"I still can't find a date for prom," Jamie whines as he lies sprawled out upside down on his bed, feet propped up against the wall.
"We could always go to McCall instead."
Jamie frowns at his ceiling. "Yeah, but I want to go to prom. It's a one-time thing. We can go to McCall anytime."
Mason looks over from where he's sitting at Jamie's desk, and Jamie can see him biting at his lip. "Well," he says slowly, "there's still one person you could ask."
Jamie lifts his head to look at his best friend. "Who?"
"They're right here."
"What?" The only ones in the house are him and…
Mason waves shyly. "Hi."
"Oh." Jamie can feel himself blush. "You mean, are- are you sure?"
"Yeah, sure," Mason says with a shrug. He's trying to look nonchalant, but he isn't meeting Jamie's eyes, and his cheeks are a hint darker.
"Okay." Going to prom with Mason would be a dream come true- if they're going as dates and not as friends. He doesn't know if his heart would be able to take it. A night of standing next to Mason in a suit, not being able to touch, only look. He knows it wouldn't be a good idea, but he can't stop himself from agreeing. "Okay," he says again, this time softer.
"Hey, no."
What? Jamie looks up to see Mason frowning at him.
"You gotta ask me, man."
Oh.
There's a painful stabbing in his heart, but that doesn't stop him from asking, "Will you go to prom with me?"
Mason's face lights up as he beams at Jamie, and Jamie's heart skips a beat. "Yes! Of course, I will." Then he grabs Jamie's face in both hands and kisses him. On the mouth.
Jamie feels his eyes widen comically, and his face is on fire. Ho. Ly. Shit. Mason kissed him. Mason. Kissed. Him. Him, Jamie. Mason kissed Jamie, his best friend. His best friend kissed him. On the mouth. After he asked him to prom. It's a good thing he's lying down already, or else he would be on the floor right now.
Mason is sitting in his chair, looking proud- smug?- as Jamie just stares at him.
"What? But, uh- what? Huh? But you- I- um, what? I- I- uh, what?" Jamie stutters as his mind is whirling and reeling on a loop of 'Mason kissed me.'
Mason chuckles and leans down again, pressing a light kiss on the tip of his nose.
Jamie feels his mind shattering further as all thoughts disappear, and he just lies there, opening and closing his mouth without making any noise.
"You know, I think you're right. Prom's going to be fun."
After what feels like forever, Jamie finds his voice long enough to squeak say, "What was that?"
Mason bites his lip, looking nervous. "I, uh, I'm gay. And I kinda like you. Sorry. I can not do that at prom. We can go as just friends if you want."
"No!" Jamie blurts out, rolling onto his side to look at Mason more properly. "I mean, uh, no. No, we can go as, as, uh," his face is still burning as he stumbles over his words. "We can go as dates." The last word is soft. He doesn't know if this is real, and he doesn't want to mess up everything. If Mason doesn't want to go as dates, Jamie doesn't want to assume that he did and try to do something he shouldn't and mess up their friendship. But if Mason does want to go as dates, well, he isn't about to throw away his chance at possibly being boyfriends and make Mason think he doesn't want him, and mess up their friendship.
"Good. Otherwise, this would be pretty awkward."
Jamie feels a smile tug at his lips until Mason turns back around to his desk.
"Hey! You can't just tell me to drop, like, four bombshells on me at once and then just go back to homework like nothing happened! That's not fair."
Mason spins the chair back around and leans in towards Jamie, who lets himself fall down onto his back again as their faces get closer. Then Mason's hands come to rest on either side of his head on the mattress, caging Jamie in and causing his heart to pound.
"Got something to say, then?" Mason doesn't even blink as he holds eye contact, and that, combined with the low rasp of his whisper, sends something hot and wanting, stirring low in Jamie's stomach.
Jamie tries to think of something to say, but their proximity is overruling all thoughts. His gaze drifts up to Mason's upside-down lips, and he finds himself asking, "Can I kiss you?"
Mason's smile shifts from smug confidence to something soft and genuine, and Jamie's heart flutters. "Anytime."
In a daze, Jamie reaches up and curls one hand around the back of Mason's neck. His eyes slide shut as he pulls Mason close. His nose bumps against Mason's chin, and then their lips brush, and Jamie's breath hitches. And then, oh. Oh. It is so much better than he had imagined.
Pulling back just far enough to look into his best friend's eyes, Jamie says, "I kinda like you too."
"That's good to hear." Mason grins and leans down again, pressing his lips to Jamie's again.
Shifting on his bed, Jamie moves and shuffles to straighten out to kiss Mason properly instead of upside-down, but it's awkward, and he ends up smushing his face into Mason's, their noses bumping. He ends up in an uncomfortable twist, his head and torso facing one way and his waist down in a different direction.
He can feel Mason chuckling against his lips. "Wouldn't it be better to stop kissing and reposition?" he mumbles into the kiss.
"No," Jamie says, still not breaking the kiss. He has no idea how long he's wanted this, but now that he has Mason here, exactly where he wants him, he's not going anywhere. Grabbing the back of Mason's shirt in his fists, he hauls his best friend on his bed over top of him.
It turns out Mason's lips are as kissable as they look.
"Who's the lucky guy?" Jamie's mom says from the doorway to the twins' room, fanning herself with the prom tickets.
"Mom!" His cheeks go warm.
"Oh, you don't have to tell me," she says. "I was just curious."
"It's, uh. It's Mason."
Her eyebrows shoot up as her mouth falls open into a small O, clearly not expecting that answer. "Mason?"
Jamie's cheeks go from warm to hot as he shrugs, exactly like Mason did when suggesting Jamie ask him to prom. He doesn't know how to tell his mom that his best friend is now that and more. They talked about going out before prom, but they haven't actually been on a date yet. Can they technically say they're dating if they haven't been on a date?
"Can I pay for your tickets?"
Jamie nods and goes back to playing with the twins when she leaves.
Jamie is literally speechless when Mason shows up on his doorstep on prom night with a single flower in his hand.
Elisabeth, who opened the door for him, reaches out for the flower, taking it from Mason to hold tightly in her chubby hand.
"Yes, that was definitely for you and not your big brother," Mason teases, booping her on her nose, making her giggle.
She squirms in place, then takes off down the hallway, her pillowcase cape fluttering behind her. Ann Marie follows her, and their mom trails after for damage control.
"You look good," Mason says when they're alone, his eyes roving up and down Jamie's body, clearly checking him out.
Jamie's stomach is fluttering with nerves, his hands are sweaty, and he still can't form any words. He's too gobsmacked with how good Mason looks. He wants… something. He doesn't know what, but there's a curl of something in him. Something intense. Does he want to drag him upstairs and lock his bedroom door behind him? Shove him against the wall and kiss him senseless right there? Latch his mouth on Mason's neck to cover him with hickies so everyone would know he's taken? Jamie's down to do all three, but he can't even make himself speak, let alone move.
"Jamie?" Mason waves a hand in front of his face. "You there?"
He makes a strangled 'Mmhmm' noise.
"Are you still good to drive us to prom?"
"Mmhmm."
Mason gives him a doubtful look, but drops it as Jamie's mom comes back with her phone up for pictures.
The only things Jamie can think of while posing is the scent of Mason's cologne and how perfect he feels in Jamie's arms.
Jamie doesn't really know what he was expecting prom to be like when he arrived with a guy on his arm instead of a girl, but it wasn't this. No one cares. No one is staring at them, nor are there hushed whispers, and Jamie wonders if it was always this accepting and he was too scared to notice. Sure, he overhears one of the art geek girls say, "I knew they were together. I told you," when they walk past hand in hand.
Their friends take it in stride, too.
Bodie and Kellen whoop and smack them on their backs, nearly knocking Jamie over in their enthusiasm. Brodie raises his glass of punch in a toast, downs it, and sweeps Ashley onto the dance floor.
Mason watches him for a second, then turns to Jamie with an outstretched hand. "May I have this dance?"
Heart light and infinitely happy, Jamie takes his hand, linking their fingers together.