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Among all the things that Lovro was worried about before coming out, whether his friends would get along with Ivan was never one of his top concerns.
To be fair, he did feel a bit wary about how Ivan, with his Tomos and Josipa Lisac CDs, would fit in with his crew, but ultimately he came to the conclusion that Ivan’s charms and dry humour would win over his friends.
Well, he never considered that Ivan would be the one who wouldn’t get along with his friends. Or friend, singular.
Which is a bit ridiculous, considering that Jakov probably finds Ivan cooler than Lovro himself. And Jakov’s possibly one of the most easy-going people Lovro’s met, almost as easy-going as Mario, so it is a bit inconceivable that Ivan would have trouble clicking with him.
That brings up another strange thing: for some reason, it seems that Ivan only has an issue with Jakov, as he has no problem getting on with Mario; they’ve already progressed to a sort of overly fake rivalry of a friendship, challenging each other to shoot ten three-pointers in a row or whatever.
And while Ivan’s interactions with Jakov aren’t outright rude or cold, Lovro senses a certain indifferent attitude to Ivan whenever Jakov is with them, too subtle to actually be noticed unless you were looking for it.
Lovro wouldn’t have been aware of it at all if not for how the evidence starts piling up. He first notices when he’s over at Ivan’s place, after skipping their classes in favour of hanging out in his room and not doing anything in particular.
They’re sitting together on his bed, Lovro half-lying down with his legs sprawled over Ivan’s lap. He’s scrolling idly on his phone while Ivan is sketching. He doesn’t know what he’s drawing but he has a sneaking suspicion that it might be another portrait of him, judging by how many times Ivan has been glancing over.
He used to be flustered at being drawn, at being subjected to Ivan’s intense stare, but he’s grown to let himself enjoy being Ivan’s sole focus. He likes watching Ivan draw, anyway. There’s something about that unguarded and intent look on his face that makes Lovro feel stupidly warm all over.
They’re sitting in comfortable silence until Lovro chuckles at something on his phone, making Ivan look up.
“What’s funny?”
“Eva’s comment on Jakov’s post.” Lovro turns his phone around to let Ivan see. It’s a picture of Lovro and Jakov goofing around at the skate park, and Eva has commented in English, ‘Dumb and dumber’.
Lovro’s grinning, but the blank look on Ivan’s face has him realising that it probably isn’t that funny to the average observer.
“It’s kind of an inside joke…” he says sort of defensively as he turns the phone back to himself.
Ivan nods abstractedly, a somewhat stoic expression on his face.
“That picture is nice,” he says. There’s something strange about his voice though, pitched flat and at complete odds with his words.
Lovro gives him a questioning look and Ivan shrugs slightly.
“You two look very close.”
“Yeah,” Lovro replies slowly, confused, “We are.”
Ivan huffs out a small laugh and turns back to his drawing.
Lovro stares at him, still confused, before looking back at his phone. He doesn’t really understand what about the picture is generating such an odd reaction. It’s Jakov holding him in a playful headlock, kissing the top of his head while Lovro’s laughing. Barely anything weird about it.
Ivan pats his feet just then. Lovro automatically draws back his legs, thinking that he wants to stand up, but Ivan stops him, pressing his legs back down to his lap with one hand. Lovro feels his pulse jump several beats at that. Okay, Lovro, chill.
“No, I just wanted to show you,” Ivan says, turning around his drawing to face him. Lovro takes it, smiling when he sees that it’s him and Eva, both caught mid-laugh. A warmth swells in his chest.
“Nice,” he says lamely, then tries again. “It’s great. I really like it.”
Ivan is used to how awkward Lovro gets when he receives a drawing of himself, so he just lets out an amused huff at his reaction. “It’s not finished yet, but do you think Eva would want it?”
“Yeah, she’ll love it,” Lovro says, handing him back the notebook. He asks, half-teasingly, “But you’re not going to give it to me?”
Ivan sets down his notebook and reaches out to cup his hand around Lovro’s neck, leaning in with a smirk. “Well, you can get my drawings anytime you want.”
Lovro rolls his eyes fondly, only making Ivan smirk even more as he leans in and kisses him. Lovro’s melting into the kiss when Ivan suddenly pulls away.
“Seriously, you can request me to draw anything.”
“Uh huh,” Lovro says distractedly, already drawing him back for another kiss.
Once Lovro noticed, he couldn’t stop noticing. Most of it were trivial things that were more speculative on Lovro’s part than actual proof of anything, but they all seem to confirm what Lovro had been suspecting: Ivan does not like Jakov.
It bothers him, obviously, because of course he wants his boyfriend and best friend to get along. It’s weird too, considering that Lovro thought they would have lots of things in common. They have similar cynical views and, well, Jakov may not be a CD-collecting person, but he does act all artsy with his old cameras.
Lovro doesn’t want to go and confront Ivan with anything, however. Who knows, maybe he just needs a bit of warming up before he gets comfortable with Jakov. Maybe whatever little irk that Ivan has with Jakov will naturally dissipate with time.
That’s what he thinks, at least.
The truth of the matter comes out rather unexpectedly one day, after they’ve had their PE class.
Usually Lovro’s glad to change and pack up as quickly as he can, but this time he waits behind in the locker room. Ivan has to stay a little longer after class to do his fitness tests because he was absent the week he was supposed to do it, that unfortunate week after his manic episode.
When Ivan finishes, the locker room has already been emptied out, leaving Lovro zoning out on a bench. He sits up when Ivan walks in.
“Hey, how was it?”
Ivan smiles at the sight of him. “Hey.” He doesn’t risk kissing Lovro, but he does ruffle his hair fondly. “I think I did well. You didn’t have to wait, though.”
“It’s fine, I don’t have a class now anyway,” Lovro dismisses.
Ivan grins as he grabs his gym bag. “Yeah, I know.”
“Stalker,” Lovro teases. “How was your knee, though?”
Ivan shrugs, taking out his clothes to change. “Fine. It hurts more when I stop running, honestly.”
Lovro makes a sympathetic noise. He leans his head back against the wall and watches as Ivan takes off his gym shirt, not bothering to look away or pretend that he isn’t staring.
Ivan doesn’t say anything, but he waggles his eyebrows teasingly before throwing his dirty shirt at Lovro.
“Oh, ew,” Lovro says, feigning disgust, even as he picks up the shirt from his lap and puts it to the side. He doesn’t really mind that much, considering he and Jakov have slung plenty of dirty clothes at each other during sleepovers.
“Is that why you waited?” Ivan says with a smirk, now taking off his gym shorts. “Wanted a private show, huh.”
“Oh, yeah, the dirty showers and sweaty floors are really doing it for me,” Lovro jokes, even as his eyes flicker to Ivan’s dark blue boxers and exposed thighs.
Ivan huffs out a laugh. “Careful, you might condition me into finding the gym sexy.” He pulls on his trousers, and Lovro can’t help feeling faint disappointment at that.
He resigns himself to staring at the toned lines of Ivan’s torso, tracking the way his biceps flex when he raises his arms to put on his shirt. There’s something arresting about the way Ivan moves, smooth and full of sureness. He wonders, fleetingly, whether those same arms would be just as solid as they looked if they were wrapped around his waist, or under his thighs–
“Lovro,” Ivan’s voice cuts through his thoughts. Lovro’s eyes snap back to his face. Ivan’s looking very amused, like he knows exactly what Lovro was daydreaming about.
Lovro flushes deeply. “Sorry, what?”
Ivan looks like he wants to tease him about it, but decides against it at the last minute.
“I asked, the game we played just now was pretty good, right?”
“Oh,” Lovro nods. “Yeah, not bad. I saw you almost foul that guy, though.”
“Ah, right,” Ivan says, raising his eyebrows. “If that was almost a foul, then you definitely got fouled by Jakov.”
Lovro snorts, standing up to get his own bag. “He messes with me more than he touches the actual ball.” He turns around to grab his towel that was hanging on the hook.
“You and Jakov are really close, huh?”
“Yeah,” Lovro replies, then smiles teasingly. “What, you're jealous?”
He's turning to Ivan, anticipating how they both would laugh at the ridiculousness of that idea, but when he actually faces him he's stopped short by the expression he sees: unsmiling, and unmistakably not finding it ridiculous.
Lovro blinks, unsure if he’s misreading Ivan’s reaction. “Wait. Are you actually jealous?”
Ivan shrugs and twitches his eyebrows, “What if I am?”
“You're serious? You're jealous of–,” the idea is truly so ridiculous that Lovro has to make an effort to fight back his laughter, “–fucking Jakov?”
Ivan shrugs again, mouth flattened in a straight line. “Don't make it sound so far-fetched. You guys are always touching.”
“We're not always touching–”
“He had his arms wrapped around your shoulders just now.”
Lovro opens his mouth and shuts it again. “Come on. We were just… play-fighting, you know.”
Ivan raises his eyebrows. “Ah. You do that with everyone? It’s just with him, no?”
“Wait,” Lovro says. “Is this why you act so weird around him?”
Ivan, instead of denying it, just shrugs.
“Bro, seriously,” Lovro says exasperatedly. “I’ve known him since we were kids.”
Ivan’s mouth twists wryly. “I’ve known lots of people since I was a kid. I don’t go around touching them.”
Lovro shakes his head and turns back around to finish packing his gym bag. “You’re being ridiculous.”
But Ivan’s still unrelenting. “You don’t see how he’s always touching you?”
Lovro sighs. “It’s not as bad as you’re making it seem.”
Ivan lets out a short, humourless laugh. “Okay. Well, last week, we were sitting together during break, and he was begging you to go skate with him after school.”
Lovro stares at him. Okay, and?
Ivan looks incredulous. “He was hugging you the whole time, Lovro. He was practically cuddling you, actually, grabbing on to you and snuggling into your hoodie–”
“Okay, you’re exaggerating this,” Lovro says, kind of bewildered at the fact that Ivan noticed and remembered that.
“How about that time you guys were skating at the park and he started tackling you? Actually, maybe every time that you guys are skating, he’ll be finding some ways to touch you.”
“We’re– It’s sports, there has to be some contact–”
“It’s not a team sport, Lovro, you don’t share a board while skating.”
“Okay, but–” Lovro can’t think of a good enough retort. Finally he just blurts out, “This is ridiculous. You can’t be getting mad at anyone else who isn’t you when they touch me!”
Ivan just raises his eyebrows challengingly. “I already do.”
It’s so cocky, even for Ivan, that Lovro is taken aback and can’t think of a response. He just scoffs disbelievingly.
Finally he just shakes his head. “You are so impossible.”
Ivan says, all solemnness. “God has cursed me with a beautiful boyfriend.”
Lovro flushes despite himself, and he rolls his eyes to obscure it. “Shut up.”
He turns to leave the room, and Ivan strides forward to put an arm around his shoulder.
“Forgive me for wanting you all to myself,” he says, tone slightly playful. Lovro catches the look in his eyes though, and knows that he isn’t entirely kidding.
“Can you at least try not to act like a badger around him,” Lovro says, pleading.
Ivan looks like he wants to protest, but at the sight of Lovro’s stern look, he relents. “Well, anything for you.”
“Uh huh,” Lovro says, unconvinced.
The thing is, Lovro doesn't really think he and Jakov are particularly touchy– it's just what they usually act like around each other all these years.
But after that day, he can’t help but start noticing just how much contact there is between him and Jakov. To make matters worse, it seems that every time Jakov is patting him, hugging him or ruffling his hair, Ivan will be there, somehow, his gaze burning a hole into Lovro’s skull.
Lovro tries his best to ignore him, firmly acting like nothing is out of the ordinary, that he doesn’t notice Ivan’s jealousy practically brimming out of his body language. But he has a feeling that Ivan sees right through him, the tension undeniable and only visible to the both of them.
At the very least, Ivan isn’t acting as standoffish with Jakov as before, though he has not eased up on narrowing his eyes at Jakov whenever he touches Lovro a bit too long. Lovro thinks, exasperatedly, that this is probably as nice as Ivan is willing to play. He doesn’t even dare to think what will happen once Ivan decides to completely externalise his possessiveness.
It all comes to a head, however, a week later at a party in Nix-Nikola’s house. Lovro isn’t completely sure why everyone’s there, even people who don't really care for Nix, but he thinks that it being one of the last parties of the semester contributed to how packed it was.
He shows up with Jakov and Mario, and by the time Ivan arrives– late as he always is considering how far away he lives– he’s already several drinks in, well on the way to getting drunk.
He doesn’t have much time to talk to Ivan besides a few words, because Jakov drags him out to look at Nix and some third-graders doing backflips into the pool. It’s ridiculous, and Jakov tries to egg him on, but Lovro’s not that gone yet to actually entertain that idea.
A lot of random things happen in succession: Mario competes in a chugging contest, apparently to impress Tina despite the fact that they have already been going out for a few weeks; someone starts doing handstands on the table; Eva and a girl in her grade starts shotgunning and draws a crowd.
He and Jakov cheer her on, and when she’s done, she stumbles into them, giggling. They hand her paper towels while Jakov starts teasing her, like he always inevitably does. Lovro third-wheels for a minute, laughing as their banter turns into a light-hearted argument about something that isn’t really that serious.
Eventually Nora calls over Eva, and she leaves them, still giggling. Lovro ribs Jakov about them reconciling, as he’s obligated to, while Jakov protests half-heartedly. They’re in a good mood, joking around with each other, just the right amount of tipsy to enjoy the crowded atmosphere.
Lovro’s turning to the kitchen counter to refill their drinks when Jakov brings it up.
“What’s up with your guy, huh? He’s been glaring at me like a hawk the whole night.”
Lovro shrugs, continuing to pour his drink. “Just ignore him. He’s being weird lately.”
Jakov makes a tch sound and nudges his elbow. “Bro, I want to ignore it too, but just look at him! He looks like he wants me dead.”
Lovro turns, searching for Ivan, jolting a little when his eyes catch on him from across the room. He’s standing with Vanessa and Nix, who’s seemingly in the midst of a heated discussion, but he doesn’t even seem to be aware that it’s happening right next to him. He’s staring straight at Lovro, eye contact unwavering, face impassive.
Lovro takes a sip from his drink, feeling Ivan’s gaze burning straight through him as he swallows.
A sharp elbow digs into his side.
“Bro, seriously.” Jakov looks peeved.
“What?”
Jakov just shakes his head. “You two are so obvious.”
Lovro doesn’t try to decipher what he means by that. He tears his eyes away from Ivan, not without some effort.
“It’s nothing, anyway. He’s just being weird because he thinks you and I are too… touchy.”
Jakov barks out a laugh. “Seriously? Oh man, am I a homewrecker now?”
“I mean, you’re already a cheater, light work for you,” Lovro jokes. Jakov raises his eyebrow. “Says you.” Both of them burst into laughter at the same time. Jakov stretches out his palm and Lovro daps him up, still laughing.
“So what,” Jakov says through his chuckles. “He thinks I’m seducing you?”
Lovro scoffs lightly. “Bro, please. You’re so full of it.”
“Aw, no,” Jakov teases, playfully patting Lovro’s cheek. “You just can’t resist me, huh?” Lovro pushes him away with an eye roll. “Yeah, yeah.” He’s smiling; meanwhile the back of his neck prickles with the heated presence of Ivan’s stare.
“Is he actually mad though?” Jakov asks, sobering slightly. “Like if he’s going to be telling you to stop talking to me–”
“Nah,” Lovro shakes his head. “He’s not like that. He knows we’re just friends. He just acts like a badger sometimes.”
“Damn, can’t believe he’s threatened by me.”
Lovro peeks at Ivan from the corner of his eye. He’s still staring, not just in their general direction but at Lovro. He can’t exactly pinpoint the expression on his face, but he's certainly not smiling. Lovro tries his best to maintain nonchalance as he continues talking with Jakov, but he feels the sheer intensity of Ivan’s unabashed stare tangibly, turning his insides into molten heat that threatens to burst through his skin.
He’s mid-conversation with Jakov when he spots Ivan setting down his cup and moving out of the room. Just before he passes out of the doorway, he turns back and catches Lovro’s gaze. The surrounding din fades away in that single split second, leaving nothing but Lovro’s own pulse thudding in his ears, a roar of heat rushing into his head.
Then Ivan turns away and walks out the doorway.
“I’ll just go check on him.” Lovro makes to move, but Jakov grabs his nape and pulls him close, planting a loud, exaggerated kiss on his cheek before Lovro pushes him away in exasperation. “That’ll make him spiral!”
Lovro walks away, shooting Jakov a look that says, Really? But internally he’s thinking, Thank God Ivan didn’t see that.
Lovro gets a bit derailed on his way to find Ivan, stopping by Vanessa who ribs him lightly in her dry, ironic way. Then somehow he gets caught in an argument between both Nix-es which he tunes out as soon as he realises that they were just arguing for the sake of arguing.
He peers into a few rooms before finally stumbling into one with a lone figure in the corner. Ivan’s sitting at a chair, disinterestedly leafing through some books on the desk. He looks up when Lovro enters and closes the door behind him.
“Hey,” Lovro says softly, touching Ivan’s shoulder when he makes his way to him. Ivan immediately grabs his hand when it starts to slide away, slipping his palm into a firm hold.
“You’ve finished talking to Jakov, huh?”
“Yeah,” Lovro replies offhandedly, taking a sip from his drink. It takes him a second before he registers that Ivan’s expression is the same that he saw last week: eyes dark and mouth set in a hard line.
Lovro huffs out a laugh. “You can’t still be jealous of him.”
Ivan merely looks at him with the same clouded expression.
“Ivan, seriously–”
Ivan tugs him by the hand, making Lovro stumble into the open cradle of his seated legs. Lovro’s half-empty glass sloshes dangerously because of his lack of balance, and he makes a sound of annoyance. “C’mon, bro,” he complains.
“I’m not your bro, Lovro,” Ivan says, voice low. His eyes are trained intently on Lovro. “I’m not Jakov.”
Lovro gapes at him, suddenly aware of how tipsy he feels, and how sober Ivan must be in comparison. He swallows, inexplicably nervous.
“I know you’re not,” he finally replies, then attempts a joke: “Thank God for that, I wouldn’t want to kiss his annoying face.”
But instead of having the intended effect, Ivan’s face darkens even further. He pulls Lovro forward by the hand, and this time Lovro actually loses his balance as he tips forward, half-landing into Ivan’s lap.
“What are you–”
A proprietary arm slides around Lovro’s waist, pulling him in properly onto his lap. Lovro instinctively grabs onto Ivan’s shoulder with his free hand, yelping slightly as he’s jostled. “Stop– my drink–”
Ivan plucks away the drink and sets it behind him, all without breaking eye contact with Lovro, before he grabs his hand again, this time tangling their fingers together.
“You’re not kissing him.”
Lovro opens his mouth and closes again, even more confused. “What? Of course not. I literally said I wouldn’t.”
“But you thought about it?” Ivan’s brown eyes are boring into his, impossible to break away.
“No!” Lovro protests. He doesn’t know why they’re having this conversation. “It was a joke, calm down.”
“I don’t want to hear you talking about kissing Jakov.”
“Okay, fine, I won’t say that.”
Ivan stares at him for a moment, so intensely that Lovro starts to squirm.
“I’m not kissing anybody else, dummy, you can chill.”
Ivan decidedly ignores the latter part by continuing his unblinking stare. “Good.”
“You can stop being jealous, okay. This is getting ridiculous.”
Ivan’s hand squeezes his hip. “How can I stop being jealous when you look like this?”
Lovro flushes, breaking his gaze away. He’s well aware that Ivan’s eyes are still trained on him, well aware that he’s currently sitting on Ivan’s thigh, their intertwined hands resting by his lap. But somehow he still feels flustered by a single comment.
“Shut up,” he says weakly, then makes the mistake of meeting Ivan’s eyes again. There is that familiar teasing glint to his eyes, but with the addition of something more earnest, a warmth that makes Lovro break away and shake his head.
“You’re ridiculous,” he says, half fond and half exasperated. “You know you have no reason to be jealous of anyone, anyway.”
“Why?”
Lovro huffs. “Like you don’t know.”
“I don’t, actually.”
Lovro’s about to get frustrated when he realises that Ivan’s undeniably fucking with him, his eyes now hiding that sliver of challenge, sharp and slick.
Okay, then. Two can play at this game.
Lovro lowers his eyes, slowly sliding the hand that’s on Ivan’s shoulder to his nape, carefully parsing through his slowly sobering mind for a response.
“Well,” he starts, and he brushes his thumb over the sensitive spot on the side of Ivan’s neck, hiding his smile when he feels Ivan’s grip tighten on his waist. “I like kissing you.”
The corner of Ivan’s lips twitch upwards. “Yeah?”
Lovro tilts forward slightly, his voice now only a whisper. “Yeah.”
He leans in, their mouths less than a hair-breadth’s away from meeting, then before he can make contact, turns away and presses a kiss to the soft of Ivan’s cheek instead. When he pulls back and sees Ivan’s betrayed expression, he almost laughs aloud.
“What?” he says, faux-innocently, when Ivan continues his sullen stare.
“I know what you’re doing,” Ivan replies sulkily.
Lovro hums noncommittally and slowly rakes his fingers into the hair by the base of Ivan’s nape. “I’m not doing anything. I’m just trying to reassure you.”
Ivan raises his eyebrows. “Ah, are you now?” He shifts Lovro slightly in his lap. “Okay, then. Continue telling me the reasons why I shouldn’t be jealous.”
Lovro makes a considering noise, determinedly avoiding Ivan’s stare as his fingers comb through his hair. He knows if he makes eye contact he’ll lose immediately, so he takes his time with his eyes trained on where his thumb is grazing across the soft divot between Ivan’s neck and jaw.
“I like you better, for one,” Lovro says, and Ivan huffs out an amused laugh. “Okay, thanks for letting me know.”
Lovro tries his best to resist the smile that’s threatening to emerge on his face. “Well, after all, you’re my boyfriend.”
“Your boyfriend?” Lovro doesn’t have to look to know that a grin is splitting Ivan’s face; he can hear it in his voice, in the way he presses their linked hands firmer to the side of Lovro’s thigh. Lovro makes a vague noise in response, his thumb tracing the line of Ivan’s jaw.
Ivan leans in, close enough for their noses to touch. He angles his face to look into Lovro’s lowered eyes. “And you’re mine.”
It isn’t a question. But Lovro pretends to think about it, even raising a shoulder in a slight shrug just to make it all the more frustrating.
Ivan tilts his face in a not-so-subtle bid for contact, but Lovro shifts just out of reach, making Ivan huff out in half annoyance. “C’mon.”
Lovro puts on a tone of obliviousness. “What?”
Ivan’s gaze, half-lidded, slices into him. There’s none of that playfulness from seconds ago, just an unyielding intensity pooled in those dark eyes. “I want to hear you say it.”
Lovro wets his bottom lip, and watches with satisfaction as Ivan’s eyes immediately drop to track the motion. The hand at his waist squeezes tighter. When Ivan speaks, his voice is lower than Lovro’s ever heard.
“Do you want me to beg?”
Lovro finally meets his gaze. He untangles his hand and cups it against the curve of Ivan’s jaw, traces his thumb across the edge of Ivan’s bottom lip slowly, tortuously.
Ivan exhales, his voice no more than a rasp. “Please.”
Lovro sways forward and presses his nose to Ivan’s. A second passes. An eternity. He’s a millisecond, a single breath away from Ivan’s lips. He opens his mouth, his voice barely a whisper. “I’m yours.”
When their lips meet it is more a crush of contact than a kiss, their mouths opening under each other’s with little grace. Ivan’s arm pulls Lovro’s entire torso into him, his other hand sliding up the length of Lovro’s thigh. Lovro can’t help the noise that escapes him when Ivan tilts his face to deepen the kiss, can’t help his hands from smoothing over the broad expanse of Ivan’s shoulders, all the while pulling him closer, impossibly closer.
Ivan’s hand travels from his waist up his back before it cups the back of Lovro’s neck, pressing him forward insistently just as he licks into Lovro’s mouth, pulling a moan from him. Lovro feels his hands like hot brands, at his hip and by his nape, searing points of contact that pulls heat to the very surface of his skin, burning him all over.
He folds himself further into Ivan just as Ivan’s hand pulls him in deeper, meeting each bruising kiss hungrily, headiness rushing through him. Their torsos are pressed flushed against each other, but somehow that’s still not enough– Lovro wants every inch of his skin in contact with Ivan’s, wanting to somehow absorb all that warmth past his skin and into his very core.
It’s messy and graceless, the devouring crush of their lips, yet still unable to sate the desperate hunger gnawing inside him; he cards his hand into Ivan’s hair, urging him for more, deeper. Ivan obliges, his hand curving to fit around Lovro’s face as his thumb catches on his chin, and in gentle insistence pries open Lovro’s jaw wider just to lick into his mouth with even more ferocity. Lovro moans into the kiss, yielding to the firmness of Ivan’s touch, unable to do much more than try to mould his very body into the answering press of Ivan’s.
He feels Ivan’s hand slip up the hem of his t-shirt, his palm broad and warm as it flattens against the side of his abdomen, making him shiver slightly. There’s something intoxicating about the way Ivan’s holding him, steady and knowing, wide palms pressed unmoving against his skin. Under his hands, Lovro is encompassed, cradled into his warmth. But it’s when Ivan’s thumb brushes over the slight of his ribcage, while the tips of his other fingers graze by the line of his spine, that something flares deep within him, making him arch into his touch with a gasp.
“Ivan, have– oh my god!”
Lovro jerks away sharply, almost falling off Ivan’s lap if there isn’t one large hand steadying him by his waist.
He swivels to see Tina standing by the doorway, hand covering her eyes. She peeks through the gaps of her fingers. “God, I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were– um, I mean I knew you guys were together, obviously, I just didn’t know you guys were doing– not that it’s anything wrong, it’s honestly super cute–”
“Tina,” Ivan interrupts her rambling. “It’s fine.” His voice, however, is low and rough and almost certainly suggesting that it’s not fine. Lovro had already turned away his face in embarrassment sometime during Tina’s rambling, but now he drops his head on Ivan’s shoulder to hide the flush that’s overtaking him.
“Okay,” Tina’s voice sounds even more high-pitched than usual. “I’ll just– um. Leave you guys.”
“Wait,” Ivan says, and Lovro snaps his head up to stare at him in annoyance. But Ivan is still looking at Tina, face impassive. “What did you want to ask me?”
“Oh! No, it’s nothing, don’t worry.”
“It’s fine, just ask me now.”
“Oh, I was just going to ask if you’ve seen Vanessa. I saw her talking with you just now.”
Lovro squirms slightly, well aware that he’s still fully sitting on Ivan’s lap and has his limbs practically tangled with Ivan’s. He’s fighting the urge to flee from the room, stopped only by Ivan’s warm hand cradling his waist, his thumb rubbing slow circles across his skin.
“– went back inside,” Ivan’s saying when Lovro tunes back into the conversation.
“Okay, thanks!” Tina chirps. “Oh, also, you guys really are like, super cute together. Maybe even cuter than Mario and I!”
With that, she turns and closes the door behind her. Lovro waits a second before dropping his head onto Ivan’s shoulder again, this time groaning loudly.
“Great. She’s gonna tell everyone about this.”
“I don’t think she will,” Ivan replies mildly.
Lovro gives him a look. “She’ll at least be telling Nix and Vanessa. Who will probably tell Eva. And Eva will tell Jakov–”
“Who had already caught us before, so what’s the big deal?”
“Ugh, don’t mention that. He still makes fun of me for that.”
Ivan smiles at the look on Lovro’s face. “Come on, these are our friends, what are you so embarrassed for?”
“Easy for you to say. You’re not sitting on someone’s lap right now.”
Ivan raises his eyebrows. “Ah, so that’s a problem now?” He leans in with a smirk. “You seemed to enjoy it enough just now.”
Lovro rolls his eyes and pushes him away in faux annoyance, aware that the tips of his ears are burning.
“Is this what you’re going to be like when you get jealous?” Lovro asks exasperatedly. “Next time you might as well just pounce on me when I start talking to someone else.”
Ivan stares at him without blinking. “Sure.”
Lovro gapes at him dumbfounded. “Please don’t.” He notices a glint in Ivan’s eyes. “You’re joking, right. Right?”
Ivan merely smirks and leans in to kiss him. It’s chaste enough, but then Ivan’s hand cups his nape again, and Lovro is parting his lips without resistance, starting to melt into his touch. He somehow manages to break away at the last second.
“Wait,” he says, and flushes at how out of breath he sounds. “Wait, let’s not do this here.”
But Ivan’s moved to kiss his jaw, tracing a finger down his throat just as he presses his lips to Lovro’s pulse point.
“Ivan,” Lovro pleads, but just then Ivan sucks a deep kiss on the curve of his neck, rendering every thought nonexistent. His eyes fall shut as Ivan’s lips travel further and further down, shuddering when he feels the slightest graze of teeth on his skin. He’s holding his breath, waiting for the next kiss, when all of a sudden he feels Ivan draw away. Lovro’s eyes snap open.
“Why did you–”
Ivan’s smirking, infuriatingly. “I thought you said you didn’t want to do this here.”
Lovro just blinks at him for a few moments, fighting between shock and outrage. Ivan seems to find the increasing offense in his eyes amusing. He pecks Lovro quickly on the lips then puts both hands on either side of his waist.
“C’mon, let’s get up.”
He stands and all but hauls Lovro up, and for a second Lovro is in mid-air, grasping onto Ivan’s biceps in alarm, before he is settled back on his feet.
Lovro feels his cheeks burn. “You did not need to do that. Show-off.”
Ivan just grins and kisses him on his nose, then his lips.
“Jealousy is not a good look on you,” Lovro says, just to combat the smugness that’s radiating off Ivan.
“Not a good look?” Ivan repeats, raising an eyebrow. “You know what, I think you secretly like it.”
Lovro feigns obliviousness. “Like what?”
“Me being jealous,” Ivan says, smirking. “You secretly enjoy that, don’t you?”
Lovro scoffs lightly. “You acting like a badger whenever someone else talks to me? No.”
Ivan twitches his eyebrows, eyes glinting, looking very, very pleased with himself. “Uh huh.”
Lovro, instead of trying to argue, just rolls his eyes and pulls him in for a kiss.