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Till never really mind whenever Ivan invaded his personal space. Sure, he might complain at first, but that's because most of the time, Ivan always takes him by surprise.
Also, he secretly loved the way Ivan’s scent was slowly taking up the spaces between them, permeating the air. He smelled like fresh laundry that's been drying out in the sun for the better part of the morning.
It always reminded him of summer, not too sweet or fruity, but he wore that delicate aroma that was so unlike his playful persona.
Now that was a whole different thing, there's no way Till would have the heart to push him now anyway. It just recently dawned on him how far gone he was for the cheery boy sitting in front of him.
Till watched him narrating his story, all animated movements, with fond eyes. He caught a whiff of that aromatic note he grew to love.
“You smell nice,” He’d said once, while Ivan was babbling nonsense, probably some second-rate drama he’d happened upon again.
Till clearly wasn't listening. He couldn't. Not with Ivan’s cologne pervading their classroom.
Ivan’s chattering halted. His face was suspended in a funny, awkward smile. “What?”
“I said you smell good. What's your perfume? Is it one of those ridiculously expensive bottles Luka wears?” Till asked curiously. Acorn definitely told him all about those strangely named fragrances before, but he couldn't quite remember.
He wondered if Ivan used that too. It was certainly not a scent you would find elsewhere if it was that good.
“I—What?” Was Ivan’s choked reply. “Y-You think I smell good? Are you okay, Till?”
Till was taken aback by his reaction. He wore a conflicted expression, like he couldn't believe what he just heard. Somehow, that really irked Till.
“What's wrong with you? Have you ever smelled yourself before?”
“Yes, but—not from you! You never told me such things,” He answered, voice raised in clear frustration.
Till didn't like that very much. The sheer horror on Ivan’s face didn't sit well with him. To think that one single compliment would warrant this kind of reaction. “I’m saying it now, aren't I?”
“That doesn't count!”
“Why the fuck not?!”
Ivan has now backed away, looking at Till as if he were possessed. “What's wrong with you, Till? Why are you saying such things?”
“Can't I just compliment you?!”
“You never do things like that! Not to me…”
He almost didn't catch the last part, with how little he sounded. Till wanted to smack himself in the head. Ivan’s voice was full of insecurity.
“Ivan.”
“What?”
“I like you.” Till confessed. “All of you.” He cautiously approached him and took Ivan’s hand. His fingers traced the lines of Ivan’s palm, as if memorizing it would mean everything.
Ivan’s eyes still hold the same uncertainty, but there was something akin to hope swirling in them. Till decided it was now the time he’d run away long enough.
“You’re so handsome, no, beautiful too. I love your scent, your hands, and especially that charming smile. Please, don't stop smiling, I—yeah, I’ll probably cry if you do.”
He almost cursed himself at his pathetic attempt to list down everything he loved about Ivan. That didn't even scratch the surface of his affection.
“What’s this, Till?”
“I’m confessing.”
He stayed silent for a good minute. Till panicked when tears dropped one after another from his eyes. Soon, the silent room was filled with Ivan’s wails.
He caught the black haired man in his arms, hushing him with soft whispers of apologies and promises.
“I’m sorry, I’ll do better now. Sorry, it's all my fault.”
Ivan clutched his hoodie so hard with trembling hands, like he was afraid to let go for even a moment.
Till could smell the dainty fresh fragrance strongly from their position. He’d decided then that was his favorite scent in the world.
They stayed close together as Till quietly hummed. “Ivan,” he said. Ivan looked up to find his eyes. Till flashed an endearing smile at that.
“Well, I really love your scent. It's calming.”
Ivan smiled softly. “It must be my cologne.”
Now that he thought of it, Till somehow doubted it was just because of that, but didn't say anything more. “I see.”
Ivan excitedly jumped from their position, almost making them roll over, had Till not balanced them. “Oh, right! I used that one I recently bought from the drugstore. It was nice, maybe that's why?”
“Drugstore? Not the expensive bottles?” Till furrowed his brows. He could've sworn Ivan uses those.
The laugh that followed told him he had it completely wrong. Ivan’s eyes crinkled from it.
“Silly! I always use cheap cologne, Till! Do you wanna go buy one together? I’ll choose one for you!”
He figured he wouldn’t mind that, as long as Ivan continued to be this happy, Till would go along with whatever he wished to do.
“Sure. Let's go there.”
Ivan giggled. “Okay, Till!”