Chapter Text
it was a pretty hot day in florida, as punz sat up in his office, focusing on playing valorant. slipping up every few seconds. which had definitely made him upset just a tad. and of course, there was foolish on the other end of the discord call, making jokes and bullying him on how bad he was today. today just.. wasn't punz's day appearently.
but of course you wouldnt give the satisfactory of getting upset, to the person joking around with you. so obviously punz wasnt going to do the same. he exhaled and finished the match, taking his headphones off to fix his hair.
he looked to chat, which was pretty much jamming out to music. he smiled a little, and put his headphones back on. he was glad he didnt have face cam on, its not like he was anxious or anything. he just preferred it off.
he didnt mind the joking. he found it quite funny. but there was one thing that made him get flustered from. foolish. yes, it was definitely him. the brown haired male always had made him smile. no matter what. foolish could be yelling at him and whatnot, and he would still have that stupid, cheesy 'love look' in his eyes. he had always thought that foolish was an amazing person. pretty even.. it was odd. he had never been head over heals for someone.
it was usually pretty easy to hide his crush on someone, but sapnap and karl could obviously tell, they had teased him about it, all. the. time. which, he didnt mind, but it got on his nerves sometimes. he was just glad he had never really admitted to it. he wouldnt deny it, nor admit to it.
the way his laugh and smile were so contagious, how he hated when his hair fell during streams, yet it looked so good, the way his eyes lit up, when he got excited, just everything about him, made punz's heart melt. anything the male did, made im fall deeper into love with him. the bigger his small little crush, would grow into a more, complex crush.
-
"hey, punzo, you okay? you've gone oddly quiet for like ten minutes" foolish asked softly, dropping the act for a bit. punz snapped back into reality and exhaled softly "oh, yeah. sorry, i had to go get some water, and feed zuko" he replied, and readied up. just then, another person joined VC. and of course it had to be karl, another person to join in on the jokes.
another hour of playing valorant, punz wasnt as bad as he was but still somewhat bad. "oh my god dude, today just isn't my day" punz groaned quietly, and leaned back in his chair. foolish chuckled lightly "you think?" he laughed a little along with karl
"maybe he just needs a good luck charm with him. head down there, and be it for him. maybe then he'll get better" karl joked "yeah come down here, foosh" he joked as well
"ehhh, im not sureee" foolish groaned quietly. punz huffed and smiled "oh come on, get out of those cornfields for once" he chuckled. foolish rolled his eyes jokingly "if you really want me to, ill come down, but not today though" he said and started typing in discord. "when then?" punz asked as he read foolish's message.
FoolishGamers: I'll book the ticket in a couple days, don't worry punzo :)
it read. punz didnt know why but he smiled a lot at the nickname. he sent back a thumbs up. he felt a bit fuzzy inside for some odd reason. he sighed softly and hummed a bit. "im gonna head out for the day, see you guys later" punz said as he left the call, and stopped the stream. he turned off his pc, and leaned back in his chair, groaning loudly. he slid his hands down his face. zuko jumped onto punz's lap, cuddling into him. he smiled some, petting zuko.
/// couple days later///
punz exhaled, as he woke up somewhat early, he didnt know why he was so anxious about today. foolish was flying in today, but.. later in the day. punz guessed it was just anxiety and nervousness. he headed into the bathroom and took a quick shower. he knew he had to clean up a bit, though the house wasnt messy, he still would clean up a bit.
later his phone buzzed with a message. he grabbed his phone and looked at it, exhaling softly. he smiled a little looking at foolishs text.
foosh: Hey, punzo, Im on the way to the airport rn, just thought i'd let you know :))
punzo: cool! just tell me when you've landed!
foosh: Alright! :))
punz sighed happily and set his phone down. this was the first time he was nervous for a meetup. it was a bit odd, feeling nervous for something like this. it was weird, but it was just his nerves that were getting the best of him.
// the meetup//
punz had changed into a sweater and some shorts. he exhaled softly, after getting the text that foolish had landed. he pet zuko and grabbed his keys and phone, heading to his car. he got in, and turning on a little bit of music, and started driving to the airport. he was a bit shaky, from nerves, and having an energy drink after he woke up.
he parked and immediately got out. he grabbed out his phone and checked to see if foolish had told him if he had gotten any conformation on where he was. he chuckled and headed inside, looking for the luggage claim area. once he saw it in view, he looked around, before texting foolish.
he then tripped forwards a bit, feeling a weight on his shoulders and back. he then realized who it was and smiled "punz!" the brunette said happily as punz leaned back, dropping foolish
"now you can give me a proper hug" punz chuckled, as he wrapped his arms around his torso, as foolish wrapped his arms around the blonde's neck, smiling some.
punz smiled more, as he was in foolish's arms. everything just felt so safe.. he didnt know how to explain it. things just felt right. he liked this a lot. his nerves were calmed a lot. he couldnt help but smile. just more to toss into the crush pile. he knew that the male would never reciprocate those feelings and he'd be fine with that, just a bit crushed.
foolish pulled away a little bit later, still holding onto him a tad "god, i cannot believe this.." he smiled softly as the blonde could feel his face heat up the more foolish had looked at him. he chuckled softly and nodded "no, yeah.. i cant believe it either.." he responded softly.
punz admired him for a bit longer, before snapping back into reality "alright, lets.. u-uh get going back to my place, yeah?" he said quietly, looking away. foolish nodded and pulled away, grabbing his bag "yeah, cmon" he smiled. god, that smile was going to be the death of him.
// back at punz's place//
punz opened the front door, letting foolish walk in. he walked in afterwards, locking the door, for safety (no shit, you dont want someone breaking in dumbass) foolish looked around, as zuko walked up him, sniffing him, rubbing against his legs. he looked down at zuko, setting his bag down and picking her up. it was adorable seeing zuko get comfortable with foolish.
punz smiled and hummed slightly "this is zuko, i'm assuming" foolish asked with a slight smile. punz nodded and pulled his phone out "yep, the cat everyone loves, hold on, stay there" he said and took a quick picture, smiling to himself
foolish chuckled and smiled "let me see it later, also, where do you want me to put my bag?" he asked, setting zuko down, grabbing his bag again "uhh, here.." punz thought to himself and motioned for foolish to follow behind.
the blonde opened a door to one of the room and hummed softly "this is your room, for while your here" he said as foolish nodded and smiled "alright.. thanks, by the way" he said, setting his bag on the bed "it's not a problem, i enjoy your company anyways" punz smiled.
foolish nodded and sat down "well, i'll leave you to chill, i'll probably order something for dinner soon, and i think Karl wanted to watch hell's kitchen later as well" punz said, speaking softly for some reason
"okay! hell's kitchen seems fun" foolish said with a small smile. the blonde stood there for a moment, nodding quietly, as he smiled some, as he admired the males smile "y-yeah- okay! uh cool, just uh- yeah" he said walking out of the room, as his cheeks were slightly red.
he didn't know why foolish had this effect on him, but he didn't know how long he could suppress these feelings. he headed to his room, leaving the door open for zuko to walk in whenever she wanted.
the blonde plopped down onto his bed and ran his hand through his hair, before hearing his phone ring. he looked at it, seeing it was Karl. he sighed and answered the call.
"hey Karl" punz said as he put his phone up to his ear. Karl just started ranting about how they should all meet up, and that punz should finally admit his feelings and whatnot.
"i'm telling you, you should tell him!"
"Karl, if i tell him, it's going to ruin everything, and plus he probably won't reciprocate those feelings back"
"PROBABLY!! that's the key word! drop subtle hints then"
punz sighed. he knew Karl wouldn't let this go. he would keep nagging him until he did, actually admit to it "fine, but as long as you stop bugging me about this" he said, Karl agreed happily, and hung up.
//later that night//
punz sighed contently as he sat on his bed just with his laptop and foolish next to him. they were on a discord call with bad and Karl, watching hell's kitchen. he wasn't steaming, due to not wanting to overwhelm the brunette on the first day.
"where's foolish? i don't know, probably cuddling with punz or something" Karl laughed a little reading a chat message. punz's face heated up a little
"no, he's probably busy with something" punz replied with a small chuckle. foolish rolled his eyes and put his arm around the blonde, which made him blush slightly.
he didn't know why the brunette made him feel like this. he knew that Karl would definitely call him out a few times, but he didn't mind all too much. he sighed contently, leaning into the touch a little.
punz ran a hand through his hair as he got a text from Karl
karlos: c'mon, drop some hints dumbass
punzo: i told you, stop bugging me about it and i will
karlos: if you don't tell him or drop subtle hints, i'm going to tell him
punzo: you don't even know if i like him or not
karlos: okay, i don't need to, it's really obvious
punzo: REALLY??
karlos: to me at least yes, anyways, go on :]
punz sighed and set his phone down, muting himself, as foolish tilted his head slightly "what's up?" he asked quietly. punz shrugged and laid his head on his shoulder, and took one of his hands, just playing with it.
foolish smiled a little "i didn't know you were a psychical touch type of guy" he whispered, punz nodded "mhm, most of my friends don't realize until we meet"
the brunette nodded as punz looked up to him, there wasn't too much light in the room, but the light from the laptop, lit up their faces a little.
they could each see the somewhat visible blush on each of their faces. foolish smiled a little as punz could feel his face heat up more "youre blushing.." foolish said softly as punz rolled his eyes jokingly "sure, im not blushing, you are" punz smiled a little. it felt like the room had shrunk in size due to how close they were.
karl laughed and had ran a hand through his hair "oh, youre being gay, carry on" he said laughing a little. punz exhaled softly, glad he was muted.
he looked back at foolish, feeling his face heat up a tad more. he smiled some "hi.."
"hi.." the brunette said back quietly. he turned the brightness from the computer screen down a bit, and smiled a little, as punz felt his throat close up a little. he was nervous.. the good nervous. he didnt know if he liked the closeness and silence between the two. "i- im gonna go grab some water real quick.." punz mumbled breaking the silence, getting up, and heading to the kitchen, and getting some water.
punz leaned against the counter, groaning. he felt his phone buz, seeing Karl was calling. he put the phone up to ear "yes?" he said answering the phone.
"you were mute for a while, what happened?" Karl asked. punz could tell he didnt want to bug was excited
"yeah.. we.. i was um.. playing with his hand.. hand then i looked up to him, and everything just felt so slow.. like- im not gonna be all sappy towards you, but yeah, thats what basically happened" punz said cutting himself off, as his face heated up some.
Karl giggled a little "you're in live with him, just admit it. the way you look at him, the way your mood instantly changes when he's around. come on man.." he said softly, which made punz smile a little
"fine! fine.. im in love with my best friend and i have no clue what to do about it.." punz admitted as he sighed softly. he could hear Karl giggle and smile
"finally!! we were right, me and Sapnap were right, now, what are you going to do about it?" he asked as punz shrugged "i dunno.. talk to you later, i gotta get back before he thinks i left him" he chuckled and hung up, setting the cup down and heading back into the room
"punzo!" foolish smiled as he held out his arms, welcoming the male. the blonde couldn't help but smile, as he laid back down, getting comfortable in his arms. god, he was glad he finally told someone.. it felt as if a weight has been lifted off his shoulders..
// few days into the trip//
foolish and punz had been hanging out non stop. his feelings getting more and more heavy, the closer they've been getting.. the more he wants the male to stay here with him, for a bit more than he has to. they've streamed a few times, as punz made an effort to look completely head over heals for foolish.. its been working.
punz yawned as he woke up a bit later he usually did. he headed into the kitchen to be met with with foolish. he smiled a little and crossed his arms.
"oh! you're finally awake, good morning sunshine! i made breakfast, uhh here" foolish said as he set punz's plate on the counter infront of him. he blushed lightly at the name 'sunshine' and hummed slightly
"you didn't have to cook, you know that right?" punz said as he started to eat a little "yeah i know, i just wanted to be nice" foolish replied starting to dig into his food as well.
punz was genuinely glad to have foolish. he liked being around him and being able to spend time with him. it was nice. foolish cleared his throat "any plans today?" he asked
"eh, probably just going to hang out here, since we did a shit ton of stuff yesterday and the day before that" punz replied, shrugging slightly. foolish nodded "alright, cool" he said with a smile
//later//
foolish hummed as he leaned again the door frame, holding the bowl of popcorn he was getting. he chuckled as he watched punz, smile slightly, texting away. he didn't know why he felt off. just seeing him smile while texting someone else.. just odd. he couldn't feel that way, that was selfish. he should be happy.. he was happy that punz was happy.. it was just odd.
he sighed softly and smiled sitting down next to punz "alright i got the popcorn we wanted" he smiled a little. punz smiled setting his phone down "cool! thanks" he said softly, and sat up a bit.
"why you so smiley punzo? got yourself a little crush?" foolish teased "eh, yeah, but that doesn't matter" he chuckled he
"ooo, you have to say a little bit about him at least, you can't just give me that, and leave it at that" foolish complained as punz chuckled and rolled his eyes "fine fine, he's really pretty.. and.. u-uh.." punz explained trying not to give it away too easily, as his face heated up some.
"and- and.. he.. makes me smile.. and feel happy, so much.. its actually amazing.. i really don't know how to describe it.. like i get this weird feeling whenever he's around.. but it's a good weird feeling.." he explained, a bit quiet, feeling his face get redder the more he thought.
foolish nodded and smiled listening to him. "continue.. i like the way you explain it" he said, leaning forwards a bit.
the blonde nodded and sighed softly "well.. his eyes are beautiful.. he makes all my bad days better.. by a lot.. and whenever he smiles, it's so contiguous, and his laugh is adorable, some people think it's annoying but i don't.. it's just really cheesy.." punz finished, as he smiled a little
"he sounds amazing.." foolish spoke softly, feeling as if he were to speak any differently, then it'd ruin the atmosphere. punz nodded, as he scooted closer to the male "yea, he is.. we sound like middle schoolers right now.." he chuckled a little. the brunette laughed softly.
"and? it's fun" foolish said ruffling the blondes hair. the silence was interrupted my punz's phone buzzing with two texts.
karlos: did you tell him yet???
karlos: istg if you didn't, i'm calling foolish and telling him myself, bc you said you would today.
punz froze for a moment, flipping his phone over, so the back was facing up. foolish furrowed his eyes brows in confusion "huh?" he asked quietly
punz's face instantly went red "i- d-don't worry about it" he chuckled, feeling his throat close up a little and his mouth start to dry out.
"tell me what? punz?" foolish asked leaning closer to the male a little, tilting his head. punz froze a little. he opened his mouth the day something but nothing came out. he exhaled softly and mumbled something that foolish couldn't quite comprehend.
foolish sighed "who was the person you were talking about?" he asked, hoping it'd be easier to talk to him that way "m-my crush?" punz asked quietly
the brunette nodded. punz sighed softly "y-you.." he mumbled as foolish went red a little. he smiled softly, and chuckled a little "you could've just told me, idiot" he smiled a little
punz exhaled "s-sorry.. Karl said it was obvious.." he mumbled with a small embarrassed smile. foolish laughed some "i mean.. he's not entirely wrong. but still" punz rolled his eyes, as he was brought into foolish's embrace.
he liked the males hugs a lot, they were comforting and warm. punz pulled away slightly, looking up to the male. his arms were wrapped his neck as he smiled "could-" before punz could finish, foolish nodded. "yeah.."
punz exhaled softly, leaning in some as foolish could feel the hot breath on lips a little "i'm actually a bit nervous.." he said quietly as he chuckled some. foolish smiled and nodded a little "yeah.." he replied quietly. punz exhaled once again, and pulled the male close, kissing him softly.
it was slow but sweet. after a second or two, the blonde pulled away a little, resting their foreheads together.
the brunette smiled some, rubbing his sides in a comforting motion. "your so stupid" he chuckled softly. punz rolled his eyes playfully and smiled "yeah yeah, and so what" he chuckled
"and i love that" he smiled as punz blushed, and he hit his shoulder lightly "oh shush" he chuckled, as foolish cupped his face, pulling him in for another soft kiss.
god he loved this boy..