Chapter Text
“Who ya textin’?” Cash asked playfully, placing his head on Darren’s left shoulder. The two were curled up together on the couch, watching some shitty TV show Cash found. Cash was more touchy that morning; constantly touching Darren’s left side with every word said. It was warranted, considering yesterday’s shitshow with the school burning down and the two making up after everything that happened. Sort of: both Darren and Cash still had a lot of words and thoughts about their relationship. But at the moment, they were content with just appreciating each other’s company and indulging in a slow morning.
“Quinni. She finally got her real phone back- well, after breaking into Bird Psycho’s house.” Darren responded, unconsciously chewing on their lip as they continued texting.
“She what??!” Cash looked at Darren, then laughed a little. “I see why you two are best mates,” he joked. “Is she okay though?”
“Yeah, I might call her later though so she can properly debrief me on Bird Psycho. She figured everything out in the end, that brilliant jellyfish,” Darren smiled and looked at their boyfriend who smiled back. “Honestly, she’s the love of my life… I feel so bad about how I treated her the past week. She’s like one of the only constants in my life and I almost threw it all away, y’know?” Darren’s eyebrows furrowed with disappointment in themselves.
Cash nodded and let some silence follow Darren’s words: the characters on TV blabbering. “Am I constant in your life?” He finally asked, looking up at Darren from where he was resting his head on their shoulder.
“Hm,” Darren said with a smile. “I want you to be.”
“Me too… I guess from now on we should try to talk it out every time there’s a misunderstanding or like share how we feel about things so it doesn’t lead to shit later,” Cash said a bit quieter than before.
Darren put their phone down on the coffee table and looked at Cash, a little surprised at his emotional intelligence.
“Or whatever. I don’t really care as long as we’re together…” Cash said, suddenly a little embarrassed.
“No, no, I agree…” Darren quickly said. “From now on… yeah- I think that’s good.” They turned off the TV and let the silence fully engulf the two. Darren put their right hand on Cash’s knee for a moment and took a deep breath.
“Well I guess then I should say… thank you for not letting me go into the fire… that was fucked of me and I don’t know what could’ve happened if you weren’t there.”
Cash sat up and didn’t say anything, but still made sure their sides still touched. He looked down at Darren’s thighs where their short skirt revealed their hotdog tattoo. Cash carefully traced it with his right hand, eyes still down.
“That reminds me. I um, was giving myself a tattoo. Before Nan pulled my head out of my ass and made me go to the dance.”
Darren laughed, “I love that woman. But what’s the tattoo?”
Cash pulled up his shorts to reveal the unfinished broken heart also on his thigh.
Darren laughed harder, “Cash, that’s so emo of you, oh my god.” Their gaze softened though and they smiled bittersweetly, “Did you do it because of me though?”
“I mean… yeah, kinda, I don’t know.” Cash pulled his shorts back down and looked at Darren a little embarrassed. “It feels kinda dumb to finish it now… considering everything.”
“You should leave it,” Darren said. “Isn’t it like poetic or some shit? Like… it’s not all broken, is it?” Their eyes started into Cash’s for a moment before looking at his lips.
“Or some shit,” Cash responded before pulling Darren into a soft kiss.
The two kissed with a newfound rawness: soft, but needy at the same time. Darren pulled Cash even closer by the bicep and Cash’s hands went from Darren’s shoulder to their cheeks. Darren gently pulled Cash down on top of them as they kept kissing. But soon the kisses dissolved into soft laughter as the two laid side by side on the couch. It was honestly too small width-wise, so half of Darren ended up laying on Cash to not fall off the couch. as they breathed together, recovering from the kissing.