CW: This chapter includes 18+ content, such as drug use.
Mitsu laid his back at the end of the bed and blew a huge cloud of smoke. Then, he passed the blunt to Alex, who always got nervous before taking drugs. The young boy closed his eyes and took a drag - more than he had expected. Alex blew out the smoke as it burned his throat. He started coughing aggressively so he covered his mouth with his hand and with the other handed the blunt to Mitsu.
Mitsu had done it so effortlessly, to the young boy, it seemed like that it wasn't going to affect his friend at all - but that was some strong weed. Mafuyu smiled and offered his glass of water to Alex.
'Thanks' said Alex with a husky voice as he took the galls of water. Alex felt slightly embarrassed to look like a novice. He drank big gulps of water. Meanwhile, Mitsu was taking in a bigger puff than before and blowing it out. He then offered the joint again to his young friend to which Alex shook his head. 'I'm good,' he added.
Mafuyu put it out on the ashtray and grabbed Alex's notes again, flicking through the pages. The scrawny boy looked at him confused and then remembered they were supposed to study. He was already high.
'Hey' Alex said abruptly. He had forgotten he used to get excessively chatty and loud with weed. The young boy grabbed Mitsu's arm, who quickly looked at him.
'What?'
'I need to ask you a question'.
'What is it?' Mitsu smiled.
Alex took a long pause as he got distracted by Mafuyu's smile. He then looked straight into the older boy's eyes and started to feel butterflies in his stomach.
'Have you... ever been to Japan?'
Mitsu held back the strident laugh he was about to slip, he chuckled loudly instead. The young boy had never heard him laugh so loudly, which made him burst into laughter too.
'You scared me,' said Mitsu between laughs. 'are you judging me on my looks Alex?' he joked
'Your name is literally Japanese!' Alex got louder as the words got out of his mouth. 'Mitsu Mafuyu... or is it Mafuyu Mitsu?' he teased back. He changed his position, uneasy on his seat, and kneeled, getting closer to Mitsu. 'Shouldn't I be calling you like senpai? You're older than me...'
Mitsu rested his head back, he looked like he couldn't stop his laughing. Alex felt highly proud of this achievement. He looked at him with his already red puffy eyes, enjoying the scene of him laughing because he made him. Mitsu's eyes looked at him back, very puffy too, through his chuckles.
He was glad Mitsu was being himself, laughing, not caring about looking weird or ridiculous. That way he could do the same and not worry about those things too.
'You've traveled there, haven't you?'
'Yeah.' Mitsu left the notebook back on the floor. 'But just once... when I was a kid'.
ALex nodded, but suddenly, he took a peek to his books laying on the floor in front of them.
'Aaahhh!' he whined aloud. He let himself fall back and sit on the floor again. The young boy grabbed his notebooks again and stared at them, preoccupied.
'What is it? Mafuyu asked.
'I haven't study a thing'.
Mitsu saw Alex's desperation in his eyes. He sat straight and patted the young boy's shoulder in reassurance.
'Heeeeey, you're good' Mitsu rested his hand on Alex's shoulder. 'We can keep studying'.
Alex couldnt help it, his muscles started to tense up from his back to his arms and legs. The warmness of Mitsu's hand could be felt under his hoodie.
He let himself smile, a little bit embarassed, as he glared into Mafuyu's dark eyes. 'I think I won't be able to study,' he added.
The pale boy felt his head foggy and his eyes heavy. He was forgetting things by the second and his thoughts were sometimes funny. He was definitely not going to retain anything, even if he tried. Mitsu steadily leaned into Alex, without removing his hand from Alex's shoulder.
'Why is that?' Mitsu asked in a soft voice and serious face.
Alex meant he was too high to retain any information right there. His mind was focusing on way too many things at the moment. Mitsus hand. The tests. The anxiousness of not do anything ridiculous.
Alex's heart accelerated exceedingly. The young boy couldn't stare away from Mafuyu's eyes. He looked into Mitsus brown eyes, and he pressed his back on the bed as he could feel he had started to sweat. Although he wanted to say something - anything - he couldn't remember what he had asked or said.
Mitsus hand let go off Alex's shoulder and moved back to the bed behind him. He slid his palm a bit further on the cover, and Alex felt his body temperature increase.
Alex felt his whole body burning and his heart pounding in his ears. Mitsu got closer. The older boy glimpsed at Alex's lips. The time seemed to have stopped and they were both stuck at that moment - Alex could feel the warmness of Mitsu's body and his cigarette breath, mixed with something sweet. Mitsu pushed forward and his lips got closer. In a rush, Alex turned his face to the other side, pressing his lips and eyes shut together.
Mitsu paralyzed.
'Oh, shit' Mafuyu muttered.
'Oh shit!' Alex thought to himself as he opened his eyes, seeing how Mitsu had leaned back and turned around. The young boy could hear his heart in his ears still and all blood was reaching every part of his body.
Mafuyu lifted a mid-burned cigarette from the ashtray and lit it up again. The light of the flame revealed Mitsu's blushed cheeks. After blowing a cloud of smoke, he finally said:
'Sorry... I thought...'
Alex didn't respond. He could barely breathe, let alone speak. But he didn't want Mitsu to regret what he had done just because he freaked out. He didn't know how much he wanted this to happen until he was regretting pulling away. The drugs made him too aware of Mitsu's presence and the surroundings. He felt overwhelmed but at the same time he wanted to have another more chance.
'I'm sorry.' repeated Mitsu, feeling uncomfortable.
The young boy tried to swallow but his mouth felt extremely dry. Out of instinct, he grabbed his can of Red Bull and drank from it. When it was empty, he kept the can between his lips and bit the edge of it with his teeth. He glanced at Mitsu, who was looking at him both worried and expectant. Mafuyu realized that the young boy's eyes didn't show disgust or anger and he wished he said something.
Alex scanned Mitsu's hands holding a cigarette and the veins from his hand showing. Then, he moved to bleached hair and his eyes. His stare stopped at Mafuyu's slightly dried lips, his tiny cracks suddenly feeling so relevant. The scrawny boy felt as electricity had passed through his body and his chest getting warmer.
Mitsu looked away, ashamed, and let out a small grunt.
Uncomfortable, Mafuyu tried to stand up but Alex grabbed him by his t-shirt, thinking the older boy might leave. This made Mitsu lose his balance and almost bump into one another.
They were inches apart and their lips were almost touching. Their eyes met for half a second. Mitsu couldn't resist the momentum, and, placing his hand on the back of Alex neck, he kissed him.