kiwoo found himself staring at bolin much longer than he usually did...often getting caught in the midst of his staring before he quickly averted his eyes in embarrassment. he found himself thinking about bolin’s welfare and if he was doing well when they were apart; he found that he didn’t want to part when they were together. 

he found bolin’s smile to be absolutely beautiful, his laugh contagious....kiwoo found his artwork seemed to embody bolin in a way ( despite it not having the person themselves on the canvas ), his thoughts was completely occupied by bolin. was this how his friend felt?? or was he less obsessive about it? could it be that kiwoo’s repressed his feelings for so long that it was starting to manifest in an odd way?? whatever it was, kiwoo was becoming more and more aware of the fact that he was thinking about bolin in a different light.

bolin noticed the change in kiwoo’s behavior, wanting to stay together longer or reaching out first. random texts to ask if he was doing alright or messages to ask if he’s eaten...the small gestures seemed to ignite some sort of hope in him that perhaps kiwoo saw him more than just a friend. a small hope that was dashed when he was reminded of his own insecurities...though he often ‘confessed’ to kiwoo ( with his earnest feelings ), a part of him felt relieved that kiwoo seemed to laugh it off...another part, hurt.

he was going to do it...confront his feelings and just come out and admit it. he’s going to talk to bolin, it was diving him insane how everything he does had something to do with the male, his thoughts preoccupied by his friend...whenever his mind wandered, it always ended up being about bolin.

he invited bolin over for coffee, but they’ve been seated across from each other in silence for the past few minutes. kiwoo’s gaze focused on the surface of his own cup as if he was inspecting his own reflection, in truth, kiwoo was trying to gather his confidence to confess.

as if on cue, both of them started to speak, cutting each other off. laughter bubbled from the artist’s lips but before he could say anything to let bolin go first, the male interjected and told kiwoo to go ahead. his smile disappearing, lips pulling taut as he tried to sort through his thoughts and work out what he wanted to say.

when the smile disappeared from kiwoo’s lips, bolin couldn’t help but to worry...what was kiwoo going to say that suddenly he was no longer smiling? biting his lower lip, he waited for the artist to speak up -- maybe he should have gone first...perhaps it’d be less nerve wracking on him. kiwoo isn’t going to tell him that they should stop being friends, right?

“...bolin...i...i uh,” kiwoo started, eyes downcast again as he gripped his cup tightly, “i know this is going to sound weird, and sound awkward. i totally understand if you...don’t want to talk to me anymore,” he continued, glance lifting from his cup and catching a surprised look from bolin. that was enough to cause him to lift his head to look at the other properly, “i...really like you, i mean...i like like you,” kiwoo clarified ( but not really ), he sounded like a teenager...

bolin blinked in surprise when he heard what kiwoo was saying, opening his mouth to speak but was cut off when kiwoo started again; pursing his lips as he waited for kiwoo to finish.

“i guess what i’m saying is,” kiwoo rubbed the back of his neck, “i...love you?” he concluded, his statement more as a question, his confidence dropping by the second as did his gaze. waiting for a response from his friend, fingers fiddling with his cup as he held his breath.

he waited and waited, the few seconds before bolin responded felt like an eternity. he heard the male set down the his cup and shuffling ( ah...he’s going to leave ) and kiwoo felt his eyes tear up -- he messed up didn’t he??

bolin could only stare when kiwoo confessed, surprise taking to his features; frozen in his seat as he tried to process what the other male had just said. his heart soared, but his mind was still trying to process the words. before he knew it, his hands were setting down the mug he held and his hands reaching out to cup kiwoo’s face, lifting the other’s face. he saw the male’s confused gaze, and he offered a small smile before leaning and pressing a soft kiss to kiwoo’s lips. brief and soft but filled with emotion...but he hoped it was enough to get his message across.

kiwoo’s eyes fluttered closed when bolin kissed him, lips soft...a tender exchange yet it stole his breath. when bolin pulled away, kiwoo’s eyes slowly opened and a shaky exhale; his gaze met with bolin’s own, he could feel a smile against his lips.

“thank you,” bolin murmured, “thank you for loving me,” he continued, rubbing his thumbs against kiwoo’s cheeks. “here i thought you didn’t want to be my friend anymore,” bolin smiled, “because i love you too,” he muttered, hushing kiwoo when the male opened his mouth to respond. “i thought you didn’t catch my advances,” a wry laugh., feeling kiwoo shake his head to deny.

another kiss, “i love you,” he breathed, kiwoo smiled back and nodded in response.