#so we're still on draft one

[cloudwhisper23]

Trick or treat ✨ฅ(•ㅅ•❀)ฅ

Depends on your interpretation of a treat, Pix. You get an excerpt.

The new school was interesting, at least in Chris’ opinion. Sure, people still gawked at his scar all the time, but it was so much better than where he was before. His English teacher immediately assigned reading partners, explaining that discussing the readings was just as important as drawing conclusions individually.

Chris glanced at his reading partner with disinterest. Her name was Millie Fitzsimmons, and she did not speak sign language. Her last name reminded him of Jeremy, which was the only reason he bothered to take an interest in her at all.

She was staring right back at him, seeming very interested in his dyed hair and scarred face. Chris didn’t take it personally. He did look interesting to an outside observer. His hair hadn’t really grown back yet either.

Millie leaned toward him as she spoke, “So, Chris. What types of books do you like to read?”

Chris tapped his pencil against his notebook for a moment, considering her question. His mother’s house had a wider selection of novels, and since she was gone all the time – albeit seeming more apologetic than his father or sister had been – he was allowed full access to her bookshelves.

Chris wondered if she was the reason his father’s house had absolutely no books or interesting material. It explained a lot, especially after he’d found his own name scribbled in the front cover of several books. He determined that they were definitely above his age-range when he’d originally read them, probably explaining his nightmares.

Finally, he remembered that Millie was waiting for a response. He shrugged, writing, “A bit of everything, to be honest. I prefer short stories to anything else.”

He wished he could explain better. That he loved seeing how writers wrote such wonderful stories without needing a whole book or even a series to capture it all.

While Millie skimmed the words he’d written, Chris quickly added, “Poe’s my favorite author though.”

“The Cask of Amontillado” was Chris’ favorite story to read since the Bite. The implied betrayal and potential for the narrator’s guilt at having killed Fortunato was all too familiar to Chris.

“Edgar Allan Poe is your favorite author?” Millie raised an eyebrow, mildly impressed. “What’s your favorite work by him?”

Chris stared at her for a moment. Should he be completely honest? Truth be told, no one had tried to hold a conversation with him this long before. He gave a so-so gesture before writing, “If I have to pick one, I’d say ‘The Cask of Amontillado.’ What about you?”

She hummed for a moment. “I’d say… ‘Annabel Lee.’ The love shared between her and the speaker transcends heaven and hell, Chris. Isn’t that amazing?”

Chris shrugged. He found the poem depressing, truth be told. He couldn’t even imagine understanding what it could feel like to care for someone like that, only to lose them to others’ jealousy. But Jeremy would, a voice muttered in the back of his mind. He frowned slightly as that came up. It was private information, and whomever Jeremy chose to be with was none of his business.

Millie was carefully watching his expression, and she frowned back at him. “Do you hate romance or something?”

Chris shook his head. He wrote, “I just don’t get it.”

“Huh. Maybe you should read more,” Millie said, patting him gently on the shoulder as the bell rang for the end of class.

He decided he didn’t really like Millie, after that moment. Maybe it was something he should’ve blamed the Bite for instead of her overwhelming emotional attachment to a piece of poetry, but really. Did people actually develop obsessions with other people’s relationships?

Unfortunately, the rest of his morning didn’t go very well, and he found himself stuck eating lunch with Millie that day. And the next day, and the next day.

He didn’t understand how the entire school just decided they weren’t worth the effort of getting to know, and he expressed it in his letters to Fritz. Fritz would write back, saying the social circles must’ve closed before he was ready for it.

Chris always scowled after he read that. So eventually, he gave up, instead asking Fritz how Susie was doing. Funnily enough, his responses to that were much lighter and more cheerful. Fritz had succeeded in getting her to spend more time with him at lunch, and apparently, they ate together every day.

Fritz talked about how much she loved baking and how cool she found his ability to run. Fritz was excited about his friendship with Susie, and Chris was certain he wanted to push it further. If he’d had any advice for Fritz, he’d tell him to slow down and make sure they were close enough that their friendship could handle it if things went downhill. But Fritz was his best friend, so he just pretended to be happy for him.

The next week, he decided to be nicer to Millie about her whole thing with romance. “So,” he wrote in his notebook during lunch, something Millie never ate. “I’ve attempted to figure out what you mean by the transcending romance, and I just don’t get it.”

Millie frowned as he started eating. “Well,” she said with severe emphasis, “I prefer the stories where they’re willing to die for each other. When one dies for the other, you really see how things are. Like, depending on how they grieve, you can tell whether they actually loved each other, or if something was amiss.”

Chris considered that for a moment. “So if they don’t mourn properly, they don’t love each other?”

“Exactly.” Millie’s frown faded. “See, you kind of get it.”

Chris frowned. “Well, if that’s how it works, then my family probably would prefer if I was dead.”

Millie stiffened. “What?”

Chris shrugged. “I don’t mean my mom. I just mean that my dad and my sister probably couldn’t care less if I was alive. So I left to live with my mom.”

“Oh.” Millie blinked at him. “I thought you meant they’d try to kill you or something.”

“Well, someone actually did do that too,” Chris wrote. “But it was an accident.”

“You’re a strange guy, Chris.”

Chris just shrugged. He didn’t really care either way what she thought. Pointedly taking a bite of his sandwich, Chris successfully ended the conversation.

“Got any plans for winter break?” Millie asked him a few days later.

Chris considered the question for a moment, before shaking his head. “Fritz wants me to come visit, but I don’t particularly feel like going back there.”

Especially since Fritz was talking about all the kids who’d gone missing. Each time it happened, Fritz sent a letter dedicated to all the information he knew about the kid who’d gone missing. Every time, Chris could tell right away, and he’d put it in his desk, unread. Fritz wasn’t sending those for a response anyway. It was just a way to cope, or so Chris believed.

He sent letters back asking about school and Fritz’s relationship with Susie. Fritz constantly shot back encouragement to come visit and see for himself, but Chris didn’t think he was ready to go back.

[nevertheless-moving]

thinking fondly of that star wars body swap au where 3/4 of the protagonists are experiencing relatively standard body swap shenanigans: bewildering friends and confounding authority figures, learning about each other and themselves, going outside their comfort zones. Meanwhile Cody’s just kindof writhing in eldritch horror inside of Anakin’s force-stitched-together-meatsuit.

Anakin (as Padme): “Man I can’t believe that Senator actually called me sweetheart, I can’t believe how patronizing these men are.”

Cody (as Anakin): [Scratching at his arm] “Yeah, that’s great. Uh, hey, quick question—why does my shadow keep turning into a death head mask?”

Anakin: “Huh? Oh, hey! Would you like at that! I haven’t looked at my shadow in years! It’s—it’s totally normal! I mean except for how it’s Padme—”

Cody: “This is—your shadow just always—does it ever...I mean when you’re around other people”

Anakin: [sucks in his breath through his teeth] “Did it kill someone else’s shadow? I hate when that happens”

Cody: [scratches arm harder, eyelid twitching] “This...happens often? What—why—”

Anakin: “I try not to think about it, ha! Anyway, have you tried smoothies since—[voice fades into high pitched static noise, distant sound of respirator breathing]

Cody: [scratches arm harder] (muttering under his breath): “don’t think about it. don’t think about it.”

Obi-Wan (as Cody): “There you two are—oh Anakin—I mean Cody, you’re bleeding! What happened?”

Cody: “I...misjudged the strength of the mech arm.”

Anakin: [gives thumbs up]

[deoidesign]

One of my first digital pieces (2010) versus one of my recent ones (2024)

We all start somewhere!

[lesbianherald]

I love your jayvik fics, and I am suuuuuper stoked and looking forward to your jayvik fantasy au!

I am very glad for all the compliments and recognition you get because you write so well, you deserve it. I hope you have a nice day!

you are the sweetest thank for taking time out of your day to tell me! and the kindness I've received from you and others really means so much. it's hard to put into words what these past few weeks have done for me.

so happy you're excited for the fantasy AU. since I'm almost done with the first draft of Chapter 1, here are a couple of sillier snippets teeeheee.

Road trip games

Horse girl Jayce

Vi with priorities

Magical pain medicine induced first impressions before loading jayce onto a stretcher

[somegrumpynerd]

Actually it turns out I had more thoughts about that post that I forgot about lol

Would Nightmare actually give up his boys? Yes and no

If it was just a black and white situation of they're miserable, they don't wanna be here, they have somewhere better to be, then yes. He would leave them out to wherever they needed to be despite his own feelings and very quickly realise afterwards just how much he'd gotten used to the noise and company. I think he would get a little clingy with Dream about it, which I'm sure Dream would find very weird after everything but not unwelcome, he did miss his brother after all.

(If he couldn't attach himself to Dream's side for whatever reason, I think he might just sit in his castle and go insane. Or maybe he'd just spend all day at Ccino's trying really hard to project that he just likes the atmosphere and isn't lonely as hell)

But the thing is, most of them don't have somewhere better to be. Horror has his au, and Nightmare would keep up the supply of food even if Horror said he wanted to quit at this point, so he would understandably let him return home. Killer, Dust and Cross effectively don't have aus anymore though, and they tend to get into self-destructive habits when they're left to their own devices. (Obviously bringing Color and Epic into the mix to make sure Killer and Cross are taken care of eases matters, but Dust doesn't really have any friends outside their group he could go stay with - that Nightmare knows about at least).

The flipside of this is that his boys may not necessarily want to be given up. I think if Nightmare got really in his head about this he could easily end up convinced this is the right thing to do without ever asking them if it's what they want, with potentially terrible results. He's established such a pattern of always returning to find Killer when they get seperated, that if he never showed up Killer might just keep sitting there and waiting for him greyfriar's bobby style, refusing to leave because he's certain his boss is coming back.

[lover-of-mine]

Buck, Eddie and The lightning mirroring the well.

[statementlou]

soooo I need to sell some Louis stuff... I have listed elsewhere but priority to the tumblerinas (and tumblrinos), if one of yall wants to buy the 3 6 9 FITF cassette bundle or red and black splatter vinyl FITF (all sealed), talk to me about it

[deiaiko]

#23.2 Teases

Dan sighed wistfully. He couldn't help but feel jealous as he witnessed the couple kissing.

It must be great to be Grace. He was attractive, rich, powerful, talented, and respected. He had everything every person in the tower could ever wish to have. So it should come as no surprise that even Princess Endorsi would want him.

But despite all that, Dan didn’t want to be in Grace's shoes. Power and fame came with a price, and he knew how hard Grace had to work for it.

Maybe he wasn't actually jealous of Grace's charm. He was just not willing to let his goddess, Princess Endorsi, pick anyone else as her partner.

Dan let the realization sink in, sulking while chewing on another spoonful of meat curry. Gyetang must've felt even sadder than him, considering that his reason to join their team was to meet Princess Endorsi.

"What happened?" the guy in a tracksuit –Sibisu, if he remembered correctly– asked, as he and the others took a seat.

"Princess…" Hatz trailed off. "She used her tag to 'talk' with Grace. And when they returned, Grace had a kiss mark on his cheek."

That was a surprisingly objective summary.

"You know, I realized something after kissing him." Boss commented. He was looking at Princess Endorsi mirthfully. "The kiss mark on his cheek earlier was tilted in an odd way."

Princess Endorsi raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Boss waited a few beats. Then he shrugged. "Never mind. I was simply sharing my thoughts."

Princess Endorsi gave him a long stare, before her eyes lit up in realization. She chuckled, "How observant."

Dan could only sit there. At least he wasn't the only one that was confused. After all, he didn't really pay attention to the mark position before Grace wiped it out, so he didn't know what kind of odd that Boss meant.

"Woah! Bam–"

The Khun guy whisper-shouted, loud enough to pull Dan out of his thoughts.

"–You learned how to use chopsticks?" 

Khun looked pleasantly surprised, and it kind of baffled Dan. He didn't think anyone, especially from the Khun family, could be impressed by such a mere act.

Viole grinned sheepishly. "Yeah. I've wanted to learn it ever since you showed me how."

The smile that crept up on Khun's lips was genuine and fond. It was a familiar expression, one that Dan often saw Boss wearing when he looked at Grace.

He noticed that everyone was also looking at Khun and Viole, as the conversation around died down. Hatsu coughed, and Princess Endorsi rolled her eyes.

Khun, noticing this, glared at everyone. "What?"

Sibisu waved his hand dismissively, grinning. The others avoided eye contact.

Grace smiled as he glanced at Boss…expectantly? Teasingly? Dan couldn't tell.

Boss glanced back at Grace, smirking.

Grace chuckled, as if they were gossiping telepathically.

They did that enough times that Dan had gotten used to it. Exchanging looks without words as if they could read each other's minds. And honestly, Dan wouldn't even be surprised if they revealed that they actually had a telepathic ability.

Khun was now frowning. Dan could imagine two cat ears on his head pointing backwards. "Are you making fun of me?"

Grace quickly waved his hands in front of him. "What? No! I would never."

Boss laughed at Khun, as if daring him. "You are so obvious, it's embarrassing."

Novick coughed, trying to hide his laugh. "It somehow reminded me of that one time Grace tried to make a perfect apple pie, and we ended up having a week’s worth of pies. All because he wanted to impress Boss."

"The pie was delicious. I was impressed." Boss nodded approvingly.

Grace closed his eyes, smiling proudly. "Worth it."

Oh, the lovebirds, Dan thought to himself. Khun must've reminded Boss of himself, which was probably what he and Grace were making fun of earlier.

Princess Anaak raised her hand, palm facing Boss and Grace. "Please don't kiss again. I'm trying to eat."

Dan heard Viole whisper to Khun. "So that's what a kiss is…?" Which was just another whiplash to him.

The more he learned about Viole, the less he fit a slayer candidate's fearsome and mysterious persona. FUG's god, as they called him. He was still a kid at heart, clueless and learning.

"What's up, Blue Turtle? Did you finally find your banana?"

Khun whipped his head, and Dan noticed a light blush on his cheeks. "What does that even mean?! Stupid crocodile."

"I wonder who's actually the stupid one," Hatz shrugged.

Khun growled, took a deep breath, and sighed. "Let's just ignore them, Bam."

It seemed like Khun was used to being antagonized by his own team. But Dan thought that he might understand why.

The strong temptation to tease and nudge the lovebirds, especially when they were so obvious yet clueless. Case in point: Grace and Agni, when Dan was new to their team. He couldn't keep himself from smiling at the memory.

He enjoyed Grace's old team’s company so far. He used every opportunity to join the conversation, especially when everyone started bickering and exchanging stories. The cafeteria had never been so lively before with only the five of them.

The chaotic energy that Grace's old team brought was like adding new flavors into the mix. Only time could tell whether it was a good combination or not, but he hoped that they'd get along. Especially because it would be a lifelong regret if he were to lose the chance to have Princess Endorsi around.

Masterlist

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Bonus explanation under the cut:

[reading-writing-dying]

Finished editing next chapter of the Hotguy/Cuteguy Love-square fic, now the question is do I post now or wait until my original planned date of Friday/Saturday?

[mortellanarts]

Today I am posting my ZTD Aftermath fic on the only thematically appropriate day I could think of, the first day of a new year! Especially fitting since it took almost exactly a whole year to write these 45k words lol happy 2025 everyone ♡

[akiraal]

he got arrested :/

[wisteriagoesvroom]

manifesting chaos in the 2024 f1 season (wiz edition)

kudos to @keepthedelta for starting this idea way back when, theirs were hilarious

- jos verstappen and carlos sainz snr have an actual fistfight, but agree to do it on pay per view TV for maximal profit and impact. carlos snr wins only because he still has good core strength from driving endurance races and also he definitely does yogilates

- forced to get more sponsorship money, kick stake sauber drivers have to do an embarrassingly slutty ad for vitamin water. turns out valtteri and guan yu is very game for it and it actually goes super viral, but only in china

- FIA announces seoul gp 2026 and do an embarrassing eGames tie up as well as get nct's most junior division (most of them are 10 years old) to promote it for some reason. 2025 Charles leclerc finally makes his debut on MDC singing an slow-fi hip hop song with lots of air horns. it’s the one he co-wrote with lewis hamilton as an anthem for the ferrari team

- no more grill the grid. liberty media takes things to the next level and makes all the drivers do elimination games from squid game. drivers may be injured or perish. however as per FIA regs they are still expected to recover well enough to drive by the following sunday

- seb vettel returns but only for one race to drive a literal tractor across a field in austria to promote saving the bees

- alex albon is told he gets to move to red bull again except alex albon was busy taking some proper off time with his girlfriend during the summer so he misses the email and the tweets. by the time he catches up with the rumours, red bull have already musical chaired first liam lawson and then daniel ricciardo in the seat only to immediately take it back and give it to a fifteen year old who’s currently taking a nap in the rb junior academy room somewhere

- zak brown starts a new tie up with an aerospace company and andrea accidentally builds a rocket ship that blasts the papaya boys into space. lando and oscar do a livestream in the MCL38 parked on the side of an asteroid

- nico rosberg appears on a sky broadcast in a t-shirt that people swear lewis hamilton once wore, and it in fact may be the exact same one. neither of them comments on it at all

- otmar somehow returns and spends half his time instructing his drivers to try and chase / destroy that orange twink… i mean, car. somehow he will manage to run a team more embarrassingly than haas.

[moonchild-in-blue]

Happy to see yall are enjoying that TNDNBTG x Euclid post. That was written in a fit of madness after being plagued with FTRB feelings all night. Feels good to put my writing muscles to good use again - let's hope this continues 👍

[itstheheebiejeebies]

Me: I need to get stuff made for the upcoming weeks of the rewatch

Also Me: makes shit completely unrelated to the rewatch over and over again

[byanyan]

(with tears in my eyes) n-nice

[reki-of-the-valley]

Through the Seasons

Read it here on ao3!

1 - Spring

Reki chews on the inside of his cheek as he watches Langa. His head is resting against Reki’s shoulder, blue hair tickling Reki’s cheek with every slight movement of his. And with every tickle, Reki finds himself staring, staring longer than what must be considered bro-appropriate. Until now, he’s never stared at one of his friends the way he was staring at Langa. Until now, he had never felt the urge to just stare, take in everything that is Langa, Langa who is prettier than any boy he’s ever seen. Prettier than girls too! Langa who is just… the prettiest.

Reki tears his eyes away, forcing himself to concentrate on the phone that’s propped up in front of him. He forces himself to look at the screen, but he can’t help the flickering of his eyes to the side, the quick glances at this best friend quite literally pressed to his side. Just quick glances; they don’t linger. And it’s only when Langa moves, snuggling closer. It’s only when Langa seems to be demanding his attention. Because there’s no way this isn’t on purpose. There’s no way Langa doesn’t know his every little movement has Reki staring. Or maybe it’s just a Canadian thing, the snuggling. Reki’s heard that they’re very friendly and affectionate there. He’s heard that cuddling is a great way to keep warm during the long and cold Canadian winters.

If someone were to ask Reki what was playing on Langa’s phone, he wouldn’t know what to answer. He’d probably just laugh nervously and answer “skateboarding,” more of a question than an answer. It wouldn’t be that farfetched of an answer, but he hasn’t been paying attention. Even when he forces his eyes away from the boy cuddled up against him in bed, thoughts of him fill Reki. Thoughts that make his heart race, face flushing. Thoughts that are not things one should associate with their best friend. Thoughts he didn’t exactly think were appropriate to share with the world.

Slowly, carefully, Reki lets his body soften against Langa’s. It’s a step-by-step process, the careful melting against Langa. It’s slow and deliberate, the straightness of his back slowly melting into a slouch. It’s careful and planned out, the pressing of his own head against Langa’s. Everything is calculated as if he’s testing the waters. That’s what he’s doing after all; he’s making sure that he’s not being weird and that he’s allowed to be as comfortable as Langa seems to be.

Muffled, indiscernible sounds leak out of Langa’s phone, but Reki can’t bring himself to focus on them. Even the screen itself seems blurry and distant. It’s not his fault; his eyes just can’t help going back to Langa. How is he supposed to focus on anything other than the prettiest boy he’s ever seen who’s now definitely cuddled up against him? How is he supposed to focus on anything other than the hand that’s innocently resting against his knee? How is he supposed to look at anything other than that silky blue hair that tickles his cheek, and those ocean eyes that seem filled with a sleepy haze? How is he supposed to pay attention to anything other than Langa?

The mattress shifts under the weight of the two boys, Langa burying himself even deeper into Reki’s side. And as his nose digs itself into Reki’s shoulder, Reki can’t help the hitch in his breath. He’s never had someone this close, not even the twins as they snuggle and fall asleep on him. He’s never had someone this vulnerable against him, someone who trusts him as wholeheartedly as Langa does. And the soft touch of the tip of Langa’s cold nose, it sends a shiver down Reki’s spine.

“Reki?”

His voice is faint, muffled against the thin cotton of Reki’s t-shirt. It’s smaller than it’s ever been, barely above a soft whisper. But it’s there and it’s heavy as Langa slowly lifts his head. Reki wishes Langa had stayed in the crook of his neck, but seeing the blue of Langa’s eyes sparkle under the dim light of the room, Reki can’t help the smile that blossoms across his lips. He can’t help smiling when Langa is there, looking at him. Who wouldn’t want to be looked at by Langa? A crazy person, for sure.

“Reki, I…”

His nose dives back into Reki’s shoulder. Maybe Reki hallucinated, but he could’ve sworn he saw a pink tint bloom across Langa’s cheeks. What could possibly have him that embarrassed? What could—?

The touch leaves sparks under Reki’s skin; the arms wrapping around his waist create an eruption of butterflies in his stomach. And the tilt of Langa’s head, the feeling of his nose, of his lips against the soft skin of his neck, lightness hazes Reki’s mind. Everything is wrong, everything is right. Nothing makes sense, everything is crystal clear. The world moves slowly, the moment goes fast. One shift and nothing can ever be the same again.

Reki isn’t sure in which order everything happened. He knows it started with one of Langa’s whispers, his small voice ever so slightly coated with an English accent. Then there were the touches, the hug that was so different from their typical hugs. Reki wouldn’t be able to name the difference now, but it was there. There was something more tender in the embrace, something filled with wanting. It wasn’t just one of those excited, impulsive hugs they would spring on one another. This was a deliberate touch, one filled with need, with want. Langa wanted to be there. Langa wants to be there, in the small of Reki’s neck, pressed against his side, almost falling over him. Langa wants to be this close and Reki doesn’t want him to go. He wants Langa there. He wants Langa there for as long as he can have him.

Then there was the lift of Langa’s head. Or maybe first there had been the turn of Reki’s. He isn’t sure which came first. He isn’t sure of much after that first shift, actually. But what he is sure of is the color of Langa’s eyes, the way they seemed to twinkle. All he knows is that this is Langa, his best friend, the prettiest boy he’s ever seen. All he knows is that everything is on autopilot. All he knows is that his eyes fall shut as soon as he feels Langa’s breath on his lips. All he knows is that whatever happens next, he wants it. He wants it all. He wants Langa. He wants Langa and nothing can ruin this for him.

It's hesitant at first, the soft touch of Langa’s lips against his own. It feels like more like a question than anything, but it isn’t long before the question finds its answer. It isn’t long before the soft touch turns into something more. It isn’t long before they find their rhythm, Langa’s fingers digging into Reki’s hips, holding on for dear life. It isn’t long that what could’ve been an innocent peck turns into something more desperate. It isn’t long before the whole world has been forgotten, or maybe it’s just that Reki and Langa have become each other’s worlds in a matter of seconds. Nothing else matters at the moment, nothing but warm breaths and rushed kisses. Nothing but the fading taste of the sweets they had had early in the day. Nothing but silky hair slipping through Reki’s fingers. Nothing matters, nothing except Langa. Nothing except Langa’s kisses. Nothing but the desperation that comes with the thought of losing Langa’s kisses. Nothing but the thought that this is the only time he’ll get to know what it feels like to be kissing Langa. Langa, the prettiest boy Reki’s ever laid eyes on.

Reki’s lost count of the number of kisses he’s laid on Langa. He’s lost his string of thoughts, his initially detailed plan of how things would go the day he would get to press his first kiss to someone. None of this is following the way he thought it would go, starting with the fact that he just kissed Langa and not some girl like he thought he would. But now with the entirety of his weight pressed into Langa’s lap, his hands tangled in the softest hair he’s ever had the privilege of touching, Reki couldn’t care less of his initial plan. This, this reality, it’s so much better than any of those fantasies he had come up with over the years. Kissing Langa is so much better than anything he could have dreamt up.

“Reki?”

It’s the softest Reki’s ever hear his name be said. A breathless whisper against his lips, a whisper he’ll be dreaming about for far too long. A whisper filled with adoration. A whisper he may never hear again. A whisper that may be Langa’s way of telling him that this was all a mistake. A whisper that might be the end of everything. A whisper that may as well be—

“Reki, I—”

“I’m sorry!” The words tumble out of Reki’s mouth before he can even process what he’s saying. “I wasn’t thinking and I just— I don’t know what I was thinking or maybe I wasn’t even thinking at all? I just… I shouldn’t have… I didn’t actually… It’s probably like… weird? Like,” nervous laughter falls from his lips as his heart races in his chest. “It’s totally weird, right? Bros don’t… bros don’t like… do what just happened, right? We can’t…”

“I like kissing you, Reki.”

Silence crashes down, an invisible weight pressing on Reki’s chest. Langa… Langa, he likes the kisses. He liked whatever just happened between them. He enjoyed the moment that just passed, one that Reki also enjoyed, if he ignores the wave of panic that overwhelmed him. He doesn’t hate Reki for the stolen kisses, the kisses that probably had no business being stolen in the first place. The smart thing probably would have been to ignore the pounding of his heart and the pull Langa’s lips had on him, but it’s too late to regret everything. Not that Reki regrets any of it! Absolutely not! Not when it’s Langa over and over again.

“Y’know, Reki…” This time, Reki can’t miss the blush that blossoms under Langa’s skin. He can’t miss the boy’s averting eyes and the pinkness that sticks out from under his hair. This time, Reki is certain that Langa is blushing and he can’t help but feel the heat in his own face as he stares at Langa, waiting for the rest of his thoughts. “You don’t have to… stop or anything? If you want, we can…”

“I think I like you.”

Reki’s hands couldn’t have flown to his face any faster than they do right then and there, clasping them right over the words that he hadn’t meant to blurt out. While they weren’t a lie, was now the best time to say it? Really, did this have to be all so confusing? Why does everything have to be so freaking confusing!

“I like you too!”

I like you too; truer words had never been uttered. Or at least, Reki sure hopes they hold some truth since they have his heart racing and they have him grinning like an absolute fool. Because if Langa likes him, like likes him, then what is there to be afraid? The scariest part of falling for his best friend was that it might have come with the price of their friendship, but now that Langa is here, smiling that sweet and soft smile, eyes crinkling at the corner, Reki isn’t afraid anymore. He isn’t scared as he lets his body crash against Langa’s, arms wrapping around his neck in the tightest hug he’s ever given his best friend. And as Langa’s arms loops around his waist, everything clicks. This is right. This moment, it couldn’t get any better. Nothing could take Reki’s happiness away. Nothing could take Langa away from him. Because this is right. Because this is Reki and Langa, best of friends, best of everything. Two halves of a whole.

“I like you too, man. I like you so much, Langa. And you mean everything to me.”