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Helmut was a person who felt emotions very intensely, much more than others. Actually, he didn’t just feel emotions intensely — the whole world was an array of colors, tastes and sensations that he felt he was completely in tune with. His psychic nature made these things much more clear to him, the vibrations in the air from audio, the feelings others have, all of this made him view the world and others in a light that not even other psychics can understand completely.
He knew the emotions his friends possessed most frequently and how they interact with their personality and decisions. In fact, he knew them so well, he could pretty much see them! The bright and bubbly colors of joy to the subdued melancholy, his friends possessed a rainbow he never got tired of seeing.
He did have a personal favorite among them all, his beloved Bobby’s colors were a sight for sore eyes every time he would approach him. When he had met Bob, his colors had seemed dull — not to be confused with the softer tones of Compton’s apprehensive and gentle nature, just… Dull. It was indifference, annoyance even. After that, he assumed they would perhaps have some trouble getting along.
That was until Helmut’s first performance for the others, and afterwards he was met by an overwhelming amount of excitement, joy and admiration from his peers…
Especially from Bob, which is what really surprised him. He came off as someone who guarded his feelings well, but after that moment, it was like meeting a whole other person!
He loved how full of surprises Bob could be. Just when you think of him as subdued, he shocks you with a burst of color and noise, like a symphony rising to its climax.
...Which happened once again today.
Bob had been hunched over in his greenhouse, murmuring something to a plant in a pot, trimming away at tiny leaves with even tinier scissors. Helmut didn’t have to ask if anything was wrong when he peeked in, he already felt the negative vibes. Normally Bob was the type who needed his space in order to thrive, but Helmut had noticed he was in a very particular funk today. What kind of a boyfriend would he be if he didn’t check in to see if he was truly alright?
“Heyyyy, Bobby.” Helmut greeted casually, walking in and shutting the door behind him instead of lurking in the entrance. He was only met with a soft grunt of acknowledgement, but he could tell that Bob eased up when he greeted him. That, to Helmut, was a sign it was alright to press further.
Helmut hummed to himself as he looked up at the light above, sun shining through the tinted glass and shimmering against the plants residing within (some of which seemed to greet him, in particular some of Bobby’s more active vines).
“It’s a nice day, isn’t it? The sunshine is makin’ itself known! Plus, it’s not uncomfortably warm. I like the sun as much as the next person, but y’know, wearing a jacket and sweater most of the time really makes a guy get warmer than others.”
Bob smirked, continuing his trimming. “And a wool-knit cap.”
Helmut neared him, grinning. “Well, I always have to stay in character! I dread to think of a time I’m underdressed, what if I need to give an impromptu performance, or I dunno — do something noble like drape my jacket across a puddle of water.”
Helmut’s attempts weren’t entirely in vain. He felt that Bob was a lot more at ease, his murmurings to the plant lessening (though it’s possible he was just complaining to it and didn’t want him to hear). Bob chuckled lightly, continuing to shape the leaves of his small plant carefully. “Well, god-forbid I deny you that chance.” he replied before ceasing his snipping, placing down the tiny scissors and glancing at Helmut. “Y’know, I may not be as good at figuring out people as you may be, but I can definitely notice when you spend a solid five minutes mulling over if you should come inside the greenhouse or not. Plus, I kinda felt you reading my mind earlier, dork.”
The taller man blushed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “Ha, even I get some stage fright. I was just coming in here because I wanted to, uh…” he didn’t want to make it seem like he came in here only because he felt Bob wasn’t having a good day, so he decided not to mention his astute observation. “Hang out with you, see if you need some help with your plant-pals, stuff like that!”
Bob raised an eyebrow at that. It wasn't uncommon for Helmut to help out with his plants, but getting nervous over that was a little uncharacteristic. He shook off the odd feeling, attempting to let Helmut brighten his mood. After all, he shouldn't let the annoyances of his plants complaining today, Otto being himself , trying to get closer to the others on his own get to him… Though it was a lot to deal with and he had to admit, he wasn’t really ready to handle Helmut’s more excitable nature.
Still, he smiled at Helmut, squeezing his hand for a fleeting moment. "Well, me and my ‘plant pals’ appreciate the offer. C'mon, I actually do have a couple sprouts I need to transfer to bigger pots."
—
Alright. He wasn't sure how things got this intense, but… They did.
The energies were good, still a little strained, but good. Helmut was helping with the sprouts and still feeling as awkward as ever when Bob insisted he talk to them, say a word of encouragement or something and inevitably be giggled at by the man he loved. Honestly, he was certain Bob did it because he loved to see him flounder at attempts to please an audience he couldn't actually get a read on. He wondered if eventually he’d be able to surprise Bob with having figured out how to understand the fauna some way or another.
The point is, it'd been going alright. That was until he gently began to ask Bob if his day had been going alright. Bob had answered a little avoidantly, but he sighed, seeming to open his mouth again to answer in a more honest way, but as Helmut turned to look at him he had knocked over one of the plants with his elbow, practically feeling the vibration from the noise through the air and the harsh colors that faded from it.
Bob flinched, startled, immediately giving a response that wasn't anticipated. " Damn it , Helmut, can’t you watch where you’re going?! " a burst of vibrant emotion, annoyance, frustration, anger. Helmut felt it all so suddenly and had to step back, raising his hands and looking slightly awed before slipping into a more apologetic appearance.
"Woah, uh… Shit, I'm sorry Bobby, let me — "
"No, no!" Bob said, raising his hands out in front of him to keep Helmut from moving any closer. "It's… It's fine, he'll be okay. He’s a little startled, but he’ll be okay. Besides, you might cut your hands on the pieces. I'm gonna… Clean this up." he said with a sigh, energy that had once been bubbling up entirely gone once more.
Helmut frowned, looking at the ground for a moment before nodding, backing away with crossed arms. "Yeah, alright. I'll catch you later?"
The sunlight from above still seeping in through the glass made Bob's eyes crinkle slightly, but his features didn't read as upset. Tired, but not too upset. "Mhm."
Helmut didn't waste any time walking out, mumbling thanks to a vine that opened a door for him. He was certain at least some of them were judging him. Bob always told him that vines are pretty opinionated and high energy, it’s why they move around so much.
Admittedly, he wasn't caring about the vines right now, big shocker. He was feeling….
Oddly conflicted?
Of course he was annoyed at himself for being so clumsy since it seemed to really gotten Bob upset — He did care a lot about his plants, it wasn’t surprising in that regard, but it was just as clear Bob didn’t intend to yell at him. That comforted him, he wasn’t sure if he could handle Bob being mad at him for real .
And, of course, of course he was upset that he lost his chance to make Bobby feel better and that he now had to clean up a mess he made.
Helmut paced in front of the greenhouse a couple times, face flushed in embarrassment. Now, don’t get him wrong, he didn’t like Bob feeling upset. He did however have… Admiration for his more intense feelings. His boyfriend was definitely prone to sarcasm and annoyance, he’d seen plenty of it when he spoke to Ford or Otto. God, especially Otto, if Bob was as much into theatrics as himself and Cassie were, he might be on Cassie’s level of annoyance with that man.
When Bob yelled at him, it was like he was getting all his frustrations out in a short burst, which was an explosion of volatile light and vibration and high energy. If Bob’s excitement during his first performance were fireworks, this was the same but if you were close enough to get burned up by it.
...Maybe he could get Otto to help unpack that feeling for him.
—
Helmut walked around the gulch, trying to find the odd scientist. He wasn’t in his lab tinkering away, so he had a feeling he was doing some thinking around the shore, no doubt for the next morally questionable contraption he would cook up next.
Otto sat on the grass, a pencil full of bite marks tapping against a notebook. He had crumpled up piles of paper around him, a carrying case which probably had some science-junk within (Helmut never really got much of it, honestly), and of course a burger in his other hand. Otto always got the munchies when his brain was churning out ideas or figuring out how something worked.
“Hey, Otto! What’s up, man? Nice day, isn’t it?” Helmut said, waving to him. Otto turned to look at him, face slightly messy and mouth full even as he spoke. “Oh, hi Helphmut.” he held up a finger, “Holph on,” he swallowed as Helmut laughed in amusement at Otto’s attempt to make himself more presentable for conversation.
“Yes, it is nice out. Perfect time to get out of my lab. I could do without it being so bright, though… I should have picked a shadier spot.”
“I prefer basking in the sun’s glorious golden glow, for is it not the sun that gives us the joy of beautiful days, casting light upon the wonderful Earth so we may enjoy her wonders?” Helmut spoke passionately, only earning an unamused expression from Otto. The freckled man didn’t falter at this, only grinning because he could feel Otto’s once focused mood melting away from a pine needle green into a lighter lime.
“Sheesh, tough audience. Hope I’m not interrupting anything important.” Helmut said as he decided to sit next to Otto, making a mental note to clean these papers up if Otto forgot. “Man, the whole gulch may as well be your workshop with how much you move around and bring with you!”
“First off, my calorie intake is always important.” Otto said matter-of-factly, placing a hand on his chest as if to boast just how crucial it was. “A brain as big as mine needs plenty of food to keep working. Second, the whole gulch IS my workshop, essentially. Ford just hasn’t admitted yet.” he smirked, placing down his notepad in his lap and tossing the crumpled up burger wrapper to the side, earning an eye roll from Helmut. “What’s on your mind? If you don’t tell me, I’ll just read it myself anyway.”
“Just as invasive as usual, Otto.” Helmut jeered good-naturedly. “I did want to talk to you about something —”
“Bob, right?” Otto said, immediately shaking his head. “I could tell already, was he really that much in a tiff?”
“Uh — well, sure, but… Wait, why do you know? Did you two attempt to strangle each other again or something?”
Otto crossed his arms, looking indignant at Helmut’s words and turning his nose upwards. “I don’t have to stoop so low, though it’d make it easier to pick at his brain with him unconscious! I swear, that man doesn’t appreciate the scientific benefits of me studying his DNA to dictate what might determine what psychic is born with the ability of being able to understand plants. I just need a couple of samples to do it!”
Helmut leaned back, using his hands to support himself and cocking his head to the side. “Otto, you realize that nobody trusts you enough to give things like blood-samples for your weird studies, right? I think they’re worried you’ll clone them.” he joked, though he was sympathetic towards Cassie, Compton and Bob. “Didn’t you pester Compton enough with this?”
“Not nearly enough. Cassie always stops me.” Otto sighed longingly. “I just wish they were more agreeable, like you! How else are we to make progress if we’re afraid of breaking boundaries?”
Helmut patted him on the shoulder twice. “You’ll find the right guinea pig someday, buddy. But, uh, I actually wanted to talk to you about myself?”
Otto perked up, intrigued. “Oh? Do you need someone to pop inside your mind for cobweb cleaning and the like?”
“No, nothing like that! It’s just... About how Bob made me feel.”
Otto immediately scooted away, scrunching his face up. “ Please , I get enough of that talk from Ford about Lucy, have for a while now. Don’t you go starting that, too!”
Helmut waved his hands, confused. “Wha- no, no, god, what the hell do you think I’m going to talk about? I just need help working out how I feel after Bob yelled at me!”
The lankier man still looked at Helmut with distrust before smoothing out his coat, picking up his pencil and notebook and nodding slowly. “Well, alright. That I can do. Go on, then, I’m listening.”
Helmut laid back in the grass, helping Otto’s whole ‘therapist and patient’ vibe he figured he was going for here, sighing as he stared up at the small oak they were under, sunlight peeking in from the gaps in the leaves. They were moving in the wind, making the light seeping from the gaps look like glitter.
“Well, I was goin’ to his greenhouse because I felt he had been a little bugged by stuff today,” he glanced at Otto pointedly, which Otto didn’t pay any mind to, so he continued looking back up. “Figured I would cheer him up a little, maybe see what was bothering him if he wanted to talk about it.”
“Did he yell about you for doing that?”
“No, no. He yelled at me because I knocked over one of his plants by accident after I offered to help him take care of ‘em.”
Otto barely suppressed a snicker, scribbling something down on his paper. “They’re basically his kin, maybe he just felt it was like knocking over one of his cousins?”
“Otto!” Helmut exclaimed in exasperation while sitting up, annoyed at Otto’s laughter. “Come on, take this seriously! Geez, can’t believe I’m sayin’ this…”
“Sorry, sorry,” Otto sniffed, wiping his eyes. “Okay, here’s what I’m thinking. Bob probably only yelled at you because he had already been stressed out and in like, ten minutes you’ll both be slobbering all over each other again, so don’t be too upset at him yelling at you.”
Helmut shook his head. “No duh , I figured that out already, doc. I’m not upset at all by it, actually. It’s….. Kind of the opposite.”
“...What.”
“Okay, like, I don’t enjoy him being mad! I don’t! I know it- it’s like, weird , for me to feel this way… But I really, uh. I dunno. I think I liked him yelling at me?”
Otto stared at him for a long time, brows furrowed and eyes narrowed in utter confusion and slight judgement. “You liked him yelling at you.”
Helmut tugged on his long hair, using it to cover his face. “Argh! Yes, no, I don’t know!” he groaned in frustration. Why were emotions so loud? “It was such an intense energy, y’know? Bob doesn’t usually get so… Like that, the vibes from it alone was like a rush of adrenaline. You know how I can perceive stuff in a way others can’t.”
“Hm…” Otto hummed, rubbing his chin. The gears were already turning in his brain. “Perhaps you simply felt that rush because of the connection you have with emotions that affect you physically rather than just mentally alone, like the vibrations in the air from colors you’ve spoken of. Or, perhaps, you didn’t like the anger or yelling. Maybe you just liked that Bob was showing emotions in such a powerful way, differing from how he normally expresses himself?”
Helmut pursed his lips, considering Otto’s words. That wasn’t exactly it… It was close, but not exactly. He loved the way Bob expressed himself even normally, so it wasn’t like this was that much of a new feeling. It was just a response he hadn’t expected to have with Bob being so angry towards him .
“Maybe. It was pretty hot, honestly. His hair was kinda messed up, like some hardened action-hero, and —”
Otto started throwing his crumpled up papers at him, making Helmut erupt in laughter as he shielded himself from the assault. “Alright, alright, I’m sorry!”
Helmut’s laughter dies down as he suddenly feels something enter in his mind, a familiar telepathic link.
“Helmut, if you aren’t busy, um… Can you meet me by the van? I need to talk to you.”
Suddenly, Helmut felt a heaviness in his stomach. “Of course, Bobby. I’ll head there in just a second.”
“Cease fire, Otto, I gotta get going.” He stood up, plucking a couple of leaves from his hair idly. “Thank you for listening, man. I needed that.”
“Anytime, my friend!” Otto said, throwing one last paper ball at Helmut’s head, nearly knocking the beanie off of him. “No more of that romance stuff, though. Next time, I’m sending you straight to Cruller. Or worse yet, Lucy.”
“Ha! Fair enough. Stay cool, Mentallis!” he saluted, trying to keep the same confidence as he thought about the talk him and Bob were about to have. He didn’t think that anything bad was going to happen, but… The world had many possibilities. Sometimes that was a scary thing.
—
Helmut saw Bob in the distance, fidgeting, a purple aura of nervousness around him. At least he had the comfort of knowing Bob was just as anxious as he was. With a read on the situation, Helmut took a deep breath and approached the slightly smaller man, attempting to break the tension. “Y’know, we have a lotta talks with the Feel Mobile present. I think we should be careful, ‘fore it learns all our secrets and uses it as slander for tabloids. We don’t know if machinery has a mind of its own, too!”
Helmut eased up as Bob did, feeling a twinge of pride as he saw his eyes crinkle subtly (as they did many times at Helmut’s colorful commentary) in amusement. “ Tch , I doubt it, though it’d explain way too much about Otto. Hell, you too, actually.”
Helmut gasped dramatically, pretending to be offended before rubbing the side of his van. “He didn’t mean that, baby. What we have is a healthy and completely normal relationship!”
Bob snickered, shaking his head. Helmut was always so good at making him feel better, it just made him feel more guilty about what he’d done earlier.
“Helmut, uh…” he said, looking away as Helmut tensed up again, steeling himself for whatever Bob was going to say. “I wanted to apologize for yelling at you like that. It was way out of line. I-I was just… Everything was overwhelming me today, and I was trying really hard not to let that get to me, to just roll with the punches or whatever, but the more I just tried to ignore it… A-And when you — the plant, and… ” he trailed off, fiddling with his tie. “I guess I kinda broke like the pot did, heh...”
There was only a moment of hesitation before Helmut moved to cup Bob’s face, feeling Bob’s beard brush lightly against his palm as he tilted his head to look up at him. “Bobby, c’mon. I understand. I’m not upset about it.”
“Really?” Bob asked, putting his hand on top of Helmut’s. “I wouldn’t blame you if you were.”
“I know you wouldn’t, but trust me, I’m being honest! Actually, I’m kind of… Glad you did that. Yelled at me, I mean.”
“ What??? ” Bob moved back, face showing his bewilderment at such a statement. “I’m sorry, but, like… What? You liked me getting angry at you???”
“No! Ugh, today is not my day for explaining things.” Helmut mumbled under his breath. “I meant that I’m glad that you feel comfortable enough with me to share it with me. That side of you, even if it’s a rare one, it’s like… You , y’know? I’m glad that you trust me enough to be angry with me or even around me like that. Anger, sadness, pain, doesn’t matter, I’ll ride it through with you as long as you need me to.”
Bob’s eyes were still wide, letting what Helmut said sink in, before softening in such a loving gaze. Helmut even thought he caught Bob’s eyes starting to water, which just made Helmut’s melt even more. “Oh, Helmut…”
They shared a kiss, though it wasn’t long or passionate, he enjoyed it all the same. Short and sweet was what Bobby was to him, anyway.
“It did actually make me feel better to shout like that.” Bob said after he pulled away, a light blush on his face to match the pink hue radiating from the both of them. “Though, uh, I’m gonna be honest, I wasn’t sure what you were leading to with the whole ‘I liked you yelling at me’ thing there.”
“Oh, yeah, I did forget to mention it was super hot, total babe moment.”
“ Helmut! ” Bob exclaimed, his blush growing darker as he hit his arm, earning a bubbly laugh from his boyfriend as he rubbed his arm.
“Come on, it was a win-win! You let out your negative feelings and I got to find you incredibly attractive in the moment.” he said, pulling Bob into a hug.
Bob grinned up at him with a mischievous look in his eye. “Ohhhh- ho , what, I’m not normally? I gotta start being mean to you now? Guess I should tell you to stop hugging me!”
“ Nooooo! You know that’s not what I meant!”
“Ha! Yeah, yeah. I know.”