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Richard sat on a sagging red sofa chair, taking sips from his lukewarm beer. He was unsure as to why he was still here. Parties weren’t really his scene, regardless of who was there and who was hosting it. However, he recognized most of the people at this small “party” and he considered himself to be on good terms with all of them. A few people were gathered around his older brother, Connor, in the kitchen and a small group of four people on the couch sat adjacent to him.
His brother also happened to be the one to have dragged him here. He wanted Richard to go out and properly talk with people, but the younger of the two was perfectly content with the small group he always hung out with. The small group so far consisted of Richard, Connor, and a few classmates: Chloe, who he took the same organic chemistry course with, Markus, who Richard saw as Connor’s best friend considering how close they were, and Gavin, his childhood best friend.
He took out his phone, scrolling on various social medias until he the urge to go home had become unbearable. Gavin was still in the group surrounding Connor. Usually, Richard would be talking with the man during parties, but he was trying to put some space between them two as of late.
He wanted to just walk out the front door and walk the short distance to his shared apartment with his brother, which was on the next floor. However, since there were so few people, his missing presence would have been noticed quickly. In addition, he didn’t want to be rude to Markus, who was the host.
Richard looked around, his fingers itching for a smoke. He pulled on the collar of his turtleneck. He left his cigarettes in his and Connor's shared apartment, even though his lighter sat in his pocket, now with no current purpose.
“Alright guys,” Markus announced out of the blue. The soft chatter in the room had lowered considerably. Richard didn’t know what it was, but Markus was always good at commanding attention.
“We’ll be playing seven minutes in heaven.”
North, Richard recognized, who sat on the couch adjacent to him, muttered, “It feels like a middle school sleepover.”
There were a few minutes of setting up: moving the couches and the coffee table, rearranging the rug, and making sure everyone’s drinks were marked with their names so as to not mix them up as they were away from them. As everyone was fixing everything up, he stood.
“Alright, so, the first person of the two wears a blindfold, and the second doesn’t,” Markus stated. He looked rather mischievous in Richard’s eyes. He knew that the man hoped to get Connor, as he did for every other thing that could involve them two.
Richard sat on the couch while everyone else was in a circle on the floor, sitting around an empty wine bottle.
“Come on, Nines,” Gavin called to Richard, using his nickname. “Don’t be such a party pooper.”
Only Gavin could convince him to do something like this. He wanted to decline. He had been purposefully avoiding him for a few days, too. He tried avoiding him completely, making sure to not cross paths with him.
Like a moth to a flame, Richard knew he would be drawn to him if he managed to see him or hear his voice again. Something in him panged when he heard him speaking as if nothing was wrong.
In the end, Richard sighed and sat in the circle, waiting.
Connor piped up when everyone was settled. “Rules are as follows: you don’t need to go if you don’t want to, no using phones, you can do whatever you want for the 7 minutes, and if you need to get out for whatever reason, knock five times and we will let you out right away.”
A few people nodded their heads in understanding.
“Let’s start.”
Richard had sat through the game silently, watching as pairs got put together and put into the closet. First was North and Tina. Richard silently rooted for her, knowing that the latter had a crush on North for a few months at this point. When they came out holding hands, he couldn’t help but internally cheer for her. He would need to get all the details out of her when the game was over. Then, there was Connor and Markus. They were both a bit awkward-looking, but Richard knew of his brother’s shyer nature. They likely talked their feelings out, hopefully. The game continued as normal.
Markus spun the bottle, having just come out with Connor. It landed on Richard. Soft “ooo”s came out around the room. Markus handed the blindfold over to him. Then, Richard spun the bottle quickly, standing up and turning away before it stopped. He walked over to the designated walk-in closet used for the game, stepped inside and put on the blindfold.
When he stood up and turned away, the room was silent. For every pair so far, the same quiet had drawn on the group in the room as the anticipation grew when this point had come. However, the silence felt a lot more tense and charged when he stood.
Richard stood in the closet, his right hand fiddling with the collar of his turtleneck again. He heard a set of familiar-sounding footsteps approach the door. The door opened with a soft click and the person stepped in, in front of him. Richard’s vision was completely obscured by the blindfold, with the dark aiding in making sure he didn’t see a thing through it. He didn’t really like this, being unable to see while someone else could see him. He felt naked even though he was covered up in a long sleeve and slacks, eyes hidden by a black blindfold. He leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms against his chest.
“So, what did you have in mind?”
He honestly couldn’t care about who the other person was. They could do anything, as Markus said. Hopefully, this person would only want to talk with him. He wasn’t really interested in anyone, for the most part. There was one exception, but he was sure it would not matter and only remain a fantasy. However, Richard knew the chances of the one person he had hoped it would be were rather slim. However, things rarely worked out in his favor.
The chatter from outside resumed as they waited for the pair in the closet to be done with their seven minutes.
“Well, we need to talk first.” It was Gavin. Fuck.
Richard sighed quietly, putting his arms at his sides. He was no longer sure if he would rather face Gavin or talk to someone else.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but I really didn’t hope that the way for me to get to talk to you would involve seven minutes in heaven… like we’re some… teenagers in high school.”
“I didn’t push you away intentionally.” A little lie
“Yeah,” Gavin paused for a few seconds, “I get that but god, Nines, you can’t just keep running. It’s tiring, I know.”
A beat of silence passed between them, making the outside chatter feel louder than it really was.
“Just talk to me.”
Richard frowned and stood up straight, arms still crossed over his chest.
“How have you been lately?”
“Shit.”
Gavin clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, a habit that Richard himself caught himself doing at times.
“Just... I know you know you can always talk to me, but even when you don’t want to, I’m not gonna stop looking for you. You won’t get rid of me that easy. Never have”
Gavin took his hand, something he used to do often when he knew Richard just needed the contact. He turned his hand so his palm faced the ceiling and rubbed at the pulse point on his wrist with his thumb. Richard held his breath a little, his skin heating up under the contact.
“God, you’re pretty fucking stupid.”
Richard pressed his lips into a thin line. He didn’t pull his hand away.
“I know I say you have a big brain and shit, but you’re just so dumb sometimes.”
Richard furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “What are you trying to get at?”
“I’ve known you for long enough that I just know when you’re in a dark place. I get that. It’s okay. The thing is, you can’t push me away and expect me to stay away.” Gavin sucked in a breath. “I’m never leaving your side. I didn’t leave you then and I’m not leaving now.”
Richard turned his head down, unable to decipher the feeling in his chest. It was impossibly tight and suffocating.
“Thank you,” Richard whispered. He wasn’t one to cry, but Gavin always brought out this vulnerable side that he was too scared to show anyone else. It was only Gavin who could nudge him out of his bubble of self-loathing and isolation. Even if he had barely spoken, he felt like he laid everything bare for the man to see.
“Come here.”
Richard stepped closer, carefully. He was enveloped by warm, comforting arms around his torso. The same arms that he turned to during times of emotional turmoil. Gavin was truly someone he could lean on, and Gavin always did the same with him.
Richard hugged him back, arms wrapped around the other's shoulders.
“You know how much I love you, right?”
“I’m sure.”
“Okay, but are you like, SURE sure?”
Richard stifled a chuckle.
“I believe so.”
There was a beat of silence. There was something itching under his skin, something that wanted more. He wasn’t sure of what it was, at this point. Conflicting thoughts forced their way into his mind
Gavin spoke up. His voice was gentle, as if trying to protect the delicate atmosphere they had created.
“Can I kiss you?”
His voice was low. Something about how he spoke made butterflies settle in his stomach. His mouth was slightly agape in disbelief. His heart hammered wildly in his chest.
Before he realized it, the blindfold was coming off and over his eyes.
The closet was illuminated slightly by the light that slipped through the cracks of the door. Gavin looked beautiful. His hair was soft and curly-looking. The bags beneath his eyes were barely visible, giving him a tired, serene-ness in the dark. He dropped the blindfold in his hands to the floor.
“Please,” Richard whispered. His eyes caught the scarce light in the space, pleading and shining.
The other man brought a hand up to his neck and another to his shoulder. He shivered and leaned into the touch and stepped a little closer, their bodies now flush against each other, molding together. He brought his hands to Gavin’s waist. In the end, it was Richard who closed the distance between their lips.
He felt euphoric: every inch of his skin tingled with such a warmth that he didn’t want to leave the stupid closet. He wasn’t sure if he was even kissing back anymore. He wanted to melt in Gavin’s hold.
The shorter man threaded his fingers into his hair gently. The sensation was intoxicatingly good, mixed with their bodies molding together and their lips chasing the other’s lazily.
Experimentally, Richard licked at the other’s lip. Gavin opened his mouth further, pushing his tongue lightly against Richard’s own. Over the course of a minute, they had become rougher, moving to a new rhythm.
Their lips smacked against each other rather loudly and their arms were roaming, going over where they could find. They breathed harshly as they kissed, unable to pull away. Truth be told, he wanted to make up for the time they lost.
Suddenly, three knocks hit the door, startling the two in place. They jumped away from one another, looking at the door with confusion.
“Seven minutes are up! You guys can step out,” Tina called out from behind the door
Richard picked up the blindfold off the floor.
“Meet me at my place later. We need to talk a bit.”
Gavin looked at him, surprised, as the blue-eyed man quickly adjusted his shirt and hair before stepping out of the closet, looking as composed as ever. Gavin blushed red.
Richard walked out looking rather distanced from everything. However, following Richard, who stood tall with his stoic expression, was Gavin. He was pink and walked with a slouch, intentionally making himself smaller.
Quickly, Gavin went to the circle of people to spin the bottle before standing and turning back to Richard.
Since the two were now done, they sat on the couch away from the circle. Connor, Markus, Tina, and North were in the kitchen, all talking with hushed voices. Gavin joined Richard, who was already on the empty couch. They sat close to one another, knees almost touching. Gavin reached his hand out, inviting, and Richard took it, smiling softly.