Written: 01/12-12/12 Updated: 06/17

Shindou only vaguely remembered when it had started. It was a rainy day—he didn't know why he remembered that fact as if it was yesterday, and Kirino stayed over at his place after practice. Normally, he would sleep in the guest room, but during this particular night, the two talked for hours and eventually fell asleep in Shindou's bed.

Despite being big enough for five people, as the Raimon captain woke up, the brunette found his pink-haired friend close to him. This morning gave him the opportunity to view the gracious defender from a perspective closer than ever before. He noted his fine proportions for the first time, from his elegant fingers over his soft lips to the shampoo-scented hair.

A weird thought popped into Shindou's head in that moment and as he saw that Kirino was awake, his pure azure eyes still sleepy, the brunette couldn't help but voice the words that had kept him busy.

"Kirino, how do your lips taste?" It was a question of innocent curiosity, he hadn't thought about the weirdness of it. The brunette trusted in their bond of friendship which allowed him to say whatever he was thinking.

Kirino hesitated a moment. He still wasn't fully awake, just remembering where he was—in a place where he wasn't supposed to sleep. "My lips?", the pink-haired boy asked then slowly, wondering what to answer. "No one has ever asked that... Hm, maybe like cherries … I would love to eat some, but I think it isn't the right season … seriously, why can't they grow the whole year?" Imagining how nice that would be, Kirino looked at the ceiling. He hadn't changed his position, still laying close to his friend, showing no intention to move.

Both felt comfortable with being near each other, without actually realizing how much they enjoyed each others company. There wasn't any disturbance at this morning—it must have been Sunday, so the two remained quiet for some time.

Then finally, after an eternity had passed, Shindou broke the silence. "I don't think it's cherry", the brunette had concluded as if he had spent all the time thinking about Kirino's answer.

"What?" His friend had already forgotten about their discussion, cuddled into Shindou's blankets, too lazy to think about the strange things the other boy was saying.

But the Raimon captain didn't react to his question. "No, they must taste like sugar… You do look a bit like candy, don't you think?"

Now Kirino rolled around, rose his head and supported it with his elbows. "Don't get the wrong idea and eat me. I promise, you'll get a big stomach ache afterwards."

Waiting for a reply, the pink-haired defender looked at Shindou, his deep brown eyes telling him that his friend was not satisfied. "You sure are in a weird mood today, Shindou", he commented finally. "I don't want you to think about this forever, so maybe you should just try."

It was only meant halfway serious, so Kirino was a bit surprised as his friend came closer. "Sure about that?", the brunette asked, his voice with a suddenly gentle. His face had stopped centimeters before him, looking questioning into the eyes of the pink-haired boy.

"It's alright, it's just to determinate the taste after all." He sat up to give Shindou a better access to his mouth. "If I don't like it, I might bite you though", Kirino whispered just before their lips met.

And in fact, he did bite. As Shindou felt a light pain in his lips, he immediately broke the kiss and separated from the pink-haired defender. The brunette looked insecurely at his friend. "I'm sorry", he apologized, although the Raimon captain was the one feeling the pain. "Did I hurt you?"

"No!" Kirino hurried to say. The gracious boy slightly blushed as he added: "It felt good so I wanted more…. But I guess biting you wasn't the right way to express that." He smiled at his friend. "I hope your lips are ok?"

Shindou nodded. "Don't worry." The brunette was surprised that he had enjoyed kissing his friend so much, it had felt like he had always wanted to do just that, a subconsciously suppressed wish finally coming true. And from Kirino's reaction—or maybe it was instinct, he could tell that his mate had the same longing deep inside him.

This time fully aware of his actions he came closer to Kirino again, smirking. "But I think I need a second try, I didn't find out your taste."

"You can have as many chances as you want", the other boy answered sheepishly. "I'll try not to bite you … but I can't guarantee."