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“Sharing a kiss with someone at midnight on New Year’s means you’ll get married in the future; did you know that?”
The question is first asked on Christmas Eve. Saparata is in the middle of organizing the presents gathered underneath their Christmas tree when he hears it from his boyfriend.
“You believe that?”
He thinks it’s weird that Flux is talking about New Year’s when Christmas is clearly the more pressing holiday here.
Fluixon, lounging on the couch, just shrugs in an act of nonchalance. “Your sister and Schpood do it every year and they’re engaged now.”
That makes Saps chuckle as he rises back to his feet. He dusts his hands off on his pants and shakes his head. “I think it’s kinda dumb, honestly,” is the last thing he says, before walking out of the living room.
From where he’s sitting, Fluixon drops his act and lets out an indignant huff. “Damn it.”
.𖥔 ݁ ˖🪽── .*♟️˖+
The second time it’s mentioned is during Christmas night.
They aren’t alone this time; they’re sitting at the dinner table at the Theria household with at least ten other people around them. Fluixon is barely listening to the conversation, until the topic of superstitions comes up.
His hand holding his fork pauses. His eyes dart up from his plate and zero in on a certain albino across the table.
Saparata doesn’t seem to understand why his partner is looking at him so… intensely, and only raises a pale brow at him in slight worry with a mouth full of food.
Fluixon turns away like nothing happened. He looks over at his friends next to him and joins the conversation. “Oh yeah, there’s this one where couples kiss at 12AM on New Year’s because they believe it’ll grant them a long-lasting relationship.”
He nods along to the chorus of agreements that follow, hoping to plant seeds of a first kiss in his mind.
Kiss me, dude. It doesn’t even have to be on New Year’s.
Yeah, those kinds of seeds.
Though, minutes later, when the topic changes to something he’s less interested in, Flux glances back at Saps to see that he still hasn’t gotten the hint.
Damn it!
.𖥔 ݁ ˖🪽── .*♟️˖+
The final time it’s mentioned is on New Year’s Eve.
“Just ask for a kiss, man; you don’t have to pretend it’s for something he doesn’t even believe in,” his friends said.
…Fair point. But they don’t get it.
They don’t understand just how embarrassing the idea of kissing is to Flux, especially in his case in which he’s never kissed anyone before.
Hell, he’s never even had a partner prior to Saparata.
That was hours ago, before this stupid New Year’s countdown event started. It’s 11:58PM now, Fluixon knows because there’s a giant ball in the center of the stadium displaying the time.
He’s leaning over the railing, watching with disinterest as the ball hangs from a moving pole in the distance. His gaze scans the area for what feels like the billionth time tonight, but instead of Saps coming back from the bathroom, all he sees is couples bundled up together—surely here to follow that dumb fallacy.
He’s lucky he has a scarf covering the bottom half of his face to conceal his sneer.
Fluixon is starting to get sick of waiting.
Is he avoiding this on purpose?
He’s overthinking this entire thing now.
11:59PM.
Are we just not at that stage yet?
His gut clenches.
Fluixon hears the sound of footsteps behind him, followed by a pair of arms wrapping around his waist.
“Looks like I almost missed it, huh?” Saparata jokes. He presses a kiss to Flux’s cheek—but all he can really think of is the fact that it isn’t where he wants it to be.
Fluixon just nods, his mood far too soured to properly answer.
Saps notices the change almost immediately. He turns Flux around by the shoulders and forces them to meet eye-to-eye. “Are you okay?” he asks, concerned.
The raven-haired boy tilts his head to the side, avoiding his boyfriend’s gaze. “Yeah, I was just… thinking.”
Saparata furrows his brows. He opens his mouth to pry, but when Flux shakes his head to stop him, he knows better than to continue.
Distantly, he can hear the crowd around them chant:
“Ten!”
The older boy breathes out a sigh. “Hey, look…”
“Nine!”
The noise around them grows louder with each number as they count down. Fluixon keeps his eyes trained on Saparata’s face, the only thing keeping him grounded to the moment.
“Eight!”
“I know I’m not usually the kind of person you like being around,” Saps admits sheepishly, “and I’m not sure if you’re upset with me right now…”
No, Flux wants to say, but holds his tongue. Never with you.
“Seven!”
The white haired male’s gaze flicks over to the side, at the fireworks being prepared on the ground and the crowd growing progressively more excited, then back to his lover’s. And it’s then that the nerves start to kick in.
“Six!”
“...But I’m grateful you like me enough to keep being with me.”
Like?
“Five!”
Saparata takes a step closer. The tips of their shoes are touching now, chests brushing together as their hands find each other’s. And for someone who’s always claimed to not like physical touch, Fluixon finds himself squeezing unnecessarily tight.
Maybe it’s because it’s Saps—and Saps is always an exception.
“Four!”
“So… if you’ll have me…” Saparata pauses.
“Three!”
He uses a hand to lower Fluixon’s scarf, exposing his nose and mouth. Time seems to slow down as he recognizes what’s going on.
“Two!”
He’s helpless in watching as his boyfriend offers a nervous smile.
“One!”
Saparata closes the distance between them, connecting their lips for the first time. Just like that, the world disappears, and Fluixon realizes too late that he’s closing his own eyes and reciprocating the kiss.
His body moves as though it’s on autopilot; his arms slide around Saps’ neck, pulling them closer together while his fingers tangle themselves in the strands on the back of his head.
Their noses bump into each other more times than he can count, but it’s made up for in the way he feels Saps smile into the kiss.
Fluixon swears his heart is about to burst out of his chest.
The kiss is shy, hesitant, and far from perfect—but it reminds him of the very person he’s fallen for, that Flux really wouldn’t have it any other way.
They part far too soon for his liking. Fluixon’s eyes flutter open, meeting Saparata’s wide ones. An uncontrollable smile stretches on his lips despite his attempt to stifle it by biting his lip.
“That was… holy shit…”
Saparata is breathless as he speaks. He fidgets with his fingers between them, face redder than the color itself. Fluixon isn’t faring much better. He has to reach up and cover his mouth and nose with his scarf again just to hide the redness of his cheeks.
They stand in silence for a moment while fireworks crackle and people cheer around them, before Flux breaks it once the situation properly dawns on him.
“…Did you plan that?”
“Ah… maybe.”