Tom initiates their first kiss. The pub is almost empty and they're in a corner of it, left to their own devices and mostly in the dark. He's not sure why, exactly, except that it's their second try at the date, and it's going no different than the first one, really and for the past ten minutes there's been barely anything but awkward snips of conversation and the way Hal hasn't taken his eyes off of him. He should know, he'd been watching him back. Had noticed the way he was looking at him, seen the half a dozen times that it had looked like his head was starting to fall forward that had been his starting to lean in, and he'd had enough of that really.
They both taste like alcohol, for all that they're both, actually, still nursing their first pints each. Hal's lips are almost soft against his, and he watches him as he freezes, eyes open because you never got a sure answer about what you were supposed to do there, did you? Not for when you were kissing girls, and certainly not for when you were kissing other blokes.
Hal recovers quickly though, and before, Tom guesses, he has a chance to question himself. Their second kiss starts almost tender, careful, and Hal's hand shakes as he holds onto the handle of his glass. It deepens, after, becoming more aggressive, almost hungry, and it's that realization and the heavy breathing, and the way Hal's mouth starts to part, that his teeth brush his lip that Tom pulls away. He lets Hal catch his senses, his heart pounding in his chest, and Hal kisses him again, just one more time, as light as the first before they go back to conversation, and their hands just touching on the table.