『A3! ❀ 』20 Minute Mankai

Masumi ❀ Drama

♡ Only A Kiss
Starring, Masumi Usui

。。 ♡ 。。

It was only a kiss.

A slight, platonic brush of her lips on his cheek. Then, in that way of hers, she smiled at him. "Happy Birthday."

To Masumi, her kiss was the blessing of a goddess. He had suspected from the moment he saw her that he was in love, but this small gesture was enough to confirm it. To send him into an emotional tailspin. The world around him seemed to shine, every vibrant color and pleasant scent and comforting feeling was amplified past all reason. He couldn't stop smiling for days afterward.

"Can you calm down, Usui? Your face is creeping me out." Yuki shot him a disgusted look at breakfast.

"I think it's sooo romantic," Muku cooed. "I envy Masumi-kun's unwavering love."

"Obsession, you mean?" Itaru mumbled, eyes glued to his mobile game.

"You have no room to talk, otaku. Real girls or 2D waifus, either way, it's disgusting." Yuki rolled his eyes.

Masumi didn't respond. He barely registered their chattering over the bright, upbeat music blaring from his headphones. Whatever anyone else thought, he was sure he was the luckiest guy on planet Earth.

It was only a kiss.

Her gentle hand swept his bangs aside and her lips met his forehead for the briefest moment to check for a fever. No one could find the thermometer.

"You have a cold, Masumi-kun," she confirmed, her brow creased with worry. "You should get some rest."

"All I need to feel better is you," he said without hesitation, his bleary eyes meeting her concerned ones. "You're better than medicine."

"Even if you think so, let's try some anyway, hm?" She gave him that breezy grin, and his heart clenched. Should he feel upset she was brushing him off? Happy she cared for his well-being? In his hazy state, his heart settled for a frustrating mixture of both.

He could never win when it came to her. Before he could complain or elaborate on his feelings, she was handing him tablets and a cold glass of water, insisting that he eat the rice porridge Omi cooked, and, "just this once", she let him rest his aching head in her lap. Feeling that softness and warmth, soothed by the smell of her shampoo and her fingers lightly tracing his scalp, he fell into the most peaceful sleep imaginable.

It was only a kiss.

It had been years since they had last met. Since Masumi had left the Mankai company to pursue a degree abroad. Everyone who'd heard of his sad plight had told him that his love for her would shrivel and die with time and distance. They were wrong.

Sure, he met other people. There were times that his devotion faded to the ghost of a memory, stored away in some unoccupied corner of his mind, overshadowed by whatever daily distraction occupied his time. - - -【❀】

But somehow, he knew it would never fully cease to exist. It was a rogue ember of the passions of his naïve youth, ready to be reignited when he saw her again. When he kissed other girls, when he held them close, there was a hollowness in his chest he could never overcome. A distance they could never bridge.

And then she appeared before him again. Radiant, with moonlight in her hair and nostalgic excitement in her eyes. She ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck. "Masumi-kun, it's good to see you!"

He was lost for words, this woman was as dangerous as he remembered. As they reminisced over drinks, he silently mused about how easy it would be to regress back to the lovesick puppy he used to be. But he knew she had only seen him as a kid back then, and he couldn't let that happen again. He wanted to show her that he had matured, to convey that his past self was foolish, but that his past and present admiration for her, those feelings of love, were one and the same.

His bashfulness blinded him to the subtle changes in her treatment of him. The light, casual way she touched his arms, his shoulders. The unrestrained laughter at his silly jokes and the genuine interest in his stories. What he could tell was that, whether from the alcohol or something else, her cheeks were dusted red, and her gaze was dark and enchanting.

When it was time to say goodbye, Masumi didn't want to let her go. His hand reached for hers, and for a spellbound moment, they were frozen. He blushed, hesitant to act, but then she closed the distance between them, her lips melding with his with such aching sweetness that he thought he might cry.

It was only a kiss.

She looked ethereal in white. His personal angel unveiled before their friends and family to the tune of a lilting melody. This was the person who understood him best, who listened to his hopes and dreams, whose happiness he wanted to protect as long as he was alive.

They spoke low their vows of love, their smiles glowing with the promise of eternity, and, as if no one were watching, she kissed his lips and whispered, "I do."

scene.
♡

written by - UsaChan97
cover by - saraphiel

Usa-chan: Thanks for reading, we stan a loyal, blushy boy!
luka: Cuteness overload ! MA-SU-MI!

【❀】- - - indicates 20 minutes have been reached

c o n t i n u e !