Thank you, Anon! I’m so glad!Here, take the penultimate installment~ XDParts 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 (end)Also available on AO3: Switched
Michele waited for him to answer. Did Emil really think he was playing him? Was he playing him? Looking back, it was suspicious. They’d kissed, several times, in fact. And yet…there was no moving on from that. Michele had been grateful, since it meant he didn’t have to face what he’d done.
But was he hurting Emil by still avoiding the subject after all this time?
Unfortunately, Emil didn’t get to answer. Mila had interrupted, teasing them a bit before they returned to their original mission: making it through the lobby and to the Chinese restaurant without any further delay.
Michele was in a fog as they walked. He stared at the ground, the voices around him muffled like he was hearing them through a thick glass dome. But the things Emil’s friends had said echoed in his ears, clear as day.
He’d spent a lot of time - more than he’d care to admit - thinking about all that he and Emil had shared. The first time they’d accidentally kissed, and Michele had subsequently run away, he was mortified. But, when the opportunity arose again, he’d waited, holding his breath as Emil leaned closer, his mouth tasting like the sweet mixed drink he’d ordered, but also like something else. Something much sweeter.
Michele wouldn’t say that his kisses with Emil were guilty pleasures. They were pleasurable, yes, and he certainly felt guilty the following morning, but…
But they were more than that. They were confessions never uttered. Feelings poorly expressed. They were hints at something more. And it terrified him.
What if Emil found out about his feelings? What then? Would he accept them like his easy, late-night kisses? Or would he laugh - No. Michele wouldn’t even finish that thought. Emil would never hurt him in that way.
Not like Michele had been hurting him.
“Thank you!” Sara called loudly, pulling him from his reverie. She waved at the server and then turned toward Michele and Emil. “Moment of truth two-point-oh,” she said, biting her lip and holding out a tray with two fortune cookies on it.
Michele didn’t even look up at Emil. He couldn’t meet his eyes after realizing what he’d been doing. What he’d done.
He unwrapped the cookie and cracked it open, pulling out the fortune. As he read it, his eyes went wide.
There is only one happiness in life: to love and be loved.
That was it. It wasn’t about being afraid. And it wasn’t about worrying over every detail. He loved Emil.
He was in love with Emil.
It was so obvious that it was stupid. How could he have not realized such a simple fact? His feelings weren’t all that complicated.
Michele turned toward Emil, tears streaming down his cheeks.
Emil gasped, his brow furrowing in concern. “Mickey, what’s wro-”
“Emil,” Michele began, dropping his fortune as he drew closer. He lifted his hands, both hovering on either side of Emil’s head before he let them come to rest on his cheeks. “Emil, I…” He swallowed and took a deep breath, looking him right in the eye. “I love you.”
And then he kissed him. And, oh, Emil was kissing back, wrapping his arms around Michele’s waist and smiling against his lips.
“Mickey,” Emil replied, voice muffled by their kiss. “I love you, too.”
Michele didn’t know when he’d closed his eyes, but they fluttered open when Emil pulled back, panting against his open mouth.
“Mickey,” he sighed, smiling down at him. His dark blue eyes sparkling in the light.
Wait a moment. Blue eyes?
Michele blinked in order to focus, his vision still a little hazy from lack of breath. He stared up at Emil, slowly moving one of his hands from the side of Emil’s head to pinch the other’s cheek. “You’re you,” he said, astonished.
Emil smiled, the backs of his fingers brushing along Michele’s jaw. “And you’re you.”
“It worked!” Mila shouted, drawing them out of their own little world. “Hah! I told you!” She gave Sara a hug and an audible smooch on the cheek.
“Yes,” Sara giggled, pushing the other girl off, but linking their hands before she got too far away. “Good job.”
“So, it was the fortune cookies, after all.” Mila bobbed her head as if agreeing with herself. “I’m a genius.”
“I won’t argue that last part,” Sara said and then looked directly at Michele, whose cheeks heated under her gaze. “But I’m not so sure it was just the cookies.”
“Well, I’m just glad to be back in my own body,” Emil said, placing an arm over Michele’s shoulders. “But if the answer was a kiss like that…” He raked his teeth over his bottom lip. “I’d gladly swap back and do it again.”
“Obviously, there’s no need,” Michele said with a frown and Emil’s face fell. But then Michele moved closer, wrapping an arm around the other’s waist. “We don’t need to swap. You can,” he swallowed, cheeks warm. “You can kiss me whenever you’d like.”
For the first time since Michele had met him, Emil was stunned to silence. But, always a quick one to recover, Emil blinked. “Really?”
“Yeah.” Michele shifted his weight. “We’re dating, right?”
“Oh.” Emil flushed bright red to the tips of his ears. “Um…is that okay?”
“Well, you love me and I l-love you, so…” Michele trailed off, but, thankfully, Sara stepped in.
“Finally!” she cheered. She placed a hand on Michele’s shoulder. “See? All you had to do was confess!”
“And don’t forget the fortune cookies!” Mila chimed in.
“Yes, the fortune cookies…helped,” Sara placated. “Anyway,” she continued with a slight shake of her head. “We have a bit before we need to go to the airport. What shall we do?”
Michele knew what he’d like to do, but he was unsure if he had the ability to vocalize it. He’d run out of steam after so many embarrassing moments.
“If it’s alright with you ladies, I think Mickey and I should head back to the room,” Emil said and Michele turned toward him, eyes wide. “We need to get our things together and…” He glanced over at Michele, a sheepish smile on his lips. “We should probably kiss again. Just to make sure it took.”
“Oh, of course!” Sara winked. “We wouldn’t want you to switching back, now would we?” She placed her hands on Mila’s shoulders and steered her back toward the elevators. “C’mon, Mila. Let’s give them some privacy.”
“Ugh, fine.” She sighed, looking longingly over her shoulder. “But now I really want Chinese food.”
Michele and Emil watched them go. Then Emil leaned over and gently nudged Michele with his elbow. “I hope you didn’t mind that. I…uh..just thought-”
He cut him off with a kiss, loving the dopey little smile it put on Emil’s face. “I don’t mind.” He grinned. “I was thinking the exact same thing.”
AAAHHHH!!! FINALLY!! So it was a confession (and cookies, I suppose, Mila) that switched them back!
Thanks for sticking with me~ Only one chapter to go!
