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New years parties were not something Damon ever took part in. Sure, his mom made a slightly fancier dinner on New year's eve, and he was there for the countdown every year, but that was it. Even during his first year in Eden's Garden Academy, he'd gone home for the festivities, since except for his best friend Eva, no one really wanted him around.
But this year, his second as a student of Eden's Garden Academy, he had been invited by his classmates to the “Last party of the year”. Even then, any other time, he would have gone home and celebrated with his family. Except his parents had decided to visit his grandparents for the occasion, and he didn't really want to see them.
But, to be entirely honest, he hadn't even wanted to be there. He was far better off staying home and working on another debate than going to a party.
His roommate clearly had other plans.
Kai Monteago, the Ultimate Influencer, aforementioned roommate and friend, had planned to go to the party, and wanted to drag Damon along with him.
“C’mon ! It’ll be fun !” He had said, trying to persuade the debater. “ And besides, you gotta come out for something other than class sometimes.”
“I don’t only go out for classes, Eva and I actually spend time–”
“Yeah, Eva and you keep spending time studying in the library. Dude, do you ever, like, have fun ? You never go to parties or anything.” That one had offended Damon. He did have fun, just, not at parties.
“I just don’t like parties.”
“I guess that’s fair… But, c’mon, you can’t miss this one ! It’s the New Year, so we’re all spending the time until the countdown together. Hell, even Eva’s coming. And also, it would help me… a lot.” His roommate's voice had been more calm, almost worried. It had made Damon somewhat curious.
“Help you ?”
“Hehe, you never know what could happen at a party. With someone to bring me back to my dorm, I’ll feel safer, you know ?”
At that, Damon had given him a look of disbelief, not able to understand that Kai of all people would be worried about the party going awry. The man was friends with everyone in their class! And he also looked like he knew how parties went.
“No thanks.”
“Aww, please ! Damon, you’re the only one I can really – really trust with this. Please ?”
“...”
“Don’t just ignore me– Damon ! Okay, fine, if you do that, you get to… uh… ask me to do anything you want ?”
…Suddenly, Damon had been given a reason to go.
“Anything ?”
“Anything. Please..?”
He had tried to think of something that would annoy his roommate, to make sure he'd never put himself in such a dumb situation again (or to make sure he never dragged Damon to a party again.). His room could use a good cleaning…
“Okay then. Be prepared to clean my room for the next two weeks.”
“Hey ! I didn’t mean that you pick for how long I have to do it !”
“You didn’t specify.”
“Fu- You, ugh, okay.”
Ever since the party had started, Damon had barely left the couch – only twice, to get some water, and had been watching chaos unfold.
Cassidy and Jett had brought alcohol about thirty minutes after he and his roommate arrived, and had suggested they play some drinking game. After about twenty minutes of pleading with Wolfgang, who still had the intelligence to tell them no, they'd eventually won when Grace joined their cause, and the games had started.
Of course, only a few people joined, since most of them couldn't even drink legally. Wenona and Ulysses were more interested in their work than in the party, Eloise and Desmond were on the dorm’s balcony, the former having a headache, Ingrid was taking care of a sleeping Toshiko, Jean and Wolfgang were watching the game unfold, making sure no one drunk too much (although Damon was pretty sure they had. Also, he'd seen Jean have a small shot, but just by seeing him he could tell the captain needed a lot more to get drunk.), Mark was on his DJ pad, and finally, Eva and Diana had been hanging out and talking not too far from him. So the game was only Cassidy, Jett, Grace and Kai, but it seemed enough for them to get completely wasted.
Since their game had started, they only seemed to get louder and louder. Damon looked over, only to see Kai taking another shot. Well, at least it meant he wasn't here for absolutely no reason.
“You look like you're bored out of your mind.”
Eva sat down next to his spot on the sofa, a red cup in hand. Damon turned to face her, after a quick sigh directed to his drunk friends.
“That's because I am.”
“You keep looking over there, are you going to join them ?”
“What ? Have you lost your mind ?”
“You probably would have more fun than you're having sitting on the couch. Although, honestly, I didn't expect you to come in the first place.” Eva looked curious.
“It’s just my idiot roommate’s fault. Also, I’m not of drinking age.”
“Doesn't seem to be their problem.” She looked over to the group, her glance stopping on Kai and Cassidy. “Besides, they're supervised.”
“Not for the trip back.”
“Grace is staying, and everyone else’s dorm mate isn't drinking. I guess that's why you're here ?”
Of course she figured it out. Damon sighed.
“Yup."
“Ah, that explains it. Your eyes have been glued to that table since you've arrived.
“Huh?”
“I counted. You’ve looked over to their little game every three minutes so far.”
“Wha—”
“It was either because you wanted to join, because you're trying to supervise them without actually doing so, or because you're just looking at someone. And since the first option is a no, and I don't believe you actually care enough for the second, then it's obviously the third.”
“I'm honestly looking just to prepare for the riot that I'll have to face bringing Kai home.”
“Mhm. Good luck with that. He doesn't look like a quiet drunk person either.”
“He seems all over the place.”
“Probably is.”
Silence installed itself between the two. Of course, not in the whole room. The incessant ramblings of the drinking game group continued – he honestly believed they weren't even playing a game anymore.
“So, why did you join me ?”
“It's almost midnight. Diana is regrouping everyone.”
“So you're here because she left you alone.”
“I—” She cleared her throat. “—Am here because you're my friend. And because you definitely wouldn't have listened to Diana.”
“... It's New Year's eve. Who am I to deny you all the countdown ? I’ll drag Kai back after that.”
“You don’t really like new years, huh.” She said, clearly not really expecting any answer.
“I’d rather just be home, right now.”
“Fair. Okay, come with me. We’ll turn on the TV for the countdown.”
Damon followed Eva, who rejoined Diana and the others. The others somehow included the drunken group, who had specifically stopped drinking for the occasion. He supposed Wolfgang either took the bottle from them by force, or the bottle was empty.
The cosmetologist somehow found the remote and turned on the TV, finding some random news channel that broadcasted Times Square’s countdown, then they waited.
Damon looked over to Kai, who was trying to stand, getting some slight help from Cassidy. Both of them were clearly stumbling, but they somehow stayed standing. He sighed, realizing that he’d probably have to carry Kai to the dorm.
“Okay guys, it’s time !” the young cosmetologist cheered. Everyone turned her way.
“10 !” Most of them said in unison. He cringed internally.
“9 !” And it went down. Damon checked the entire room, observing his classmates' expressions.
“8 !” Grace had found her place in Wolfgang’s arms despite seeming absolutely wasted. Jett, also completely out of it, had somehow found his way to Mark’s DJ station, which was in front of the TV. The producer didn’t really show emotion, though.
“7 !” Wenona was looking at her phone, and Ulysses, next to her, was most likely recording the countdown in his notebook. Eloise and Desmond, slightly further behind, shot him a smile when he glanced over. They were more quiet than the others, that was for sure.
“6 !” Toshiko’s eyes were gleaming, full of stars. In his mind, he laughed thinking she’d never seen a new year's ceremony before. She was on Ingrid’s shoulders, and the blacksmith held her firmly to make sure she wouldn’t fall.
“5 !” Eva had rejoined Diana, and both of them were smiling. Diana led the group into each new number count.
“4 !” Jean was standing next to Cassidy and Kai, and helping them not fall over.
“3 !” Damon was stuck looking at Kai, for a second. It wasn’t like he looked any different — he really wore his most normal clothes to the party… although, all of them did — but, for some reason, he couldn’t look away.
“2 !” Kai looked… beautiful, in this lighting. The slight blush on his face due to the alcohol, the way his hair stuck out just a little more than usual…
“1 !” Damon thought, maybe it wasn’t too bad after all.
“Happy New Year !!”
An explosion of noise hit Damon’s ears as everyone cheered. Saying he didn’t cheer would be a lie. He joined everyone in the partying spirit for only an instant.
After a while of exchanging wishes with people he didn’t really care all that much for, Eva came up to him.
“Happy New Year.” she said, a small smile on her face. “I hope you’ll have a safe trip home.”
“Happy New Year to you too. And, thanks. I’m gonna need it…”
“Speaking of… Kai was talking about getting more drinks, earlier. You should probably take him home.”
“When did you hear that ?”
“Just happened to overhear a conversation between him and Cassidy. I wouldn’t want you to keep sulking on the couch, it doesn't suit you.”
“I’m not sulking.”
“You’re just bored, I know. Still.”
She did have a point. He was also getting increasingly tired.
He went to Kai and tapped his shoulder. The influencer spun around and — god, had he always looked that way ? —
“Da~mon ! Happy New Year~!” he said, singing and drawing out his words. Yup, definitely drunk.
“Happy New Year. We should go now."
“Not now—! It’s too fun here~ Plus, we’re getting more drinks ! You should get one, dude, you’ve been staring for so long…”
Fuck, had Kai noticed him staring ? Well, it was too late anyway. He needed to get the influencer away before he drank any more.
“We’re leaving. No complaints.” he took Kai’s hand and dragged him away from the crowd. The influencer stumbled after him, not very balanced on his feet.
“Hey, Damon, don’t— Hey ! Let me go ! Hey !”
After a small wave to a laughing Eva, Damon opened the door, and finally left Grace and Wolfgang’s dorm room.
— —
Damon closed the door to their dorm room, and locked it tight, before joining his roommate on the couch. The influencer’s complaints about the debater forcing him to leave the party had already come to a halt, now replaced by quiet, small sobs.
He sighed, and helped his roommate sit on the couch.
“Damon's so mean to me… I'm just trying to have fun…”
“Yeah, and you're piss drunk. We did the countdown, and it's half past midnight, so I brought you home like you asked me to. You'll thank me tomorrow.”
He patted the pink haired man’s head for slight reassurance, before leaving for the kitchen. All he knew about dealing with drunk people was, they felt a bit better after drinking water, so he searched for a glass that he filled with water, sending a quick message to Eva in the process. If she knew anything about how to care for drunk people, he had to learn.
Today, 00:54 AM
Eva, do you know how to deal with drunk people ? Kai kinda seems to have gotten worse since we left the party.
Her answer was not instantaneous, so he brought the glass back to Kai, who was still shivering. He took it almost immediately, downing part of it before looking at Damon.
“This isn't alcohol.” He said, as if it wasn't obvious. Damon almost laughed, until he looked at Kai. The influencer almost looked sad.
“Of course not. Why would we even have alcohol here ? You need rest.”
“I don't wanna–” he whined. “It's the new year, I want it to be memorable…”
“You've given up on it being memorable the moment you started drinking. You're not going to remember anything tomorrow.”
Kai stayed silent, and Damon looked at his phone. Oh, Eva had answered.
Today, 00:54 AM
Eva, do you know how to deal with drunk people ? Kai kinda seems to have gotten worse since we left the party.
Today, 1:02 AM
Your boyfriend, your problem.
https://peoplesafe.co.uk/blogs/13-tips-to-deal-with-drunken-individuals/
…Great. If his best friend had decided to make fun of him, then so be it, he thought, as he turned off the phone and put it back in his pocket.
He had to deal with his roommate, first and foremost. Said roommate who seemed to be on the verge of tears, again.
He turned to leave, when he felt something holding him back. Kai had lunged towards him slightly and now held his wrist.
“Wait ! Don't leave me, please.”
A plea. Kai seemed so weak in that instant, so vulnerable, Damon stopped. His voice cracked and he seemed to still be crying. Had it been anyone else, Damon would have left and not thought of it for another second.
But it was Kai. The roommate who had tried to be his friend, even after avoiding him like the others had. The roommate who had been nothing but sincere since they had met, wore his heart on his sleeve and still, even after being cruelly shut down by Damon a couple of times back when he had been upset at everyone and everything, kept coming back, talking and joking around, like nothing ever happened.
So, Damon stayed. He turned to face the influencer and removed his hand from his wrist, moving to the sofa and sitting next to where Kai had been sitting.
“Okay.” He said, not wanting to leave Kai without a verbal confirmation in his state.
“Yaaaay !” Kai almost sounded like a kid, in this state, not wanting to be left alone in the dark, and cheering when Damon stayed. He sat back on the sofa and let his head rest on Damon's shoulder.
At first, he wanted to say something. Something so that Kai would get his head off of his shoulder. But, he just couldn't. The man’s breathing settled into slow cycles, and it made him smile a bit.
Damon took his phone, and looked at the article Eva sent him. Maybe he could learn to care for someone drunk. Maybe he could help Kai more that way.
“What are you readiiiing-?” his roommate asked.
“Just an article about drunkenness. If I’m staying, I’ll help you feel better.”
“I'm not drunk !”
“And I’m the King of England.”
“Oh my god, I didn't know that ! Hi, your Majesty.”
Damon rolled his eyes with a small smile. This man was absurd… but he didn't mind it.
“What am I going to do with you…”
“You're not gonna push me away, right ?” Kai's voice became small, almost… concerned. Damon guessed Kai’s specific drunkenness also included quick mood shifts. It wasn't the first time that night he'd changed between sadness and cheerfulness.
“Of course not.” he said, looking at the influencer next to him.
“Good… I don't want to lose you too."
Damon knew Kai was talking about his old friends, the ones who had abandoned him once he became an influencer. He'd admitted to missing them a few times, on sleepless nights when neither of them could sleep, Damon too busy working on a debate and Kai reminiscing about the past.
“You won't.” He reassured. “I’m not leaving you.”
“Thank you, Damon.” It was genuine.
“Don't thank me for something stupid like that. You should really rest, Kai.”
“I don't want to…” his voice trailed off. “I told you I wanted this new year to be memorable…”
“And what do you think would make it memorable for your drunk self ?” Damon kept scrolling through articles, his gaze sometimes leaving his phone and focusing on the influencer next to him.
“I dunno… but I'm spending the first hours of it with the guy I love, so I guess it's fine.”
…what.
Damon looked at Kai in surprise.
“Whoa, admitting it feels soooo easy… like something left my chest. That's fun…”
“You can't be serious.”
“What if I am ? You said you're not leaving me.”
Damon blinked, confused.
In any other context, he would have turned Kai down. Not because he didn't like the guy – he was pretty sure he had the same feelings he had just admitted to, but because he would inevitably come to the conclusion that the admission was a prank, something Kai would lie about. After all, who would like someone who used to berate them all day long ? Sure, it wasn't the case anymore, but it had happened, and he knew it wasn't the kind of thing people forget easily.
Though, he knew Kai wasn't like that. He knew Kai was someone genuine, who only talked about his feelings if they were real.
And, seeing how vulnerable he had just been, how honest his voice sounded…
Damon just couldn't believe it wasn't true.
“You're drunk.” He said. “You're not going to remember anything tomorrow.”
“I’ll remember that part at least! How could I not !” Kai sounded faux-offended.
“Okay then.” Damon thought for a second. “Let's make a deal. You said you would do anything for me after the party, right ?”
“Honestly, I would anytime, but, yeah.”
This confident part of a drunk Kai who was so honest with his feelings would be the death of him. Damon's cheeks reddened slightly. He ignored it, clearing his throat.
“Ahem. If you remember this tomorrow, then, I want a kiss. Alright?”
He knew he wasn't risking much. There was absolutely no chance Kai would remember anything the next day.
He saw Kai’s face turn redder than it already was, even in the darkness of the room. “If you won't reject me, then sure. I'll remember this.”
“We’ll see that tomorrow.”
They fell in silence for a while. It wasn't a tense silence that Kai would definitely break, but more of a comforting one. The debater took a look at his roommate, and suddenly realized he fell asleep.
Kai's sleeping face was peaceful, he realized. More peaceful than he ever seemed when awake. Damon couldn't wake him up. He couldn't risk waking him up by dragging him to his room either.
So he stayed on the sofa, his roommate sleeping peacefully on his shoulder, put away his phone, and eventually, he fell asleep too.
— — — —
The first thing Kai felt when he woke up was the throbbing pain in his head. Something was definitely very wrong there.
The second thing he felt was the warmth of his pillow. His back hurt, and he felt like shit, but at least his pillow was warm…
Wait. The pillow was… breathing ? And, Kai wasn't lying down either. He could feel his feet, still on the ground.
If he wasn't in bed, then where the fuck was he ? And what in the world was the pillow ?
So, the influencer opened his eyes.
He was on the sofa of their dorm. He recognized it almost immediately as his eyes opened and he was greeted by Damon's podium, which they had left in their shared living room after Damon asked to have an audience for a speech he wasn't particularly sure was good enough.
He also noticed some blond hair in front of his eyes. As the realization struck, Kai froze.
Somehow, after the party, he had managed to fall asleep on the debater’s shoulder. And by some miracle, the very same debater hadn't woken him up, instead falling asleep next to him, his head resting on the influencer’s.
Kai felt his face warm up very significantly, and, in shock, jumped away from his roommate, a silent scream dying in his throat.
Shit, Damon was still sleeping.
His features were softer, Kai remarked. Like he didn't have a single worry. That was until he probably felt the lack of a headrest, and slowly opened his eyes. Kai died inside just as slowly.
“What the… ah, you're here. Morning.”
“M-morning…”
Damon looked at Kai in slight confusion, before regaining his usual expression.
“Happy new year. I figure you have no memory of last night?”
“Absolutely none.” He admitted.
A flash of disappointment appeared on Damon's face, but it was so quick he almost didn't notice it.
“What do you remember, then ?”
“Uh, I remember Cassidy and Jett bringing… vodka ? Was it ? And sitting down to play a game… Ugh, I don't even remember the game we played !”
“You guys went a bit overboard with the drinks.” Damon explained. “Eventually, after everyone did the countdown, I brought you back like you asked. You were… clingy, to say the least, and you wouldn't get off me, so I let you sleep. Seems like I dozed off too.”
“I see… ugh, that sucks, my head hurts so fucking bad… but, hey, I was right, I did need you to bring me back ! Thank you, Damon.”
“Don't thank me for stupid stuff like this. Besides, you still have to clean my room for two weeks, remember ?” Damon’s smile was back to his usual, somewhat arrogant one. He stood up as Kai threw himself back on the sofa.
“Fuck, I did promise you that.” He chuckled, bringing his right hand up to his head. “God, do you have like, water or something ? I need to get that headache to pass. Not the best look for the first day of the year otherwise, you know ?”
“Right. I'll bring you that.”
As he heard Damon leaving the room, Kai layed down and closed his eyes, trying to remember anything about the previous night.
…It was no use. His head hurt too much for him to concentrate. Playing with his phone or scrolling while waiting couldn't help either, and besides, his phone was out of battery — which was a rarity.
“Hey, I'm pouring the water on you if you don't want it.”
“Wha– Damon !” Kai’s eyes shot open, and he sat up. “Nah, I was just trying to think about last night… thank you for the water.”
“I also brought you some toast. You need to eat, and my mom used to give me some when I was particularly sick.”
The influencer quickly downed the glass of water, and stared at Damon in surprise.
“Hey, who the hell are you and what did you do to Damon Maitsu ? You're too nice, man. Thank you.”
“Don't get used to it. I just felt bad for you. I can eat it if you don't want —”
“Don't ! Don't. I'll eat it. Thank you.”
The two stayed in silence as Kai started eating. The toast was certainly above the average of the ones he'd had before, but it was still just that : toast. Still, he ate it without complaining. Simplicity was well appreciated, especially when his mind tried to work out the details of the previous night.
“So, any luck remembering anything ?” Damon asked.
“Nah… Man, I wanted to make it memorable, but I forgot everything… this sucks.”
“Honestly, I think it's better for you if you don't remember.” He sat down next to where Kai was laying. “You were acting like such a child, you'd probably be embarrassed about it.”
Anxiety rose in Kai's chest. Did the drunk version of him annoy Damon ? Hell, was Damon acting nice out of pity because he found him annoying the previous night ?
“Really ? God, I'm thankful then. I'm not… that annoying usually, right ? I didn't annoy you too much, right ?”
“You're not, and you didn't. You just clung to me a lot more than usual after we got home.”
Kai stared at the blond for what seemed like an eternity. There was a very slight smile on his face, and his eyes sparkled like jewels. The way he spoke, Kai could tell he was saying the truth, and that he actually cared. Damon cared about him. Between the toast, the way he spoke, and the small reassurances… If Kai hadn't already fallen head over heels for him before, he would definitely have now.
Did he ever mention how much he loved the man ?
Damon was really good at pretending to not care, or at showing the colder, more closed side of his personality. But Kai had learned in time that he was, in truth, just seeking companionship, and that he could care and be a good person. Sure, it took him a long time to notice it, but he did.
“Damon to Kai, can you hear me ?” Damon’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “I also brought you some medicine. I have some stuff to do, so I'll go back to my room. If you need something else, tell me.”
“Oh, right ! Sorry. Uh, I could definitely use a powerbank, my phone battery is completely dead. Thank you, again.”
“Don't mention it.”
On these words, Damon stood up and left the room. Kai stared at the ceiling, and tried thinking again. Was he really unable to remember anything from the previous night? Why were his memories so fuzzy…
Suddenly, he felt something come back to him. His own voice.
“I dunno… but I'm spending the first hours of it with the guy I love, so I guess it's fine.”
Oh fuck. As if on cue, he remembered the events of the previous night, the clinginess, the admission…
Something in his stomach, which felt so light since he had woken up, dropped, and he felt like throwing up. He had told Damon he loved him, for crying out loud.
Well, it was the truth. But it was a truth he wasn't supposed to tell anyone. Maybe Cassidy and Diana had noticed his blatant crush — he wasn't the best at hiding it either, but thankfully, Damon never realized anything.
And now, he probably ruined his relationship with the other for the rest of their college years. Just great.
“Ahem. If you remember this tomorrow, then, I want a kiss. Alright?”
Damon's voice echoed in Kai's head. Damon… had entertained his feelings, instead of mocking him for them.
He'd entertained, even for just a second, the idea of kissing Kai.
Kai’s face became increasingly warmer. Damon hadn't mentioned anything to him because… he wanted to hear it from him, in a sober state. He didn't force a confession out of him, instead deciding to let Kai remember on his own accord.
By setting up their little bet that way, he had also offered Kai a way out. If drunk Kai's confession was not genuine, or if it was too early, sober Kai could simply pretend to not remember anything.
…But drunk Kai's confession was genuine, and now that he'd said it once, he never wanted to take it back.
“Here's your powerbank. Did you take the medicine?”
Oh fuck, Damon was back. Kai sat up suddenly, earning a quick confused glance from his roommate.
“N-Nah, not yet.”
“Please take it, It'll help you feel better. Okay, talk to you later then.”
As Damon was about to leave, Kai reached for him, only able to catch his wrist.
“Wait ! Please, stay here for a minute.”
“Kai, I have things to do, and—”
“Please.” His tone was serious now, and Damon looked surprised. Still, he sat down next to Kai, who let out a sigh of relief and released the debater's wrist.
“Okay, what's up with you ? I really have to work, so make it quick.”
“Give me a second, it's not like it's easy to say…” he laughed, playing with a ring on his hand. Even if he knew Damon wasn't entirely disgusted by the idea, saying anything relating to these feelings was not something so easy. How did he even do it when he was drunk ?
“So, um… You did say I’d have to clean your room, right ?”
“Ah, yeah. I don't see how that's difficult to say, but sure. When do you want to start?”
“What if I… didn't have to ?”
“What do you mean ?”
“Well, the promise was that, if you came to the party with me, you’d have me do anything you want, right ?”
“And ?”
“Well… uh…” Kai didn't want to look Damon in the eye, but he felt like he had to. “You did ask for a kiss instead, last night, haha…” he laughed nervously, waiting for a response.
Damon looked… shocked would be an understatement. A very huge understatement. He looked at Kai like he was an alien from a different galaxy.
“Are you going to say something, or—”
“The fact that you remembered is impressive. I left for like, a minute.”
“Yeah, I just kinda had a flash. So…?”
“Well, I guess I did say I wanted a kiss if you remembered. So ? Would you rather do that, or clean my room for two weeks ?”
Another out. Probably the last out Damon would give him before Kai had to spill his feelings. He rightfully knew that Damon wouldn’t give so many outs to anybody. He truly did care about him.
And Kai was tired of outs.
The influencer cupped the debater’s cheeks, and he could swear, even the usually stoic Damon was red in the face. He inched closer, and closer, and it felt like an eternity, but he was so nervous and his heart was beating out of his chest, and—
When their lips finally met, everything seemed to fall into place. Sure, it wasn’t perfect like it seemed in the movies — honestly, it was a bit messy, since neither of them seemed to really know what they were doing — but it was Damon, and it felt so right. Damon’s arms came to wrap around him, and he would have combusted on the spot. Every thought in his mind, nothing else mattered but the feeling of Damon’s lips against his.
After a while, the two split up. Kai slowly looked away, his right hand reaching his still tingling lips. There was no word that could accurately describe the way he felt. His heart was beating so fast, he thought it was about to stop.
“Whoa.” he tried to break the silence, awkwardly laughing and playing with a ring again. “That was…”
Damon’s small hum said it all. He smiled, looking back at the debater, whose face was uncharacteristically red. He was also smiling.
“Anything else you want to say ?”
That was it. If there was a moment to say it, it was now.
“I love you.” Kai said, reaching out to hold Damon’s hand. “I have for a while.”
“I’ve known that since yesterday. Anything else ?” Damon’s smile turned into a smug grin. His usual ‘I-know-that-I’ve-won’ grin. Kai wanted to kiss it off his face so badly.
He didn’t reject him. He wasn’t disgusted. He accepted it.
“Uh… Will you go on a date with me ? Whenever you want.”
“I’ll consider your proposition.” But Damon’s smile said everything for him. Damon looked happy, and Kai ? He felt like the happiest man alive. “And, just so it’s clear, I love you too.”
Kai’s heart skipped a beat. This, this was the moment, the words he’d only ever dreamed hearing in Damon’s voice, and it sounded so good, much better than in his fantasies, and so, so much more honest, he wanted to cry.
He leaned in for another kiss, and Damon seemed to get the message, because he met him halfway. This time, it wasn’t as messy, and it was so much softer Kai felt like he was going to melt. It felt as close to perfect as it could be, with their inexperience.
“I really, really do love you.” he said in a quick breath. All of his worries left, and his stomach, full of proverbial butterflies, felt as light as when he woke up. “Ah, it's so nice finally being able to say it.”
The influencer rested his head on the debater's shoulder again, holding him tightly as if to never let go. The blond returned the embrace
“I guess so, yeah.”
“What, aren't you happy about it?”
“Oh, I am. I am.”
And Kai knew he was. They both were.
“Although, just because you confessed doesn't mean you're escaping the medicine. You still don't want to spend the first day of the year with a headache, right ?”
“If you're here, I don't really mind. My fans can wait for the first live stream of the year, I’m busy hugging you.”
“Okay, and I have work to finish.”
“Can't you stay here for a while still ?”
“I can bring my work here, I guess.”
“Please ? I wanna stay with you.”
“If you take the medicine.”
“... Okay, fine. I just need some water.”
“Aw, can't swallow a pill ?”
“Hey ! I'll have you know it's not rare for someone to not be able to swallow a pill without water !”
“Whatever you say.”
Their usual banter died down, and neither of them moved. Kai laughed.
“What happened to working ?”
“Oh, shut up. Let me enjoy this for a bit longer.”
…Kai didn't have the heart to say otherwise.
“Happy new year, by the way.”
“Mhm. Happy new year, Kai.”
— — —
“Hi everyone ! Happy new year! How's it all going !”
Kai held up his phone in the air, seemingly chatting live with his fans. Honestly, Damon didn't know how he was able to hold it like that for hours at a time. He figured it was just an influencer thing.
“Yeah, I know I wasn't there yesterday, but I was like, sooo busy with school work I kinda couldn't do anything else. But I'm glad if it's going well for y’all !”
Damon stopped in the middle of the room, and was eventually noticed by his roommate, who waved at him with a smile.
A small idea popped in his head, and he walked to the couch where he was sitting.
“Hm ? What's up—”
Damon put down Kai's arm, phone screen camera hidden from view, and then gave him a kiss. Surprised for a second, the influencer reciprocated.
“I'll be out for a bit. See you later.”
Kai looked at him in awe, not even raising his arm again. He was blushing. Damon smiled, knowing it was his doing.
Then, Kai playfully rolled his eyes and smiled, raising the phone back to the position it had been in before. Damon was, thankfully, still out of view.
“Yeah, see ya ! Oh, and, I love you.”
“Love you too.”
When Damon finally left their shared dorm room, he checked his phone, only to find a message from Eva.
Today, 2:34PM
I’m right outside the dorms.
Also, thank you for the 20$.
What 20$???
Don’t worry about it.