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Carmelo drags Tobias's freezing, limp body as he coughs violently before collapsing on the ground from exhaustion. Tobias coughs out the fluid from his lungs and slumps again the dirt , gasping for air as he processes what's happening.
Before he even comprehends in which universe he's in , Carmelo starts bombarding his senses with words.
-"WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING !? DID YOU JUST "TEEHEE" AND JUMP OR WHAT !? DID YOU EXPECT ME TO SAVE YOU !? AND WHAT IF I DIDN'T!? WHAT WOULD YOU BE !? A SAD , SOGGY CORPSE AT THE BOTTOM OF A FUCKING CREEK !"
He pants , chest heaving rapidly as he catches a short break from him monologue. He takes the opportunity to take Tobias's appearance in. He loosely resembles a wet kitten, but the soft smile on his face is hard to miss .
-"FUCK ARE YOU SMILING ABOUT !?"
Tobias snickers, giggling at Carmelo's flamboyant response, but not entirely .He feels a strange appreciation for something as little and as mundane as Carmelo's attitude .
Carmelo huffs , giving up on coaxing a serious response out of Tobias .
-"You are clinically insane." He states matter-of-factly . Tobias was well aware that that statement wasn't far from the truth at all .
-"Guess what ! Clinically insane dumbasses can't take care of themselves , or think rationally. You've officially lost your rights to making your own decisions . I know your insane fucking bitchass would wanna complete your little grave-robbing side quest but I'm not letting you. You're going home , with me . Technically, my home . I'm taking you to my house and you get no say in the matter ."
Tobias is slightly taken aback by Carmelo's words , but he knows he's right . His ass was dying from hypothermia in real time .
He'd usually figure he wouldn't have the energy to argue , but he surprisingly feels more awake than he has in a while .His heartbeat is throbbing in his ears , echoing through his head . His throat is dry , his limbs are sore , it hurts to breathe but he hasn't felt this alive in years . He can't help but beam despite his soaked and disheveled state .
His wordlessness and giddiness confusing Carmelo and -quite frankly- freaking him out. Though he has to admit , Tobias was pretty cute when he was all merry and happy and lala (if you got the reference please seek therapy) , as weird and out of character as it is .
He just scoffs to himself and drags Tobias to his house since they're both shivering in their fucking timbers (I'm sorry I suck at location transitions) . They drag their shivering selves beyond Carmelo's porch , dripping all over his floor .
Carmelo sighs and leans on the nearest wall , both from relief and exasperation, knowing he'd have to clean this up later .He glances at Tobias , whose adrenaline has faded completely and is now experiencing the complete physical blow of almost drowning to death . Carmelo can't help but yearn for his prior jolly attitude, but at least he's finally reacting "normally" , as anyone in a relationship similar to this could ever react .
He feels the emotional weight of the circumstance , both of them do . Tobias just tried to kill himself . He looks at Tobias , really looks at him and notices how exhausted he looks , not just now but ever . He's always reduced him to a creepy short fuck but in reality , he's genuinely awfully pale and skinny , a flicker of genuine concern sparks in Carmelo .
He speaks up , his voice uncharacteristically quiet , a stark contrast to the last words he spoke to Tobias earlier .
-"You should take a bath to warm yourself up." Tobias is well aware his words are far from a suggestion, but a bath doesn't sound bad at all , especially right now.
"Where's your bathroom?"Tobias speaks up , his voice cracking from his prolonged prior silence , which only serves to wound Carmelo's heart further .
-"Upstairs, furthest down the left of the hall ." Tobias carefully makes his way upstairs on shaky legs . The sight of Tobias to small and vulnerable pains him . He's not a fan of this newfound sympathy towards the younger boy , but he feels as though he's finally opened his eyes to Tobias's struggles.
He feels like a total ass for reducing him to an edgy bastard when he genuinely tried to kill himself right before his eyes . He can't help but feel a strange sense of care for Tobias , it feels oddly familiar, but he doesn't want to think about that right now. He decides to focus on himself right now and dwell on this later .
He walks upstairs to his room and gets rid of his soaked clothing, drying himself and putting on his PJ pants that have a rocket design along with a plain black t-shirt .He collapses on his bed with a sigh before remember he was supposed to check on Tobias , bring him a hair dryer , dry clothes and make sure he didn't slip and fall on his head or something . He makes his way to the bathroom door and and softly knocks on it .
-"are you okay in there?" He feels a strange sense of anxiety sleeping through him as he doesn't get an instant answer. He hears Tobias's tired voice from beyond the wall , relief flowing through his senses .
-"I'm okay." Tobias states matter-of-factly.
-"Okay, I'll bring you a hair dryer and some dry clothes. Do you feel better?" The younger boy takes a solid second to respond .
-"Yeah... I feel better." Tobias's words soothe Carmelo , but only slightly, since the option he was only saying that to soothe him is still plausible. Carmelo retreats and fetches some clothes and the hairdryer for Tobias. He sheepishly leaves them in front of the bathroom door before going back to his room and collapses back on the bed .He feels the strange urge to do something for Tobias , anything to at least distract him from his inner turmoil at least for a moment . But what can he really do ? He doesn't know Tobias well enough to know what would make him feel better, so what would be an universal way? Food ? Yeah, that sounds about right . He's skinny as fuck , he wouldn't deny a meal .
He goes to the kitchen and checks the fridge before deciding to heat up some leftover soup . He waits downstairs at the dining table , impatiently tapping his foot under it .
Tobias finally comes downstairs, causing Carmelo to noticeably perk up . He's wearing Carmelo's clothes , that are slightly too big for him , he looks so small in them , one night even say he looks cute . BUT THAT'S A BLASPHEMOUS THING TO THINK . Carmelo speaks up softly.
-"Are you hungry ? I heated up some soup ..." A tiny dot of childish excitement sparks behind Tobias's eyes
-"Yeah actually..." Tobias responds with a bit more energy behind his words . Carmelo feels giddy at himself for figuring out what would make him feel better successfully . He's glad he can do something for him , as small as it is . Tobias sits down on the dining table next to Carmelo before starting to eat slowly.
Carmelo tries not to stare , but his gaze feels oddly drawn towards Tobias , like he wants to look at him for longer . Tobias notices Carmelo's eyes periodically flicker towards him , he feels unsure on how to react . He'd usually make a sarcastic remark about his staring , but he feels compelled to hold it in since Carmelo's been notified but nice to him this whole time . He simply finishes his food before speaking .
-"Thank you... For , everything." Carmelo's expression softens even further . He hesitates for a second before putting a gentle hand on his shoulder .
-"Don't worry about it, I just ... I just want you to know that, you can talk to me when you need to." Tobias pauses for a moment, both at the gentle touch and his words . He processes the information and the uncharacteristic vulnerability on Carmelo's side .
He doesn't decline the comfort though , subconsciously leaning into the affectionate touch.
-"Thank you, again." He responds quietly. A question etches at Carmelo's throat , he hesitates to vocalise it before giving in .
-"Tobi ... Why'd you do it? Why'd you jump?" His words hang heavy in the air as Tobias's eyes widen , he should've figured this question is inevitable, but that doesn't make him any more emotionally prepared for it than he already is . Tobias's frame turns taut under Carmelo's touch, he considers pulling away but inevitably decides not to .
-"It felt like the right thing to do , at least at the moment" His answer's pretty vague . He wants to press further , but the last thing he'd wanna do is overstep any boundaries . He already put his offer of lending an ear out there , it's up to him to take it or not .
Tobias shifts in his seat , he's well aware of his own yearning for comfort, but he's still hesitant to accept it from someone like Carmelo . Though after his hasty , uncalled for and borderline cruel treatment of Rudolph, being handed the opportunity to receive the gentleness Rudolph used to provide on a silver platter feels like something he couldn't possibly deserve .
He wants to decline, to push Carmelo away as well as sink into his own thoughts, because he feels as if that's the fate he deserves , but he can't keep up the tough act up any longer. He feels his face growing hotter , his eyes glassy with unshed tears.
He bites his lip in a desperate attempt to hold onto his dignity, but he simply cannot , he's too weak to . Carmelo pauses , pondering on Tobias's words. He starts slowly sobbing into his hands , causing Carmelo to practically jump back in surprise . He scrambled to do something, anything to comfort the younger boy but his mind crashes . He ends up wrapping a single arm cautious around Tobias's shoulders , testing the waters to see if he'll accept the comforting gesture .
Tobias crumbles , leaning into Carmelo's touch , covering his face as he ugly cries into his hands . Carmelo wraps him up properly in his embrace, holding him tightly against his chest . Tobias wraps his arms around Carmelo and shamelessly clings to him , sobbing into his shoulder . He's practically shaking now , holding onto Carmelo for dear life as he practically puts his soul out onto a display for Carmelo to see , but he finds himself surprising comfortable doing it.
He expected to feel worse for dumping his emotions onto Carmelo , but something about the warmth and security of his embrace makes all his anxiety fade . He basks in the feel of Carmelo's body against his , enjoying how Carmelo's scent rubs off on him from the clothes he's wearing and the proximity of the two boys . Little things he'd been too tense to notice so far . He feels his tears die down as he calms down gradually, though he can't bring himself to pull away .
He wants to stay like this longer, to feel Carmelo for as long as possible and keep the privilege of the comfort he's recieving for as long as he can . Carmelo feels him relax against him and he relaxes as well , still holding the raven haired boy snugly against his chest . He feels the unexplainable need to keep him safe , to take away all of his worries . Tobias feels oddly drawn towards Carmelo , a warm sensation fluttering in his chest .He feels the strange urge to get closer , craving more of the warmth and pleasant feeling of closeness. He pulls away just enough to face Carmelo , looking up at his warm and welcoming gaze with half lidded eyes . Tobias feels his brain simply shut down and act entirely on instinct as he presses his lips against Carmelo's . To say Carmelo was taken aback would be the understatement of the century . He tenses up, processing what's currently happening before slowly melting against Tobias's lips .
He tangles his fingers in Tobias's hair , subconscious pulling him closer as he loses his senses in the feel of Tobias . Tobias abruptly pulls away , slouching forward in his chair and holding himself as he speaks .
-"I'm sorry , that was ... That was uncalled for, I should've asked for permission." Carmelo feels his body ache for the former closeness the second it's taken away from him .He barely gathers himself before Tobias starts speaking , too far gone and disheveled from the kiss . He snickers at Tobias's words , though Tobias doesn't find anything about his words humourous.
-"Don't apologise, don't ever apologise to me for something like this." Tobias feels his face grow hotter at Carmelo's words . He sheepishly turns away and fiddles with his sleeve.
-"Umm... How did you.. Feel about it ? Did you like it?" The shorter boy asks hesitantly . Carmelo simply smiles at him and puts a hand on his cheek , tenderly cupping his cheek .
-"Yeah , I did." Tobias can practically feel the sincerity behind his words , the small , simple gesture touches Tobias's heart . He gets up and sits himself down on Carmelo's lap , causing him to practice jolt in surprise. Face growing redder than it already was .
-"Is this too much?" Tobias questions Carmelo's display of shows and tension, but Carmelo shuts him down .
-"Well, it's a bit much but not too much..." Tobias gets comfortable on top of Carmelo , leaving a soft kiss on his nose and reveling in the comfort of the blue haired boy's body felt against his . He knew the feeling's been familiar, but he couldn't truly put his finger on it .
It partially felt similar to the comfort his brother Mattias brought him, bit it wasn't that, oh no , it was far from that . It was similar to the way Rudolph used to make him feel , the soft , pale skin of the strawberry blonde boy and soul melting warmth it provided , he craves it . Carmelo didn't quite scratch that itch , but the sensation he brought was good enough. He figured , since Carmelo was willing to give him his affection, it wouldn't hurt to use it as a shallow replacement for what he truly desired .
As far as Carmelo was from Rudolph, his tenderness didn't feel bad at all . Carmelo cautiously put his hands on Tobias's hips , a small smile appearing on his face as Tobias leaves a playful kiss on his nose . He looks up at the boy hoisted up on his lap , really looking deeply into the pals blue eyes he once found "creepy" , but all he can think about is a specific pair of crimson eyes instead . He can't help but wish he was holding Rudolph like this instead, to tenderly cradle his small frame against his and to softly pepper his skin in kisses full of adoration. Though , this wasn't bad at all . Tobias brought out that same specific feeling of protectiveness in him, maybe it was how helpless he looked earlier or how he's severely prone to self destruction, but knowing he'd never get this close to rudolph, he's gladly accepting Tobias as a replacement.