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An evening at Disney World was just what the group had needed after a couple days of streaming nonstop. Though being at the park was a bit of an adventure on its own, it was more… private. Away from thousands and thousands of eyes watching them.
They had been on a few rides so far and though it was later in the day, the park was still flooded with people. The lines were long and the walkways were crowded, which caused the group to get tired very quickly.
As the group trailed ahead, Bad put a hand on Skeppy's shoulder and shot him an unreadable look. Though Bad didn't utter a word, Skeppy stopped in his tracks.
Sylvee and Hannah seemed too occupied with their conversation to notice the two stop but George seemed to, shooting a confused look at the men who were now trailing behind.
"We'll catch up in a second." Bad assured before turning to Skeppy and quietly adding "C'mere." Bad took him by the shoulder, guiding him to the side so they were no longer in the way of the strangers passing by; opting instead to have this conversation at the side of some abandoned food stand.
Skeppy felt his heart leap up into his throat when Bad turned his attention back to him, his gaze soft under his thin rimmed glasses.
"What's up?" Skeppy broke the silence, hoping he seemed more composed on the outside.
"The necklace." Bad held the silver bars between his fingertips. He had been messing with it all day; fidgeting with the chain as the group made their way around the park. He had made a remark about not being a jewelry person and though Skeppy believed him, he wondered if there was more to it whenever he caught Bad staring down at it contemplatively. It seemed he was right, considering Bad had stopped in the middle of the walk way to talk about it now.
"What about it?" Skeppy could feel the warmth in his cheeks quickly spreading to his ears. He wished he could blame it on the silly hat he was wearing—though it was winter time it wasn't that cold in Florida—but he knew that wasn't the cause for his sudden heat.
"It's.. really nice and I know you're not supposed to look up gifts after people give them to you but—"
"Bad!" Skeppy yelped. "You looked up the necklace I bought you? Oh my god!"
"I'm sorry!" Bad said immediately, putting his hands up in defense. "I know it's rude but I was so curious!" He leaned in closer, grabbing Skeppy by the shoulder as he whispered, "I can't believe it was like.. $500? Skeppy, you're insane! You've spent so much money on me already and then you go and get me a necklace—"
"The money doesn't matter." Skeppy butted in softly.
"Okay, sure but still—" Bad seemed to remember something else, eyes having flickered down to Skeppy's neck as he spoke. "You got me a necklace to match yours." He spoke in an unreadable tone, which caught Skeppy's attention.
"Yeah." Skeppy's mouth went dry. "I got the uh, white gold one for myself and I got you the black and silver one." He didn't know why he said this; Bad obviously knew all that already and yet, Skeppy couldn't stop himself from rambling. "I figured you liked silver jewelry and not gold? I mean, you said you don't like jewelry so you don't even have to wear the necklace but.. ya know.. Silver is like, less flashy or whatever and it seemed more your taste than gold."
"That's true." Bad agreed quietly. "I don't love flashy things."
Skeppy nodded, eyes fixed on Bad's necklace. "I know," before adding, "you don't have to wear it if you don't want to."
"What?"
"I just mean— I could always return it? You've never warn jewelry before and I know I told you that you had to wear it but I wasn't serious. You can give it back if you don't want it."
"Skeppy," Bad looked at him as if he was offended, clutching the necklace to his chest as if Skeppy had threatened to pull it off. "I want it. You gave me it so it's special." Bad slowly brought his free hand up to rest on the other man's shoulder in a reassuring manner. "I'd like anything you gave me."
Skeppy's eyes widened at that. A quiet part of his brain wanted to truly test that limit. It was screaming at him to push a little, to throw Bad off base. "Anything?"
"I mean.. Yeah?" Bad narrowed his eyes, recognizing the other man's goading tone instantly. "Maybe if you gave me like, a random stick you found and just claimed it was a gift I wouldn't love it but I'd like the sentiment of a gift, ya know? I feel like even with—"
"What if I gave you a kiss?"
Bad stopped his long winded explanation, mouth going agape at Skeppy's suggestion. "I— I mean.. You— What?" he sputtered hopelessly, eyes wide and confused.
"A kiss."
"Like the chocolate?"
Skeppy shrugged, simply repeating, " A kiss ."
Bad let out a disbelieving laugh in response. "That doesn't—"
"Can I give you a kiss?" Skeppy took a step closer, bringing up his hand and letting it ghost over Bad's jaw.
He couldn't help but tense up out of instinct, swallowing thickly and trying his best to calm himself down. Bad glanced around nervously, trying his best to see if anyone was looking their way. Then—in a whisper—he said, "Yes."
Skeppy didn't expect to get this far; he froze in place, heart beating out of his chest. He wanted to ask if Bad was sure, if he had heard him right but, in fear of breaking whatever spell they were under, he simply cupped Bad's cheek and leaned in slowly.
As his eyes fluttered shut, he tried to commit this moment to memory. The background noise faded to a gentle buzz and all Skeppy could focus on was Bad. The feeling of his stubble against the pads of his fingers, the warmth of his skin. He could hear Bad's breath hitch and for a second, he questioned if he should've been doing this at all.
The regret quickly morphed into confusion as something cold pressed against his lips. Skeppy's eyes fluttered open and crossed, peering down quizzically at the Hershey's kiss that he had just given a peck.
"I got you, again." Bad joked, a lopsided grin plastered on his lips when he pulled away.
Skeppy didn't get a moment to process what had just happened because as quickly as it happened, Bad was pulling him along to catch up with the rest of the group.
As their day at Disney continued, Skeppy found himself stuck in his thoughts. He had asked Bad for a kiss. And the other man had said yes.
He couldn't help but wonder if Bad actually wanted a kiss in the moment. He didn't know what he would do if he got the chance again. Skeppy had already frozen in the moment, his stalling potentially leading to Bad teasingly turning him down. Maybe Bad hadn't expected him to give him a real kiss. Maybe he agreed thinking it was some stupid joke, only to be disgusted when he realized Skeppy was serious.
That was very likely, especially with the way Bad had been keeping some distance between himself and Skeppy. Bad was staying up front with Hannah, deep in conversation just like Sylvee and George were, as well.
Skeppy was left trailing behind the others, wondering how on Earth he was going to get the courage to talk to Bad later.
He wondered if Bad would want to sit next to him in the car.
His question would quickly be answered as George began to complain about how tired he was and how his feet hurt so badly, which caused Hannah to suggest that it was time for them to go.
The others agreed quickly; it was hot and the park wasn't becoming any less crowded. So, they headed to the car.
Before Skeppy could really think it through, he followed Hannah to the driver’s side door and said, “I can drive back to the hotel, if you want.”
Of course, he didn't think about the fact that Bad would just respond to that with a simple, “Oh, okay. I call the passenger seat.”
“Right. Yeah.”
He expected someone to argue against that but no one did. Everyone was used to Bad and Skeppy being a package deal. Both a blessing and a curse.
Hannah, Sylvee, and George piled into the back, with Bad following suit in the passenger side.
Skeppy took a moment, screwing his eyes shut and taking a deep breath. He'd get through this. It was only like, an hour long car ride because of the traffic.
He'd be fine.
And he was, for the most part. The traffic sucked; they got stuck in long stretches of cars, merely inching forward for what felt like hours. It wasn't too bad, though. Quiet music was enough to keep him sane, for now.
When it came to moments where they were stuck in traffic, Skeppy was reminded that, for the time being, he did not need to grip the steering wheel with knuckle whitening force and could instead ease up a bit.
He'd rest his right hand atop the middle console, flexing his fingers to keep them from feeling funny.
That must've seemed like some sort of signal to Bad because at a particularly long traffic stop, Bad wouldn't stop glancing over at his hand as it rested on the console.
Skeppy noticed this, obviously. Bad was not subtle. Right as he was about to ask if something was wrong, Bad turned to look out the window, his left hand creeping atop the console beside Skeppy’s.
He tried not to stare, only glancing here and there out of the corner of his eye, as Bad’s hand slowly bumped against his own. He tensed up slightly, eyes fixing on the endless sea of cars in front of them. Skeppy didn't dare move.
Bad bumped Skeppy’s hand with his own again, still staring out the window.
Skeppy couldn't help the goofy smile that grew on his face. It was as if all his previous worries melted away. He and Bad were fine.
Glancing over at Bad, he even noticed the ghost of a smile on his lips as well.
Skeppy bumped Bad’s hand back with his own, interlocking their pointer fingers without sparing him a glance.
The two of them spent the rest of the car ride back with hands on the middle console, fingers intertwined in silence.
Skeppy didn't know if anyone in the back noticed and frankly, he didn't care. The three of them probably suspected something between him and Bad anyway, just like everyone else did.
After making their way into the garage, Hannah, Sylvee and George made their way into the house. For a moment, Bad and Skeppy just kind of sat there, fingers still locked.
Until Sylvee called for them. Skeppy glanced up from the steering wheel, seeing her and Hannah peering through the doorway, matching looks of confusion on their faces.
“Coming!” Skeppy called, though he made no effort to move.
“We should head in.” Bad said softly, opening up the passenger side door and pulling away from Skeppy’s grasp.
“Yeah.” Skeppy agreed, though Bad was already making his way through the doorway. He had a weird pit in his stomach, wondering just how he was going to survive the rest of this meetup.
He turned off the car and climbed out of the driver’s seat, following slowly behind the other man. The house was unsurprisingly lively, even when it was as late as it was. Most of the house’s current inhabitants were in the living room, smooshed upon the couch watching a movie. Puffy and Sam were in the kitchen, Puffy sitting atop the counter as her and Sam talked incoherently.
As he and Bad passed, the groups exchanged quick greetings, talking about their time at Disney before Skeppy made his way up the stairs behind Bad.
As they entered their room, Bad grabbed his bag and headed straight for the bathroom, shutting the door behind him without a word.
Skeppy sat atop the bed, head swimming with a million questions that he felt were never going to be answered.
After waiting for what felt like hours—it had probably been fifteen minutes—Bad reappeared from the bathroom, donning comfy clothes and a ponytail.
“I think I'm gonna head downstairs,” Bad said between yawns. “You can head to sleep if you want. I think I might sleep on the couch or something.” He tried to say it casually but it fell flat, making Skeppy feel as if he had just been punched in the gut.
“You don't wanna share tonight?” The words tumbled out of his mouth without thinking. Skeppy tensed up and shrank in on himself, wishing the ground would swallow him up.
“What?” Bad stopped in front of the door, hand hovering over the knob. “What do you mean?”
Skeppy felt his throat go dry. “I just..” He trailed off, fiddling with his neck with free hand. “We've been sharing the bed for the last couple of nights. Why is it a problem now?”
“It isn't.” Bad rebuttals instantly, eyes still trained on the door. “I just figured you'd want to have the bed to yourself or something.
Even though he couldn't see him, Skeppy knew Bad’s reasoning was bullshit. “That's stupid.” He stood up from the bed, unsure of what he was even doing. “Why would I want the bed to myself now? I don’t mind sharing it with you.”
“I..” Bad huffed, finally turning to face him. “Can you please just let me go sleep on the couch?”
“Is this because I—”
“Skeppy.” It sounded like a warning.
“Bad,” Skeppy mimicked his tone.
“Please just let me go.”
“I would've kissed you if you let me.” Skeppy admitted, slow and quiet. “Would you have let me?”
Bad seemed frozen in place, eyes fixed on the floor. His mouth was in a thin line, jaw clenched.
“Bad..?”
For a moment, Skeppy just stared, waiting for the other man to do something. The foreboding silence was worse than whatever anger and disgust Skeppy had expected in response. He wanted to take it all back, wanted to laugh in Bad’s face and talk about how he couldn't believe he fell for it!
Instead, he felt like he was going to pass out.
He stepped back until the back of his knees hit the edge of the bed. Skeppy practically crumbled, sitting atop the comforter with shaking legs. He put his head in his hands and tried to take a deep breath, counting by sevens in his head.
Skeppy had only gotten to 28 before he felt someone come up in front of him, legs brushing against his own. He looked up, confusion melting into embarrassment as he realized Bad was standing in front of him, looking down with furrowed brows.
“Um, hi.” Bad said quietly.
“Hey.”
Bad was hesitant as he brought his hand up, cupping Skeppy’s cheek, compelling the other man to look up at him.
“I know you don't like physical affection,” Skeppy began to ramble. “I shouldn't have asked to kiss you because even if you.. feel the same way I do, you probably wouldn't want to kiss me anyway, ya know? Like, you don't even like hugs or having someone touch your shoulder so I shouldn't have—”
“I'd kiss you, Skeppy.”
His brain instantly turned to mush, feeling as if he was just doused with cold water. “You..? Wha..”
“There's no way you haven't noticed that you're an exception to many of my weird habits—”
“They're not that weird.”
“Okay, sure. As I was saying, you're an exception to a lot of things I'm personally hung up on and I think it's the same when it comes to kissing because I do like you. A lot.”
“You like me?” Skeppy stared up at the other man with such adoration that Bad felt like he was being blinded.
“I love you.” Bad said, leaning down and giving Skeppy a chaste kiss. “I love you a lot.”
“I love you too, Bad.” He giggled into the kiss, holding Bad close by the sleeves of his sweater. Before either of them could say another thing, Skeppy kissed him once more, and then again.
“Oh my gosh, someone’s needy already.”
“Needy? I'll show you needy.” Skeppy said, ignoring Bad’s confused hum as he wrapped his arms around Bad’s waist and pulled him atop the bed, refusing to let him go.
“Oh my— Skeppy, let me go!” Bad yelled, though there was no real urgency in his voice.
“Why? So you can go sleep on the couch?”
“Mmr.. Maybe.”
“Fine,” Skeppy let Bad go and flopped back onto the bed. “Go ahead and go.”
“What? No. I'm staying here.” Bad huffed, laying beside Skeppy with a fake grimace. “You're stuck with me for tonight.”
“I don't mind being stuck with you.”
“..I don't mind being stuck with you, either.”