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"No no no, Rosco, LEAVE ME ALONE", Cass screamed. Luci and Gale tried to hold back their laughing but loosed. "I mean it, DON'T FOLLOW ME."
"I'm ... THERE", Rosco shout merrily. Cass screamed like a teenage girl and even Zanny screamed from laughing, while Luci and Gale almost felt off their chairs.
"NOOOOO I HATE YOU." Cass screamed so loud in the voicechat that his neighbours surley ask what's the job of this weird young man, living beside them and always makes plenty of interesting noises.
"And I love you, man", Rosco responds in the wood of wild laughing sounds from Gale, Zanny and Luci.
"Guys, I hate this game." Cass shook his head, exhausted. The last round of Hide and Seek was the most funny one of the day, but also the one Cass had to suffer the most, getting spotted and hunted so many times. At least the other four had fun, he thought.
The stream ended and they talked a bit in the voicechat, before Rosco wished a good night and Zanny asked them to do something together in the evening, maybe spot some bars or just enjoying night life in Tokyo. It was such a great time in the year when they all come together, drafted into FSP headqarter to work on some projects, but could enjoy the time with each other. Of course, at first they are working mates, but as longer as they have been together, the more each one of them realized, that the other boys from avallum are actually one of their dearest friends. How to explain to an old, discord-not-knowing human that you saw your most precious friends only once in a year?
"I'm tired, sorry Zanny", Cass said. Often Cassien was the first one to enjoy outside doings, but not today. Not after this round and that amount of screaming.
"Yeah, me too", Luci responds. "Maybe tomorrow?"
"I'm with you today", Gale said and laughs his terribly encouraging laugh. "No time for being sad."
"Did I sound sad?" Zander distinguished British accent becomes loud. "I totally understand the non existing motivation to do anything after this historically awful round for you, Cassian."
Gale and Luci laughed while Cass was too tired and waved it off. "Yeah, then have fun you two", he said.
"We will!", Zanny said smilingly. "See you tomorrow!"
"Bye guys." One drop off sound after another came from the discord channel and Cass pulled of his headphones. Accompanied by an exhausted sigh, he walked the two steps backwards to the couch in the little FSP office and sat down. There were many of these rooms in the FSP headquarter, filled with a gaming set up, a couch or a comfy armchair and some green plants that should make you feel more way home. Most rooms had no window, but a glass side towards the corridor that was nearly all the time covered from the drawn curtains. Those rooms are always open for the FSP vtuber's during their stay in Japan.
Cass had his elbows on his knees and sighed again when the door opened. He looked up. Luci had an excusing smile on his lips and asked: "Exhausting day?"
Cass set on a tired smile. "You bet, man."
Luci sat down beside him and smiled encouraging. "Yeah, maybe my fault too."
Cass said nothing, just exhaled air and nodded slowly. On a normal day Luci would tease him, not once or twice, but the whole evening. But people forget, and Cass was one of them, that Luci really has an emotional aware side. Instead of making fun, he just sat silently next to him.
Time float by and finally Cass looked at him. Luci noticed his gaze and turned his head. "So", Cass begins. "You're here to reconcile after hunting me down half of the map?"
Luci snorted. "What if?"
Cass just laughed it off. "How was the game for you? It was your first time, right?"
"Not bad, I guess?" Luci turned his head back and looked at his shoes, that he lifted alternately from the ground. "Gameplay was pretty fun."
"That's what I told you."
"But my mates reaction was even better." Luci mischievously searched his eyes. Cass sulked and wanted to hit him with the fist, but Luci grabbed his hand laughing and stopped him.
Cass glared at him dangerously and Luci glared back. Luci's short smile and Cass' playful angry glance collided and intertwined. Time blurred and Luci let his hand sink. He slowly shaked his head. "Just a silly boy."
"You too." Cass tilted his head. "Next round I will defeat you."
"Yeah", Luci nodded conscientiously. "Or I will find you again and hear you scream like a princess."
Cass wanted to be mad at him, but realized that his hand was still in Luci's since he put his down. Luci followed his gaze, seemed to notice it too and turned immediately to stone. Cass eyes widened, but he couldn't shift a single finger, he couldn't breathe. His lungs reacted, moved quickly and pumped a gush of fresh air in his body.
He flinched and pulled his hand back to his body. Luci stared at his empty hand for a short while like he's been in trance, until his eyes blinks and he looked up. He disguised his insecurity behind a laugh. "S-sorry Cass."
Cass breathed way too much air. He forced himself to a smile. "Don't scare me Luci." He laughed if off. "A bit weird."
"Yeah, super weird."
"Yep, just like this." Cass agreed.
Luci mumbled. "Yep, Cass ..."
Cass mumbled. "Yep, Luci ..." He coughed. The seconds they don't talk felt like years and something too big was unspoken between them, but Cass didn't know, in this moment Cass just wanted to sink into the ground.
"I think it's late enough", Luci said and laughed uncertainly. Then he stood up and covered a few meters with three large steps until he reaches the door. "Good night, Cass." He waved his hand, but doesn't look back.
As soon as Luci disappeared, Cass gasped for air and felt to the side onto the sofa. His hand grabbed the layer and clenched it into a fist. What was this? This weird feeling? He just ... he just touched Luci's hand, nothing weird between man. He should not worry, but with bumped heart Cass spent the whole night in the office.
≫∘❀♡❀∘≪
The next day Cass woke up, hold his head and realized, that it was indeed possible to sleep 10 hours and still feel completely off. Shaking his head, he shuffled down to the FSP cafeteria, treated himself to a green tea and a bowl of tamago rice and sighed. His gaze went to his hand. The hand Luci was holding.
His fingers went into a fist and he aggressively put the spoon with egg rice into his mouth.
The day started with a lot of meetings where Mane-san's explained new strategies and plans for the future of the Avallum boys. Everyone sat quietly, except Gale and Zanny that dropped one joke after another. They didn't seemed sleepy, so either ways they had a short evening or a very good, endorphins full adventure yesterday, that still layed in their mind. Cass meanwhile concentrated on the Mane-sans explanations, even tho he sometimes felt a glance on his backhead, but the few times he looked back, Luci was taking with Rosco.
"Okay everybody." Later on Gale introduced a new board game to the boys. "Let's have some fun together in the free time, it's just a reaaaally good game!" Gale had indeed a great taste in games of any kind, so everyone trusted him and was looking forward to it. Especially Cass thought he could get on other thoughts while playing, so he threw himself into the game.
Luci seemed to be doing the same, so it was only a matter of time before someone noticed. "Luci", Rosco raised an eyebrow. "You're a bit quiet, what's wrong?"
Luci flinched slightly, shaking his head and smiled. "Just tired, jetlag and so."
"Hm-hm", Zander mumbled.
"You just opened too many poke packs in the evening", Rosco judged. "Go sleep early tonight."
Luci wanted to respond, but was reaching his hand out for the middle of the desk to draw a card. Cass concentrated more on the game then the conversation, so he checked his cards and drew a card. But instead of a card he reached another finger and looked up. Luci was staring at him, his deep, almost reddish eyes like an ocean full of blood. Or beautiful red flowers. That's what flashed through Cassians mind. The millisecond passed, both of them noticed and quickly pulled their hand back and saw away.
Rosco went quiet. His gaze went to Cassian, then Lucien. Both didn't met his gaze, didn't met anyone's gaze. "Uhm, guys ..."
"Rosco, your turn!" Zanny said and rotated back from facing Gale.
"Don't scream at me!" Rosco complained.
"Oh Rosco, if I want to scream about you, you will now." Rosco went immediate red and scolded him, while Gale was laughing from head to toe.
In the meantime Cass and Luci didn't say a single word. The game continued and three of them had a good time. In the end Cass pressed a "Really funny game, dude" between his lips, and he would mean it if he was not halfway through it caught off guard due to certain circumstances.
Avallum stood up from the table, walked slowly to the elevator and talked and laughed alternately. Cass pressed the button to call the lift, while Zanny had an arm around Luci's shoulders and making fun of him in a lovely way. Luci pressed his lips together and smiled, but everything he catches Cass gaze, he immediately went quiet, so Cass started to not look in his direction.
They entered the elevator together, the doors closed, but before both sides touched, a hand intervened. The doors opened again and the in hurry but bright smile of Gale's Mane-san appeared. "Gale, come with me", he said and set his gaze on Zanny. "Zander too. Your manager wants to talk with you as well about your upcoming duet."
Zanny's eyes brightend and before he stepped out of the elevator he hooked his arm with Gales and took him with him. The doors closed and the elevator went up. Cass had raised his eyebrow, but in the end the Zanny and Gale wanted the duet themself so it wouldn't be a big problem for them to work longer then the rest of them. He sighed audible and in this exact moment a rough jolt drove through the lift. Rosco, Cass and Luci were shaked, tried to not loose the floor under their feet, before the elevator came to an complete standstill.
"Gosh", Rosco exclaimed. "And I thought that japanese things are well maintained." He laughed while seeing to the ceiling.
Cass couldn't laugh about this. He was looking shocked at Luci, and Luci looked shockingly back, but then the big unspoken something between them came to they mind and both saw away. Cass bit his lips, walked to the button terminal and pressed the emergency button. Since there was no response, he immediately tapped again. Without waiting, he pressed a third time, but the button did not return in his resting state, instead he popped off.
Suddenly wide awake and no longer in thoughts he startled back. "Oh no", he whispered, eyes widened.
"What did you do?" Rosco walked near him and saw the felt off button. "Woah", for a moment he was unable to speak. "How is this even possible, man?"
Cass didn't respond and Rosco sighed. "Well", he said. "I will try to fix it." He looked back. "Just sit there, your boy Rosco will handle the situation in a minute!" He laughed loud and turned to the button terminal.
Luci sat on the ground, leaning back on the wall. Cass stood awkwardly beside him - in a greatest possible distance, of course. They both focused Rosco, waiting for him to finish his work, but deep inside Cass was trembled. He didn't knew why exactly, but it was Luci's presence for sure. He gulped. His eyes wandered in Luci's direction and the black haired head turned immediately away, when he noticed his gaze. Cass' glance went down. He gulped again.
After half an hour, neither Rosco fixed the button nor the skyscraper security team got that there's an elevator stuck. The heat came and they began sweating. The only sound in the cabin was Roscos efforts, mixed with quiet cursing. Sometimes Cass had the feeling of eyes on his side, but everytime he looked down to Luci, he just stared on the ground. After an hour, Cass wiped sweat from his forehead and took off one of his layers. He tied the sweater around his waist and looked to Luci. Luci was bent over and holding his head.
Cass stared, then moved. He squatted down next to him and whispered: "Luci?" His eyes were wide open. "All okay?"
Luci nods slowly. Cass narrowed his eyes. "Seems not like it."
"It's okay." Luci's gaze went straightly up and catched Cass eyes. Cass began to waver.
"You don't look-"
"I- I'm really-", Luci stuttered, the next moment he felt over. Cass catched him with an arm.
"Oh god", Cass explaimed and gasped for air. He was definitely not right, oh god oh god oh god! With shaking hands he gently packed the back of his head, pushed him to the ground and helped him to lie down.
"R-Rosco", Cass stuttered waverly.
Rosco turned around, saw their situation and immediately came closer. "That's not good", he mumbled, kneed down and felt Luci's forehead.
Cass couldn't say more, his whole attention was on the face of the black haired man in front of him. Cass came closer to his face, realized, that Luci was heavily breathing. His cheeks were deepish red and he looked like he would burnt alive. "Luci", he whispered. Luci opened one eye, saw him. He stared at Cass, his pulse visible went up and he turned even more red.
"Gosh, his temperature is so high", Rosco said worried. "Maybe ... maybe it would help, gosh Cass", he looked straight to his face, "maybe it would help if you release his hand for a second?" Cass didn't hear him clearly and unintentionally pressed Luci's hand tighter.
Rosco sighed. "That's not helping, Cass-"
"Hellooo, guyssss!" Rosco startled in the moment. A deepish, never sad voice sounded far away and hollow. "Are you well?"
"Not all of us", Rosco went to his foot, laid his head back and responded to Gale. "Luci's tempature is a bit up and he's sweating heavily. Why did you take so long?"
"Long story, short sorry! Firefighters are already here, hang in there! We call-", Gale said and suddenly flashy light came through a slip between the doors, "the an ambulance!" When he didn't even ended his word, the bright light from the corridors flooded the elevator. Two firefighters with a crowbar were standing in the light, Zanny, Gale and their two managers in the back.
The next moments Cass didn't really get. Some emergency helpers guided Luci out of the elevator, leaning him at the wall and examined him. Cass was still holding his hand, but other than yesterday it didnt felt wrong, he didnt even think about not holding it in this situation. Luci needed him. That's the only thing that counted.
"So, how bad is it?", Zanny asked. He, Rosco and Gale stood beside them. One of the emergency helpers, that kneed down next to Luci, stood up and looked directly in Zanders face.
"It was only half as bad. The constant heat in the elevator in combination with enormous excitement and stress was resulting in this collapse. Two days bed rest and he will be fine."
"Oh thank god", Zanny mumbled.
"But he traveled in so much heat", Rosco was wondering. "That shouldn't be a problem for him. Why was he that trembled?" He looked down to Cass and Luci, squinted his eyes and gives himself over to the consideration, until he blushed. "Gosh, you two ..."
≫∘❀♡❀∘≪
He mumbled, turned in his sleep and sighed. Luci rolled on his back, half sunken in the pillow and carefully opened his eyes.
"Still or already here?"
Cass turned his head as soon as he heard his voice. "I'm glad to see you joking."
"I'm really curious", Luci said with a playful undertone and propped his arm up to sit up. A shiver strikes down to his face and he went as fast down as he went up.
Cass, who was sitting on the edge of his bed, moved a bit closer. "Lay down. Meds said you need rest."
"Man", Luci placed the back of his hand on his forehead and smiled. "And you plan to stay here?" Cass didn't answered immediately, so Luci put on a sugar sweet voice: "Rest with me, Cass~"
Soon as he ended, Luci gasped. Cass was leaning forward, facing him directly. He had grabbed his Hand, squishing it and hold it tight. His gaze was serious and their interwining eyes made Luci holding his breath. "I'm seriously tired of you today", Cass eyes didn't let him go. "First you bring this weird unspoken thing between us, then you collapse and now you act as if none of these SITUATIONS happened. You want me to forget that I was really worried about you in the elevator. I was really worried, that you may be seriously ill. That you may ... leave me, before we could speak the truth."
The grip of his fingers drilled in Luci's skin. His face was near enough for him to feel his breath, almost enough to feel his warm shoulder. "Oh Cass ..." Luci's always confident and teasing aura had disappeared. His gaze was gentle, tenderhearted, and he looked in Cass' eyes. "I apologize for trying to tease you when you're worried about me." He raised his other arm, that was not claimed through Cass, grabbed his neck and pulled him into a hug. His face was covered in Cass' silver hair and he whispered: "I was worried too. Not about health, but of a simple fact that came across my mind. Would I destroy our friendship if I admit that I liked holding your hand? That it was a good and precious feeling to me?"
"Of course you would." Cass raised his upper body just until he saw Luci's face again. Luci tried to breath calmly, but he was filled with consternation. His eyes were shaking. "Of course we cannot be friends anymore." Cass started smiling, but before Luci realized, he went down and touched Luci's lips with his. Luci widened his eyes, but before Cass gently pulled himself back to give him the option to leave, Luci grabbed his neck and hold him close. Cass didn't expect him to continue in such a condition, but at the same time his stomach went wild. As if thousand butterflies fought they're way to the sky, he felt happy as never before. His skin touched some parts of Luci's, his right hand was still intertwined with his, his left hand gave him support to not completely leave his weight on Luci's exhausted body. The kiss was a blessing itself, soft and gentle but both of them felt like it was long-awaited, truly needed.
How dumb of them to realize that only now.
"Could have done that earlier", Luci whispered.
"It's never too late, Luci."
"You're right, Cassian Floros of First Stage Prod-"
"Shut up." Cass killed his words with another kiss.