Chapter Text
Josh paused as he opened the door. The apartment – that he shared with four other people, mind you – was oddly quiet and he would be lying if he said that he wasn’t at least a little bit worried.
Stepping into the room, Josh took out his phone to see if he missed something.
His gaze flickered across his notifications and – oh.
Well that explains why Tracy and Hayden weren’t here.
In his notifications was a text from Hayden that said: “Hey, Josh! Trace and I are going on a date tonight, so we’re not going to be back for a while.”
Not five seconds after he read that did his phone vibrate and a text from Corey appeared on the screen.
“Sorry. Can’t come home tonight. Have a group project with Mason.”
Josh sighed as he pocketed his phone. Of course it was so quiet. No one was home – or, at least, none of the loud people were home. God knows what Theo could be doing right now.
Actually, speaking of Theo, he’s been quieter than usual – if that’s possible. It’s not even that, now that Josh thinks about it. Theo’s only been acting quiet around him – and wow, if that wasn’t a weird thought.
It’s odd, too, because whenever he asks any of his other roommates they all skirt around the question. Meanwhile he can’t even ask Theo about it because they’re never in the same room together by themselves.
“Which means that he probably isn’t here.” Josh thought as he silently set his bag down on the table and looked around the room. Not knowing whether he was going to stay or leave – because who would want to stay alone in an empty, quiet apartment? –, Josh decided to keep on his shoes.
Josh looked down the corridor with their rooms, contemplating whether or not he should check Theo’s room to see if he was there.
Of course, curiosity eventually got the better of him and he slowly and silently stalked his way to Theo’s bedroom door. Hesitating slightly, Josh put his hand on the doorknob and opened the door.
There had been no light in the room – save for a single lamp – and so as he opened the door light filed into the room. Now see, had this been anyone else’s room Josh would probably be feeling really guilty right now, but he was starting to be worried about Theo. After all, the guy was practically avoiding him.
Looking closely into the room, Josh could see that Theo was – in fact – there. However, he was sleeping. Josh’s eyes widened. Oh, so that’s why it was so quiet.
Josh sighed as he took a better look at the older boy. Theo was still in his regular, every day clothes and was somewhat curled up on top of his blanket. It also seemed as though the hadn’t actually meant to fall asleep, considering the fact that his lamp was on (because let’s face it, what were the chances that Theo was scared of the dark, of all things) and there were papers and books strewn about over the bed.
Carefully, Josh walked into the room and started to pick up the miscellaneous materials on Theo’s bed and put it on his desk (without looking at what was written on the papers because yeah, despite the fact that he just practically invaded someone’s privacy, Josh has at least some morals). Then, as quietly as he could, he left the room to go to the hallway closet and grabbed an extra blanket from the top shelf.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Josh thought as he crept back into Theo’s room and put the blanket over him.
Josh had been sitting in the living area for about an hour or so when he started to hear movement. Sure enough, less than two minutes later Theo walked into the room, hair tussled and shirt wrinkled.
“You fell asleep with a bunch of things on your bed. I hope you don’t mind that I moved it onto your desk.”
Theo looked up form where his gaze was fixed on the floor to josh, eyes slightly wide.
“Oh.” Theo said somewhat meekly.
Josh frowned. “Are you okay? Seriously, you haven’t been acting like yourself lately.”
“Huh?” Theo rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh, uh, yeah, I’m fine. Just tired.”
“Which is why you fell asleep doing… Wait, what were you doing?” Josh mentally berated himself. He could’ve just read it when he was picking it up from the bed.
It seems as though Theo was thinking the same thing because he stared at Josh with a blank face before responding. “Wait… you didn’t read it?”
Josh ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes. “No, but I’m starting to think that I should’ve if you don’t even trust me enough to tell me.”
Josh looked at him and froze. Theo wasn’t even looking at him anymore. He was facing the floor, a look of pure self-loathing on his face. Theo’s hands were closed into fists so tight that his knuckles turned white. And Josh felt horrible.
“It’s not like that.” Theo said softly, his hands relaxing. “It’s not like that at all.”
Josh took a deep breath and sighed. “Okay, then. What is it?” He internally winced. “I didn’t mean to be so blunt.”
“You’ll probably hate me.” Theo said it so quietly that Josh almost didn’t hear him.
“Why would I hate him?” Josh was confused. If anything, shouldn’t he be the one thinking that Theo hated him? Unless…
”Probably not.” Josh said, leaning back.
Theo glared at him. “And how would you know?”
“I could say the same for you. Especially since this has something to do with what I think.”
Theo was silent for a moment. “But you don’t even know what it is…” He trailed off, suddenly looking unsure pf himself.
“Well, yeah, I don’t know what the hell you fell asleep doing, but if it has something to do with why you’re avoiding me then I’m pretty sure that I get the general picture.”
Theo’s eyes widened. “Shit… You noticed?”
Josh rolled his eyes. “Of course I noticed. What do you take me for, an idiot?” He pretended to give it some thought. “Actually, I thought that you hated me.”
“I could never hate you!” Theo looked like a deer in the headlights, with his eyes completely wide and his hands slammed tightly over his mouth.
Josh looked at him in shock for a moment before schooling his expression and nodding. “It all makes sense now.”
“What makes sense?” Theo asked, confused, as he slightly took a step back.
Josh chuckled. “Why Hayden, Tracy, and Corey would never tell me why you were avoiding me.”
“Hayden didn’t tell you?” Josh laughed as soon as that sentence left Theo’s mouth. “Ah, the trust.”
“Hayden’s not that untrustworthy.” Josh shook his head. “Besides, it was probably some great blackmail material.”
“… What?”
Josh took a step forward and Theo took a step back. “I might be wrong, though. So why don’t you tell me why you were avoiding me.”
Theo raised an eyebrow. “And what if I don’t want to?”
“Well then, I’ll just have to assume that my guess is right.”
“Are you going to tell me your guess?”
“That depends, are you going to run away if it’s right?”
Theo took another step back and – Josh just realized this – moved closer to the door.
“…” Theo was silent for a moment. “… I might…”
Josh stepped forward as Theo took – yet another – step backwards. “And what if I don’t want you to run.”
“Well that’s not your decision to make, now is it?”
Taking a deep breath, Josh sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Jeez, this isn’t how I thought this conversation was going to go.” He looked into Theo’s eyes and smirked. “But then again, it is you that I’m talking to.”
Theo broke eye contact and looked at the floor. “Should I be offended by that?”
“Should I be offended that you can’t be honest with me? That you can’t even hold eye contact with me? That whenever something has to do with you I’m always the last person to find out?” Josh quickly grabbed Theo’s wrist because he looked like he was about to bolt. “Should I, Theo?”
Despite Josh’s grip on his wrist, Theo still refused to look up.
“I’m sorry.” The broken way in which he said those words was all it took for Josh to wrap his hands around Theo and pull him into a tight hug. Because, no matter how cold or confident he might look, Theo’s human, just like everyone else, and has just as much self-doubt as everyone else.
“Don’t be.” Josh whispered and, yeah, so maybe he should quit the teasing and tell Theo that his feelings are reciprocates in earnest, but Josh kind of wanted to just bask in the moment for a second.
After a minute or two, Theo pulled away and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, this is awkward.”
Josh pretended to think. “Hm, no it’s not.”
The older boy raised an eyebrow. “And how’s that?”
Josh put a hand around Theo’s shoulders. “Because at least we’re not one of those cliché’s that yell their confessions mid-argument in a fit of emotion.”
Theo tensed. “How-“
“I told you that everything makes sense now and that I was pretty sure why you were avoiding me.”
“But-“
“I also told you that I wouldn’t hate you. You came up with that idea on your own. But did you believe me when I told you that I wouldn’t? No! In fact, you were actually planning on running away without even hearing what I had to say!” Josh smirked. Theo practically looked like a fish out of the water by now, with his eyes wide and his mouth opening and closing as though he couldn’t find the words to say. Which, to be frank, was probably the case.
“But- I thought- How- Wait- But- Just- How?” Theo stuttered out.
Josh sighed. “Yeah, I know, right! I was totally oblivious to the signs even though they were so obvious! And to think that we could’ve had this lovely conversation sooner!”
Theo shook his head. “… That’s not what I meant…”
“So I’m wrong?”
“No! Well, yes. But not for the first part! Just in the how part. What you said didn’t answer it…” Theo trailed off, looking at the floor.
Josh squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. “Hey, you know you’re awesome, right? You’re awesome and amazing and honestly, life is so much more interesting with you in it.”
Theo looked up at him incredulously. “Okay, now you’re trying to be cliché.”
Josh laughed. “Hey, you’ve got to admit, our lives aren’t cliché enough.”
“But earlier didn’t you say-“
“Sh.” Josh put his finger to Theo’s lips to cut off his sentence as Theo began to silently laugh.
“Thanks.” He whispered as soon as he could stop laughing.
“Hey, it’s nothing.” Josh paused. “Actually…”
Theo raised an eyebrow. “Actually…?” He gestured for Josh to continue.
“There’s kind of something I’ve always wanted to do.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, what is it?”
“This.” Josh said as he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Theo’s.
Once they pulled away, Theo smiled and said “Agreed.”
EPILOGUE:
“Oh my god, Theo. You were writing fan fictions about the two of us?”
“Shut up!”
“No, no. This is way too adorable. Wait, is that why you didn’t want to tell me what was on your bed the day we first got together?”
“Joooooosh.”
“Oh my god, it is, isn’t it! This is priceless!”
“I’m never letting you into my room ever again, I’m never telling you anything ever again, I have completely lost all my faith in you being a nice, kind human being.”
“No! Wait! Theo it’s adorable! Theo! Wait up! You do realize that you just stormed out of your own room, right?”