TWs: Internalized homophobia, mention of slurs/homophobia/being kicked out/losing friends due to sexuality. Stay safe :)
"Woah, did a tornado pass through here?" Edd asked, glancing around Tom's room.
"Huh?" Tom looked up from where he was analyzing two sets of clothes, "Oh, sorry, I was looking for clothes."
Edd picked up articles of clothing off the floor, "You aren't looking hard enough."
The bassist rolled his eyes, "I meant nicer clothes."
"As in formal?" The taller looked at him in surprise, "What, did Matt set you up on a date or something?"
"You could say that." Tom smiled.
Edd quirked an eyebrow, confused. Then he hummed, "Have fun then."
Tom returned to examining the sets of clothes before him as Edd cleaned up his room. He eventually settled on a black long-sleeve button-up and a checkered tie.
Edd looked at him funny when he chose the checkered tie.
"Have any other ideas?" Tom prompted.
Tom stood at Matt's door, scratching his covered wrists as he hesitated to knock.
'Now or never...' He told himself as he knocked on the door.
When the door opened, Tom felt his jaw drop at Matt's appearance. He wore a flowy dark purple long-sleeve dress that reached his knees, small stars scattered all over it, a pearl chain belt at his waist, and short black heels. Star earrings dangled from his ears as he rocked in place.
"Tom?" Matt smiled as he poked at his face, "Tommy?"
"You look gremazing," Tom spoke.
"Gremazing...?" Matt furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"I meant to say great and amazing."
"Oh," Matt flushed, "Thank you. Uh, shall we go?"
Tom hummed, "Yes, let's go..."
There was a pause as Tom thought about where they should go.
"You don't have a plan, do you?" Matt chuckled.
"No..." Tom looked down shamefully.
"We can always walk around to see what there is to do." The taller beamed.
"Yeah." The shorter shrugged.
"Come on, then!" Matt grabbed Tom's hand, leading them to the elevator.
As they walked along the city, gazes from passersby lingered on Matt. He didn't let it get to him, choosing to focus on what Tord said to him.
Tom was starting to freak out at all the glances he was receiving, suddenly more aware of his sexuality and what some people thought about it.
He felt Matt graze his hand against his, prompting Tom to swiftly stuff his hands in his pockets. The bassist regretted it when he saw the hurt look on the ginger's face.
Roaming into a park, Matt perked up when he saw the flowers.
"The dahlias bloomed!" He exclaimed as he looked at the array of Dahlia flowers.
Tom smiled at the scene, being more of a grimace; his mind and heart were at war.
As Matt stood back up, he felt his foot bend awkwardly. He let out a gasp as he fell back. Tom's eyes widened as he quickly swooped in to catch him.
Matt gazed into Tom's void eyes, "Looks like I fell for you."
Tom flushed red in embarrassment, his mind getting the best of him. Matt frowned as he regained his balance, noticing something was wrong with the shorter.
Matt tried to hold Tom's hand again, prompting the latter to swipe his hand away again, glancing around the area.
"What is it?" The taller crossed his arms.
"What is what?" Tom replied.
"Something's wrong."
"Nothing's wrong."
Matt huffed, looking around the area, "Follow me."
They walked a few yards away from the public eye, Matt leading him to a secluded area.
Turning towards Tom, Matt asked again, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing..."
The ginger frowned, deciding to ask a familiar question, "Care to speak your mind?"
Tom looked away as he spoke, "Is this- right?"
Matt furrowed his eyebrows, confused at the question, "What?"
"My heart says yes, but my mind says no- it's all so confusing that I can't help but question my behavior." The bassist winced.
"What is your mind saying?"
"Memories of high school are coming back to haunt me." Tom scowled, "Every slur I've been called by who I thought were friends and some people I don't know. I had to move out when my aunt and uncle found out. Even I found myself disgusting."
Matt gazed at the other in sympathy, "What is your heart saying?"
Tom peered up, gazing into Matt's eyes, "To kiss you while everyone's watching."
The taller blushed, stepping forward, "Why don't you?"
The shorter opened and closed his mouth, "I- I don't-"
"It's okay to feel this way, Tom- it's okay to be scared," Matt spoke softly, "but you can't let it get to you forever. You know you can't let yourself live a lie just because it's 'normal.'"
"I know, but-"
"But what? It's no one's business what we're up to, and if they have a problem with it- we're a supernatural duo; I'm sure we can mess them up."
Tom chuckled, "I don't know about that..."
Matt smiled, gazing into Tom's eyes, "Well, one thing's for sure... I'd like to have you by my side."
Tom averted his gaze as he took Matt's hand in his.
A few minutes went by as they stood under the purple-hued sky.
"Where's my kiss?" Matt spoke, startling Tom out of his daze.
"Wha- uhm..."
"We don't have to if you don't want to." The ginger expressed.
"No- I mean, I do want to." Tom bit his lip.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
Matt placed his hands on the other's face, watching Tom awkwardly put his hands around his shoulders.
"Relax," Matt spoke.
Tom let out a breath, trying his best to settle down in the embrace.
The taller leaned down slowly, leaving enough time if Tom did want him to stop.
"Are you really sure?" Matt whispered, nearly feeling their lips touching.
The shorter huffed, "Shut up and kiss me, rich prick."
With a tilt of the head, Tom decided to be the one to initiate the kiss. He felt Matt tense up at the sudden boldness before melting into it.
Matt gently bit Tom's bottom lip, making sure he didn't bite too hard.
Tom basked in the moment as they French kissed under the starlit sky, suddenly forgetting his worries and focusing on what was right before him. It would come back eventually, but he was more inclined on sharing tongues with his long-time crush for right now.
The duo got smoothies after that, deciding to take the scenic route back to the complex. Matt rambled about a fashion magazine he read while Tom listened.
Their pinkies were looped together. Tom wanted to let Matt know he cared but felt like holding hands was too much for him. Matt decided to wind their pinkies together, as it was a discreet way of showing affection in public.
They got to the apartment complex, throwing their empty cups away in a nearby bin and taking the lift.
Matt stopped his chatter as they arrived at his flat. Reaching out to hold Tom's hands, the ginger beamed at him.
"Je t'aime, Tom." He spoke.
Tom looked at him, confused, "Uh- what?"
Matt laughed, "Je t'aime, Tom- look it up."
Before going inside, the taller kissed his forehead. Tom watched as the door closed, flushing a bright red.
The bassist looked it up later that night, only to nearly explode at what it meant.
'I love you, Tom.'