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Dodgeball was a sport for peasants and slackers.
“Aw, cheer up Chazz! A few bruises never killed anyone, even people with skin as thin as yours!”
Chazz felt the wink thrown his way rather than saw it, which was almost worse. He stalked into the locker room, sweaty and irritated and not at all in the mood for good naturedly mocking commentary. If he had his way, all gym classes would be banned indefinitely. The idiot behind him called out an obnoxiously cheerful goodbye to his friends and then, horror of horrors, followed him in.
“I didn’t actually hurt you, did I? I didn’t mean to," Jaden said, continuing his lifelong impression of a puppy as he dropped onto a bench, lanky limbs stretched out haphazardly. Being aware of the space he took up was a foreign concept to him, and he had no qualms displaying as many of his body's sharp angles as possible at any given moment. Chazz tore his eyes away and yanked open his locker, jumbled lump of strictly black clothing falling into a mess on the bench below.
“Every day you hurt me with your presence alone,” he retorted.
Jaden rolled his eyes, grin unshakable. Ungovernable. Pivoting and rolling back til he lay prone, he flopped a hand onto his forehead and proclaimed, “Oh Chazz, you wound me! I may never recover…”
“Good riddance, slacker.” Chazz saved his small smile til his back was turned to shuck off his gym shirt. A pause in conversation followed as he changed, which made the smile drop off again. He looked back at Jaden once his firmly nonathletic jeans and long sleeve were back on, confused. Any amount of silence around this idiot was strange and unexpected.
The softly contemplative look on his face was even more of a shock and distractedly suited his face. Chazz’s cheeks warmed just slightly and he vehemently cursed his circulatory system.
“You know, I thought we were friends,” Jaden said, tilting his head a bit to the side, “I know you’re Edgelord Supreme, and the human version of a prickly pear cactus, or whatever, but I thought we were cool. After I stood up for you against your brothers and all.”
An unwelcome flashback struck the spiky haired teen, one where his older half brothers had started harassing him about the signs of his mixed heritage and nerdy pastimes in earshot of the entire campus one day after school and Jaden, wonder of wonders, had actually complimented him. Declared his clearly Black and styled hair ‘awesome’ and his card game skills ‘rad.’ Told his brothers to back the hell off and they actually listened. As if he needed a reminder of what still kept him up at night sometimes.
Immediately throwing up a well practiced front, Chazz snarled back, “As if, loser. Get real.”
Jaden huffed. Before Chazz could blink, he swung his legs off the bench and lurched to his feet, marching over to plant himself in front of Chazz. Hands shoved into his back pockets, Jaden leaned forward mockingly until his face was only a few inches away, sporting a sharper, but still teasing, smirk. Chazz flushed violently. He could see the other boy’s dimples.
“I happen to think you’re pretty cool, actually,” Jaden said as he rocked back slightly, tapping his chin and glancing off into the distance for effect before coming right back. “Would it kill ya to say something nice to me?” The brunette joked, as always, but this time with a stark hint of vulnerability.
Chazz couldn’t breathe. The idiot was far, far too close to him and being serious for once in his life and it was horrendous. He looked into his terrible warm brown eyes and oh, he thought about things. Things he objectively shouldn’t have, about attractive smartasses and hands and red jackets dropped to the floor. Things that he couldn’t get out of his goddamn head since Jaden had popped into his life and refused to butt out of it, no matter how many times Chazz whacked at him with his metaphorical hammer.
Jaden blew a puff of air in his face, ruffling his bangs and rocketing him back to the moment. Steam started coming out of his ears for more reasons than one. Why couldn’t he just…!
“Anyone home, Chazza-”
The hesitation in him snapped (it'd been months. months! of this!) Chazz grabbed the front of Jaden’s t-shirt and yanked, pushing him firmly against the upsettingly beige and definitely unsanitary wall, and kissed him like his life depended on it.
Jaden let out an indignant noise at being manhandled and a soft oomf at the contact, eyes flaring wide before slipping closed, but Chazz didn’t hear nor see any of it. He felt possessed; he pressed into the other boy like he was oxygen and Chazz was a dying man. The fabric of Jaden’s t-shirt was soft, his lips were chapped, and his skin was warm warm warm and it was all awful, every bit of it.
A couple minutes later, his brain slowly rebooted. He pulled away slowly, in shock, dragging a soft whine out of the other that almost negated all of his burgeoning brain function. Chazz glared at the source of all his problems. Said source blinked softly back, a bit of wonder in his eyes.
A beat passed.
Jaden slowly raised his hand.
“I have a question.”
Chazz dropped his forehead onto Jaden’s chest with a breath of hysterical laughter. Jaden, unfortunately, took this opportunity to wrap his arms around the other boy, lacing his fingers together on the curve of Chazz’s spine.
“You did not just raise your hand like we’re in class, you idiot.”
Ignoring him, Jaden continued.
“I’m confused though,” -“What’s new?” Chazz quietly snarked into Jaden’s sternum- “I thought people only kissed people they liked.”
Palms flat against the wall, Chazz shoved against it lightly to break out of Jaden’s arms. He gestured manicly.
“I do like you, you imbecile!”
The brunette looked at him. His head tilted to the side once again, gaze softening. Jesus Christ, Chazz thought, this kid is literally going to be the death of him.
“Could’ve fooled me,” Jaden remarked, albeit more gently than usual.
Chazz scrubbed his hands down his face in frustration, through it was more directed at himself than anything else, and prodded an accusing finger into Jaden’s chest.
“I do, okay??” he shouted a bit too loudly, “I like your dumb long legs and your ridiculous fluffy hair-” Jaden’s grin started growing wider and wider, “-and your stupid perfect dueling skills and your awful smile and..!”
Jaden laughed, big and bright.
“Alright! Alright, drama king, I believe you. And in that case,” he said, slipping his warm hands over both of Chazz’s furiously heated cheeks, “I’ll return the favor.”
And he finally, gloriously, shut up.
Several outrageously pleasant moments later, Jaden pulled away again. Wide smile perched on his face, he dropped his head back lazily and rested both arms at the elbow on his companion’s shoulders, fingers intertwined.
“I should’ve known any admittance of feelings from you would come with insults aplenty, ay Jun?” Jaden teased.
Chazz blinked mid-eyeroll at the use of his middle name. A nice nickname, huh? Perhaps pigs do fly after today.
“At least I don’t pour my heart out to anyone after five minutes, Jaden.~”
Jaden’s eyebrows shot up in astonishment. “Wow, you do know my name! Is this true love, Princey?”
Chazz turned several different colors at that one. Flustered, he abruptly looked away, grabbing his things with one hand and tangling his fingers with Jaden’s with the other.
“Don’t push it, Red.”
Laughter echoed in the locker room as they left.