First

Disclaimer: Hotta and Obata's. Not mine.
Rating: K+
Summary: In which Isumi and Waya have a chat about certain topics. Consider yourself warned. (Written for LJ community 30kisses)

The day Shindou Hikaru breezed into their lives, Isumi knew that changes were going to take place, not the least which was that Waya now spent less time with him, and instead hung out with Shindou.

It shouldn't have bothered him that much. Waya was his own free person, with his own free right to choose his friends. After all, they were just friends, so why was he even thinking about this? No was was he, Isumi Shinichiro, actually worrying about whether Waya liked Shindou better than him.

...Right?

There came a knock on the door, jarring Isumi from his irrational thoughts. Looking to the clock, he belatedly remembered that he and Waya had planned to visit a few go salons that afternoon.

"Sorry I'm late," Waya apologized after Isumi had opened the door.

"Where were you?" And of course, there was no suspicion in his voice at all. Nope. None. Nada. He was...just being politely curious, that was all.

"Got held up at Shindou's," was the explanation. Waya glanced at his watch. "Aw, crap. I think we just missed the two thirty bus. Hey, is something wrong?"

Isumi shook himself mntally, realizing that he'd been staring at his friend. He started to say "no," but suddenly noticed that...

"Your lips look kind of swollen," Isumi blurted before he could stop himself. And was it just him, or did his hair look even more mussed than usual? "Did...did something happen?"

"Huh?" A look of confusion passed over Waya's face before it cleared, and he replied with a small laugh, "Oh, that's probably from the plum. Shindou gave me plum juice without telling me -- you know how I'm really allergic to the stuff. Luckily, I didn't actually swallow any. But it got all over my mouth, so I ended up spending about ten minutes scrubbing it off." Waya grinned as he added, "Think that's the first time I applied a toothbrush to my lips."

"You keep a toothrush at Shindou's place?" As soon as the words left his tongue, Isumi mentally slapped himself. Why was he being so paranoid, all of a sudden?

Waya raised an eyebrow. "No, I just borrowed Shindou's. What's with the interrogation, anyway?" His voice took on a slightly mused tone. "Are you jealous of Shindou?"

Isumi caught himself before the "yes" escaped. He tried to laugh it off, but the chuckle sounded weak even to his own ears. "No... No. Sorry, I'm keeping you at the door. Come in." Isumi stepped back to allow his friend entry. "The next bus won't come for another forty minutes. Want something to drink?"

"As long as it's plum-free," Waya said cheerfully.

While Isumi went to get the drinks, Waya plopped down on the couch in the living room. From his vantage point, he could see his friend getting cups in the adjoining kitchen. Waiting, thinking, Waya replayed the odd conversation they just had in his mind. As he did, a mischievous glint came to his eyes.

"Isumi-san?"

"Yes?" Isumi was pouring a glass of soda when he heard Waya's voice.

"What would you say if, you know, hypothetically, I were to tell you that Shindou and I are...together?"

Isumi nearly dropped the cups he'd been carrying back to the living room. As it was, he barely managed to guide the unfortunate victims -- a glass of soda for Waya, and tea for himself -- to a safe landing on the coffee table before he was deposited onto the couch by legs which now refused to hold him up.

"What?" he asked weakly.

Waya somehow managed to keep a straight face, and even added a slightly sincere, slightly hurt look to his eyes. "What do you mean, what? Is the concept so appalling that you never want to see me ever again?"

"I..." Isumi blinked, looked away, looked back at Waya, and finally settlted for clearing his throat and taking a sip of his tea.

Was Waya being serious? He couldn't be. He must be joking, just trying to trick him. That seemed to be the logical answer, but...

What if he was serious?

Isumi felt his insides twist and turn in ways he never thought possible. He stole another quick glance at his friend.

That was when he saw a corner of Waya's lips twitch.

All the anxiety and paranoia suddenly melted away, swept clean by the knowledge that Waya was just trying to pull his leg, accompanied in no small part by relief. Honestly, Isumi really didn't know what he would have done if Waya was serious about...that.

Good thing he was just joking; not a very nice joke, albeit.

But two could play at that game.

Isumi set his cup down, and looked directly as Waya, who had now managed to pull on a sincere mask again.

"Well," he said, finally breaking the silence. "If you were to tell me that, I would first tell you that I don't care what your sexual orientation is, you'd still be my friend. And secondly, I'm very happy for you two." Isumi kept a perfectly sober expression as he added, "Just make sure that if you do get serious, to be protected. They sell condoms at--"

But the rest of his straight-faced, aggravatingly amiable speech was cut off by a cushion thrown at his face.

"Isumi-san!"

Isumi finally broke down laughing, seeing the expression on Waya's face. The brunette was blushing furiously with embarrassment, his eyes blazing with indignation and shock.

"That is not funny!" Waya huffed.

Isumi casually dropped the cushion back on the couch. "It's your own fault for bringing it up in the first place," he pointed out with unerring logic.

"And you actually bought it at first," Waya accused, his blush just starting to fade.

Isumi was thoughtful for a moment. "Well, that's partly because I was being paranoid," he admitted. "But that paranoia was becacuse you showed up, late, and looking like..."

"Looking like what?" Waya asked as he trailed off.

Isumi shrugged. "Looking like you just had a major make-out session with Shindou."

Waya spluttered, and much to his own dismay started blushing again.

Isumi smiled. "But then I realized that I was being absurd."

Waya blinked, giving him a look that was plainly asking, "Really? How so?"

"Because, after all," Isumi continued breezily, "I doubt you've ever even kissed anyone before."

"Oh..." Then the words finally registered in his mind, and he exclaimed indignantly, "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means what it means," was the casually amused reply. "You've never had a real kiss before. Admit it, Waya-kun," he said, deliberately adding on the diminuitive honorific for emphasis.

Afterward, Isumi never quite remember just what transpired in that split moment after the words left his mouth. One second he was teasing Waya, and the next, he found himself being kissed. On the lips. By his best friend.

And it was surprisingly pleasant, sweet, almost intoxicating...

When Waya finally pulled away, there was a second of utter silence, as both fumbled for something to say, but neither really wanting to be the first to speak.

Finally, Waya spoke up, his voice shaking just slightly. "Bet that was your first kiss too."

Isumi smiled at that, and couldn't resist saying, "If I said no, would you kill me?"

He was rewarded with a stricken expression from Waya. Then, the slightly tense atmosphere was shattered as the brunette realized that Isumi was joking. Again.

Unable to think of an elegant response to that, Waya just settled for sighing and sitting back on the couch beside Isumi.

"I can't keep putting up with this kind of teasing, you know," he said, sulking half-heartedly.

But it wasn't just that. Unvoiced was the whole question of, well, them. Together. Was it a one-time only thing, or did Isumi want more? What if one of them regretted it later on? Did things like this usually work out? What was he supposed to believe?

Isumi just wrapped his arm around Waya's shoulders, and the smile was audible in his voice as he said,

"I'm sure we'll be all right."

Waya smiled. Come what may, he could always believe in Isumi-san.


Yes, I'm weird. ((shoots self))