Work Text:
Lucas had a theory that there were three stages to falling in love with your best friend.
The first was denial.
The second was increasingly elaborate excuses for why you definitely weren't in love with them.
The third was getting absolutely obliterated by the realization that, actually, you were an idiot.
He was currently somewhere between stages two and three.
"You're staring again."
Lucas nearly choked on his drink.
He whipped his head around.
Kyle was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, one eyebrow raised.
"I am not."
"You've been staring at Andre for, like, five minutes."
Lucas glanced across the room.
Andre was sitting on the living-room floor with his back against the sofa, one knee pulled up, absentmindedly scrolling through his phone. The teal ends of his hair fell over his forehead, catching the light every time he moved.
Lucas looked away.
"Five minutes?"
"Four minutes and thirty-seven seconds."
"That's disturbingly specific."
"I got bored."
Lucas pushed his glasses up his nose.
"Okay, first of all, I was not staring."
Kyle folded his arms.
"Second?"
"I was observing."
"Uh-huh."
"Scientifically."
"Of course."
"I'm an anime fan. Observation is an essential skill."
Kyle stared at him.
"That's not what anime means."
"You've never watched enough anime."
"I've watched you watch anime."
"Then you've witnessed greatness."
Kyle sighed and walked away.
Lucas waited until he was gone before looking toward Andre again.
Andre was still looking at his phone.
Lucas exhaled.
This was ridiculous.
He and Andre had been best friends for years.
They had survived terrible haircuts, questionable cooking experiments, all-night gaming sessions, house meetings that inevitably descended into arguments about whose turn it was to buy toilet paper, and at least one incident involving Jackson, a skateboard, and a very expensive vase.
Andre knew everything about him.
Lucas knew everything about Andre.
And somewhere along the way, Lucas had developed a completely inconvenient habit of noticing things.
Like how Andre smiled more on one side than the other.
Or how his hands moved when he was explaining something.
Or how his teal-dyed hair looked under warm lights.
Or how his voice changed slightly whenever he was embarrassed.
Or—
"You're doing it again."
Lucas jumped.
Andre was standing directly in front of him.
Lucas blinked.
"Doing what?"
"Staring."
"I was thinking."
"With your eyes?"
"That's generally how thinking works."
Andre laughed.
Lucas's heart did something profoundly embarrassing.
"You're weird."
"You're beautiful."
The words slipped out before Lucas could stop them.
Silence.
Lucas froze.
Andre froze.
From somewhere behind them came a loud crash.
"OW!" Scott yelled.
"Why were you carrying six plates at once?" Monika demanded.
"Because I believed in myself!"
"Well, stop!"
The noise broke the moment.
Lucas cleared his throat.
"I meant—"
Andre's smile was small.
"I know."
Lucas stared at him.
"You do?"
Andre shrugged.
"You're Lucas."
That was somehow both an explanation and absolutely no explanation at all.
Andre walked back toward the living room.
Lucas watched him go.
He pressed both hands over his face.
"Stage three," he whispered.
---
The house was never quiet.
Never.
There were eleven people living under one roof, which meant that privacy was less of a right and more of a rare seasonal phenomenon.
Scott and Ivan had been suspiciously disappearing together lately.
Kyle and Jackson had developed a habit of sitting too close to one another on the couch, despite both of them insisting they were "just comfortable."
Liberty and Rin were openly dating and made absolutely no attempt to hide it.
Monika and Trinity, meanwhile, were somehow technically dating while simultaneously convincing everyone that they weren't.
It was impressive.
It was also exhausting.
Lucas was sitting on the couch one evening watching an anime when Andre dropped down beside him.
"What's this?"
"Art."
"It's a guy screaming."
"Art."
"He's been screaming for three minutes."
"He's powering up."
"He's been powering up for three minutes."
"He's very committed."
Andre snorted.
Lucas smiled.
Then Andre leaned against him.
Just casually.
Like it was nothing.
Lucas's brain immediately stopped functioning.
Andre's shoulder pressed against his.
Lucas could smell his shampoo.
Something citrusy.
Lucas stared very intently at the television.
"You're tense."
"I'm not tense."
"You are."
"Maybe the anime is tense."
Andre looked at him.
"Lucas."
"What?"
"You've been holding your breath."
Lucas exhaled.
"Okay, rude."
Andre laughed.
Lucas glanced sideways.
Andre was already looking at him.
Their eyes met.
Neither moved.
The anime continued playing in the background.
Lucas's heart hammered.
Andre's expression softened.
For one impossible second, Lucas thought—
"HEY!"
They sprang apart.
Jackson stood behind the couch.
"Has anyone seen Kyle?"
"No," Lucas said far too quickly.
Jackson frowned.
"Okay."
He wandered off.
Lucas and Andre looked at each other.
Then both started laughing.
"That was close," Andre said.
"Yeah."
Neither of them mentioned what, exactly, had been close.
---
Three days later, it rained.
Not normal rain.
London rain.
The kind that seemed personally offended by the existence of dry clothing.
Everyone else had plans.
Liberty and Rin had gone out.
Monika and Trinity had mysteriously vanished.
Scott and Ivan were supposedly "running errands."
Kyle and Jackson were gaming upstairs.
Amulet was studying.
Jackson was apparently no longer gaming because he had come downstairs to complain about Kyle stealing his headphones.
Which left Lucas and Andre alone.
For the first time in weeks.
Lucas was in the kitchen making noodles.
Andre walked in wearing a black hoodie and sweatpants.
Lucas looked up.
"You look suspiciously comfortable."
"It's raining."
"So?"
"So I'm embracing it."
"You look like you're about to star in a sad boy anime."
Andre smiled.
"Maybe I am."
"Do you have tragic backstory?"
"Yes."
"Dead parents?"
"No."
"Forbidden love?"
Andre paused.
Lucas noticed.
Andre looked at him.
"Maybe."
Lucas's joking smile faded.
"Oh."
Andre leaned against the counter.
"What's yours?"
"What?"
"Your forbidden love."
Lucas swallowed.
He should joke.
That was what he always did.
He could say something ridiculous.
He could flirt with the concept and make them both laugh.
Instead, he said:
"You."
Andre went completely still.
Lucas's stomach dropped.
"Okay," Lucas said quickly. "That sounded—"
"You mean me?"
Lucas stared at the noodles.
"Yes."
Andre didn't laugh.
Didn't make a joke.
Didn't move.
Lucas's voice became quieter.
"I've been trying not to."
"Why?"
"Because you're my best friend."
Andre's eyes softened.
"Lucas."
"And because you're you."
"What does that mean?"
"It means if I screw this up, I don't just lose some guy I liked."
Lucas finally looked at him.
"I lose you."
Andre stepped closer.
Lucas didn't move.
"I've been trying not to say it too," Andre admitted.
Lucas blinked.
"Say what?"
Andre smiled nervously.
"That I like you."
Lucas's mouth fell open.
"You—"
"Yeah."
"Me?"
"Unfortunately."
Lucas laughed.
It came out shaky.
"You have terrible taste."
"I know."
Andre stepped closer again.
They were standing only inches apart now.
Lucas could see tiny flecks of green in Andre's eyes.
His heart was pounding so loudly that he was convinced Andre could hear it.
"How long?" Lucas asked.
Andre considered.
"Long enough that Kyle started noticing."
"That bastard."
"You weren't exactly subtle."
"I thought I was."
"You once spent forty minutes explaining why my hair looked good."
"It does look good."
"I know."
"Arrogant."
"You like it."
Lucas smiled.
"Yeah."
Andre lifted a hand.
His fingers brushed lightly against Lucas's cheek.
Lucas went still.
Andre's thumb touched the edge of his glasses.
"You know," Andre murmured, "I've wanted to do this for a while."
Lucas swallowed.
"Then maybe you should."
Andre kissed him.
It was soft.
Almost hesitant.
Lucas's brain went completely blank.
Then Andre pulled away.
Lucas stared at him.
"Was that—"
"Yes."
"Can we do it again?"
Andre laughed.
"Definitely."
The second kiss was different.
Longer.
Warmer.
Lucas's hands found the front of Andre's hoodie, gripping it gently as Andre's arms slipped around his waist.
Everything outside the kitchen seemed to disappear.
The rain.
The house.
The roommates.
The endless noise.
There was just Andre.
And Lucas.
And the strange realization that the person he'd spent so long trying not to fall for was holding him like he belonged there.
Andre pulled back just enough to breathe.
Lucas smiled against his lips.
"So."
"So?"
"We're dating now?"
Andre laughed softly.
"I guess."
"That's pretty official."
"Do you want it to be?"
Lucas looked at him.
"More than anything."
Andre kissed his forehead.
Lucas melted.
"You're being disgustingly romantic."
"Shut up."
"You like me."
"I do."
"Like, a lot?"
"A lot."
Lucas grinned.
"Good."
Andre raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"Because I've been thinking about kissing you for approximately seven hundred and eighty-three days."
Andre stared.
"That's extremely specific."
"I kept a spreadsheet."
"You did not."
"I absolutely did not."
Andre laughed.
Lucas kissed him again.
This time neither of them hesitated.
---
They made it approximately twelve minutes before the door opened.
"GUYS!"
Lucas and Andre jumped apart.
Liberty stood in the doorway.
She stared at them.
They stared back.
Liberty slowly smiled.
"Oh."
Lucas pushed his glasses up.
"Hello."
"Are you two—"
"No," Lucas said.
Andre looked at him.
Lucas reconsidered.
"Actually, yes."
Liberty's smile became enormous.
"I KNEW IT."
"You knew?"
"I've known for months."
"How?"
"Andre looks at you like you're the last slice of pizza."
Andre covered his face.
Lucas burst out laughing.
Liberty pointed at them.
"This is adorable."
"Don't tell anyone."
She looked offended.
"Please. I'm not a monster."
Then she walked away.
There was silence.
Lucas looked at Andre.
"That lasted twelve minutes."
"New record."
---
The secret lasted approximately twenty-three minutes.
Because Liberty was apparently a terrible secret keeper.
By dinner, everyone knew.
Monika nearly fell off her chair.
Trinity looked completely unsurprised.
Rin immediately demanded details.
Amulet simply said, "Finally."
Scott stared at Lucas.
"You?"
Lucas frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"I just didn't expect Andre to tolerate you romantically."
"Hey!"
Andre laughed.
Kyle looked between them.
"I knew."
Lucas pointed at him.
"You don't count."
"Why?"
"You knew before I did."
"Exactly."
Jackson slapped Kyle's shoulder.
"You knew?"
Kyle grinned.
"Everyone knew."
Jackson looked at Lucas.
"Everyone?"
Ivan nodded.
"Everyone."
Lucas stared around the table.
"Why didn't anyone tell me?"
"Because," Monika said, "watching you two pine over each other was hilarious."
Andre groaned.
"How long?"
"Months."
"Months?!"
"Possibly longer," Trinity admitted.
Lucas looked at Andre.
Andre looked at Lucas.
They both started laughing.
"You know what?" Lucas said. "Fine."
He reached beneath the table.
Andre's hand found his.
Their fingers intertwined.
"Let them laugh."
Andre squeezed his hand.
"Gladly."
Across the table, Scott and Ivan exchanged a look.
Lucas noticed.
He narrowed his eyes.
"Wait."
Scott froze.
Ivan looked at his plate.
Lucas pointed at them.
"Why are you two looking at each other like that?"
"No reason," Scott said.
"Interesting."
"Eat your food."
Lucas squinted.
"Suspicious."
Andre leaned closer.
"Leave them alone."
"But—"
"You have me now."
Lucas's expression softened.
"Yeah."
Andre smiled.
"Yeah."
Lucas squeezed his hand.
And for once, he didn't need a joke to hide behind.
---
Later that night, the house finally became quiet.
Lucas stood outside Andre's bedroom door.
He knocked.
"Come in."
Andre was sitting on his bed, hair still slightly damp from his shower.
Lucas leaned against the doorway.
"Hey."
"Hey."
There was a pause.
Lucas smiled.
"So this is weird."
"A little."