Oh, yay, finally I update! Thanks majorly to Sakana-san, who heavily inspired this chapter~! Thanks again for your support, lovely! This took WAY longer than I expected… Thanks again, to Sakana, who really motivated me and helped me re-write this after I lost the file!
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First Kiss.
Finian held Bard's hand as he led the older man through the back garden. Finian, as the gardener, knew the garden from top to bottom, even the little hidey-holes for mice, so Bard knew at least that they weren't lost. But that was all he knew, for Finian refused to tell him anymore because it would 'ruin the surprise'. Almost sensing his frustration, Finian turned his head, throwing Bard a wide grin over his shoulder, and said, "We're almost there, don't worry."
Finian grinned to himself as he turned his head forward. He was taking Bard to a place that only he and Mr. Sebastian knew of, right in the very center of the garden. It was secluded and pretty, not unlike Bard himself. He grinned again as he felt Bard's confusion radiate from behind him. He stopped walking and faced the older man. Placing his free hand over Bard's cerulean eyes, Finian gently pulled Bard's hand, leading him onward.
At first, when his vision went blank, Bard panicked. Where the hell was the kid leading him? But the fact that they were alone, outside of anyone's range of hearing and sight, and how close Finian was to him… It all calmed Bard, but also slightly excited him. But it was Finian he was thinking about, and for the boy's sake he'd hold back all of his urges and impulses.
A few more right turns, straight until they reached the highest hedges, and then a left turn led them to a long straightaway that led to the center of the garden. Finian stopped walking right before the short gates that blocked the entrance. Bard, trapped in his own thoughts, didn't notice when the smaller boy stopped walking. He walked straight into Finian, causing him to stumble, release Bard's hand and remove his hand from his eyes.
He stepped on a small rock and lost his footing again, flailing for half a second before landing on… Well, his ass. Bard stood there for a moment, trying to decide whether to laugh or help Finian. But the stunned look on the younger boy's face, coupled with his position on the ground, was too much for him and he burst into laughter. "Oh, God, Fin… That was too much." He gasped between bouts of laughter. Hands on his knees, he let a few tears of mirth escape his eyes. Calming his laughter, Bard reached his hand out and pulled Finian onto his feet.
Finian brushed the dirt off of his pants, mock-glaring at Bard. It was lost on him, as the older man was now looking at the garden. Finian watched as his eyes scanned the area, categorizing and memorizing everything. He watched nervously, awaiting critique, as this was one of the few areas he took care of himself, with the occasional help from Sebastian as always.
Bard stood at the entrance to the small, square area that he hadn't even known was there. Surrounded by hedges, there were some flowers growing in front of them, there was a small stone table on the far side, partially blocked from his view by a medium-sized oak tree. Bright green grass grew everywhere. "… Did you make this place yourself?" Bard asked finally. "The hedges were here when I found this, so I asked Mr. Sebastian if I could grow some things and he said I could. It was just something I did a while ago to keep me occupied." Finian explained quietly.
"Well, it's amazing. I didn't even know this garden had a center like this."
Finian sat down at the base of the tree and pulled a backpack off of his small shoulders that Bard hadn't even noticed. He looked up at the older man before him, his eyes practically shooting rainbows with happiness. "Well, are you going to sit?" He asked cheerily, rummaging through the bag. "I brought food." He added, seeing Bard's slight confusion. Bard lowered himself down slowly as Finian pulled out a few sandwiches and a bottle of juice out of his backpack.
He flashed the older man a wide smile, handing him a sandwich. "I don't know what kind they are, they were just left overs." He said quietly before shoving one in his own mouth- whole. Bard watched in fascination as the young boy shoved whole sandwiches into his mouth. "What?" He asked, sensing Bard's stare. "I'm a growing boy!" He defended. Bard just chuckled at him, and leaned forward so that his face was rather close to the gardener's.
Aforementioned gardener's face turned bright red at the proximity of his crush, and he averted his gaze. "Wh- What are you doing?" He stuttered. "Calm your hormones, Fin. You just have crumbs all over your face." Bard said, chuckling lightly. He reached his hand up to the younger boy's face and brushed off a few of the crumbs. Finian's face, if possible, turned a brighter red for every second that Bard touched him.
He's so cute when he blushes. Bard thought to himself as he dragged his hand down Finian's cheek and neck to rest it on his shoulder. Gripping Finian's shoulder and brining his other hand to his other shoulder to keep him steady. Bard leaned slightly closer, breathing in the boy. He smelled like grass, dirt, flowers and innocence. He slid his eyes closed and pressed his forehead against Finian's. He vaguely wondered if the boy would taste like innocence, too. Probably.
Finian's breath hitched and sped up when Bard pressed their foreheads together. His heart rate was steadily increasing. With the object of his affection so close, his sweet breath fanning across Finian's face, the young gardener almost couldn't resist kissing him.
Almost.
Because he didn't have to- the cook beat him to it. Bard hesitated for a moment, and then pressed his lips gently against the younger boy's soft mouth, kissing him gently for a few seconds. He pulled away, apologies and explanations jumping to his mind.
He opened his mouth to voice one of them, but before he could, the gardener wrapped his arms around Bard's neck and crushed their lips together quickly. Kissing with a kind of passion he didn't know he had, Finian surprised himself. The cook snaked his arms around Finian's waist and pulled him closer. He reluctantly broke the kiss, pressing their foreheads together once again.
"Don't ever try to apologize for kissing me." Finian whispered. "Ever." And Bard silently agreed by pressing their lips together once more, softly and innocently.
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Oh, God, feel free to shoot me now xD Just so you know, these aren't in order or anything.
Review, please! I need critique~!
