Chapter Text
“Come on Lucas, how are you not ready yet?” Kes groaned from the other side of the bedroom.
Lucas held up a neat light blue button down shirt in front of his chest, staring hard at his reflection. The colour was too light- as much as he loved the colour blue and wore it often, this colour seemed to wash out the rest of his face. Under the dim lights of the party they were heading to, he would hardly be seen at all.
“I just want to look good okay?” He replied back, huffing with a slight annoyance not directed at Kes. If it was anyone who should feel impatient, it had to be himself- he was rummaging through his closet at least an hour before Kes had arrived.
“This guy already knows what you look like.” Kes reminded him. “You’ve already been on a few dates with him before turning it into the situationship of the year. How can a handful of good dates even manage to warrant what seemed to be the most agonizing relationship of the year. Barely a relationship at that.”
Lucas rolled his eyes at Kes, trying not to feel the sting in his heart when he said that. But Kes was right. While the dates they had went on had gone quite well, and there seemed to be mutual feelings between each other, it was a cat and mouse chase over what they actually meant to each other- where their supposed relationship stood.
Barely a relationship at that. He thought. He hated the fact that Kes was right but he hated the fact that as much as he had his own frustrations with the guy, he didn’t have it in him to break whatever they had going on.
Mostly because, and he would never admit this out loud, he didn’t think he was the lucky type. Lucas often got the short stick of his crushes and previous relationships, where he liked them more than they ever would like him. And that was just how he figured it would always be like.
“Come on!” Another voice rushed him, this time coming from the figure on his bed. Jayden had been mindlessly scrolling on his phone for the last hour, successfully tuning out Lucas’ and Kes’ own bickering but it seemed as though the other boy had run his patience thin. “We still need to pre-game at Isa’s!”
“He’s right.” Kes added. “And he usually isn’t.”
“Fine.” Lucas huffed, throwing the lights blue shirt on top of the clean pile of clothes gathered on his floor. “Just give me two seconds.”
“Where is Thomas meeting us anyway?” Jayden asked. “Is he coming with us to Isa’s?”
“No. He said he had to stop by somewhere first so he’ll meet us at Gijs’.”
Kes snorted. “I don’t know why you trust him. Anyone who is friends with Gijs is an immediate red flag to me.”
“As if we aren’t going to his and Noah’s party in general.” Jayden muttered under his breath.
It was quite a bit of an odd, and awkward, crossover. While Kes and Isa had sorted out their differences, even managing to get back together in the summer, Kes was not quite fond of Gijs. For the most part, they often avoided each other unless it was the rare occasion they couldn’t. For example, the New Year’s party that Gijs and Noah, their actual friend who managed to defy “red flag” accusation from Kes, was hosting. Liv had invited them and they didn’t have anywhere else to be so here they were. Trying to get to the party.
“Lucas!” Both Jayden and Kes cried out, interrupting his thoughts. There was no ounce of patience in their voices anymore.
“Okay fine!” He threw his hands up in the air, defeated.
-
The room was spinning, the multicoloured lights casting shadows all over the room and the bass from the speakers was vibrating through the walls. Even with just over an hour in, the house was full and the party could be heard from at least two blocks over.
But even just an hour in was enough for Lucas. Because upon entering, he had found Thomas talking up some girl in the corner and a hand placed intimately on her waist, drinks in both of their hands. Kes immediately gave Lucas a look, as if to say “I told you so.” His chest felt tight and there was a lump in his throat. He was not only upset that this was how his year was ending, but that he spent a few months of it thinking that him and Thomas had something. Even when all his friends kept telling him otherwise.
He should have listened to them.
Lucas wanted to go home. He wanted to sleep off the New Years and wake up to hopefully something better. But at the same time, he didn’t want to let himself wallow in the dark, thinking about how he was once again let down. This year had been a hard one, with his parents splitting, his mom getting sicker, his dad seeming more absent, the isolation from his friends when things were going poorly and now this. Even with everything that had happened this year, Lucas had held on to the sliver of hope that maybe him and Thomas could have been something- maybe a kiss at midnight could have finalized the feelings between them.
But there would be no kiss at midnight. Lucas brought the beer bottle to his lips, his stare at Thomas and the girl colder than the alcohol that touched his tongue.
“You seem kind of distracted.” A voice behind him said.
Turning around, it took everything in Lucas’ power not to drop his jaw at the person who had just spoke. There had hardly been times he was completely blown away by someone’s appearance but right now, he was completely star struck. Dark ravenous hair strands fell on top of dark eyes, golden ember skin and a charming smirk on delicate pink lips. The boy looked around to be his age and also had a bottle in his hands.
“Sorry, it’s not what it looks like.” Lucas choked out, still trying to lodge his voice out of his throat. “I was just going out with that guy, kind of, and didn’t expect to see him kissing a girl.”
“Ah, you and me both.” The boy spoke again, bringing the bottle of beer to his lips and taking a sip. “I also didn’t expect to see the girl I’m going out with, kind of, to be kissing some other guy.”
Surprised that he wasn't the only one at the party experiencing this rather odd situation, Lucas raised his eyebrows and looked at the boy, trying to read his expression. It remained rather still, eyes dulled out and a tense jaw, but a rather still expression overall.
"So much for a New Year's kiss." He said under his breath, trying to cut the tension and achieve some sort of reaction out of the boy.
Successfully, this managed to get a low chuckle out of the boy. "New Year's kiss, huh? I take it that he was supposed to be yours?"
"At least that's what I figured." Lucas muttered, gently kicking the ground beneath his feet. He still felt defeated but he also felt a warm flush on his face, taking in how good the boy looked and sounded with his laugh.
"Same here. I don't think I carry a lot of traditions or sentiments, but I do like the idea of a New Year's kiss. It just seems like a nice way to start of the year. It's a slight shame it ended off, well, like this."
"Yeah." He nodded, still unsure how to feel about everything happening around him.
"There's that great end scene in one of my favourite movies." The boy started out. "When Harry met Sally. And it has this New Year's kiss in it but it's not really just a New Year's kiss. I mean, the sentiment is there but it becomes much more than that as Harry, the main character, explains to Sally. Anyway, great scene."
"How does it go?" Lucas asked, finally seeming to have turned his attention entirely away from Thomas and the girl. The boy in front of him looked extra charming now, possibly even a little flirtatious.
"Well Harry runs up to Sally, right before the strike of midnight and gives her this monologue of how he feels about her and how he admires her for all these little things she does. And right before they kiss, he says, and I quote, "And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." I think that is just the premise of why we do the New Year's kiss. So we can start off the new year as the new rest of our life."
"But then it would also have to be dependent on the person you kiss. Wouldn't they be considered a part of the new year, the new rest of your life, theory?"
With a smirk, and what Lucas hoped was a wink, the boy clinked his beer bottle against his, before raising it back up to his lips. "I like the way you think. My name is Jens by the way." He extended his other hand out for Lucas to shake.
"Lucas." He smiled at him, taking his hand and feeling a warmth flush all over his body.
-
"So any New Year's resolutions?" Jens asked, opening up his third beer of the night.
They were sitting on a worn out love seat near a window, tucked away from the liveliness of the party in the living room but still surrounded by the crowd. But nobody seemed to be paying attention to them, aside from the few looks Kes and Jayden shot him when get walked by. Jens had also gotten a few looks from people Lucas assumed were his friends, but neither of them had been approached. It seemed like everyone figured out what had happened and knew better than to bring it up.
Lucas had already forgotten about what had happened. Sure, it was on the back of his mind but it seemed so distant now. In about 10 minutes, it would be left behind in the last year and he was okay with that. More than okay. Right now, he was enamoured with the boy in front of him, their knees touching due to their close proximity and a warmth enveloping the both of them in this small corner of the room.
He shrugged. “Not sure, I don’t really give much thought to those sort of things.”
“Well if you had to consider one thing, what would it be?”
Thinking for a moment, he shrugged. “Probably not waste half of it in a really confusing and mixed signals relationship? That could clearly be something I change for this year.”
Jens tossed his head back in laughter and Lucas smiled to himself as he began to realize how much he liked listening to his laugh. “Yeah, yeah, that’s a good one. I’m with you on that.”
“Did you have a good year at least?”
He snorted. “No. It was pretty shit if I’m being honest.”
Now Lucas let out his own laugh, shaking his head. Yeah so was mine.”
“Hey,” Jens held up his beer. “Let’s cheers to a better year.”
Hitting his bottle with his own, making a loud clang between the glass material, Lucas nodded. “To a better year.” He cheered.
“Hey!” Another voice called out to them. Lucas turned around to find Kes approaching, not seeming to mind he had company. “They’re gathering outside for a countdown so we can see the fireworks when the clock strikes 12. Grab your jackets and meet us outside!”
Kes disappeared quickly, barely giving time for Lucas or Jens to answer. But following suite, they grabbed their jackets, a denim jacket lined with wool for Lucas and a red hoodie underneath a thick black jacket for Jens, and headed outside. There was a cold sharpness in the air but Lucas could hardly feel it against him, either because of the alcohol warming him up or the blush on his face too strong against any outer force. Looking beside him, he noticed Jens was still with him, despite a group of other people he was unfamiliar with calling out to him.
Gesturing towards them, he asked Jens. “Do you know them? I think they’re calling you.”
Taking a quick glance, Jens waved them off. “Yeah, they’re my friends, the people I came here with. Sorry, they probably want to say something about the horrible situation from earlier but I’m honestly past that.”
“Wouldn’t you want to be with them to ring in the new year?”
Smiling while shaking his head, there was a sparkle in his eye as he leaned down and spoke lowly to Lucas, so only he could hear. “No, it’s okay. I think I’m right where I need to be.”
The warmth in his body, or his face, emerged and created a heated sensation through him.
“Hey,” Lucas spoke softly, so only Jens could hear. There was a heavy beating in his chest that was almost louder than the bass from the speakers in the party but he ignored it. He had never quite been the forward type but there was something in him that was yearning to not miss this opportunity. And maybe it would be something to take into the New Year’s. “I know we only just met so this might be a bit forward. But you and I both lost our New Year’s kisses pretty much at the exact same time tonight. And I’ve spent enough time with you to have forgotten that even happened.”
“Yeah?” There it was again- that smirk. Lucas knew it drove him crazy and it seemed to be a greater incentive to what he was about to ask.
“I know we’ve only just met and are unsure about the sentiment of New Year’s kisses, but I wouldn’t mind ringing in the new year with you. The new year to the rest of our lives or whatever Henry had said to Sally.”
“Harry.” Jens corrected, laughing but turning his body to close the space between them. Looking deep into his eyes, brown meeting blue, he whispered. “I’m not sure what the sentiment is with New Year kisses are either. But I do know I’d like to have mine with you.”
Grinning, he tilted his head up towards the taller boy and gave his own smirk. He watched as Jens let his eyes fall down to his lips, his own mouth open ajar and Lucas couldn’t believe someone was actually looking at him like this.
It seemed to be the first time someone wanted him just as much as he wanted them.
“Ten seconds!” Jayden yelled over the crowd.
Everyone around them began to count down.
Ten.
They closed the space between them, feeling their bodies lightly get pushed around as people around them scrambled to find their own person to kiss or group to ring the new year with.
Nine.
A blush formed on both of their cheeks, shy smiles mirror each other and eyes dancing with sparkles as they tried to read what was going on through the other’s mind.
Eight.
Lucas grabbed on the opening of Jen’s’ black jacket, pulling him in closer. Giggling and chuckling at the sudden eagerness, Jens put his left hand on his waist.
Seven.
“I’m glad I met you.” Lucas whispered breathlessly.
Six.
“I’m glad I found you.” Jens whispered back.
Five.
Tucking his right hand underneath Lucas’ chin, he angled his head towards him for easier access. Lucas couldn’t believe this was happening and a rush of adrenaline shot through his entire body, making him lightheaded. He could only imagine what the kiss would make him feel- but in a few seconds, he would soon find out.
Four.
Pressing their foreheads together, they both closed their eyes as the smiles on their faces grew wider. Yeah, it had been a rather shit year for the both of them. But that was soon going to be long gone.
Three.
They both held their breath.
Two.
Their noses brushed against each other.
One.
At the very last second of the year, Lucas pressed his lips against Jens’, feeling the softness of his lips, the heat of his skin and the taste of the beer. They both grinned through the kiss, deepening it slightly as the crowd around them cheered and made noises to welcome in the new year.
Fireworks exploded in the sky but Lucas knew it was his heart exploding the most. The first few seconds of the new year passed with him and Jens still kissing- because this was much more than some kiss to mark the beginning of the near year.
This was a kiss that would mark the beginning of the rest of their lives.
When they finally released, they pressed their foreheads together as they tried to catch their breath.
“Happy New Year Jens.” Lucas whispered, his breathing heavy and the grin on his face so big that he was unsure he ever smiled this wide before.
Jens placed another quick kiss to the corner of his lips. “Happy New Years Luc.”