Chapter Text
Jimmy didn’t want to go to the family reunion. They were always boring, and his family was small, so he would always be stuck sitting between his aunts. Forced to hear them constantly gossiping about the latest reality TV star. He put his earbuds in and closed his eyes, preparing for the hour-long drive.
This year, the reunion was at a different place. Some kind of park. Apparently, a cousin he had never met had graduated from college, and they were celebrating that as well. He didn't pay attention to the details; it was still going to suck. But there would be cake, so that was a plus.
They pulled up to the park, and he sighed. He waited until his mom was glaring at him to get out of the car. They walked over to the pavilion where a few people were gathered. He was bombarded with hugs and cheek pinches. Older women telling him how big he'd gotten, and how tall he was. Thankfully, his mom took pity on him and distracted them fairly quickly.
He sat at a picnic table and pulled out his phone. He groaned and flopped forward, his head resting on the table. No service. Because of course there wasn’t.
Jimmy felt someone sitting next to him, and he prepared himself for another onslaught of creepy praise. Instead, they stayed quiet and, after a few seconds, started humming. He turned his head and was surprised to see someone who wasn't a middle-aged woman, but a younger man.
He slowly sat up, and the guy smiled at him. “Hey. You looked miserable, so I figured I would join you.”
Jimmy shrugged. “Not too miserable. Just…” He gestured towards his family. “It's quieter over here.” His heart was hammering in his chest. Whoever this guy was, he was hot as hell.
The other guy laughed. “You ain’t kidding. My mom insisted we have my party here. I told her I didn’t even want a party, but she insisted. “O,h Tango. You might get some good presents. Plus, they haven't seen you in so long. Meh meh meh””
Jimmy blinked. “OH! This is your party! Hey, congrats, man!” He was surprised that the fact that this was his cousin didn't change how attractive he was.
Tango shrugged. “Honestly, it’s not even a big thing. Woo hoo, I got my associates in computer programming…” He twirled his finger in the air. “I want to go to the university to continue my degree, but I kinda of want a break.” He tilted his head to the side and squinted. “You're… Jimmy? Right?”
Jimmy almost missed the question, lost in Tango’s features. “Oh! Uh… yeah. Forgive me… how do you know who I am?” He hoped Tango didn’t notice his staring.
Tango chuckled. “My mom talks about you quite a bit. “He's such a good kid, Tango. I bet HE wouldn’t take a year off school. He just graduated from high school, you know. With honors. I bet HE is getting a useful degree.” Tango’s shoulders slumped. “I think this party is more of a celebration for her than me.”
Jimmy chewed his lip. “At least there’s cake?”
Tango barked out a laugh. “Hell yeah, there’s cake!”
They talked until it was time for lunch, then it was time for BINGO. The aunts insisted on playing every year. Tango and Jimmy decided to pair up, laughing the entire time and getting the first BINGO, much to their aunts’ dismay.
They found themselves walking around the park after they got bored. Chatting about their summer plans and anything else that came to mind. They found a fountain on the other side of the park and sat down on a nearby bench. The sun was starting to set, and they sat quietly listening to the crickets for a few minutes.
Jimmy found himself staring at Tango again. How he couldn’t remember seeing this man at any reunions was beyond him. He must have never met him. There was no way he could forget that face. Those eyes. That jawline.
Tango turned his head. “Hey, do you-” He raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “You okay, Jimmy?”
Jimmy blinked and felt his face heat up. “Yeah. Sorry. I uh… saw… something.” He cringed at the weak excuse.
Tango turned his body and rested his arm on the back of the bench. “Oh yeah? What, pray tell, did you see?”
“Uh…”
Tango chuckled and smirked. “You’re cute.”
Jimmy’s mouth dropped open. “I uh… what?” His brain seemed to short-circuit.
Tango smiled. “I said you’re cute.” He looked up and sighed, staying quiet for a while.
Jimmy’s voice was quiet. “Tango?”
Tango sighed again. “You ever wonder what it would be like to just…” He quickly spread his fingers in front of him. “Poof. Disappear.” He looked at Jimmy. “Not like, forever. But like. Away from society. Social norms. Expectations.” They heard their aunts loudly laughing, and Tango rolled his eyes. “Old yappy ladies.”
Jimmy nodded. “Yeah… I mean. That does sound nice.”
Tango chewed his lip and nodded to himself. “Yep.”
Before Jimmy knew what was happening, chapped lips were pressed against his. His first reaction was to pull away, but that faded, and he hummed into the kiss.
Tango slightly pulled away, his eyes searching Jimmy’s, almost panicked. “Sorry. I…”
Tango went to sit up, and Jimmy grabbed the front of his shirt. They both looked down at his hand, and Jimmy swallowed. “Don’t… It’s okay.” They stared at each other for a few seconds, neither of them knowing how to handle the situation they were in. Jimmy’s voice was small when he spoke up. “Kiss me again?”
Tango didn’t hesitate, kissing Jimmy again, this time more sure of himself. Jimmy opened his mouth, and their kiss deepened. They pulled apart, panting. Tango looked around with purpose, and his eyes landed on some woods on the edge of the park.
“Come on.” He stood up and pulled Jimmy with him. They jogged into the woods, and when they were a few trees deep, Tango pulled Jimmy in to another kiss, sighing into Jimmy’s mouth. Jimmy wrapped his arms around Tango’s neck and pressed against him, slotting his knee between Tango’s legs.
Tango gasped. “Fuck… you.” He pulled away, his eyes wide, and Jimmy’s stomach dropped at the look on his face. “How old are you?”
Jimmy blinked, the whiplash from making out to being seriously interrogated making him dizzy. “I’m eighteen and a hal-”
He didn't get the rest of his sentence out as Tango pulled him in to another kiss. This one was even more desperate than the last. Tango walked them backwards until Jimmy was leaning against a tree, and Tango started kissing his neck.
“Sorry. For scaring you.” He sounded out of breath, and his hands were running up Jimmy’s sides, lifting his shirt. “I just. Needed to make sure.” Tango swallowed and pulled away. “Is this okay?”
Jimmy’s brain was hanging on for dear life. “Yeah?” He shrugged. “Obviously.”
Tango quickly nodded. “Good. Good. I just… because of us being cousins and all.”
That did make Jimmy pause for a second. He had forgotten about that. This hot as hell stranger that was kissing him and short-circuiting his brain was his cousin. He looked at Tango, at how nervous he was, how his hands were almost hesitant to keep touching him. Jimmy decided it didn’t matter.
He pulled Tango into another kiss, answering against his lips. “Don’t care.”
Tango almost groaned, and their bodies got impossibly closer. Griding against each other as they made out. Jimmy had to stop after a few minutes, not wanting to cum in his pants. The ride home would be miserable if he did.
“Wait. I…” His hand was on Tango’s chest, who was breathing just as hard as he was. “I’m close. “He gave a nervous laugh.
“Ah.”
They slowly parted, smoothing out their clothes and adjusting themselves. The silence was only a little awkward. Jimmy heard his mom call him, and he scrunched his face. “I gotta go.”
Tango gave him a small smile. “Maybe we’ll see each other again soon, huh?”
Jimmy nodded. “Yeah. Sure!”
Tango leaned over and softly pecked Jimmy’s lips. “Sure.”
On the drive home, Jimmy had his music as loud as it could go. He needed to drown out the voices in his head saying that he would never see Tango again. Maybe it was for the best. His heart hurt a little bit at that thought. He fell asleep watching the stars out the car window, wondering if Tango was watching them too.