Dark woke up to sunlight streaming into the living room through the window, the warm rays of light shining directly into his eyes.

He groggily cracked his eyes open and examined his surroundings, momentarily forgetting where he was.

Until he looked over and saw Anti's head laying on his shoulder, his expression peaceful with a light smile of content on his face.

Dark started to move, only for Anti to bury his face against Dark's chest and keep him pinned to the couch.

Conflicted between awkwardness and letting Anti sleep, Dark stayed put despite the soreness.

"Sle-sleep is for t-the we-weak he says." Dark remarked quietly as he watched his friend's chest rise and fall with each breath he took.

Dark sat on the couch for what felt like hours as Anti slept on, his eyes constantly wandering to Anti's face as he waited for him to wake up.

Only Anti wasn't asleep.

When Dark wasn't looking, Anti would open his eyes and watch Dark look around the room.

"Yo-you s-sneaky snake!" Dark exclaimed in surprise when his eyes met Anti's, mischief glittering in his dark orbs as Dark lightly punched him in the shoulder.

"Totally worth it." Anti snickered, quite proud with himself as he sat up.

"Boys, I made chocolate chip pancakes if-"

The two teens were already scrambling off of the couch towards the kitchen before Anti's mother could even finish her sentence.

"Now I know you two had school today, but I figured a day off wouldn't hurt. Your father already knows Dark, so he called the school and told them you were sick." Anti's mother continued as she served the pair plates stacked high with pancakes drenched in syrup and topped in whipped cream.

"Thanks mom!" Anti cheered as he dug into his breakfast.

"Mphfk fou." Dark chimed in, his mouth already stuffed with food.

"I think he means thank you." Anti translated with a laugh, earning a nod from Dark.

"Hey, I think you got something on your shirt." Dark spoke up after swallowing his mouthful of breakfast.

"Really?" Anti frowned as he glanced down at his shirt, allowing Dark to strike.

Dark smeared whipped cream on Anti's nose before he could react, earning a snort of amusement from Anti's mother and a mock glare from Anti.

"Simba." Anti declared as he used his thumb to wipe the whip cream from his nose onto Dark's forehead, leaving a white streak on his tan skin.

"Wow thanks." Dark replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he wiped the whipped cream off with a paper towel before continuing to eat his breakfast.

"Hey, you wanna go to the park?" Anti asked Dark once they finished eating.

Dark nodded eagerly before following Anti to his room, grabbing clean clothes from his bag before retreating into the bathroom to change.

Dark emerged from the bathroom wearing a red tank top that exposed his muscles and black shorts with tennis shoes.

"Ready?" Anti smirked as he opened the front door, clad in a blue jacket, tennis shoes, a black t-shirt, and black jeans.

"You didn't stutter back there." Anti remarked with am impressed expression.

"I'm just getting more confident in myself I guess." Dark answered with a shrug.

Dark glanced down at Anti's hand and wished he could take it in his and keep his energy with him, never wanting to let him go.

The park was completely empty, allowing Dark and Anti privacy as they sat down on the bench.

Both fell silent as thoughtful expressions crossed their faces, the two not knowing how to say what they were feeling to the other.

"Dark-"
"Anti-"

The pair abruptly broke off and blushed, chuckling nervously as Dark motioned for Anti to continue.

"I wanted to tell you something." Anti admitted as he shyly cast his gaze to his feet.

"Yeah?" Dark prompted, his heart racing.

"So, um, you know how I came out and stuff and I wanted to tell you...." Anti trailed off as he looked up into Dark's eyes.

"I have a boyfriend now."

"O-oh, um, that's good for you!" Dark exclaimed in forced excitement, feeling like his heart was being torn apart from the inside.

"You know Dark, I bet you're honestly one of the nicest beings on the planet." Anti declared as he turned to face the slightly older male, noticing his tan cheeks begin to burn a light pink hue.

"I-I am?" Dark stammered in disbelief, turning to face Anti.

"Yeah, that's kinda why I consider you as my best friend." Anti shrugged with a smile.

Best friend...two words that made Dark want to smile and cry at the same time when they came from Anti.

"Y-Yeah....best friends..."