes wide. To say that Bart both apologized and scrambled away quickly was an understatement; when he stopped he didn’t even know where he was.
With a groan he sank down into the grass of the field he’d ended up in, flopping backwards and staring up at the sky, brows knitting together. Perhaps he shouldn’t have run like that, perhaps he should have faced things like a normal person instead of using his speed as a shield. Maybe he should have taken the half a second he would have needed to weigh his options before zipping off to be uncertain and worried, to think a little before zipping off to… He cocked his head, mentally calculating and estimating, before heaving a sigh and giving up; he’d find a sign later.
If he was being honest he was more afraid of seeing disgust in Jaime’s eyes, of losing the burgeoning friendship that they had, than any other embarrassment. He wished he could take the feelings that had been worming their way through his chest and gut, all the longing and tentative happiness, and shove it into the same dark pit of his mind that he shoved his sorrow and his pain. Maybe then he could get rid of his instinctual panic and his anxiety, both of which made his enjoyment of the other teenager’s time difficult.
“Way to go, Bart.” Bart muttered, closing his eyes for a moment before sitting up, taking his time in climbing to his feet, letting himself feel how long it took. “Not like you… Needed someone to talk to or anything…”
——-
Days go by and he doesn’t hear from Jaime. For the most part he just goes about his life, acting like a good tourist from the future, but his mind can’t maintain focus. Constantly Bart’s mind goes through millions of different scenarios, all the horrible outcomes of what he’d done, until he’s numb to it. Thus when he answers the door one night and sees Jaime there, the fake smile comes easily, teeth flashing, when, really, his heart is hammering in his chest.
“Jaime, hey! What’re you doing here?” Bart’s still grinning, one hand braced casually on the door to the Garricks’ house.
Jaime’s smile is hesitant, his brows knitting in confusion. “I… Well, you’ve kinda been a little scarce lately, you know?”
Bart blinked before offering a nonchalant shrug. “Eh, you know, been here and there. You know, keepin busy.”
“Avoiding me?” Jaime questioned, looking a little resigned and hurt, as if this had happened before, as if—
Bart mentally kicked himself for being an idiot. “I, well, more like giving you space, you know? I mean after what I did and I am really sorry, really! I just didn’t think you’d wanttotalktomeafterthatand—”
“Woah, slow down there, Hermano.” Jaime lifts his hands, smiling a little before glancing around. “Maybe we should have this talk… Somewhere private? I mean…”
“Right right right. So there’s a couple places nearby—”
“There’s a park down the street maybe?”
“Great, yeah, that’s great.”
“Riiight. You sure you’re okay?”
“Totally, yeah, absolutely, let’s go.”
It’s a fight not to babble as he gently closes the door and moves to follow the other teen at a normal pace. However after a few awkward moments of silence he caves and idly talks about the past couple of days; pointless discoveries, things he’d seen, anything to keep himself from focusing on how nervous he was. Despite the fact that Jaime didn’t seem upset withhimdidn’t seem to make things easier for him at all, instead making him have to focus extra hard to keep his his mouth from moving too quickly. It felt like an eternity to walk all the way to the small park, but he was fairly certain it had only taken a few minutes; funny what nerves did to a person.
“Soooo uh, what did you wanna talk about?” Bart asked, glancing around at the trees, the way the sidewalk weaved through the grass, anywhere but at Jaime.
“Oh, is it my turn?” the teen questioned, his tone teasing.
“I, uh, sorry I was just, you know, excited.” Bart explained, offering the other boy a broad grin.
“Last time you said it was cus you were nervous.” Jaime took a step closer, his grin hesitant. “But, uh, about what happened…”
“Oh! That. That was an accident, I’ll really sorry I—”
“Oi. Let me talk.” Jaime laughed a little, the sound full of nervousness. “I… Well, I know it was an accident.”
Bart frowned but forced himself to sound calm, to sound oblivious. “Oh, good. Well, you didn’t have to come out here to—”
“Bart.” Jaime sighed, the weariness in it making the speedster’s smile falter and then fade a little, resulting in a small, sad smile from the other teen. “You don’t need to be fake around me, okay? I know when you’re doin it and, I just… No actin right now, bueno?”
Bart stared before looking guilty and giving a quick nod. “Yeah, okay. Bueno.”
Jaime sighed, reaching up to rub his arm and shifting from foot to foot, obviously nervous. “I just… I’ve been noticing things, you know?”
Oh no.
“I mean it’s like… I’ve just learned to see you and not that other person that everyone else sees and so I just, I see things.”
No no no.
“I just, well, I mean, I did some thinkin, over the last few days I mean, and I… Well I. I think maybe, you and me…”
I knew this would happen.
“Together wouldn’t be so bad, maybe? I… I’m not makin any sense.” Jaime laughs at himself, his cheeks darkened by the flush that’s spread across them, but Bart can’t react as his brain has suddenly screeched to a halt.
He first registers that what he expected the other teen to say wasn’t said. He then backpedals and re-processes everything Jaime had said, all the looks that they exchanged, and things slowly fall into place. Bart’s stunned for a moment, staring at the other boy in wide-eyed shock, mouth slightly open as he finally computes that what Jaime is trying to say is that he likes him. Oh.
“You—Me—We—” Bart sputters, his mind whirling but not coming up with anything to stay.
Jaime just looks away, looking horribly embarrassed. “Together, yeah, that’s… Yeah that’s what I’m suggesting, yeah. Ay dios mio…”
Bart moves quickly, gripping Jaime’s upper arms, his eyes bright and a real smile curving his lips, ignoring the startled look on the teenager’s face. “Yes! I mean, if you want—”
“Tonto.” Jaime teases, his voice soft.
Bart smiles at that, about to speak, only to be silenced by soft lips tentatively pressing against his own. It’s the second time he’s kissed Jaime Reyes, but he likes to think that the first time doesn’t count as this time it wasn’t an accident, this time it can be savored. For the first time in a long time, Bart really takes his time and savors every passing second, leaning into Jaime’s embrace as strong arms wrap around his back. Being in love wasn’t something he was an expert in but he could hazard a guess that this was what it felt like and, for the first time since arriving in the past, he felt like he really, truly belonged.