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“Okay, repeat the story to me one more time,” Ivan sounded from the bathroom in which he was currently getting ready. Both Ivan and Lovro were getting ready at Ivan’s place to meet up with Jakov and Eva in their usual hangout spot- or well, Jakov and Lovro’s usual hangout spot.
Lovro was actually not getting ready as he was already dressed and ready to go. He just came over to Ivan’s place a few hours ago to spend some time with his boyfriend, just so they can co-exist together. They spent a few hours just enjoying each other’s company and maybe a few hours of heavy make out sessions that maybe turned into something more. So sure, Lovro took a shower but besides that he was ready to go, only waiting for his boyfriend, who just couldn’t comprehend the idea of an agreed meet up time, to finish getting ready.
But it was nice, sitting peacefully smoking a cigarette at his boyfriend’s place and talking about nothing and everything while his boyfriend was getting ready. It was very domestic, a type of domestic Lovro couldn’t imagine sharing with anyone a few months back.
Even though Lovro and Ivan have been dating for a few months now and everyone from Lovro’s friend group has met and- instantly mind you- fell in love with his boyfriend, life has been easier. Sure, Lovro now had to endure constant thirst for his undeniably hot boyfriend, but it was nice, more than nice: it was all Lovro had ever dreamt of without even realizing it himself.
Truth be told, their journey to one another wasn’t at all easy. It definitely wasn’t a fairytale; it was raw and hard like all good things. But Lovro still wouldn’t trade it for the world. It definitely wasn’t easy being in a relationship, it was hard navigating emotions and having to actually communicate but he still woke up every day wanting to fight for that man. That annoying and unnecessarily hot man whose agenda today was definitely to annoy Lovro.
He has told the story of his past mistakes once before and he knows that his annoying boyfriend knows the story too, he just likes to poke at Lovro sometimes. He isn’t at all proud of what he’s done, lying and separating his best friends, worst of all, he just hates himself for the person he was: bitter and sad, very sad person. Even though he apologized profusely to both Jakov and Eva, even now, years later, whenever he is reminded of what he’s done he cringes at himself and wishes to find the highest point he could and just throw himself off of it.
Lovro finds it hard to admit but at heart, he is a real gossip. So it’s funny and kind of poetic- in a really weird way- that he had found a boyfriend who is too, a big gossip. The moment Ivan picked up on the tension between Jakov and Eva, he couldn’t contain it and asked Lovro what’s going on there. Lovro, who tries to practice self restraint- which is very, very hard with a boyfriend as hot as his- also couldn’t contain himself and sang the story immediately.
Though, he had to find the courage to tell the whole story and how exactly he participated in Jakov and Eva’s breakup, which only meant he had to open the very deep wounds he had carried within himself for years on end. But his boyfriend was nothing but accepting and warm. Not once being disgusted or weirded out by Lovro. Ivan just listened and picked up broken pieces of Lovro that had fallen off of him as he recalled the story. Lovro learned that day that loving someone really means ‘in sickness and in health’.
“Shut up, bro. You only want me to tell you so you can laugh at my miserable past self,” Lovro spat out from the couch's armrest he was currently sitting on. He was smoking a cigarette while chatting with his boyfriend about random stuff, y’know, like normal couples do. But Ivan being Ivan, had an agenda today. That agenda was definitely to annoy Lovro.
“No, I actually want to know, baby,” Ivan emphasized the pet name and Lovro gulped. He knew he had a problem with over usage or usage in general of the term ‘bro’ with Ivan. He got better at it since they actually started dating but sometimes it just slipped, usually when Ivan was being Ivan which just meant he was annoying Lovro however he found amusing at that moment.
“I’ll make you a deal,” Ivan stated, rounding the corner while fixing his unreasonably big watch on his unreasonably attractive hands. Lovro found that action unnecessary, like completely. His shirt was already nicely curving all the right places on Ivan’s body and the watch was just emphasizing his very nice hands. He couldn’t help himself but stare openly at his very hot boyfriend. “Tell me the story one more time and I’ll stop prestering you for ‘bro’. At least today,” The taller man grinned and suddenly appeared right in front of Lovro, looming over Lovro’s own self with his shit eating grin and very annoying aura glued to him.
“I knew it couldn’t be that easy,” Lovro huffed out rolling his eyes loudly, partly exaggerating and partly not. Truth was, his boyfriend really did sometimes get on his nerves, but on the other hand his boyfriend also liked when Lovro was a bit mean with it. It was a bit funny how well they fit together, like two pieces of puzzle.
As Lovro glared at his boyfriend, trying not to let him know how hot this whole scene Lovro found; Ivan standing tall over him leaning slightly on the half open window while Lovro himself sat soundly, cross legged on the couch's edge smoking a cigarette.
His boyfriend also had an amazing sense of knowing when he could press further and do something stupidly hot like, for example, take the cigarette from Lovro’s hand and inhale a few quick breaths of smoke deep in his lungs. Lovro knew that his boyfriend was very well aware of what Ivan smoking did to Lovro- which was backed up by far too many make out sessions that turned into rough and hurried explorations of each other’s bodies- just because Ivan smoking turned on Lovro a little too much.
Lovro also knew Ivan purposely did the very sexy head roll back as he exhaled. Maybe Lovro did something very nice in his past life because getting to openly stare and maybe do something to his boyfriend really is heaven on earth.
Lovro had to snap out of his thoughts otherwise no one is going anywhere tonight. “Okay, I’ll tell you once more, then we will never speak of this again, okay?”, Ivan’s head rolled downwards to stare at Lovro with a small smirk and glistening eyes. Lovro suddenly found his throat dry.
“Eva was lonely and Jakov told her to find friends that aren’t the two of us and she did. Y’know, you met them all, very annoying friends, just like you.”
Ivan nodded once, a smirk spreading across his face, “But you love them all, especially the last one.”
“Yeah, yeah, I unfortunately do. Anyways, a little bit of miscommunication later Eva kissed another guy and Jakov found out and well, they broke up. The end,” Lovro sounded off, trying to appear nonchalant. “Oh, and before they broke up for real they fucked. Or well, they fucked and then broke up? I don’t know and I don’t care, it's just funny bringing it back.”
Ivan let out a huff of laughter and handed the cigarette back to Lovro who took it without hesitation inhaling the smoke once more.
“C’mon, we both know that’s not the whole story,” Ivan pressed, his knee suddenly finding itself pressing into Lovro’s. Only now did Lovro notice how much closer Ivan was standing, almost fully in his personal space. He hated that he loved the fact that normal- and what was usually considered innocent touches- by Ivan were making him dizzy. He also hated that he loved Ivan’s agenda today, annoying Lovro only to make him mean back. Lovro was getting dizzy which was not ideal considering they are already late to meet up with Jakov and Eva.
Lovro gave Ivan a look, a look that meant ‘shut up or you’ll regret it’, or at least he tried, someone had to be sane in this relationship and tonight it definitely wasn’t Ivan. Ivan also wasn’t the smartest man and sometimes didn’t know when to stop, so he pressed his other knee onto Lovro’s, now definitely all in his boyfriend’s personal space.
“What, you really want me to say how badly I fucked up and porpously told Eva cheated so I could break her and Jakov up because I was so desperately in love with my painfully straight best friend?”
“I wouldn’t say he is painfully straight..”
“What?”
“Nothing,” Ivan sounded off with a small smile on his face. Lovro was definitely off his game today as he realized too late that Ivan’s hand was suddenly finding its way to his neck, making a home there and just.. existing. Lovro really hated his boyfriend sometimes. Ivan knew what gentle touches did to Lovro but that was exactly the reason Ivan did it, to rile him up. Why? Lovro didn’t have an answer for that, only that he was dating the most ridiculous man on planet Earth.
“Anyways..” Lovro sounded trying to get his throat to work but it was suddenly too hard to swallow let alone speak. Nevertheless, he tried because the day he lets his boyfriend win easily at making him all flustered like a teenage girl, is the day Lovro Dević is dead. “Yeah, I fucked up and I am a bad person. Anything else you wanna know about your awful boyfriend?”
“You are not a bad person, let alone an awful boyfriend,” Ivan spoke softly, for the first time tonight dropping his teasing voice and cookiness and actually looking at Lovro fondly. The usual look he gave Lovro was all present on his face, the one that screamed ‘you hung up all the stars in the sky for me’. That look made Lovro weak in the knees more than his usual cooky grin and teasing smirk.
Lovro smiled softly back, letting his boyfriend know he appreciated the words. While Lovro usually found himself overthinking his past mistakes, Ivan would occasionally press him further into retelling them. But he did that only because he wanted to get to know his boyfriend. Ivan never crossed a line where he actually made Lovro uncomfortable about something. Lovro loved that his boyfriend knew him so well to never actually cross any of his boundaries, which was a bit odd if Lovro thought about it more than he needed; because how is it possible a person you’ve known for less than a year understands you on such a deep level? Ivan was maybe the first person from whom Lovro actually enjoyed the touches, caresses and teasing. He was also probably the only one Lovro let push his boundaries. It was definitely nice for all of those things to be Ivan.
Lovro let his head fall lightly into Ivan’s warm hand that was still tightly placed on the side of his neck, the only difference being the slow caress of Ivan’s thumb on his jaw. Ivan got the message and softly cupped Lovro’s cheek and suddenly, Lovro melted completely in Ivan’s hand.
Lovro’s stare never wavered, it only intensified. He could see his boyfriend’s dark brown eyes glistening with something. A quick smirk appeared on Ivan’s face and for a moment Lovro thought his boyfriend would be normal- for once- and do something ‘normal’. But alas, his boyfriend never does anything predictable.
He felt the cigarette in his hand being taken away- in all fairness Lovro had completely forgotten about it. Ivan took a few quick puffs just so it would start to burn again and once it did, Ivan inhaled. Suddenly, Lovro found himself face to face with his boyfriend and in a quick move his lips were pressed against Ivan’s. Quickly Ivan’s tongue asked for permission to enter and Lovro was long gone to put up any fight.
What he didn’t expect was Ivan pushing smoke into his mouth. It surprised Lovro, he didn’t expect Ivan to do it but he also found himself liking this a bit too much. He moved closer to Ivan and grasped at his shirt, really anything to stabilize himself and bring his boyfriend and his soft lips even closer. He didn’t have the moment to process what was really happening as the smoke spread to his lungs and in what Lovro thought was the most awkward way to inhale smoke and continue kissing his boyfriend; he inhaled the smoke.
His hands found their place in Ivan’s hair and he pulled, grip hard on his hair as Ivan’s head rolled backwards. Ivan’s hand pressed tightly into Lovro’s hip almost as if he feared Lovro would somehow run away from the heated makeout. Lovro never wanted to leave, ever. His tongue found its way in Ivan’s mouth and explored the same place he explored so many times before. Teeth crashed together and tongues battled, no one wanting to be the one to pull away first.
Even if Lovro could stay here forever and kiss Ivan, it was getting hard to breathe, especially after inhaling smoke moments before. Both pulled away at the same time and just stared at one another, hands never moving from their rightful places, if anything they only pressed harder trying to communicate with another to keep going without saying anything.
Ivan being Ivan, smirked. Lovro knew it was on.
Ivan took another big inhale from the cigarette and then attacked Lovro’s mouth once again. This time Lovro was ready and waiting for the smoke and Ivan’s lips, so he inhaled the moment Ivan’s mouth parted and smoke started filling his own mouth. He inhaled as much as he could while continuing to kiss Ivan. This time he had the idea how to do both so continuing to kiss him while inhaling the smoke was easier. His throat no longer dry as the mixture of both their spits filled his mouth and wetted his lips. The kiss was everything but nice, it was: nasty, hard and very, very hot. His lips moved on their own, constantly chasing Ivan’s who was eagerly returning the kisses and bites to Lovro.
Lovro suddenly remembered where they are, that Ivan and Lovro aren’t the only humans on earth and that they were doing something more productive before starting their makeout session. While it pained Lovro to break the kiss, he had to be mature for once in his life and push Ivan away. Ivan whined lowly and Lovro’s interest piqued again, but it really wasn’t the time. Ivan was staring at him, straight into him. His mouth gaped open, he was breathing hardly trying to catch his own breath. His pleading eyes filled with greed and were glistening and in the corners of eyes small tears formed. His lips wet and ruined, hair messy and neatly ironed shirt ruined once more. He looked like a dirty wet dream. Lovro wanted nothing more than to take Ivan by his ruined shirt and climb him like a tree, but he had to remain grounded. He also knew he himself didn’t look any better which, if they were to hang with their friends, was not a good look to wear.
“Stop it you animal,” Lovro tried to growl but his trembling voice gave him away and his real desires. Ivan- of course- grinned.
“Animal, huh?”
“Shut up.”
“I get you going that much, huh?”
“No.”
“No? Then should I ask your voice why is it breaking right now?” Ivan teased and Lovro’s mood was ruined.
Lovro stood up and faced Ivan, even if he stood tall he was still a few centimeters shorter than him. Nevertheless, the glare Lovro pointed at Ivan was making up for his lost height. He got closer to the taller man and his hand found its place back on Ivan’s shirt, placed just between his shoulder and ribs. He caressed the shirt there slowly, pretending to fix it until his gaze snapped back at his boyfriend. He leaned in closer and he knew, Ivan was expecting another kiss. So he leaned even closer, their lips almost touching, so close Lovro could feel the heat radiating off of him.
Just as Ivan closed his eyes and started to lean in, Lovro missed his lips and leaned in close to his ear. Ivan was, rightfully so, surprised. “If you don’t stop and finish getting ready,” Lovro stated, trying his best to appear intimidating, “You won’t get to kiss these lips for a week.”
He leaned back from Ivan and gave him a low smirk, feeling victorious. Ivan was stunned into silence, obviously not expecting this treatment from his boyfriend. Ivan’s expression only fueled Lovro’s ego more, he absolutely loved it when he shut his boyfriend into stunned silence after torturous moments of being ragebaited by him.
Lovro leaned in closer once more, this time giving a quick peck to Ivan’s cheek and slapping softly another. “Finish that cigar, I am going to fix the mess you made of me. We leave in five minutes,” Lovro exclaimed, letting him know his- their- plans.
And then he walked away, knowing Ivan’s eyes followed him whenever he went, even in the whole other room he could feel the stare Ivan was giving him. He was obsessed and a bit crazy like that. Ivan was a madman but someone would argue Lovro was an even bigger one as he enjoyed all the things Ivan did a bit too much.
-
“Yoo!” a loud voice greeted them both, it was Jakov. Both him and Eva were sitting on the ground next to one another, their knees slightly touching. “Do I even want to ask why you are late?”
“I mean, I could tell you but I can’t promise you’ll like it,” Lovro replied with a huge smirk plastered on his face as he dabbed Jakov up. Next to him Ivan went to hug Eva in greeting.
“Okay then, I don’t wanna know!” Jakov exclaimed as he dabbed up Ivan in greeting.
“I want to know,” Eva replied as she hugged Lovro, a very familiar camera in her hands recording the whole interaction. He gave her a look and she giggled while Jakov exhaled loudly, clearly wanting his presence to be known but even more his sadness in not having his camera with him anymore.
This time Ivan grinned and went to sit next to Eva, “Y’know, it’s been ages since you made that bet, remind me, why is it still going?” He questioned both but glanced in Eva’s direction. “I mean, it’s clearly over, right? You won.”
“Well..” Eva started but quickly gave up, trying to find all the good reasons as to why the bet was still ongoing. She started fiddling with the camera, obviously a nervous antic she incorporated from hanging out too much with Lovro. They were becoming a lot like one another, it was a weird thing to experience for Ivan. Also a bit confusing.
Sadly, Eva’s mind came up blank and Ivan quickly glanced at Lovro who was sitting down on a lower stair directly beneath Ivan. Lovro quickly glanced back at Ivan, probably reading his mind or sensing Ivan’s eyes on him. Both of them decided they are able to read each other’s mind because of how in love they were rather than normal human experience of sensing when someone’s eyes are on you.
“I mean,” Jakov started, “It started off as a lousy bet but now we kind of just continued to do it. I don’t know, it helps us get better grades?”
“Oh please, you still barely passed your last chem exam, who are you lying to right now?” Eva laughed and lightly pushed Jakov’s shoulder. Both boys once again quickly glanced at one another.
“It’s still better than before!” Jakov defended himself, wailing his hands around and lightly pushing Eva back. “Before, I would fail it immediately and then I would have to retake it, now I got a pass because I actually studied.”
“Yeah yeah, keep telling yourself that,” Eva rolled her eyes and tried to hide her soft smile but sadly for her it really wasn’t working considering she had the most bambi looking eyes Ivan had ever seen. Apart from Lovro, of course. Anyone who looked well enough, could see her soft smile, especially the way her eyes and whole face glistened when she spoke to Jakov. “Anyways, what are you two up to? Besides apparently being horny rabbits,” Eva questioned, turning her whole attention to Lovro and Ivan.
“Oh nothing y’know, blissful married life. Same old same old,” Lovro replied trying to pass it off as a joke but in reality it was exactly like a blissful married life should look like, at least to Lovro, and he absolutely loved his life lately.
“Oh boo hoo! Ew! Don’t come here and spread your gay blissful relationship at us! I’m tired of hearing about relationships wherever I go!” Eva moaned, letting her head fall back feigning real annoyance.
“That’s homophobic, Eva,” Lovro deadpanned.
“Fuck off, you know what I meant,” Eva glared at Lovro who was barely holding back a laugh. “I’m so serious! I’m not a homophobe, I’m just a hater.”
“You? A hater?” Ivan questioned Eva, actually looking a bit shocked.
“Ohh big time. Especially lately when people- and by people yes, I mean you two!- come talk to me and immediately start talking about their awesome and super cute and blissful relationships.”
“What’s so bad about being in an ‘awesome and super cute and blissful relationship’?” Ivan questioned Eva, now fully invested in her rant against anyone’s relationship, including his and his boyfriend’s who is definitely awesome and super cute.
To a naked eye her reaction was unnoticeable, the way her face shifted into something different, like she was weighing her options here. The small smile on her lips and a quick glance to her right towards a certain unknowing boy suddenly made sense.
Ivan would like to pride himself in being perceptive, he notices things most people don’t notice. He sees the way people act around people they love and people they hate, around stuff they find lovable and stuff they find disgusting. It’s all in small things people do, like a small smile or a face that barely contains disgust. He learned to observe people, all their micro expressions, all their moods and emotions and then he turned it into something he did casually: he turned being perceptive into a love language towards people.
So the first time Lovro decided to officially introduce Ivan as his boyfriend to his friend group; Ivan noticed and perceived everyone’s mood and personality. Nix who was the funny friend, somewhat of a comic relief character that would appear on a TV show, but he also saw how caring and how deeply she felt for her friends. Tina who was cute and bubbly, always wanting to know more and meet more people, a curious soul. Nora who was maybe a bit more laid back and kept to herself but her vibe gave everything about her. Ivan wishes they could hang out more, she immediately caught his eyes: she would be interesting to talk to. He also met Mario, Jakov and Lovro’s friend who gave him a big hug the moment they were officially introduced. He liked Mario, he was definitely a good friend to Lovro and everyone around him. Ivan appreciated Lovro had friends like those all around him. Vanessa was a whole other story he wasn’t sure he was ready to unpack, but he always liked her and respected her. He sometimes wishes things didn’t end up like they did.
But of course, the meeting he dreaded the most was definitely the meeting of the OG best friends: Jakov and Eva. He met and saw them in quick passings in school and at parties, but he never interacted with them. And being introduced as Lovro’s boyfriend was definitely nerve wrecking enough because both held Lovro like he was the most precious thing in their lives- which Ivan understood completely, Lovro was the most precious thing he ever had the pleasure of loving.
And since Ivan already prided himself for being perceptive and seeing things some people didn’t, he immediately caught on when he saw how Eva and Jakov interacted with one another. Even though he officially met them a few days before Ema’s exhibition, he never saw them interact with one another so openly. He saw the look one gave the other when they thought the other wasn’t looking, sadly for them Ivan was looking and definitely noticing. He felt the sparks flying all around them when they interacted with one another, how the others attending the exhibition didn’t feel the want and need radiating off them was a true mystery for Ivan.
The more Ivan hung out with them alone and them in tandem, the more he realized how annoying them both were. It was so fucking obvious they are madly in love with one another but neither realized or they played dumb. Ivan was also bothered by the fact that he was obviously the only one who saw their true feelings. Okay, Lovro definitely saw it too but he was their best friend, of course he saw it. But another thing that bothered Ivan was how nonchalant Lovro was about Jakov and Eva and how unbothered he was by their obvious tension. How didn’t it bother Lovro more? And how didn’t he want to just take their heads and smash them together like barbie dolls? All of it was a big mystery to Ivan.
Okay, truth be told, Ivan had ulterior motives. It was Jakov. No, he wasn’t jealous (anymore) but he was getting more and more bothered by his presence. Sure, he liked the guy, he was smart, funny and most importantly, Lovro’s best friend. Ivan also knew of Lovro’s past crush on the guy but he came to terms with it- he understood why Lovro had a crush on Jakov, he doesn’t hold it against him. At first he was a bit taken aback and for the first few weeks of knowing about his boyfriend’s past crush, it was a bit hard to get used to it and trust he was enough for Lovro. Granted Ivan was just coming off his manic episode and learning to be with Lovro and getting used to his new medication took a toll on his mind. So, sure, he can and will blame a big part on it. But now, a few months down the line, he knew it was just that- a past crush that meant nothing to his boyfriend now.
But no, that wasn’t the reason Jakov was bothering Ivan. It wasn’t the crush Lovro had or the jokes he throws or the fact that his idea of a hangout is making Ivan and Eva watch them do tricks and fail. No, it was his presence in every corner of their lives. Ivan likes the guy, he really does- but his sense of boundaries and codependency with Ivan’s boyfriend was a problem.
Ivan couldn’t remember a single date where it was just him and Lovro. Every coffee date, every meal date, every movie date and every random shopping or art gallery date was suddenly haunted by Jakov’s presence. It was, to put it blandly, annoying the hell out of Ivan.
Luckily for Ivan only times Jakov didn’t appear out of thin air was at Ivan’s place. The only times Jakov gave them any space was when he would text Lovro asking where he was and Lovro would reply ‘at Ivan’s’ that Jakov got the hint and left them alone. But every alone time they had together was usually cut short by making plans with Jakov afterwards. So really, even their alone time would be cut short and any plans for relaxing with his boyfriend would be thrown out of the window. One time Ivan really lost his patience and decided he didn’t care if they were late (even though it is a well known fact he is a chronically late person) and took his time ravishing his boyfriend. An hour later than their agreed meetup, Jakov was teasing the hell out of them and the state of Lovro’s neck. Ivan thought that for the next time Jakov would get the hint that they would like some alone time but alas, he didn’t. The only thing Ivan gained that day was a pissed off boyfriend who wouldn’t look him in the eyes because he ‘did it on purpose’ and a promise of never letting him near himself before leaving the house.
It was safe to say, Ivan needed a solution, and he needed it quickly. So of course, when all plans and ideas failed, he decided it was finally time to come to his boyfriend for help.
“Oh god,” his boyfriend moaned, dragging his hands through his face and letting his shoulders hunch over a bit, moving his whole body that was soundly placed on Ivan’s lap. “You noticed it too.”
Ivan’s hands were placed soundly on Lovro’s thighs as he lay down on his back on his- even though judging by the time Lovro spent at Ivan’s place lately, it could be defined as their- bed. “Of course I noticed,” Ivan stated, his thumbs gently making circles in Lovro’s thighs, “Why do you think I beg you to spend more time at mine?”
“Oh I just thought you wanna fuck,” Lovro quipped, a smirk spreading behind his hands that were still placed on his face. Ivan smirked back, his grip tightening, “Always,” Ivan stated and Lovro leaned down to smirk into a kiss he placed on Ivan’s mouth. Lovro’s lips were soft and warm and kissing him made Ivan want to kiss Lovro forever, never wanting to be apart for even a second. But he knew they had to talk about a problem they both deemed very big and very needy.
Ivan pulled back, a line of spit connecting their lips as Lovro let out a whine, clearly not ready to finish their make out session. Ivan had to fight the urge to take Lovro by the hips and throw him on the bed and do more than just kiss him senseless. “Okay, we need to talk about a problem,” Ivan stated.
“Oh I have a problem, alright,” Lovro’s voice came out as more of a broken sound than his usual nasal tone.
Ivan chuckled at Lovro’s bad joke. “The sooner we start the sooner we can get to me, ravishing you,” Ivan said, finding a spot on Lovro’s uncovered hand and biting it gently which made Lovro shiver. “Besides, our problem once again begged us to hangout today.”
“Ugh, I know,” Lovro moaned, dragging the last word out. “I know he is a problem, I noticed it too y’know.”
“Well, you either seemed not bothered by it or you seemed like you didn’t notice it,” Ivan pointed out very matter of factly.
“Oh shut up, of course I noticed that my idiot best friend is cock blocking me.”
“Well, why not say anything?” Ivan questioned, clearly not understanding why Lovro put up with it if it was bothering him as much.
“Because,” Lovro started, suddenly finding his fingers more interesting than anything else, a clear sign he didn’t want to talk about something or he found the topic embarrassing; usually the topic he found embarrassing was his past actions. Ivan was curious to find out which one it was. “I was kinda worse,” Lovro finally admitted.
Ivan waited for him to continue, never rushing him to explain or say something but instead waiting for him to gather his thoughts and courage to say it when he is ready. “When Jakov and Eva were dating I was just like Jakov is to us right now, if not even worse,” Lovro fessed up but still couldn't find the courage to look Ivan in the eyes but instead played with ending of Ivan’s shirt, raising it slowly and exposing Ivan’s toned stomach. “I would always and I mean always tag along on their dates, even their romantic gateways. So, yeah, I kind of was worse and I feel bad if I say something to Jakov right now considering I was so much worse.”
“So, just because you never learned the definition of personal space and healthy friendship, our relationship has to suffer?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“Hm.”
“What ‘hm’?”
“Nothing, I was just thinking how we can get rid of Jakov.”
“Please don’t say ‘get rid of’, it seems like you want to kill my best friend.”
“We’ll call that plan B,” Ivan said, very nonchalantly. Lovro rolled his eyes and slapped Ivan across his now naked stomach. A loud sound of skin clapping echoed through the room and Ivan smirked at his boyfriend’s antics, wrapping his hands around Lovro’s waist and bringing him down onto the bed. The sound of skin clapping was soon replaced by Lovro’s yelp of surprise.
Ivan stared at Lovro’s glistening blueish or greenish eyes- even as an artist himself, he was never sure which colour of eyes his boyfriend had, he was sure his eyes were shapeshifting and changing colours based on a day and his boyfriend’s mood. As he gazed upon his face while, placing gentle touches upon Lovro's face, an idea popped inside his head. A brilliant idea he couldn’t pass upon. He grinned and Lovro closed his eyes, a loud sigh leaving his mouth, “Tell me.”
“I mean, if the problem is that he is single,” Ivan started, “We should get him and Eva back together. You’ve seen the way they circle each other, they are like lost dogs scared of making sudden movements so that the other doesn’t spook away.”
“Very colorful description I have to admit.”
“Am I wrong, though?”
“No, definitely not.”
“So, we have a plan!” Ivan exclaimed and Lovro let out a huff.
“Easier said than done. You said it yourself, they circle each other like they are scared the other will spook away and disappear into thin air.”
“Ljubavi, c’mon” Ivan stated, raising his brow and staring directly in Lovro’s eyes, “You really doubt my skills? Did you forget how I won you over?”.
“By being weird and never giving up? Yes, I remember,” Lovro smirked and now was Ivan’s time to roll his eyes and bite him gently on the shoulder which made Lovro let out a weird mix of yelp and moan. “Stop that! You really are an animal.”
“Your animal.”
“Ew.”
Ivan chuckled and placed his head deep in Lovro’s shoulder, inhaling Lovro’s scent and relishing in all of Lovro. Lovro’s hand found itself on Ivan’s head, petting his hair gently and slicking it back in a funny way which Ivan hated and Lovro found extra funny. “I like the idea,” Lovro suddenly spoke up, “I think it’s a good one. Plus, you can pretend all you want that you are doing this just because Jakov is cock blocking you, but I know you care a lot about them both and want to see them happy. You are very nice,” Ivan's cheeks reddened inside Lovro’s neck and it was like Lovro could see the way his cheeks heated up because the next thing he did was hug Ivan tightly and place a gentle kiss on top of his head.
So ‘plan A: get Jakov and Eva back together’ was in full swing. Ivan was very optimistic at the beginning thinking it couldn’t be harder to get them back together than it was to win Lovro’s heart.
Turns out he was wrong.
Very, very wrong.
Getting those two idiots was harder than anything he ever did in his life. They just couldn’t accept that the other liked them. Whatever Ivan did just wasn’t enough. Getting them alone at parties, making plans with both and canceling at the last minute so they were forced to have ‘a date’ or even outrightly talking with one about the other. Nothing ever worked and Ivan was slowly losing hope he would ever again find alone time with his boyfriend. Jakov was suddenly appearing on their dates more and more and Ivan was starting to accept his reality that he found himself in a non consenting polycule that wasn’t really a polycule or a relationship at all but a weird threeway.
And hanging out, all four of them, was just another tuesday for Ivan. And this time, he really came to this hangout with no ulterior motives because frankly, he tried them all already. He decided if he can’t beat them, he should just enjoy it, or at least try to enjoy himself if he can’t get his boyfriend alone for even a full day.
“I mean.. you tell me what’s so good about being in a relationship then!” Eva backtracked and snapped Ivan out of his deep thoughts he found himself in. She suddenly realized her only way out of this was to turn on Ivan.
Ivan glanced at Lovro, he was leaning on Ivan’s legs and glancing up at him, giving him a worried look. Ivan realized he wasn’t subtly thinking about the whole situation and probably worried Lovro with the way he was so deep in his thoughts. Ivan gave Lovro a soft smile back, placing one of his hands on his shoulder and keeping it there just because he could. In the last second Ivan decided to bend down and place a gentle kiss on Lovro’s forehead, just to give him reassurance everything was okay and well, just because he suddenly got the urge to kiss his boyfriend.
“I mean, what’s so bad about it?” Ivan questioned, never removing his gaze from Lovro. “You get to have a person who just gets you by your side every day. You have someone who wants to share your highs and your lows but most importantly, you get to love someone back.”
Lovro gaped at Ivan, his smile turning upside down. He averted his gaze and pushed at Ivan’s knees, mumbling something in his chin that Ivan deciphered as ‘weirdo’. Ivan smiled even wider in response and leaned down to kiss Lovro’s forehead, again.
“Yeah!” Suddenly a loud voice next to them appeared, everyone turned their heads to stare at Jakov. “I agree, bro! It’s like, you can do it all alone sure, but isn’t it nice to have someone to share your life with? All of it, the highest highs and lowest of lows,” Jakov glanced at Eva but quickly averted his gaze to both of the boys. A small blush appeared on his face. Eva looked stunned and Ivan was screaming inside his head. Those idiots are useless, they were kinda worse than Lovro and him.
Ivan nodded, “Yeah, it’s very nice and kind of everything anyone could ever wish for,” He said as he slid his hands around Lovro’s neck to bring him back to the resting position on Ivan he had before.
“So what’s stopping you?” Ivan rebutted and Lovro let out a soft gasp but Ivan quickly shut him up as his hands digged at his chest, letting him know he had it handled and not to intervene.
“Uhh..” Jakov was suddenly lost of words. He glanced in Eva’s direction while she decided her own fingers are more interesting than this conversation. Neither spoke a word, just quiet and quick glances between one another. Ivan was really losing his mind.
“Okay then, you don’t know. I expect more from you Mr. Philosopher,” Ivan dug at Jakov trying to get him to talk or even ragebait him into speaking. It worked with Lovro maybe it worked for his best friend, after all, they were best friends, surely they had ‘easily ragebaited’ in common.
Lovro tugged at Ivan’s hand gesturing him to come closer. “What kind of plan is this?” Lovro snapped quietly at his boyfriend once he leaned closer, staring directly at him with big blue eyes while Ivan internally battled himself to stop himself from eating Lovro alive.
“Shh,” Ivan shushed Lovro and well, that was probably a big mistake as Lovro gave him a look which definitely translated into ‘who do you think you are to shush me?’. Ivan smiled gently and kissed the top of Lovro’s head once more. Lovro grudgingly accepted the kiss, feigning annoyance.
Ivan suddenly cleared his throat, deciding he couldn’t contain his emotions when he just as looks at Lovro. His gaze never wandered from Lovro’s who was once more staring directly at him, his big blue eyes showing a bit of confusion and admiration. Ivan liked the look.
“I mean,” Ivan started, “Once you love somebody I think it’s hard to stop suddenly. Because once you give your heart to somebody it’s hard to just.. let it go, y’know?” he spoke, never once removing his gaze from Lovro. He knew that Lovro knew he was talking about him, about them. He liked the fact Lovro knew he was speaking freely about how easy and doable loving Lovro is, because loving Lovro came as easy to Ivan as breathing, as feeling the breeze on his skin on a warm spring day and it definitely felt like living life to the fullest.
Sure, Ivan could be a little shy as both Lovro and Vanessa told him, but he never shyed away from being a sappy lovesick fool with Lovro. He let his true colors shine when he was with him. Lovro knew it, considering all the stuff Ivan told him in the dark of Lovro’s room, under the covers where only the moon was shining some light on both of their faces, where Lovro’s face was bashed in moonlight and Ivan couldn’t help himself but spill his heart out.
“I think,” Ivan spoke once more, still gazing into Lovro’s eyes which shone with adoration, his pupils blown wide. He could feel Lovro’s quickened breath on his arm that was still neatly placed on his boyfriend’s shoulder. “Loving someone is the most beautiful thing in the world. No one should be ashamed or feared to love someone. But we also never know how long we have with that person,” Lovro’s breath hitched. Ivan knew it was because of the sudden admission of never knowing how long you can have a person; it was also a direct callback to Lovro’s fear for Ivan and his mental health. It scared Ivan too. But he knew, they both knew that fear shouldn’t rule them, the unknown shouldn’t scare them because when it’s good they should enjoy it to the fullest and when it’s bad it’s time to fix and fight for the good times.
“That’s why we should never waste a day in our lives not loving someone openly,” Ivan finally said, hammering the final nail to the coffin. Lovro’s whole face shifted into something similar to pure and endless softness, a small smile plastered onto his face. Ivan couldn’t help but return the smile, his dimples probably fully showing. He loved Lovro and everything that loving Lovro entitled.
Lovro couldn’t help himself but grab Ivan by the stupid fanny pack and bring him down to kiss him senseless. Ivan kissed him back with the same amount of need, trying to pour all of the love and feels he has for this man, praying Lovro understood his feelings without saying a word even though he basically poured all of his true feelings outwardly in front of everyone.
The kiss was sweet and not at all like those kisses they shared at home, it wasn’t heated or rushed, it was soft and sweet, like all the memories they share together are. If someone were to ask Ivan what compelled him to spill all the love he cherishes for Lovro he couldn’t answer, it was just what happens to him when he so as much looks at Lovro; the love and need overcome him and looking at Lovro so openly, seeing him smile and laugh and enjoy life in such mundane way kind of became too much for Ivan.
The kiss never deepened or became something more than it should, after all they were out in the open with their two very good friends. And speaking of those said friends, Ivan’s eyes decided to take a peek at them, just because. As the saying goes curiosity killed the cat because his eyes caught something breathtaking: Jakov and Eva’s hands were touching. Almost a full hand hold, except it was just Jakov’s hand over Eva’s while both leaned backwards, laying their weight on their hands. The look both of them had in their eyes was very telling, if not the look, the shy glances and small blush on their faces were.
Without thinking, overcome with feelings of success and pure happiness for their two friends, Ivan let out a quiet “Finally,” against Lovro’s lips.
That was obviously a huge mistake, the one he got only after Lovro’s warm lips suddenly weren’t on his and big blue eyes were staring directly into his. The look on Lovro’s face was clear as day, he couldn’t believe his boyfriend’s audacity. And while Ivan might not be the smartest man, he sure knows when he pushed a bit too far and angered his boyfriend. “Are you for real right now?” Lovro questioned Ivan, a clear annoyance reflected in his tone.
“What? No,” Ivan defended himself even though he wasn’t exactly sure why he was defending himself. He did know the look on Lovro’s face was clearly screaming pissed off and him retreating his hands from Ivan into his own lap was another.
“No? So you didn’t just pour your heart and soul so openly just to get my two idiot best friends-“
“Hey!” A chorus of voices sounded besides them but both of the boys ignored it.
“-together?”
“What? No, baby,” Ivan tried to say anything, trying even harder to gather his thoughts on how he fucked it this badly when really he was just so mesmerized by his boyfriend he had to pour all of it into words. Apparently he did the opposite, he angered his boyfriend because what might have looked like a love confession to Ivan, looked like a devilish scheming plan to Lovro.
“Oh please. Like you didn’t have plans A to G to get those idiots together.”
“Wait, what?” Another round of confused voices sounded from beside them, but again, the couple ignored them.
“Baby I swear, it isn’t like that,” Ivan tried, again.
He tried getting his hands on Lovro to catch him, to touch him, anything to get him to listen to his explanations but alas, it was useless. Lovro rolled his eyes and stood up, not sparring a single glance in Ivan’s direction. Ivan’s heart dropped and once Lovro started walking away, Ivan’s hand tried to catch him to stop him but Lovro- for once in his life- showed off his athleticism and in swift motion got on his skateboard and skated away.
“Baby! Lovro, wait! Please, it really isn’t like that!” Ivan sounded off desperately, getting up and speeding off to catch his boyfriend who was already across the park sitting down on the concrete floor looking mad as hell.
As Ivan was walking away to catch his apparently really pissed off boyfriend, he heard snickering behind him followed by a quiet sound of a camera being turned on and then a loud voice yelling after them both, “Walk him like a dog, Lovro!”.
Ivan couldn’t help but grin. He really was being walked like a dog. But he also wouldn’t have it any other way.