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It's silent in their shared dorm room. Lafayette and Hercules don't speak as they prepare to go to sleep. They brush their teeth and settle into their respective beds, neither comfortable enough to actually sleep.
"Night, Laf," Hercules says, tugging his blankets up to his chin. His voice doesn't sound as if he's about to go to sleep.
"Goodnight," Lafayette replies, their voice betraying the same. They curl over on their side to face the wall, trying to not wish that they were in Hercules's bed.
The atmosphere in the room is almost tense.
And then Hercules says, "Come on." And Lafayette shoots out of their bed, pratically diving into Hercules's. Immediately, they crawl under the blanket and press up against Hercules.
Hercules smiles to himself, wrapping an arm around Lafayette and holding them close. Lafayette's nose digs into his chest, but he doesn't care. "Goodnight for real," he chuckles, pressing his face into Laf's hair comfortably.
"Goodnight, Hercules," Laf says, and then, nonchalantly, "love you."
Rationally, Hercules knows that his heart shouldn't flutter at the sound, knows that Lafayette probably doesn't mean it like that - and yet. And yet he can't help but lose his breath a little.
He manages to say, "I love you, too."
He tries to says it as relaxed as Lafayette had, but evidently, he can't, because Laf pulls back just enough to look him in the face.
"Do you?" Lafayette asks, their eyes searching.
Hercules knows he's dug himself into a hole now. There's no turning back. "Yes," he says. "I do."
And they both know it's more than just friendly love, the kind of love that makes them want to tell jokes and hang out but not kiss - it's more than that, this time.
Lafayette gets it. They say, "I love you," and to Hercules, it sounds like the most beautiful sound in the world. It's terrifying, but beautiful.
But he can't stop himself, so he presses a soft kiss to Lafayette's forehead, making them giggle quietly.
"I love you," Lafayette whispers again, their eyes meeting, and this time, Laf leans in for a kiss, on the lips instead. Hercules can hear bombs going off. This is it, this is the moment he's been dreaming of, everything he wants -
Well. Almost everything. This next bit might be important.
He pulls away gently. "Laf."
"Yes?" Laf replies, almost in a whine.
"John and Alex - " Hercules begins, but he can't quite get it out. He wants to say, Laf, I love you, and also John, and also Alex, but it's harder than it sounds.
But Lafayette smiles, that big, beautiful smile, and says, "Me too."
This is good news, definitely, and Hercules is relieved that Laf feels the same, but it's also eternally frustrating, because that means that they've both just been sitting on this information and not doing anything about it. He voices that fact. "What are we doing?" he groans, absently tracing shapes on Laf's shoulder blades. "Why are we so stupid?"
"You and me, or all of us?"
"All of us," Hercules clarifies. He looks into Laf's eyes, distressed. "I've seen the way they look at you and the way they look at each other, and the way they look at me. We're all in love with each other, but - "
He cuts off. He can't get his thoughts organized. He's still high off the feeling of Lafayette's lips on his.
But Lafayette always understands. "It's time," they say assuredly. "We have to tell them."
Hercules considers this for a moment. Honestly? He's scared as fuck. What if he's wrong? What if they both lose them? Still, he says, "When?"
Laf smiles comfortingly. "Tomorrow," they reply. "We cannot keep putting it off."
Hercules feels anxiety bubble up inside him, but he nods anyway. "Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow," Lafayette confirms. Then their demeanor changes. "But for now, shut up and kiss me."
Hercules grins.
"That, I can do."