Caleb/Tyler - Innocent

Tyler was seventeen, and he had only ever kissed two people. It wasn't that there was a lack of volunteers to do the job, or that he was scared or nervous; Tyler just didn't want to kiss any of the girls who showed interest in him. The first time it occurred (at the age of fourteen, at a friend's birthday party while playing Truth or Dare, the girl's name was Amber), he had liked it, but he had felt little more than embarrassment. He had been expecting a spark, a tingle, something-anything, but it was nothing at all.

The second time started in a similar environment but under different circumstances. The four of them had gone to a party that was too wild and too uncontrolled for both Tyler and Caleb so they ended up taking a stroll through the forest that lined the backyard of the house the party was in.

It was a chilly night in November, and the half-full moon gave off just barely enough light for them to see where they were going. The clearing they had decided to stop in was peaceful and far from the noise of the party. It was nice just sitting there against a large oak tree, just the two of them-it would have been nicer had Tyler not been shivering from the lack of a jacket he currently had. He knew he shouldn't have left it in the car.

"We can go back... you look like you're freezing," Caleb said when he felt Tyler's shivers next to him.

"No, I'm okay, besides, I'd rather freeze than go back to that orgy of a party."

Caleb let out a chuckle at Tyler's colorful description and shrugged his own jacket off.

"Keep it, Caleb. No point in both of us being cold," Tyler refused, which earned an eye-roll from Caleb.

"I wasn't going to offer it you... not completely at least. Get closer and we'll both be warm," he instructed but didn't wait for Tyler to listen; instead, he just pulled him closer and arranged his coat so that it served as a blanket instead.

"Is this how you woo the girls?" Tyler teased as he got comfortable next to Caleb.

Caleb grinned and shook his head in response. "No, I take it one step further... you know, the arm around the shoulders, whispering in the ear... the whole nine yards."

Had Tyler been paying more attention, he would have noticed that Caleb had done just as he said-his arm was around Tyler's shoulder, his voice had gotten lower, and he had moved closer so he was speaking right next to Tyler's ear.

"And they fall for that?" Tyler scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Why?"

"It's a fool-proof plan, ask anyone," Caleb chuckled softly, intentionally letting his lips touch Tyler's ear and inciting a shiver to go down his back.

Tyler sent a sideways glare at Caleb and elbowed him in the ribs lightly. "Are you trying to pull your 'foolproof' plan on me?"

"No, I'm trying to work up the nerve to kiss you."

(To this day, Tyler doesn't know the proper reaction to a statement like that.)

"Uh.. Ah.. Um. Ergh.. I.. What?" Real smooth, Ty, he berated himself in his head.

"I've been thinking..." Caleb sighed and let his arm fall from Tyler's shoulders, "And I thought maybe you... no, sorry. Forget it."

They sat there in a slightly awkward silence for a while because neither knew what to do now. Tyler was the one who broke it-not with words but with an action. He found Caleb's hand between them and slipped his hand into it. At Caleb's questioning look, he shrugged and answered, "My hand was cold."

"Oh," Caleb said with a small smile. "So, you're using me as a personal heater?"

"Sort of... my lips are cold, too, y'know."

"Really, huh?" Caleb asked with a grin and turned his towards Tyler. "Is this your fool-proof plan?"

"It's more of me trying to get you to kiss me."

That whole Tyler wasn't nervous or scared or anything nonsense mentioned before? Well, that's thrown out the window in this situation. His heart had started to beat faster, his palms felt clammy, his mouth was dry, and his stomach was doing flips.

Caleb let out a chuckle at Tyler's teasing parallelism and moved his free hand to cup Tyler's cheek. His eyes fell to Tyler's lips, then shot back up to his eyes. Neither of them noticed the gradual decrease in the space between them or that their eyes had closed when their lips met. What Tyler definitely noticed, though, was that this kiss more than made up for his first kiss. He didn't care how ridiculous the cliche was-he was seeing (and feeling) fireworks.

When they pulled apart, Tyler let his eyes open slowly and saw Caleb looking at him intently. The look flared up the red blush spreading on his cheeks and brought out an embarrassed smile.

"Consider this our first date," Caleb grinned and planted a quick kiss on Tyler's cheek. "Pogue and Reid are coming, by the way."

"Pogue! I found them!" Reid's voice sounded on cue. "And you won't believe the position they're in!"

Pogue and Reid came stumbling over, laughing loudly and obnoxiously. Tyler was still digesting everything, so he stayed quiet and just took the hand Caleb offered, allowing himself to be pulled up.

"Oh man, you guys missed one hell of a party... the girls," Pogue laughed and used Reid as a support to keep himself up, "The girls.. oh man, the girls. I think I met the future Jenna Jameson... or the next star of Girls Gone Wild."

"And he's Mr. Lance Hardwood himself," Reid cracked himself up and started to laugh even more.

Caleb sighed and rolled his eyes. "Let's get 'em home," he muttered to Tyler and pushed the drunk pair towards the woods.

"Yeah," Tyler murmured, a small smile gracing his lips. Caleb noticed it and smiled in return as he pulled his coat on.

"We'll talk... tomorrow," Caleb promised and Tyler nodded. They rushed to catch up to Pogue and Reid before either of them could hurt themselves somehow.