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Dear fucking god, Sword was in for it. Denial is a river in Egypt, and he's catching his breath after almost damn drowning in the current.
He'd been feeling this way towards the other for a damn long while now. It'd taken him quite a bit of time to come to terms with it, and now that he had, it was almost hitting him like a freight train. It'd been all he was thinking about for weeks, maybe months. He needed to get his shit together before Venomshank noticed anything suspicious.
He sighed quietly, running a hand through his hair. It's too late to be worrying about something like this. He'd rather dream about it and get rest rather than sit up all night just to see his thoughts a bit more clearly. He'd been tossing and turning for hours, and he had to train in the morning. It just wouldn't be worth it to stay up, he thought, as he lay back down in his bed, pulling the covers up to his neck.
However, his mind changed rather quickly whenever he heard his phone buzzing, noticing who messaged him almost immediately.
He sat up once more, rubbing his eyes, and preparing for the flashbang of his phone screen when he picked it up. He took his phone in his hand, looking at his notifications. Why was Rocket texting him at 2:37 in the morning?.. He read the text message, and couldn’t help but be even more confused.
“R u awake enough to sneak over rn man?”
He raised an eyebrow, as if questioning the phone itself would change the message. Why did he need him over right now? Was something going on at his house? He thought for a moment, before texting him back. A question, even though he was already putting on his shoes to leave.
“U good man? Somethin happen?”
“Nah, just wanted to see if u could come over”
He sighed a bit of relief. Nothing. That was good– he was worried another incident involving him and some blown off limbs had happened. He was down for chilling, despite the fact it was the dead of night and neither of them should be up right now. Who cares if it’s chilly outside and Sword’s walking around in his pajamas to go hang out with Rocket?
"Oki! at ur house, or?"
"Bridge"
..Bridge? Okay. That was certainly odd. But, to be fair, Rocket was a little bit more adventurous whenever it came to hangout spots. That, and it'd lessen the chance of them being away past curfew.
He sent one more quick message, a simple "Okkiiii!! cya there :3," and pocketed his phone, a giddy smile on his face. He threw on a hoodie and some shoes, and looked around for a moment, trying to make sure Venomshank was asleep.
Once he confirmed the absence of his father, he opened the window at the foot of his bed, and climbed out, shutting it quietly behind him. The gentle breeze of the cold bit at his skin, sending a brief shiver down his spine. He could almost swear his horns shivered, as well, with how rough the cold air was. He trekked on, travelling the usual pavement sidewalks and walkways of Crossroads.
While he was walking, his mind began to wander again. Was this just hanging out, or did Rocket have an important thing to say? He knows that he specified it was just a hangout, but he couldn't help but wonder if he was being truthful or not. He sighed silently to himself, knowing he was overthinking everything. He just needed to get there and see what was up. Maybe he just had a cool new gadget he wanted to show him, or got a little lonely and wanted to talk to his friend. Maybe everything WAS genuinely alright.
He took a turn, and saw Rocket around the corner, sitting at the balcony of the bridge. Sword immediately smiled, waving, and calling out to him.
"Rocket! Hey!" He said, clearly excited to see the other. It'd been far too long, in his own opinion(which was approximately 2 days). Still, even if they'd seen each other hours ago, he would react in the same way. He was just always happy to see him, all day, everyday.
Rocket turned his head, and smiled back, simply waving. "I'm surprised Mister Goody-two-shoes decided he could bend the rules a bit this time," he teased gently, nudging the other with his shoulder once they were side-by-side. "Ah, well.. No harm in breaking them a little bit, right?" Sword laughed a little, fidgeting with his hoodie sleeves. What was he to say? Should he make small talk? Start ranting? Randomly belt out the fact that he'd grown an attraction to him over the years they'd been friends?.. No, obviously not that last one.
"So? How've you been?" Sword asked simply, tilting his head a bit to the side. "Eh, a little stressed with the shop, but me and Dad've got it under control, I'm sure. A lotta folks wanna come around and check out what we have in our stocks, but it's just been unusually busy." Rocket kicked himself back, laying on the ground, and folding his arms under his head comfortably. "So much going on that I haven't been able to carve my horns again. Lil' stubs starting to grow out of the sides."
Sword nodded in acknowledgement, though he was only half-listening. He was losing himself in his eyes, in how they almost seemed to reflect the sky they glanced up at in a way that made the stars all the more beautiful. He was lost in the sound of his voice, in the way his words seem to ring across the gentle waters of the creek below them, how all of the bird's songs had been lost to slumber, making way for the gentle song of his voice to harmonize among the rushing water.
He shook his head, snapping himself out of it, and reminding himself to listen to the words, and not just the song that strang together. "At least more people means more business, right? I'm sure Zuka's pretty happy with the increase."
Rocket shrugged, staring up at the darks clouds, and how they glimmered below the moon. "Yeah, but we're both also a little confused. You know us, we're skeptics. A surge of people seemingly without reason is out of the ordinary."
"Well, maybe the shop's just getting popular!" Sword exclaimed with a grin, putting his hand out to emphasize his words. "Or maybe you're selling something that's become trendy. Anything selling out a bit more than usual?" Rocket thought for a moment, before glancing back towards Sword. "Yeah, I think. Just some weird plushie-lookin' things, though. People buy them alongside some new gears we brought in recently. I can never remember what they're called, but I don't like them. They look like gremlins."
"Well, you notice something more if it sticks out, I guess." Sword replied, before laying down on the bridge beside him, letting his legs dangle from the edge of the wood to the right of the other's. He stared up at the stars, each gleam being like the soft tic of a clock, reminding them of how late it was. How abnormal it was that they were out together, just the two of them, at such an hour.
Sword looked over at the other again, observing him quietly. The subtle warmth of his cheeks, the way his eyes grazed above the horizon in search for a more interesting star than the last. He swore he could study him for hours, and still want to learn more about every single topic of him.
And for awhile, everything was silent. No birds cried out in song, no wind brushed past their ears and thrashed at their skin, and the water almost seemed to stop below them, allowing the moment to seem so much more agonizingly longer. Each second felt like an hour, a week, a century, each one longer than the last. But if he truly wanted it to, he would've wished for this very moment to last forever. No, he wouldn't wish for that. He would wish that it would happen, again and again, to feel it over and over, not exactly the same as the last. Each time, more infatuated with the other. Each time, under a brighter or dimmer sky of stars. Each time, with the current rushing quicker or slower.
It wasn't until Rocket looked over with a raised eyebrow that Sword snapped out of it this time, turning away quickly with the slightest flush on his face. He needed to stop doing that. Every single time he stared, it lasted longer.
"..Are you alright? You just seem a little.. off, y'know? You never space out like that." Rocket spoke simply, his voice holding a bit of concern. Sword just simply laughed it off, waving the question away with his hand. "Yeah, It's nothing! Just.. thinking, about some things." God, that was a terrible answer. People only say that when they have something they have to hide, or have something that needs to be talked about. He really needed to do more work on this whole lying thing. "What are you thinking about, if you don't mind me asking?"
..
"..Can I say something stupid, Rocket?"
"Of course, man. Shoot."
Okay. He was doing this now. He didn't really have a backup plan for this, so he had to just go for it. Gods, he should've waited until longer in the conversation! This could end up so awkward if he messes up.. What if he hates him?! What if he everything gets awkward between them after this? What if- what if they stop being friends?! Would he think of him the same way he did before he told him anything, or would everything be different?
He took a small breath. No going back now. He'd already started, he just had to calm his nerves, and not think about it at all. What should he even say? Should he be upfront? Poetic? Subtle? Implying? Fuck, he needed to think of something quick, or he was done for. This was the one good chance he got, he needed to make it fucking count. Maybe he just needed to say it, and get it out. With a sharp inhale, he turned towards him, propping himself up on his elbow, and looking straight at him.
"I-.." Fuck. He was hesitating. God fucking damn it, being upfront was harder than he thought. He'd gone over this countless times before in his head, but it was so much easier there, where he could control how it ended. Here, it was up to fate to decide whatever the fuck happened next. He shut his eyes tight for a moment, before taking the other's shoulders, and turning him to face him, as well. They were still on the ground. They probably looked like one of those wet-floor signs.
"I love you."
..There was silence again. But it wasn't peaceful. The trees held their breath, anticipation flowing through the clouds in the sky. He could've sworn the stars in the sky even shown brighter for a moment, on the edge of their seats, suspense filling their minds. Eventually, though, the silence was broken by the other's voice.
"..Can I *do* something stupid?" The familiar ring to it was still there, but it was almost.. nervous? He never heard Rocket like that. It was almost a foreign concept to him. He was usually so bold, so angry, so outgoing. Seeing him reluctant was rare. "Yeah, of course." He replied gently and urgently, trying to hide his own anxiety towards the situation. There were so many things that could go wrong, and yet-..
Nothing did.
He could feel the other's hands, warm on his face, cupping both of his cheeks delicately. Like if one wrong move was made, the other would break completely, and shatter into millions of pieces. Even the way he pulled him close reflected how careful and soft he was with him, a stark contrast to the usually teasing, and blunt Rocket. They were so close by now, though, he could feel the other's breath against his own skin. It was a bit quicker than average, and it made him almost want to hug him and pull him close for how nervous they both seemed.
He could feel the exact moment the other's lips brushed against his own. It was soft, delicate, everything like the way he'd been treating with him. It was shocking, send a jolt-like sensation through his veins, like a sort of alarm bell that did everything but what an alarm was supposed to do. He could feels his own cheeks brushing up into a gentle red, mirroring his horns greatly. It was brief, surprising, and hard to predict.
The moment Rocket pulled away, all they could do was stare at each other for a moment, as if they both couldn't comprehend the sudden current of events. As if this very concept was one that had been contemplated for ages, but never written out. In all honesty, though.. god, all it did was left him wanting more.
Sword moved his hands to hold his face, as well, pulling him into another soft kiss, pouring out every single drop of affection he had for the other in a single act. The gallons and gallons of love and adoration that'd built up over the months and months he'd been in denial all came rushing to the surface, passing their way through the embrace. He shifted his arms a bit, shifting to hug around his body instead, pulling Rocket closer to him.
He pulled away when they both had to take a breath, feeling the other bury his head under his jaw. Gods, he had the giddiest smile on his face right now. They both did. He could feel it. He laughed a bit, hugging the other as close as he could, moving his head to nuzzle into his hair. Holy shit. This was fucking real. He wasn't imagining this. He was fucking holding the one guy he'd been pining over like an idiot for so damn long, he didn't even know what to think.
"..I love you too, you.. you fucken' dork.." Rocket buried his face a bit more under the other's head, like he was trying to hide his own fluster. Sword almost found the action adorable, honestly. Just laying on the bridge, holding him, with his head tucked under his chin. It was hardly anything he could've ever fucking imagined.
He pulled his head away to look down at the other, his tone happy, yet also a little nervous. "Uhm.. is that.. boyfriends, or?.." All he got for a moment was a frustrated huff onto his neck, and he laughed again. Rocket picked up his head, avoiding his gaze, until a slight little smile came onto his face. He buried his head under the other's again, making sure he didn't accidentally scratch him with his horns while doing so. "..Yeah. Boyfriends."