𝓯𝓪𝓲𝓻𝔂𝓽𝓪𝓵𝓮 | 𝘴𝘶𝘨𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘬𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘪

ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔣𝔬𝔲𝔯𝔱𝔢𝔢𝔫

Koushi was unsure of just when they'd decided to sit outside, on the porch of his house, or when he'd started laughing so hard that his stomach felt like it was about to rupture, but it hit him all of a sudden that in that moment, he was absolutely, utterly happy.

"Your face is so red!" (Y/n) exclaimed, giggling while she struggled to gather herself. 

"You're no different yourself, you know," he shot back, referring to her flushed cheeks and wide grin. 

She laughed, conceding, and fell back to stare up at the sky. Koushi watched her, smiling to himself as his breathing evened out again after the laughing fit, feeling perfectly at ease. 

For an instant, the world seemed to have stilled to allow them to slip in between the folds of time and spend an eternity in a momemt by each other's side. 

"Don't you have to be home soon?" Koushi asked, hoping she'd say no. 

(Y/n) shook her head, studying the darkening sky and the few stars that were beginning to peek out. "My mom finally had enough of Aunt Meher crashing at our place and dragged her back to her own house to prove that it isn't haunted," she explained, amused smile fading into a thoughtful look. "Although that 'haunted' thing is my fault. I didn't think Meher would blow it up so much." 

"I think she just doesn't want to be alone," Koushi offered his two cents, and she nodded in agreement. 

"Probably. But she is an adult woman, and I know my mom is just worried." She sighed. "Well, whatever it may be, I'm free to go home whenever I please today, so if it's alright with you, I'm not leaving just yet." 

Koushi smiled, leaning back to lie down beside her, folding his hands over his abdomen in content. "I'm glad actually. I didn't feel like being alone at home today." 

"Happy to help, Suga." She winked at him and he chuckled, brushing strands of hair out of his eyes. (Y/n) looked away, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply. "This is nice, though, isn't it? You know, it makes me wish I'd befriended you sooner. I mean, who knows what's gonna happen once we graduate. I'll miss this if we end up going separate ways."

The air between them was solemn and lined with something delicate that he promptly destroyed by snorting. "You sound like Asahi now."

Scowling, she elbowed him. "I'm trying to be deep. Respect my efforts."

"You waste time moping about, you know," he pointed out. "We should just appreciate the time we do have. Tomorrow ought to be the furthest you should think into the future." 

(Y/n) hummed. "Is that so?" she questioned rhetorically. "Maybe we should list down all the things we want to do before we go off to college." 

Raising his eyebrow, he asked, "Like what?"

She sat up straight in thought, crossing her legs, and he moved to sit straight too. 

"Like... a roadtrip?" She shrugged. "I'd need to get my driver's license before that though. Oh, and I want to go camping. It's been forever since I did that. And I want to sleep for an entire day." 

"An entire day of sleep sounds really fantastic actually," he admitted.

"Right? And I want to learn a new language. And paint a sunset. Oh, and finally get started on a bullet journal. I've been procrastinating that forever." 

Koushi smiled, tilting his head. "But aren't all of these things you could do ordinarily?" 

She paused for a moment before shooting him a secretive little smile, leaning in a little closer. "Isn't life all about romanticizing the little things though?" Grinning, she nudged his shoulder with her own. "Hey, Suga, what about you? What do you want to do before leaving for college?" 

He was quiet for a long moment, taking the chance to stare at her and drink in the vague reflection of the sky in her eyes and the youthful flush glowing under her skin, making her look like she was bursting with life and promise and so much hope.

For a second, Koushi was a little bit stunned. And very much infatuated. 

(Y/n) was right, he realized, when she said that they didn't have a whole lot of time before their high school career would come to a close. And he knew he was right when he'd told her not to think too far ahead. He also knew that this very moment-- under the darkening sky, his neighborhood aglow with the remnants of the day's light, and (Y/n)'s shoulder against his-- was the time and place for them. 

"I don't really know," he said slowly, softly. Hesitant and unsure as he fiddled with his hands, heart hammering in his rib cage. He felt like he was about to step onto the court for the Nationals' finals or something. "Right now, though, I think I just really want to kiss you." 

There. It was done. It was out in the open now, tangible in the stilling air between them while he held his breath and so did the world, seemingly in wait for what she would say. 

"Then, I think you should just go for it," she whispered to him, like she was trying to keep the sanctity of the silence that had befallen them, and when Koushi turned to look at her with wide eyes, she smiled nervously, shifting to face him better. 

With baited breath, he watched as she leaned in slowly, until he could count all her eyelashes if he wanted to. Koushi's eyes fluttered shut as he closed the remaining gap, their lips brushing in the softest of kisses that left his nerves in tangles because for a second, his sense were being flooded by all things (Y/n). 

With only the silent neighborhood street and the winking stars as witness, the two teens finally crossed the line they'd been toeing for what felt like ages now, and Koushi swore it felt like some sort of balance had been restored to the universe as the world seemed to sigh a breath of relief. 

His universe anyways. 

"You know, Suga," she began in a brief whisper, still very much in his space, their noses brushing, "I'd really like for you to be my tomorrow." 

Koushi smiled. He didn't think he was particularly brave, and even managing this much had felt like he'd just returned from the claws of death or something, but he plucked up his courage and kissed her again, tasting her smile and feeling the pulse at the base of her neck under his fingertips almost as proof that this wasn't some hazy, October dream. 

"I'd really like that too."