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Sometimes, he found himself wondering about what first kisses taste like.
It was a nonsensical question that tickled the back of his head at times. Never overbearing, but still a present presence that he couldn’t ignore.
So out of curiosity, he asked the many people he’d come across in his time at Yumenosaki Academy about what they thought. Every single one of them had different answers, yet none of them had ‘clicked’ with him.
Asking his basketball club’s former leader first was only out of convenience.
Since they’d already bumped into each other in ES’s lobby, he took the opportunity and asked: “Chi-chan-senpai, what do you think first kisses taste like?”
“First kisses taste like warm water from the school fountain!” Chiaki guffawed, clapping Subaru on the shoulder warmly. He only shot him a withering look that went ignored in favour of sighing affectionately, the senior watching his significant other splash about from outside the window.
Maybe he should’ve thought it over a little bit more before asking, he thought, especially since Chi-chan-senpai was dating one of the former five oddballs.
Which led him to asking his fellow unit mate, the ever reliable Sally, about what he thought instead.
He hummed for a moment before opening his mouth to answer. “I think first kisses taste like homemade cupcakes.” Mao told him. But when Subaru told him it sounded like he was talking about the younger Sakuma sibling’s desserts from their Halloween DreFes in second year, he was quickly ushered out of the student council room by a flustered Mao.
Asking the people he knows left and right only left him with more questions than answers, related or unrelated to the topic on his mind.
It was frustrating, and maybe that’s what led him to asking the person he wanted to get an answer from the least.
“Hokke, I know this is a weird question, but what do you think first kisses taste like?”
The sputtering he gets in response makes him sit up in alarm, eyes wide and no longer looking at the starry sky above the park. Did he startle Hokuto that bad?
“I’m– I’m alright, don’t worry, it’s just… Why would you be curious about that kind of thing? Didn’t you say it yourself that you weren’t interested in romance?” Subaru’s eyes flicker to the hand wiping the dregs of water at the corners of Hokuto’s mouth. He wondered how soft the back of Hokuto’s hand would feel against his cheek. “I don’t know. It’s been bothering me and I didn’t know who else to ask!”
“Stupid Akehoshi…” Rolling his eyes, the other pulls out a pouch from his pocket to eat more of his favourite sweets. “And you thought you’d ask me because you thought I’d know the answer?”
Subaru huffs, dropping back to the ground with a muted thud. “Well I’m sorry I was curious and worried when you started choking on your drink. Hokke’s so ungrateful sometimes!” he knew he was being petty, faux scowling up at the sky just to hear that quiet huff of laughter from Hokuto.
Maybe he should’ve asked Hokuto first, if the question only floated in his head whenever he looked at how soft the other’s lips were.
Lips that seemed to be closer than they should’ve been at the moment.
“Hokuto…?”
Slowly, to give him enough time to react, Hokuto leaned down from hovering above him. His eyes fluttered shut in embarrassment, and all he could register was soft, soft, soft as he finally got to draw out a conclusion himself.
Before he could fully savour the feeling, Subaru opens his eyes to Hokuto’s face hovering over his once more. “So? Do you know what first kisses taste like now?”
It was almost as if he was back to square one, wondering and pouring over a nonsensical question in his head.
But somehow, drowning in a glittering deep sea of blue, Subaru had finally found his answer.
“Maybe we should do it again, just to check,”
Those eyes crinkled in amusement, laughter muffled against their mouths.
To him, first kisses taste like convenience store konpeito and cucumber water.