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"Okay, so you build the house, I get the wood."
Palpers nodded, replying with a simple 'mhm'.
And so, he watches as Vivilly walks away from the area.
Palpers sighed, stepping back. His tail thumped against the grass, swishing from side to side while he pictured how he was going to build the house. It wasn't going to be that detailed anyway, just a little cot that fit for two.
They could put a farm on the side, maybe even breed a few animals. Actually, nevermind. Vivilly despised farming, he only used that as a last resort if there was absolutely no food source.
Speaking of food source, it was quite weird that there were no animals around in the big field Palpers was standing on.
That's...probably normal? Whatever, he had to get started.
//
"Hey, I'm back," Vivilly called out, holding two stacks of oak planks in both his hands. "hurry your ass up with the house, bro. It's getting night time."
"You can't tell me to hurry my ass while your just standing around and doing nothing, idiot!" Palpers snorted, jumping down from the wall he was working on. Vivilly tossed the planks to him, not bothering to reply.
"Do you have a bed?"
"Uhh, nope."
Vivilly groaned. "DUDE… do you literally not take at least ONE bed while looting a village?!"
Palpers shook his head. "I can like, I dunno, kill some sheep or something."
They hadn't lightened the place, no torches or anything. The only thing illuminating their faces was the soft glow from the furnace. Nobody could see anything in the distance, plus the strange disappearance of animals in the area.
"Nah, it's too late for that," Vivilly took a bed from his inventory and placed it in the corner of the half-built house. "You'll have to sleep with me now."
"…What?" Palpers blinked. He stared at Vivilly, trying to make out any expression from the man that said he was joking. He seemed pretty serious about it. "I--I mean, what?" he sputtered again, sounding more flustered than confused.
Vivilly shrugged casually. "You'll have to sleep with me now. I mean, how else are we gonna skip the night?"
Palpers looked away, face burning. "Uh, well--well I dunno…doesn't that seem... y'know?" Vivilly's dense ass obviously didn't notice the elephant in the room here.
Vivillys head tilted to the side slightly.
"Seem what?" He looked at Palpers with innocent eyes. Or were they? Was this just another one of Vivilly's trolls?? No… Vivilly is cheekier than that, so Palpers had a hunch that he's going to have more problems later.
"We don't have to, if ya don't wanna." Vivilly said, suddenly starting to stretch and pop his joints. Why the hell is this man popping his joints while Palpers was burning to ashes from inside out??
"O-Okay, nevermind. Just, do it already," Palpers fidgeted with his hands. "and no funny business, 'kay?"
Vivilly smiled, or probably did, judging by the way he perked up--Palpers couldn't really tell by the mask that hid his face and his emotions along with it. He practically jumped onto the white sheets, mattress creaking from the brute force. Could that bed support the both of them?
He rolled over to make space and gestured for Palpers to come. Palpers took off his hat, shaking his brown dreads out--putting a bonnet on--and tentatively laid down next to the other man. Vivilly giggled, a most certainly mischevious indication that he was up to something.
Vivilly slid his hood and mask off, gently dropping the porcelain to the floor. It'd been a while since Palpers had seen his face, along with his dyed blonde hair. Black roots sat at the top while luscious yellow cascaded down, ending at the neck.
White eyes made of pure void fixated on Palpers.
"Is' been a while since I've seen your face," Palpers started, half of his face buried in his side of the pillow. Suddenly, a surge of boldness courses through him. "your kinda pretty, man."
Shit, why did he say that?!
Palpers realized the words that came from his lips. Okay, play it cool, Palps, guys always act weirdly homoerotic with their friends. He stammered, hurriedly trying to explain himself. "UH--I mean--well, y'know, don't be weird, that was uh, JUST a joke, yeah." FUCK!!! THAT WAS SO ASS!!!!!
Vivilly's face, though only slightly, takes a darker hue. Palpers doesn't notice, or, doesn't acknowledge, because a static sort of feeling finds itself in his stomach. He turns away, groaning in embarrassment. Even worse, he catches Vivilly chortling.
His laughter was beautiful and absolutely humiliating at the same time.
Palpers wanted to die right there and wither away.
If he does by some merciful god out there, at least he'd get to hear Vivilly's laugh a last time.
Unfortunetely, Palpers was still stuck in the same bed with a giggling, lovestruck schoolgirl that possessed Vivilly's body.
"Pfft, you know… I'm open to compliments--"
"Shut UP."
More stupid giggling. If that man laughs one more time Palpers swore that he was going to suffocate him and then himself. "Okaay, okay, I'm gonna sleep now. Night."
Palpers replied with a weird throaty noise. Eh, Vivilly most likely understood that.
Silence took over once more, and the two turned away from each other. How peaceful and quiet it was. Palpers' eyelids grew heavy, and he slowly drifted off to sleep.
Or, he did, for a minute, before all warmth was vicously yanked away from him.
Palpers spun over to face the back of a blanket thief. "Hey, bro, you took all of the blanket." He tugged at Vivillys hoodie, hopefully to get him to let go, to no avail.
"Mmm, not my problem." Vivilly muttered back, pulling the sheets closer to himself.
"Wh-- that IS your problem!! I'm COLD, and SAD, and DYING over here…"
"Okay, fine. Come closer then," Vivilly flipped himself over, scooting towards Palpers.
Palpers eyed Vivilly skeptically, though he still moved nearer. Eventually, the two were face to face, only an inch away from kissing each other.
…Only an inch away from kissing each other.
Neither of them moved away.
Palpers could feel Vivillys soft breathing on him. It made his heart rate double.
They stared at one another in an awkward silence, before the other cleared his throat to snap Vivilly out of his daze. "O-oh, yeah."
Vivilly grunted, pulling up one side of the sheet to try and throw to Palpers' side, and gave up after barely lifting his arm. Palpers pried the blanket towards him, the warmth finally enveloping him once again. Plus a certain someone whose body heat radiated off of himself like a heater, and that body heat would make Palpers even more dizzy with abnormal thoughts. Hey, at least it was toasty. He surely won't be able to catch a cold now.
"…There, happy?" Viv sounded painfully unamused.
Palpers found himself subconsciously giving Vivilly a quirky smirk, which seemed to do nothing but earn himself an eye roll. "Uh, yeah. I am, in fact,"
"Okay, so I won't have to hear your stupid yappin' again right?" Vivilly asked, more serving as a tease than a question. Palpers yawned.
"Dunno, probs not if you don't pull 'nymore stupid shit."
A scoff escaped Vivilly. "Says the one who pulls the stupid shit."
Palpers, in return, gasps dramatically and rolls away, facing the wall with what seemed to be a pout. "WOW. I can't b'lieve ya said that, Viv…I am soooo hurt right nooowww,"
Vivilly glared, obviously unimpressed. Palpers slightly turned his head, beneath brown locs were eyes peering at the other.
"…Really?" Palpers was given a flat look. He gave it right back.
"Really."
"Okay. Well, I'm gonna actually sleep now."
"Mhm. G'night."
//
Vivilly jolts awake with a raw scream tearing the silience.
He sits up with a sheen of sweat dripping down his forehead.
He was shivering. But he was shivering under a thick layer of cotton and wool. And he was cold.
God… he wasn't sick, was he?
A wave of wooziness courses through Vivilly's body and he almost immediately falls backward, if not for a steady hand landing on his back and holding him still. A weak gurgle arose from Vivilly's throat.
"Hey, t-take it easy, man," Palpers said concernedly, "and don't puke on the bed, please." Vivilly groggily looked up and wondered why Palpers was suddenly so much taller and towering over him. He was half a head shorter, as Vivilly remembered.
Palpers' eyebrows knitted together with a worried expression.
Vivilly found himself snorting at that.
Silly Palpers, always being so dramatic.
"Uh, shit, stay still--" The other instructed, shoving at least 2 more pillows behind Vivilly, "--I'll get a glass of water for ya, 'kay?"
Vivilly nodded, his head bopping once before becoming an appendage resting on the pillows. His limbs were jelly, unable to do anything but hang around uselessly. At this point, his whole body was becoming jelly too.
His eyes stay glued to the ceiling, too drowsy to look anywhere else, not even as Palpers rushed back shoving a glass into Vivilly's hands.
"Hey, bro… are you… able to uh, hold the glass right now?"
Vivilly , somehow, sat up straight and tried to lift up the glass before a yelp came from Palpers and he snatched the water away.
"DUDE!! YOU'RE GONNA SPILL THAT!!"
Vivilly looks at Palpers with an unamused expression, opening his mouth and attempting to say "No, I'm not," before a coughing fit interrupted his speech. The other grimaced as Vivilly kept choking on air.
"Okay, bro, I'll help you then," Palpers stated firmly. No, Vivilly shook his head. "You CLEARLY can't do this by yourself, c'mon, stop being stubborn."
He shook his head again, but Palpers already had the glass tilted to his lips. It was a bit awkward, Vivilly reluctantly sipping the water and Palpers holding the glass like Vivilly was a baby.
The water seemed to wake him up, though. He smacked Palpers hand, almost making him drop the glass.
"??!" Palpers, in response, somehow made a gargle and a shriek blend together into an unholy sounding noise. He looked up with a frown. "Not cool, bro,"
Vivilly shot up, kind of confused but like, aware of the situation at hand at the same time, sudden blush creeping up his neck to his ears. "Uh?! Wh--What the hell dude!"
"Sorry…" The other reluctantly mumbled, crossing his arms. "You seemed kinda like you were, like, sick, earlier so I just…"
Why did he want to help me so badly, though…
The thought just made Vivilly's heart skip a beat. No, no it didn't! Get a hold of yourself!! The thought simply made his not racing heart warm in a platonic, non-homoerotic way.
"Whatever, man. I guess I'm just… just tired, is all," He didn't even seem convincing to himself, and judging by the look on Palper's face, he wasn't fooling anyone.
"Anyone can tell your lying, idiot. So, won'tcha tell me what you were screaming about?" Palpers tilted his head, his dreads falling along with the tug of gravity. Since when did he take his bonnet off?
Vivilly didn't question it, but the moonlight washed over Palpers and the light hit him just right, and for some reason he just looked so…pretty, like a main character in one of those otherly dramatic romance movie scenes. Or something. Vivilly pushed down the urge to just--lunge forward and kiss him.
That's really gay… and the last time he remembered, Vivilly was NOT gay. He was confidently 100% straight.
"Earth to Vivilly? Viv? Vi-villy…" Palpers waved his hand infront of said 'straight' man. He gave a lopsided grin. "Hey, am I really that nice to stare at?"
Vivilly blinked. "What? Pfft, no," He scooted back a little. "That's just absurd."
"Sooo? You gonna answer my quesion?"
"That's non'a your business, dude,"
"No, PLEASE!! I need to know, man, c'mon!" Palpers launched himself onto Vivilly, arms snaking around his waist and clinging onto him like a barnicle.
Vivilly squealed, eyes squeezing shut--imitating a scared animal--trying to push Palpers' face away with both hands but end up tangling his hands into Palpers' dreads, resulting in him actually just bringing the other closer. "HEY!! HEY WATCH IT WITH MY DR--reads…?"
Vivilly could actively feel that Palpers stiffened, and opened his curiously to see the cause.
He hadn't even noticed, but Vivilly was practically pinned down by Palpers, their noses barely touching.
In a panic, Vivilly's hands instinctively jerked towards himself, a grave mistake… yanking Palpers down with him and…
Crashing their lips together.
It wasn't romantic or sweet or whatever shit you see in the movies. In fact, it kinda hurt.
…Kinda was an understatement.
Cartilage and teeth clashed together in a blur, drawing blood from the lips that had slipped into said teeth.
Vivilly freed his hands from Palpers' hair as briskly as he could. With his hair finally released, Palpers pulled away with a wince and stared at the man lying on the bed, startled and flushed.
Vivilly's white void eyes did not help with the shock written on his face. He felt like his skin was turning red. His hand flew to his nose, feeling warm blood dribbling down his lips and chin. Both men just sat awkwardly, glaring into each other's souls.
…What the fuck just happened?
Vivilly was the first to look away.
"M'sorry…" He mumbled shyly, hand falling from his face. He glanced at Palpers who was biting on his bottom lip, like he was sucking the blood that came from it from… earlier's mishap. He ran his fingers through his dreads, and Vivilly silently thought that he really wanted to play with his hair, tangling his fingers into Palpers' dreads, fingers curling around his locs.
Nervously, as if on cue, Palpers looked up, and hesitantly brought his thumb up to wipe away the blood under Vivilly's nose. "I… I should be the one apologizing. I started it."
To be honest, it wasn't even that bad.
There's an unholy part of Vivilly that wanted to do that again. But, no. Palpers wouldn't… It would be embarrassing as hell for him to shake his head and look at Vivilly with disgust.
…Palpers didn't look like he hated it.
Vivilly leaned forward, only to avoid swallowing blood, of course. Half lidded eyes stared up towards the other. It seemed to ask the question for him.
Do you want to do that again?…
And then, by miracles from god, Palpers crawled closer, properly straddling Vivilly, his hands placed on either sides of the other's suddenly very clammy neck.
His chest was literally about to explode.
"Viv," Palpers whispered, just hovering over Vivilly. They were just sharing breath at this point.
Vivilly's paitence ran thin. He grabbed Palpers collar and jammed their faces together, tongues intruding each other's mouths needily.
Palpers hands ran up Vivilly's neck, his palms tracing the other's jawline with a newfound sense of confident curiousity.
Vivilly somehow pulls Palpers even closer, their mouths devouring one another with desperation.
Vivilly's chest thrummed with anticipation.
Was he actually doing this? Actually making out with his best friend??
The pit in his stomach told him he was unclean, that he was dirty and tainted for loving a man, but instead of cowering in fear, Vivilly pushed aside the feeling and only focused himself on Palpers eager mouth.
At some point, they both had to pull away for some air.
Palpers wiped a string of saliva from his lips with the back of his hand. He was glowing.
"Wow." He said hoarsely.
Vivilly snorted. "Just wow?"
"Yeah. But not just any wow, it's like… a super duper wow."
"Okay, nice."
A moment of silence came over them.
Vivilly sighed and rested his head back, waiting for Palpers to get off him.
Palpers did not get off him, flopping right onto Vivilly's chest with a dramatic grunt.
Vivilly should've pushed him off. However, he couldn't control his hands and they went to the back of Palpers' head and petted him instead, fingers running through his scalp and brushing against his dreads.
His heart was still racing, thumping in his chest and in Palpers' ear.
"So…y'gonna sleep?" Palpers asked, face still buried in Vivilly's chest.
"Mmh, yeah,"
"…'kay,"
And Vivilly swore he could hear Palpers mumble 'love you' under his breath, and couldn't help but give a quick peck on his forehead.
"Love you too."