Archive of Our Own

It was a nice, sunny day outside. It's one of the nicest areas in the city and from the outside a wide white building stands out from the skyscrapers and the offices of big companies full of people who work sitting in front of a computer all day. Inside, the interior decorations are minimalistic, the walls are white and the floor a light gray, avoiding distracting from what´s on exhibition. This place is very important for art, only known and respected artists get to put their work here, that's why people come here expecting to see the best on modern art, some are just very interested or amateurs, but some are experts, and if they like your work you could sell something for a considerable amount of money. A lot of people come here, but they behave with the proper elegance and delicacy of this kind of place.

In a big room with a variety of carefully put paintings in the walls, there's a crowd gathered around a corner. At the front of it, you can hear a famous voice. It's a reporter who specializes on topics related with modern art, so he is well known around here. His pretty face made him unforgettable for the media, combined with his British accent he was fast to reach big popularity.

“You seem to have a very defined artstyle, could you explain how you chose it?” George says, concentrating on getting good content from this interview.

The question was directed to the actual reason everyone is gathered here. An artist whose career is just starting to reach a professional level,he is here just because of a big strike of luck. A very quiet man who is not used to the crowds or the questions. Bad is trying his best to make a good impression in front of all of these important people, but it's not easy when this guy just started asking questions and people seemed to come out of nowhere suddenly very interested in every word that comes out of his mouth.

“I mean, there's really not a lot to explain. I just paint what I perceive as beautiful, with my eyes or with my mind” Bad finally answers hoping to not sound nervous but not pretentious either.
“What is it that makes you perceive these things as beautiful?” The reporter says before turning his microphone to Bad.
“Umm, I guess… I tell this to most people who ask me this. A lot of my paintings are dedicated to someone I met in the past, someone who helped me grow and encouraged me to keep creating. So I guess when I think about beautiful most of the times I think about something that reminds me of them”
“Are all of your paintings inspired by this person?”
“No, the creative process needs more than a source of inspiration. Well… I mean, maybe they are all just a little bit inspired by them, but definitely some more than others. I´d like to think I cover a variety of topics even with a defined artstyle. But maybe there's a little bit of them in every piece, I guess you could say they are like my muse”
“Would you tell us a little bit more about this mysterious person?”
“I´m sorry, that´s private information, I can´t-” Bad was suddenly interrupted.
“Bad! Bad you need to come here!” It was Antfrost, one of Bad´s best friends, he is not an artist but he is helping Bad today because it's his first time exhibiting his art in a place like this. Just his company makes Bad feel calmer.
“Ant? What happened?”
“Bad, you need to come with me, hurry!”

Ant grabs his arm and drags him out of the crowd, leaving the famous reporter unsatisfied.
“Ant, this better be important, I was in the middle of an interview!” Bad starts arguing with his friend in whispers.
“Bad, someone wants to buy your paintings”
“Oh, really? That's great! Do you need me to remind you how to do the paperwork?”
“No Bad, it's not any person, it's a famous art collector!”
“What?! Wait, really? You are not trolling me, are you?”
“I´m not! Come with me. There's this guy named Quackity, he says he will buy a whole collection for fifty thousand!”
“What? Ant, this could be life changing, do you know how many things you can do with that money? do you know?”
“I know Bad! You can finally start your studio! I knew you could do it! I knew it!”
“My gosh Ant, I´m so happy”
“Oh, Bad, no, don´t cry, I know you´re happy but you still need to talk with this guy”
“Oh, right, you´re right. Is that him?” Bad points out at a man with extravagant- no, it's straight up weird clothing.
“Yeah, that's him. Go for it, Bad” Ant gives Bad a confident smile before pushing him in the direction of this Quackity guy.

He was kinda weird but he did as promised and buyed the painting without asking for a cheaper price, changing Bad´s life forever. He didn't even know what to feel, he was proud and full of joy, he was actually going to live from his paintings! If you had told him this would happen a few years before he would have had a hard time believing you. It was a distant dream, a childish and impossible dream. And now, it was a reality, isn't that crazy?

After the paperwork he reunited with Ant, almost crying of joy. Ant said that they needed to celebrate, trying to convince him to go to a bar or somewhere else fun. Because Bad is not really a party person he wasn't very enthusiastic about the idea, but at the end his friend managed to convince him to go to a chill bar where a band would play jazz tonight. That´seemed like a better plan for Bad, he definitely doesn't want things to go too crazy, he still has to wake up early for the second day of his exhibition.

So the remaining hours of the day pass and the night arrives without notice. He gets his semi-formal clothing ready and is ready to head out. During the drive to the bar he quickly gets lost in his thoughts. He has a lot to think about, but his mind is in one specific place, his muse. If only he could see Bad now, Bad thinks he would be proud, he would be happy for him and invite Bad to get ice cream. If only he was here… Bad wonders, like he does almost everyday, where could he be, is he alright? Did he follow his dreams? Was he successful? Will they ever see each other again? And, like he does almost everyday, Bad misses the times where they were so close, not even realizing that things would change.

Oh, weren't those times precious? Bad can almost see his face, he remembers his features, his habits, the places they used to go together, how he felt when he was around him. How things seemed so easy, there was a point where he thought living would be like this forever, very naive from him, to think that he owed that kind of life. An easy and secure life, it's not the life of an artist who didn't even go to art school. The real world is hard and unpredictable, it's about holding on to your beliefs and hoping, just hoping for dear life that you will be alright at the end of it all.

But fantasizing feels better than thinking about that, and, in a way, that's what artists do. They are allowed to get lost in the world of their head, the difficult part is externalizing it in a way that pleases the external world, in other words, “aesthetically”, whatever that means. He could be really depressed or planning to destroy the world and make good art out of it, and maybe someone will buy it. He is lucky then, that there's at least a few people who want to see what happens in his brain. But maybe exploiting his own feelings this way keeps him from forgiving or even just forgetting his past. So he sits here, thinking about the things he lost, and maybe tonight he will grab his brush and make a masterpiece, or maybe his strike of luck is over and his attempt at following his dream will be his own doom. But there's a chance, even if it's small, that he makes it, and that's what keeps Bad living.

Completely dissociated from where he is, he doesn't realize when exactly they arrived and chose a table. But something makes him wake up: the music. Bad has never played any kind of instrument, he isn't very close to music in general. But, as a good lover of art, he knows how to appreciate it and the people who dedicate their whole lives to it. There's a lot of beauty in it, it clears his mind, maybe tonight his painting will be about something as simple as enjoying a song. Wait, this has happened before, this feeling is familiar, but where does this come from?

That's when he sees him. He finds the source of the feeling, and so much more, so, so much more. It feels like a dream, but the reality of it it's scary. If this isn't a dream, then could it be a very big coincidence? A very cruel coincidence the universe has put in front of him, did he do anything to deserve this? Or is this for the sake of his paintings? But he looks so real, features that he hasn't seen in years, might as well enjoy the view.

So instead of chatting with his friends or anyone else in the bar, he spends the peaceful night staring at the drummer who is too concentrated to notice. Ant won't care, he is entertained enough with his boyfriend. The music, the lights, the decorations of this elegant but “casual” bar, what a beautiful scene, the environment is sweet and relaxed, you can hear tired and deep laughs in the distance, and a light smell of alcohol fills the air.

But most important of all, the main character of Bad´s eyes. He looks just like his memories, but very different at the same time. He has the same dark circles around his eyes, but they look deeper, and his jawline is sharper, his nose thinner, his hair shorter. And his eyes, they look like they are not looking at what's in front of them, like what he does is just muscle memory and his mind is somewhere else. He looks a bit tired, but completely calm, like he knows nothing will go wrong tonight and he will be going to the same home he does everyday.

Bad just sits there, looking at him with sad eyes. And, suddenly, for a minuscular moment, at the end of a song, the drummer looks up. And he catches Bad´s eyes, and time freezes. Bad remembers those eyes, he remembers the color and life in them, the time he spent looking at them, how he used to feel about those eyes. That's when he realizes, it's actually him. Almost immediately, those eyes go back to the drums because another song is starting, but his expression is different, Bad can tell. Now his mind is here, now he is aware that tonight isn't like any other night, both of them are. Now Bad has the right to think about the past, and doesn't have to use inspiration as an excuse. Now he sees him, it's not an almost, he actually sees him. And now he gets to feel anything other than melancholic.

And oh boy does he feel. He feels his heart fall out of his chest and his face numb from trying to contain such emotions. He had been wanting to know where his muse was for years now, and now that he knows, what is he gonna do? Just straight up go to him? Just say hi? How have you been? Act as if this wasn't as big as it is? As if they weren't best friends at some point, as if he has been able to trust someone like that again, as if they were just two people who knew each other and now they´re strangers, strangers.

Bad tries to figure out what kind of memory he left. Did he keep those precious moments as close as Bad did? Does he remember every detail of the other as Bad does? Surely, Bad should consider what kind of approach is more appropriate. But people change like the tides in the ocean and he can't depend on memories from years ago. The man playing the drums right now might be someone completely different, who knows what he has gone through. Sometimes, is best to hide your feelings, Bad thinks, for the sake of… social approval, or just not making anyone uncomfortable. Something Bad doesn't feel very good at. But… he isn't satisfied with that conclusion, because he feels energy rising from the tip of his toes. He knows, he just knows that he could do what his heart wants to do. But he isn't convinced, he just needs a little push, some kind of affirmation.

For a moment, the song goes slower, and he looks at Bad again, this time, with a small but visible smile on his face, so warm that it makes Bad´s face decide on an emotion and spread pink across his cheeks. That's it. Maybe life is just like this, maybe he has been taking himself too seriously, maybe other people, expectations, norms and even life is insignificant. Maybe he has been living all these years for this moment.

He is still looking at Bad when he hears him yell:
“Skeppy! hiii!”
And Skeppy yells back.
“Hiii!”
And he continues playing.

People go silent for a moment, but decide to ignore it and continue with their chatting. But the members of the band don´t, they seem a little upset. Not that Bad would notice, he is too distracted with his excitement. And Skeppy does notice but doesn't let that bother him, from an outside perspective, he is the only one with a positive attitude in a band of bitter people. Skeppy goes back to his drums but Bad is convinced he did the right thing. Bad will never know, but Skeppy got some hits wrong because of how energetic he was being.

Bad was expecting Ant to come immediately, but he didn't. Either he didn't hear him or he is straight up not here. After some time Ant finally appears to ask him if he already wants to leave, he says that he was… somewhere else. Bad takes his time to explain what's happening, and Ant´s eyes go wide. Bad had told him about Skeppy, a lot. But he wasn't expecting to meet him at some point, it was like finding a character from a book just hanging out in the real world. He compares him with how he had imagined him to be and it was actually pretty close, Bad did a good job at describing him after all. But who could guess that this guy had been playing at a local bar this whole time? What a small world. And if he is surprised by the encounter, he has a hard time imagining how Bad feels. His friend would describe this dude with the eyes of a preacher describing God, and now God paid him a visit. This is huge, but he still tells Bad that the band is probably playing until past midnight, and that they still have an exhibition to attend to tomorrow, so they can't just wait here until Skeppy is free to actually talk.

Bad seems to understand, but Ant feels like doing something for his friend. He asks a waiter if the band takes a break at some point, and they say yes, that it's actually in 20 minutes, but clients can't talk with them if they don´t have their contact. So Skeppy will have to take the decision to look for Bad, Ant hopes the guy didn't turn into a muffinhead and just ignores Bad, that would be so sad. But, he decides to depend on hope and tells Bad that they can stay for half an hour more so he can keep looking at the man. He doesn't tell him about the break to not bring Bad´s hopes too high.

Some minutes pass, neither of them know how many. The band finishes a song and stands up, they go out of stage to the backrooms. Ant can see in Bad´s eyes that he is considering looking for Skeppy, he is about to tell him that he can´t when he sees a man running to them with a backpack.

“Bad! Hi! It's crazy to see you here, we need to catch up! But can we do that later? We really need to leave, well, I need to leave, but, can I leave with you?”
“Um, yeah” It's the only thing Bad can say in the middle of his excitement, surprise and confusion.
“Great! Thank you!” Skeppy sounds so relieved it´s intriguing.
Skeppy grabs Bad´s hand and drags him out of the bar, Ant has to run behind them because there wasn't enough time for Skeppy to notice him.

Outside is cold, the lights of the city are bright and you can barely see the stars, but they are still there. Cars pass fast on the pavement in front of them and most things are gray or a flashing light. They had just left the establishment when they stopped running. Both of them take a moment to catch their breath, ignoring the whole city and hearing only heavy breathing. After almost a minute, Skeppy starts laughing and Bad laughs with him. It's like before, it really is like before. They are still laughing when Ant reaches them.

“Oh, Skeppy, this is Ant, my friend. I didn't have time to introduce him to you because of all the running”
“Oh, shoot, I´m sorry, I didn't see you before, I´m sorry, didn't mean to… leave you there”
“Don´t worry, it's nice to meet you. Bad, you can take this guy wherever you want, Velvet is waiting for me in the car”
“Wait, Velvet has been waiting for you this whole time? Why didn't you tell me?”
“Don´t worry about it Bad, have fun”
And Ant leaves in the direction of the parking lot.

“I hope my first impression with your friend wasn't that bad”
“I'm sure he doesn´t mind, Skeppy. So, do you need a ride?”
“Um, sort of. I have… nowhere to go”
“What? Why?”
“You know those guys that were playing with me? They kind of fired me”
“Oh no, was it because I grabbed your attention? That wasn't your fault Skeppy, it was-”
“No no no no, I already knew this was going to happen, I´m telling you, they hate me. I'm sort of… running away from them right now”
“Why?”
“And since we´ve been here for like a week I don´t know this city at all. And my phone is out of battery and I don't know where I could stay the night for…12 dollars which is all I have in cash right now. Dude, this city is super expensive, how can you live here?”
“Wait, you don´t live here?”
“No”
“Then where do you live?”
“I… Well, I´ve been everywhere if that´s what you're asking. Since I left my parents home, I´ve been… looking for the right place. Oh, but when you are in a band you can always be roomates with another member, or you can all live together”
“Oh, so you need to go for your things?”
“Nope, I have everything I need here” Skeppy shows his backpack. It didn't look empty, but still, it wasn't a very big backpack.

Bad takes a few seconds to think while he looks at Skeppy in the eyes. He had a smile on his lips but his eyes were hiding sadness, Bad can still recognize this after everything. So he doesn´t hesitate to offer:
“You can stay at my place if you want”
“Oh no, you don't need to, I don't mean to bother all your… important things, I mean, you must be very busy. I can figure something out, I always do”
“Skeppy, it's ok, I live alone after all. And I may be busy this week but you can stay there while I'm gone, or explore the city if you want. I trust you, I don't see anything wrong with it. It will be like our sleepovers back home!”
“Dude, I really don't want to take advantage of your kindness. But it would make things so, so much easier” Skeppy´s eyes start to water and his voice starts to crack.
“Come here Skeppy, you need a hug”

They hug and stay there for a moment, before deciding to finally head to Bad and Ant´s car.
During the ride, Skeppy tells Bad about all the places he's been since he's been following his dream of living out of music. Bad is very pleased with finally knowing where Skeppy has been. And, as a good artist, he starts to create images in his head of places, feelings, passions, some lights there, some shadows here, and is as beautiful as a conversation. Bad keeps to himself the thought that everyone should take their time to listen to Skeppy at least once in their lives, and a lot of those people would become artists like he did, because it's impossible not to be filled with inspiration just by looking at Skeppy´s face. He could paint about simple conversations his whole life and it would always look beautiful.

They arrive at Bad´s house and are greeted by a very small and cute dog.
“This is Lucy, she's my little chunk of fluff”
“Hi Lucy, she looks a lot like-”
“Yeah, I got her a few months after she passed away”
“Oh, I´m sorry”
“Don´t worry, it has already been a few years. Can you wait here until I come back? I have to check some things”
“Sure”

Bad arrives after less than five minutes. He just wanted to make sure everything was in its place, but he cleans the house so often that it would be impossible it wasn´t.

“So, I just noticed, I don't have an extra room, or mattress, or couch. So we need to figure that out”
“Don´t worry, it's not the first time I sleep in the floor”
“What? No! You are not sleeping on the floor, you are a guest! I'll sleep on the floor”
“Do you want me to feel worse than I already do? Yeah, let me just appear out of nowhere and get in your house and make you sleep on the floor, that's what a good friend does”
“Well there's no time to just go and buy a mattress, it's very late for that and I already want to sleep”
“Well, I´m tired as well, so just let me sleep on the floor!”
“Do you expect me to just… wait, we´ve had this conversation before”
“Have we?”
“Yeah, when we were kids, we ate too much sugar. We couldn't sleep so we stayed up too late, do you remember?”
“Yeah, and then we were too tired because of the sugar rush”
“Yeah, so we didn't set up the other bed”
“Alright, so it´s settled then, we´re sharing a bed, let's go” Skeppy is not asking, it's a statement.
“What? No, that´s not what I'm saying. I- I was just remembering” Skeppy doesn't seem convinced, so Bad continues “Skeppy, we can't do that, we´re not children anymore, we´re two grown men!”
“What are we more? Two grown men or two close friends in desperate need of sleep?”
Bad thinks. Skeppy is right, they are not just two grown men, they are Bad and Skeppy.
“Alright, but tomorrow we're buying something”
“Yeah”

Bad directs Skeppy to his bedroom and Rat follows them. It isn't big, but it's a nice room. The only thing out of place is a bag with unused art supplies that sits in one corner.
“Do you have a toothbrush or do I have to look for a new one?”
“Umm, no, I think I forgot it, sorry”
“Ok, give me a minute”
Skeppy does have a toothbrush, but it's pretty old and he is not proud of how it looks. But also, he wants to take a good look at Bad´s room without having him around, to not seem rude or make Bad nervous of any detail he picks. By looking at this place, Skeppy can confirm that it's the same old Bad, so he has no need to hesitate being like before.

Bad comes back with the promised toothbrush. They go to the bathroom, Bad shows Skeppy the shower´s cold and warm water, where he can find clean towels, where to put his dirty clothes, and all that stuff. After this they change into more comfortable clothes (not while being in the same room, of course) and they are finally ready to go to bed. Skeppy picks the right side, just like Bad´s memories had predicted, and Bad has no choice but to sleep on the left. Bad turns off the lights. The night is peaceful, quieter than usual, and it seems like the whole city wants them to rest.

But Bad feels himself unable to sleep, not because he doesn't feel safe but because he feels like staying up is the right thing to do. And Skeppy seems to agree, because not longer than seven minutes in, they restart a conversation.
“Do you like it here? This city?”
“Whether or not I like the city doesn't really matter, I like the opportunities there´s in it”
They are both looking at the ceiling, pupils dilated by the low amount of light.
“Here, you are living from your paintings, right?”
“Yeah, how do you know?”
“I just had the feeling”
Their voices are soft and low, there's no need to raise them because they could even hear their breathing with this silence.
“It's nice seeing a familiar face. You know, being here, I almost feel like back home”
“I know, I feel the same”
“Do you ever wish you never left?”
“I used to”
“And what changed that?”
“I found someone that reminds me of home”
Skeppy laughs a little “I wonder who that is”

Bad is glad that they've established that finding each other meant more than catching up with an old friend. He's glad that Skeppy understands. Somehow, he always manages to be on the same page with Bad.

“Hey” Skeppy turns to face Bad, Bad does the same to listen to him. “Tomorrow, can I go to your exhibition?”
“How do you-?”
Skeppy laughs, Bad didn't know how much he missed seeing him laugh this close until now. “Ok, ok, I knew you were here. I saw an advertisement for your exhibition the other day. I was planning to look for you tomorrow”
“Really?”
“Yeah, but I was worried I wouldn't have time because of work. So, I was kind of wishing they would hurry up and fire me already” Skeppy finishes his sentence giggling.
“Were those guys really that bad?”
“Yeah”

They go silent and look at how the other´s eyes are closing slowly. Right before they are both completely sleep Skeppy asks:
“Wanna cuddle?”
“Ok”

Waking up in the arms of someone is something to be grateful for, especially after experiencing feeling so alone that you couldn't call for help even if your life depended on it. They don´t know it, but both of them share the experience of that feeling of abandonment. They also share not having the support of their parents, having had to pay for their studies, getting not so enjoyable jobs, and failing by dropping out of college. The world has been cruel to both of them, they don't need to talk about it. But as a result their feelings and thoughts about things are similar, even if they were physically away from each other, it's the same. They don´t know it, but there is no one else like that in this world. They are something for each other, so special that they could never get it back if they ever lost it. They are made for each other, by destiny and by the world. There's no other way this could have happened. There's no place in this world where they would feel more at home.

So it's easy to fall asleep. They are so comfortable that they don´t buy a mattress the next day, nor the day after nor the month after. Bad has never been more inspired, every minute he has to be away from Skeppy (he goes out to look for a job and help with stuff like buying groceries) he spends it painting. It's like he got new eyes, his paintings got a new style, rhythm, colors, and feeling to them. They are full of life, of movement, of fresh feelings, of love. Bad knows, it's not so hard to figure it out, he knows that he is in love. Ant didn't take long to figure it out either, and he's pressing on his friend to make it official, but Bad is waiting for the right time, he wants to make it special, as special as Skeppy is.

One night, Skeppy comes back home with dinner: thin crust pepperoni pizza. Bad is waiting for him. Skeppy finds it weird that the lights are out.
“Baad, I’m home, I got pizza”
“Skeppy! Come to the studio!”
The studio was just a normal room where Bad had managed to fit his stuff, the only room in the whole house that was messy most of the time. Skeppy puts the pizza in the kitchen and walks through the hall only turning one light on, he found the darkness calming, but he still didn’t want to trip. When he reaches the door he notices a weak light coming from under it.

He opens the door and the first thing he sees is Bad’s face in the weird lighting of the room, he focuses on his eyes, he is so beautiful.
“Hi” Bad says with a shy smile.
“Hi” Skeppy answers with a bigger one.
After the needed examination of his friend’s features he allows himself to look around. The room is illuminated with only christmas lights, blue, white and yellow ones hanging on the walls and on the floor. But the other thing on display is a series of paintings that make Skeppy feel something indescribable.
“What is this Bad?”
“This- this is my new collection, I wanted to show it to you” Bad’s voice is low and soft.
“It’s, I don’t know, it’s like… it reminds me of when we were kids. It’s like my room, like our classroom, like that English teacher, like the park, like the roof where we would look at the stars, it’s like those stars, like being there and talking to you, it’s like you, but in like, you in like a me perspective or you in the perspective of… of our time spent together, yeah, it’s like that, like being kids, but with you, and… and now having grown up, and, well, being with you. Am I making any sense?”
Skeppy meets Bad’s eyes, and those eyes make him feel… a lot, when did Skeppy lose the words to name his feelings? It’s not his fault, it’s not easy.
“I can’t express how happy I am that you remember all of those things. I- some part of me thought that you may have forgotten, I have no idea why. It’s probably weird to see this like… this, most people don’t like, well, they prefer things to be said with words, it’s probably easier to understand. But I, well, I- It’s easier for me to… show than to say”
“Bad, seriously, these are like the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Wait, are you going to sell them? No, please, please don’t, I’ll buy them myself!”
Bad lets out a soft low laugh. “Skeppy, they are for you. I made them for you, I made them to tell you… umm, to tell you, muffins, I was supposed to say that at the end”
“You planned this?”
“No? I mean, mayybe, kinda”
Skeppy starts giggling.
“Alright Badboy, what did you want to tell me?”
Bad takes a deep breath and takes Skeppy’s hands “Skeppy, these are all inspired by you, and they are not the only ones. Truth is that you are my biggest inspiration, my model of beauty, what I want to share with the world. I owe you for being here, not just in this apartment but far from home, following my dreams. Your support changed my life so much, because it was the only thing in the real world that appreciated what I had to offer, and it made it click, the idea that maybe, if I tried hard enough, I could find a place where all of that would be seen. And I found it! And I’m so happy, you have no idea, I’m so happy because I have you and I have myself, and I’m the luckiest guy in the world. And I know that you still have to work on your dreams, and that it's still hard, and that maybe one day you will have to leave, but… What I want to say is, what I mean… Do you want to stay? Here, with me, in this apartment, with an unstable source of income and the muffin of an industry that is art in this crazy world”
“My god Bad, why are you so cute?”
“Ey! I’m not-”

Bad is cut off by the feeling of lips pressing against his own and he allows himself to follow the feeling. They feel joy, such a contrast to their past selves. Maybe life isn’t about not worrying about anything, but it sure isn’t about being constantly afraid either. It isn’t going to be like this forever, some days are still going to be bad, some things are still not solved, and even now it isn’t perfect. But it’s ok to not think about that, it’s ok to just focus on the moment, it’s ok to support each other and stay together through tough times. It’s ok to have only one thing in mind, not even words, just the mere sensation of lips and hands pressing their skin.

They separate their lips in need of air, but they don’t stop holding each other. They just look at the other’s eyes, their cheeks red.
“Is… is that a yes?”
Skeppy laughs before answering.
“Yes Bad, of course I’m staying”
Instead of answering, Bad’s smile just goes wider.
“God, you really are the cutest”
“No, you are, you muffin”

And then they lived forever and yes love