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"Truth," Jasper says to the ceiling. He can't see Henry in the darkness of his room. It must be past midnight and the space is filled with a gentle quietude. He hears Henry shift beneath his covers, hum as he thinks of a question.
"Okay, I've got one," he says.
"Shoot."
"Who's the first person you ever kissed?" Jasper doesn't know why, but he's taken aback by the question. He and Henry barely talk about romance. Jasper hardly hides his affection for Henry, but those are just comments and one-sided promises; never conversations.
"I've never kissed anyone," he confesses.
"Really?" Henry asks. "Didn't you have a girlfriend, like, four years ago?"
"Yeah, but we never kissed."
"Weird."
Jasper chuckles. "We're not all girl magnets, Hen."
Henry huffs.
"What's it like to kiss someone?" Jasper can't say he's never wondered. There must be a reason why kisses are taken as declarations of love; why people kiss at weddings. There's an intimacy there that Jasper knows nothing of. Sometimes he can't help but imagine Henry reaching out a hand, taking Jasper's in his, coming closer…
"I don't know," Henry says. "I guess it's kind of nice, but it's really not the big deal people make it out to be." Despite his words, Jasper's palms get sweaty. He's talking about kissing with Henry.
His throat feels very dry all of a sudden. "Well, it's your turn," he says.
"Hm?"
"Truth or dare?" Jasper can't stop the waver in his voice and maybe Henry picks up on it because he takes a long while to respond and when he does, his voice sounds careful.
"Dare," he says, deliberately casual. Jasper swallows heavily.
"I dare you to kiss me," he says. It feels like it should be a grave moment, a turning point in their relationship; the tension in his body certainly says so. But the air only fizzles for a moment and it's fraught with expectation but not much more and maybe the tension in Jasper's body is just anticipation really and not nerves. Maybe there's nothing to be nervous about; maybe this is the most natural thing in the world.
"Okay," Henry says. "Come over here," he says, and Jasper does. After only a few steps, he's sitting next to Henry on his bed and oh god, they're about to kiss.
Jasper can see Henry's face now that they're so close. Henry's eyes flit over Jasper's face, he's biting his lip.
"Are you sure?" Jasper asks.
"Yeah. Told you, it's not a big deal."
Henry lets go of his bedsheets where he'd been clenching them in his fist and his hand comes up to cup Jasper's cheek, his touch featherlight. Jasper can't help but lean in and cherish the contact and close his eyes.
Henry's thumb strokes his face softly; his other hand comes to rest at the base of Jasper's neck. Jasper might be about to have a heart attack. Henry's all companionable pats and shoves and friendly squeezes, but this? The last time Henry was this gentle with Jasper was during the love muffin debacle and that realisation certainly isn't helping Jasper's heart.
He wants to hold Henry's hand but then he'd lose the touch on his face and neck, so he just puts a hesitant hand on Henry's shoulder. His eyes are still closed. The only sound is the breathing between them.
"Okay," Henry whispers, apparently to himself. "Here we go."
Another gentle caress to Jasper's cheek and then, he kisses him. Jasper's not quite sure what to do, but Henry lets out a soft sigh and pulls Jasper minutely closer by his neck so he must be doing something right. Jasper pulls Henry into an embrace and Henry pulls him closer still, fingers coming up to rake through Jasper's hair.
They separate only by an inch or so, foreheads touching. "Oh my god," Henry says.
"What?"
"I'm your first kiss, dude."
Jasper can't help but chuckle. "I know, dude," he imitates. Henry lets out a breathy chuckle as well, but no retort. Strangely, he seems to be more affected than Jasper.
Henry can't seem to stop touching Jasper's face, now cupping it with both hands like it's something precious. Jasper takes one of those hands and holds it in both of his.
"I don't mind," he says softly. "That you're my first kiss."
"Me, neither."
Before Jasper knows it, he's leaning in again.