requested by @leafov on AO3
word count: 2869
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It was the first day of preschool, and Kira's parents wanted to make sure he looked his best. They knew it was important for him to make friends, as he only had one. Josefumi Kujo, the boy who lived across the street, was the only kid his age that Kira knew. They had been friends ever since Kira's mom gave birth to him. Mr. and Mrs. Yoshikage had always thought there was something strange about the relationship between the two, but pushed it aside when Mrs. Kujo explained that Josefumi was clingier than the average kid, and he was probably afraid that Kira would leave him.
Kira was sitting at a table when Josefumi walked into the colorful classroom, nervously looking around. His eyes lit up as he jumped out of his chair to greet the other boy.
"Fumi!"
Josefumi gasped, hugging Kira tightly.
"Kiwa!"
After the boys finished hugging, Kira grabbed the other boy's hand and walked him to the table he had been sitting at. There were two other kids there, who introduced themselves.
"I'm Sakunami!"
"I'm Kyo!"
Josefumi waved shyly, causing Kira to giggle.
"Fumi, don't be scared! They're really nice!"
Josefumi only nodded and hugged his friend, something he does often when nervous or confronted with too many things going on at once.
"Fumi," Kira cooed. "Don't be scared... Talk to them!"
"H-Hi Sakuami... Hi Kyo..."
"Hi Fumi!" The two girls smiled brightly at the shy boy, who smiled back just as hard before burying his face in Kira's arm.
"What's going on here?" The teacher squatted down so that Josefumi could see her face.
"No, Miss Holly, he's okay! He's just scared," Kira said, smiling at the teacher.
"Alright..."
The school day went on as Miss Holly taught the kids the alphabet.
Soon it was nap time for the preschoolers, and the four friends placed their mats right next to each other. They were fast asleep when a small, shaky boy walked through the classroom door.
He was smaller than the rest of them, obviously a year younger.
"Hey, what's your name?"
"Joshu," the boy whispered softly. "Is- Is this Miss Holly's room?"
"Yes it is," she responded calmly.
"I- I'm your student," the small boy muttered, looking down.
"Oh, well the other kids are asleep so why don't you grab a mat and lay down somewhere?"
"Yes ma'am."
When Kira woke up, there was a boy on his other side, but he could've sworn there wasn't anyone there when he went to sleep.
"Hi," he said quietly to the smaller boy. "I'm Kira, what's your name?"
"Hi Kia... I'm J-Joshu."
"Hi Joshu! Guys, look! This is Joshu."
Josefumi rubbed his eyes as he sat up from his nap. Sakunami began waving furiously and Kyo smiled happily at the new kid.
"I'm Kyo!"
"Hi, I'm Sakunami!"
Josefumi looked nervously at Kira, hoping he would introduce him for him. Kira just smiled and looked back at him encouragingly.
"H-Hi Joshu... I'm Josefumi," the boy almost whispered, trying to hide behind Kira.
The next day, Miss Holly had the kids introduce the friends they had made.
"This is Fumi, that's Sakunami, that's Kyo, and that's Joshu!"
"Good, Kira! Now it's your turn, Josefumi," the teacher said, not noticing that Kira had messed up some of their names when speaking.
Josefumi took a deep breath, and Kira grabbed his hand to comfort him.
"This is Kiwa, that's Sakuami, that's Joshu," the boy whispered, Kira still holding his hand tightly. "And that's Kyo!"
"Sakunami, honey," the teacher corrected.
"Sakuami?"
"No, Sakunami."
"Sakuami," Josefumi said, sure that he had gotten it right that time.
"No. Repeat after me. Saku."
"Saku."
"Nami."
"Nami."
"Put it together," the teacher said.
"Sakuami!"
Miss Holly sighed. "Let's try aga-"
"No! Stop it," Kira yelled, hugging Josefumi. "He can't help it."
"Don't yell at me, Yoshikage Kira. He needs to learn how to say it."
"No he doesn't! He says it just fine! Leave him alone!"
"Time out, Kira. Go."
Kira looked at Josefumi sadly, getting up to go sit in the corner.
"Now, Josefumi-"
"No!"
"Sakunami, do you want time out too?"
"Leave Fumi alone!"
"Get in the corner."
So Sakunami left the table as well, and just as Miss Holly was about to speak, Kyo launched out of her seat to cover Josefumi's ears.
"If he says her name is Sakuami, her name is Sakuami. You're the one saying it wrong."
"Now leave him alone!" Joshu was glaring at the woman, who furiously grabbed her phone, calling the five kids' mothers.
When their parents came to pick them up, Miss Holly sat the adults down and asked the children to tell them what happened. The kids left afterward, Kira leaving with Josefumi. Gradually, Josefumi became less shy, and by first grade, he could even talk to the students he wasn't friends with.
One day after school, he had invited Kira over. They spent the whole day together, and then it was time to sleep. The two boys put on their pyjamas and crawled up into Josefumi's bed, cuddling one another. Some time after midnight, Kira woke up in a cold sweat, tears streaming from his tired eyes. He shook Josefumi awake, who immediately comforted him and distracted him from the awful nightmare he had just experienced. They cuddled back up together and talked about their favorite shows until Kira fell asleep in Josefumi's arms again. When Mrs. Kujo woke them up, Kira's parents were waiting downstairs.
"Kira, honey, your parents are here"
So the two boys got dressed and gathered all of Kira's things up. Josefumi hugged him before leading him down the staircase.
"Bye, Kira!" the boy pulled the other into another hug.
"Bye, Fumi!"
But just as Kira got to the door, Josefumi realized something. He had forgotten their best friend ritual.
"Kira, wait!"
"Huh?"
"We forgot our goodbye kiss!" Josefumi ran up to the boy and kissed him softly, gently connecting their lips for a split second. Kira grabbed the other's hands in return, before being yanked away by his parents.
"Kira?"
"Bye Jo-!"
And his sentence was cut short by the front door slamming shut.
"Josefumi Kujo! Why did you do that?"
"Momma, that's what best friends do!"
"And who told you that?"
"Well you and Daddy kiss, and he's your best friend, right?"
"Yes, but-"
"And Kira's mommy and daddy kiss, and they're best friends. So why can't Kira and I kiss? We do it all the time."
Josefumi wasn't lying. They kissed on the playground, they kissed at lunch. They kissed when one was about to leave the other's house, just not in front of their parents, normally.
"Jojo, you can't just kiss Kira."
"Why not? You just randomly kiss daddy all the time," Josefumi reasoned, more than confused and not getting why his mom was mad at him for kissing his best friend.
"Your Daddy and I are married though."
"Kira and I are married too! We got married on the playground because best friends always get married!"
"I kiss your dad because I love him, and I'm his wife."
"I love Kira a lot, so I kiss him often! I'm his husband!"
The woman sat her son down, sighing.
"Jojo, you can't just kiss him."
"But why not? I don't understand it..."
"...Do you love Kira?"
"Yeah! I love him a lot!"
"No, baby, I mean as a boyfriend. Are you dating Kira?"
"I do love him that much! We're married, and we promised each other that we would get married for real when we got older!"
"But do you like Kira? As in like him as if he were your boyfriend?"
Josefumi froze for a second. Would he get in trouble for lying? Or would he get yelled at for the truth?
"Yeah," he muttered, going with the truth.
"Does he like you like that?"
"Yeah, he told me so! But don't tell his parents, they'll get mad at him..."
"Why?"
"He said they don't support being um... I don't remember the word."
"Gay?"
"Yeah! They don't support being gay, and when two boys like each other, they're 'being gay.'"
"So are you and Kira dating?"
"No, he isn't allowed to date... I wish we were, though."
Mrs. Kujo began to worry. Where would Kira go after this? What if they shunned Josefumi?
Mrs. Yoshikage shut her car door and began to drive.
"Kira Yoshikage! Why the hell did you let him do that?"
"What do you mean? I wanted it!"
"You wanted it?!"
"We always kiss, Mommy! It's what best friends are supposed to do!"
"No it isn't! Did he tell you this?"
"No, I told him."
Kira's mom was furious, her face blood red and steam almost coming out of her ears.
"Kira! Where the fuck did you get an idea like that? Little boys only kiss little girls. Do you understand that?"
"No, Mommy, I love Josefumi! Why can't I kiss him?"
The woman almost wrecked the car when Kira finished.
"I don't want you around Josefumi from now on," she growled.
"But Mommy! Please, he's my best friend! I can't live here without him!"
"Then I guess we'll be living somewhere else."
Kira began to cry. His mom made him start to pack all his things up, and by Sunday, they were moving into a house that they owned halfway across the world in Great Britain.
Josefumi had never known why Kira was dragged out of his house that day, and he never knew that day would be the last time he ever saw Yoshikage Kira, the boy he loved. He never knew until he got older. He never knew until he realized seven years later that Kira wasn't coming back. He never knew until he realized he was the one who drove his first love away with a kiss. Sure, Josefumi dated after losing Kira. From eighth grade to tenth, he dated a cute boy from his science class. They would go on small dates, meeting up at football games and making out under the bleachers, sitting in the very back of movie theaters to cuddle, and meeting in little cafes to study while they hold hands.
Josefumi was sure he loved the boy, so why did it feel wrong to be with him? The two boys ended up deciding to be just friends, as they didn't feel anything special for the other any more.
In his junior year, he dated a boy he met at a competition, who had just been through a nasty break-up with a girl Josefumi didn't know.. They would read together, sit in the park together, and listen to music together. The heartbroken boy never kissed Josefumi, just because he wanted his first kiss to be special, and only once he knew he had found the one. They too agreed on being just friends halfway through the year, and that boy went on to fall in love with Josefumi's eighth grade boyfriend. Josefumi loved seeing them happy, and was a proud third wheel.
During his first year of college, Josefumi met someone on a dating website. His name was something strange, but at least he was charming. They were set to go on a date that day. The two had fun, flirting and playing around, but just as the night was about to end, a stranger walked up to the two.
"You CHEATER!" The man brokenly cried, tears welling up in his eyes.
"No, Aisho, listen, I-"
"No, save it. You bitch, I thought you liked me," the sobbing man whimpered. "I thought we had something."
"Are you guys dating?" Josefumi looked from one man to the other
"We were," the crying man retorted with an edge.
"Screw you, cheating asshole. Don't ask for a second date," Josefumi snarled, pushing his date back and walking toward the stranger. He was pissed to say the least.
The stranger shot the cheating man an extremely rude hand gesture. "Let's go," he said to Josefumi.
"Hey, I haven't eaten dinner," Josefumi laughed as they walked away. "You wanna go get something with me?"
"After tonight, that sounds nice."
"You're not... upset with me about all this, are you?"
The stranger laughed. "God no! It's not your fault. You seem like a good guy, a good friend."
"Thanks, I'm glad you don't hate me," Josefumi smiled.
The two men ate at a fast food restaurant, talking up a storm. They exchanged numbers before they left, as they had become good friends.
"You know, you should meet my friends and I at the deli for lunch tomorrow, it'd be fun," Josefumi offered.
"Yeah, I'd like that," the man said before getting in his car. "Goodbye Jojo, I'll see you later!"
The next day, Josefumi was sitting outside at a table with five other people.
Sakunami, Joshu, Kyo, his eigth grade boyfriend, and tenth grade boyfriend were all there, waiting for the stranger.
"Sorry I'm late," he apologized.
"Guys, this is Aisho Dainenjiyama," Josefumi grinned, pointing up at the standing man.
"Are you guys... a thing?"
Josefumi and Aisho began laughing, the youngest of the two hitting the table.
"No, Kyo," Josefumi managed to get out.
The rest of their lunch went well, the other five men asking for Aisho's number and Josefumi adding them all to a groupchat.
Kira stepped off the plane and into the airport. He missed America, but as much as he'd like to move back, he had a job in Great Britain, and that was the reason he was in America in the first place. He looked around, taking a deep breath in and smiling. His stomach began to growl ferociously, so he searched for nearby restaurants. He walked into a small sandwich shop on the corner of the street. A small bell rung faintly as he walked in. Kira was seated by the hostess, and after a minute, his waiter came around the corner.
"Hi, I'm Josefumi and I'll be taking care of you today. What can I get you to drink?"
Kira couldn't breathe. His first love, his best friend that he's been missing for fourteen years was standing beside him.
"Jo-Josefumi?"
The purple-haired man looked up with a laugh. "Yeah, that's my name, don't wear it out- Kira?"
"I- This can't be real..."
"J-Just tell me what you want to drink and I'll ask my manager if I can have a break."
"Water, please."
Josefumi returned a few minutes later with two glasses of water.
"She told me that my shift ended thirty minutes ago, oops."
Kira laughed, and Josefumi began to tear up.
"Fumi? What's wrong?" Kira grabbed his hand from across the table.
"I just-... I missed you so much..."
Kira got up from his side of the booth and climbed in the seat next to the other man, pulling him into a hug.
"I missed you too, Jojo," the younger man whispered, placing Josefumi's head in the crook of his neck and burying his face in the other's hair. He pulled back after what felt like forever, placing one hand on Josefumi's cheek and one inside the other's hand.
"Do you even know why they made me move?"
"Because of me," Josefumi sighed, looking away from Kira.
"No. It's because you made me question everything they had ever told me about love."
"What?"
"I looked at you as a friend until I realized I loved you. I didn't want a girlfriend in first grade. I wanted you. But they didn't want me to be like that, so they moved me away. That way, I could see all the girls in the universe and not just be concentrated on the brightest star in my galaxy."
"Me?"
"Yes, you," Kira muttered, eyes watering as he glided his thumb across Josefumi's tear-stained cheek. "Only you."
"But it didn't work, did it?"
Kira shook his head. "No, it didn't. I love you, Josefumi. I always have."
"I love you too, Kira."
Throughout the day, the two caught up on everything they had missed. It was only when Kira dropped Josefumi back off at his apartment that it got awkward. Kira didn't know what to say as he watched the other walk away from him. Then it clicked.
"Fumi, wait!"
Josefumi snapped around quickly, and was met with Kira's lips on his. They moved slowly, fitting together like puzzle pieces. After some time, the black-haired man pulled back.
"We forgot our goodbye kiss," Kira whispered, and Josefumi melted.
"You remembered..."
"Of course I did. Now go get some sleep," Kira spoke brightly. "Text me when you get up."
"Okay," Josefumi mumbled, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to stay awake. "Can I- um... Can I have another goodbye kiss?"
Kira wrapped his arms around Josefumi's waist and placed his lips on the other's. He had forgotten how it felt to kiss him, how it felt to be able to know someone loved him, how it felt to hold Josefumi's large hand as their lips moved in sync, how it felt to watch the world disappear around him. He could only see Josefumi, and he only wanted to see Josefumi.
"Goodnight, Fumi."
