Saints Protect {Fransykes}

15

nsfw (no outright sex) warning

~

Oliver is hiding something.

Josh knows his boyfriend too well at this point to miss the way he's avoiding looking at him, not flirting outrageously, and not even using cheesy pet names. It's starting to worry Josh, even though it's only been going on for a couple of hours. At a certain point, he can't take it any longer and he decides to speak up. He doesn't want there to be any more lacking communication between the two of them, not after what it did to them last time.

"Oliver, will you please tell me what's going on?"

Oliver looks startled, "What?"

"I can tell that something is bothering you. What is it?"

"You're gonna hate me." Oli mumbles, burying his face in his hands.

Josh gently pries his hands away from his face, "If you can still love me after finding out I'm not from the same plane of existence as you, I doubt I'll hate you for whatever this is."

The smile that Oliver gives him is pained, and it makes Josh's heart ache. "I- I might have contacted Elissa."

Josh is confused as to how that could ever make him hate Oliver, but he is getting the sense that there is more to it than that, so he stays silent.

"I asked her to find your mum." Oli blurts out, rushing to add more before Josh can reply, "Only because she's more powerful than your father, and I thought maybe she could help. I just don't want you to fuckin' die, I don't wanna live without you, and I just thought that it was worth a try."

Josh is silent for a moment, trying to process what Oliver has just said. He isn't angry, he knows that much. He finds it sweet that Oli would do something like that to protect him, but at the same time this situation could put Elissa in danger. He doesn't quite let himself say that, opting to instead unpack why Elissa is in danger. It isn't because of Oliver, and it certainly isn't his fault. The blame for that rests squarely on Josh's father's shoulders.

Josh doesn't realize that he has left Oliver hanging until Oli speaks again. "Fuck, you hate me don't you?" He sounds panicked.

Shaking his head emphatically, Josh takes his boyfriend's hands in his own. "I don't hate you. I understand why you did that, and I could never hate you. I promise."

Tears are welling up in Oliver's eyes, so Josh gently wipes them away. "I love you." He whispers.

Oliver smiles shakily, "I love you too."

Telling himself that Elissa will check in with him as soon as she has news, Josh decides to focus his attention on the man he loves. "I'm making you pancakes." Josh declares. Pancakes are one of the few human foods that Josh actually knows how to make. Sure, it's because Oliver taught him how, but it still counts.

Oliver laughs, "I'm supervising you. I don't trust you not to light the kitchen on fire."

Just like that, the seriousness of the situation is forgotten. Josh mock-glares at Oliver. "Rude." He mutters, but he can't help but grin. He heads to the kitchen and begins to retrieve the necessary ingredients as Oliver perches on the kitchen counter.

It isn't until the ingredients are mixed that it occurs to Josh that he isn't wearing a shirt. "I should probably put a shirt on to make these, shouldn't I?"

Oliver looks him up and down and bites his lip, "Absolutely not. I'm enjoying the view."

Josh blushes, "I meant for safety."