The Nerd and The Frog

Kiss of Life

Gazing down at Alan, who was growing paler by the second, Daniel carefully leaned over and placed a simple, gentle kiss onto his lips, lingering there for a few seconds, before slowly pulling away.

"His lips... are freezing..." Daniel softly stated, worried.

"We were too late?" his mother asked, the same expression on her face as they both gazed down at Alan, his body having not responded at all.

"What?" Daniel asked, looking at his mother in disbelief. "I don't... how?" he asked, his voice shaking. "There has to be some other way... I can't... I can't accept this..."

Mrs. Lang sat there and stared at him, a somber look on her face as she watched her son, unsure of how to respond.

"I... I just told him today... I just told him that I had feelings for him." Daniel admitted, looking at his mother, his eyes welling up with tears. "I told Alan that I liked him."

"...I like you too..."

There was a brief pause, before they both looked down at Alan once again, seeing his eyelids slowly open to reveal green eyes that shifted slightly. The color was beginning to return to his face as he moved his head to look up at them both. "I'm not dead... am I?" he asked softly, uncertain.

Mrs. Lang smirked, holding up his wrist. "Your pulse doesn't say that..." she answered, before letting it go gently.

"Sorry..." Alan replied with a weak smile of his own. He carefully looked over at Daniel, who he saw was staring back at him in silence. "Glad to see you're alright..."

Without much warning, Daniel yanked Alan to sit upright, before embracing him tightly, releasing a deep breath as he did so. "You scared me, Alan... don't ever do that again..." Daniel muttered into Alan's shoulder, having covered his face with it.

Alan was not expecting such a reaction, eyes wide as he sat there, before reaching up and returning the embrace, a smile slowly coming to his face. "You mean kill a witch and save you? I'll try not to." Alan teased, sighing contently as he did so. However, his expression slowly changed as he soon realized that Daniel was hugging him, while completely naked. In front of his mother. His face immediately turned bright red, before he moved away from Daniel fully and turned his back to him and Mrs. Lang. "Um... Y-You're... Daniel... clothes... " he stammered out, burying his face in his knees.

"Ohhhhh!" Daniel shouted out, grabbing a blanket that rested on the couch and covering himself with it as quickly as possible. "I'm sorry! The curse... I mean... you turned me back... so...." Daniel stammered himself, covering his face with a part of the blanket.

"Do I... even want to know what happened while I was gone?" a voice sounded from the foyer. Everyone looked over to see Dr. Lang, a puzzled expression on his face as he stared into the living room at his wife, son and his friend.

"I'll tell you at dinner." Mrs. Lang replied with a smile, as she got to her feet.

"Uh-huh...." Dr. Lang spoke cautiously, before he retreated and made his way upstairs.

"As for you two... Daniel, please get dressed. Alan, are you feeling ok?" Mrs. Lang asked.

As Daniel grabbed his clothes, wrapped tightly in the blanket while he did so, Alan got to his feet and nodded. "I'm feeling better. A little dizzy, but I think it will wear off soon." he replied.

"I'm very glad to hear that. I also... have no idea how we could repay you for everything you've done. You do realize that you've ended the curse, right?" Mrs. Lang proclaimed.

"Wait... what?" Daniel and Alan asked in unison.

"That kiss that Alan gave you while that witch was still alive was a way of solidifying your contract to each other." Mrs. Lang stated, before continuing. "This means that you two are to be together for as long as you are able. However, in order for that to be mutually binding, Daniel had to return the kiss as well. Which, he did, when he kissed you to save you from her mark of death. It cancelled out the curse entirely, along with her death."

"So... because of that, the curse was null?" Daniel asked, surprised. "If that was the case, why couldn't that have worked centuries ago?"

"Well, wombat, this situation is... different." Mrs. Lang stated, a grin appearing on her face.

Alan listened to her closely, still trying to understand how everything came to be from his simple action, before it hit him, his face lighting up at the revelation. "The remedy you seek to the curse on your head will appear when you no longer yearn to create in your own image..."

"Exactly. You're a smart one." Mrs. Lang spoke with a bright laugh.

"It's... because... you're gay..." Alan spoke as he looked over at Daniel, who looked over at him in the same fashion. "You can't reproduce. I mean, you could but like... it would have to be with the person you make the contract with. And as far as I know, I'm a guy, so..."

"Wow..." Daniel stated, a baffled smile on his face. "There is no recorded history of anyone in our family having been attracted to the same gender?" Daniel asked his mother, only for her to shrug.

"Not that I am aware of. You appear to be the first." she stated with a warm smile. "Which is something that we will have to talk to you about in private, Daniel."

Daniel nodded calmly, seeing as his secret was now out. "Of course, Māmā. We should."

"But, we can do that later. You both have a homecoming to attend." Mrs. Lang spoke. 

"After all that, she still wants you to attend homecoming. Such a demanding mother..." Alan teased, only to hear them both laugh. 

"Nothing will stop her from documenting my entire existence." Daniel joked, only to see his mother pinch his arm playfully. 

"You're only in this house for another 2 years, and after that I have no one else to dote on, so enjoy it while you can." Mrs. Lang teased back. "Alan, do you have to return home to get ready?"

"Ah, yeah... but I wasn't really planning to go. I don't even have a suit. I just used it as a tactic to distract Mika." Alan admitted.

"Yeah... that's not going to happen." Daniel and his mother stated at the same time.

"That was creepy..." Alan spoke with a perplexed frown.

"Do you still have your suit from last year, Daniel?" Mrs. Lang asked.

"I do. It's in my closet." Daniel confirmed as he looked Alan over. "I think he can fit it easily. May need to adjust the pants a bit."

"I'll grab my sewing machine and adjust accordingly." Mrs. Lang replied, leaving the living room and heading for the stairs.

"I'm sorry... what are you two doing?" Alan asked, confused.

"You're going to homecoming, Alan. As my date." Daniel replied, casually.

There was a blank stare on Alan's face as his mind processed the words slowly, before he gave a single blink. "Really?" Alan asked, not expecting Daniel to make such a bold offer.

"Yes, Moogle. Granted, should probably not announce that to the whole school... but for now, we can keep that secret. Well, at least until I'm ready to share it with the rest of the world." Daniel proclaimed with a smile. "Of course, if you'd rather not -"

"Shut your beautiful mouth. You're ruining this moment for me. Let me bask in the fact that you're taking me to homecoming as your date." Alan blurted out, his face red as he showed a giddy grin in the process. "Look, Daniel, I... If I'm gonna be your date... goodness... I never thought I would be saying this... fuck... oh my god..." Alan covered his face with his hands, unable to stop smiling.

Daniel laughed as he stood there and watched him. "I don't think I've ever seen you act this way."

"That's because I've kept all my thoughts to myself." Alan replied with a bashful laugh.

"Oh really? Now I'm curious..." Daniel teased, an eyebrow raised as he did so.

"Don't do that while you're standing here in nothing but a blanket." Alan warned playfully.

"OK, gonna go to my room and put my clothes back on!" Daniel proclaimed hurriedly at the revelation that he was still naked, hearing Alan laugh as he did so. "I'll be back to get you, Moogle."

Alan grinned bashfully as he watched him walk away. "I can't wait."