comfort | sean and kaycee.

slowly.

the transition for their relationship was wordless at first, but sean enjoyed every unsure, giddy second of it.

it started when their physical closeness surpassed the barrier of the night. though it was never in public (and god forbid, at the moment, their family), he noticed kaycee nudging closer to him for no real reason. if they were watching something, she would rest her head on his shoulder, her fingers brushing his. during a failed attempt at a partnered flip, when sean accidentally dropped her onto the foam mat beneath them, she held onto his 'oh god are you okay i'm so so sorry' hugs. if they were taking a break from dancing, she leaned against him while they leveled their breathing together. it was the smallest changes, so small that anyone else would've mistaken it as a coincidence, a bit of platonic affection, maybe convenience, whatever. but sean wasn't anyone else, and he knew her better.

he grew to learn that, when kaycee would lean against him out of tiredness, he should probably bring her in for a hug. when she brushed his fingers, maybe he should take initiative and hold her hand. he did all of that, maybe with a bit of awkward hesitation, but tenderly nonetheless. for one moment, he thought that perhaps he should kiss her, but the idea was immediately rescinded at the embarrassing mental image of him awkwardly pushing their mouths together in a clear show of inexperience. he figured their first kiss should wait a while. her first kiss, to raise the stakes even higher.

despite the newfound physical attention, all of it was subtle and private. her confirmation floated lightly in the air, like dust lit by the bright sun, until other's shadows would pass by and it would disappear in the dark. nothing was concrete. and sean needed something solid.

they were perusing the most LA-type stores at a mall when sean asked her. his sisters were there too, but he suggested they should split off to different stores, as they had different tastes. naturally the split left sean and kaycee alone together, which, of course, was never out of the ordinary.

kaycee had taken a few shirts off a rack and was comparing them in front of a mirror, alternating which one was in front of her torso. sean stood behind her, fiddling with his white hoodie's sleeves.

"hey, what do you think of these colors?" she held them up. "white? or black? oh, or should i get this plaid thing?"

"uh, get the white," he responded absentmindedly. he pocketed his hands in his hoodie and drew a breath, his voice careful yet casual.

"hey so, i got a question."

kaycee looked at him through the mirror. their eyes connected. "shoot."

"so, kayc." he hesitated, his brow furrowing in thought. how was he wording this again?

she gave him a grin. "so, sean."

he shook his head lightly and composed himself again. "um. so are we like. . . a thing now? are we keeping it a secret or. . .?"

there was a second of silence. he saw kaycee's eyes widen and her face flush as she glanced away, staring at the floor. "oh. well. uh. what do you think we should do?"

"well." sean felt a small one-sided smile curl the corner of his mouth, his shoe nudging something invisible on the tiled floors. "i think we should date."

"we are," she said.

the quick bluntness of her response caught him offguard. his head snapped up with wide-eyes.