A/N: This story was written for the Caesar's Palace "Life is Just One Huge Song" Challenge (Fallin Innocent Love - Country prompt). It is based on the Lady Antebellum Song, "Just a Kiss."
Do you want to come upstairs?" Eric asked without inflection. Kōsuke looked up from his textbook, searching for confirmation, but Eric was looking away from him, his eyes locked on the fish swimming in the tank that took up one long wall of Homra.
"What was that?" Kōsuke asked as he slowly closed his book and slipped it into his backpack.
"Do you want to come upstairs with me?"
"I don't know," Kōsuke said, licking his lips nervously. "I guess it depends on what you've got in mind."
Eric continued to look anywhere but at Kōsuke. "You know, just… things. The kind of things two people do with each other in private."
"Then no, I'll have to pass for tonight," Kōsuke replied, his heart rate skyrocketing.
"What?" Eric demanded, turning quickly to face Kōsuke. Anger and frustration flashed on his face.
"We're not ready for that yet," Kōsuke told him with a sad smile. The emotions changed again on Eric's face as his quick temper faded into shame.
"Don't," Kōsuke warned as he stood and leaned across the bar. He took Eric's chin in his hand and made sure he was looking at him finally. "I want to come up, but I can't."
"Why not?" Eric whined.
"I've been waiting for you my whole life," Kōsuke answered. "I don't want to mess this thing up; I don't want to push too far."
"That's just an excuse. You can't wait forever," Eric accused, his eyes dipping.
"No," Kōsuke insisted, bending to put himself in Eric's line of sight again. "We don't need to rush things, let's just take it slow."
"Okay," Eric whispered.
"How about tomorrow night, I rent a movie and we go upstairs and watch it together. We'll leave the door open and maybe, you'll let me put my arm around you while we're watching."
"That sounds nice," Eric said, blushing.
"To me, too," he said. Without removing his hand from Eric's chin, he moved forward, resting all his weight on the bar and closed the distance between them.
"Is it okay to leave it like this?" Eric asked. "You really don't need anything more?"
"I'm alright with just a kiss goodnight." Kōsuke's lips brushed against Eric's, sending a shiver through them both. "Don't doubt that you'll be in my dreams tonight."
Kōsuke hesitated to break the contact between them, fearing that maybe, just maybe, he'd made the wrong decision, but as he looked up, he saw a smile flash briefly across Eric's burning cheeks.
"Don't forget to lock up behind me," he said, taking up his backpack. "Oh! Any requests for the movie?"
"No," Eric said as he pushed Kōsuke out the front door, ready to lock it behind him. "I trust you."