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Chapter Text

Gillion tugs at the tight collar of his shirt nervously. He’s still confused about local formal wear, but Jay promised this would be appropriately formal. Gill’s dark green suit matches with an accented tie and the bouquet of flowers in his hands. He grabs insecurely at the ends of his hair, looking over to Jay for reassurance. She chuckles to herself, walking in from the kitchen, and rolls her eyes before adjusting the lapels on his blazer.

“I can hear you worrying, Gill.” Jay looks him in the eyes. “I’m just… what if he thinks it’s weird, or,” Gill murmurs, avoiding eye contact. He busies his hands, twisting them around the plastic wrap of the flowers. He brushes his thumb over the small card, ‘Chip’ printed in neat letters.

“You two are such idiots,” Jay complains, stamping her foot and smoothing out the fabric on his arm.

“I feel like an idiot.” Gill gestures to his outfit.

“I promise, I wouldn’t mess with you about something like this. You look nice.”

“Nice isn’t good enough. I need everything to be perfect. He deserves it.”

“Gods, you’re helpless. Now get ready, I think I see his car.”

“What? Is the sign in place? Do you have the chocolates ready?”

“Yes! Shut up, everything’s perfect. Now you’ve just gotta say it.” Jay pats him on the shoulder before retreating into the kitchen, leaving him in the dead center of the room.

Gill shoves the flowers behind his back.

What, like it’s a surprise? There’s heart shaped balloons all over!

He holds them out in front of him.

The second he walks in? That’s too much. You’re being too desperate.

He lets his arms rest, dropping the flowers to his side.

It looks like you don’t even care! Why would you hold it like that?

Gill holds the side of his hand to his mouth, turning away from the door. How is he gonna stand? He can’t help but furrow his eyebrows and clutch the bouquet close to his chest.

A quick, sharp knock on the front door startles him. Is Chip going to reject him? Is it too much? It’s so cheesy, this is going to crash and burn.

“Come-” He clears his cracking voice. “Come in!”

The door swings open, revealing a well-dressed Chip. One of his hands is tucked neatly behind his back. His eyes scan the room, quickly taking in the bundles of red and heart-shaped balloons tucked into the corners of the room. A cheesy sign with a stupid pun pickup line. Gill.

Gill, dressed in a crisp suit, eyes wide, and a bundle of roses in his hand. Gill, with his hair slicked back and a lumpy, awkward tie. Gill, smiling at him. “Chip, hi.” Gill chokes out, a nervous smile plastered across his face.

“Gill,” Chip whispers. His cheeks flush with red, eyes falling to the floor.

“I, uh… you…” Gill stutters, feeling his hot face with his hand. “You, uh, look good.”

Chip mutters in response, kicking the floor.

“Chip, you don’t have to…” Gill rushes forward to assure him.

“It’s just,” Chip doesn’t meet Gill’s eye. “I only got you this.” He holds forward a single periwinkle tulip.

Chip looks up, expecting disappointment on Gill’s face, finding only a blinding smile and elation.

“You…you got me a flower?” Gill’s cheeks hot further. He turns to the side sheepishly.

“Yeah, your favorite. I remember you told me back in august. Sorry if it’s weird that I remembered.” Chip gently holds out the tulip, and Gill stares at him like he hung the moon and the stars. Gill pulls Chip into a hug, burying his face in Chip’s shoulder.

“Thank you,” he mutters into the fabric. Chip responds by leaning his head to the side against Gill’s.

“Hey, no problem,” Chip replies.

“Are you two morons almost done in there? I’m bored,” Jay shouts from the kitchen.

“Jay, are you eating the chocolate?” Gill turns toward the entranceway.

“Yeah, and?”

“Those were for Chip!”

“All gone now!”

“Jay,” Gill draws out.

“Gill,” Jay mocks.

“Guys,” Chip laughs, tugging Gill along into the kitchen. "Are we going or not?"

Gill holds his arm out for Chip to grab and they lead Jay out the door, giggling about the night ahead of them.

Chapter Text

“Go, go, go!” Chip half-whispered to Gill, dragging him by the hand through the empty school halls. Chip pulled him over into a doorway, ducking out of the main hallway, laughing quietly.

Gill held his side, trying to catch his breath from running and holding in laughter.

“Chip, you are- I can’t believe,” Gill couldn’t find the words. His cheeks hurt from smiling.

“If we get caught, we are dead,” Chip chuckled “Shh!”

Gill giggled silently, shoulders hunched like he was hiding. He looked up at Chip, taking in his sparkling eyes, breathy laughs, heaving shoulders.

Beautiful. There was no other word to describe him. Gill clenched his hand at his side. He grabbed Chip’s hand, intertwining their fingers.

Chip’s eyes were crinkled in amusement. He was biting his tongue to subdue his laughter, and his cheeks were bright red. Gill imagined grabbing his face and pulling him in. He chased the feeling of pressing their lips together, smiles still stark on their faces.

Gill swiped his thumb across Chip’s hand, staring at his lips.

“Can I-“ Gill leans around the door frame, checking for anyone passing by. He hushes his tone. “Can I kiss you?”

Chip’s face, red from running, flushed a brighter shade of crimson. Gill worried he overstepped for a moment, but when Chip grinned, his shoulders untensed.

“Uh. Y- um, yes! I mean, uh. Yeah.”

Gill turned sheepishly to the side. “Okay.”

He took a deep, steadying breath, facing Chip once again. He leaned up, stopping halfway, tilting his head. Sucking in a breath, he drew back.

Gill dragged his hands down his face. He wondered why he said that when he could barely look at Chip without blushing.

“I’ve never done this, I have no clue what I’m doing.” Gill admits, face planting into Chip’s shoulder. Chip squeezed Gill’s hand reassuringly.

Gill pulled back and tilted his head up and to the side, quickly jerking forward. Chip startled back instinctively, and Gill let out an amused huff.

Gill placed his free hand on Chip’s shoulder, getting up on his tippy toes, and quickly placed his lips on Chip’s, pulling away immediately, faces mere inches apart.

“Did I,” Gill looked at the floor, red-faced. “Did I do it right?”

“It was perfect, I think,” Chip whispered.

And he meant it. Even though they were stiff and awkward and out-of-breath, it was perfect.

Both boys sucked in a breath as they heard footsteps from down the hall. Chip pulled Gill by his hand in the opposite direction of the sound. Gill let out a breathless giggle as he stumbled along behind Chip.

Chapter Text

Chip rounded the corner of the hallway, stretching his hands. His books were stuffed into his cluttered locker for the only good time of the day–lunch. Students swarmed around him, and he followed the sea of highschoolers to the cafeteria. He scanned the room for his usual table, and there he saw his best friends: Jay and Gill.

Chip’s smile brightened and he beelined straight to the corner of the massive lunchroom. His friends got to the table before he did, as per usual. Gill had his homework out, though, which was out of the ordinary. He was sort of the perfect student.

Gillion Tidestrider volunteered at nursing homes. He participated in the NJHS, he always turned in his schoolwork, he founded and ran the marine conservation club, he was a teacher's pet, etc. It was weird to see him with his eyebrows furrowed at an assignment, his tongue sticking out a little. He looked cute, like a puppy.

Hold up.

“You just gonna stare at him, or you gonna sit down?” Jay asked, waving a hand to get Chip’s attention.

“Hello to you, too.” Chip stuck his tongue out at her before taking the seat next to Gill. He didn’t notice the new presence, far too caught up in answering his homework.

“Gill, what’s up?” Chip questioned, sliding closer–to see the paper, of course.

“Oh, hey, Chip,” Gill responded, putting his pencil down. He smiled at Chip, but his eyes were still weary.

“Are you having trouble?” Chip held Gill’s gaze with his own for a moment before looking at the paper.

“Yeah, I…I don’t know what I'm doing here. Could I get some help?”

“Sure, yeah.” Chip leaned over, bumping shoulders with Gill, trying to read the problem closer. The contact took over his mind like a spotlight, distracting him from the fairly simple language arts problem.

“Well, with the preposition here, and the adjective, uh. The descriptor…” Chip’s voice faded when he looked at Gillion. His bright blue eyes knocked the breath out of his chest, leaving him winded and confused.

What the hell was that?

“Uh, yeah. It should go there, not there,” Chip pointed at the sentence on the paper, attempting to catch his breath for a moment. He tilted his glance to look up at Jay, who raised a single eyebrow at his flushed face. A simple, wordless mock. He wrinkled his nose at her, but he still raised a hand to feel at his cheeks. They were, of course, warm.

“Oh, thank you. Why, though?” Gill drew Chip’s attention instantly, like a magnet drawing a compass. His eyebrows were quirked ever so slightly, and his smile hadn’t yet faded. Chip saw a stray hair fall by Gill’s temple. Chip reached a tentative hand up, but stopped halfway, trying to play it off by putting it behind his head.

Self consciously, he turned his face to the side. Yet again, his eyes are met with Jay’s amused expression.

That was gay, wasn’t it? Chip asked with his eyes.

Hella, Jay squinted, huffing out a breath.

Chip looked back over to Gill, who was looking between them with a confused expression. It was cute

Stop that, it’s gay. This is Gill, you can’t…

Chip closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened them again, hoping he was just acting weird because he couldn’t fit a nap into fourth period. When he opened them back up, he gave Gill a once-over.

God, that was a mistake. His hair was still a bit out of place, and he looked adorable in his turtleneck. Chip didn’t have self control this time. He gently reached his fingers out and tucked the strands back in place.

“Oh, uh…” Gill looked between Chip’s hand, still floating near Gill’s cheek, and Chip’s face. His smile didn’t fade, but Chip quickly pulled his hand back. He turned around, eyes wide.

Why did I do that?

“I need to go!” Chip called out too loudly, shooting up from his seat and heading towards the hallway. Jay rolled her eyes, gestured for Gill to stay, and followed after Chip.

She found him pacing just outside the lunchroom.

“Jay, what did I do, why did I do that, why, why, why?” Chip’s hands gripped his hair, yanking on the brown locks.

“Calm down, fruit basket, you just… okay to be fair it was pretty forward,” Jay offered.

“I just ruined my friendship with Gill. Do I even want more from him than that?

“Homie. Your eyes were practically heart-shaped. You’re down bad.”

Chip placed his forehead against the cold wall, taking a deep breath.

“I can’t go back out there, Jay.”

“Ugh, you’re hopeless…” Jay poked her head around the doorframe to check up on Gill, who was combing his fingers through the small lock of hair that Chip brushed behind his ear. A meek smile played at his face as he stared at the green strands.

Chip had a hand pressed up against his mouth, eyes wide.

“I like Gill!” he whisper-shouted.

“Congrats, Captain Obvious,” Jay muttered, placing her head in her hands.

“What do I do? Just, go sit next to him and pretend this never happened?’

“Or, you could live up to it and not pussy out.”

“No, no way. That’s Gill, I can’t like him.”

“You’re in your own shit now. I’m gonna go eat my lunch and I’m not covering for your sorry ass. Maybe, instead of pacing, you could try coming up with a lame excuse. “
“Jay!” Chip called out, but she was already headed back to the table. Gill shot Jay a questioning look, words inaudible, and Jay responded with the wave of a hand.

“Ugh,” Chip slid his back down against the wall, attempting to accept his embarrassing fate.

Chapter Text

Jay takes in a deep breath as she hears three loud knocks at her door. She sets down her pencil with an indignant sigh, rolling her eyes. She knows who it is, even before she turns the knob.

“Jay,” Chip drags her name out, leaning, pathetic, against her door frame.

“What is it now, Chip?” He had called her earlier complaining about his workload. She barely had time to finish her own before Chip had shown up unexpectedly and uninvited to her dorm room, flopping facefirst onto her bed like it was his own.

The audacity.

“I can’t do it anymore,” Chip calls dramatically as Jay shuts the door, already exasperated. She turns to face him, raising an eyebrow, gesturing for him to continue.

“I can’t stop thinking about Gillion,” he mutters into Jay’s pillow. “He’s just so…”

“Are you seriously keeping me from doing my homework cuz you’ve got a schoolboy crush?” Jay sits back down at her desk.

“Don’t say that! I know it's true, but saying it out loud is like…admitting it,” Chip rolls over, staring at Jay with pleading, pathetic eyes.

“What else would you call it?”Jay leans towards him.

“...piss off,” he eloquently responds, throwing a pillow at her face.

She catches it with a scoff, setting it down at the foot of her bed, next to her desk.

“Get your stinky-ass feet off my bed and start talking, doofus.” Jay may not show it that much, but she really does care about her friends dearly. Even though she might curse the universe for sticking her with a big idiot, she would listen to his dramatics any day.

“I stopped breathing for a second while we were roller skating. He had no clue what he was doing, so he took my hand and fell flat on me. His face was right there. Then he laughed and said ‘hi, Chip’ and I…” Chip trails off again, reliving the moment. “He was just so pretty, Jay. How am I supposed to act normal when he looks like that?”

Jay only chuckles. She can hear the adoration in Chip’s voice.

“I wanted to kiss him then and there,” Chip mutters with a dopey grin on his face, shocking no one. He places a hand behind his head and begins playing with his hair.

“You kissed him?” Jay feigns, trying to rile him up.

“Are you kidding? Why would I- oh screw you, you dick!” Chip yells as Jay grips her stomach with laughter.

“Sorry, go on,” Jay giggles, wiping a tear from her eye.

“Anyways, I just started thinking about all the little things he’s said and done. I remember that one time he let me braid his hair, and I just,” Chip grasps for the words. “His hair is so soft, and he’s not afraid to be affectionate. It always catches me off guard so I freeze up and go all red.”

“You’re always red around Gill,” Jay teases.

“Ha ha, very funny. But, really, though. There’s just something about him. I need some support here. Help me, dude.”

Jay rolls her eyes and pushes off from her desk. Her drama queen radar pings off the charts, but she continues over anyway. She lays down next to Chip, abandoning her assignments.

“All I can do is listen, so, spill your guts, bro.” She turns to face him and props her head up on her arm.

Chip huffs out a breath and pouts, inhaling. He drones on and on about Gill, taking far too much time to pause, imagining moments he’s had with Gill and ones he wishes he could have. Jay nods on occasion, spouting wry comments and jokes at Chip’s expense.

After thirty minutes of rambling and blushing, Chip turns towards the clock.

“As much as I love talking about Gill, I probably need to start on my homework. Thanks for listening to me gushing.” Chip peels himself off of Jay’s floor, having traveled around her room during his more energetic rants.

“Alright, see ya,” Jay waves at him, sitting back down at her desk. As she hears Chip open the door, a second voice reaches her ears.

“Chip, hi,” Gillion utters with visible surprise painted on his face. “What are you doing here?” Jay swivels around to see Chip staring at Gill. She clears her throat after a few seconds, hoping to knock some sense into him.

“Oh, uh, me and Jay were just talking,” Chip squeaks, making it sound like they were definitely up to something suspicious. His hand rubs the back of his head, a habit Jay noticed he does a lot.

“Cool, cool. I’ve just got a few questions to ask her, would I be interrupting anything?”

“No! No, I was actually just leaving. Have fun!” Chip rushes out the door, pushes Gill in, and closes the door. Right before the handle clicks shut Jay hears Chip scolding himself.

“Have fun? Really?” He fades off.

“Well, uh,” Gill stands near the doorway, fingers templed in front of his torso.

“What do you need to ask me?” Jay fidgets with her pencil.

“Actually, I was gonna ask if you noticed Chip acting…” Gill looks to the door with a pained expression and tentatively sits on Jay’s bed. “Sort of weird?”

“Chip always acts weird,” Jay remarks, twisting around to face the bed and Gill.

“You know what I mean.”

“I do know.”

“I’m afraid that I’ve been too forward. You see, we went roller skating earlier today. I couldn’t balance, so I ended up toppling into Chip. My brain short-circuited, and I just… I acted like an idiot. I fear that I’ve overstepped. He’s been acting off and abrasive.” Gill stares down at his open palms, flexing his hands.”...Does he hate me?” He looks up at Jay, who stares back incredulously, scoffing.

“He couldn’t hate you if he tried, Gill. Just ask him out already.”

“You’re not Chip, Jay. How could you possibly know what he feels?”

Jay takes a deep breath. She can't very well tell Gill that Chip had just spent half an hour ranting about how soft his lips looked, so she settles for the next best thing. She reaches over and lays her hands over Gill’s, holding eye contact.

“I can’t tell you, Gill, how much you mean to him. I know my friends. I need you to trust me here.”

Gill averts his gaze, gripping her hand.

“No, I can’t, Jay. Not yet.”

“That’s alright. If you want to talk about it, I’m here to listen.” Jay smiles encouragingly, and tilts her head slightly to the side.

“I appreciate you, Jay.”

“No prob, man,” She assures, playfully punching his shoulder.

Gill plays with his hands as he stares off into the distance. Jay sits and listens. She gets a small bout of deja vu when he lays himself back on the bed. She has to admit, it’s adorable to hear him talk about his crush. His mouth held the shape of a fond smile, even as it curved around compliments and ravings.

She knows that Chip and Gill were completely whipped for each other. She hears it in the way they say each other's names and remember every little detail. She sees it when Chip can’t stop staring at Gill. She sees it in the doodles of hearts Gill draws around Chip’s name. She sees it in the way they cling to each other like a lifeline.

Jay takes a deep breath when Gill finally ends his ramblings. She supposes she could have worse obliviously in-love friends.

Chapter Text

Chip laughs as he drags Gill over to the wall of skates. He’s been looking forward to hanging out with Gill all week. When Friday finally hit, Chip practically ran through all of his classes. He bounded out of school, rambling the whole walk to the rink.

Gill sits down on a bench as Chip grabs a pair of skates for them. Gill’s are green, and Chip’s shine silver and yellow. Chip’s fingers fly across the laces, tying up his skates in record time as Gill fumbles with the strings.

“How are you supposed to fix them?” Gill asks, looking to Chip for assistance. He wordlessly leans down and fixes Gill’s skates.

“Stay here, I’ll be right back,” Chip orders, gliding over to the safety equipment and grabbing the proper gear. On the way back, a few people get in the way, and his skill is evident as glides around them in swift motions. Gill stares in awe, looking down at his own wheeled feet.

“Here,” Chip says, sliding to a halt. He kneels to fasten Gill’s helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, and wrist stoppers on with ease.

“I have a feeling you’ve done this before,” Gill jokes as Chip adjusts Gill’s helmet strap.

“Maybe once or twice,” Chip responds with a voice dripping in sarcasm, patting Gill’s cheek jokingly as he finishes adjusting everything. “I used to come here every weekend as a kid. My- Arlin used to take me skating constantly, so I got pretty good at it. It’s one of my favorite things ever, and I wanted to share it with you.” Chip smiles with fondness in his eyes. Whether at Gill or the memory, Gill doesn’t know.

Chip stands up from kneeling, holding his hands out to help Gill stand. His feet slide slightly, and he grips Chip’s shoulders to keep from immediately wiping out. Gill stood with his knees locked up, gritting his teeth. He looks up expectantly at Chip.

“In hindsight I probably should have explained the basics before I stood you up. Uh, keep your knees bent, lean forward slightly. Yep, that’s good,” Chip instructs, grabbing onto Gill’s elbows to help his balance. “Point your toe kinda outwards like this, and- no, not that much. Yeah, that’s good. Put your other foot kinda crossing it like this, but more out. Yeah, yeah.”

Chip carefully guides Gill to the rink, teaching him how to skate along the way.

“Push out with that foot. Good, now use that momentum to push with the other one. Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall.” Gill teeters his way onto the smooth floor.
“I think you’ve got this,” Chip smiles at Gill, letting go but standing near him.

“Chip, you’re bad at lying.” Gill stares in his direction before attempting to skate off. He immediately loses his balance, reaching out for something to steady him. Chip is already in front of him with his hands out. He skates backwards at a slow pace, gently pulling Gill along as he stares at his feet, attempting to follow Chip’s instruction.

After a few moments of struggle and shaking, Gill slowly lets go of Chip’s hands. He still skates just in front of him to catch him in case he falls. Gill looks up excitedly as he stumbles forward.

“I’m doing it, Chip, I’m doing it!” Gill beams, momentarily looking up from his feet to see Chip’s reaction.

“Not bad, Gill.” Chip smiles so wide his cheeks hurt. He loves being able to skate with Gill. Even though Gill can barely stand on his own two feet while skating, it almost feels like he’s back with Arlin, just learning how to.

Just as Gill tries to speed up, he loses his balance and lurches forward. Chip holds his hands up in a flash, grabbing Gill’s in an attempt to stop the fall, but he just ends up unbalancing himself and falling backwards.

“Oof,” Chip exhales, landing on his back. Hard.

“I’m sorry, I…” Gill begins, suddenly noticing their proximity. Gill’s hands are still interlocked with Chip’s, his hands pinning Chip’s to the floor. Their faces sit inches apart, noses almost overlapping.

“Hi, Chip,” Gillion utters, stupid grin plastered on his face. He giggles for a moment before rolling off to lie next to Chip. His cheeks flash red, and he has no doubt that Chip’s are, too.

“Sorry,” Gill mutters, pulling himself up.

“It’s fi-” Chip’s voice cracks, and he clears his throat. “It’s fine.” He stands up, dusting himself off. He runs a hand through his hair, then leans over to help Gill up.

“Maybe it’s best if I keep holding on,” Gill says, keeping his hand clasped in Chip’s.

The boys skate along slowly, fingers intertwined. Chip tries to start small talk, but soon realizes that Gill needs to put 100% of his focus into staying upright. That doesn’t stop Chip from telling Gill about all his stories and memories from the skating rink. Gill loses his balance a lot. He focuses on Chip’s words, his gestures.

His hand.

They waste hours away skating together, and Gill gets semi-decent at skating. Chip plays some music from his phone, and the two dance. Well, Chip dances and Gillion watches. Long after Gill feels confident enough to skate, he still grips Chip’s hand in his own.

Chapter Text

Gillion and Chip stumble out the entrance of the trampoline park, sweaty and laughing. Chip has his arm slung over Gill’s shoulder. They fight for breath, heaving on the pavement. Gill drags Chip along the sidewalk as their giggles die out. Gill vaguely remembers the way to Chip’s house, so as they continue joking, he begins to walk Chip home
.
Chip pulls his arm back, shuddering at the sudden cold spot that Gill’s heat had replaced. He rubs his arms with his palms, cursing himself for dressing so loosely. When he had arrived at the rink, it was fairly warm outside, so he assumed it would be fine. Now, his chattering teeth say otherwise. Gill rubs the area that Chip’s hand just left, looking down at their feet. Chip huffs out, looking up at the late night sky.

“Are you cold, Chip?” Gill asks, removing his hoodie.

“Yeah, but keep your jacket. I don’t want you to be cold,” Chip responds, face flushing red.

“No, no, I insist. Take it.” Gill lays the hoodie over Chip’s arm, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I couldn’t wear it knowing you were cold.”

Chip tries to refuse, but when Gill pouts, he relents.

“For the record, I still think you should be wearing it,” Chip says while pulling his head through the neck hole.

Gill hums in response, a wide smile slapped across his face. He fights the urge to grab Chip’s hand. His fingers twitch at his side, so he clasps them behind his back. A thousand thoughts race through his mind as the silence between the two stretches out.

Gill’s eyes dart around to the bushes on the lawns they’re strolling past. He wonders silently if Chip likes plants. He wants to be talking. He loves the sound of Chip’s voice, especially when he’s talking about something he enjoys.

“Do you like any flowers?” Gill inquires, walking slightly closer to Chip.

“I guess. Roses are cool, I think. What about you? Do you have a favorite flower?”

“Tulips,” Gill chirps immediately. “I really like tulips.”

“Tulips are nice,” Chip mutters holding the fabric of Gill’s hoodie up to his face. He breathes in the scent of Gill, rubbing his cheek against the soft material. Gill’s face turns red. He imagines Chip going to sleep in his hoodie, or wearing it to school, or keeping it forever.

They continue their walk in silence. Gill bumps his shoulder into Chip’s, and their hands brush against one another. Gill feels Chip tense up. He backs away, muttering apologies under his breath. Chip stares longingly at Gill’s hand, flexing his own.

Gill takes it as a sign, falling back into step with Chip. He inhales sharply, gathering his courage, and grabs Chip’s hand in his own. Neither boy says a word.
After a terrifying pause, Chip rubs his thumb gently across Gill’s hand. Gill’s steps stutter for a moment, but he rights himself and clears his throat as Chip giggles. Both of their faces go beet red, and Gill’s cheeks hurt from his smile.

Chip stutters out the start to a conversation, avoiding eye contact with Gill. They act as though they aren’t holding hands and blushing like school kids. Gill replies in a meek tone, staring at the floor, a grin evident in his voice. Chip gently strokes Gill’s hand as they walk along making silly small talk.

They approach Chip’s door, swinging their connected hands between them. Gillion squeezes Chip’s hand, still staring at the ground. He stands closer than he needs to.
“Thanks for today. I had fun,” he confesses, smiling at his feet.

“Yeah, me too,” Chip replies, reaching for his door handle. He turns it open, reluctant to pull away from Gillion. Their arms raise as they get farther apart until their hands disconnect and fall at their sides.

Chip stops at his door, facing the side. Gill can see the indecision in his face, teeth tugging at the soft skin on his lip.

“D’you wanna come inside?”

Gill smiles, stepping forward to accept the offer.

Chapter Text

Chip giggles quietly, sitting down on his bed. His alarm clock reads 4:37am, but he isn’t thinking about sleep. Gill slides in front of him, turning around to show his back to Chip, who brings his hands up and rests them on Gill’s head. His hands fumble to part the curly, below shoulder-length hair into three sections. The fatigue of staying up late is beginning to take its toll.

Chip brushes his fingers through the hair, combing it down. His hands slow as his eyelids droop, accidentally brushing against the nape of Gill’s neck. His eyes snap open again, running his fingers from Gill’s hairline. It took far too much effort to reach his hand up so high, so he scoots forward, almost pressed against Gill’s back.

Chip stares at Gill’s hair for a moment as he gently combs through the curls. It starts black at the roots, fading to a light green color at the ends. It has a perfect, beautiful curl to it.

“Are you going to braid my hair or what?” Gill teases in a whisper, chuckling to himself.

“Nah, I like playing with it,” Chip says, placing his chin on Gill’s shoulder. Something at the back of his mind screams to stop, to be careful, but it gets blurred out by exhaustion.

Chip draws back, and his fingers delicately part the hair once again into thirds, smoothing it down. He grips the sections in his hands and begins to weave the strands into a messy yet adequate plait. From around his wrist, he pulls a hair tie to hold the braid intact. He places his head back on Gill’s shoulder, leaning to rest against his head.

Gill brings his hand up to touch Chip’s cheek, gently rubbing it, before dropping it down once again. He turns around again until he’s facing Chip. Exhaustion taking away all of his inhibitions, he takes Chip’s hands up in his. Chip leans forward to place his forehead against Gill’s.

“Do you like your braid?” Chip whispers.

“Yeah.”

“I liked doing it.”

Chip plays with Gill’s fingers, intertwining their hands and pulling them around.

“I don’t let people touch my hair,” Gill spouts out of nowhere.

“Why did you ask me to do your hair?”

“You’re special. You’re Chip,” Gill remarks. He tilts his jaw just to the left, leaning in until the sides of their noses touch.

“I trust you with everything I’ve got, Chip.”
Gill pulls his head back and leans it on Chip’s shoulder, wrapping his arms around for a hug. Chip buries his nose in the area between Gill’s neck and shoulder, exhaling lightly. Gill’s hand reaches up and starts to run through Chip’s short brown hair, playing with the strands.

“Do you know how much you’re worth, Tidestrider?” Chip mutters against his collarbone.

“I could ask you the same thing, Chip. You mean so much to me.”

“I think…” Chip rubs his hands gently across Gill’s back. “I think you’re the world. Never leave, please.” His voice drops to a whisper, pleading gently.

“I don’t think I could make it without you.” Gill smooths out Chip’s hair.

“So I guess you’re stuck with me, then.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Chip hears the sleep tugging at Gill’s voice, not to mention his arms settling to rest wrapped around Chip’s waist. He wraps his arms around Gill’s torso, leaning back, until they're laying intertwined on his bed. The last sane part of his brain dies out as he lays there, arms around Gillion and face pressed into his neck, giggling. They shift around until they’re comfortable, ending up with Chip lying on Gill’s chest like a pillow and Gill’s arm wrapped protectively around his shoulder.

Chip hums a goodnight as he tangles his ankle around Gill’s, drifting into sleep. His brain vaguely registers that their night had been more than a little fruity, but it doesn’t matter. He feels safe and warm in Gill’s arms, and that’s all that matters.

Chapter Text

Chip wakes up oddly warm. His room is usually freezing, so he isn’t sure why he’s vastly more comfortable than most days. He peels open his eyes to be met with the sleeping face of his best friend.

Cuddling with him.

Chip’s eyes go wide. The night before rushes into his mind like a flash. He remembers doing Gill’s hair, acting really affectionate, and then curling up together in his bed. God, if Lizzie sees this, he’s f-

“Chip, you-” Lizzie walks in staring at her screen, freezing at the sight of Chip tangled up with Gill, eyes wide and face red.

Chip shakes his head at her as she clicks a picture. Lizzie gives him a smug look and holds up 10 fingers, mouthing ten dollars or I tell Arlin. Chip nods frantically, plastering a cheeky grin on Lizzie’s face. She slowly backs out, closing the door with a loud and deliberate click. Chip swears he’s gonna kill her as he feels Gillion shift.

“Good morning, Chip,” Gillion rasps out, blinking a few times. Chip only stares and buries his face in Gill’s shoulder. “Ok, we don’t have to get up yet.”

Gill wraps his arms around Chip, rubbing his back with comforting motions. Chip isn’t ready to face the day after the night they shared. How is he supposed to pretend he isn’t mad for Gill after that? While they’re curled close together, sharing warmth?

“Hey, Chip,” Gillion speaks, with a rumble in his early morning voice, “we should have sleepovers more often.”

Chip’s face turns crimson on Gill’s shoulder. He wraps an arm around Gill and pulls the covers up to his chin.

“Yeah,” Chip whispers, smiling when he feels Gill’s hand raise to play with his hair.

“Did you really mean what you said last night?” Gill questions, thumbing along Chip’s hair.

Chip struggles to recall what he said, but he knows even with the intoxication of sleepiness, he meant every word he said. Gill is everything to him, and only with all of his inhibitions out of the way could he express that. He stays silent for a moment before nodding.

“I meant everything I said, too.” Gill assures, drawing the hair back from Chip’s temple. His mind traces every place his fingers trails along. They almost doze off again, but Gill sits up in a panic.

“Wait, oh no-“ Gill jumps out of Chip’s bed and looks around frantically, grabbing his things in haste.

“Wh-Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Chip asks in a panic. He scoots back against his bed, convincing himself of everything that could have been wrong.

He didn’t mean anything last night, he was just tired, and now he doesn’t want anything to do with me. What if he hates me now? Does he think I took advantage of him? Why does he want to leave so bad?

“I-my parents, I never told them where I was,” Gill heaves, picking up his phone and widening his eyes at the missed calls.

“O-oh, uh-“ Chip stutters, sliding off his bed. He hugs his arms in the cold air. He felt self-conscious in the massively oversized t-shirt and basketball shorts.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Gill apologizes, setting his things down on Chip’s bed. He walks up to Chip, hesitating for a moment, when his phone rings and he scrambles to pick it up.

“Mom, yes- yes, I’m okay, I was spending the night at- I know, I know, I’m sorry-“ Gill hurries off, grabbing his things and closing the door behind him.

Chip stands in silence as he hears an awkward exchange downstairs between Gill and Arlin.

Shit.