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I.
Soulmates aren't something Kaoru thinks about. Soulmates are something adults discuss, something that happens to you when you grow up and that sometimes never happens to you and that’s fine. Or something that happens to you but you don’t know with who, so it doesn’t matter anyway. The only interesting part of finding a soulmate are these ‘colors’ that you can see when you meet them.
Kaoru doesn’t get the point of colors, but he does know it’s something other people know and he doesn’t. He hates that; he doesn’t like not knowing things. That’s why, when he grows up, he’s going to go all over the world until he finds his soulmate. He’s going to knock on every door and meet every person if he has to. He won’t live without knowing what colors are.
That’s the plan. It’s a very good plan. At four years of age, Kaoru is very proud of his plan.
II.
Kaoru also has a plan for his first day of kindergarten. He’s going to be very polite and very well-behaved so his parents will be proud of him. He’s going to stay away from all the noisy kids so he won’t get in trouble and his parents won’t be annoyed. He’s going to be great at everything they make him do so his parents are happy. Kaoru is going to be the best at kindergarten.
His parents drive him on his first day because it’s his first day and he has to know where he’s going. He makes sure to pay attention where they’re going so he’ll be able to go back home alone if he has to, so he won’t bother his parents unnecessarily.
They stop right across the entrance. Kaoru knows he has to wait for them to turn off the engine before getting off. He unbuckles his seatbelt, opens the door and is ready to hop off the car when he sees a boy wearing the same smock as him walking towards the building. He’s holding a woman’s hand, smiling brightly, hopping every few steps to keep up with his companion, and he changes the world.
One moment, the world makes sense. The next one, the world is loud. Kaoru can’t think of a different word to explain the change in his surroundings, the new contrast between objects, how different everything is. The sky isn’t actually darker than the clouds, they’re both equally bright. Kaoru’s smock is more similar to the sky than to Kaoru’s skin, and Kaoru’s skin… he can’t immediately see anything that matches it.
Instead of leaving the car, he throws himself over the backseat, covers his eyes and starts crying.
Colors are loud and he doesn’t want to see them. They make his eyes and his head hurt. He needs them to go away now. He needs to go back to how things were before that boy showed up.
His parents are talking to him, telling him to stop crying and get out of the car, and all Kaoru can think to do is cry, “Colors!” while curling into himself.
He hears his mother get out of the car and into the backseat with him. She closes the door, puts his head in her lap, and tells his father to take them home. She covers Kaoru’s eyes with her hand the whole drive, and cards her fingers through his hair, soothing him.
Kaoru spends his first day of kindergarten lying in bed at home with his eyes closed, hearing his parents take things out of his room until there almost aren’t any colors around him, only his walls and a stuffed bunny. The walls and the toy are different colors. He doesn’t know what they’re called.
“The walls are white,” his mother explains when he asks. “The bunny’s pink.”
There’s a tree outside Kaoru’s window. He covers his eyes and looks at it through his fingers.
“What are the tree’s colors?” he asks.
His mother comes to sit next to him on the bed and puts a hand on his shoulder. “The trunk is brown. The leaves are green.”
Kaoru nods. The leaves remind him of the boy that made this happen. His soulmate.
Did he get to see Kaoru? Are colors just as annoying to him? Is his mom teaching him the colors’ names now? Kaoru thinks of his soulmate and wonders if he fits into his plans for kindergarten.
III.
It takes Kaoru a week to return to kindergarten. His father wanted him to return the moment he stopped crying whenever he was faced with more than three bright colors at a time, but his mother insisted on him staying home until he managed to make it through a walk around the block.
He spent his days at home with a book his mother got him that shows the colors and their names. He learned about blue, red and yellow. Green, purple and orange. Black and white. He learned about shades. He learned that some colors don’t go well together, while others make a perfect combination.
He learned everything he could, and when he sees his classmates for the first time, he’s proud that he knows more than any of them. Except for his soulmate, who is playing in a corner with other kids. Since Kaoru doesn’t know his name, he calls him the Colorful Boy.
Kaoru has a plan for this too. He’s going to go over and introduce himself. He’ll tell the Colorful Boy that he should start saving because Kaoru wants to travel all over the world and they should go together. Because they’re soulmates.
Kaoru nods to himself and starts walking towards the Colorful Boy. He’s laughing loudly and smiling widely and Kaoru likes that someone so happy is going to be with him the rest of his life. Maybe he gives good hugs? Kaoru likes hugs, but he doesn’t get many. Maybe the Colorful Boy will hug him a lot.
Then the Colorful Boy sees him and stops smiling. He blinks and stares at Kaoru, who stops walking to look down and check his clothes. His smock is clean. His pants are clean. Maybe there’s something wrong with his shoes? No. The boy is looking at Kaoru’s hair. Kaoru’s hands fly up to brush it with his fingers and try to smooth it down. He looks silly, doesn’t he? The boy doesn’t like Kaoru’s colors. Kaoru feels his cheeks grow hot and his eyes sting, then his face crumples and he starts crying.
Kaoru hates kindergarten and he wants to go back home. The colors had been enough! Now his soulmate thinks he’s ridiculous!
The first sob has barely left Kaoru’s mouth when the Colorful Boy is at his side, trying to hug him, but Kaoru bats his hands away.
“Why are you crying?” the Colorful Boy asks, his hands hovering over Kaoru.
“Because you hate me!” Kaoru says, still trying to get those hands farther away from him.
“I don’t hate you!” the Colorful Boy protests.
“You do!” Kaoru cries. “You were staring at me!”
“Because your hair looks like the flowers!” the Colorful Boy says, excitedly pointing at the cherry blossoms drawn on the walls. “It’s the same color! Did you know that? Your hair looks like flowers!”
“It’s called ‘pink’!” Kaoru says, stomping his foot. “The color is pink!”
“You know colors?” The Colorful Boy’s eyes widen and he smiles again. “You can see colors?”
The question is so dumb that it makes Kaoru stop crying. He gapes for a moment.
“Of course I see colors!”
“Me too!” the boy says, his smile growing even more. “They’re great!”
“No, they aren’t,” Kaoru says petulantly. “They’re…” He twists his hands and then moves them around. “Too much.”
“They’re pretty!” The Colorful Boy opens his arms wide, gesturing at the whole room. Everywhere, there are bright shades and loud patterns that make Kaoru’s eyes hurt.
Kaoru shakes his head vigorously.
“Yes, they are!” the boy says, annoyed, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’re just grumpy because you were crying.”
“No, I’m not! Colors are mean! They make my eyes hurt!” Kaoru stomps his foot again. “There are too many and they’re everywhere!”
The Colorful Boy frowns and studies Kaoru. Then he runs away.
Kaoru’s eyes widen and he’s left staring in the direction the boy ran off in. After a moment, he scowls and crosses his arms over his chest.
“Dumb boy,” Kaoru says. He plops down on the floor. He’s going to need a new plan for his life. He doesn’t want to go to kindergarten with his soulmate, much less to the rest of the world.
He’s busy calling the Colorful Boy names under his breath when he hears running footsteps come towards him, and suddenly there’s something soft and heavy being pressed against his eyes.
Kaoru shrieks and tries to fight off the attack. He kicks something that feels like a person.
“Why did you do that!” the Colorful Boy cries at the same time that whatever was over Kaoru’s face falls to his lap.
It’s a stuffed tiger. It looks old, kinda like his bunny.
“You attacked me!” Kaoru says. He grabs the plushie and waves it in front of himself. “With this!”
“I was trying to help!” the boy says, yanking the toy off Kaoru’s hands and hugging it. “He’s only one color,” he mumbles. “I thought that if you only saw one color you’d learn to like that color.”
“He isn’t one color,” Kaoru points out. “He’s two colors. Black and orange.”
The boy looks at the tiger. “Which one is black?”
“The stripes are black,” Kaoru says, pointing at the lines on the plushie.
“The body’s orange?”
“Yes.”
The boy raises the toy to eye level. “I love orange.” He grins and adds, “I love pink too!”
Kaoru pouts and brings his knees up to his chest so he can hug them.
The boy gets closer and puts the stuffed tiger on Kaoru’s knees, so that all he sees is orange and black.
“Is that better?” the boy says.
“...yes.”
“Good!” The boy sits next to Kaoru, shoulder to shoulder. “Do you want to be my friend?”
Kaoru thinks about it. This boy is annoying, but they belong together and he doesn’t want to talk to more kids.
“No. Why don’t you know the colors yet?”
“My mom said I’d learn them in time and that I should just enjoy them.”
Kaoru doesn’t say that the Colorful Boy’s mom has no sense because you don’t say bad things about people behind their backs.
“I’ll be your friend because you’re dumb,” Kaoru declares. “Someone has to teach you the colors.”
The Colorful Boy huffs. “You’re mean,” he says. He leans against Kaoru, making him bear his weight and fall to the side.
The Colorful Boy grabs him before he loses his balance, but the stuffed tiger falls to the ground.
“Sorry,” the boy says sheepishly. He grabs the toy, shakes the dust off it and offers it to Kaoru. “You can hug him because I’m sorry.”
Kaoru grabs the tiger and holds it against his chest.
“I’m Kojiro,” the boy says. “Nice to meet you!”
“I’m Kaoru,” Kaoru says, feeling lost. This boy doesn’t seem to fit his plans. Kaoru will have to change his plans.
His face feels warm, so he covers it with the stuffed animal. Now the world is orange and black and soft.
Kojiro is warm and still, sitting next to him.
IV.
Kaoru’s the youngest in the class, prone to crying, and far too good at getting in trouble, despite his efforts.
Kojiro hates it when his friends cry, is always ready to hold Kaoru’s hand, and follows Kaoru wherever he goes. Sometimes he hugs him too. It’s great.
Kaoru thinks that the universe was right. Kojiro is a very good soulmate. Everybody else should be jealous, because Kaoru is the one that’s going to be with Kojiro forever.
V.
As Kaoru grows up, he realizes that having a soulmate is more than being able to see colors. He starts noticing that it’s a theme in media. That it’s something girls giggle about and sigh over.
It dawns on him that people expect it to be romantic.
“You’re just figuring that out now?” Kojiro asks, watching as Kaoru paces around his room, freaking out. In Kaoru’s defense, he’s eleven years old and he never really thought about dating. What’s the point of it? He has friends and he has Kojiro. Kissing looks gross and Kojiro already hugs him all the time, what else does he need?
“Don’t laugh at me!” Kaoru threatens, pointing a finger at Kojiro, who, well. Laughs. Loudly. Because he’s the worst.
“Come on, Kaoru,” Kojiro says, grabbing his arm and forcing him to sit next to him. “It’s just what people say.”
“How can you be so calm about this?” Doesn’t Kojiro mind that people will expect them to be together someday? Doesn’t he feel pressured?
“Because I don’t care.” Kojiro shrugs. “Dating, not dating… You’re my best friend and that’s all I need.”
“It’s not that simple!” Kaoru says, gesturing wildly. Kojiro grabs his hands and holds them in his lap, which forces Kaoru to lean into his space.
“It is, though. Your soulmate is just some person that fits you perfectly, right? But there are a lot of ways to fit.” He rubs the back of Kaoru’s hand with his thumb. “My parents aren’t soulmates and they’re in love and happy. My mom’s soulmate is her best friend, you know? She’s a great aunty. My dad hasn’t met his soulmate.” Kojiro lets go of Kaoru’s hands. Kaoru stays leaning against him. He wants to ask for a hug, but he doesn’t dare to. The pressure of romance looms over him now. “You can be happy with people that fit you less.”
Kaoru considers Kojiro’s words. “Who told you all that?”
Kojiro puts his arm around Kaoru’s shoulders. “My mom. I… I wanted to know about soulmates?” His voice is slightly high-pitched. Strained and nervous. “I wanted to know if you had to marry your soulmate or if it was okay to love someone else.”
Kaoru leans away from Kojiro and narrows his eyes. “You’re not planning to leave me, are you?”
Kojiro blushes and shakes his head. “Never.”
“Good,” Kaoru says, settling against Kojiro again. “We have to stay together.”
He feels Kojiro nodding eagerly.
VI.
Considering that Kojiro’s nice and that his smile can light up a room, it’s not hard to see why he becomes popular once they reach puberty. Everyone’s going crazy over dating and romance and a lot of girls don’t mind that Kojiro can see colors and is already fated to somebody else. They seek him out, ask him to carry their books, and invite him to hang out, and the idiot doesn’t seem to understand what they want until Kaoru spells it out for him.
“Where would you be without me?” Kaoru huffs. “Seriously, how can you not see that they’re trying to date you?” It’s been years of this; Kojiro should have learned to recognize the signs after the third or fourth event.
“Well, excuse me, Princess, but I happen to be kinda busy keeping you out of trouble,” Kojiro says, annoyed. “I don’t have the energy to figure out who is being friendly and who wants to make out by the vending machines.”
Kaoru gives him a flat look. “It’s very easy, Kojiro. If they weren’t talking to you before your voice changed, they want to date you.”
Kojiro laughs. “Careful, Kaoru. If you keep talking like that, I’ll think you’re jealous.” He leans towards Kaoru and smirks. His eyes are slightly narrowed, like he’s studying Kaoru, and he’s close enough for Kaoru to smell his shampoo. He’s close enough for Kaoru to properly see the freckles on the bridge of his nose, and the flecks of pink in his dark red eyes.
They’re alone on the rooftop. If Kaoru were to close the distance and kiss him, nobody would know.
He has no idea where that thought came from, but he isn’t surprised by it. He suspects it has been wandering around his head for a long time.
It’d be okay, right? They’re soulmates, after all.
“Do you want me to be jealous?” Kaoru licks his lips and tries to sound indifferent when he asks, “Do you want to date one of those girls?”
Kojiro shakes his head, but he keeps his eyes on Kaoru when he says, “I’m saving myself.”
“For your soulmate?” Kaoru’s heart is racing. He still doesn’t see the point of kissing, but he likes the idea of finding out what the hype is about with Kojiro.
“Nah. I’m not interested.” Kojiro leans away. His smirk has turned into something like a smile and he’s still looking at Kaoru. “I want to kiss someone I love.”
Kaoru doesn’t have any idea what face he’s making, but it makes Kojiro go from relaxed to concerned.
“Ah,” Kaoru says. He knows his eyes are wide. He knows his hands are shaking. He knows he has to get out of here now.
“Ah?” Kojiro repeats, a hand already reaching out to comfort Kaoru. Then he stops himself and leaves it hovering between them.
“Sorry, I… I need to… Something. I’ve got something to do.” Kaoru stands up and grabs his things. “See you later, okay? At the drive-in?”
“Kaoru…” Kojiro’s getting to his feet too, trying to reach out, but Kaoru can’t let him get close. Not now.
Kaoru rushes down the stairs and somehow manages not to fall and break his neck. That’d be the cherry on top of this hour.
He only needs to get somewhere safe and then he can deal with this mess.
Kaoru and Kojiro are soulmates.
Kaoru loves Kojiro.
Kojiro isn’t interested in anything besides friendship.
Kaoru runs until he can get on his skateboard and tells himself his eyes sting because of the wind.
VII.
They don’t talk about soulmates again. That’s easy to accomplish, because they’ve never actually talked about it. What was there to discuss? They’d already agreed to be best friends forever and see the world together. The rest was details.
The rest is what Kaoru wants. Still, nobody said he had to get it from Kojiro. It’s not mandatory. Kaoru’s heard of soulmates who are bitter enemies. He’s lucky that he gets Kojiro as a best friend.
Kaoru makes a new plan. He doesn’t know how exactly it’s going to go, but the goal is clear: get over Kojiro. Find someone to love who will love him back.
VIII.
The thing about Adam is that he makes you feel special. With Adam, Kaoru feels unstoppable. With Adam, Kaoru feels seen.
Adam doesn’t think anything of Kaoru and Kojiro being capable of seeing color. He only asks Kaoru if he and Kojiro are together.
“His loss,” Adam says when Kaoru tells him they aren’t.
Adam flirts, Kaoru flirts back, and Kojiro watches with a raised eyebrow and doesn’t comment.
Until he does.
“So… You and Adam?” Kojiro says one night that Adam left early. It’s nice outside, warm, and neither had wanted to head home yet, so they’d gone to the drive-in.
They never come here with Adam. Despite everything, Kaoru thinks of this spot as belonging exclusively to him and Kojiro, and he doesn’t want to share it. Not yet. Not while he still feels something for Kojiro.
He doesn’t know why Kojiro’s never suggested bringing Adam here, but Kaoru won’t be the one to put the idea in his head.
“What about it?” Kaoru asks, defensive.
Kojiro breathes in through his teeth and doesn’t say anything.
“What about it, Kojiro?” Kaoru insists, stepping off his skateboard and walking closer.
“I just…” Kojiro looks away for a second. “Why him?”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Kaoru asks, unable and unwilling to keep the annoyance out of his voice.
Kojiro shrugs. He almost sounds indifferent when he says, “In all these years, you’ve never gone after anyone. I thought you weren’t interested. Like… maybe it wasn’t your thing? Which is completely cool, don’t get me wrong, it’s just that-”
“You’re right, I wasn’t interested.” Kaoru’s scowling. “But things have changed.”
“What happened?” Kojiro frowns.
“You’re seriously asking me that?” Kaoru scoffs, disbelieving. “You’re really going to make me say this?”
Kojiro gestures at Kaoru, palms up. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that I thought that…” Kaoru closes his mouth and takes a step back. He can’t do this. “It means I stopped being naive,” he finishes bitterly.
“What?” Kojiro takes a step forward.
Kaoru exhales heavily and looks to the sky, annoyed at himself for getting into this conversation.
“It means that despite all that stuff you said when we were kids, I still thought I’d end up with my soulmate.” He meets Kojiro’s eyes again. He looks pained. “But it’s not going to happen, so I'm trying to find someone who does want me.”
“Seriously, Kaoru?” Kaoru hates how judging Kojiro sounds. He doesn’t understand why he looks wounded. “Just like that?”
“You think it was easy?” Kaoru asks, moving closer, wanting to grab Kojiro and shake him.
Kojiro raises an eyebrow. “You just let go of a hope you’ve apparently held your whole life and going for the first guy that flirted with you.” His voice is shaking and his expression is on the verge of collapsing. He seems to be using all his strength to hold himself together. What does he want to do? Get angry? Complain? He doesn’t have any right to be bothered by Kaoru’s decision.
“He likes me!”
“Ah, yeah, that’s so much better,” Kojiro drawls. “You’re just going after the first guy that shows he likes you. You won’t even try to find other options!” Kojiro accuses, leaning into Kaoru’s space.
Kaoru scoffs. “You say that like I have options.”
“You do! You could choose me instead!” Kojiro says, his voice finally breaking. It sounds like a plea. His eyes are wide and they only grow more when he realizes what he said. He moves back and Kaoru follows without thinking.
“What?” Kaoru says, getting into Kojiro’s space.
Kojiro swallows, visibly steadying himself. In a softer voice, he says, "You could pick me."
Kaoru stares and tries to understand what the fuck is happening.
Kojiro continues, unaware of Kaoru bluescreening right there.
"If you just want someone who likes you, can’t you give me a chance? I… I can’t promise I’ll be better than your actual soulmate, but I’m sure I can do better than Adam.” He searches for words for a moment and says, “I know how to cook. I know what you like. I can spend more time with you than he does.”
“Better than my actual soulmate,” Kaoru says slowly, incredulously. “You’re kidding, right?”
Kojiro winces. “Come on, Kaoru. I wouldn’t joke about something like this. Not when I…” He shifts his weight between his feet. “Ah, whatever.” He bows. "I love you. Please accept my feelings."
Kaoru gapes. Then he realizes what he’s seeing and blushes.
"Stand straight, you idiot, this is embarrassing," he chastises, grabbing Kojiro by the shoulder and pulling him up.
Hurt flashes across Kojiro’s face as he straightens himself.
"Sorry." Kojiro’s attempt at a smile is so fake it breaks Kaoru’s heart. "I'm sorry, that was… You want Adam, I shouldn't have…" He smiles more widely. He looks ready to cry, but he doesn’t try to move away from Kaoru. "I'll get over it, don't worry. You don't… We don't have to change anything. You-"
"Shut up, Kojiro." Kaoru covers Kojiro’s mouth with his hand and looks straight into his eyes.
Kojiro closes his mouth and meets Kaoru’s gaze expectantly. There’s only one possible explanation for this conversation and it makes Kaoru want to hit his head against a wall.
"What…" He breathes in slowly. “Kojiro, what do you know about your soulmate?”
“That they exist?” Kojiro says against Kaoru’s palm, frowning. He grabs Kaoru's wrist and pulls down his hand. "I mean, I can see colors, of course my soulmate exists. But I never figured out who they are."
Kaoru stares.
“You never figured out who they are,” he says flatly.
“Yeah. I was walking down the street with my mom on the first day of kindergarten, caught a glimpse of some kid and then I was dazed by all the colors.” He’s still frowning. “By the time I realized what was happening, the kid was gone." He shrugs. "I haven't cared in years; I was in love with you."
It hits Kaoru that, in all this time, he and Kojiro have never talked about being soulmates. Kaoru had taken for granted that Kojiro knew. After all… “Didn’t you think anything of the fact that we were the only kids in our class that could see color?”
Kojiro raises an eyebrow. “Other than it was cool? Why would I? You arrived a week late and you already saw color then.” His eyes turn sad. “It didn’t have anything to do with me.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
“But it did!” Kaoru says, grabbing Kojiro by his shirt and shaking him. “I was there on our first day! I had to go home because I started seeing colors!”
Kojiro's grip on Kaoru’s wrist loosens. He draws in a shaky breath.
“Kaoru?” His voice is a brittle thing. “Please tell me this isn’t a bad joke.”
Kaoru shakes his head and starts smiling. "I was there. I was getting out of my parents’ car when I saw you." Kojiro's eyes widen. "There were colors everywhere and I couldn't handle it. I spent a week at home fighting off the headache and learning the colors' names."
"Why didn't you say anything?" Kojiro says, hope sneaking into his voice and starting to soften his features.
"I thought you knew!” Kaoru says, shaking him again, but lightly. “I've never forgotten the moment I first saw you, how could you forget me?" He’s so offended right now. He takes back every thought he ever had about what a great soulmate Kojiro was.
Kojiro laughs. "You were gone before I could actually look at you, Kaoru! One moment I see a shadow out of the corner of my eye, the next I’m pulling at my mom’s hand because I’m overwhelmed by the colors." Tentatively, Kojiro goes from holding Kaoru’s wrist to holding his hand. Kaoru threads their fingers together and finds himself grinning. "I met you a week later and you already had a soulmate."
“It was you, you oblivious idiot. You were the soulmate.” Kaoru lets go of Kojiro's shirt to rest his hand on his neck, brushing his jaw with his thumb. “You are the soulmate.”
Kojiro's smile is brighter than any color in Kaoru’s life.
"I've never forgotten the first time I actually saw you," Kojiro says. "You were the prettiest person I'd ever seen. All I wanted was to look at you."
"You were staring," Kaoru reminds him. “I thought you hated me.”
"I couldn't help it! I was smitten!" Kojiro tentatively puts a hand on Kaoru’s waist. Kaoru takes it as an excuse to step closer.
"I was so angry at you. It was your fault I got a headache." Kaoru narrows his eyes at him, reproaching. “And then you made me sad!”
“When?”
“When you said all those things ! About not having to marry your soulmate, and how you weren’t waiting for your soulmate and… I thought you were trying to let me down easy! I thought you wanted a platonic thing!” Kaoru groans. “Do you have any idea how non-platonically I feel for you?"
"No, but I want to hear about it now," Kojiro says, looking disgustingly smug.
Kaoru doesn't want to stop touching Kojiro, so he tries to bite his nose. Kojiro leans back and Kaoru ends up biting his chin.
"Asshole," Kojiro says fondly.
"Dick," Kaoru replies in the same tone.
“Does this mean you feel the same?” Kojiro brushes the tip of his nose to Kaoru’s. “You’re not picking Adam over me?”
“I was choosing him because I thought you weren’t an option,” Kaoru admits in a mumble. This is embarrassing. Love is embarrassing. Kaoru's going to spend the rest of his life dying of embarrassment, isn't he?
“You love me!” Kojiro sing-songs, holding Kaoru tightly against him and kissing his hand. “You want to be with me!”
“Fuck off, Kojiro! I’ve changed my mind!”
“No take backs, we’re soulmates.” Kojiro kisses Kaoru’s cheek. “Can we make out now? I really want to make out with you.”
Kaoru makes a face. “Already?”
“I’ve wanted it for years! I don’t know if you remember, but I was saving myself for someone I loved, while you were saving yourself for your soulmate.” Kojiro kisses Kaoru’s other cheek. “I think it’s time we kissed.”
“It’s going to be so bad, Kojiro,” Kaoru groans. “We’ve never kissed anyone.”
“Then we better start practicing,” Kojiro says, nodding solemnly. “I’m going to spend the rest of our lives kissing you. I’m going to take bad selfies where I’m kissing you in front of international landmarks. I’m going to-”
Kaoru kisses him to shut him up. It is really bad.
Still, Kojiro’s smile is dazed when they pull apart.