A Meaningful Sacrifice || All of Us Are Dead

17. Finally With You

The kiss is tender. Sweet. The longer Joonyeong holds his lips there, the brighter his core burns. His knees go weak as Woojin grabs his shirt, slowly pulling him so they're chest-to-chest, before pulling away and leaning back in, this time taking his mouth with his own. Woojin threads his fingers in Joonyeong's hair, cradling his head like he's a small baby. Then, gently, ever so gently, he pokes his tongue in. Joonyeong would've jumped back in surprise if Woojin wasn't holding him, but then he feels extremely embarrassed, knowing that would've been his reaction.

Gulping, Joonyeong tries to reciprocate the best he can, but Woojin pulls away before he tries.

"Hey," he whispers, moving his hand to Joonyeong's arm. He squeezes it lightly. "You okay?"

Joonyeong gulps.

"It's my first kiss," he confesses, his cheeks growing hotter by the second. "It's okay. I'll get used to it."

Woojin grins.

"Mine too," he says, laughing a little. Immediately, Joonyeong feels a flood of relief knowing that Woojin is just as inexperienced as him. With the way Woojin kissed him just now, he thought that he had kissed so many people before that it was second nature for him. But then Woojin goes on to explain, "My cousin is really into romance dramas, and he told me some of the stuff the characters did. So I tried some of it out."

He laughs again.

"It's actually kinda weird, but I like it," he muses, looking back at the moon. He leans his head on Joonyeong's, pulling him so that their bodies are fully next to each other. The body-to-body contact makes Joonyeong's stomach roil in a good way, swooping back and forth with the jitters of his feelings being returned. "Do you?"

Joonyeong ponders this for a long time. Does he like the feeling of Woojin's tongue in his mouth? How would it feel if their tongues touched? He must admit that there was a bit of grossness with their saliva mixing and all that, but he did like it, nonetheless.

He realizes he wants to do it again.

And again.

And again.

So, he turns and takes Woojin's mouth with his own the way Woojin did earlier, pushing him against the tree. He doesn't mean to be rough. However, Woojin clearly likes it with the way he throws his arms around Joonyeong's neck, pressing themselves together inch by inch.

"I'm not sure how to tell you this," murmurs Woojin between kisses, "but I've liked you for so long."

Joonyeong presses harder into the kiss, his stomach whirling with this new knowledge. This time, he's more confident, pushing his tongue in and forcing Woojin's to lock with it. He wants to taste all of his mouth now, no matter if they're somewhere in the woods, no matter if their friends start looking for them. His hands grab at chunks of Woojin's hair, refusing to let go of his taste, of this feeling. It's like nothing he's ever experienced before—he wants to stay here all night, just kissing Woojin.

After a while, they pull away for good, their heads colliding softly. Joonyeong's eyes flutter shut as he pants, breathless, fully smiling as he rests his nose on Woojin's. He presses a kiss to it, and then to his cheek. He can't believe he can do this now. It feels so good to finally act on his feelings, kissing Woojin whenever he wants to. It feels so good to know that Woojin feels the same way.

Through her advice, Eomma perhaps gave Joonyeong the best gift of his life.

Suddenly, he hears sniffles. The arms draped on his shoulder move so that a hand grips the back of his neck. The grip is shaky.

"Joonyeong, I'm serious," whispers Woojin. "I've liked you for so long, and...and I thought I had no chance." He steps back, his eyes watering as he gulps hard. "I thought...I thought I'd have to stand at your wedding and watch as you'd get married to some girl you'd meet at SNU who'd be just as smart, just as funny, and just as sweet—"