He feels like, maybe, for a second, he's having panic attack.

Which was ridiculous but—

He's panicking—

Breathe.

Mikado breath stutters, he sucks in air, chest heaving.

Breathe.

Okay.

He calmly sets down his pencil and excuses himself from the group, standing. He mumbles that he's going to the bathroom, freeing him from their stares. He makes a swift exit from classroom.

He still needs to remind himself to breathe as he heads to the bathroom; it's empty.

Mikado skitters into one of the stalls, snapping the door shut behind him. He slumps down onto the toilet, sucking in a deep breath again.

He just needs a moment to think.

A couple days ago Mikado noticed something.

He had been studying with Masaomi at his apartment, nothing out of the norm, when his friend had suddenly pointed out that Mikado had been staring at the other boy for several minutes.

"Mikadoooo, is something on my face? Or have you finally succumbed to my charms after all these years? Eh? Eh?"

At the time Mikado had brushed it off—

("You're about as charming as toad."

"A cute toad?"

"No.")

—and didn't think anything of it.

But once it was pointed out to him, Mikado couldn't stop noticing it. He just kept getting… distracted. There was something about the other boy's neck and jaw that kept drawing Mikado's eye. If not that then his eyes. His nose. Mouth.

He had started to feel uneasy with how much he was looking at his friend, to the point where he focused on not looking at Masaomi; which of course meant he wasn't focusing on his homework. Still though, he hadn't really given it too much thought. Masaomi, he could admit, had a really nice face. It was… aesthetically pleasing.

There was nothing wrong with thinking that, he had told himself.

But when Mikado was in class the next couple days he kept noticing things.

Or more specifically, other boys in his class. It wasn't really that odd, just sort of small things, like who had particularly well shaped faces and such. Not enough to make him feel weird.

But when gym class rolled around he would catch himself staring at a certain couple of classmates, some who seemed to have more toned arms then should be allowed and—

He had immediately looked over to the girls' gym class across the field whenever he caught himself staring, just to make sure, and he got caught up in the sight of creamy smooth thighs and soft curves and yes, he definitely still liked girls.

But he couldn't look long without feeling like a creep so he ended up stressing himself out by trying very hard not to look at anyone—

It was all starting to get out of hand. He kept noticing that he was noticing and now in class, just earlier, he had caught himself staring at Hiroshi-kun's mouth chewing on the end of his pencil instead of looking at his damn worksheet.

Mikado buries his face into his hands, groaning.

What was wrong with him?

He jolts up when the door to the restroom slams open. Whoever it is comes in whistling, the sound familiar.

Sure enough he sees a glimpse of blonde through the crack between the stall door and the wall.

"Masaomi?"

The whistling stops, "Huh? Mikado?"

Mikado stands and opens the door to look at his friend, who stares back at him in surprise. Mikado smiles; seeing his friend right now is an actual welcomed distraction… from his thoughts at least. The look of surprise on Masaomi's face quickly shifts into suspicion.

"… were you just sitting in there?"

"Oh, uh…"

Masaomi shoots him a scandalized look.

"I didn't think you had the guts to do something like that at school, Mikado!"

It takes a moment for the words and the look Masaomi is giving him to click—

"W-Wh-What no—"

Masaomi quickly shushes him, patting him on the shoulder.

"It's okay, Mikado. Your secret is safe with me!"

Mikado chokes on his own spit, face burning. Masaomi grins at him.

"It's no big deal. Sometimes a man's gotta do what he's got to do!"

In all this Mikado finds himself captivated by the smile on Masaomi's face. Was he losing feeling in his cheeks from all the blood rushing there?

"I wasn't doing that," Mikado spits out viciously at last.

Masaomi just laughs, "If you say so, Mikado! What were you doing in there then?"

He tries to come up with a plausible answer that doesn't make him sound stupid or weird and finds himself coming up short.

"Er…"

Masaomi's face shifts into a look of concern.

"Is everything okay? Did you start to feel sick or something?"

Mikado remains silent, struggling with the temptation to spill everything. There's a warmth in his chest when he sees Masaomi looking worriedly at him; and yet somehow everything just feels suffocating.

"… yeah. I'm just not feeling well."

Masaomi's face drops for a moment, "Really?"

Mikado nods. His friend pulls out his phone and starts tapping away.

"…What are you doing?"

Masaomi doesn't glance up, still typing, "Messaging Anri-chan to grab your bag for you when school's out. I'm taking you home now."

It's a little startling to hear Masaomi sound serious.

"W-Wait a second, we can't just leave school!"

The moment passes when Masaomi's phone goes off and he grins as he scans the message.

"Don't be silly, Mikado! You're not feeling well and so it's only right you go home to recover!"

Mikado sputters, "But we'll get in trouble won't we? And I don't want Sonohara-san to carry my bag home—"

Masaomi shoves his phone into the other's face.

"She already said it's okay!"

The light from the phone is glaring, but he isn't lying. She even had wished him well.

"But the school…"

Masaomi sighs and shoves his phone into his pocket. He drops an arm around Mikado's shoulders, leading the other boy out of the bathroom.

"Stop worrying, Mikado! Leaving early one time isn't going to get you into much trouble. Slap on the wrist at most!"

The weight of the arm around Mikado's shoulders is warm and his stomach flutters nervously.

Maybe he is sick.

"Well… alright."

Masaomi looks at him in surprise, "Wait, really? Oooooh, who knew Mr. Class Rep was actually a dirty, no-good class skipper! Scandalous!"

Still feeling a little too anxious, Mikado doesn't have the energy to do more than glare, but Masaomi only laughs and pulls Mikado closer.

"Alright, let's ditch this place!"

It becomes obvious that this not the first time Masaomi has slipped out of class as they navigate out of the building with no trouble at all. His friend boosts Mikado up and over the fence surrounding the perimeter school before jumping up and lifting up himself. Safely on the other side of the fence, Mikado narrows his eyes.

"How many times have you done this…?"

Masaomi lands with a thud in front of him. He straightens and pats off the front of his pants.

"Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answers to, Mikado~"

Mikado only sighs.

They take their time walking home and Mikado tries to not notice the disapproving stares of passersby. It's fairly obvious they're skipping school, but no one stops them. Masaomi either hasn't noticed the looks or doesn't care, so Mikado focuses on the way his friend's laugh puts him at ease.

When they get to Mikado's apartment there's a mutual understanding that they're going to hang out, despite the fact that Mikado should be "recovering". When the door opens, Masaomi moves past him and into the room. He kicks his shoes off and plops himself onto the floor, quick to make himself at home. Mikado mutters in annoyance under his breath and slips off his own shoes, nudging the pairs together into a little neater of a pile.

Masaomi is already clacking away on his phone, stretched out on his stomach. Mikado moves to go lay next to him, opting to lie on his back. It feels weird to be home so early. Normally he would try to start on his homework, but without his bag he can't so he's kind of feeling lost.

He feels a warm pressure on his cheek as Masaomi prods his face with his phone.

"Now that we're here, you wanna tell your best friend what's eating you?"

Mikado swats the phone away, huffing.

"What are you talking about?"

Masaomi changes tactics and pinches his cheek. Mikado smacks his hand and tries to punch him in the shoulder; Masaomi doesn't flinch and just laughs.

"You can't lie to meeee, Mikado!"

He doesn't respond, a sour look on his face. Masaomi nudges his elbow against Mikado's arm, pouting.

"Come on, what is it you can't tell your best friend?"

Mikado fidgets. Is this about…? Has it been obvious? Masaomi frowns when he doesn't immediately spill his guts and turns back to his phone. Mikado feels a little guilty; he's just looking out for him after all. And isn't this the sort of thing you'd talk to your best friend about anyway?

But he can't quite bring himself to speak. How do you tell your best friend that you're not sure if you like girls or boys better anymore? He can feel himself tensing up as time passes and he still can't work up the courage to start talking and the longer he waits the more obvious it is—

"Whatever it is, it's probably not as bad as you as you think it is~" The usually irritating sing-song voice is uncharacteristically warm and comforting; Mikado feels the tenseness in his back lessen and he breathes out shakily. Maybe…

"I… I guess I've just been, er, getting distracted lately… by things?"

Masaomi's stare burns the side of his face, but Mikado refuses to meet his gaze. His tiny bubble of confidence is deflating fast.

"… distracted? By what?"

Though Mikado can't really see his face, he can tell Masaomi's trying hard to guess what it is, bordering somewhere between concerned and curious. He clings to the last drop of courage he has.

"Uhm… B-Boys?"

As soon he says it, the regret hits like a train. It's like a weight has been dropped on his chest, the air weakly fleeing his lungs. It's out now in the open, there's no take backs. All that's left is what Masaomi will say—

"Oh. Well, do you still think Anri-chan is sexy?"

He sputters. Masaomi clicks his tongue.

"My poor Mikado. Do I need to tone it down to PG? Okay okay, do you still think Anri-chan is cute?"

The weight feels a little less crushing.

"… Yes?"

He finally turns his head and looks over at his friend; he'd turned on his side to face Mikado, propped up on one arm, thoughtful looking.

"Hmmm… well then, sounds like someone's sexuality is in full bloom. Is this what they call a sexual awakening?"

Masaomi doesn't sound weirded out. That was good right? He scratches his cheek nervously.

"Oh…."

Masaomi turns back to his phone. Mikado can't decide if he's relieved or annoyed. Both probably.

"And you don't think it's… weird or anything?"

"Nope!" He turns and smiles, "Welcome to the wonderful world of bisexuality, Mikado!"

Bisexual.

"Oh."

Was it as simple as that? He had certainly considered that, but wasn't it supposed to be harder than this? How does he know for sure? He squirms uncomfortably. Masaomi 'tsk's next to him.

"Do you doubt me, Mikado?"

"... I-I don't know."

"Hmm…." He's typing away on his phone again, "Okay, tell me: how does this make you feel, Mikado?"

He turns his phone so Mikado can look at the screen. It's some random woman in a swimsuit and, oh, wow—

"Like what you see, hm?" Masaomi waggles his eyebrows, "Always been into big breasts huh, Mikado?"

Mikado's face burns as Masaomi retracts his phone, tapping away again.

"So you're definitely into women, or big-breasted ones at least, but how about…"

Masaomi turns his phone again, grinning, "This?"

Some ripped guy with his—

Mikado's hand slaps the phone out of his friend's fingers ("Hey!") sending it sailing across the room.

"PG! You said PG!"

Masaomi scrambles over to collect his phone. He checks it over, before heaving a sigh of relief.

"I never formally agreed to such terms," he comes back over and sits cross-legged next to Mikado, "And it's not like you've never seen a dick before."

He's still carefully looking over his phone, pouting.

Mikado just covers his eyes with his arm, the cool fabric soothing.

"… So did you like it or…?"

Mikado lets his arm slide off his face, plopping down beside him.

"I don't know."

And he doesn't. Until a few weeks ago he never even would have considered something like— like looking up pics of guys like he had done with women. But then hadn't he… he had been looking at them? When they came across his path, in the convenience store, on the internet, or even at school. He hadn't been looking for them, but he'd look.

"Okay, well, what about this then?"

Mikado glances over, expecting another picture, and instead he sees Masaomi tugging up the front of his hoodie. The lighting in his apartment isn't amazing, in fact it's a little dark despite the sun shining brightly outside, but even so there's something about the way the shadows play on Masaomi's chest. He feels his mouth go dry.

Oh.

He looks up at the other boy's face. Masaomi's looking down at him, wearing a shit-eating grin.

Mikado's fist is flying before he even realizes, he's seething, punching Masaomi right in the gut. He doesn't hold back and Masaomi lets out a satisfying 'oomph'!

"Ow, Mikado—!"

"Don't make fun of me."

Masaomi stops rubbing his sore stomach, now safely hidden away under his hoodie, to stare at Mikado in shock, mouth slack. Mikado turns away, lying on his side. His face is hot, burning his hands as he buries his face in them. Anger and embarrassment fight to take up his thoughts. The muscles between his shoulder blades tighten and start to ache. The room is absolutely silent, save for the rushing sound in Mikado's ears.

Minutes pass.

He hears Masaomi shuffle behind him.

"Hey."

The knot in Mikado's stomach loosens a little.

"I'm sorry. I was teasing you. I shouldn't have."

It's almost surprising how quickly the tension in Mikado's body loosens. Though embarrassment still lingers in his cheeks. He had realized two things.

First, he was pretty sure he just as interested in guys as he was in girls.

He takes his time turning back around. Masaomi had lain down on his side as well, pillowing his head on his arm. His friend's face is twisted in anticipation, worried.

"Will you forgive your most bestest and oldest friend?"

Mikado does his best to fight off the small smile that's trying to creep onto his lips.

"… I guess."

Masaomi sinks more comfortably into the floor, smiling.

"I guess? Mikado, please, my heart won't heal until I know I've rectified my wrong!"

Mikado snorts.

"Really?"

"Really! It's tearing me apart that I've inflicted such a heartless wound on our friendship!"

"Hmmm…"

Masaomi grins, "So you forgive me?"

Mikado sighs heavily, but he can't quite hide his smile anymore.

"Yeah, I forgive you."

Masaomi cheers, thrusting his free arm in the air. Mikado feels himself grinning. His friend lowers his arm, smiling.

"So, jokes aside, if you didn't feel anything taking in this," he gestures lazily at himself, "then I must say I doubt anything could."

Mikado 'tsk's, "Maybe you're just not my type."

"Ridiculous. I'm everyone's type."

He laughs and Masaomi huffs indignantly.

They're joking around about him maybe liking guys and it's not weird…

It just feels normal.

It feels nice.

When he's quieted down and settled back onto the floor he realizes that Masaomi has gone quiet. He looks over to see him staring down at him.

"…What?" Mikado touches his face, self-conscious. Was there something there?

"Well I was thinking… if you still weren't sure there's something else we can try."

Masaomi has stopped looking at Mikado's face, opting instead to pull on a loose thread at the bottom hem of his hoodie. Mikado's curiosity gets the better of him.

"Oh…?"

Masaomi smiles, but it's small, sheepish.

"Well I didn't want to steal your thunder," he drifts off.

He still isn't quite looking Mikado in the eye, leaving him a little unnerved. Steal his thunder?

"I guess you could say… I've been wondering some things myself?"

It's only when the air heaves out in one swoop that Mikado realizes he had been holding it. His heart is fluttering.

"W-wait, really?"

His voice cracks a little. He's not sure where it comes from, but he's somewhere between shocked and maybe a little bit excited. Masaomi shrugs like it isn't a big deal, but his cheeks are little pink, and Mikado's heart is racing.

The second thing Mikado had realized not just 5 minutes ago was that he was probably, very specifically, interested in this idiot that called himself Mikado's friend.

"Oh but hey, that means we might be bi-buddies, Mikado!"

Masaomi laughs at himself, slapping his thigh, like he just came up with the best joke in the world, and Mikado can't stop staring at him.

When Masaomi realizes he's laughing alone, he pouts, "Mikado? Did you hear my joke?"

It takes another few seconds before Mikado realizes that his friend is speaking, to him.

"Oh uh. What?"

"My joke, Mikado! Bi-Buddies! Isn't that so good? It just came to me—"

"A joke?"

"Yes!"

"But it wasn't funny?"

"Mikado, my jokes are always funny."

The sun has gotten a little lower in the sky now, shining just a tad more directly in the room now. Masaomi has started raving about something again, but Mikado tunes him out. Masaomi's eyes were catching the light in way that made them seem much brighter than usual.

"—kado!"

Wait,

"Huh?"

Instead of pouting again, Masaomi gives him a sort contemplative look, and Mikado can feel himself starting to tense up. His friend stares just a little longer and just as Mikado is about to say something—

"Am I one of your distractions, Mikado?"

It's like having a full body-hiccup.

"W-what I—" He scrambles to sit up, Masaomi following suit, "that's not—"

"Ha ha I was just teasing," he grins, adjusting to sit cross-legged again, "But now that you've graced me with your attention…"

Mikado tries to laugh too, but he gets the feeling that it comes out strained.

"R-Right…"

Masaomi crosses his arms, face shifting into a dead eye stare at him.

"So as I was saying, since we're both a little unsure, we could try some experimenting!"

"… Experimenting?"

He's not stupid; he knows what his friend is getting at. But Mikado's thoughts sort of feel like they're shorting out.

Masaomi just nods, looking proud.

"Yup! That way we can both know for sure, right?"

Mikado knows his face has to be beet red if the heat is anything to go by. Would that be okay? He can't really say that he doesn't want to kiss Masaomi, but… wouldn't it be kind of taking advantage of the situation? If he was getting more out of this then just a little experiment?

Plus, Mikado wasn't really feeling quite as "unsure" as he had been a little while ago.

"Errr…"

Masaomi unfurls his arms and leans back on his hands, glancing over to the window. His face is carefully neutral, but Mikado can see by the way his shoulders scrunch up that his friend is trying to hide his own nervousness.

"If you think it'd be weird it's okay, it was just an idea."

Mikado rubs the inside of his wrist anxiously.

"Well… if you think it would help… f-figure some things out."

After all, Masaomi had been the one who had asked, hadn't he?

Speaking of which; his friend glances back at him, face still blank.

They watch each other carefully. There's a light tension in the air, a little uncomfortable, a little exciting.

"… I think it would!"

Masaomi straightens, resting his hands in his lap. There's a small smile on his face now as he closes his eyes.

"Okay, kiss me when you're ready, Mikado!"

Mikado squeaks, "Wait m-me?"

Masaomi opens his eyes again, frowning, "I thought that it might be a little less scary for you that way—"

"I'm not scared—"

"Well I thought it would be better than you waiting for me," he shrugs, "But if you want it the other way around I can—"

Mikado furiously shakes his head, "N-no, actually…"

Masaomi smiles again, closing his eyes.

"Okay… when you're ready!"

Mikado shifts uncomfortably. How… was he supposed to go about this? He moves a little closer, mimicking his friend's pose, sitting cross-legged. He moves until his knees are just barely brushing against Masaomi's. His friend is still smiling and Mikado can feel his face is radiating warmth again. Okay…

What did he do with his hands?

He leans forward a little, hands placed in his own lap, straining to reach his friends face. Without anything to brace his hands on though he can't quite reach. He leans back again, frustrated. He eyes Masaomi's thighs and considers. But would that make it weird? He wipes his less than dry hands on his trousers.

No, no… that was probably taking it too far, right? But…

He tries to lean forward again, using the little space between his ankles and Masaomi's to place his hands, but it's still just a little too far—

"I know I said 'when you're ready' but how long are you gonna make me wait here?"

Masaomi had cracked open one eye, pouting.

"Don't look!"

He just sighs, closing his eyes again. Mikado swallows thickly, willing himself to stop shaking.

"… c-can you lean forward a little bit more?"

His friend grins, eyes still tightly clamped shut.

"You only had to ask, my friend!"

Masaomi face swoops in closer, much much closer, stopping just an inch or so from his own. His whole body stiffens and he wonders briefly if Masaomi knows how close he'd come to knocking their heads together. Has he ever been this close to someone else's face before? It feels uncomfortable and his head is starting to feel light; maybe he couldn't do this.

He leans just away, just enough to breathe, rethinking this idea.

He stops.

The light has hit what Mikado could only describe as the perfect spot. The light refracts, bouncing off Masaomi's hair in a way that makes it seems unearthly; glowing, blinding… Mikado almost can't look at it. It pours down, gliding over the soft angles of Masaomi's face, pooling on the most serene smile still caught on his lips. The best smile Mikado's possibly ever seen in his entire life; everything is still.

Masaomi smile starts to drop, "Mika—"

Soft.

That's the first thought to float up. Though he had caught his friend mid word, Masaomi adjusts quickly, lips closing, pressing fervently back to his.

Warm.

His heart seems to have stopped from what he can tell, yet he still feels blood singeing through his veins, racing to his face. Racing until every thought is utterly and completely laser focused on the tiny point that connects Mikado to Masaomi.

Mikado starts to retreat, overwhelmed, severing the connection; Masaomi's mouth chases after him.

His lips just barely graze Mikado's, but it's like a shock, burning, running down his chest, skating over his skin—

Just as quickly Masaomi pulls back and Mikado shudders.

His chest feels tight and hot, in fact everything feels hot. At some point Masaomi had grabbed his forearm and the touch is enough to make him feel dizzy.

That was, that was—

"That was barely anything, Mikado!"

Whatever hazy spell that had been looming over him starts to lift, and he realizes that Masaomi is staring at him, mouth twisted in a pout. His head cools a little.

"Huh?"

That was barely anything?

Masaomi starts to frown again, a look that's happening a bit too often for Mikado's liking, hand loosening from his arm. His skin is tingling.

"Have you ever kissed anyone before?"

"… No."

And Mikado realizes that of course, of course Masaomi's already kissed before.

He feels embarrassed, even though he had felt amazing before, Masaomi probably thought—

"Ah, well for a first it was pretty good, I guess," Masaomi looks a little guilty, "But I should've asked before, this probably wasn't how you imagined your first kiss going—"

"I'm glad it was you."

Masaomi's hand is still on his arm and the spot hums, sending aftershocks up his arm. He wants to avert his eyes from his friend's, who's looking back at him in surprise. But he holds his ground, because if there's one thing he knows, it's that Masaomi is quick to blame himself. So even if he feels like his heart is gonna give out from sheer nervousness, he's going to make sure his friend knows that there is nothing to feel guilty about.

And after a moment, Mikado is a little stunned to see that it's Masaomi who finally looks away. Not only that, but he was looking, well, pretty flustered himself.

"That's …uh. Um. Good?"

Free of their stare down, Mikado glances down on the hand still on his arm. The grip had slackened, but it was still resting there, still causing a flurry of tingles up along his arm. His memory takes off on its own and all too suddenly he feels much, much too warm again.

"Mikado."

He whips his head up to meet Masaomi's eyes. There's this look on his friend's face that he can't place, one he's not seen before; the haze from before starts to gently pull at the back of his mind.

"Do you want to try experiment number 2?"

Mikado is already nodding before Masaomi finishes, feeling his whole body start to light up. The hand on his arm moves to gently rest on his thigh, not nearly as weird as he imagined it to be, and Masaomi's face drifts closer to his. They meet half way.

The heat is worse (better?) than before, roaring in his chest, crawling in his veins, into places that would normally feel uncomfortable but now it only feels good, good, good. There's a slick tongue gliding across his lips and he wonders if Masaomi can feel him shiver when it slips past his teeth.

Before was nothing.

There's a hand on his cheek, another squeezing his leg, and Mikado blindly reaches forward to grasp at the other boy's hoodie. He clumsily tries to press back with his tongue, but it's hard when Masaomi's is skillfully running along his. Mikado tugs the fabric wrapped in his fingers; it's feeling ridiculously stuffy in his tiny room but his chest is aching to feel more. There's a good chance his knees are bruising, bumping up against Masaomi's, but there's just this craving to be closer. He tugs again.

Fingers slip away from his cheek, trailing down his neck. It's difficult to keep track of where they wander off to; there's too many other things to feel, like Masaomi catching his tongue with his teeth and the arousal tightening in his stomach. He knows his technique is sloppy, evident with the drool sliding down his chin, but he doesn't have time to be embarrassed when Masaomi's bite turns from his tongue to his bottom lip, pulling. Mikado groans.

Masaomi presses closer to him, trying to unfurl Mikado's legs from under him—

"Gah!"

"Shit, sorry!"

The sudden crash to the floor leaves Mikado stunned for moment, prone under the worrying Masaomi. It passes quickly though and he reaches up to grab the collar of Masaomi's sweater, dragging him down, until he's bracing his forearms on the floor. He hovers over Mikado.

"I'm good."

They're kissing again and Mikado, feeling a little more confident, lets his hands roam. Tentatively he grazes his fingers down Masaomi's chest, then swooping up along his ribs. Touching, touching— his friend shivers a little when he traces down the curve of his spine, setting off shudder in him. It's delightfully captivating.

But the other boy is still just hovering over him, arms on either side of him. Masaomi's legs keep bumping and brushing up against the back of his thighs and Mikado's starting to feel like it's going to drive him insane. He tugs and tugs on his friend's shirt, nibbling his lips, hoping it will entice him to drop down against him.

When he finally relents, sliding down, he sighs into Mikado's mouth. He's flush against him now, slotted perfectly between his legs—

Everything snaps.

There's a resounding thump when Mikado slams the back of his head against the floor. He hisses, reaching behind his head to gently touch the swelling bump. He cracks open an eye to look up at Masaomi who's giving him a startled look.

"Mikado…?"

He feels himself flushing, mortified. Until now he hadn't really noticed how hard he had become, but now he's all too hyper-aware of himself pressing up against Masaomi's lower stomach.

"I-I uh…''

Masaomi is looking increasingly concerned.

"Did I go too far? We can stop—"

"N-No!" He balks a little at the crack in his voice, "No… it's not that. I'm just…"

As if someone were out to get him, Masaomi decides it's a good time to quickly wet his lips, now looking a little swollen. Mikado's hips twitch before he even realizes. Masaomi's eyes widened.

"Oh."

Horrified is the only word that springs to mind for Mikado.

"O-oh my god I—I, I'm sorry—"

Masaomi sweeps down, brushing his lips against his cheek, and Mikado's stuttering comes to sudden stop.

"Its fine," He pulls back up and Mikado can see his face has a light flush as well, "You don't have to be embarrassed."

He adjusts, sliding up until his hips align with Mikado's.

"It's not like it's just you, you know?"

Masaomi is hard.

His throat feels thick and it takes every ounce of self-control to not roll his hips up against Masaomi's. For a minute Mikado can hardly breathe, let alone speak. He's worrying his lip between his teeth when he catches Masaomi giving him a look.

"So… do you want to start experiment number 3, Mikado?"

Mikado doesn't bother answering, reaching up to cup his friend's face. Masaomi leans down to kiss him and there's just the tiniest change in pressure; it's enough to send him spiraling anyway. He can't quite bring himself to do more than kiss, though there's such an ache for friction. His head is spinning; it's torturous to be pressed so tightly against him, he wants to move so badly—

He presses his head back onto the floor, breaking the kiss, groaning as Masaomi grinds down onto him. He's feeling dizzy again, head lolling to the side, and Masaomi starts laying fluttering kisses along his neck, each one sending a hot spike of arousal through his body. Even the tiniest touch is electric. Masaomi ruts against him again, his own small moans tumbling across Mikado's cheek. Feeling needy, Mikado turns his head, wanting to feel Masaomi's mouth on his again. More than willing to oblige, he catches Mikado's lips.

There's someone knocking on the door.

They pull apart just enough so they can breathe. If the look on Masaomi's face is anything to go by, Mikado's not the only who's feeling dazed. For a minute Mikado wonders if maybe he just imagined it—

Another soft knock.

"Just… wait here a second, okay?"

Masaomi pushes himself off of him, pulling himself to his feet. He takes a second to smooth out his hair and wipe his mouth before heading for the door. Mikado sits up, feeling a wave of lightheadedness wash over him. Masaomi takes another quick second to adjust his pants, tugging down his hoodie, just as another knock sounds. Blearily, Mikado looks out the window, the sun low in the sky. Who was knocking?

Wait.

It dawns on him just as Masaomi starts to open the door; he quickly tries to straighten out his clothes, oh god his hair— How does one not look like they've been making out for the past— wait what time is it—

"Anri-chan! Thank you for bringing Mikado's bag home," He grabs it and tosses it carelessly behind him, Mikado squawking indignantly, "You truly are a sweet, sexy angel sent from above!"

Mikado sighs heavily from his spot on the floor, the contents of his bag spilled out next to him. From this angle he doesn't think Sonohara has a clear view him. He runs his hand through his hair a couple times. He scoots as quietly as he can further out of sight.

Masaomi leans on the frame of the front door.

"Now that you're here, let me ask you something. What do you say we turn our love triangle into a threesome?"

Mikado flings the nearest workbook from the mess of his bag at Masaomi's back. It hits with a loud whack, but he shrugs it off.

"So? It's win-win for everyone!"

From here Mikado can't see her face but he gets the feeling that Sonohara is probably embarrassed. Rightfully so! Mikado himself is feeling like crawling into the nearest hole to die. His hand itches to grab another workbook and hurl it at the pervert.

"No… thank you?"

Masaomi's shoulder's sag in disappoint.

"Ah, very well," He straightens up, "If you change your mind let us know! In the meantime, I must ask for a rain check for today."

The itch is very, very tempting.

"Mikado and I," He gestures behind him, "Have some more 'experimenting' to catch up on."

Anri peeks around the boy to look at Mikado, curiosity on her face. The look quickly turns into one of surprise, followed quickly by a pretty blush. Mikado freezes, terrified.

"M-MASAOMI—"

"Whoops!"

The aforementioned friend quickly steps into Anri's line of sight, effectively blocking Mikado from her view.

"My bad, my bad! I should have realized that Mikado wouldn't want such a delicate lady to see him in such an indelicate state!"

"N-No I'm sorry to have intruded."

Masaomi shuts the door a little, lessening the gape. Mikado slumps to the floor, deciding to take a dedicated interest in the ceiling of his apartment. Could he die of embarrassment?

"Please, Anri-chan! Such a lovely being as yourself could never do any wrong! The fault lies with me."

Mikado feels himself start to zone out. The quiet mumbling of his friends doesn't quite reach his ears anymore, he's utterly and completely disconcerted. What was Sonohara going to think of him now?

He hears the door click shut, and raises himself on his elbows so he can properly glare at his friend.

Masaomi averts his eyes, laughing nervously. He rubs the back of his neck.

"Soooo…. I may have jumped the gun on that a little bit. Sorry."

Mikado huffs and flops back down on his back. He's annoyed to admit it but he knows he can't stay mad at Masaomi. Not for long anyway. He feels the other teen move closer, organizing the mess of his books and papers. He stares resolutely at his ceiling. He may not be able to stay mad for long, but he's going to be pissed for as long as he can damn it.

Just as Masaomi lies down next to him, Mikado feels his phone go off in his pocket. He pulls it out to see a notification for a text.

Sonohara

Sorry for intruding. Please feel better! Let's all hang out tomorrow.

Mikado exhales and smiles.

Masaomi shifts next to him.

"Good?"

He turns to shoot Masaomi an unamused look, but he only pouts in return.

"Aw, are you still mad at me?"

"Yes."

Masaomi's pout intensifies and Mikado has to turn away; the last thing he needs is for his friend to realize that it's working. He busies himself with putting away his phone. Masaomi flips off his side and onto his back.

They sit in companionable silence for a little while, the sun slowly drifting lower and lower.

"Hey, Mikado?"

He turns to look at the side of Masaomi's face.

"I'm pretty sure I'm bi."

Mikado turns back to his ceiling.

"… Yeah. Me too."

He feels something nudge his hand and looks to find Masaomi grasping it in his. Mikado feels his cheeks redden, eyes snapping to look at his friend's face. There's a dark blush on Masaomi's cheeks, stemming all the way up to his ears. His heart hammers against his chest.

"… Mikado, do you think that… earlier could be a. Er. Mutually exclusive. Sort of thing?"

Their hands are both a little sweaty and Mikado squeezes. His heart won't stop racing and he finds that he can't look away from Masaomi's face.

"Y-yeah okay."

Masaomi's head whips around to look at him, surprise etched on his face. Mikado wonders briefly if the other boy thought he would say no. The hand around his tightens and Masaomi carefully threads their finger, grinning.

"Good."

He turns so he's on his side again, shimmying closer to Mikado. He's surprised how natural it comes to him to lean in to Masaomi, brushing his lips across his. When he pulls back, the other boy is giggling and he eyes Masaomi warily.

"Do you know what this means?"

"… what?"

"Now we're bi-boyfriends!"

"…"

Mikado leans in to kiss him again, if only to stop the incessant laughing.