Trick the Sweethearts.
It looks the same as it did months ago, etched onto the wood paneling outside the Continental Club. Joel only gets a brief glance as he walks past, Chris by his side, on their way to nowhere.
This is something they've taken to doing at night lately, instead of sitting in the gazebo - it's too cold now to just sit outside in their hoodies and jackets, but if they're moving, it's perfect. Brisk and refreshing.
Even though it's not that late - just a little after 9, and there are plenty of people still wandering around the downtown streets - it feels secluded the same way sitting in the gazebo in the middle of the courtyard does, surrounded by dozens of neighbors tucked away behind windows and doors. Alone together even though they're not alone at all.
"My lease is up at the end of the year," Chris says, feet crunching through what's left of the fall leaves, little disintegrating brown skeletons of what was a beautiful burst of color not so long ago. "I only signed for six months when I moved in. In case I didn't like it."
"Are you going to stay?" There's a stray thread inside Joel's jacket pocket, and he rolls it between his thumb and forefinger, back and forth, back and forth.
"I'm not sure." If there's subtext behind Chris's words, it's lost on Joel. He sounds completely neutral.
Joel's quiet at first, trying to sort out how he feels about the situation. Would he be disappointed if Chris moved? Should he be? Their relationship is definitely way past the point of being dependent on proximity, but there is something nice about having the same shared spaces as Chris - being able to sit at the gazebo together or hop across the balcony on a whim if he wants to see Chris.
On the other hand, maybe it wouldn't be so bad, missing Chris a little bit more. Well. It would actually be terrible. But would it be the good kind of terrible, the kind that would make it that much better when they're together? Some of that absence makes the heart grow fonder shit?
"I don't really have a reason not to stay," Chris says, stumbling a bit to match Joel's stride so he can slip his hand into Joel's jacket pocket. "I'll probably stay."
Joel smiles at that, twisting his hand inside his pocket so he can wrap it around Chris's. "Should we just live next door to each other forever?"
"You never wanna live with me?" Chris pretends to pout, pressing his head forlornly against Joel's shoulder, but then, in a softer, steady voice, "I'd do that if that's what you wanted."
"I dunno," Joel says, lips brushing against Chris's hair. His voice is light, but he does really mean it. He has no idea. His only experience living with a boyfriend didn't exactly end well. But he does know his relationship with Chris is different, and he does have hope, and he thinks that probably, someday, he'll want it. He squeezes Chris's hand. "But I know I don't want you to move out."
Chris hums thoughtfully, agreeably, contentedly. "If we ever move in together, then I'll have a pastry blender!" He steers them around the corner with a tilt of his shoulder against Joel's. "And a fancy KitchenAid mixer. And a fucking sifter. A sifter, Joel!"
"You know you can buy your own? It's within the realm of possibility for you to own a pastry blender without moving in with me. They cost, like, twelve bucks."
"I know," Chris says, smiling at Joel, cheeks pink from the cold. "But then we'd have two if we do move in together."
"So you're hinging your hopes of ever owning a pastry blender on me getting my shit together enough to move in with you?" It's actually very cute. Chris has enough faith in him to hold out on buying his own pastry blender. If that's not romance...
"More or less," Chris replies easily.
Joel snorts. "You're very brave."
"Tell me about it," Chris gloats, pulling his hand out of Joel's pocket. He wraps his arm around Joel's back, jamming his hand into Joel's opposite pocket instead so he can tuck himself in closer to Joels' side. "But so are you."
_
It's not a dream when Chris smiles at Joel from the other end of the couch, lifting his blanket in a silent invitation for Joel to cuddle up next to him, then replacing it gently and without fanfare when Joel doesn't take him up on it because he's had a long day and he needs space, and that's okay.
It's not a dream when Chris holds him tightly against his chest that night in bed, after Joel's had enough space that he's missing Chris's touch.
It's not a dream when he wakes up in the morning and Chris is waiting for him in the kitchen with coffee, a doughnut, and a small smile. He doesn't say anything. Joel smiles back, biting into the sprinkle-covered doughnut, then holding it out for Chris to taste. He gets sprinkles stuck to his lips, and Joel laughs, leaning in to kiss the sprinkles away. Chris laughs against his mouth, and he waits. Waits for Joel's hand on his hips before he puts his hands on Joel's hips. Waits for Joel to kiss him hard before he kisses back just as hard.
Maybe it won't last forever, maybe it will. Joel has no idea. But you're happy right now, his mind whispers.
_
That's the end of this story! Hope you all enjoyed it ☺️
Until next time, my fellow Virgato shippers! 💕
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Comfortable Silence |Virgato|
FanfictionJoel's boyfriend touched him all the time, but it didn't feel right anymore. It made Joel's skin crawl, which was fucked up, because he used to love being touched. In hindsight, it was probably his body trying to tell his brain something wasn't righ...
