Archive of Our Own

As it turned out, despite Medkit saying that he cherished his sleep schedule as a reason to not meet up with Boombox at that hotel again to listen to him play, it still ended up happening anyway, just earlier in the day and not in the middle of the night when he’d rather be asleep and in bed. Sometimes they’d just meet up there, other times they’d go to a nearby cafe for Medkit to get some coffee and Boombox to get a snack first. Every time though, Medkit insisted on driving Boombox home. Yes he learned that Boombox took a bus over there, yes he learned that this area of Playground was relatively safe, but the drive back had become a part of their little routine and a piece of Medkit didn’t want to part with it. Boombox didn’t seem to mind it all that much either.

Outside of that, they didn’t see each other outside of the bi-weekly phights. They still talked over text (albeit, Boombox did most of the texting), sometimes over the phone, even sometimes before and after phights as well. Medkit had learned to simply shrug off the other’s loud activity, simply tuning it out instead of making a big deal out of it like he used to. They were almost… friendly?

Medkit wasn’t sure if that was the right word to use, honestly, he had no clear way to describe the type of relationship they had. But whatever it was, the healer didn’t mind it. It at least was able to clear his mind of that constant worrying and wondering, since that whole disaster that began all of this got neatly cleaned up with communication. Though, he had a new problem now.

In those little gaps that used to be occupied with wondering what Boombox was keeping hidden away, he now simply just thought of Boombox. He was at least able to push the thoughts down to be able to sleep or do whatever he needed to do, but it felt involuntary at this point. For example, just the other day when getting coffee with Sword, he’d spotted a pastry in the window that he normally wouldn’t have given a second glance, but the first thing that ran across his mind was that it sounded like something Boombox would enjoy.

It was driving him crazy, especially because the last time something like this had happened was a long time ago and the inphernal it had happened with was… well… 

Medkit just didn’t like to think much about Subspace anymore, but it didn’t mean that the echoes of the past ever stopped looming over him, even if it seemed like if it ever happened again with Boombox, it wouldn’t be the same. He knew it wouldn’t be the same. He just couldn’t figure the DJ out. Boombox insisted on being a loud annoyance around him in phights and whenever other phighters were nearby, playing the role of the clueless Playgrounder that didn’t have a care in the world. And yet, in that empty lobby or in Medkit’s car, he wasn’t as loud. He still talked, but his voice quieted to a pleasant volume that Medkit had taken a liking to, being able to catch the details that were normally drowned out in his typical loudness.

There was also a strange level of attentiveness to him as well. Medkit remembered how one night after he’d been sneezing non-stop, the next time they met up there, the lobby was cleared of it because Boombox got there much earlier to tidy the place up. He said he’d been thinking of doing it for a while, but kept forgetting. Then there were the direct instances of Boombox asking Medkit what songs he liked to hear, and if Boombox didn’t know them, then he’d spend that time learning with Medkit listening. 

What they had felt like something had a deeper level of closeness than a normal friendship, and Medkit just didn’t know what to call it. They’d exchanged their secrets in that empty lobby, nobody else to hear it but each other. Boombox talked about growing up in Playground with an absent dad and a negligent mother (Despite the fact he painted it to seem not as bad as it sounded), Medkit talked about growing up with the typical Blackrock strictness. They whispered the things nobody else knew about them to each other, and they each held it close to their chests. Before, Medkit wouldn’t have trusted Boombox with anything, but with the knowledge he had now, he knew Boombox wouldn’t tell a soul. Besides, it didn’t seem fair for Boombox to give up all this information for Medkit to not give anything in return.

Medkit sighed, shaking his head slightly to clear his head and finish pouring his glass of wine. Sword was over, and the healer had excused himself for a moment to get his drink while the other likely splayed out on his couch. Of course he’d ended up thinking too hard again, but what mattered was him brushing it away for later and focusing on the friend in his living room right now who… was splayed out on the couch, but his fidgeting hands gave away the fact that there was something he wanted to say.

With a heavier sigh, Medkit sat down in the armchair, leveling his gaze on Sword, “Whatever you’re going to say, you know you just have to say it because if you don’t-”

“I’ll be thinking about it forever,” Sword finished the statement with a small groan, sitting up straight and leaning back against the couch. Medkit gestured for him to simply say it with his free hand, and the other phighter hesitated for a moment, and then the words just spilled out.

“Are you and Boombox dating?”

Out of everything Medkit was assuming Sword was going to say, that was not it. He thanked Illumina that his wine glass didn’t slip from his grasp from the initial shock of the question, but then wished his presumably flushed cheeks (based on how warm they felt) were also able to be hidden. Sword started to backpedal his question, but the traitorous smile that was full of mischief told Medkit everything he needed to know.

“We’re not. We’re-” Medkit stopped, realizing he didn’t even have an answer that didn’t sound suspicious, so he switched to asking a question and changing the topic, “What even prompted that?!”

“Okay- okay- sorry!” Sword held his hands up in a surrendering gesture, that amused smile still clear on his face- “Sorry- A lot of people have been talking about it. I don’t know how you missed hearing about it this long but it’s like,” He paused a moment, thinking through his words, “You know how it was before Rocket and I started dating? With how everyone was telling each of us how obvious it was after the fact?”

Medkit decided that he wasn’t a fan of how this thought process was going if Sword and Rocket’s relationship was involved, but it was still better than nothing and being left in the dark about what everyone else was saying. He held the wine glass towards his lips, in case he needed to just down it based on what Sword told him. “...Go on.”

“It’s kind of, like that, in the sense that everyone else knows what's going on but you guys.” Sword grabbed one of the pillows beside him to mess with the tassel on it, and Medkit would’ve told him off for it if he wasn’t so stunned at the comparison, “And I think everyone’s assumed that you’d both be aware of it to some capacity so- there came the debate of if you two were actually dating or not.”

There were a few moments of shocked silence before Medkit decided that downing that wine would be a good idea, much to Sword’s surprise and his scrambling to salvage the situation, but what was there that he could’ve done? There was no way to gauge just how many phighters thought they were dating, and how many of them would’ve told the phighters they were close to about the gossip. This was a horrible situation for Medkit to be in and SFOTH in its entirety truly hated him. He wasn’t dating Boombox, he didn’t even think they were close enough to be confused for dating.

Medkit got up from his chair, saying something about getting another drink as Sword apologized again through poorly held back laughter, saying he’d do his best to try and get people to stop talking about it. The healer was going to hold him to that, because he wasn’t dating Boombox and would rather not have it be treated like common gossip. They were closer than typical friends would be, sure, but that didn’t mean they were dating . They weren’t in a relationship. If anything, they would be in some gray area that held no label whatsoever.

The wine bottle was grabbed from where it sat as Medkit poured himself another glass, knowing this one would likely end up downed if Sword asked more about him and Boombox, or even tried to see if Medkit was harboring feelings for Boombox. He didn’t want to answer that because he didn’t even know if he did. They were exclusively gray area material, that’s all there was to it. Medkit looked down at the red wine sitting in his glass, staring at his reflection, considering the possibility that he did hold feelings for Boombox, and that they’d end up like Rocket and Sword did.

He picked up the glass and took a swig of the wine within it, because he honestly needed another drink before he kept thinking about that possibility more and gave himself something else to lose sleep over.

Boombox was currently situated on the floor, laid out on the carpet in Skateboard’s apartment as he listened to the two bicker about what movie they should watch to start off their sleepover. He would’ve chimed in with his own picks, but he knew the two would band together and tell him no , they weren’t watching any of the High School Musical movies OR Pitch Perfect for the millionth time. Was it his fault that they just didn’t understand good taste in movies?

Maybe he was just being dramatic, and he was honestly filtering the conversation in one ear and out the other. The same old arguments for their own picks of movies, all to be expected until one word flew through his ears and Boombox couldn’t not pay attention to it. He had no clue what the context was before because he was too busy counting the number of popcorn shaped bumps on Skateboard’s ceiling, but the moment he heard him say something about a boyfriend , he was zoned in, sitting up rapidly to look at the two sitting on the couch. “What’s that about a boyfriend?”

Skateboard and Slingshot paused their light-hearted argument as Boombox leaned forward against the coffee table, both of them looking at the DJ before Skateboard jabbed his thumb to point in Slingshot’s direction, “This loser thinks it’d be a better idea to binge watch House MD instead of starting with a movie, but I told him that it would remind a certain someone of his boyfriend .”

It was a very clearly directed jab, and the fact that Skateboard looked over at Boombox with a pointed look meant that it was for him. But that left him confused because he didn’t have a boyfriend he’d think of when watching a show about a doctor that wasn’t the most friendly or social person out there.

Were they referring to Medkit? No, they couldn’t be. They always referred to the healer as Boombox’s husband in private, never as a boyfriend. Besides, he didn’t think he and Medkit could be considered dating. They just hung out, he played the piano and Medkit listened, maybe sometimes they did something beforehand but that was it. No relationship about it, or at least none that was talked about. The glowing eyes on his visor plink plink’d before he answered simply, “But I don’t have a boyfriend?”

Then Boombox watched as Skate and Slingshot exchanged glances, holding a whole silent conversation right in front of him, and he couldn’t have been more confused until Slingshot finally said something, a strained smile pairing with the question:

“...You and Medkit aren’t dating?”

The DJ stared at the two on the couch for a moment, the room having fallen so quiet you could hear a pin drop, before it was abruptly interrupted by Boombox (whose face was feeling INCREDIBLY warm and was certain it was flushed bright green) shouting a loud “WHAT?!”

Skateboard quickly tried to shush Boombox, waving his hands forward in a frantic gesture, “Dude- dude! I can’t get evicted again! You can’t yell like that!” Slingshot was no help at all to Skate’s desperate pleading, because he was simply sitting there dumbfounded with a hand over his mouth, like he couldn’t believe that Boombox and Medkit weren’t dating.

“I- you- why would you think we were dating?!” Boombox sputtered, covering his face with his hands to try and hide his incredibly flushed face from them as he tried to find the words amidst the chaos of the moment, “We’re not- I don’t think we- it’s just- we just hang out! We’re not dating! ”

“But you normally don’t hang out?!” Slingshot exclaimed, “Normally he’s like- pissed off and annoyed when you’re around! And then he stopped seeming so annoyed and we saw you two at a cafe once-”

“You WHAT-?!”

“Boom think about what my landlord’s gonna think about the yelling!” Skateboard pleaded again, starting to dramatically melt back into the couch and eventually crumpled onto the carpet on his knees.

“Sorry-” He apologized quickly before turning his attention back over to Slingshot, hands still over his face. He parted his fingers for the light of his visor to peek through, and for him to actually see and make sure he was looking at Slingshot, “What do you mean you saw us?!”

“I don’t know- we just did!” Slingshot threw his hands up in the air, dropping them back down to his sides after, “I think you should be more concerned about the fact that there’s more phighters that assume you guys are dating- it’s not just us!”

That made a chill run through Boombox, and he was grateful he was shielding his face right now because it hid the look of horror on it. If other phighters also believed he and Medkit were dating, then the chances of someone telling Medkit about it were high, and thus the chances of their hangouts ending because the healer didn’t want to give anything to feed the rumors and let them grow, and then that would expand into them only seeing each other at phights briefly and a rift would grow between them-

No. He was not following this train of thought down into its spiral. He was at a sleepover with Skate and Slingshot, he was not going to be doing this here. They were going to clean up this temporary mess and watch movies until they were too tired to watch more. This was a later Boombox problem, this was an alone Boombox problem. Right now he needed to pull himself together and fix what he could which started with Skateboard and Slingshot. He took a deep breath, removing his hands from his face and ignoring the stifled laugh that was disguised by a cough that came from Slingshot.

“Sling.”

“Boom.”

“How green do I look right now?”

“Like a lime-” Skateboard chimed in from the floor with a snicker, the top half of his head peeking over the coffee table, “Sorry for not checking with you before running with it dude- we just thought you’d finally made a move on Medkit.”

Slingshot nodded in agreement, leaning back into the couch as Skateboard pulled himself up from the floor to return to his original spot, “We could try and do damage control? Maybe? Gauge how many people actually know? Or something?”

Boombox shook his head, “It’s fine, whatever happens, happens,” He said with a shrug, trying to act nonchalant about the dread that pooled in his stomach about all the possible outcomes of that. Besides, if those two tried to do damage control, the DJ knew it would end up more of a disaster than it was before. He loved his friends, but great SFOTH, sometimes they acted first and thought later. Not that he was any better in that regard- but it gave him the ability to judge them on that. Instead, he simply pointed a finger at the two to ignore the anxious swirling running all through his body, “But! You two owe me for constipation or whatever it's called for the heart attack and emotional damage you gave me with pulling that question out of nowhere.”

“...Did you mean compensation?” Slingshot asked, pulling out his phone to quickly google the term to make sure he was right about that, giving a more definitive nod after. “Yeah, compensation. As long as it’s not anything too bad-”

Oh, he could so do something to get them back with this.

Boombox smiled smugly, resting his elbows against the coffee table as he leaned against it. “I get to pick the movie we watch tonight.”

The reactions from Skateboard and Slingshot made it so worth it because Boombox watched as they each spedran their own stages of grief, knowing that his pick was going to be another High School Musical movie because they protested those the most. Slingshot seemed to hit acceptance a lot earlier than Skateboard, who was sitting with his elbows on his knees and his head down as he mourned the loss of a normal sleepover. 

“...So I take it I can’t convince you to pick House MD instead?”

Skateboard paused his dramatic mourning that looked like it came straight from reality TV to reach over and whap Slingshot in the back of the head for that one.

It had only been a few days since Medkit had last seen Boombox, and yet, he found himself back in the doorway of the hotel lobby again, unsure of how exactly he got there. As far as he knew, they hadn’t talked about meeting up again, and yet, Boombox was already there, from the sound of the piano being played. It took him a second to recognize the tune, but he remembered it as one the DJ had played before. The Merry-Go-Round of Life, he’d told Medkit, and it was one the healer had started to grow fond of.

He stood by the doorway for a moment, listening to the sound of the out-of-tune notes filling the air. He remembered that the last time Boombox played this song, he’d looked over at Medkit and joked about recording it just so they could dance to it after the healer had made a comment about how it sounded like it was meant to be waltzed to. At least, Medkit thought he had been joking about it, but he’d realized that he’d never been able to get a good read on just how Boombox felt about him.

First, he’d thought the DJ saw him as someone to pester and annoy, then someone that knew something about him that no one else did, and from there it was someone to share secrets with and play piano for and now… now Medkit wasn’t sure what he thought about him. There were an incredible amount of mixed signals the more he’d thought about it. It didn’t make sense. He didn’t get it, and it frustrated him beyond belief.

Medkit moved his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, furrowing his brow in confusion as his fingers met velvet. He reached up to see what was on his face, pulling it down to see… a masquerade mask? A masquerade mask that was once secured around his head with a dark ribbon, velvet in the typical teal, diamond pattern that was on the inside of his jacket with gold trim around the edges, but all he knew was that he did not remember putting it on, or ever buying it. 

He kept the mask in his hand as he pushed open the door, the familiar creak reaching his ears but realizing that the scene in front of him didn’t match up. Instead of the old, dusty and dirty lobby of a hotel that was abandoned long ago, it was… clean and polished, full of life. The piano was still in place, Boombox sitting on the bench and playing, and figures, other inphernals , all around. They all felt like a blur to him though as he made his way over to the piano, making his way over to Boombox to ask if he had any idea what was going on.

“Hey Med!” Boombox greeted, turning his head to look at Medkit with a bright smile, his visor shaped more like a masquerade mask (what the hell was going on?), “You already get tired of your mask?”

“I don’t-” Medkit started, only to get cut off soon after.

“It’s okay! It’s no sweat really- but! Now that you’re here…” Boombox paused for a moment before taking his fingers off the keys, and the music continued to play...? Surely Medkit was on some sort of trip from something, this couldn’t have been real, especially so when the DJ stood up and offered a hand out to him, “Care for a dance?”

Medkit probably spent a solid minute trying to process everything that had just happened in that short span before he realized that Boombox was still waiting for an answer, his grip tightening on the mask still in his hand before speaking again, “I’m not a good dancer.”

“That’s okay,” Boombox’s smile softened, “I’ll guide you through it.”

“But there’s other inphernals watching.”

“What inphernals?” Boombox asked, his head on a swivel as he looked around the lobby.

The healer blinked, and realized that the blurry silhouettes of the other inphernals in the lobby had vanished, leaving the two alone. There were really no more excuses, so Medkit set his mask on the piano lid to avoid having it get in the way before he took Boombox’s hand, blinking at how cold and odd it felt.

Huh. Weird.

He had no more time to process it before the other’s hand closed around his and began to lead him towards the center of the lobby, the DJ’s bright smile practically lighting up the room on its own. “You know the basic waltz, right Med?”

“Right, I do,” Medkit confirmed, pausing as their positions adjusted. His hand was still being held, but Boombox’s free hand moved to rest on his back, and the healer hesitantly moved his own free hand to rest on the DJ’s shoulder. It felt… odd to be this close to Boombox, to have his hand in his and resting against his back, both of them standing in wait for the music to reach a good starting point.

He almost feared they’d lost their chance as the music seemed to quiet before remembering there was a period of pause before the last big movement of the piece, the most dramatic moment, Boombox had coined it, and the moment it began to roll in, he smiled up at Medkit brightly with a nod, beginning to count the steps before their first step together was taken,

And then they danced.

It felt like Medkit’s feet were moving on their own, the lobby blurring around them as the two waltzed around the room. It was a miracle they didn’t hit any of the surrounding furniture because his attention was wholly on Boombox, and he had a feeling it went a similar way with the DJ’s attention on him. Boombox’s lips were moving with the counts, but his voice wasn’t registering in Medkit’s ears. No, his attention wasn’t focused on his voice, and it definitely wasn’t on making sure his feet were going where they were supposed to go.

He was looking down at Boombox’s face, the details he’d passed over before that still lingered in his mind. The pale freckles that existed solely on his nose, how expressive he was even with the top half of his face covered, the way his hair decided to do its own thing and poke a few strands through the cap on his head, and Medkit wondered just how he could figure the DJ out. Despite all the time they’d spent together, he still wasn’t able to fully piece the puzzle together. There was something more to Boombox than he was letting Medkit see, and it was what kept him from figuring him out completely.

It was driving him mad, honestly, and his eye met the green eyelights looking up at him while they kept dancing. Medkit wondered what sat underneath that visor, if there were scars he didn’t want anyone to see, if there was something he considered to be shameful hidden beneath it, or if it was nothing more than an accessory and his face looked as normal as it could. It was another layer of mystery that came from the DJ, one that he didn’t even have his foot in the door. Sure, sometimes Boombox took his visor off when playing, but he always asked Medkit to look the other way, and the healer always did. It was always back on whenever he was able to turn his head back around.

“You never answered when I asked if you cared about me when we first started our whole hangout things.”

The sudden question from Boombox knocked him right out of his thought induced haze, making Medkit blink down at him with a simple, “What?” He was surprised his feet didn’t falter and knock him from the smooth rhythm of the waltz because of how off guard the question caught him.

“I mean- ok I know-” Boombox paused for a moment, glancing to the side and seeming to collect his thoughts before he continued, still dancing with Medkit the whole time as the music began to slow, “I know I was teasing when I first asked, but I’m curious- do you care about me?”

… Did he care about Boombox? Yes, he did, but to what degree? To what level? How deep did that care run? There were so many additional questions he wanted to ask himself before giving Boombox an answer, because he himself didn’t even know all that much. The majority of phighters thought they were dating, so clearly there had to be care there, but was it the type of care you’d have for a dear friend, or a lover?

His thoughts must’ve been plastered on his face because the DJ answered before Medkit could, “It’s okay, you don’t have to answer right now,” Boombox smiled up at him again, the hand that was resting in the healer’s moving to interlace their fingers together as the song and dance came to its close. “But no matter what, I’ll always be waiting for you Med.”

Medkit had no time to ask what he meant by that, what all of this meant until his eye shot open as he woke up, staring up at the ceiling for a moment in nothing short of shock as he felt his face heat up. That was a dream. He was dreaming . He had dreamed about Boombox, dreamed about dancing with Boombox. He brought a hand up to his face, just to drag it down in disbelief. 

No wonder so many strange occurrences had happened, it was a dream. He mentally kicked himself for not realizing it sooner and coming to the conclusion of some wild drug trip before the conclusion of a dream. If he was a weaker inphernal, he might’ve screamed into his pillow, but instead he kept it cool. Totally cool. Totally not staring up at the ceiling while the vivid images that remained from the dream played in his head again.

The feeling of Boombox’s hand resting in his own haunted him. Medkit had never held hands with Boombox, which is why it felt so odd and unreal when their hands had touched. He didn’t have anything to base it off of, just vague ideas. His fingertips lightly pressed against his lips as he continued to think, replaying what he remembered from the dream over, and over, and over again, but every time, that last line stood out to him.

“I’ll always be waiting for you Med.”

But waiting for what? Boombox had never really mentioned waiting for him before, he didn’t even know what that meant . Sure there was the literal meaning of it, but Medkit wasn’t sure that applied. There was also the other meaning, the one that was used for relationships and meant ‘I’m not giving up on you’ and Medkit wasn’t quite sure if that fit either. He ignored the turn of his gut when he shot down that possibility and thought back to the dream again, face flushing all over again as he thought back to Boombox being so close for that dance.

Medkit thought back to his conversation with Sword that’d happened about a week ago, how he’d learned a good portion of phighters thought that he and Boombox were dating. That assumption couldn’t have come from a two way road, and with the knowledge that apparently, they were like Sword and Rocket before those two started dating, it wasn’t a one-sided action. Boombox was acting towards Medkit with that same level of confusing care, enough so that most of the phighters around them believed they were dating. 

Maybe he was wrong to brush off the possibility of that second meaning so quickly, and the way he felt his chest flutter at the thought made him realize just how much Medkit cared for the DJ. It wasn’t a simple close friendship, and it wasn’t that much of a complex grey area anymore for him. A part of him was afraid, terrified even, to go through this again, to care for someone and be cared for in such a way, but the other part of him wanted to try, to be brave and take that bold step out and see where it took him. 

No matter which part he listened to, that settled it. He needed to talk to Boombox tomorrow. Medkit set a reminder on his phone to text the DJ in the morning before trying to get some sleep, praying that he wouldn’t spend the rest of his night awake and replaying the dream in his head again.

Ever since finding out that a good handful of phighters thought they were dating, Boombox knew that the fateful ‘we need to talk’ text would come from Medkit, and then it would be the beginning of the end of their time together. His phone had buzzed with the notification while he was making breakfast and his heart sunk the moment he read it, already bracing himself for the worst as he asked if they could meet up today to talk. 

His appetite had left him, and Boombox said he’d meet Medkit over by the hotel that evening after his plans for the day were done. The DJ had no plans, to be honest, but he felt like he needed a good few hours to squash down the spiral that was starting to rise up, a few hours to just lay on the ground and stare at the ceiling, a few hours to maybe just cry about the possible and inevitable loss of the hope of having something more. He’d still pick up the pieces after this, carry on, keep on admiring Medkit from afar until that was finally quelled into nothing.

Those hours had gone by in a blur, and then Boombox was in the lobby, already playing the piano to try and force himself to just stop thinking when Medkit got there. It was quiet, but not the typical, comfortable quiet they were in when spending time together here. There was almost a tension to it, words unsaid that needed to be said, not even the sound of the piano could save the moment.

Boombox could only stand the quiet for so long, even if it was delaying the inevitable. All it was doing was pushing his thoughts to the forefront of his mind, and he wasn’t a fan of it. So, he took a breath before he broke the silence himself, asking the question he’d been dreading, “What’d you wanna talk about Med?” 

Medkit gave a heavy sigh, looking out the window at the sunset, “There’s phighters that think we’re dating, I’m not sure how they came to that conclusion, but it was enough for Sword to ask me about it.”

There it was, and everything would fall apart soon after, surely. They’d talk about it a bit, Medkit would say he didn’t want to add fuel to the rumors, and then they’d part ways and never meet up here again, only seeing each other at phights with that distance they had before it all started. He swallowed back the lump in his throat, trying to play it off, “Yeah, Skateboard and Slingshot told me about it a little while ago, caught me seriously off-guard-” Boombox gave a laugh that he thought sounded like a pathetic attempt to mask the nervousness and fear that was rushing through his veins.

He waited for Medkit to say something about how they should stop this, how they needed to go their separate ways, how this was it for them, but there was nothing. Boombox looked up from the piano keys to look at the healer, who was still looking out the window, seemingly lost in thought. The sunset was always beautiful, but nothing could match up to this view he would see sometimes, the sun rays beaming through the room, caught by the dust and shining down on Medkit. It was a picture he committed to memory because he couldn’t take an actual picture of it, and it was something he knew he’d lose on day.

Boombox could feel the tears starting to well up in his eyes, and he paused his playing to take his visor off, setting it down on the lid of the piano. He trusted Medkit wouldn’t turn and look at him while it was off, he never did before, so why would he now? It felt silly to fear something as small as someone seeing under the visor, but nobody had seen under it, not even Skateboard and Slingshot. He didn’t have anything to hide under it, no scars, no wounds, all things considered he looked normal , but it was easier to play the role of the dumb playgrounder that had no worries or fears with it on. The top half of his face was completely covered, shielding it from being seen or scrutinized. He was already expressive enough with it on, how much more would be given away if he didn’t have it on?

There was a shake to his hands as he continued to play the piano, trying to force the tears to not fall. It would be nothing short of embarrassing to put his visor back on and have Medkit turn back around to look at him and see the tear tracks on his cheeks because he was crying over something as small as this. Something as small as fearing what Medkit was going to say next, which seemed like it wasn’t going to be anything soon because he still looked like he was thinking. 

The silence felt suffocating, and for a moment, it felt like he was small again, sitting on the couch and looking at his mom in the kitchen, hoping for her to say something, anything to him, but knowing all she’d do was say nothing and eventually leave again for who knew how long. Boombox would prefer to have everything be done with sooner rather than later instead of sitting in the overbearing quiet, and Illumina he hoped his voice wouldn’t shake or sound weak when he spoke.

“...So what do you wanna do about it?”

Good enough.

Medkit’s brow furrowed, still keeping his gaze out the window and away from the visorless Boombox, “What? The widespread rumor?” He asked bluntly, getting right to the point.

“Yeah, the rumor, all the talk about us dating,” Boombox felt his hands shaking more, he knew what was coming, he knew what would be next, he just had to rip the bandaid off, he just needed to let it happen and let the chapter close. He couldn’t be more glad that Medkit wasn’t looking at him or his hands, because there was no way to hide this.

“What even is there for us to do?”

“Well, I mean we could just, stop hanging out like this, stop doing things that feed into them and kinda go back to how things were before with me doing nothing but annoying you at phights,” Boombox shrugged, trying to sound so nonchalant about it, but the waver in his voice gave it away. He prayed that Medkit didn’t notice it, and the DJ didn’t even notice how he started to continue with his words, “Or we could start…”

His voice trailed out after, the words dying in his throat. He was about to suggest them actually dating to Medkit, and that would surely shut things down for good. There was no way it would happen. Boombox had his cloud nine moment already, and he needed to remain grounded in reality. If he told Medkit, he knew only the worst could happen, despite the small voice in the back of his mind telling him to take that leap, to take that risk and give it a try.

Boombox stared down at the keys for a moment before looking back over to Medkit, who looked like he was waiting for the DJ to continue his train of thought. He almost shut it down immediately, almost said that it was nothing and they should just stop to kill the talk about where Boombox and Medkit stood relationship wise, but he stopped before he could. No matter what, things would go back to how they were before, and if it went wrong, then he could at least say he tried instead of constantly tying himself in knots because he never took that chance.

His fingers rested on the keys, letting the last notes he played finish ringing through the air before he swallowed back the nerves that were keeping his words from spilling out, and he leaped. His voice felt so small when he spoke, saying the words he never thought he’d ever say to the healer. 

“Or we could start like, actually dating, because I do like you like that, Med.”

Now there was no piano music to fill the silence, Boombox couldn’t bring himself to start playing again, like nothing had happened and like he hadn’t just admitted to Medkit something he never thought he’d say. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears as he feared for the worst, feared that this leap of faith would lead to nothing but disappointment. He wanted to stare down at the piano, look at the keys, but his eyes remained focused on Medkit, waiting for any sort of reaction because so far all that had changed was Medkit’s eye widening slightly in surprise, but there was nothing else. 

There were a few painstakingly long moments of the total silence before Medkit finally said something, giving a sigh as he dropped his head down, “Give me a moment, I’m thinking.”

All Boombox could do was give a stiff nod that he’d heard Medkit, not like he could even see it. This was a bad idea, this was the worst idea Boombox had ever had, because now it would all be over, it had to be. It was nice while it lasted, at least, but there was still a sliver of hope. Medkit hadn’t completely shut him down, he just said he was thinking. Thinking meant there had to be some level of consideration, which meant it wasn’t an automatic shut down that would lead nowhere forever.

He just sat at the piano, only moving his hands to wipe the tears from his eyes to keep them from falling. It would end up okay, surely, but he couldn’t help but remain afraid that he’d be left alone again, alone like he was all those years ago.

There was around a minute of silence between them before Medkit looked back out the window, the sunset almost over as darkness fell across the sky. “I’m going to be honest,” He started, keeping his gaze fixed on the window, “If you’d told me that before we started spending time together here, I would’ve told you no, we weren’t going to be doing that because it was nonsensical.”

Boombox gave a small laugh at that because that felt fair, most of his time spent with Medkit back then was solely him annoying the other, so there would be no chance of anything happening. “Definitely would’ve been- there’s a reason why I kept my mouth shut!”

There was a small pause from Medkit before he exhaled, it could’ve been considered a laugh in Boombox’s book, but nevertheless, the healer continued to talk, “However, now it’s… not quite the same as things were before, I don’t think I want our time together to end completely, not because there’s others talking about how they perceive things.”

He was still looking out towards the window, watching as night fell, and this felt like a conversation they should have when looking at each other, in Boombox’s opinion. The DJ reached over to pick up his visor and slide it back on over his eyes, but stopped as his hand met the screen of his visor. He held it for a moment, looking down at the blank screen devoid of any life. It stood for the persona he put on for everyone around him, to hide the ugly truth beneath it that he wasn’t this careless playgrounder that threw caution to the wind, that he was a lonely kid that never learned how to grow out of the loneliness that now haunted him at every corner.

It felt silly to think of it like that, but it’s what it boiled down to at the end of the day, and Boombox was faced with the question of what he wanted to do for this conversation. Did he want to put that visor on, hold onto that persona until Medkit walked out? Or did he want to keep it off, let Medkit truly see him for once, in case he never got the chance to again?

Boombox swallowed, staring down at the visor in his hands before he put it back on the lid of the piano, letting it sit there with the bits of dust he’d missed when he last cleaned off the piano. He took a minute to make sure that every evidence of tears were gone before he took another leap, praying this one also wouldn’t end in disaster. 

“You don’t have to keep looking out the window, Med. It’s fine, I promise.”

Medkit took a moment before he turned away from the window and towards Boombox, blinking in what the DJ could only assume was surprise. He cracked a smile at the healer as their eyes met, partially from nerves, partially because Medkit wasn’t having some big, over the top reaction. He didn’t think the other would because he wasn’t the type, but it was still nice.

“You look nice,” Medkit commented, and while it didn’t seem like much of a compliment, it still made Boombox’s heart flutter. He thought he looked nice, score!

“Awwww, you flatter me,” The DJ teased, tossing his hand forward before resting it back on the keys of the piano, “But I also don’t really want our time to end like this. It’s… nice.”

Medkit raised a brow, “Then why suggest it ending in the first place?”

Boombox’s smile turned sheepish as he felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment, turning his head to look away, “Because I honestly thought it was how this was gonna end up- I didn’t really think I’d get this far.”

There was another sigh from the healer and when Boombox glanced back over to him, he was shaking his head in disbelief, like he couldn’t believe the other had a habit of expecting the worst out of anything that happened ever. If he was thinking about it, he didn’t say anything about it, simply carried on with the conversation before.

“You don’t want our time to end, and I don’t want it to either, so it won’t.” He stated like it was a fact, his eye still looking at Boombox’s, “But we do need to talk about where we stand… relationship wise. Everyone thinks we’re dating, you have feelings for me, and I,” Medkit paused, closing his eye for a moment, clearly thinking before he spoke again, “I’ve come to realize that I hold a deep level of care for you, one that runs deeper than any typical friendship. We currently reside in a gray area that could go in any direction.”

Boombox felt his cheeks grow warmer because, well, there was simply no way this could be real. He almost pinched himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming because Medkit cared for him, Medkit also liked him. This was no longer a one-sided crush that seemed out of reach and impossible to ever become reality, no. This was something impossible becoming possible . His hopes soared for the first time in years. They’d risen before, yes, but never had they risen to a point where the only way for them to be released was for them to be crushed. He looked up at Medkit, almost like he was starstruck, and then the healer sighed again, this one paired with the smallest smile.

“So what does that make us?” Boombox asked, almost breathless as he waited to hear what Medkit’s answer was, to see if his hopes would be proven right or if they would be dashed.

“I’m not sure,” Medkit answered, one of his hands moving to carefully cup Boombox’s cheek in it, “But, if you’re willing to give it a try, then I wouldn’t exactly be opposed to the idea of us dating instead of existing in a confusing gray area.”

Boombox’s smile brightened so much more as he leaned into the touch, his own hand moving up to cover Medkit’s. “Can we pretend we’re still in a gray area around other people to get back at everyone that thought we were dating?” The healer rolled his eye at that, and Boombox couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction, “Sorry- joking- but I’m willing to try. I really am. I want to try.”

“Then that settles it,” Medkit said as he looked down at Boombox again, his thumb brushing over the other’s cheek, “We’ll give it a try, see how it goes, and go from there.”

Boombox’s heart soared , unable to hide his feelings from showing on his face. So many nights he’d spent yearning for something he thought was impossible, but now it was real . Sure, they were giving it a try and there was no guarantee it would work out, but there was a chance it would. They remained like that, looking at each other, taking in the moment and the fact that this was real .

“You wanna kiss me so bad it makes you look stupid.” Boombox teased, effectively breaking the moment and reveling in the way Medkit raised a brow at him again.

“If anything, I think it’s the other way around,” The healer retorted, clearly reveling in the way the other’s cheeks flushed all over again and he tried to come up with something to shoot back at him, and then Medkit leaned in slightly and it all went out the window, the DJ’s heart pounding in his chest.

“If it is, would you kiss me?” He asked, trying to keep his cool, but it was proving to be difficult with Medkit’s face right there, so close to him. Boombox knew he was probably as green as a lime right now, but he still smiled at Medkit, whispering his next comment like it was a secret, “Because I really wouldn’t mind it.”

Boombox got his answer as the gap between them closed and he slid his eyes shut, feeling Medkit’s lips on his. He’d dreamed about kissing Medkit one day, but always pushed it back because he never thought it would happen, it wasn’t realistic, but it was happening now, Medkit’s other hand cupping Boombox’s other cheek. The DJ’s hand moving to rest over that one too as he savored the way Medkit’s lips felt on his, the way he tasted like the faintest whispers of cigarette smoke (like the way it smelled when you were remembering it fondly and not like it was once overbearing), they way it felt like fireworks were going off in his chest.

Eventually they pulled apart, and Boombox was unable to hide the absolute glee that was filling him as he stared up at Medkit and leaned further into his touch, holding his hands over the other's and reveling in the chill of them. The healer also stared back at Boombox, a level of fondness to his gaze as he looked down at him. They were both quiet because truly, there was nothing more to be said between them. There was no tenseness to the silence, no discomfort in the absolute quiet, nothing more than them basking in each others presence and the new step they’d taken together out of the gray area they once existed in.

All that existed in this moment to them was each other, and the old piano that had started it all.