“Is….is this necessary,” Kam asks, worrying about if he’s sweating too much.

“I told you, I need to be as close to you as possible. It’s what my parents used to do to get me into other people's dreams.”

“But THIS,” Kam tries to gesture wide, but his right arm is awkwardly placed under Asa’s neck. Their arms and legs trap each other in a close cuddle. They share a bed, a blanket, a pillow and a few inches of air between them to breathe. The boys are familiar with each other, but this scenario is entirely too familiar for Kam. 

“Honestly, we should be closer, stay still.” Asa presses his entire body into Kam. 

Their foreheads and noses meet and Kam has had enough.  “Dude, dude, dude, dude.” He pushes off Asa's tough body, but falls off the bed, taking the sheets with him in the process. Stumbling, he untangles himself from the sheets and retreats into the wall with shaky breaths. Asa tilts his head.

“I’m-” Kam can’t catch his own words. “I’m gay, Asa, you can’t just do that.”

“I don’t see a problem. Why not?

Kam scrambles to form an answer. “You’re a guy. I like guys. Sexually.”

“But we’ve never had sex, and we’ve been close before.”

“Holy shit, Asa, it’s not about the sex. It’s just. We’ve never talked about this.” 

“We….weren’t going to have sex, though. What’s there to talk about?”

Kam crosses his arms. “Ok, ok. Fine. Fine. Fine. Fine. But for me it…it…it feels like it, ok? It’s not like when I wake up with a boner.” Asa giggles, but Kam continues softly and under his breath. “It turns me on.”

“I’m fine with that,” Asa replies without missing a beat. 

It takes a second to register.

“WHAT.”

Suddenly, there’s pounding on Kam’s bedroom door. “Can you two fuck quieter?! Some of us are trying to sleep,” Jacob shouts through the door.”

Kam apologizes and leans back into the wall. He closes his eyes for a few seconds. When he opens them, Asa is there, inches away. He stares up and into Kam’s eyes as if waiting for something. In his dreams, this would not bother him, but in reality, Kam startles whenever Asa presses into his space. 

“Wh-what. See. This is too close.” Perhaps Asa really didn’t understand. “This is what I’d expect if a guy wanted to kiss me.”

“Is that what you need to get that I’m ok with turning you on?”

Kam answers in a whisper, delicate as a rose petal floating to the ground. “Yes.”

Asa pulls Kam down to his level, tilts his head, and kisses him. It’s sweet and slow. Asa’s lips are rougher than Kam expects. He wraps his arms around Asa, and he responds by placing his hands on Kam’s shoulders. The kiss deepens, and before long, Kam can’t remember what madness stopped him from being so close to the boy he loves.  

The kiss ends like it started: sudden and surprising. Asa pulls away with a goofy smile. He licks his lips.

“You taste different than in your dreams.” Kam is too dazed to comprehend what that means. He leads Asa to the bed.  “Do you get it now? I really don’t mind if it’s you. It’s not like it’s the first time.”

That gets him. “Hold up. Excuse me. That’s not our first kiss?”

“To bed!” Asa flicks Kam’s nose.

“We’re talking about this you little shit.”

Asa lays Kam down and silences him with another kiss. He grasps Kam tight like a spider wrapping its prey in a web. He presses into Kam. “I’ll meet you in your dreams.”