Omi had never been so nervous in his whole life. He ran around the flat in a state of happiness, excitement and fear all at once…or just in a state…he called Ouka, and felt like a prat when he remembered not everyone got given the day off…he drank a cup of tea, jumped into the shower, jumped out again, a little cleaner, wondered for a moment whether he ought to put on something special, ended up pulling on his favourite most comfortable clothes, baggy shorts and a t-shirt and his favourite way too big hooded sweater, and was just worrying whether he looked too much like a kid for Ken when the doorbell rang and he jumped about a foot in the air.

He took a deep breath, and resolved that if Ken was to like him, it would be for him and not for someone he was pretending to be. His heart melted as he opened the door to his dark-haired crush, who was standing on the doorstep, looking about as nervous as he felt.

"Hi!" Omi said happily, and Ken just smiled, holding a bunch of delicate flowers out to him. "Thankyou!" He took the flowers. "Come in. You didn't need to get me these you know… They're lovely though!"

"Like you." Ken blushed, and Omi did too. "They're…"

"Freesias, I know, they're my favourite!" Omi said, and was taken by the sudden urge to giggle. "Nobody's even given me flowers before!" No-one had ever said he was lovely before either. Good thing Manx and Persia, his adoptive mum and dad weren't home, he thought.

Not sure how they'd react to a guy coming round with flowers for me…

"Your house rules!" Ken exclaimed as Omi led him to the living room and offered him a drink. Omi was still wondering…was this going to be a date? He wanted to ask Ken, but he was just too shy.

Ken turned down the offer of a drink.

"Well, I'm OK to go already, if you are…I thought I'd buy you a drink somewhere. If you want…"

Omi beamed at him, and he grinned back, and as they left the house, it felt like they were going on a date.

But as they sat down at a little café, something else was on his mind. He had to ask this, get it out of the way now, or the whole day would be ruined by his worrying…

"Ken…are you going to leave now? Now you don't have a job?"

"Depends," Ken said absent mindedly, watching him.

"On what?"

"On...oh, I mean no, I'm not going, not for a while anyway…I've got my lease for six months…and I've not been here two weeks yet! I'm glad, I really like it here, I can get another job."

Omi couldn't help grinning, feeling more relieved than he'd thought he'd been worried. If Ken just left, straight after he met him…

And fell in love with him…

"Ken, are we…are we…"

"Are we what?"

"Uhm…uhm…" God he wished he'd never started that sentence. "Uhm…I…'ve forgotten what it was now…"

Ken laughed.

"Can't have been anything important then ne?"

Omi blushed.

"No, I guess it wasn't important."

"I'll order us something, uh, strawberry milkshake right?"

Omi nodded, surprised that Ken remembered him saying that was his favourite. He wanted to ask Ken, to find out what he meant to him…but he was so afraid of making a fool of himself… What if he was just a kid with a stupid crush being an idiot, imagining that Ken might ever like him too… It didn't FEEL like he was imagining it all…

Well, he'd just wait and see what happened, he thought. They'd have a nice day anyway, and then, maybe later on some time, he could tell him, if he felt like it… Ken wouldn't laugh at him, he knew, even if he didn't feel the same he would never make fun of people's feelings…

"So what do you want to do?" Ken asked as he returned to the table, complete with milkshakes and two gingerbread teddy bears.

How 'bout spend the rest of my life with you, Omi thought, staring at the teddy bears, which were somehow quite surreal.

"They're cute. Aren't they cute?" Ken said.

"Yeah, sure, how're you supposed to eat something that cute?" Omi replied and Ken laughed.

As he drank his milkshake in silence, Omi contemplated what had happened, so unexpectedly, and in just a day. This time yesterday he had been feeling gloomy over an hour on the sports pitch that was yet to come - now he couldn't imagine that he hadn't known Ken, been thinking about him forever - and he couldn't imagine anything making him feel gloomy; when he was with Ken he seemed to forget what feeling bad was like!

Suddenly he knew he would tell Ken - this wasn't something he could keep to himself, not something he would want to. He wanted Ken to know how he felt, how he made him feel.

"Do you want to go the cinema?" Ken asked him.

"Yeah, cool! What will we see?"

"Dunno, doesn't matter…we'll choose when we get there ne?"

Omi nodded. He loved films - but even if he didn't, he would have gone with Ken anyway!

So they went to the cinema, and Omi squirmed inside with happiness when Ken (very slyly, of course, being him) put his arm around his shoulders. When the film ended, he didn't want to move, just to stay sitting with Ken as if they would be like that forever. Of course, if they had, they would soon have been surrounded by cinema-guys picking up rubbish, so he didn't mind that much when Ken stood up and took his hand as he got up too.

After that they went to the park, and just walked by the river. Omi loved Ken's company, the cheerful and gentle way he talked about everything. He'd known that already, of course, but every minute he seemed to love every thing about him more…

As Ken sat down on the grass and gazed at the water, Omi knew that this was it - he would tell him now. He didn't feel nervous, though he knew he probably should - thoughts of Ken rejecting him did cross his mind, but for a reason he couldn't fathom they didn't bother him. He was going to tell him, tell him he loved him, that was all that mattered.

He sat down next to him and, not actually sure exactly what he was going to say, began.

"Ken, I've got something to say, it's really important so…"

He placed a finger over Ken's lips as the older boy went to say something.

"…will you just listen to me before you say anything?"

Ken nodded, looking puzzled, and slightly worried until Omi gave him a smile that seemed to reassure him.

"Well, I know we only met yesterday, and I know, well, you know how some things you just know? I knew straight away, I knew, I just saw you and I knew this would happen, I knew I would…I love you Ken! Don't say it's impossible, or anything like that, because it isn't, because I do, I love you and I just want…I just want you to know. I love you…"

He made himself keep looking at Ken, he wouldn't turn away even though it would have been easier! Ken was staring at him in…well, it was disbelief, certainly, but in a good way or a bad way? Omi could feel it lurking, about to hit him that he had just bared his soul, risked his heart…

With a gasp he found himself pulled against Ken, strong arms around him… His heart raced as he realised what this meant.

"Oh Omi, I don't believe it!" Ken whispered. "I don't believe it, you feel the same, I can't believe this has happened, I didn't think stuff like this happened, not to me, not at all, I…just don't believe…"

"Do…do you…do you l-love me too?" Omi squeaked, not-believing just as much as Ken. "I know it's crazy, but I really do…"

"I do believe you!" Ken assured him, pulling back to look him in the eyes, then hugging him close again so Omi couldn't see his face. "I just…don't believe it!" Omi giggled, feeling like he was on drugs, or something better - happiness was just beginning to seep through into his consciousness and already he felt like it was just too much to fit in his small self.

"I love you, Omi of course I love you," Ken whispered to him, and Omi was glad Ken couldn't see him as his eyes filled with tears. But then, he wouldn't care if he did, because Ken could know everything about him and it would be fine.

They had fallen in love in a day. It had been love at first sight after all. How this could have happened, neither of them knew, but at that moment, arms wrapped around each other, who cared? They certainly didn't.