Sweetest Kiss

by Tarlan

Summary:

Tim looks back on how he met the girl of his dreams.

Notes:

btfchallenge 2018
trope_bingo Round 10: First Time/Last Time

Tim never thought being expelled from the Military Academy could have such a major impact on his life. His father, the Colonel, hadn't been too pleased but considering it hadn't been Tim's fault he was unusually quiet about it.

Tim had spotted the girl at Reveille hanging outside his window holding onto a knotted bed sheet, and his first instinct was to pull her inside before she fell to her death. Unfortunately he was caught half-undressed with the equally partially clad girl in his arms when his drill instructor opened his door, and no one wanted to hear Tim's side of the story. The cadet responsible for sneaking the girl into the academy remained silent. Tim could have named him as the true offender but instead he stayed quiet. Honestly, he hadn't expected to get expelled. He thought he'd get a month on report - cleaning toilets, scrubbing floors, a week of extra push-ups - or maybe a short suspension.

Going back to high school after the strict discipline of the military academy was unsettling yet freeing, though he never expected to turn up on the very first day and see the girl of his dreams.

Angela Barnes was beautiful and wild, standing out from the rest of the girls. The more he saw of her the more he wanted to know her even though she turned out to be the girlfriend of the leader of a motorcycle gang causing problems for the school and town, or maybe that had simply added to her allure. Bull, the leader of the Rustlers, was incoherent, talking in mumbles that could only be interpreted by one of his motorcycle gang, but he was an animal, doing whatever he pleased whenever he pleased, and Tim refused to back down. He made Bull wait to use the pinball machine in the arcade, and he refused to vacate his spot at one of the school's cafeteria tables when Bull's gang decided that was the table they wanted. He refused to be intimidated by them even when they covered him with food, and though it probably looked intentional, knocking down all the bikes as he reversed out of his parking space was an accident. He'd been distracted while scrubbing food from his hair.

It escalated the rivalry between them.

Still he had to admit stealing Angie's clothing while she was skinny dipping was mean, but in hindsight he guessed he could explain it as 'pulling pigtails'. He liked her and he wanted her to notice him, but that wasn't the best way to go about it as the Rustlers took their revenge soon after. Getting his car down from the school's flagpole had been easy compared to cleaning out all the cement poured into it, on top of him. The Colonel refused to pay so Tim spent hours cleaning it out before the cement set.

So far the revenge pranks had been mean spirited and more inconvenient than harmful but Tim knew they had to stop before someone got hurt. Approaching Bull was out of the question as he was always backed up by the rest of his gang, drawing his strength and craziness from them, plus Tim would never be able to understand his mumbles, so Tim figured the easiest solution was to speak to Bull's girl - to Angie. He decided to go see Angie where she worked at the Honey factory, not expecting anything more than a few words and hoping that would be enough to put the rivalry behind them.

She was quiet and a little withdrawn, and Tim could feel her hesitation towards him despite her tough words. He took a gamble and decided to tell her he liked her, that he had liked her from the moment he first set eyes on her. She was so different, seeming so full of life and energy usually, and strong minded. He liked that. He hated the way most girls pimped and preened, often so caught up in the ideal of looking beautiful they hid their natural beauty behind too much make-up. Angie wore practical 'hog' clothing like the guys in the gang. He'd never seen her in a dress and had wondered if she even owned one.

He didn't expect her to shove him so hard he lost his balance and fell into the vat of honey. It was warm and sticky, and when Angie tried to rescue him he turned the tables and pulled her in too. She was startled at first, and unlike the other girls who would have likely screamed murder, she began to laugh. Laughter turned to playfulness, and then to something more. Tim doubted he would ever look at another pot of honey and not remember that first time with Angie, at how the warm honey had coated them, making the glide of their bodies so easy, so perfect. He would forever remember their first kiss - the sweetest kiss in more than one sense.

They fit together so well, thoughts and bodies aligned, and she became his girl.

There was still the matter of her previous boyfriend, Bull, who didn't take her loss well. Tim didn't care what the Rustlers called him but he was angry when Bull insulted Angie, calling her second hand goods. She was nobody's sloppy seconds, or used goods. She was his girl now, and if he had to beat Bull at his own game to make him back off then the best way would be by winning the 'hog' race.

A little help from friends on the day of the race ensured most of the Rustlers and what was left of the rest of the competition took a wrong turn leaving Tim and Bull neck-to-neck on the final straight leading to the finish line. They were so involved in besting each other, trying to unseat the other rider with each succeeding, and then scrapping they had forgotten all about the race until the buzzing sound of a low-powered bike came from behind. Tim could only watched in stunned silence as the least likely bike rider reached the finish line first... on a scooter. he looked at Bull. Bull looked at him, and the ridiculousness of the situation hit both of them at the same time.

They put their petty grievance behind them after that day, and though the Rustlers stayed together, still riding the roads and hanging out at their clubhouse, something changed that day. Maybe he couldn't say he and Bull became best friends, and maybe he still needed Bean to interpret Bull's mumbles whenever their paths crossed, but the animosity never returned.

As for Angie, it was now twenty years later and she was still the girl of his dreams, still a little wild and different from all the other girls... and she still had the sweetest kiss.

END