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As Mr. Plant traveled from the local grocery store back to his void, he was oblivious to the multi-eyed stalker sulking just meters behind him. The darkness had engulfed everything but the slender flower-headed man, making the view for the stalker hidden behind him much easier. He could almost feel the prickle of each individual eye of his staring intensely at him as he felt his blood cool, but he attempted to avoid it and nervously quickened his pace.
As for Argos, however, he felt his blood circulate throughout his body and his heart beating rapidly as he took in the sight. He studied how Mr. Plant’s hands fidgeted and crashed together no matter what the setting was. He thought about how he had the same lifeless stare and smile all of the time; how he typically kept to himself and never spoke.
Argos thought it was fascinating.
Argos thought Mr. Plant was fascinating.
He was utterly obsessed with simply the idea of this man. He thought this man was ravishing; his somewhat muscular but slender build complimenting a powerful mane of mute and radiant patterned petals, his sharp but pearl-like grin, and his stare, in which would cause a rush of adrenaline to pump in his veins. The cooled blood that would trickle down his nerves due to his feelings of this man made him his favorite void creature. He had a delicate hunger for a man he called his best friend, and he was mad for the hunger to be replenished.
He lifted the camera up from the lanyard on his neck carefully as to not make any noise. He strategically adjusted his position around the bush he hid behind. As the plant man crept along the sidewalk, Argos silently snapped a photo of him before Mr. Plant could slither out of sight.
Argos swiftly moved out of sight to continue his observations of the critter before he vanished. An almost psychotic smile and widened eyes swept his face, tugging on his hoodie collar to cool himself down. Droplets of sweat collect and stream down his face as he thinks about the small interactions the two have had as he ogled at him. Argos would get incredibly red and flushed when they would make any contact, and often times simply thinking about him.
After what felt like hours, it took Mr. Plant just seconds to reach the door of his void. He entered and shut the door; hastily, but hushed.
The grin plastered on Argos’s face dimmed as the silence grew noticeably loud. The only noise to be heard on the streets was his own oxygen intake. He forced out a slow exhale as he gazed at the door of his best friends void. He put the lense cap on his camera with an empty expression, his shaky hands making it difficult. He took one more hopeful glance through the draped windows, but the interior was succumbed with nothing but darkness. He began his journey to his own void, not enthusiastic to survive another restless night without Mr. Plant.
Argos shut the front door slowly as the lock latches with a loud click. The silent house adds emphasis to each footstep he takes, an echo bouncing off of all the blank walls and onto his eardrums. The pounding in his head continues until he reaches a halt in front of a familiar door in his house; too familiar. The smirk from when he watched his best friend threatened and tugged on his lips before he opened the door. The loud creaking of the door disturbed his train of thought for a small moment, which would continue indefinitely as he descended the staircase.
The faint light of forever-burning candles lit the room as it did scent it; a burnt cinnamon with a touch of vanilla. It was the scent of Mr. Plant. He couldn’t smell it until he reached the bottom of the staircase, however. Once he could, he was now in sight of the well-built and organized shrine. It almost took up the entire room, with photos of the two together framed in clean and glossy wooden frames hung on walls, small Polaroid films taped up hastily, and multiple used items from the man. His psychotic expression returned as he glared at each photo; he thought each photo was so beautiful, like the brightest sun in the darkest universe. Like the sun in a storm. Like a star in the midnight sky. He didn’t dislike a single photo.
He put his focus on the heart he received from Mr. Plant on Valentine’s Day. It was intricately placed directly in the center of the shrine. It was his biggest trophy, with this one item being given to him willingly and with full intention by Mr. Plant. He giggled as he placed his hands on the almost covered table. It was covered in almost anything that the flower man touched: his clothes, his facial products, his old school supplies, and other miscellaneous items in which he didn’t use anymore.
He used one hand to slip the photo out of his pocket and lazily placed it on the table. He looked down at the photo, taking the next few minutes to ogle over it quietly.
Argos grew exhausted, and needed to rest his throbbing head. He made a decision to write a manifestation before going to sleep. His hand stealthily slides a book from under the table into his other hand. As he catches it and puts it on the open space the table has available, he uses a pen that had been laid down parallel to the edge of the table. The pages of the book flutter as it opened, gliding the pen on an empty off-white sheet of paper. The thick, black ink flows smoothly across the page as the same sentence is repeated several times.
“He is thinking about me.”
As he scribes each letter, his lips begin to dance with the pen as he quietly lets the words escape his breath. His eyes were on fire, the candle-lit room exaggerating the darkened circles around his eyes like a light at the bottom of a bottomless pit.
His fingers cramped and strained as he wrote, imagining as if Mr. Plant was here right now. His mind flourished on the thought of touching him, his fingertips tracing each colored petal of his. He oozed at the thought of watching his Adam’s Apple bob as the plant man swallowed at him, inferior to the multi-eyed creature above him. And he drooled at the thought of his phalanges snaking around his neck, feeling the rough skin wrapping around warm blood; his fingers tightening immensely around his neck and watching the man below gasp and cry for air, his throat being crushed and imploded like an aluminum can…
…and his thoughts were rudely interrupted by a thunderous knock that pierced through his ears like needles.
Argos slammed the book shut quickly as his smirk wiped off his face immediately. He returned the book to its original spot, along with the pen.
He bolts up the stairs, heart racing and his brows furrowed. He didn’t have any idea who could be here at such an ungodly time of night, which made him hesitate when he stopped at the front door. His lips parted, looking away from the door for a moment to process the situation. His irises snapped back to the door, his eyebrows still knit together. He takes a sharp inhale, shuts his eyelids together, and places a shaky, tired hand upon the cold doorknob. He twists it and pulls it towards him, the door hinges screeching at him as they turn. His eyelids split, looking up at the dark silhouette in the night.
His heart skips a beat as he recognizes the shape of the figure, an unconscious grin creeping back onto his face.
“Ah, Mr. Plant! What um… w-what are you doing here?” He stutters, enthusiastic to see his best friend on his doorstep. His face grows a deep maroon color very quickly and feels his skin go numb. His hands anxiously wring together as he stares at the abnormally tall figure in front of him.
Mr. Plant doesn’t speak. He instead points behind him into the pitch-black, and as Argos stands on his toes for a split second to look over his shoulder, he then understands what he is trying to communicate when he steps down.
“There’s an annoying ticking noise in your void?…” he trailed off as he tried to figure out what that could possibly be. “Hmm… it could be one of the flowers from that field by your void… or maybe the clock I gave you is broken. I’m not sure though. Well, um… I mean, if you’d like to sleep here for the night, I’d be happy to let you in,” he sheepishly replied with a hand on the back of his neck and the other holding the doorknob.
He takes one step back and holds the door open while gesturing him inside with one hand. He lets out a crooked but toothy smile as the light illuminates the beautiful flower-headed man walking inside. His eyes are locked on him as Argos pushes the door shut and flips the lock.
Mr. Plant lets his eyes take a gander around the interior of Argos’s void. The lips framing the permanent smile stained on his face twitch as his body rotates. He finally turns to face the direction of the shorter man, who had not moved. He made eye contact with him, and Argos got lost in the lifeless eyes of his. His petals gently flow in sync with every slight movement of his head.
Argos licked his lips before slipping back into consciousness. He shook his head and held it low, using two fingers to pinch the bridge of his nose. He takes a sharp breath, and moves his head back up to see that the flower had moved closer.
His eyes widened and he swallowed stiffly. He choked as the blush returned to his face stronger than it had been.
“Ah- um… so, I don’t have a guest bed since I don’t have many visitors, and I don’t really have a couch since I have a new one being delivered,” Argos chuckled awkwardly, now refusing to even glance at his direction.
He brushed past Mr. Plant with a hand combing through his messy black hair, advancing towards his bedroom. When he was finally greeted with the homely bedroom lighting of his, he tread forward and placed himself at the edge of the bed. He looked around his own room as if he hadn’t been there a million times before.
“You can take the bed, and I’ll figure out my own sleeping situation. I’ll sleep on the floor, or something,” his voice progressively hushing as he kept on speaking.
His eyes darted to the man now leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed. Mr. Plant’s eye twitched almost unnoticeably, and he placed his arms back to his side, silence being broken by the clothing as his arms slid across his torso. His legs started moving and carrying him to the opposite edge of the bed Argos was sitting at. The rumbling footsteps halted, and he sat down in an organized manner. He was ruling out the options in his mind.
A brief moment of deafening quiet as the two faces opposite ways was split by the rustle of fragile petals. Mr. Plant stood back up onto his feet, and turned to face Argos. Argos turned himself to look at Mr. Plant. He pointed his finger at himself, and then at Argos, and finally at the bed. He preferred this than Argos sleeping on the cold, hard floor.
Argos’s heart almost stopped, forcing him to swallow the bile in his stomach climbing up his throat. The temperature of his flesh rose drastically as his bones froze. His eyes began to watch everything else in the room except Mr. Plant. His hands instinctively move in a lazy defensive gesture.
“W-what?! You’d really- I… well… w-we can do that, that um… would probably work,” Argos sputtered in shock, his voice calming itself as he spoke.
He smiled like an idiot as Mr. Plant’s head tilted in curiosity, finally making contact with his eyes.
There were as alluring as always.
Argos tried not to do the same thing he had done earlier, so this time he broke the contact by turning to the dresser besides his bed and pulled out a pair of fuzzy dark blue and black striped pajama pants.
“Um- will these work for you?” Argos questioned, still nervous.
Mr. Plant nodded.
Argos cleared his throat, not looking at him still while giving the man the clothing item. Mr. Plant purposefully glided his fingers across the smaller man’s’, a small gasp coming from Argos. His full attention fixes on his hands. Argos had to grit his teeth in order to not let any questionable noises slip that would make the other uncomfortable.
Mr. Plant left the room to change, and Argos idled in the center waiting patiently for him to return.
The emptiness of the room didn’t bother as much as his need for Mr. Plant at that moment. He passed the time as if it were nothing, the same smile on his face. He then considered going to bed before the other man did, which seemed like a better idea to avoid any awkward situations.
So he did just that. Argos crawled onto his queen-sized mattress and stripped the jacket from his eye-covered skin to the carpet below. He kept the sweatpants he had on, and rolled up the sleeves of his sweater he had on underneath the jacket.
Right before he could tug the covers over his cold body, a tall figure made its entrance in the room. Argos looked up at him; he wore the fuzzy pajama pants as well as a jet-black compression shirt.
Argos swallowed nervously as he attempted to make eye contact, but his eyes would drag right back to his chest. The shirt pressed up against every crevice in his chest, which made Argos’s heart hammer against his rib cage. He was very undeniably attractive.
Mr. Plant stepped to the opposite side of the bed Argos was sitting in, and laid gracefully. It was mesmerizing to see how he could do it in one swift movement. He tossed his neatly-folded clothes to the side before covering himself with blankets. He flipped to face Argos, who was still sat up; his head softly dug into the pillow and his petals fell vaguely from exhaustion. His eyelids flutter shut and his lips close around his smile.
Argos pressed his own lips into a thin line followed by a slow and shaky exhale out of his nose. His mind was too active to fall asleep with, so he just rested his spine on the bed and placed his hands one on top of the other on his chest. Every pupil on his body inspected every mark on the ceiling above him, listening carefully to the breath of the man beside him. He was still horribly flushed, his face an ongoing deep red. He gulped, his eyes rolling over to glimpse at Mr. Plant. He was still, resting in peace very suddenly. It amazed Argos how quick the plant man could fall into subconsciousness.
Argos lazily put his weight on his side as he rolled over again. One of his hands effortlessly flopped next to his hip, and the other dangled off the other side of his chest. He did appreciate the amount of space Mr. Plant left for him to sleep, but wasn’t entirely satisfied with it.
He took the risk of pushing himself closer to him, his stomach knotting and coiling upon itself. He puts his focus on his face, studying how his yellow flesh-like center shone with the wilted petals circling it; how each breath inaudibly recycled, rushed from his teeth and out his lips because of his lack of sinuses. He adored how calm he was when he slumbered.
As a sleepless 10 minutes pass, Argos’s heart vibrates a little slower. Now that he was positive he was sleeping, he brought his hand up to the plant man’s face and cupped his face in his palm. He tenderly stroked his cheek, tracing his mouth with the finger. He still had the emotionless smile even in his sleep.
As if his heart jumped and slammed into his brain to knock out any thoughts he had, he snaked his other hand to cup the other cheek and bring their faces together even closer. His vision swirled greatly, his lightheadedness increasing. He held his unaware head in his palms, and instinctively brought his lips to the sleeping man’s forehead and planted a kiss on it.
Argos’s sense of reality returned, and he speedily let go of his head and brought his hands to his mouth to cover it. His heart would jump out of his chest if he had kept going. Bullets of sweat trickled down his face as he stilled and kept quiet to check if he had awaken. Mr. Plant continued to drift into sleep, which brought a wave of relief.
Argos grinned like a maniac when his hands slithered to his face once again, which he did it cautiously as to not disturb his slumber. His train of thought raced in his brain as he brought his lips to the other man’s. He was curious as to see what he tasted like. Would he taste like the scent of the candle in his shrine? Would he take like flowers? The curiosity chewed at him as he leaned closer and closer, his face growing hotter. He tilted his head to make the soft connection of their mouths easier. As he felt the warm flesh of his, his vision exploded with stars. His half-lidded eyes fluttered close and admired the taste. It was a sweet sugary taste that lingered on his tongue; a taste he never wanted to rid.
Argos then felt the weight of a large hand gently caressing the back of his head, the large fingers combing through his messy hair.
He jumped and his eyes snapped open immediately.
He had woken Mr. Plant.
Time slowed and his blood grew cold at the brief sensation. He gasped against his mouth, and he backed away and made space between the two instantly. His expression was knitted between worry and embarrassment.
“O-oh my stars- I- I’m so sorry… I didn’t… I’m really sorry,” he apologized profusely as his voice broke.
His teeth bare into a cringed expression, pulling off the covers and exiting the room. He doesn’t know where he’s going, but he follows wherever his legs take him. He ends up pacing the kitchen, crossing his arms with his head faced to the floor.
Now what was he going to do?
You just kissed your best friend, and doing so while he’s in the same bed as you. He trusted you to give him shelter while he’s vulnerable, and you retaliate by proving that he shouldn’t trust you at all. Maybe it would be good if he never saw you again. Don’t blame him if he hates you.
Tears streamed down his face as he stares out the window above the kitchen sink. He uses one hand to muffle out his sobs, and the other arm remains crossed supporting the other.
Before he could feel any more hopeless, he felt a figure pressing up against his back with two lean arms circling around his waist.
Argos gasped in surprise, choking down another sob. His emotions drown him all at once, each pummeling him with more and more confusion.
Mr. Plant had chased after him after he left the room, finally finding him. He pushes his head into the crook of Argos’s neck as to give him the worlds-most-awkward-hug. He giggles, wiping the tears off of his biggest pairs of eyes. Mr. Plant listened to the erratic breathing of the shorter man, clinging onto him as Argos set his hands onto the other’s.
Argos shook violently in the embrace of Mr. Plant, calming as time passed. The flow of tears stopped as well. Mr. Plant span Argos around to look down at him, his sensitive figure still quivering. His glossy eyes stared up at him, eager to find out what Mr. Plant’s next move would be.
He tilted his jaw and kissed Argos with a brisk movement. He did not hesitate to reciprocate, smiling vigorously. His hands reached for his shoulders, gripping onto him as if to hug him. Mr. Plant kept his hands on Argos’s waist, pulling him in closer.
They broke the kiss and hugged each other. They held each other close, swaying slightly as they did nothing but breathe. Argos could hear the heartbeat of the figure above him race very quickly, giving him a smile spanning from ear to ear. Every one of his eyes shut listening to the drum in his chest.
It was perfect.