Work Text:
They lie side by side on their shared bed (there were two beds in the room, sure, but they had long abandoned the second one), saying nothing. It wasn't an awkward silence, though. It was comfortable. Peaceful.
There were very few moments between them that were as peaceful as this one. Most of their time together was overwhelming, at least for everyone around them. They were labeled a nuisance by the general public, but that didn't bother nor stop them. They wanted to be worse.
Their hands were stacked over each other's, a thumb occasionally brushing against the back of a hand. It wasn't rare for them to be affectionate with each other. They always took care of each other.
That's what best friends are for, right?
They hadn't been friends too long, having met just last year. But to two people who hadn't had many, or any, friends before that, it felt like they'd been together forever. And they swore to each other that they would be. They wanted to rule the world, side by side just as they were now.
A head turned to gaze at the one next to it.
“Noli?” The silence was broken.
Noli didn't respond with words, just a quiet hum to let his friend know he was listening.
“Why do you wear your mask all the time?” It wasn't a stupid question, necessarily. It had been on 007n7’s mind for a while, but he pushed it down. He always figured it was something too personal to talk about, but he knew that nothing was too personal for them by now. “You wear it when we aren't even in public.”
When Noli still didn't respond, 007n7 kept talking.
“I mean, I thought it was an insecurity thing. But that was before I saw your face for the first time.” He turned his gaze back to the ceiling.
Noli chuckled.
“I dunno. I just like it, I guess.” He shrugged. “My face is boring.”
“Your face is hot.”
Noli stared at him from behind the mask for a second, trying to formulate a response to that. He'd never gotten a compliment even close to that before. “Yeah?” He was holding back a laugh. 007n7 felt his face heat up a little.
“..yeah.”
Noli couldn't stop himself from giggling.
“What? Is that bad?” 007n7 was laughing now, too. He couldn't help himself, Noli's laugh was too contagious.
“No, not bad. Just gay.”
007n7 slung his arm over Noli's waist, pulling him closer. He rested his forehead on Noli’s shoulder. They sat in silence for a few more minutes.
“Goodnight, Seven.”
“Goodnight, Nols.”
“I love you.”
Noli didn't wait for a response. 007n7 never gave him one, instead he pretended to be asleep, but Noli was okay with that. He just wasn't ready to respond yet, Noli would tell himself, and that was okay. He could wait.