"Actually, I should be headin' back..."

"Don't be like that. I can't just let you leave like that. Think of it as a thank you for cutting my hair." For once, the caramel-skinned young man was proud of himself for not sounding as desperate as the last two times he had encouraged Piers to spend more time with him. It was quite effective on the person in question as well, because the spiky-head didn't see why he would need to refuse such an act of gratitude. He didn't want to be rude, and once he and Raihan got rid of the temporary awkwardness between them, talking to him was actually... fun.

"Coffee, please. Black — like my soul." For a second, Piers had forgotten that his statement was usually an insider-joke between himself and Marnie, and that it usually got interpreted as extremely gloomy by other people. Just when he had realized what he had instinctively blurted out and when he was about to correct himself, Raihan laughed, walking into the connected kitchen while retorting with a joke. "When did you get so emo? And here I thought the eyeshadow was just for show."

Not too much later, the ravenet returned to the couch where Piers had taken a seat, placing the two mugs on the coffee table and sitting down next to him. The spiky-haired male uttered a small 'thanks' before getting told to wait a little since both of their drinks were still very hot. The silence that reigned afterwards seemed like the perfect opportunity for Raihan to bring up something that still haunted him. The moment he had been waiting for for so long — the moment of truth.

"Listen, Piers. Six years ago, that night when we did what we did at Hotel Ionia—" Raihan began, fiddling with his fingers somewhat nervously only to drive the other to tense up at those words. The spiky-head knew what was coming, and he had been a fool to think that Raihan didn't hold a grudge because of that event. "I should've known it was about that. I'm leavin'."

"No! Piers, wait!" The dark-type Gym Leader had already risen to his feet when Raihan called out his name, and was just about to stomp out of his apartment if it weren't for the latter grabbing his wrist firmly. No matter how hard the slim male tried to shake the other off, he knew how inferior he was to him in concerns of physical strength. "Let go of me."

As if to spite him and his demand, Raihan pulled the shorter young man to himself a bit too hard, to the point that he lost his balance and fell on the couch. Piers was taken aback momentarily, but he was just as swift to try and get up, albeit to no avail. The ravenet took a hold of his shoulders firmly and pressed him deeper into the cushions, drawing a gasp from his throat.

"Are you goin' to force yourself onto me again, just because you're gettin' mad all on your own?" Piers finally managed to get those words to roll off his lips, even if they sounded a bit too harsh. Raihan didn't dare to move a muscle after that — Piers had hit the bullseye entirely. What he said reminded the taller male so much of that time when he had touched him all over in Ballonlea Stadium — and he had never truly forgiven himself for that.

"Just... please, hear me out." His plea came across despite his guiltily gritted teeth, and Piers felt his heartstrings getting tugged at. He was fully aware that it wasn't just the ravenet who had been at fault back then, and it would have been evil to not give him a chance at explaining himself. The spiky-head was no longer a kid, after all — he had matured since then.

"I've always had the feeling that you misunderstood me back then, and I've always regretted not clearing things up. I still do." Taking Piers' silence as an OK to hear him out, Raihan began. "Do you think we're doing something wrong — Do you remember when I asked you that?"

"How couldn't I?" The pale young man spat out, furrowing his brows instantly and feeling something prick the corners of his eyes. He felt stupid for agreeing to listen to the taller male, because he knew he was going to hear hurtful things all over again. He would have his heart trampled all over another time. "I don't know what you assumed when I told you that, but all I meant to ask was if you were all right with having me as a lover — with having a guy as your lover."

"I was young and didn't really care if people found out about us, but I wanted to know how you felt about it. I wanted to reassure you if you were scared of others finding out, I wanted to let you know that I was there for you. But then you went ahead and told me that... that there was no sense of reality in our relationship. I felt so crushed, and I wasn't smart enough to stay and ask you why — I just ran away."

Piers felt time stop as his mind slowly processed both the words that Raihan said now and the ones he had told him six years ago. As painful and hard as it was to admit, the pieces were all getting together like a puzzle, and the spiky-head could only widen his eyes even further at the realization. His mouth was open and his bottom lip trembled, and even though no words left his throat, he had to speak up now more than ever. "Y-You're jokin'."

"Y-You're tellin' me I got insecure all on my own?" The tears Piers had been fighting so hard to hinder from spilling finally rolled down his pale cheeks as he stifled a sob. "I've wasted all these years wantin' to be close to you again... Thinkin' 'bout how gently you used to hold me, thinkin' how you must've hated me after I said those things to you—"

"That can't be right, Piers. Never once have I hated you, nor did the thought ever cross my mind." Raihan spoke, in a voice so gentle that it forced a feeling of nostalgia to wash over the other. Piers finally lost his self-restraint and broke down, letting all of the bubbled up emotions escape his system in the form of tears. He swung his arms around the taller man, pulling himself close to him as he buried his face in the crook of the other's neck. "I-I'm so sorry!"

"I didn't mean it when I said all of that! I missed you so much...!" The slim male continued crying, his words getting muffled a bit due to him speaking into the other's neck. For someone as frail as him, he sure had strength when it really came down to it. He was holding Raihan so tightly, as if he would lose him again if he were to let go.

Raihan on the other hand had to suppress his happiness as he returned the gesture, wrapping his strong arms around the shorter's slim figure and pulling him up and onto his lap. He caressed his back reassuringly and whispered sweet nothings into his ear, letting him know that he had no intention of leaving him any time soon. He let Piers cry in his arms for as long as the other needed it.

It had taken quite some time for him to calm down, and when he did, he couldn't help but get hit by a feeling of patheticness. As thin or pale as he was, he was still a man, and crying in front of another man was painstakingly embarrassing. And yet he simply couldn't hold himself back when it came to Raihan.

Piers pulled away from the taller male slightly, their faces still extremely close and his hands still resting on the other's shoulders. The spiky-head's eyes were notably puffy, and there were still traces of salty tears on his cheeks. Raihan wiped the remaining ones away though, brushing his thumb gently against Piers' delicate skin.

"I can understand if you don't love the me from six years ago anymore, but please... let me make you fall in love with the person I am right now." Raihan finally spoke, still stroking the other's cheek with his thumb. Piers finally smiled when he heard that proposal. He was done sitting back and always waiting for someone else to make the first move. Both parties needed to put in some effort if they ever wanted for their relationship to last, and he was ready to begin right then and there.

Piers pushed his entire weight against Raihan, causing the latter to lose his balance and try his best to support the both of them in order to avoid falling off the couch. While he was distracted, the pale young man needily smashed his lips against Raihan's, driving the other to widen his turquoise eyes.

The kiss was far from gentle, and far from what their kisses used to feel like six years ago. Right now they were adults — full of lingering feelings for one another and full of passion. Raihan didn't remain dazed for much longer and immediately proceeded to dragging his hand from Piers' back to his neck, his fingers brushing against some of his long, two-colored hair.

Still straddling his lap, Piers had gotten on his knees in order to appear taller than his partner and didn't even hesitate when it came to asking him for permission to take their smooch a step further. It always used to be Raihan who initiated intimacy when they were younger, so when he felt Piers drag his tongue over his bottom lip, he eagerly granted him entrance.

Their wet muscles collided in the taller male's mouth, embracing each other slowly, allowing the two Gym Leaders to fully take in the feeling. Their tongues danced in synchronization as if it were a long-awaited greeting, their movements soon becoming a tad... sensual.

Neither of the two knew how long they had been indulging themselves, but when they pulled back from each other, both of their lips were a bit swollen. Heavy breaths filled the silent room as they stared longingly into one another's eyes, turquoise ones meeting cyan ones. Raihan planted a last peck on the other's lips before smiling sheepishly. "We got the order of things wrong, again." Piers only giggled as he wrapped his arms tightly around the other's torso again.

"Guess we haven't changed that much after all."

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My note to you:
I don't know why, but I was really hyped when writing this part?? And it's kind of a big turning point, so I really hope I was able to spark some emotions within you guys. ^w^

Thank You for Reading!