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The Time When They Kissed
It was hotter out than usual, and they had decided not to go to school today. Popper had been cooped up for the whole week, and Theo was starting to feel bad— so they took him outside.
They were planning on using the pool, so he was in his swim trunks, and he picked the dog up, walking over to the water's edge. Popper squirmed, getting comfortable in his grasp, then laid a few sloppy kisses on his face, dogging up his glasses.
"Oh, gross, you—" Theo complained, but he felt a little prickle of love for the mutt. Especially when he put him down and saw how hard his tail was wagging. He just wanted a little love.
"Don't we all?" He whispered, and was almost shocked when instead of a redhead, wild black curls seemed to fill his head.
Almost.
"Hey, Potter," that familiar voice called. Theo turned to see Boris standing in a borrowed pair of swim shorts and a t-shirt— "I burn too easy"— with a mischievous smirk on his face.
He was planning something.
"Catch," he said, and for a second Theo was confused— then he moved his hands from behind his back. One held the nozzle-end of the hose. The other held their umbrella. The latter came sailing through the air. There was a jolt of panic— don't drop it— and then Theo's fingers closed around the contraption. He straightened up, looked back at Boris, and deadpanned. The nozzle of the hose was pointed straight at him.
"Is set to 'April Showers,'" Boris explainer, and suddenly his smile seemed a lot softer. More real. "I just think, well, if sky won't rain for Potter, I make it rain. For real this time, no?" He shrugged. Theo stares, dumbfounded, as Boris set the nozzle facing upwards at an angle and turned on the water. Slowly, it started to flow out onto the ground, but the higher the pressure got, the further up into the air it went.
"Open the umbrella!" Boris cheered. Theo snapped out of his daze and started to move just a little too late. Bony arms looped around his torso just as the water got high enough to rain back down on them. By the time he unstrapped the umbrella and opened it they were already getting doused in water. Boris stood under the contraption with him, arms still locked around his middle, and although Theo stared up at him with wonder in his eyes, Boris just smiled out and around at the little shower they had created for themselves.
"See, Potter?" He asked, and finally, he looked down. Theo was frozen into place. "Is raining." Boris held one hand out to catch a few droplets, then pressed his wet and cold hand to the shorter boy's cheek. Startled out of his trance, Theo flinched away, and Boris laughed. The arm that had remained around him shifted— a hand rested on Theo's waist. He swallowed thickly and looked up again. Boris was still trying to control his giggles. Theo reaches up with his free hand and grabbed Boris's damp one, pressing it back against his own cheek.
Oh God, what am I doing?
Boris's laughter died down, but his smile didn't fade as he looked down at Theo with warm eyes. His thumb ran along the blonde's cheekbone, displacing his glasses slightly, but he just readjusted them after.
"Potter," Boris said, and Theo had the jarring realization that they were so close he could feel the boy's breath against his face.
"Yeah?" He breathed, and the hand that clutched the umbrella shook so hard that a few droplets of water hit their shoulders on occasion. Boris hesitated.
For the love of God what is i—
Oh.
Soft lips pecked his and disappeared immediately afterwards. Theo stood stock still, eyes as wide as saucers, face surely as red as Pippa's hair wherever she was that day. But Pippa was the last thing on his mind as he gasped up at the boy who had just kissed him.
"You look like you need to cool off," Boris said, hardly masking his smile with the mock-look of seriousness on his face. His fingers closed around the umbrella's handle, and before Theo had even fully recovered from the shock, cold water was showering down from above and hitting his head.
Boris laughed, closed the umbrella and tossed it over by the door, retreating and jumping into the pool.
Theo touched a hand to his lips.
Somewhere distant in the house his father yelled at them to turn off the hose.
