Work Text:
>Ru (ʘ言ʘ╬): Do you want to come over to my house?
>Ru (ʘ言ʘ╬): My parents aren't home, I want company.
>Ru (ʘ言ʘ╬): I'm testing out some new makeup here.
> +2 unread messages from “Ru (ʘ言ʘ╬)”
Kojiro pauses at the window for a few seconds, admiring what he sees.
Kaoru was wearing his mother's yukata, which fit his body perfectly. The dark green tone of the fabric, along with the orange floral design, complemented the pink tone of his long, voluminous hair, which was currently parted to the side, giving his locks a sexy yet elegant look.
But what caught Kojiro's attention the most was the face reflected in the mirror.
Kaoru painted a fake eyebrow over his own while the cigarette burned between his teeth, since, due to excessive concentration, he had forgotten to inhale.
His cheekbones were sharply defined in a reddish hue, his eyes extravagantly painted in blue, and his mouth was still empty, outlined only with brown pencil.
Kaoru looked away, glancing at the reflection in the window and startling at the sight of his best friend. "Damn it! What are you doing here, you fucking gorilla?"
Kojiro snapped out of his reverie, chuckling softly. "You called me, idiot!" He tapped lightly on the glass, pointing to the lock. "Open it already, it's windy out here!”
Kaoru rolls his eyes, taking a final drag on his cigarette and stubbing it out in the ashtray before opening it to Kojiro. He blows the smoke in his face, making him cough. “It’s good to let me know you’re coming, you know? I’m not a mind reader to know if you read the text msm or not.”
The taller one enters the room, shrugging. "As if it were necessary, I spend more time here than in my own house!" He closes the window, then throws himself onto the other's messy bed, propping himself up on his elbows, studying Kaoru while nibbling on the inside of his cheek.
He was used to the boy's androgynous style, but today… Today he wasn't androgynous, he was hyper-feminine and, somehow, that affected Kojiro.
The delicate way his hand ran through his hair, arranging the strands to perfectly frame her face — an almost hypnotic action due to the movement of the long locks — made the boy fix his eyes on the mirror and, after a while, he noticed that Kaoru was looking back at him with a sly smile.
"Decided to become a clown today?" he said, trying to divert the attention of the other, who had surely caught him staring.
Kaoru rolls his eyes.
“First of all, this is Divine, dear.” Kaoru says as he spins in his chair, facing his friend. “Secondly, you’re not getting away with it, you know?”
Kojiro frowns, not understanding what he means.
"Oh, so you only read the first messages, didn't you?" he laughs as the other desperately grabs his phone, opens the conversation, and reads the rest of the text that hadn't appeared in the notification.
>Ru (ʘ言ʘ╬): I'm testing out some new makeup here.
>Ru (ʘ言ʘ╬): I want you to be my model.
> Ru (ʘ言ʘ╬): you're going to become a queen today ↜(｀∀´)Ψ
"No fucking way you're going to do that, Kaoru!"
Kaoru laughed, reaching for the pack of cigarettes and putting one between his lips.
“Why?” He lights it, takes a drag, and leans back in his chair, crossing his legs. “Are you afraid you’ll like it?”
Kojiro opens his mouth, trying to say something, but nothing comes out in his defense. He clenches his lips, looking away as his cheeks burn. The other laughs, returning to the mirror, touching up his blush while staring at him in the reflection.
"Don't worry, I'll still be the only faggot in Okinawa."
Kojiro's heart aches.
Kaoru had always been very confident about his sexuality since discovering it, and along with that, several discomforts began to haunt him throughout his life. Kojiro was the first to know and, as he had always been by his friend's side, he heard the worst things that could be said about the boy.
He didn't care about the gossip involving his name and sexuality because of his association with him, but if it somehow affected Kaoru, he wouldn't hesitate to jump on anyone to defend him.
The phrase echoed in Kojiro's brain, as his thoughts at that moment were not...
"Oh my God, my best friend is going to turn me into a drag queen and I'm going to become a faggot."
and yes
"Oh my God, my best friend looks like a girl and it makes me extremely attracted to him, maybe I'm the faggot."
Kojiro's eyes widened as his friend sat beside him on the bed, snapping him out of his thoughts as the other offered him a lit cigarette. He accepted, taking a drag while gazing at the figure before him. His makeup was finished, the red lipstick now highlighting the thin lips he was staring at.
"So, what's it going to be? Nina Flowers? Lady Bunny?" Kaoru asks, taking the boy's chin in his hand, as if analyzing which makeup would look best on his face.
Kojiro shrugs, exhaling smoke. "As if I knew any of them." He chuckles weakly when his friend rolls his eyes. "I only know... What's her name? Raw pow?" Kaoru frowns, confused. "The presenter of that show you watch nonstop."
“RuPaul, you idiot!” He flicks the boy on the forehead, who lets out an 'ouch' and rubs the spot. “You watched all the episodes with me, if you didn't know, I would have kicked you out right now.” He gets up, heading towards the desk which, at that moment, had become a tangled mess of clothes, accessories and makeup piled up.
"I doubt anything of yours will fit me," Kojiro said, staring at the clothes. Even though he was the same height as Kaoru, his physique was much larger compared to his.
“It’s no wonder I call you a gorilla.” The other says while examining one of the pieces, his gaze shifting between it and his friend. “But I think I have something perfect for you.” He smiles, tossing it into Kojiro’s lap.
The boy puts his cigarette aside and picks up the piece of clothing. It was a turtleneck sweater with a leopard print; he'd seen Kaoru wearing the same one before, and from what he remembered, it was quite loose on him. A grimace spreads across his face. "Oh my God, I'm going to look ridiculous."
“You’re going to look like a diva.” He laughs as he gathers the makeup into a bag. “Let’s go, put the shirt on so we can get a head start!”
Kojiro hesitated for a moment before sitting on the bed and taking off his own shirt, putting on the one that had been requested. It was extremely tight on his body, highlighting his chest and arms.
And, by God, Kaoru was thankful that his makeup was already extremely heavy on blush.
“It really looks ridiculous.” He said, trying to distract himself from what he was really thinking, taking out his cigarette and sitting down in front of the boy, placing the makeup beside him. He raises his hand with a brush, pointing to his friend. “Ready?”
Kojiro takes a deep breath, looking disdainfully. "And do I have a choice?" He says, already anticipating the wide grin of his friend in front of him.
Kaoru swings one leg over Kojiro's waist, sitting on his lap.
and oh my God.
Oh. My. God.
Kojiro blinked repeatedly, his mouth opening and closing unsure of what to say. His hands, lost in thought, began to sweat from nervousness, and, unsure where to place them, he ended up clutching the blanket beneath him.
"Calm down, everything's fine. Kaoru just seems like the most beautiful and sexy person in the entire universe right now, and he's sitting on top of you while getting closer and closer. Everything's alright, everything's fine!"
(It’s not fine at all.)
“What the hell—what are you doing?” Kojiro’s voice faltered with nervousness. “How are you going to do my makeup like this?”
"Are you a makeup artist?"
"...No?"
"Then shut your mouth, I know what I'm doing." He leans over to put out his cigarette, causing Kojiro's mind to short-circuit.
Yeah, Kojiro has never been closer to death.
Kaoru picked up some foundation and began applying it to his friend's face. The color was extremely light compared to the boy's tanned skin tone.
Kojiro, confused, grimaced, finding the brush's texture strange. Kaoru placed his index finger between Kojiro’s thick eyebrows, as if to relax the tense muscle. "Stop grimacing, or your makeup will get all smudged, idiot!"
"I can't do anything if it looks like you're going to skin my face with that brush!" He complains, clearly lying.
Kaoru's hand was as light as a feather.
"Perhaps it's because of the calligraphy practice he recently started," he thinks.
Sometimes, when they were working together, he was almost hypnotized by the lightness and precision the boy had with the paintbrush.
"Could it be that his touch is—"
"How dramatic." The voice cut through his thoughts. Kojiro sighed as the boy walked away to look for another product, trying to push the thought away.
Kaoru leaned forward again, beginning to trace the contours of the boy's face beneath his. His gaze was focused as he hummed along to the music playing on the speaker.
Kojiro didn't know where to look, much less how to behave. His gaze wandered over the boy's face, analyzing the makeup, and at one point, he noticed how the golden eyes stood out against the blue eyeshadow.
“You’re staring.” Kaoru says, still focused on the outline.
"But where else would I look? You're not even centimeters away from me."
"I don't know, close your eyes, you're distracting me."
Kojiro's eyes widened with a certain glint, a slight smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. "Do I make you nervous, Ru?" The sentence came out in a firm tone, even though he felt weak inside.
Kaoru pursed his lips, making a face of disgust, but it was still possible to see how red his ears were.
“You think too highly of yourself for a brainless gorilla.” He says, getting up to grab a cigarette from the nightstand and lighting it. Kojiro chuckles, propping himself up on his elbows.
“Dodging the question?” He tilts his head to the side, staring at his friend with an extremely irritating smile. Kaoru stares at him disdainfully, then rolls hia eyes.
He sits back down next to the boy, taking a drag while cupping the other's face, making him open his mouth slightly. He leans closer, Kojiro freezes, and his eyes widen in a hint of despair.
Their lips were at an extremely dangerous distance.
Kaoru exhales, releasing the smoke, and, knowing what was coming (even though extremely panicked), the other inhales, trying his best not to cough.
Kaoru doesn't leave.
Kojiro even less so.
He lowered his gaze, exhaling smoke against Kaoru’s perfectly drawn red lips.
Kojiro moistened his own lips, still mesmerized by the mouth that was inches from his.
In a moment of carelessness regarding his own dignity, he approaches, and at that very moment, Kaoru cups his face, a slight smile spreading across his expression.
"That's what I imagined." He chuckled softly afterward, gently patting Kojiro's face.
He stepped away, supporting himself with his hand as he continued to puff on his cigarette.
Kojiro freezes, his gaze lost as he tries to find his own thoughts.
"What the hell just happened? What did I do?"
He lay down, staring at the ceiling, his face as red as a tomato. A groan escaped from deep in his throat, covering his face with a pillow.
"Why are you doing this to me?" The voice comes out somewhat muffled, but still audible.
Kaoru shrugged. "Because it's funny." He chuckled softly, savoring the situation his friend had left him in. "A boy that size disconcerted by a fag with makeup." Kaoru pulled the pillow away from him, revealing his expression.
Kaoru tilted his head to the side, almost piercing his friend with his gaze.
"Do you like me when I look like one of them, Koji?"
His voice came out almost in a whisper, a tone that made the boy shiver all over.
He chokes on his own saliva, his eyebrows furrowing in irritation—more at himself than at the boy in front of him.
Because he knew that he liked Kaoru in any form.
"G-get out of here, Kaoru!" He shoves him away, pushing him.
"I'm just kidding!" he said, trying to hold back a laugh that was threatening to escape, and then went back to rummaging in his makeup bag to continue applying Kojiro’s makeup.
A silence settled for a moment; it wasn't uncomfortable, but it felt like something was incomplete.
Kojiro's thoughts were racing all of a sudden.
He had tried to kiss Kaoru, and even though he's mounted, he's not one of them.
Because Kaoru is not a girl.
Kojiro opens his mouth a few times, thinking and then deciding against what he was going to say.
"Ru... I'm not..."
"I know." Kaoru cuts him off, knowing exactly what his friend was going to say.
He takes another drag, then slowly exhales the smoke. Kojiro glances at him sideways, swallowing hard.
“I… kind of understand.” His voice comes out softly, with no hint of joking or anything to deliberately irritate the boy. “Your brain must have gotten confused, I guess that’s normal.”
He looks at his friend, suppressing a smile.
"Even though I look more like Doris from Shrek than one of the girls you kiss."
Kojiro nibbles at the inside of his cheek, his eyes lost in Kaoru's face.
"I think you're more pretty than all the girls that exist." He whispered, more to himself than to be heard, a thought taking shape as words.
When he realized what he had done, his eyes widened, his face as red as a tomato. Kaoru stared at him with an almost indecipherable expression.
"What did you say?" He laughs, somewhat disbelievingly.
Kojiro turns his face away, avoiding looking at him. "Oh, shit." He runs a hand over his face, huffing. "You heard me, now shut up."
“No, I didn’t hear.” He nudged Kojiro, making him look at him. “Repeat it, Koji.”
The boy had a wide smile, his eyes almost sparkling with excitement, and Kojiro knew that this would haunt him for the rest of his life.
Kojiro takes a deep breath. "You're pretty, is that what you want to hear?" He stands up, taking the cigarette from Kaoru's hand. "Don't get too big for your britches, you're not special."
The other raises his finger. "More pretty than all the girls that exist." He repeats, and points at Kojiro. "You forgot that detail."
The boy exhaled the smoke with an irritated sound, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. And it's even prettier with your mouth shut," he said sarcastically.
“You must think so.” He suppressed a smile, sizing Kojiro up with his eyes. “You even tried to shut me up with a kiss a few minutes ago.” He teased, while tilting his head, looking at his friend.
Kojiro opened his mouth to try and defend himself, but nothing came out. He sighed, scratching the back of his neck. “It was an accident, okay? You said so yourself, I—”
“Would you kiss me?” Kaoru asks, cutting the other off. Kojiro makes a confused face, along with a hint of desperation. “If you were gay.” The boy finishes before his friend can answer.
Kojiro's eyes widen.
"If I were... gay?" he repeats to himself.
He knows he likes girls, but men?
Men are... interesting.
Kaoru is interesting.
“Whether you wanted to or not, you tried to kiss me.” He continued, taking advantage of the opening. He adjusted himself on the bed, sitting up. “Do you cut both ways?”
“No!” Kojiro replies with a hint of desperation, but he looks away. “I think…” The words come out in an almost whisper, but it’s still audible.
Kaoru remained silent, only following him with his eyes, knowing that something was missing.
Kojiro puts out his cigarette and sits down next to his friend. “I don’t know,” he said with some apprehension, but there was nothing to hide from Kaoru. He avoids looking at the boy, fidgeting with his own fingers. “What if I like it? I don’t think so, but…”
“You don’t need to be sure right now,” Kaoru says, comforting him. “But you’re curious, that’s kind of clear.” He chuckles, and Kojiro nudges him with his elbow. “Hey! Do you think I don’t notice how nervous you get in the locker room?”
“Go fuck yourself!” He pushes him again, making the boy laugh. “That’s all in your head!”
“Oh yeah, sure.” Kaoru says sarcastically, holding back a laugh. “It’s okay, really. You’re young, you still have plenty of time to figure out if you really like it or not.” He nudges his shoulder against his friend’s, trying to get his attention. “It’s always in the weirdest way, I discovered I was gay because of Evangelion.”
Kojiro looks at his friend, his expression surprised, suppressing a smile. "I'm serious!" Kaoru says, and the other bursts into laughter, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Why didn't you tell me this before?" he says, trying to control his laughter.
“That’s beside the point, you fucking gorilla!” Kaoru slaps the boy on the back, who immediately complains. “I’m trying to comfort you, you son of a bitch!”
“Okay, okay, sorry.” He stops laughing, still smiling. Kojiro pauses for a moment, his smile fading, pressing his lips together. “And… is there a faster way to find out?” he asked, a little hesitant.
Kaoru rests his elbow on his thigh, cradling his head in her hand as she looks at the boy. “I can help you if you want.” He tilts his head. “I’ve helped other boys before.”
Kojiro frowns, somewhat confused by the information he just received. "...Other boys?" He wonders, but tries to ignore the question.
"Are you a love guru or something? Or do you just have pent-up lust to distribute?"
The boy frowned, chuckling softly. “You were the one who tried to kiss me earlier, you freak!” He straightened his posture, sizing Kojiro up with his gaze. “Just try it. If you don’t like it, maybe you really don’t like boys.” He shrugged. “Or maybe it’s not the right time for you to know that.”
Kojiro stopped thinking the moment Kaoru told him to try. Did that mean he was telling him to kiss him? Or was he going crazy?
No, that's exactly what he understood.
By God, he waited so long for this opportunity that it's almost unbelievable that it's going to happen because of an… experiment?
"Well, it's better than nothing, isn't it?"
Kojiro nibbled at the inside of his cheek, reconsidering the proposal, but Kaoru's mouth distracted him more than anything else in that room.
“Hm, okay.” He replies, exuding a non-existent tranquility, which was a surprise even to himself. But inside, his body burned with anxiety.
Kaoru frowned, not expecting that answer. "Are you sure you want to, Koji?" He looked into his eyes. "I was just teasing you when I called you a freak for trying to kiss me."
“I want to.” Kojiro replies firmly, subtly approaching. His friend’s eyes widen, still surprised.
"It's okay if you're not prepared-"
“Kaoru, I want to.” Kojiro cuts him off, his gaze now fixed on Kaoru’s, who was doing the same. “Just… Don’t tell anyone, especially not my parents.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He reaches out to Kojiro’s hand, intertwining their pinkies, something that happens frequently between the two as a sign of “I promise.”
"For today, I'm kind of a girl, right?" He moistens his lips, alternating his gaze between the boy's eyes and mouth with a small, knowing smile.
Kojiro swallowed hard.
Kaoru is only in drag.
"She" does not exist.
And Kojiro is not a fag.
He shouldn't be a faggot.
But he wants it so much to kiss him
And he simply cannot miss this opportunity.
Kaoru simply tilts his head to the side, staring at Kojiro as if expecting some kind of response.
Kojiro realized he should take the initiative, and that made his stomach churn.
He approaches slowly, as if he were about to touch something utterly fragile, and if any mistake were made, everything he touched would break in a matter of seconds.
When he could feel the other's breath mingling with his, a shiver ran down his spine. Kojiro hesitated for a moment.
"May I?" He whispered against his red lips, and without thinking twice, Kaoru intertwined his fingers with his, nodding in affirmation.
The boy moistened his lips and carefully closed the gap between them.
The kiss was delicate, unhurried, as if they had all the time in the world to explore each other's mouths. Kaoru tasted of cigarettes and cherry candy, which was no surprise, but the combination was something interesting to Kojiro's senses.
One of his hands went to the nape of Kaoru’s neck, stroking the pink strands of hair. Kaoru felt he could melt at the touch, which was funny, since Kojiro’s large, bruised hands gave off an image of something rough.
Kojiro's stomach churned with butterflies; it was all too much to process, but all he allowed his mind to focus on at that moment was Kaoru and how all his senses were focused on him.
Through touch, it was possible to feel the way his cold hand caressed the side of his face—which was burning with emotion—along with his thumb caressing the back of his hand while their fingers were intertwined, the touch so light, just as he had imagined. The scent of cigarettes mixed with citrus perfume filled his nostrils, the taste of cherry on his lips, the sound he made when Kojiro asked to deepen the kiss.
Everything revolved around them at that moment.
They separated, still touching foreheads, and then Kaoru burst into laughter, hiding his face in Kojiro's shoulder, still trying to catch his breath. Kojiro was extremely confused, but understood immediately when the other lifted his face and he started laughing along.
Both of them were stained red by Kaoru's lipstick.
Gradually, the laughter faded, and they both looked at each other with smiles on their faces. Kojiro could see that Kaoru was staring at his lips, his gaze filled with a certain tenderness, his chest rising and falling as he caught his breath, his hair slightly disheveled from having touched it.
Kaoru has never looked so beautiful.
And, shit.
Kojiro really wants to kiss him again.
"Now your makeup is complete, it seems." Kaoru jokes, trying to wipe the boy's mouth with his fingers, but failing miserably.
“I think a brush would be more appropriate, but since you’re the makeup artist…” he replied with a smile. The other rolled his eyes, getting up to look for a wet wipe.
Kaoru sits in the vanity, beginning to clean the parts of his face stained red—practically everything that was below his nose, just like Kojiro's.
Silence fell, the only sound being the radio playing in the background. They were both thinking about what had just happened, processing everything.
"You taste exactly like you look," Kojiro says, trying to break the tension created by so many thoughts.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked curiously, looking at the boy in the mirror's reflection, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Cherry candy and a cigarette is a combination that pretty much defines you."
Kaoru laughed, returning to bed with the packet of wet wipes. “It’s no surprise you taste like matcha.” He said, taking a wipe and starting to dab Kojiro’s face. “I think you’re going to turn green from drinking so much tea.”
"I don't even drink that much tea!" He tried to defend himself.
"Most of your messages consist of 'let me just grab my tea' before doing anything else."
"...Coincidence?"
"Even you don't believe that!"
Silence returned for a moment; Kojiro could tell that Kaoru was nibbling on the inside of his cheek, but he decided not to question it.
It was strange how comfortable the moment was, because the desire to kiss Kaoru outweighed the idea that he was disgusting for wanting to do so.
Kojiro felt good, and he wasn't supposed to feel that way.
First of all, he shouldn't have even thought about kissing Kaoru.
Kojiro tries to break free from this spiral of thoughts when Kaoru sits down in front of him, beginning to wipe his friend's mouth.
"Did you get your answer?" Kaoru asks, avoiding eye contact with Kojiro.
“Not yet…” He replied, reaching for Kaoru’s wrist which was holding the moistened wipe. “I guess I’ll have to try again to be sure.”
The other laughed in disbelief. "Aren't you ashamed of yourself?” he said, pulling his arm back and crossing them. "What are you trying to do, Kojiro Nanjo? Ruin our friendship?"
“Ruin is too strong a word…” He looks up, thinking. “Perhaps… Strengthen?”
“Oh, my God!” he nudged Kojiro on the shoulder, laughing. “You sound like one of those curious straight freshmen.”
"Well, it's like I'm an enhanced version of a third-year student, isn't it?"
"You are worse than them."
“Worse, huh?” He narrowed his eyes, moving closer. “I guess now it’s you who doesn’t believe what you’re saying.”
Kaoru rolls his eyes, chuckling weakly.
"You're too cocky, Nanjo," he says, standing up and sitting back down in the chair facing the desk.
His eyes are fixed on the digital clock in the corner of the table.
“My parents should be here soon. They already know you’re here,” He throws the packet of wet wipes on the bed, “but not with makeup.”
Kojiro's eyes widened as he opened the package with a hint of desperation, beginning to wipe his face. "I thought they were traveling! Why didn't you tell me sooner, you idiot!?"
"I like danger," he jokes, reapplying his red lipstick.
Kaoru rummages through his own drawers and then pulls out a Cybershot from one of them.
“Come on, take some pictures of me before I take off this makeup.” He stretched his arm toward the boy. “Go on!”
Kojiro looks at him disdainfully, but picks up the camera anyway.
Kaoru starts posing and, by God, what a photogenic son of a bitch.
“See if any of them turned out well.” He stretched out his arm to return the camera, but Kaoru sat down beside him, taking the object.
"You'll be participating too!" He positions the camera in the air, and then there's a flash.
Kaoru was posing, but Kojiro was caught off guard, and in the photo he ended up looking at the other confused, but then he joined in the joke.
In the second picture, Kaoru makes a face, pressing his cheek against his friend's, and Kojiro glances at him out of the corner of his eye, trying to follow what the other was doing.
In the third photo, Kaoru holds Kojiro's face with his free hand and, without warning, licks Kojiro’s face, causing the photo to capture the boy with a disgusted expression.
"Damn it, Kaoru!" He says, stepping back and wiping his face with his shirt. Kaoru laughs, turning the camera around to look at the photos.
"In all the photos you look like an idiot," he said with a wide grin. "It captured your essence perfectly."
He turns the viewfinder towards Kojiro. The boy picks up the camera, looks at the photos, and ends up stopping at one he had taken earlier.
Kaoru was reclining in the chair, his crossed legs peeking out from under his yukata, causing Kojiro to stare for the photo longer than he should have.
He notices Kaoru's gaze weighing on him, as if he knows exactly what Kojiro is thinking. The boy grimaces, handing the camera back.
“How does it feel to be a catfish?” He points to the photo. “That’s not what I’m seeing in front of me.”
“Shut up, idiot!” He slaps him on the shoulder. “You definitely don't look like those photos you take after the gym!”
★
Kojiro lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. A spiral of thoughts grew with each passing second.
Kaoru was getting ready for bed, settling down.
"Can we talk about... that?" Kojiro says, somewhat hesitantly.
"It's nothing, it was just a kiss."
"It wasn't just a kiss..." He swallows hard. "At least not for me."
Kaoru frowned, now looking at his friend. "What do you mean by that?"
"It's nonsense, forget about it."
"Kojiro..."
He sits on the bed, looking at Kaoru.
"I need you to take me seriously now, no jokes, really as my best friend," Kojiro says, more sincere than ever.
Kaoru propped himself up on his elbows, frowning with concern. Serious conversations rarely happened, but when they did, they were serious.
“I’ve always been very… It’s complicated, this whole thing about…” He swallowed hard, clearly nervous. “Me supposedly liking boys. Well, you know how my family is.” He laughed awkwardly. “It’s always been something very reluctant in my mind, but when I kissed you, it felt like all those worries simply never existed. I don’t know if it’s because you’re my best friend, or because you were dressed up, but regardless, you’re still a man!”
The boy's nervousness was evident. The way he spoke quickly and fidgeted with his hands betrayed his distress.
Kaoru listened attentively, trying to follow along and absorb everything. This topic, especially coming from Kojiro, was something he hadn't expected.
“And the fact that I fucking liked it makes me fucking confused.” He continued. “This kiss is unlike any I’ve ever experienced before, and, damn, wanting to kiss you again pisses me off! I shouldn’t feel this way, especially because it’s you!”
Sensing the growing anxiety in Kojiro's mind, Kaoru's first impulse was to kiss him, and, judging by Kojiro's sadness, it was exactly what he needed.
"I fucking hate you." Kojiro says between kisses.
"I know that." Kaoru laughs and then kisses Kojiro again.
The kiss was more intense now, as if they both needed it.
But suddenly, Kaoru pulls away from Kojiro, his hands on his shoulders, leaving Kojiro slightly disoriented.
“Can you say that again?” Kojiro frowns.
“What?”
Kaoru smiles, and Kojiro automatically knows what he was talking about.
“No.”
“Say it to me again, Koji~!” He shakes the boy by the shoulders. “I want to hear it!”
Kojiro's gaze is lost in the other's face. He takes a deep breath, his hand reaching the side of Kaoru's face, caressing his cheek with his thumb.
“You're the most beautiful person I know.” He said in a whisper, swallowing a second later. He tilts his head, “Satisfied?”
Kaoru shrugs, feigning disdain. “I think it'll do.” He lets out a little laugh. Kojiro rolls his eyes.
“You’re a pain in the ass.” Kaoru pulls Kojiro closer, putting his arms around the boy’s neck.
“And you love it.” He whispers against Kojiro’s mouth, then gives a small smile.
Kojiro takes a deep breath because, even pretending not to, he really liked Kaoru’s teasing.
Kojiro looks at Kaoru’s face for a brief moment. Yeah, he definitely didn’t only like Kaoru when he was in drag.
He’s even more handsome with a clean face, under the dim light of the lamp, and, to top it off, so close.
“Can I kiss you again or are you going to keep talking nonsense?”
Kaoru shrugs.
“Okay, fine.” He laughs then, closing the space between them again.