Chapter Text
subota 14:35
lovro had tossed his backpack carelessly at the foot of his bed, some of the stuff he’d just gone to pick up from the guys’ apartment spilling out onto the floor.
now that nora was completely back in her own room, it felt reckless to keep hanging around the apartment, so he’d let his old roommates know he was coming by to grab a few things he still needed before officially never sleeping over there again. he definitely would miss vito and maša.
some clothes, socks, a couple of school supplies and that vinyl were the things that, even though he wouldn’t mind leaving them there a bit longer, there was still something inside him that kept bringing that record back to his mind over and over, finally forcing him to go get it, even if he didn’t have a vinyl record player to play it on whenever he wanted.
maybe he’ll just put it on his desk, like decoration next to his own drawing that he was starting to think about framing.
after hearing his mom say she’d be out for the rest of the afternoon, lovro could only grab something quick from the fridge to snack on and stare at his phone with zero interest.
until a message from ivan came through.
he realized he was grinning hugely at the screen, just like he’d been doing all week.
he still couldn’t believe that ivan and him were finally together, and so good. so good that he couldn’t hide it, and every time he caught himself wanting more, wanting to be next to him every single moment, not caring at all if there were people around or not.
he wanted to hug him all the time, touch him, kiss him, just orbit around him the whole day, every hour. he figured he deserved to make up for a little of the “lost” time from the past few weeks. no one could blame him for wanting more he supposed.
having not smoked for several days now, he was actually finding the desserts he used to always turn down from his mom kind of nice. so he grabbed a lemon cupcake and headed to his room, calmly putting on an episode of that anime he was no longer caught up on.
after an episode and a half, the front door rang its bell followed by a little knock.
lovro just smiled wide and shook his head slowly, finding funny that ivan had this habit of announcing he’d arrived in two different ways.
he paused the chapter on his computer and with quick steps went to the entrance.
there he found ivan. he was wearing a t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up past his elbows, his fanny pack pressed against his chest, that watch he adored so much, and his backpack gently resting on his right shoulder.
he smiled at him with his lips pressed together, a little embarrassed while quickly scratching his nose. that nervous tic lovro loved seeing.
— hey.
— hey. — lovro didn’t even think about it, he threw himself into ivan’s arms for a hug, wrapping tightly around his chest while both of them laughed and stumbled awkwardly inside the apartment. lovro still found it unreal how easily he could start physical contact with ivan now. sure, he was aware that with every passing day he loved him more, that overnight his body started orbiting around his boyfriend’s and pulling him in like a magnet, but it still threw him off a little. he didn’t complain, though. and ivan didn’t either.
— your mom’s not here? — ivan asked, taking off the fanny pack and holding it between his hands while smiling at lovro, who immediately went to the fridge to grab a couple of desserts. over the last two days ivan had been saying how much he wanted to try another one of ana’s desserts, since the cake she’d made for lovro’s birthday had been, in his words, one of the best he’d ever had.
— i thought she’d invited you.
— she did, she just didn’t say we’d have the house for ourselves. — ivan took the dessert with one of his big hands, a small smile appearing on his lips when lovro gave him a quick peck on them before heading to his room.
— what? are you scared i might try something? — lovro settled on the bed, kicking off his shark slippers to wrap himself in the sheet, waiting for ivan to lie down next to him while he placed the laptop on his legs.
— yeah, what if you kidnap me or something worse?
— i can think of a lot of other things to do with you before kidnapping you, ivan. — lovro watched ivan grab the laptop and set it on himself as soon as he lay down beside him, so he didn’t miss the chance, he shifted to hug him, throwing one leg over his stomach and draping an arm around his shoulders, letting his face rest in his neck. — but you’re still so shy.
— mhm… — ivan looked at him for a couple of seconds before turning his eyes back to the laptop, curiously reading the synopsis of the anime his boyfriend had been watching before he arrived. lovro lost interest in the show in a heartbeat, starting to softly run his fingers over ivan’s chest, dozing off almost instantly.
the dessert he’d taken as a second one sat on the bed, a hazard in case it started melting or fell and stained the sheets.
ivan noticed, so he apologized before slipping out of lovro’s hold and grabbing the little treat to put it safely on the shelf across the room. thanks to the air conditioning, it seemed almost impossible for it to start sweating so soon—he left lovro’s on the surface and finished his own in just three bites.
before going back to the bed, he stared fixedly at lovro, who was blinking slowly while looking back at him, though a little more lost, sleepy. ivan smiled fondly, lovro looked so adorable tucked in his sheets, curled up on his side like a little cat, his hair all messy and that silly little smile that nothing could wipe off.
for a moment, nothing else seemed to exist between them. that is, until for some reason ivan looked down and noticed something that, somehow, felt familiar.
of course he recognized it, that album cover, he could spot it anywhere.
dnevnik jedne ljubavi, by josipa lisac.
one of the best albums ever made, if you ask him.
he stood there, frozen, trying to wrap his head around why it looked like he was staring at a vinyl of his favorite album by his favorite artist right there in lovro’s room.
lovro dević. the same one who, two months ago that day, had seemed so uninterested and even downplayed how incredible the song o jednoj mladosti was. like it was nothing.
maybe he stood there longer than he meant to, because lovro finally noticed something was off.— ivan? — he asked then.
the sleepiness vanished from his system in an instant as he followed ivan’s lost gaze, which was fixed on the bottom of his bed. he panicked for a second that there might be something inappropriate down there, it had been at least a month since his mom had last cleaned his room, just because she couldn’t stand the disaster he slept in. lovro had begged her never to do it again.
he looked down, first sighing in relief when he didn’t see anything weird, but then his heart dropped to his stomach when he realized what his boyfriend was staring at in such awe. that damn vinyl.
he practically threw himself to the floor, shoving it as far back under the bed as he could, then quickly straightening up and looking at ivan, elbows propped on the floor and legs still on the mattress.
then, a mischievous smile started forming on the taller one’s lips. and lovro could only swallow a frustrated scream and roll his eyes. he would’ve preferred if ivan had spotted that condom jakov gave him weeks ago and gotten all kinds of wild ideas instead of this purchase he wasn’t exactly proud of.
— don’t say anything. — he dropped his head to the floor, letting half his body dangle off the bed. ivan laughed softly before sitting down next to him and rubbing his back, helping him sit up like he weighed nothing.— um…
— i didn’t know you were such a josipa fan. — that lopsided little smile, the one that showed off his cheek dimples, squinted his eyes, and flashed that tiny fang, sent a thousand unnamed emotions rushing through lovro. but right now he was painfully aware of what he felt. embarrassment.
he was mortified.
— about that…
— i’d like to know since when, if i can ask…
— no.
ivan laughed, openly admiring his boyfriend’s shy face from up close, so red it looked like a rose. lovro couldn’t handle the intense stare and buried himself in his chest. both of them laughed, lovro from pure embarrassment and ivan because he knew he didn’t need to know anything; somehow he felt like he already knew it all.
— since you’re such a huge fan of the greatest singer of all time… — ivan lay back down with lovro still curled against his chest, quickly opening youtube on the brunette’s laptop to search for that first song they’d listened to together. even though he wasn’t a big fan of streaming music from platforms like youtube, the volume was capped and the songs didn’t sound as good, he knew perfectly well that lovro didn’t have a turntable in his room.
without saying a word, the song started playing. he set the laptop carefully on the floor beside the bed so they wouldn’t step on it by accident, then lay on his side, facing lovro, who was still avoiding his eyes.
— great song. — he managed to say, earning a nasal laugh from ivan.— after a few tries you start to get into it.
— aha…
— and… — though it took him a lot, lovro found the courage to meet his gaze.— you really understand what love is when you listen to it…
ivan stayed quiet, smiling at lovro while one of his hands stroked his back. the other, a little braver, moved to his cheek. they just stared intensely at each other for a couple of seconds before both gave in to the tension, starting to kiss deeply.
al presućuju da taj svijet krade
lovro could taste the sweetness of the strawberry dessert on ivan’s mouth, along with his burning breath and wet tongue.
baš tvog sunca sjaj
ivan tasted something more tart, but just as pleasant. he could feel their saliva mixing in that messy, careless kiss. it was the first time they’d kissed like this. so intense. so needy.
jedna mladost, jedan san sreće
ivan’s big hands on his waist, gripping hard, sent electric currents up lovro’s entire back. all he could do was press his left hand harder against the nape of ivan’s neck, urging him closer, to deepen the kiss even more if possible. his other hand, mischievous, caressed one of his boyfriend’s biceps, lifting the t-shirt so his fingers could feel the strong muscle, the soft skin, and the tension that built when ivan tightened his own grip.
aldo nje još dalek, dug put
he knew lovro was thinner than him, he’d somehow known it even when he’d only seen him in layers of clothes and those big jackets. but feeling it for himself while they kissed nonstop in a room that kept getting hotter was something that hadn’t even shown up in his best fantasies. and he’d had plenty.
even though his intense hold on lovro’s slim waist was more from nerves and the need to cling to something before losing his mind, lovro took it differently, so he gasped against those thick lips when he took one of his hands and guided it lower to his hip, pressing there and melting into another kiss. one that was stealing the air from both of them.
— lo-
vro pressed both hands to the taller one’s cheeks, licking over his lips, scattering little kisses at the corners of his mouth, smiling the whole time because ivan was red as a tomato. he wasn’t even moving anymore. yeah, his boyfriend really was way too shy.
he’d have to figure out how to change that. and fast.
ivan shifted a little, both of them staring at each other and realizing the song had already ended. they couldn’t tell if it had just stopped or had been over for hours.
— uh… — ivan smiled in that weird, overwhelmed way. lovro just laughed right in his face and sat up on the bed, slipping his shark slippers back on while wiping away the drool escaping the corner of his lip, he couldn’t tell if it was his or ivan’s, and that made his stomach bubble with pure happiness.
— you can shower first. — lovro went over to the abandoned little dessert, picking it up and instantly enjoying its flavor. just tasting it brought back the same taste on his boyfriend’s tongue and teeth. — we have to go to ema’s exhibition.
— i don’t remember her inviting me.
— we’re going anyway. — lovro grabbed the towel that was carelessly thrown over one of the chairs in his room and tossed it at ivan.
subota 18:10
both got out of the cab a little far away from where they were supposed to meet ema and probably his friends. that way, they’d have time to walk a bit and chat without the stupid driver staring suspiciously at them through the rearview mirror.
lovro kept thinking about how ema really seemed to be stealing his whole group of friends, so he just laughed at the thought and shook his head. she really did click with everyone. even with him, he just could never like her the way everyone would expect.
he felt his phone vibrate in his jacket, so he pulled it out and turned it on halfheartedly, stopping his steps right behind some parked cars, where there was a dark alley that was probably full of the trash bins from the nearby shops.
— what’s so funny? — ivan stepped closer to lovro, pressing his chest against the brunette’s head to see what was causing that pretty little laugh. lovro just handed him the phone, and ivan laughed when he saw the chat with jakov. he really liked the guy a lot, and he was happy lovro had such an amazing friend.
it still made him a little embarrassed to think about him and know that lovro must’ve told him what happened two weeks ago. with a bit of hope, he wished he was the only one who knew.
he watched lovro glance around quickly before rising onto his tiptoes and giving him a fast kiss on the lips. it still blew his mind that both their mouths were still a little swollen. almost an hour ago, they’d kept up their kissing session after taking their separate showers.
there was something about the way they kissed that left them wanting more, unsatisfied. both of them too insatiable, and it embarrassed them to admit it. or well, just ivan. but lovro was getting really good at provoking him with words until he had no choice but to end up kissing him.
like now.
— shouldn’t we be going to-?
— is that more important than me? — something ivan wasn’t sure he’d ever react indifferently to was the strength in lovro’s soft hands when it came to holding and gripping things. he’d grabbed ivan’s jacket so tightly that ivan could only straighten forward and let lovro kiss him as much as he wanted. his own hands were hovering in the air; he didn’t dare touch him.
intense kiss. outside. anyone could see them any second. public indecency.
lovro pushed him into the alley, smiling before attacking his lips again, this time making ivan groan from the impact of his back against the wall. he squeezed ivan’s cheeks, slid his hands down to his neck, shoulders, biceps. but ivan still didn’t know what to do with his own hands.
— come on, ivan, please. — lovro frowned, grabbing ivan’s hands and placing them around his shoulders. it was funny, the hunched-over pose his boyfriend had. — i didn’t see you this nervous with sonja. — even though it burned in his throat to bring up the past, it was something he’d been thinking about for a while.
did ivan actually care what other people said? now he was the one who didn’t care, but was he crossing some kind of line just because ivan couldn’t find a way to say no?
there were a couple of seconds of silence that felt like forever. a pair of guys walked through the parking lot laughing, oblivious to the rising tension between the couple behind one of the trash containers. empty, and luckily not giving off any weird smell.
— i’m sorry. — lovro said after an intense exchange of looks. he just let his face drop onto ivan’s chest, smiling a little at the ivan’s double t-shirt and shirt, plus his trusty fanny pack. honestly, he couldn’t picture him without it. — i shouldn’t have said that.
— no, no. — ivan cleared his throat, trying to lighten the mood. — i get what you’re saying. and you’re right, i… acted different with her.
— okay…
— but not for the reason you think. — the taller one sighed, lifting lovro’s face with one hand while the other settled on his cheek, tracing the three beautiful moles. — i know… with you it’s harder for me to act more… loose? but it’s because- you make me so nervous.
» i mean, you’re so beautiful and pretty, and every time i look into those gorgeous eyes my heart races, and it embarrasses me that you might think i’m a loser or something like that.
— well…
ivan laughed from pure awkwardness. — yeah, that you still think that about me even more. with sonja… i didn’t feel anything, so i let her do whatever she wanted. and maybe that was wrong, i couldn’t figure out my own boundaries just to avoid hurting or embarrassing her in public. and with you… i know i can freely tell you when we can do certain things or not, and how much. and if i don’t say no, it’s because… yeah i want- to go a little further but… it scares me that if i go too far and overstep, you’ll feel like you have to just accept it and not tell me no. or that i’ll feel so much in the moment that my stupid shit ruins it or that-
— hey. — lovro placed his hands on his boyfriend’s cheeks. copying the way ivan traced his moles, he did the same. unlike his own, ivan’s moles were smaller and more subtle, but there were still several dotting his guy’s face. he loved them. — don’t jump to assumptions so fast, okay? remember we said we’d go minute by minute, yeah?
— okay
— i want you to understand… that whatever we do between you and me. you know, of this nature. — he laughed at the word choice. — it’s because i want to. and you can perfectly tell me if you want me to stop, you know i will. also, i know we’ve already talked about it, so i don’t want you to feel obligated- like if we take our kisses to a more… intense level, it’s because we have to go all the way.
ivan looked at him intensely, enjoying the slight sparkle in his boyfriend’s blue eyes. they were big, expressive, and so, so beautiful. like an asteroid was reflected in them. one from some super popular fairy tale he loved reading as a kid.
— what i said was wrong. i shouldn’t compare myself to your other relationships, and i don’t want you to treat me the same as any ex you’ve had. what our relationship is, we’ll discover and build it together.
— minute by minute, right?
— you loved it when i said that, didn’t you?
— you have no idea, batboy. — he smiled with all his teeth, one of his fangs peeking over his lower lip. — it was so… inspiring. you’re inspiring.
— you think so?
— oh, absolutely. — without thinking too much, ivan placed both hands on lovro’s lower back, pulling him closer to his body while leaning against the wall. lovro put both hands on his chest, pressing even nearer. — i want another inspiring phrase. what are we gonna do in the next minute?
— in the next minute… — lovro directed his gaze to his boyfriend’s thin lips. — we’ll kiss…
— mhm…
— was that inspiring enough?
ivan grinned wide, infecting lovro with it. both laughed before pressing their lips together in a slow, soft, innocent kiss that soon escalated to something more intense. much more needy and careless. dirty. it was even more intense than the kissing session they’d had in his room not even an hour and a half ago.
just the idea of kissing his boyfriend so much harder and needier outside than when they were “safe” in the privacy of his house gave lovro a weird thrill. it gave him an idea he wouldn’t know how to handle.
he’d never get enough of ivan kovačić.
and that thought only got stronger when ivan flipped their positions, and now it was lovro who hit his back against the wall with a thud. a gasp escaped him as he tried to keep up with the taller one. ivan guided his hands from lovro’s hair, where his fingers caressed and gently tugged at some strands, to his cheeks and finally to his waist. squeezing, claiming. the brunette couldn’t stay behind, so he slipped his hands under the two open t-shirts his boyfriend was wearing to caress his back better.
their tongues seemed to fight over who got to be more dominant, both claiming each other’s mouths in the meantime, with shared strings of saliva and little bites on each other’s lips. lovro couldn’t even muffle the gasps escaping him, and ivan was the type to sigh between every kiss, both enjoying it to the max.
until lovro’s phone buzzed.
jakov.
both let out a frustrated groan, which made them laugh because they knew they were left wanting more. it was okay, after all, they had time.
they’d always have time.
he answered the call after calming down in a couple of seconds, rubbing his head before starting to walk toward the entrance of the place, with ivan right beside him. he also fixed his clothes better.
ivan didn’t pay much attention to what lovro was saying. he just heard his little laugh and a “i swear i’m at the entrance” before hanging up. lovro looked at him with a small smile before slipping back into that cool-guy facade.
ivan smiled before starting a conversation.— you think i look okay for this thing? — he asked, honestly a little insecure about the way lovro had suggested he dress. he only had a button-up shirt and his jacket in his backpack, but lovro had thought of the perfect outfit for him and ended up lending him one of his t-shirts.
— yeah, look at me. we just left the house. — lovro answered without really looking at him. there they were, the nerves kicking in after acting so shamelessly. — well- do i- do i have tufts in my hair?
ivan laughed at the question. but of course he did. if he hadn’t messed it up himself by the way he was holding him while kissing, lovro would’ve done it with how many times he ran his hand through those chestnut strands. — a few, hold on. — was all he managed to say, reaching out with one hand to flatten the wild little hairs. — there.
— thanks. — was the last thing he said before turning his attention to the girl already waiting for him at the entrance.
would it be weird if he greeted her? he decided he didn’t care anymore.