Work Text:
— "God...."
The person whose shrill voice speaks while looking through the glass of their house window. Or rather, a squirrel says.
He hand was pressed against the glass as she watched the weather outside. He could feel the thousands of droplets through he palms, feeling the cold slightly chill he hand.
The rain seemed to be punishing the place. The streets and sidewalks seemed almost submerged by the accumulating water, a fact barely noticeable through the fogged glass. It was pure boredom after they had recorded yet another video for Slippery's channel, the same Slippery who was sitting by the window observing nothing but the fog that enveloped the city.
— "Hey, wanna play some Street Fighter?"
Someone else appears at the house, his longtime friend Lookout, who was drying his short brown hair with a small white towel and wearing more casual clothes, a sign that he had already showered.
The other boy immediately looks at him, considering the offer to spend time playing together again.
— "Sure, I was about to die of boredom."
He drew out the words in that high-pitched, throat-crushing voice, eliciting a genuine laugh from Lookout, who somehow found it endearing.
The squirrel ignores the window and the view and focuses on the next activity, which was much more interesting. The rainy weather seemed more pleasant when you had something to do, especially with someone to spend the time with.
Lookout, who had already gone ahead, turned on his computer, sat down in the chair, and made room for the other to sit next to him, then did the following.
— "Man, this rain is a pain! I was going out to buy some things."
Slippery commented, stretching in his chair, looking more like a spiritual battle over which entity would possess that body
— "Don't even get me started, the rain is really heavy today. Google had predicted sunshine all day."
Lookout was already inside the game when it happened, resembling a horror mod that they had both played before.
A treacherous lightning bolt, undoubtedly waiting to strike, was meant to shatter the happiness of the poor boys who were simply looking for a way to distract themselves amidst all the water surrounding their house, They found themselves in complete darkness. Each had their last image of the other when a lightning bolt struck nearby, causing the light to simply gather its things and go on vacation.
Just imagine our boy, who already has a high-pitched voice accompanied by a shrill scream that bursts the eardrums, and he only hears the irritating sound repeating itself inside his head, the buzzing that seems to get louder. Imagine what it's like to be in Lookout's shoes as he witnesses his not-at-all-scandalous friend's biggest fright.
— "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!! OH MY GOD! I KNEW IT. HE'S COMING TO TOUCH US AND CUT OUR GLIZZIES!!"
Slippery shakes Lookout. He was only sure it was him when he felt his strong shoulders as he squeezed desperately. Lookout, even though he couldn't see anything, felt his body as if in an earthquake, and grabbed Slippery's hands to stop what he was doing.
— "Calm down, It was probably a short circuit, and Jajá will fix it."
— "Oh my god, right now? How are we going to play?"
— "We're not going; the only thing to do is wait until they fix it. We just don't know when they'll fix it or if it will take long..... Let's do something in the meantime."
Luckily, our buddy who hates pots had his phone in his pocket so he could see, illuminating his face as if he were about to tell a horror story.
— "I thought I was going to kick your ass today."
His voice was no longer as shrill as it always was; now it was his normal voice, which was much deeper.
Then the two met in the middle of the room with two candles on top of a coffee table to brighten up the room a bit. Enough so that they can at least see each other.
— "Damn it, it couldn't get any worse."
The squirrel sighed loudly, feeling that same boredom from when it watched the movement through the window return to its body, already growing limp on the soft sofa. At least it was soft enough for a nap when your friend starts to make conversation.
— "It would be much worse if both of us were alone. Just imagine if the PNG of that mod appeared."
— "It doesn't start with that."
The other warned, pointing his finger as a warning.
— "Sorry, I'm trying to lighten the mood."
— "That's not helping."
And once again, they both fall into a silence that is almost uncomfortable, especially in the dark.
Feeling a little bad about the joke he made, Lookout approaches Slippery, who notices him instantly.
— "Seriously, I'd be really scared to be here alone in this darkness when I have you to keep me company."
Slippery thinks for a moment, giving a wry smile at what Lookout said, then chuckling softly.
— "Because you wouldn't live here without me."
It was common for him to say that sort of thing to his friend to provoke him, but it didn't seem to have any effect. In reality, Lookout agreed.
— "Definitely not. It would be strange to have no one here, I can't imagine myself without you here."
The squirrel's expression quickly changes to one of surprise, its cheeks even turning red with the confession, not expecting that he would actually tell the truth instead of just refusing as he always did.
Even in the dark, Lookout noticed the slight blush on his friend's cheek, his gentle and calm demeanor shifting to a playful one.
— "Awwww, how cute, Bro! I made you blush!"
— "THAT'S NOT TRUE!!"
He said in he thin voice, holding Lookout's hands that were cupping he cheeks. The palms were warm, just like the heat of he cheeks.
— "Just admit that you think the same way."
— "Okay, I admit it."
His playful tone shifted to a more serious one, until he turned to admire the candle. The wax melted slightly and dripped a little onto the serving dish, getting smaller little by little.
— "It's not even that... It's just that... I really enjoy the time we spend together. And it's in those quieter moments, when we're not playing, that we realize this."
Lookout was speechless for a few minutes. It was the first time he'd seen this more sentimental side of Slippery, without it being a joke, admitting it from the heart more naturally. This moment also made him reflect that even in such small moments, they always seemed to be closer than ever.
The silence seemed to stretch on again, the atmosphere so quiet that not even the forgotten sound of the rain in the background seemed to make any difference.
— "Hey, Lookout...."
— "Yea?.."
— "Am I annoying to you?..."
The question caught him off guard, leaving him stunned, as well as Lookout, who was even more surprised.
— "I'm sorry?"
— "Sometimes when I finish a video, I feel afterwards like I was too loud for yelling too much, or for my forced high-pitched voice, or for the stupid jokes. I feel like I'm bothering not only them but you too." — As he spoke, his voice grew more shaky, painful even to speak. He hugged his knees tighter, he voice becoming muffled.
— "Like I said... It's in those moments that it seems we start thinking much more about ourselves and... end up looking at our own work."
And so he breaks down in silent tears. Lookout always thought Slippery would be the type to cry loudly, but this surprises him as much as the previous question he asked him. Slippery's feelings were quieter than he had imagined.
Before the squirrel had time to process it, he found himself staring at Lookout while held his cheeks. — "Looko-" — Before Slippery could do anything, he found himself silent, his lips meeting Lookout's in a kiss. They stayed like that for a few minutes before pulling away.
— "You can scream as much as you want, you can do your Alvin and the Chipmunks voice as much as you want, you can make jokes about pots and poop as much as you want. Do you really think I care about that? Dude, we've been friends for years, don't you think if I cared I wouldn't talk to you anymore?"
Slippery quickly looked at him, his eyes still teary and sniffling. He smiles weakly while thinking the obvious.
— "No... I don't think so."
— "No matter what, I will always love you, Slippery. Just don't let it affect you, okay? I'm telling you this."
Time seemed to stand still for a second, along with the rain, which had stopped at the same instant. They looked at each other for a moment longer, chuckling softly and hugging.
— "Thanks, Lookout. I think I got carried away for a few moments."
He commented, wiping his teary eyes, appearing more relaxed.
— "It happens, don't worry. Just... If there's something you want to talk to me about, don't keep it to yourself."
— "I'm not going.... I love you too..."
As if there were no tomorrow, the two began to kiss again, sharing in each second how much they loved each other's company and every moment. Just as the atmosphere was heavy, the light finally returns in full force, interrupting the kiss with Slippery's joy and Lookout's satisfied laughter.
— "YAY!!! Can we play now?"
He asked excitedly, looking at the other boy, hugging tightly.
— "LET'S GOOOOO!!"
They both run to the room, where they will lose themselves in the games and in yet another quality moment together.
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