Roommates - Malcolm Todd

Cigarettes

‼️The characters are not mine they belong to Anerb Aherb. I also had limited information about their personalities/ ages etc. — so this isn't really canon‼️

Xi lounges on the couch, watching the main door to his shared flat intently. As if he wished Wyatt's presence into existence, Xi hears his keys jingling at the door.

He continues sitting leisurely in the living room, eyes  shifting with purpose, watching the door as it swings open.

Wyatt walks into the room and Xi begins to miss what it was like to breathe normally. 
"You're home early."

"I am," Wyatt says and Xi notices his voice sounds less energetic than usual.

"And that is because...?" Xi actively tries not to sound too curious — failing terribly.

"She sort of...broke up with me," Wyatt sounds out, anxiously rubbing his hand against his neck.

"Crap, I'm sorry," Xi says and he could swear he sees the way Wyatt's face reddens.

"No, no. I could see it coming."

"Right." Xi lets out a quiet sigh of relief.

Xi silently pats on the sofa, gesturing for the blonde to sit beside him. He takes his invitation eagerly.

The two of them sit in comfortable silence, equally aware of each other's presence. They become hyper-aware of the scent of freshly-sprayed cologne filling the air and every shift against the fabric of their shared seat. That is until a twisted idea finds itself in Xi's mind.

"I think I can find a way for you to forget about it..."

"God, I am not joining in on one of your antics again," Wyatt scoffs and Xi can feel the warm breath spill onto his neck. He almost forgets to feel bad that Wyatt seems annoyed at the idea.

"I promise it won't kill you," Wyatt looks at him doubtfully, "At least, I think it won't."

"Xi..." the way Wyatt says his name shoots his body into autopilot.

Xi grabs Wyatt by the wrist, feeling his pulse quicken beneath his fingers, "I promise you won't completely hate this."

"Fine," Wyatt breathes out. With that confirmation, Xi drags him to the bathroom, filling up the tub with crystal clear water.

Once all the water has completely trickled out of the tap, Xi bends down to get into the tub.

"Aren't your jeans going to get wet?"

"So, you want me to do this naked?" Xi jokes, tugging at the hem of his black shirt.

"God, Xi," Wyatt mutters.

"Yes or no, Wyatt?" Xi teases, enjoying how embarrassed Wyatt gets. The partially blue-haired roommate shakes his head vigorously. 'If he gets so flustered by a mere joke, I wonder how he'd react if  I—' Xi thinks but brushes the thought away.

Xi pulls out a pack of cigarettes.  "You think the great solution is cigarettes?" The way Wyatt furrows his brows makes Xi's brain temporarily shut down. 

"Lighten up. Did the break up really shatter your heart?" Xi says after a pause, hoping Wyatt isn't as torn apart as he looks.

Wyatt's face falls and he stands in silence.
"Wyatt—" Xi begins, his tone quickly shifting into apologetic.

"Got ya," Wyatt smiles in a way that makes Xi's heart beat so erratically that he can't tell whether it skipped a beat or if it quadrupled in pace.

"You don't seem too down anymore..."
Wyatt returns Xi's statement with a blank look.

"I don't think you need this," Xi reiterates, holding a single, white and brown tube between his fingers.
The blond pulls the cigarette from the other's hand, fingers brushing his roomate's and sits inside the bathtub.

The two sit in silence whilst Xi's lighter flickers on. It doesn't take too long for them to realise the tiny dorm bath tub wasn't made to be used by two people at once, although some of their friends think so — especially two relatively tall guys in their twenties.

Xi watches as the flame from his blue lighter makes contact with the white end of his cigarette. He gazes eagerly as the blazing flame ignites everything it touches. He puts the white tube that has settled between his fingers, into his mouth.

"Your turn," he hands over the lighter to Wyatt.
Wyatt fumbles against Xi's hand, clutching onto the lighter.
Xi observes Wyatt's hands shake, desperately attempting to make a flame appear.
"God. Don't look at me like that," Wyatt says. Xi's heart stops in his chest, Wyatt noticed he was staring. He's going to find out how he feels— "Please," Wyatt adds after not hearing a response.
"I can't help it. Wait...Is this your first time smoking?"
"There's a first time for everything," the blond sputters, cigarette held between his lip, the lighter's flame refusing to ignite.
"Man, I can't watch you fail at this anymore."

Wyatt hands over the blue lighter to the professional. To his surprise, Xi forsakes his lighter to the edge of the bathtub. He moves his legs, knees bumping against Wyatt's. As he moves closer, his legs fit on either side of Wyatt's like a jigsaw puzzle (but make it gay panic). They're so close Xi's heart threatens to burst out of his chest, causing his rib cage to collapse.

Xi uses two of his fingers to support the cigarette in his mouth, moving closer to the other's. Wyatt feels his face heat up and he swears it's the hot air. When the cigarettes meet, Wyatt's finally ignites.

Xi moves his head a smidge away and he doesn't know whether it's the nicotine already acting or the haze of smoke that causes him to ask, "Why'd she break up with you anyway?"

"She thinks I have feelings for someone else," he says, his cheeks reddening further. The two sit in the bathtub, flames from the cigs lighting up the tiny corner of the bathroom that they inhabit.

"She thinks I have feelings for you," Wyatt admits after being prodded by Xi's facial expressions.

Serotonin floods Xi's veins at the mere thought of his feelings being reciprocated. He chooses to ride the high, "And was she right?"

"She was."

With that admission, the kindling cylinders in their hands are abandoned, fallen and forgotten in the water beneath them. Both of them don't know how it happened but they ended up there. Xi's hands in Wyatt's hair, their lips meeting each other. Xi's lungs give in — as if all that smoking's finally gotten to him.

He pulls away, the taste of nicotine still on his tongue. His fingers still entangled in his roommates blond hair, his heart rate faster than the speed of light.

"Was that your first time kissing a guy?" Wyatt asks like it wasn't his first either.
"There is a first for everything." Xi glances at Wyatt, his pink cheeks and messy hair, he wants more of him.
Before Xi can say anything Wyatt asks, "Can we have a second though?"
Xi traces his fingers against Wyatt's jawline, pulling his face to meet his for the second time. Now, Xi's chest feels like it's in fire which is funny because he also believes no traces of oxygen remain in his lungs.
Wyatt pulls Xi impossibly closer, tugging at his hair.

Xi lets out a noise if satisfaction, Wyatt takes the opening (literally) and decides to explore this new domain. He bites in Xi's lip and lets his tongue test out new waters. Xi's body is flooded with sensations, he feels nothing and everything at the same time.