The evening has been going better than Hayato had let himself expect. It helped that Soma-senpai showed up with Yukiya hovering just over his shoulder, so by the time Mitsuki came in there were plenty of people to talk to other than each other. They both promptly ignored each other through the entirety of dinner, the presentation of Soma-senpai's latest plan, and the migration out to chatter on the back porch. But then Takuma wandered back inside, and without Yukiya actually saying anything Soma-senpai declared that he was getting cold and swept them both inside, and in a matter of seconds there's just Mitsuki and Hayato together and alone on the porch.
Hayato glances at Mitsuki sideways without turning his head. He doesn't expect the other boy to be looking at him. After all, Mitsuki's been avoiding him all night, sticking so close to Soma-senpai that he hasn't tried to jab his fingers at Hayato's unprotected eyes once. Hayato half-expects him to get up without a farewell to follow the other three inside. It's dark outside, after all, and it seems darker with just the two of them, like the shadows have taken on a physical presence.
The problem is that when he looks sideways, Mitsuki's looking right at him. Actually looking at him, like he did the last time they were out on Hayato's porch together. Alone, his mind fills in, and his mouth starts to burn with remembered pressure. Hayato reaches for a topic, something, anything to fill the silence, to chase Mitsuki away or raise his ire or anything at all other than this dragging quiet.
He turns towards Mitsuki with a tongue still blank of ideas, expecting the other boy to be turning away or glaring or something. But Mitsuki is just staring at him, green eyes catching the dim moonlight so they are sparkling and dark, and Hayato's mouth comes open pointlessly and his eyes drop to Mitsuki's mouth entirely without his consent.
Mitsuki doesn't say anything. He slides sideways over the porch and extends a hand towards Hayato. For a moment Hayato thinks to cringe, experience telling him to protect his eyes, but the dangerous fingers go far wide and catch his hair, and by the time he's given up on the fright reaction Mitsuki is too close and still moving, and then their mouths come together again.
It's smoother, this time. Mitsuki was more careful or maybe just less rushed, but Hayato's nose fits alongside the other boy's instead of crushing it, and there's just the softness of lips under his own instead of teeth and cheek and confusion. They are both very still for a minute; Mitsuki's fingers lie flat and tense against the back of Hayato's neck and Hayato has a moment of panic before he remembers how to breathe through his nose.
Hayato brings his hand up, very carefully and slowly, to brush just against the top of Mitsuki's hair. It shifts over the soft ends and he can feel Mitsuki take a breath before he settles his palm against the contours of the other boy's face. His eyes are open, he realizes after a moment, he's staring wide-eyed at the too-close shadows of Mitsuki's eyelashes on his cheek and the tendrils of hair against Mitsuki's ear, and he has absolutely no idea what to do.
Mitsuki tips his head, and for a second Hayato thinks he's trying to adjust the angle of their mouths, but then the other boy's lips slide apart and Hayato's do too, mirroring instinctively without quite checking in with his conscious brain, which is currently panicking about his open eyes and what he's doing with his hand and does he need to do something else? Mitsuki breathes out through his mouth and into Hayato's, and then his tongue is past Hayato's mouth and Hayato's panic entirely collapses under the sheer pressure of shock.
Mitsuki's tongue is wet, and warm, and there is a moment of confusion at the utter strangeness of the sensation, but then Hayato tries moving his own and immediately forgets all the strange aspects because his veins are flooding full of excited fire. Mitsuki tastes like salt and sweet and different, weird and good all mixed up together, and Hayato can't really tell where his mouth stops and Mitsuki's begins, it's all heat and damp and new. Mitsuki makes a whining noise that Hayato can feel in his own mouth, and then his other hand comes up so he's holding the other boy in place. He shifts forward without quite pulling away, so there's a moment of confusion regarding knees and mouths and tongues, and then Hayato's got one hand in Mitsuki's hair and one at his waist and his whole front is warm, Mitsuki's leaning into him so hard he thinks he's maybe going to fall over backward, and he's entirely lost track of what their mouths are doing except that it feels good, really good.
He doesn't realize how fast his heart is beating until he starts to feel lightheaded because he can't get enough air through his nose, and then he takes in the odd panting sound Mitsuki is making, and they both pull back at once. Hayato breathes out too fast so it sounds like a sigh, sucks in air, and blinks at Mitsuki. The other boy is staring at him, and his eyes are dark and shining and his lips are damp. Hayato looks at the shimmer of moisture and realizes that it is from his own mouth and can't quite remember how his lungs work.
Mitsuki opens his mouth to speak, pauses, then takes a breath and gets to his feet without speaking. He goes to the door, stops with his hand on the handle to look back at Hayato. With the light behind him he's haloed in illumination and Hayato can't see his features.
Mitsuki takes another breath, turns his head so he is in profile against the light. Hayato stares at him.
"Mitsuki?"
Mitsuki exhales carefully. "Hayato," he says. His voice is trembling like he's about to cry, and as Hayato watches him he brings his hand up to press against his lips. He turns away and goes inside. Hayato stays where he is, looking through the glass door to watch the light catch gold and red on Mitsuki's curling hair.