The Right Moment

“Shun-chan…”

Shun jumped in his seat and hugged the tankoubon to his chest as the voice reached his ears.

“You’re reading shoujo again?” – Yuuta-kun spoke right into his ear. No, more like… whispered.

Shun gave a loud yelp when he did so, and because Yuuta was peeking over his shoulder when the young man spoke, Shun’s head bumped the other guy’s shoulder when he jerked back in shock. Yuuta placed his hands on Shun’s shoulders and blinked.

The twin asked, “Are you alright?”, peering closely at his friend’s face.

“I-… Yuuta-kun, you surprised me!” Shun laughed nervously, leaning back against his seat and relaxing, putting down the tankoubon on his desk.

“Yuuki’s with the manga club and they’re extending, so I’m heading off first. Let’s go home.”

“Hai, hai.” Shun nodded, standing up to fix his things. When Yuuta reached out to poke his cheek, he looked up. “Yuuta-kun?”

“Your cheeks are red.”

Shun jerked back and stood straight, hugging his bag to himself. He laughed shakily for the second time. “U-Uhhh… A-Are they? I… I just got-… um, embarassed-“

“Embarassed?” Yuuta raised an eyebrow.

“I was reading manga and the characters…” Shun trailed off. When Yuuta kept on waiting for his finished remark, he smiled shyly. “..they, um, kissed.”

“You got embarassed about that?” Yuuta asked again as he watched his childhood friend and classmate put his things neatly in his bag.

Shun nodded as he slung his backpack over his shoulders. “Um. Yeah. Bu-But it’s nothing! Let’s go home?”

“Aa.” Yuuta shrugged the odd behavior (that was typical of his effeminate Shun) and turned to leave, letting the other boy latch onto his arm, very much like he used to.

Nowadays, Yuuki was being exceptionally clingy, his arms always around his twin’s shoulders, and Yuuta had almost forgotten how, when they were small, he used to walk hand-in-hand with Shun at all times.

Speaking of childhood, Yuuta remembered something. They were already out the school gates when he looked at Shun, who was loving his arm too much, and asked, “So d’you still kiss teddy bears?”

Shun looked up. “W-What?”

Yuuta looked straight ahead. “You used to kiss teddy bears to practice for your first kiss.”

Shun’s face turned red as he recalled those unbelievably silly moments. “H-Hey, I told the teddy that I was just kidding! Right?! Besides, I never tried to kiss the teddy after that…”

Yuuta shrugged again. “Oh. I found it cute.”

“It was silly, trying to practice on poor teddy. I remember Yuuki pushing it to your face, though.”

Yuuta’s reaction didn’t give any indication that he was affected by the comment. “Well, the toy has no mouth, so I can’t possibly count that in.”

Shun laughed, then didn’t remark any further. They simply kept on walking, him clinging to Yuuta as they made their way home in silence. After a few more minutes, he asked, “Ne, Yuuta-kun…”

Yuuta turned to glance at his face, then stared forward again, indicating that he was listening.

Shun leaned his head on his friend’s shoulder to hide his blushing cheeks. “Um… have you kissed… someone?”

Yuuta stopped walking. Shun lifted his head and looked at him, quick to apologize, albeit while tripping over words. He stood shyly in front of Yuuta as he said, “A-ah-… Y-Yuuta-kun, gomen ne! I shouldn’t have asked such a private-“

But Yuuta replied, looking at his friend straight, honest inquiry in his eyes. “Does Yuuki count?”

Shun gaped, avoiding the look, fidgeting with his fingers and looking down to hide his red face. “Y-You… Um, with Yuuki-kun?”

“Yes. We tried once.”

Then Shun looked up at him in shock. “How was it?!”

Yuuta tipped his head to the side, pondering. “It was… fine. I guess. I’ve got… nothing to compare it to, anyway.”

“I-I’m sorry for intruding!” Shun bowed his head deeply, almost screaming his apology.

Yuuta raised an eyebrow. For the two of them, that meant that he was honestly curious. Yuuta and Yuuki may be the death of Kaname, and they may scheme together to bring hell on Chizuru, but they looked over Shun in a manner bordering on protective. In Yuuta’s case, he considered Shun his best friend, and beside the manner presented prior, his attitude also bordered on possessive at times. Yuuta was Shun’s protector. Yuuki can be the back-up.

Shun felt the same. Yuuta-kun was his Yuuta-kun, the boy who bad-mouths Kaname when the raven-head preyed on Shun’s defenses.

Not that he had much defenses. Shun always knew for himself that he was completely harmless. Much like a kicked puppy with broken bones.

“Why did you ask, anyway?” Yuuta said when Shun finally stood straight again, though he still fidgeted nervously.

“I… was just curious! B-Because from what I’ve read earlier, it was supposed to be so… special.”

“It… is special, I suppose.”

Of course. Shun knew that above anything, Yuuta-kun thought that Yuuki-kun was special. It brought a little smile to his face, but he had no time to think about that as he was totally caught off guard when Yuuta reached out to take both of his hands.

But when did Shun put up guard whenever he’s with Yuuta, anyway?

“What did it say in that manga? What does a person do?”, Yuuta asked.

Shun looked back and forth from his hands to his friend’s face. “D-Do.. for w-w-what?”

“When he’s about to kiss someone.”

“W-Well, he held her hand-“

“Which hand?”

“Both hands.”

“With?”

“B-Both hands.”

Yuuta looked down at his hands, gripping both of Shun’s, then stood closer. “Good. Then how close do I stand?”

Shun looked down. “U-Um-“

Yuuta stepped forward again, leaning down, his nose almost touching his companion’s. “This close? Or closer?”

“Y-Y-Yes! I-.. I mean NO-… Um, this… this is just right!” Shun prayed to all the Gods he knew that he wasn’t shouting too loud, or his face didn’t look like it’s being toasted. “Y-Yuuta-kun, what are you doing?” – he was sure he sounded like a squeaking little mouse.

Yuuta’s face was deadpanned. “Trying to kiss you.”

“E-EH?!”

“What background do we need?”

“B-Background?”

Yuuta looked around. “It’s past sunset. This won’t do.” Then his eyes darted to an unlit lamp post nearby. He broke position and dragged Shun to stand with him below it.

“U-Um, what are WE doing now, Yuuta-kun?” Shun asked again, as Yuuta took his hands and stood dangerously close in front of him again.

“Waiting for the right moment.”

“Right mo-“

“Here goes. Close your eyes.”

Shun shut his eyes tight – because no matter what, he trusted Yuuta-kun – and then he felt soft, warm lips touch against his. He squeezed Yuuta’s hands nervously, too afraid to open his eyes and too innocent to know how to respond. Somehow, Shun felt Yuuta smile against the kiss. He felt his friend’s lips part from his for a moment while Yuuta brought Shun’s hand to touch his chest, to lay his hand there to feel his beating heart. Shun felt Yuuta’s hand in his cheek, stroking under his eyes and telling him to trust Yuuta-kun, and resting by the side of his neck, just below his ear and reassuring him that it was alright.

Then Yuuta pressed his lips against Shun’s again, and this time, Shun didn’t know how in the world he knew what to do. He was nervous – his hand clung to Yuuta’s shirt as the other gripped Yuuta’s hand.

He felt Yuuta-kun and he trusted Yuuta-kun at that moment, when he felt that Yuuta-kun understood with all honesty, as Yuuta-kun’s hand squeezed his hand back, as Yuuta-kun’s thumb traced soft patterns on his cheek.

Everything was Yuuta-kun. Yuuta-kun was everything.

So this was what people do when they kiss, Shun thought. They… feel.

When Yuuta stepped back, Shun opened his eyes, finding the lamp post lit up with its white light draped on them both, his own hand in Yuuta-kun’s hand, the other one gripping Yuuta-kun’s shirt, and Yuuta-kun looking at him with a once-in-a-blue-moon crooked smile.

He felt a little dizzy.

“Y-Yuuta-kun…”

“How was it?”

“W-What..?”

“The kiss.”

Shun looked down, dropping the hand that was in his friend’s shirt, only for it to be caught in Yuuta’s grip as well. “N-Nothing like I’ve ever felt before.”

“Of course. It was your first.” Yuuta said, shrugging as he let go of Shun’s hands and started walking again.

Shun stood there blushing with his hands on his face for a few seconds before Yuuta spoke again, standing a few feet from him.

“What? Can you walk properly?”

My legs feel like jelly, was what Shun wanted to yell at his friend. Instead he wordlessly ran after his friend, hands finding their way to cling to Yuuta’s arm again.

“Y-Yuuta-kun, why did you do that???”

Yuuta shrugged. “I just remembered that you always worried about your first kiss.”

“Worried?”

“You were worried that it won’t be as special as it needs to be. You’re such a girl.”

Shun blushed keeping to himself as he hid his blush on Yuuta’s sleeve.

“So I decided that maybe you’ll stop feeling awkward if I gave you a perfect one.”

Shun didn’t say anything. Yuuta stopped talking when he noted that his companion preferred to be silent for a while.

When the silence became unbearable though, Shun mumbled a small and shy “Thank you, Yuuta-kun.” against his best friend’s arm. Yuuta didn’t reply, but he was sure that he had assured his companion that he’ll be welcome anytime.

.fin.