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He’s covered in warmth, body snuggled between two bodies of the men that he has come to love and care for. He can hear their gentle breathing around him, soft snores leaving the larger of the three. Evan’s arm in slung over the smaller males, Ryan can feel Evan’s elbow resting on his side and if he craned his head enough he could see Evan’s hand intertwined with Joe’s. A gentle breath passes Ryan’s lips but he doesn’t dare to reposition himself as his right arm is snug under Joe’s head, his hand just barely dangling over the edge of the queen sized mattress. A soft smile forms on his lips and he buries his face into Joe’s hair, placing a gentle kiss to his head. He can feel the other stir gently, letting out a small yawn as he seems to snuggle up closer to Ryan, pushing Ryan closer to Evan in the process. The mass cuddling happening was soothing to Ryan, having his two loves close to him as they lay intertwined in each others arms. Ryan wishes he could stay like this forever, in the arms of both Evan and Joe, but life has to persist at him- and in this case, it’s his dog Tiny that wills him to get out of bed. Ryan can hear the clicking of his small paws as he paces outside the bedroom door, a slight whine coming from him. He wanted attention, food, to go outside- all of the above, and Ryan was the only one awake to hear it. He can’t just go back to sleep, the cats would need food this early as well, he tells himself as he thinks of the two adoring cats. One cat each belonged to the men that Ryan lies with, both males bringing the cats with them when the three finally decided to move into a house together. What a chaotic day that was- unloading boxes and furniture into the home and decorating it profusely with their own personal touches. He remembers the three of them having a horrible paint fight one of the days that they were first starting to get moved in and settled in the house. They were supposed to be repainting the walls of the master bedroom but with one splatter of a brush from Evan, they erupted into a chaos of light blue paint splatters being thrown and covered over them and over the barren room. He giggles at the memory, sound filling the bedroom now as he desperately tries to mask. It doesn’t work well for him as he feels the two beside him begin to stir, someone groans quietly while he hears Joe’s quiet voice call out to him, “Ryan? Baby?” His tone is light and doused with the drowsiness that Joe felt, waking up to Ryan’s giggling fit. Ryan is almost immediately hit with a wave of guilt and regret for having woken Joe, and he could feel Evan begin to stir as well as he moves his arm from where it was laying across both Ryan and Joe. His hazel eyes look to the soft brown of Joe’s eye, which was brimming with a tired sense of confusion. Ryan smiles fondly at him, heart soaring. Ryan always thought Joe was adorable when he woke in the morning, dazed, confused, and somehow still somewhat tired.
“Hey- I’m fine, go back to sleep.” He says gently as he moves a hand to cup Joe’s cheek, brushing softly on his face as he leans closer to him. His lips brush gently over Joe’s and he can feel the other smile into the soft kiss before he moves back under the covers, snuggling himself into the bed. Ryan moves to sit up once he hears Joe’s content, gentle breathing again, the smaller male falling back asleep with his arms wrapped around the large comforter. Ryan is barely able to move to get out of the bed when he feels strong arms wrap around him, making him jolt in surprise. His eyes move to look to his left, a striking amber gaze directed at him. Evan smiles as he looks to Ryan, “What’re you doing?” he says and Ryan could tell he was still tired with the tone he had, thick from exhaustion. “I have to go take care of our children.” Ryan teases before sliding his way out of Evan’s grip, the asian male complains only for a moment with a pout on his face before he immediately moves to wrap his arms around Joe. His gaze is still set upon Ryan as the male moves around the bedroom, slipping on a pair of gray bunny slippers. Ryan catches his eyes and shakes his head with a quiet laugh before he rounds the side of the bed towards him. He places a hand onto the males bare arm, Evan turning his head and meeting him halfway when Ryan moves to give him a kiss. It was only a quick peck and Ryan moves towards the door again, Evan moving to snuggle with Joe, putting his face into the crook of Joe’s neck and shoulder. Ryan stands by the door, hand hovering above the knob as his eyes gaze onto the two men he left in bed. Evan’s eyes have now fallen shut and he was breathing rhythmically with the smaller male is his arms. Ryan’s heart soars, a large smile gracing his lips as he look at them, wondering how he managed to get so lucky to be with the two. He finds himself shuffling towards them once again, leaning down to place yet another kiss to each of their foreheads before he finally moves to the door and opens it. He’s immediately met with the ecstatic pitter-patter of paws as Tiny meets him outside the door. He can already see their cats down the hall, both of them converging rather quickly to Ryan and Tiny as they mewl gently. With one final glance to the two men resting in the bedroom, he shuts the door and moves through the hallway with a trail of cats and a dog behind him.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Luke was late- he knew that well enough as his dark eyes glare at the time glowing angrily at him from his cars radio system. His hands tighten on the firm rubber holding of his steering wheel, teeth gritting into an angry grimace as he moves his glare to the car in front of him. He had been behind the same trashy white van for the past thirty minutes now, only moving an inch here and there every few moments as they sit stuck in dead still traffic. He wouldn’t be too angry about getting caught in traffic if it wasn’t for the day. He was always a chill guy who would only get angry during video game sessions and recordings, or when he had to parent his irresponsible little brother. Those were really ever the only times he got that badly upset- voice hoarse from yelling at stupid horror game antics while his friends laughed at him in the background, or he would get painfully frustrating headaches from having to force Jonathan to eat proper meals each day or help him out of his slumps.Yet now, here he sat in his car with a clenched hold on his steering wheel and a look that could kill. He couldn’t help the soft pang in his chest, pulling at his heart as he thinks of the date, immediately causing him to frown. It was the day he was visiting a good friend of his, Ohm, or Ryan. They had already met a few times before once Ohm had enough courage to want to meet Luke. It was random, Luke hadn’t even seen a picture of Ryan before but he woke up at three in the morning with a barrage of text messages from his masked gaming friend. At first he thought he was screwing with him, tired eyes only glancing at his phone for a few moments after he saw the messages and he tossed it aside. His hand closes around the phone once again when his phone began to ring, noise shrill and loud. With a groan and a hoarse voice he had answered the phone to hear Ohm laughing nervously on the other end. “I want to meet you.” He said, chuckling nervously again as the sound of something rustling on his end came over the line. Luke blinks rapidly, willing his nagging exhaustion away as he moves to sit up in his bed. Princess takes this as her chance to hop onto his bed, pushing her head along his arm and into the palm of his hand. On reaction he begins rubbing behind her ear causing her to purr loudly, not daring to speak yet as he was unsure of the situation. “Toonz? You there?” Ryan says once again. There’s hesitance in his voice now, and his pitch was much quieter and more uneasy. “Toonzie?” Luke finally breaks from his daze and clears his throat before gathering his tired thoughts, “Yeah, yeah. I’m here Ohm.” He starts out and immediately earns a gasp from the others end as thought Ohm didn’t expect Luke to answer him at all. “Oh! Um, did you- did you hear what I-? Oh god, nevermind. I- I um-” Ohm’s voice is frantic and he speaks quickly, voice fumbling on words and syllables and Luke can hear his shuffling again.“When?” Luke says, voice clear and more awake than he actually believed he was. He pulls his phone away from his ear and puts it on speaker before standing up and moving over to where his laptop was sitting on his desk. He opens it and begins to type, already looking up different airports near him and the prices. “W-what?” Comes Ryan’s stutter of a response as he moves once again, the sound coming clear over the phone call. “When do you want to see me?”And from there, things were set into motion- Luke looking up different prices on flights while the two talked and it seemed to go on like that for hours. They decided on a time and proper dates and had gone through with it as well. They’ve seen each other in person many times now, Luke taking a week away from home at one point and spending it at Ohm’s place as the two got to know each other better. It had gone on long enough for the two to finally come to terms with their developing feelings for each other- Luke had been the first to tell Ohm about his feelings and it all seemed to go from there. They weren’t dating or anything, just acknowledging that they both had some kind of romantic feelings for each other. This was a time like that- Luke had arrived from the airport yesterday and chose to stay in a hotel room for the first night, as Luke’s flight arrived earlier than anticipated. It was already the afternoon of the next day and Luke was supposed to be at Ohm’s place a half an hour ago. He had already sent the other male a text about how he was going to be late but he had yet to receive an answer back from him.He would be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous as to why Ohm decided not to answer him yet- the most plausible answer being that Ohm has to be upset with him. This continues to torture his mind the whole long drive to Ohm’s house. He’s practically buzzing with anxiety as he pulls into the familiar driveway of Ohm’s home. He parks his car and shuts it off, staying seated in the car for a few minutes as he stares at the home. His heart hammers in his chest and his eyes flicker down to his phone once again- devoid of any kind of notification from Ohm, only a text from Jonathan wishing him well on his stay at Ohm’s. He lets his head fall back against the headrest, thinking of any kind of scenario to where Ohm isn’t upset with him- but it doesn’t come to fruition, instead Luke finds himself pocketing his phone and stepping out of his car. He had his bags in the backseat but decides to leave them there for the time being, moving up the small path to Ryan’s front door. He hesitates before knocking, closed fist hovering above the door. He takes in a deep breath, fixing an apologetic smile on his face before knocking. He hears Tiny immediately- Ohm’s small dog barking ecstatically from the other side of the door. His nerves spike when he hears Ohm call for Tiny, shushing him before he fumbles with the doorknob and pulls the door open. Ohm appears to be rather flustered with a small smile playing on his lips, his hands playing with the hem of the t-shirt he wore-- a Cartoonz merch t-shirt. It immediately causes Luke to smile, large and goofy at seeing Ryan in the shirt. He can see Ryan blush bright red, still fumbling with the hem of the t-shirt. “So- I wasn’t completely done setting up- but then you said you were going to be late and that definitely gave me more time but- it’s all a mess and oh god, I think I burned everything.” Luke is immediately bombarded as Ohm begins to speak quickly, obviously flustered as avoiding any kind of eye contact with the taller male. Luke’s confusion must show clearly on his face as Ohm audibly gasps and quickly ushered him inside. “Ohm, what the hell are you talking about?” He says, glancing back to Ohm before he steps further into the living room, eyes falling on the mess of red rose petals that littered the floor, leading in a trail to the dining room. “I-I didn’t really know how to set something like this up.” Ohm says quietly behind him as he trails Luke through the house, the larger of the two having followed the trail of petals to the dining room. Set on the dining room table was a very nice setup, a full meal with candles and a rose bouquet centerpiece. “I’ve never really done this sort of thing before, but- I (really) wanted to show you how much I care about you and-” Ohm is silences immediately by a large pair of arms wrapping around him, Luke crushing him in a hug as he laughs. “Ohm- you beautiful, beautiful man.” He continues to laugh despite Ohm’s obvious confusion and embarrassment as he’s crushed against Luke’s larger frame. The man pulls away with a large smile splitting his face, warm eyes staring down at the blushing mess of a man before him. “I was… trying to be romantic, okay?” Ohm says, voice quiet and somewhat pouty which only makes Luke laugh again. “You’ve damn well succeeded with that.” Luke says quietly, catching Ohm’s gaze before he moves over to the table, looking at he setup. He carefully pulls a rose from the vase and holds it up, inspecting it. “But you couldn’t be any less cliche?” He jokes, Ohm immediately moving to him with a sound of annoyance. His hand moves to grab onto the collar of Luke’s shirt, yanking him down a bit so he could place a gentle kiss on his lips. “Shut up.” He mumbles into the kiss as he wraps his arms around Luke’s neck. The rose is long forgotten and dropped onto the floor as Luke smiles into the kiss, his arms snaking around Ohm’s waist as he holds him close.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
They always had a date night planned for each week, at least one night out of the work week where they take time for each other. It would be more of a spontaneous moment where the three of them had finished recording for a while and wanted to do something with each other. It would go from going out to dinner, or ice skating, out to see a movie, or just doing something at home. This night on Friday, when the three males were finished with their recording and editing, they met each other in the living room of their home and discussed about what they would want to do. Evan wanted to take them ice skating again but the idea was quickly shot down by Ryan who had crossed his arms, complaining about the bruise he still had on his knee from the last time they went skating. He was never any good at skating whether it be roller skating or ice skating- he just couldn’t get a handle on having wheels or a thin blade holding him up and moving him. Evan was a natural, of course, having played hockey when he grew up and was an avid ice skater. Joe was okay- he enjoyed it at time and at other times he wouldn’t because of how cold he managed to get inside the small indoor ice skating rink. After a few more minutes of bickering and banter between the three, they finally decided to stay in tonight and have a few hours of movies and cuddling. Ryan and Joe were tasked with picking the movies and set up the dvd player with the tv while Evan went to make popcorn and get drinks for the three. Ryan and Joe were quick to pick a horror movie, the two enjoying the genre with the endless amount of horror based video games they enjoyed playing with each other and their friends. They decided to watch one of the many Saw movies, putting it into the dvd player and hitting play. After they did so, they retreated to the couch facing the tv and sat down with a mass amount of blankets and pillows. Ryan is the first to sit down, snuggling himself into a few pillows and pulling a blanket over him. A surprised noise passes his lips when he feels the blanket being tugged off of him as Joe moves to snuggle against him, practically sitting in Ryan’s lap as he pulls the blanket over the both of them. Ryan’s cheeks blush a light red as he gets more comfortable, wrapping his arms around Joe’s waist as the smaller male moves closer to him. The beginning few notes of music to the movie ring out in the living room, drowning out the noise of popping popcorn in the kitchen. Ryan can feel Joe shift next to him, the males head craned to look towards the kitchen as his good eye stares intently on Evan shuffling around inside getting refreshments together. “Evvy!” Joe calls, voice pitched as a whine as he continues to watch Evan from the living room. The two can hear Evan’s breathy laugh as he shakes his head. His hand closes around a bottle of soda from the fridge and he kicks the door shut after he gets it. He places the bottle next to two others, all of different variety before he lets his gaze fall on his boyfriends. Joe is still staring at him with a pout, and he can see Ryan shaking from beside him, trying his best to keep his giggling quiet. “Come on!” Joe calls again, voice still pitched in a whine as he pouts. Ryan moves a bit from under him, putting his face into the crook of Joe’s neck. The small male shivers and his cheeks blush a light pink as Ryan places a gentle kiss to his neck. Joe whines once again from embarrassment as he turns to look at Ryan, throwing his arms around his neck. “Ry, knock it off.” He mutters quietly as his cheeks blush red, Ryan’s giggling being muffled. Evan smiles fondly at the sight, amber gaze fixed on his two affectionate boyfriends. He almost doesn’t notice the lack of popping from the microwave with how his attention is so fixated on them. But he does notice the slight smell of burning and he quickly whips around to open the microwave, being hit with a mixture of scents. Buttered popcorn but burned popcorn as well- great, he sighs inwardly before taking the popcorn out of the microwave. He dumps it into a large bowl and grabs the drinks before moving into the living room. Ryan and Joe are still cuddling, whispering to themselves and making each other giggle. As soon as Evan sets everything down on the coffee table in front of the couch, he’s pulled onto the couch. He’s pulled in between Joe and Ryan, Joe immediately snuggling up against him while Ryan grabs a fistful of popcorn. Evan moves his left arm to lay on the back of the couch, letting Ryan fall against his side and shoulder. Joe had his head resting on Evan’s chest, Evan’s right arm wrapped around his waist. When Ryan settles, Joe sneaks his hand over to him and intertwines his hand with Ryan’s. The beginning scenes of the movie begin to play, and at some point Ryan pulled a large comforter over the three of them as they watch the movie with interest. It’s found out right off the bat that Ryan and Joe enjoy the horror movie much more than Evan. They speak quietly to each other about the jump scares or crappy effects. Yet with every jumpscare they can feel Evan tense below them, his breath hitching in a quiet gasp and his heart rate picking up slightly. The two smaller males share a look before glancing to Evan’s tense expression. When the next jump scare comes, Ryan is quick to move and capture Evan’s attention by placing his hand on the asian’s cheek and pulling him into a tender kiss. It surprises the larger male at first, eyes pulled from the television as they look to Ryan’s own gaze. The kiss only lasts a few moments but it leaves Evan feeling much better, less scared and tense. It happens again when Evan begins to tense during a particular gruesome scene in the movie. This time Joe is the one who captures his lips in a sweet kiss, moving to pepper small kisses along Evan’s lips and cheek before settling back against him. By this point Evan’s attention is fully off of the movie as he wraps his arms around the two males beside him. There’s a quiet mutter of “thank you” as he squeezes them affectionately. Joe and Ryan share an understanding look, a triumphant smile on Ryan’s lips as the two return Evan’s hug. The movie is long forgotten after, the three instead spending the rest of the night cuddling and trading affectionate kisses.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
There’s a large sigh of exasperation, hands crunching a piece of paper into a crumpled ball before throwing it across the room. Eyes watch with anger as it hits against the wall weakly, falling to the floor near another few pages of crumpled paper. Hands move to rub away the anger burning in his eyes, an empty sigh passing his lips as the male slumps in his seat. He had been at this for the past hour now, writing down his romantic feelings on paper only to crumple it and throw it somewhere haphazardly around his bedroom. The frustration was building inside of him, it was suffocating and he was trying his best to bottle the feelings as he seethes in his seat. Brian Hanby was not a romantic man by any measure, hell he always assumed he was the least romantic man alive. He had no idea what he was doing the night before Valentine’s Day, not having a single thing prepared for his adoring boyfriend. It was all because he took Nogla’s idiotic advice, ‘write Brock a love letter’ he said, and Brian physically grimaces at the memory.He was slaving at his desk, hand tired and strained from writing draft after draft of some kind of shitty love letter for his boyfriend of almost a year now. It was their first Valentine’s Day together and Brian wanted to make it special somehow- which is what he brought up in a call with a close friend of his. He was dumb enough to listen to Nogla’s advice, buying Brock a bag of the infamous candy hearts with little sayings on them and he had to go and pick up a bouquet of red and white roses tomorrow before meeting Brock for lunch. They had planned to go to a cute little cafe down the block from where Brian lived. It had been the destination of their first date and they wanted to revisit it because of sentimental reasons- it had been Brock’s amazingly adorable idea. Just thinking of the male brought butterflies into Brian’s stomach, stirring them deep within him as his cheeks blush a light pink. He had no idea how he managed to get so lucky to be with the adoring man. They had been friends for years- meeting each other online and playing games together with friends for so long, and they met plenty of times when it came to meeting up for panels and conventions. Brian had developed feelings for the sweet man very quickly, he was head over heels for him for so long, and he never believed he would get a proper chance at ever being with him. Yet Brock felt the same way about him, the two having found out about their mutual feelings during a convention when they and their friends were hanging out. The group had all decided to stay in the same hotel together and met up together in the hotel’s lobby after they each landed from their flights. Brian had been terribly jet-lagged, completely exhausted and grumpy from the change in time zones and all. The group had set themselves up in their rooms first before going out to the convention and spent most of it trying out new games that were displayed and debuted there as well as meeting their fans who had gone to the convention.It wasn’t until later that night when things started to change. The group went out to eat at a bar and due to Evan’s dumb mouth, Brian had been challenged to a drinking contest with a few of the guys. He definitely knew his way around alcohol and could handle himself after a few drinks but the more he drank, the more his mind began to swim. He became more loud and erratic, more clumsy and dulled. He had left the bar stumbling and was glad enough to have Brock be his designated partner, his arms clinging onto Brian to keep him from tripping and falling face first onto the concrete they were walking on. They neared the hotel where they were all staying and Brock volunteered to take Brian up to his room, Brian chattering quickly to the male about anything and everything as they neared his hotel room. Brock managed to get the door open with Brian’s keycard and maneuvers around the room, letting Brian fall onto his back onto the bed in the room. Soft eyes look to Brian who was wearing a large, goofy grin and was still talking about things Brock didn’t understand. The male turns to move but Brian’s hand closes around his wrist and Brock’s attention is turned to the drunk Irishman who had now sat up on the bed so he was facing the other. They said nothing at first, just staring at each other, and a blush began to creep on Brock’s cheeks before he broke eye contact. As soon as he did Brian let got of his wrist, his heart picking up in speed as he looks away as well. His face was bright red and he tries clearing his throat, running a hand through his messy hair. “Brock I-” Brian starts, stammering slightly with his voice being slurred. His eyes look to Brock who had now turned to face him, expression lit with curiosity as to what Brian was going to say. Just looking at his goddamn beautiful face made Brian melt, an affectionate smile forming on his lips. “God Brock- I, shit. I fucking love you.” He manages to get out, his voice hesitant at first before he just out and says it. Light eyes watch the other stiffen, expression in complete shock and cheeks lighting up a bright red. Brock goes to say something before his expression changes, a flash of hurt is seen in his eyes and he looks away sadly. Brian doesn’t have enough time to question it before Brock is off of the bed and halfway across the room, moving quickly towards the door. He sighs, turning to look at Brian with his hand closing around the doorknob. “Goodnight Brian.” He says quietly, voice soft as he forces a smile, turning the knob and opening the door. He takes only a few steps out of the room before he hears shuffling behind him and is yanked back into the room, gasping. “Now wait a fucking second.” Brian practically growls, spinning Brock around to face him. Brock expects to see anger on the drunks face but sees nothing of the sort. The first thing he spots is pain, and then confidence as Brian closes the gap between them. Brock gasps once again, wanting to fight the other off because he knows this is wrong- Brian was drunk and was probably acting on behalf of the alcohol. But he couldn’t deny that he felt so-- perfect in this moment, and it doesn’t take him long to give in and press just as hard against Brian. The two stay like this, kissing like their lives depended on it before they need to break away for air, both panting slightly and Brian starting to laugh a bit. “Gods, I’ve been wanting to do that forever.” Comes the Irishman’s voice, a soft smile on his lips and his eyes clearer than ever before that night. “You- you did?” Brock’s reply is breathless- soft, and filled with a hidden surprise that Brock didn’t know he had. Brian only answers with a plethora of light kisses being placed to Brock’s face, causing the male to laugh out and wrap his arms around his neck. “I love you.” Brian’s face heats up as he hears Brock, his voice just barely above a whisper as he buries his face into the crook of his neck. The rest of the night consisted of the two moving to the bed and cuddling, discussing their feelings for each other in the morning. Brian can recall the feeling of Brock’s arms wrapped around his waist, legs intertwined together, and shallow breathing hitting his neck and he wishes he could be cuddling his boyfriend now instead of getting frustrated over writing shitty love letters. He shakes his head and stands from his seat at his desk, shuffling to his bed and falling onto it. “Fuck this.” He grumbles as he rolls over on the bed, pulling his comforter over his tense body. He spent too much time doing something stupid like this, it was the last time he would ever listen to Nogla’s advice. He and Brock are going to have a nice day tomorrow without any of that cliche bullshit. He spends the next morning shuffling around like the mess he is, having slept through all of his alarms and only being woken by Brock calling him hours later. He fucking hated being in the US with it’s time zone, it was so much different than what he was used to. It was already noon when he woke up to hear Brock’s slightly saddened voice, he having been waiting at the cafe for an hour already. Brian had apologized profusely over the phone, getting himself out of the bed and running around his bedroom as he gathered clothes. Brock tells him that he intends on going over to Brian's place for now, tired of sitting at the cafe and swearing that some of the cafe workers had been glaring him down the whole time as he hadn’t ordered anything.After hanging up with his boyfriend, he throws his clothes into the bathroom and hops into the shower. He had enough time to get himself cleaned and to stand under the water a bit to wake up before Brock would get there, but he still wanted to be out beforehand. He’s out of the shower after a little while, drying himself and putting on the outfit he brought inside the bathroom with him. He does his bathroom routines and steps out, moving through his hallway rather quickly. He makes it to his living room and stops dead in his tracks- there’s a pair of shoes sitting neatly by the door with a coat hanging nearby. He already knows their not his- he would always throw his coat on the couch and leave his shoes somewhere in the living room.“Brock? Honey, you here?” He calls out into the house, shuffling through the living room as he goes to investigate the rest of the house. “I’m sorry I didn’t make it to cafe on time. My sleep schedule is still fucked.” He complains, still calling out to Brock. He sees his boyfriends frame in his bedroom once he nears it, smile forming on his face as he walks towards him. “Baby-” He starts, entering the room only to see Brock standing by the bed with a plethora of crumpled notes in his hands. They were uncrumpled now, held carefully in Brock’s steady hands as he reads over them with a fond smile on his face. Brock meets Brian’s horrified gaze, the Irishman feeling beyond flustered and embarrassed as he moves to snatch the pages out of Brock’s hands. On instinct Brock moves his hands out of the way, keeping the pages towards himself as Brian stutters to speak. “I-I- shit! You weren’t supposed to see those.” He says frantically, voice pitching louder with his anxiety. Those stupid letters- he had no idea how to write emotions onto paper, as proven by his multiple attempts, yet Brock was standing there holding them with the biggest smile Brian has ever seen. “Brian- did you write these for me?” Brock says fondly as his gaze moves back down to the one page he was holding in one hand, smiling as he reads over it. The writing was messy and all over the place and just- was so much like Brian. “Yeah- but they’re no good. I didn’t know what I was doing, it was all Nogla’s fault, the bastard. I shouldn’t have listened to-” He’s promptly cut off by Brock kissing him, laughter bubbling behind his lips as he throws his arms around Brian who makes a noise of surprise. Brock pulls away and looks at him, happy tears forming in his eyes as he smiles. “These are so sweet. Gosh- you’re so sweet.” He says and laughs, eyes crinkling in joy. Brian only blushes under his gaze, feeling self-conscious under his boyfriends happy gaze. “They’re really not that good-” He begins but is cut off again by another kiss followed by more of his boyfriends sweet laughter. “They’re perfect.” Brock replies, smiling before once again placing a gentle kiss against Brian’s lips. This time the Irishman laughs as well, wrapping his arms around Brock before kissing him back. Maybe Nogla wasn’t as much as an idiot that Brian thought he was.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It was Ryan who suggested that the two should go on vacation, should take some time off of recording constant videos day and night. He was already beginning to feel the ache that overworking brought him and knew well enough that he needed to at least take a few days to himself- it was his boyfriend that took more convincing. Jonathan could be a real workaholic at times- recording videos with friends and then immediately jumping into making solo videos for days to come, then editing them and other videos into the late of the night and at times even the early morning. Ryan would wake at the crack of dawn some days to find their queen sized bed empty, leaving just him devoid of his boyfriend even though he said he’d join Ryan in bed hours ago. He would always find Jonathan still set up in the office with a few cans of energy drinks around him on his desk, typing and clicking away to edit some random video that he recorded. So Ryan was expecting the argument with Jon when he brought up the idea of going on vacation- he was thinking that the two should go to the beach a few states away, have fun lounging in the sand, swimming in the ocean, and enjoying the boardwalk that was there. Jon said no right away, how could they take that long away from making videos. Ryan knew by the way that Jon would twitch or avoid eye contact during the conversation that he was nervous to leave the house as well, to go out into such a public place filled with people. He could already see it- his boyfriend sinking further and further into himself as thoughts of being surrounded by people he didn’t know, that would (stare) at him and- and-Gentle hands run along Jonathan’s arms and run down to his hands, interlocking their fingers as Ryan takes a few steps towards him. He was frowning, saddened at seeing how quickly it was for Jonathan to fall, to sink into his mind filled with anxieties and worries. This was exactly why they needed a vacation- Jonathan was too stressed, was too easy to feel such immense anxiety in such a short amount of time. He needed some time to relax and be calm. It doesn’t take long to convince Jonathan of that- flustered expression playing out on his face as he chips at the black nail polish fading away on his nails, avoiding eye contact with Ryan until the male cups his face and places a gentle kiss to his lips. Ryan is searching up available hotel rooms that night, letting Jonathan finish up any work he needed while posting on social media to their fans about the two going on vacation and away from gaming for a bit. Lucky enough for them, they each had a few pre-recorded videos that they could upload once a day during their vacation, that way they wouldn’t have to rush to record any new videos and further stress themselves out. Ryan is able to find a reasonably priced hotel that’s near the beach and not far from the boardwalk, and is glad to rent a room for a few days. He’s able to get a hold of Luke who is glad enough to watch Tiny while the two go on vacation. He was ecstatic that Ryan was able to convince his stubborn brother to get out of the house to enjoy himself. Ryan finds himself climbing under the covers of their bed, alone once again, as he cuddles the comforter sprawled over him. Tiny is able to get himself onto the bed and eagerly walks to Ryan and begins to lick his face before snuggling his way under the covers and lays down at Ryan’s side. A string of giggles pass his lips at Tiny’s actions and he easily wraps his arms around Tiny, cuddling the small dog. A few minutes pass and he’s just able to shut his eyes and fall asleep when he feels weight press down on the other side of the bed. Ryan’s back is to it but he knows well enough that it’s Jon with the small sigh and yawn that he makes as he stretches. Arms gingerly snake their way around Ryan’s waist and he smiles, moving a bit towards Jon who makes a happy noise as he places a kiss to the nape of Ryan’s neck. Ryan falls asleep with Jon at his back, pressed against him with arms wrapped around him as he holds him close.They spend the morning gathering their things and packing, deciding on driving the few states over instead of paying too much for a short flight. They already have Jon’s car loaded with luggage for the week stay, and Ryan spent a huge majority of the morning cuddling with Tiny before Luke would get there to pick the dog up. Luke was going to take Tiny to his home nearby for the week that the two were gone, he and the small dog always got along greatly- plus Princess was fine with being around him, so it was a win-win situation. After Luke arrives to wish the two a good vacation, taking Tiny home with him, the two set off on the trip. The entire ride is filled with popular pop music and the two singing along, a lot of joyful banter between the two and stolen kisses here and there. They arrive at their hotel a good chunk of hours later, checking in and taking their things up to the rather spacious room. They barely stay enough to unpack their things before changing and heading to the beach that’s right by the hotel. It was a long mental walk, especially for Jonathan who didn’t feel as confident or comfortable as Ryan did around such large crowds. The entire walk there Ryan held his hand, flashing him happy smiles and distracting him from the people around him with kisses as they near the beach. They spend the day there, lounging on towels in the sand and splashing at each other in the cold ocean water. They go along the boardwalk but never quite make it to the amusement park section of the boardwalk- they would get too distracted by the many different small shops that are lined up along the boardwalk. The bright colors and clothing and other items catch their attention and they spend hours just walking around and looking at what there was to purchase in the small shops. They end up returning to their hotel room with an armful of things they didn’t intend to buy- a boogie board for each, snorkel sets, Jon got himself a pair of star shaped sunglasses and Ryan got a few t-shirts with positive summer sayings on them. They hang out in their room for a while now, each taking incredibly long showers to wash off sand and the stench of salt water from their bodies. When Jon steps out of the bathroom, towel hanging around his waist, he’s met with Ryan giving him a cheeky smile who rushes him to get dressed. It was already beginning to grow dark outside, sun set and moon moving into the sky. There was still plenty of noise outside of their hotel room by those walking along the boardwalk and going to the beach. “Hurry up!” Ryan calls to Jon, eyes glancing from his boyfriend to his phone as he checks the time. There was something special he wanted to experience with his boyfriend while the time was right, boardwalk still filled with life and night still young. It takes a bit of pushing but Jon gets dressed and eyes Ryan skeptically, arms folded across his chest as Ryan practically shoves him out the door and towards the boardwalk. “What’s this all about?” He asks warily, curiosity in his tone as he looks to Ryan, who was smiling like an absolute dork.“A special date.” Is all Ryan answers, winking at Jon with a goofy grin who sighs in exasperation, arms unfolding only to gesture wildly as he continues to whine at Ryan about what they were doing. It wasn’t a technical date per say, there was nothing that needed to be set up or prepped for them, they just needed to get to where they were going before it was shut off to the public for the night. Ryan wasn’t quite sure when that would happen, but he looked up plenty about the times and entertainment while Jon was showering. They walk hand in hand down the boardwalk, passing the stores that they had been to when the sun was out, some closed and other still opened. Some tried to get the couples attention and coax them inside to buy something, but Ryan was on a mission to show his boyfriend the beauties at the end of the boardwalk. It became more and more obvious as they walked, eyes catching sight of the amusement park set up at the end of the boardwalk. Each ride was lit up in different colorful, blinking lights as the rides were operating. Ryan could feel Jonathan buzzing with excitement and awe all at once- resorting to his childlike ways as his eyes gleam with joy at the different spectacular lights and rides. It warms Ryan’s heart once he saw it, smiling fondly at his boyfriend who was now practically dragging him down the boardwalk as they neared the entrance of the amusement park. Ryan insists on paying and buys them a reasonable amount of ride tickets before the two enter, Jonathan running to the closest ride to them. They go on each ride at least twice- hitting the haunted house themed indoor coaster three times because Jonathan loves to laugh at all the different dry attempts at scaring them, manic laughter filling the haunted house as they go through it. Ryan has one ride that he wants the two to go on last, Jon giggling at him when he reveals it to be the ferris wheel. “What a romantic.” Jon teases, causing Ryan to blush lightly as he shoves Jon away a bit. “Shut up.” He replies with a laugh, trying to feign a hurt expression but is unable to with the fond look that Jon is giving him. The two get in line and are ushered onto the ferris wheel rather quickly, seated besides each other in the cart as the ride begins, showing them a beautiful view of the entire park and the beach and ocean stretching out around them. Ryan can feel Jonathan shift beside him, moving to look over towards on side of the ferris wheel and Ryan smiles. He reaches out, taking Jonathan’s hand and causing him to look over at Ryan with a curious gaze. Without saying a word, Ryan moves and captures Jonathan’s lips in a tender kiss. Jonathan immediately relaxes and leans into the others kiss and touch. Their kiss continues as the ferris wheel moves, both comfortable having the other nearby.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Taking his boyfriend shopping was always a horrible idea. Jonathan was always easily distracted by different things set up in aisles and stores, childish blue eyes always finding something that would catch his attention no matter what it was. And today, it turned out to be clearance candy in the grocery store. Evan was originally going to be the only one going out to the grocery store today but Jonathan managed to catch him before he went out the door, small smile on his lips as he explained that he was wanting to help. Jonathan had overslept that morning and woke to breakfast in bed from Evan, who had been awake for a few hours already by that point in the morning, and he felt guilty having Evan being the only one going out shopping for the two afterwards. So they left in Evan’s car and only made it a few feet into the grocery store before Evan lost him. The asian sighs, pushing the grocery cart in front of him as his amber eyes scan for the familiar mop of disheveled raven hair and pair of clear blue eyes. He’s able to get a few things in the cart when he spots Jonathan nearby, eyes catching onto the worn blue hoodie that Jonathan always donned. He doesn’t quite see what Jonathan was looking at but makes his way towards him, taking a few things off a shelf nearby and putting it into his cart on the way over. He raises a brow when he comes up beside Jonathan who was studying different assorted bags of clearance candies, all of them going on sale now that Valentine’s Day had passed. Jonathan’s gaze was moving over a few different bags- one with mixed lollipops, another with an assortment of chocolates, and the stereotypical bag of candy hearts with cute little sayings on them. “Can’t decide?” Evan hums as he glances to Jonathan who was looking at the candy selection a little too seriously, as though he was analyzing all the different types and what he’d want. Evan just gets a grunt in response and he chuckles, moving his hand to grab a bag. Jonathan is quick to stop him with wide eyes, shocked and hurt all at once. “Do you even know what you’re grabbing? You’re not even thinking about it!” Jonathan gasps, shoving Evan’s hand away from the bag of randomly assorted candies. “That has fruit flavors (and) chocolate Evan.” Jonathan says, Evan only looking to him with a confused expression. “The chocolate will taste like fruit.” Jonathan says again, this time letting his words drawl out as though he was explaining something to a child. “That’s disgusting! Come on!” Jonathan says, frustrated at Evan’s lack of concern for mixed candy taste. “Seriously, Del? It’s just candy-” Evan starts with another chuckle leaving his lips but is cut off by a gasp from his boyfriend who is now beginning to shove him away from himself and the candy selection. “I can’t believe you! You need to go.” He says, voice hurt as he continues to shove at Evan who is stumbling away with the cart. “Allllirght, all mighty candy king. I’ll swing back over here when I’m done getting everything else.” He teases with a shake of his head, only getting a grunt in return again as he starts moving, turning into another aisle filled with food. He can faintly hear Jonathan mumble ‘damn right I am, bitch’ as he rounds the corner and shakes his head with a small laugh as he turns his attention to the different foods that were displayed on the shelves around him. It doesn’t take him long to go through the few aisles near the candy section, he stayed close to it on purpose so he would be near when Jonathan made a decision. He was also close in case Jonathan had any issues- he knows that Jonathan has a lot of self-image insecurities and can get kind of fidgety in crowds, so he wanted to be close enough to hear if Jonathan were to call out to him. Yet as he goes to round into another aisle he almost rams straight into Jonathan who lets out a not-so-manly screech at the close encounter. Clear blue eyes glare daggers at Evan who was holding his laughter with a smirk playing on his lips. His own amber gaze moves from the others eyes and to his arms where he spotted not one, not two, but three bags of assorted candies. Jonathan squirms under his gaze as Evan looks back up to his face. Jonathan was toying with his bottom lip between his teeth and was avoiding Evan’s owl-like stare as he drops all three bags into the cart. One was filled with assorted chocolates, another with random cheap candies, and one that was filled with the famous heart shaped hard candies that had sayings on them. Evan leans on the cart and raises a brow, looking expectantly at Jonathan. “So uh, what happened to just getting one?”“Shuch up.” Jonathan grumbles as he crosses his thin arms across his chest, gaze moving back up to Evan, the timid stare now a harsh glare once again. Evan laughs at this and moves off of the cart and begins pushing it again, around Jonathan who follows behind him. “When did I start dating a child?” He muses to himself which earns him a punch in the arm from the paler male. The rest of the shopping trip goes well and Jonathan isn’t distracted by too much, the two paying for what they got and moving out to Evan’s car. They load the groceries into the back of the car and begin on their way home. Evan’s newest song was being played on the radio and he couldn’t help but smile as Jonathan moves to the beat, even singing to some of the lyrics. His eyes flicker down to glance at Jonathan’s hands resting on his lap and with a smile he moves one of his hands to grab Jonathan’s. There’s a small intake of breath from Jonathan who was surprised by the motion, but quickly relaxes at Evan’s warm touch. They let go of each other as they pull into the driveway of their shared home and get out, both easily unloading the car and stepping into the house. Jonathan drops one of the last bags on the kitchen table and lets out a long sigh, moving to flop himself down onto the living room couch. Evan rolls his eyes and begins taking things out of the grocery bags, “You make it seem like you did most of the unloading.” Evan quips in a tone of mock annoyance and he earns a string of giggles and manic laughter from Jonathan who is quick to respond, “Fuck you, bitch!” and on came more and more giggles. Evan shakes his head with a laugh and hears rustling from the dining room. He glances out to see Jonathan rummaging through the grocery bags before pulling out the three bags of clearance candy. With a grin he retreats back to the couch and plops himself down, opening the bag of candy hearts. He hums slightly, picking out a pink heart with red writing. “‘Love Bug.’” Jonathan reads off of the heart before popping it into his mouth, hand back in the bag to pull out a white one with red writing. “‘My Baby.’” He giggles at that one and eats it as well before fishing for another. Evan watches with a fond gaze, moving from where he was standing and more towards Jonathan. He stands at the back of the couch and watches over Jonathan’s shoulder as he pulls out a purple heart with red writing. “‘Hug Me.’” He reads out, not getting a chance to eat it as Evan snatches it out of his grasp and eats it. “Gladly.” Evan says, humming slightly as he hugs Jonathan from behind who laughs in response. “Fucking dork.” Jonathan mumbles but doesn’t pull away from the hug, instead putting his hand back into the bag to read out more hearts. Evan is content, watching over him with arms wrapped around his boyfriends shoulders, and at some point moves to sit beside Jonathan who moves to lay on him. The two spend the next half an hour reading off simple valentine’s saying and sharing the candy together.