Gosh, what a thrill it would be to settle down. To have a house, two or six adorable kiddos, and of course, a beautiful wife.
Pim could imagine it perfectly, most likely because this was a reoccurring fantasy of his, down to every last detail.
I’d come home from work every evening, tired but happy to be back. I’d play with the kids before preparing a nice dinner for the family.
A family. A real family. Not perfect, but far better than his current one.
I’d tuck the kids into bed after a story. Then, I’d snuggle with my wonderful wife in bed. I’d kiss her soft lips and—
Wait.
I’ve never…
“You’ve never what?” Charlie piped in from across the table in the break room.
Pim jolted up in his seat. “W-What? Huh?”
“You’ve been talking out loud like this entire time, dude.” Charlie glanced up from his phone, “spill it, bro. You’ve never done what?”
Pim tensed as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head. “O-Oh! Uh, nothing much. Nothing much at all.”
Charlie rolled his eyes before setting his phone down. “Is it about the wife thing? Look man, if you want a wife you gotta, I dunno… go find one or something.”
“It’s not that,” Pim mumbled as he looked away. Pim let out a deep sigh, “it’s more about kissing her, you know? I don’t know how to kiss anyone. I-I’ve never done it before.”
“Seriously dude? You’re like thirty-something years old and you’ve never kissed anyone?”
“Well it’s not like I’ve had many chances! I’ve been quite busy.”
“So we need to get you out there then, man,” Charlie said as he picked his phone back up.
Pim rested his head in his hand as he traced mindless circles on the table. “I don’t know, Charlie. I don’t think I can do it. I don’t want to kiss just anyone.”
“Don’t you kiss people on the cheek like all the time?” Charlie said without looking up.
“Th-That doesn’t count! That’s an impulse thing, you know I have trouble with that. I just want to practice, is all. That way I can get good at kissing my beautiful, wonderous future wife,” Pim sighed happily. “I just need to practice with someone I know who would be willing to help my cause!”
Charlie let out an annoyed sigh. “You just ruled out, like, over 99% of the city. I don't know anyone who’d want to do that.”
Suddenly, an idea popped into Pim’s head. A very, possibly, bad idea.
“Maybe you could help me then?”
An awkward silence fell across the room. Charlie almost dropped his phone as he looked at Pim in pure shock.
“L-Like I said, it would just be practice! Nothing more!” Pim exclaimed as he waved his hands frantically.
“Practice for… your hypothetical future wife?”
“…yes?” Pim squeaked.
A moment passed.
“Yeah, whatever man,” Charlie shrugged as he stood up with a grunt. “If you think it’ll help then I’m down.”
“Hah…” Pim felt suddenly out of breath, “okie doke, then.”
Pim didn’t know why, but his heart raced as Charlie got closer. Pim squeezed his eyes shut, painfully so, and puckered his lips. He waited in brutal anticipation before he felt warm lips envelop his.
Pim shot his eyes open and went rigid. Warmth spread through his body as he felt tingles all over. It was truly magnificent. Pim had never felt a sensation like this before. It as though every nerve in his body was tingling, and—
Charlie pulled back and licked his lips. “Wow dude. You're really bad at kissing.”
Pim’s heart was shattered in an instant.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! I— uh, I didn’t mean to break you, man. I was just saying—“
Pim looked up at Charlie with tears in his eyes. “I-I was bad?”
Charlie scratched the back of his neck as he glanced around awkwardly. “I mean, yeah. Kinda. You kinda just stood there and, like, puckered your lips and sh*t. You gotta take it easy and relax, man.”
Relax? How was Pim supposed to relax when he just had his first kiss? Well, a practice kiss, that is.
“Okay. I-I’ll try better next time.” Pim said softly as he twiddled his thumbs. “Maybe we could—“
Suddenly, Charlie took a glance at his phone and sighed. “Oh sh*t. Sorry man, I gotta head back home. My package just got dropped off at my apartment. Gotta get my sh*t before someone, like, I dunno… f*ckin’ steals it or something.”
“Oh- Okay. Bye, Charlie.”
Charlie was halfway out the door when Pim piped in again “and, uhm… thanks a ton! For- for the—“
“No problem man,” Charlie called out as he walked away. “Just helping a friend out.”
——
Just helping a friend out.
Helping a friend.
A friend.
Pim couldn’t stop thinking about it. About the feeling of Charlie’s lips on his, about the soft warmth, about how he was apparently really bad at kissing, and about how he still felt tingles hours after their practice.
Well, one could hardly call it practice. It only happened once and Pim was no better at it than before. They would just have to try it again.
Again?
Even in the privacy of his own room, Pim couldn’t help but bury his flushed face in his pillow. Just the mere thought of kissing Charlie again was enough to make him explode. But it would only be practice for his future wife, that’s it. Nothing more. He didn’t want to suck at kissing, so this was a necessary task. Besides, he trusted Charlie with his entire being. Nothing bad could possibly come of this.
——
“So, uhm…” Pim looked down at his feet as the two walked back to the office. They were just getting back from a job that he could barely focus on, as all Pim could think about was kissing—practicing with Charlie again.
“Yeah man, wassup?”
“I was just wondering, uhm. If y-you would like to, well, how do I say this? I was just hoping that maybe, uh, if you were comfortable with it, of course, we could- I don’t—“
“Jesus f*ckin’ Christ, Pim. You doing alright?”
“HaHA!” Pim anxiously laughed a bit too loud. “Wh-What makes you say that?”
Charlie put his hands in his pockets as they continued to walk. “For one, your face is all red and you’re stuttering like crazy. That, and you look like you’re gonna puke like any second.”
Pim was about to retort before Charlie continued.
“So what is it, man? Don’t feel like you gotta be all careful and sh*t with me. Just say what you wanna say.”
Pim stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and took a deep breath. He looked up at Charlie expectantly. “I want to practice again.”
Charlie raised an eyebrow. “Like… here?”
“What? No, no. I mean, somewhere else. Anywhere else. Just a place that’s not on the sidewalk and-and where you can fully… teach me.”
Charlie looked back and forth before guiding Pim across the street and to the nearest park bench.
Pim felt his heart start to speed up as the two sat down. Did Pim really manage to ask to practice kissing, again? Was Charlie seriously agreeing to do it, again? What if Pim continued to be terrible at it, then what? Would Charlie call him a lost cause too?
What if—
Pim was snapped out of thoughts with a hand cradling his cheek. He jolted in place, which caused Charlie to pull away.
“Oh man, sorry dude. Didn’t mean to—“
“No, no. I-It’s ok.” Pim took Charlie’s hand and placed it back on his cheek. “Go ahead.”
Charlie blinked twice, his face turned just slightly darker than before. He then cleared his throat and moved on.
“So you’ve never kissed anyone, huh?”
“Yeah,” Pim said sadly. “Just… just you.”
“Right, right. Well, lucky for you I’ve kissed like tons of people. Chicks and dicks, or whatever.”
“You mean,” Pim felt a flame of hope in his chest as he practically yelled, “you’ve kissed boys!?”
“Men.”
“Right, right. Men. Sorry.”
“Jesus, Pim. Be quiet. We’re in a public park. You can’t go around yelling that I like to kiss b— the two words aren’t even similar, how did you even…? And— you know what? Let’s just- let’s just move on.”
Charlie then took Pim’s face in both of his hands and continued. “What you’re gonna wanna do first is relax for once. Lean into the kiss and move your mouth along with the other person and stuff.”
Pim nodded as best he could with his head held still.
“Make sure your eyes are closed the whole time, too. Also make sure your lips are all soft and not puckered up and sh*t. That was your problem last time.”
Pim looked to the side sadly.
“What, still down about yesterday’s practice?”
“Well, yeah! You said I was really bad at it. You can’t blame me for being at least a little self conscious.”
“Look, sorry man. I’ll make it up for you this time. Just let me teach you how to really do it, yeah?”
Pim placed his small hands on Charlie’s and nodded. “Please, show me how.”
“For practice,” Charlie clarified.
“:..for practice.”
Pim began to recite the instructions in his head.
Close your eyes.
Pim slowly closed his eyes as Charlie leaned in.
Relax your lips.
Pim held in a shudder when their lips touched softly.
Lean in
He hesitantly leaned in a little more as
Charlie brought him closer.
Move your—
Pim held in a gasp as Charlie moved his lips against his. Their mouths melded together as Pim’s heart felt like it would explode any second. His entire body buzzed as he gripped onto Charlie’s wrists tighter. Pim, a fast learner, eventually took charge of the kiss and reciprocated eagerly. He distantly heard a groan that reverberated through his lips and, by god…
He adored it.
The two got so caught up in their practice that they had completely forgotten where they were. The kiss became more passionate by the second. Pim gasped into Charlie’s mouth when he felt a tongue lightly brush against his. Things felt so warm and tingly and dizzy and—
Suddenly, Pim’s phone began to chime loudly. Pim toppled away from Charlie and frantically took out his ringing phone.
“You… you still keep your ringer on?” Charlie huffed as he nonchalantly wiped his mouth of saliva.
Pim tried desperately to steady his breath and calm down. “Y-Yeah, it’s uhm, yeah. One second… it’s Mr. Boss.”
——
Apparently it’s frowned upon at Smiling Friends to arrive late to work after a job, what with all the paperwork and forms and such. But even as the two of them filled out paperwork late into the night as punishment, Pim couldn’t help but steal a glance or three at his best friend. If they could even call themselves that anymore.
He’s so handsome, Pim thought to himself, but actually in his head this time. I wonder if he’d let me kiss him again.
But a pang struck his chest.
Pim felt selfish. Selfish for even wanting this. For wanting him.
But even so, he looked at Charlie again with nothing but a greedy desire to kiss him again.
“Dude, I can literally feel your eyes on me,” Charlie said as he placed his pen down on the half-finished paperwork.
Pim blushed, but his eyes remained on Charlie as desire swirled in his gut.
“Are you not gonna say anything, or—“
“I want to kiss you again. Now… Please.”
Charlie looked caught off guard as a slight redness rose to his face. “Dude, how much practice could you possibly need?“
“Away with that ‘practice’ nonsense.” His face must have been bright red as he continued. “I want you, Charlie. I want to kiss you.”
“Are, uhm, are you sure it’s not just the kissing itself that’s getting you all worked up, or—“
“No!” Pim exclaimed as he slammed his hands on the table. “I feel like- I feel like I’ve wanted this forever, I just didn’t know. I-I didn’t realize it until recently, but I think I’ve loved, er, uhm… liked you since the day we met,” Pim corrected. He was already being forward enough as it was.
“Oh.”
“Y-Yeah.”
“I- Uhm… I dunno what to say, dude,” Charlie muttered as he scratched the back of his neck.
Pim’s heart fell painfully in his chest. After all that, after all of his bravery, was this the end?
“I think I love you too, man,” Charlie said as he bashfully avoided looking PIm in the eyes. “Also like… same here with the whole not realizing it at first. I felt like something was going on. That’s why I left after our first ‘practice.’ There was no package at my place, I just left to calm down after that.”
Pim felt his heart beat harder. Screw being too forward. “So… you’re saying that you love me too?”
Charlie’s eyes softened. “Yeah man. Absolutely.”
“Would you,” Pim paused to take a shaky breath, “…like to kiss again?”
It wasn’t until even halfway through Charlie’s nod of confirmation that Pim bolted to the door. He swiftly shut it with a click.
“Did you just lock the door?”
“I, uhm,” Pim stuttered as he fidgeted. “I just wanted a tad bit of privacy, is all,” he chuckled awkwardly.
“Damn. That’s kinda hot.”
Pim’s face burned at the statement. He slowly made his way back to Charlie before taking a deep breath. After a steady exhale, Pim used all of his bravery and climbed up Charlie, taking the other by surprise. Pim nearly panicked from his nerves before he remembered to relax. He finally took Charlie by either side of his face and smashed their lips together.
Pim relished in the other’s soft groan as big arms surrounded his tiny body. Pim used every ounce of his practice and courage to try and impress Charlie. He melded their lips together in a steady motion as he struggled to not pull away in embarrassment. His face burned and his heart pounded. Pim slid his hands down to grip harshly at Charlie’s hoodie just to pull him closer.
Pim felt daring. Darling enough to slip his tongue and kiss Charlie even deeper. He earned a moan of approval from the other that quickly turned into being forcefully pinned against the nearest wall of the break room. Pim gasped, only to be kissed harder. Everything felt wonderfully dizzy.
It wasn’t until Charlie started kissing down to his neck that Pim realized what he just got himself into.
Each press of Charlie’s lips was hot against his skin. Each one lasted longer than the previous. Pim had to cover up a loud moan when Charlie licked up the column of his neck. Suddenly, Charlie stopped to whisper.
“Don’t be quiet. I want to hear you.”
Pim had no words as he gently put his hands down. He then let out a sudden, choked moan when Charlie pressed his body into him firmly. Pim whimpered from the feeling of not only his neck being kissed and sucked on relentlessly, but also the pressure of Charlie’s body keeping his legs apart.
And with the way Pim was desperately squirming and rocking, they both knew he wouldn’t last much longer.
After sucking one last spot on the other’s neck, Charlie returned to the deep kisses that made them both groan. Pim practically melted into the kiss while he shamelessly rocked his hips into Charlie.
Charlie then caressed Pim’s face, slowly yet mindlessly moving toward the top of the other’s head. Without even thinking, Charlie brushed his fingers against Pim’s hair-like nerve. Pim suddenly jerked his hips and moaned loudly into the kiss.
Charlie pulled back a short distance as Pim whined at the separation. Charlie’s face was bright red and to Pim — and probably to Pim only — he was absolutely adorable. But he had a look of worry as well.
“Whoa, dude. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to… You okay—?“
“It’s okay! It’s okay!” Pim panted as he reached out to pull Charlie back. “I-It only hurts when you pull hard. Just-Just do it softly a-and it’ll feel good.”
Without a second thought, Charlie pressed himself back into Pim’s space and ravished his mouth. Pim cried out when Charlie played with the nerve gently, but the sound was quickly swallowed up by their feverish kiss.
Pim felt so close as he desperately rocked into Charlie’s middle. His mind was filled with nothing but pleasure and immeasurable joy. He was so, so close…
Charlie separated their lips and gazed at him with half-lidded eyes. It looked as though an idea came to mind as Charlie leaned his full body in once more.
He whispered, “Pim, Pim… be a good boy for me, yeah?”
Pim came with a loud whine and a final thrust against the other’s body. He fell limply into Charlie’s arms as he caught his breath.
“One… one heck of a first kiss, am I right?” Pim panted as he weakly — but happily — looked up at Charlie.
“Dude, I literally just got you off while praising you. I think you had more first times than just kissing.”
“I guess so, huh… heh… hehe,” Pim began to giggle a little tiredly to himself as Charlie set him back down on a nearby chair.
“What’s going on, man?”
“Well, I was just thinking that, after all that, maybe one day you could be my future wife.”
Charlie let out a huge, happy belly laugh, “yeah man, that sounds awesome as hell. I’d be down for that.” He then turned serious as he looked Pim dead in the eyes. “Just don’t make me wear a maid outfit or some sh*t, alright. Can’t f*ckin’ do that no more, man.”
“…I wouldn’t dream of it?”
A few quiet seconds passed as they stared in silence before Pim piped in as he looked at his damp shorts.
“I should probably cha—“
“You should change, man. Right.”
“Gosh, these were new pants too.”
“Yeah.”
“...well that sucks.”
![…for practice? - Aliakim - Smiling Friends (Cartoon 2020) [Archive of Our Own] (2024)](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mP8/h8AAvMB+NzmkbcAAAAASUVORK5CYII=)