Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Lucas knew he was overthinking this.

He knew that if he just told his friends, they wouldn’t care. But that didn’t stop him from swallowing down the truth like cherry-flavored cough syrup, the sour taste of his falsities lingering in his mouth for much too long afterward. 

If Lucas had stayed in the Netherlands, he might never have confessed. He probably would have continued on through high school without ever saying a word. 

But Lucas didn’t stay in the Netherlands, and although he hated his father for making him leave his home, his mom , he had to admit that it was one of the best things that had ever happened to him. 

Despite Antwerp’s reputation for being quite popular, his apartment was secluded and quiet; a lonely place in theory, but he never felt alone. His paintbrushes and canvases kept him company, as well as the birds that woke him up every morning with their songs. 

He met Sander first, their shared interest in photography landing them both in a classroom decorated with printed-out cartoon cameras and an old-timey flash turned into a lamp. Sander always said the teacher seating them next to each other was “an act of fate.” Lucas just said it was luck. 

Eventually, he was introduced to the rest of the group. Moyo and Aaron were a dynamic duo, always loud and boisterous. They bounced off each other in conversations, joking back and forth, usually at each other’s expense. Robbe reminded Lucas of himself - a solitudinarian, but convivial and fun when he wanted to be. His truehearted nature was refreshing.

And then there was Jens. 

Jens who called him “Luca,” and held his hand without any shame. Jens who always made sure to get him a Pepsi instead of a Coke since he knew Lucas thought the latter tasted funny. Jens who ran his hand through Lucas’ curls to help him go to sleep at night and caressed his cheek with his thumb to help him wake up in the morning. 

His beautiful Jens who kissed him like he was running out of oxygen and Lucas was the only source of air available. 

This boy who he has known for all of 4 months gave him the confidence he dreamed of having just last year. 

“I want to tell Kes and Jayden.”

Lucas and Jens were sitting side by side on top of a ramp at the unfrequented skatepark near Lucas’ apartment, their legs dangling off the edge, boards and backpacks thrown behind them carelessly. They were passing a bag of chips between each other, acquired from the gas station they had stopped at on their way. Jens looked at the other with furrowed eyebrows.

“Mhm,” he hummed. “I’ll agree with you once you let me in on what you're telling them.”

Lucas chuckled quietly, averting his eyes. “About me. About- about us. ” 

Jens’ brows loosened, then rose in poorly hidden shock. “Really?” he asked.

“What? You don’t- you think it’s a bad idea?” Lucas’ stammer made Jens drop the plastic bag in a hurry, using his now unoccupied hands to grasp the others’. 

“No, no, I think it’s great!” Jens reassured. “I just know this is something you’ve been, like, scared to do. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you panic.”

“Oh. Oh!” Lucas laughed, cheeks tinged a light red. “It’s okay. Um…”

Catching on to the blond boy's embarrassment, Jens switched gears. “What made you change your mind?”

Grateful for the change in direction, Lucas started his explanation. “Well, I’ve been really um… I’ve been really happy with you and… with your friends and it’s just really nice to finally be able to just- like- be without being scared.” 

He faltered slightly, suddenly disconcerted, but continued when Jens nodded encouragingly. 

“They’ve never been, like, homophobic or anything. It’s just… I’ve known them for so long and I don’t want- I just don’t want them to think of me differently.”

“Okay, before I say anything, I just want to make sure you know that Robbe and everyone are your friends too,” Jens began. “Actually, I think if you asked them, they would probably say they’d rather ditch me and just keep you.” 

Lucas chuckled at the lighthearted joke. “I know. Sorry, it’s just- habit.”

“One that I’m gonna make sure you drop.” The certainty in the older boy’s voice made Lucas smile. Jens lifted their intertwined hands and placed a featherlight kiss on Lucas’ index finger. “Now,” Jens’ expression altered into one with a more serious air to it. “I don’t want you to be scared anymore, and I’m sure Kes and Jayden would agree if they knew you felt this way. I’ve never met them, but based on what you told me, I don’t think they’re going to act the way you're afraid they might. This is something you want?”

“Yeah,” Lucas said, his voice quiet despite its certitude. Jens smiled.

“Then I’m with you 100%.”

The kiss caught Jens off-guard, but he melted into the ardent touch once his surprise faded, trailing his hands upward and cupping the back of Lucas’ head carefully. He only pulled away when Lucas stopped kissing back, his mouth instead stretching wide against the other’s, the tips of his canines just barely grazing Jens’ lower lip. 

Those types of smiles were reserved for Jens, and Jens only. The ones where his lips turned up just enough to be able to see the point of his teeth and his eyes softened with a fondness he never allowed anyone else to see. It never failed to make Jens weak in the knees. 

They sat there for a minute, soaking in one another through their touching noses and soft caresses. If Lucas had a choice, he would’ve stayed in that moment forever, mind clouded contently in his post-kiss haze, forehead resting against forehead. The aphrodisiac that was Jens’ touch was something he never wished to surrender, even if just for a second. 

But, a car engine back-firing made Jens pull away and snap his head toward the noise with a subtle flinch Lucas probably wouldn’t have noticed if he wasn’t cuddled up next to him so close he might as well have been on his lap. After a beat, Jens turned back to his boy with a smile and a roll of his eyes before standing up and holding his hand out in front of him, grabbing Lucas’ own and pulling him up to his feet. 

“Let’s go,” he said, swinging his backpack over one of his shoulders and stepping on one side of his skateboard so he could grab the end that sprung up. “We have some leftover pasta callin’ our names.”

Lucas chuckled, parroting Jens’ previous motions and slipping his hand into the other’s, his steps syncing with his lover’s almost immediately. 

“They’re gonna love you.”

...

The earliest time all of them were available was about a week after Lucas’ rendezvous with Jens at the skatepark. 

The six-day waiting period was torture. He had hoped he’d gain some confidence in the time between telling Jens about his plan and telling his friends about Jens, but in reality, it was the opposite. He hadn’t been able to sit still, could barely sleep or eat through the constant uncomfortable knot that kept place in his stomach. Not even Jens’ company could provide complete tranquility, though it did help just a smidge. 

Lucas looked down at his wringing hands with a nervous sigh. 

He was sitting in his bedroom, the overhead light dark but his shades open to let in the afternoon sun. His legs were stretched out in front of him, the heat of his old laptop warming the denim covering his thighs, and his back rested against the plain wooden headboard that gave emphasis to the brightly colored collage of movie posters that hung above his bed. Jens was next to him, sitting criss cross on the side of the bed so he could see Lucas but stay hidden from the view of his friends. His elbows rested against his knees as he leaned forward and held Lucas’ hand, letting the boy fidget with his fingers while the screen loaded. He took a deep breath when he caught Lucas’ eyes, watching as Lucas drew in one of his own, chest rising and falling deeply, attempting to relax. 

The laptop in front of Lucas let out a quiet ding, and he turned back to the screen quickly with a smile as genuine as he could produce through the nerves gliding upward and wrapping around each of his ribs like a snake twisting around the neck of its prey. 

“Luc!” Kes’ voice broke Lucas out of his panic-induced trance.

Lucas had been in Kes’ bedroom enough times to be able to recognize the yellow walls that were lined with vinyl records and the unmade bed sat atop an old gray carpet that he had had for years. He could tell that Kes was sitting in the comfortable desk chair he always called dibs on when they sat around his computer because it was “his room, his rules,” while Jayden sat on the stool Kes kept under his refurbished escritoire due to the height he usually didn’t have on him. The two were smiling wide, Jayden waving at the screen so wildly he accidentally hit Kes’ forehead, earning him a glare from the other. 

Lucas’ smile came easier with the familiarity of it all. 

“Hey guys!”

“How’s it over there in Belgium?” Jayden asked, scooching his stool forward. “Is the weed good?”

Lucas laughed, shaking his head and sharing a subtle look with Jens. Of course, that’s the first thing he asks. “It's not bad, but nothing compares to what Kes can get his hands on over there.” 

“Damn right!” Kes chimed in, a smug smirk overtaking his expression as he held his hands out in self-satisfied triumph. His complacent attitude didn’t last long though, as just a moment later, his arms dropped down to his sides and his head turned toward Jayden slowly.

“Oh no,” Lucas teased. “That’s his ‘Jayden fucked up’ face.”

“You never paid me back for stealing the stash in my locker."

Jayden’s eyes widened, lips pulled in between his teeth, shoulders drawn up. He looked like the epitome of guilt. “Girls!” he blurted out. “Girls. Any- Luc, anyone there caught your eye?”

Kes opened his mouth to interrupt, but the way Lucas froze and looked away from the camera made him pause once more. He shot Jayden a look, declared, “We’re talking about this later,” then swiveled his chair back to face his desk, promptly ignoring the sheepish look Jayden was sporting. “Want to share with the class, Lucas?” 

The boy in question parted his lips, but he couldn’t voice anything around the lump that had grown and found its place in his throat. He swallowed, hoping the action would somehow dislodge the anxiety occluding his airways. He felt a squeeze of his hand when it didn’t. 

Jens was already gazing at Lucas when the spooked boy looked over and locked eyes with him, brown meeting blue. Softly, he took hold of Lucas' index and middle fingers, placing them on the inside of his wrist and pressing them down lightly with his own fingers. The steady thump, thump, thump of Jens’ pulse fluttered against Lucas’ fingertips, each bump a reminder that he was there, an assuage to his panic. 

He took a deep breath, looking back toward his friends, taking into account their now concerned expressions. 

“I, um…” His tongue peeked out from behind his teeth to glide over his lips in an effort to ground himself covertly. 

“You know you can tell us anything, right?” Jayden asked.

“Or not tell us,” Kes chimed in, sharing a nod with the teen next to him. “There's no pressure.”

Lucas looked down at his hands, the first two fingers of his right hand still captured under Jens’. He could see the soft smile Jens was sporting out of the corner of his eye, the upturned lips of his lover making his own closed-mouth smile - the one he didn’t realize he was wearing - grow. 

He breathed in deep once more. 

“I think I’m gay,” he breathed out, then paused. “Well- no. I am gay. I don’t think I’m gay, I am gay.” He looked at Jens, whose face could only be described as amused. “Definitely gay.”

There was a moment of fearful silence, before Kes said, “So?”

“So?” Lucas echoed, voice and shoulders tense with anticipation. 

“So,” Kes continued. “Is there a guy?” 

Lucas’ eyes widened, brows climbing up his forehead with shock. “A gu- you don’t care?”

“Dude, no,” Jayden replied, shaking his head after he had processed what he said. “Well- wait, no we do care, but like- it’s not like- a bad care. Like, we care ‘cause you’re our friend and you’re awesome but not ‘cause we think it’s bad, just ‘cause-”

“I think he gets it,” Kes interrupted with a bemused yet entertained look. “You get it, right?”

Lucas let out a delighted laugh, nodding fervently. “Yeah, I-I get it.” 

The lump in his throat was gone. The snake-like grip around his torso had dissipated. His shaky voice and even shakier hands had evened out. 

He could breathe. 

“Well?” 

His relieved inner monologue was interrupted by Jayden’s voice. 

“Is there a guy? C’mon, I wanna know!” 

Lucas opened his mouth, but his words turned into an embarrassing giggle, making him snatch his hand away from Jens’ hold to cover his blushing face with both of his palms. Kes’ teasing ‘Ooh!’ was drowned out by Jayden’s screech-like shout. When Lucas moved one of his pinkies to the side to catch a peek of his screen, he could see Jayden slapping Kes’ arms in excitement, the other not even bothering to stop him, instead grabbing Jayden’s shoulder and shaking it, saying, “What’s he like?” 

Lucas bit his lip, glancing at Jens. 

“Tell us, tell us, tell us!” they started chanting, pounding the desk with their fists to the beat of their words. 

“Okay, okay!” Lucas gave in, shrugging his shoulders with bright eyes. “He’s… nice.”

The two boys on the screen booed. “Come on, you can do better than that!” Jayden complained, making Lucas shrug his shoulders once again.

With a laugh, he said, “His name is Jens. He’s… sweet and- he’s really pretty.”

Jens turned away from Lucas to hide his shy smile while Kes and Jayden continued their sing-song-y banter. 

“How does he make you feel?” Kes questioned gently once their ribbing subsided. 

“Good, really good. I-it’s easy to feel good with him.” Lucas turned his head toward Jens discreetly. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way about someone before.”

Jayden’s jaw dropped, mouth agape, contorting into a wide smile while Kes proclaimed, “Oh, he’s in love,” beside him, leaning on his desk with his forearms. 

“Okay, well you need to introduce us like, now, ” Jayden announced, “Pronto.”

“Uh-” Lucas stuttered, throwing subtlety out the window and looking at Jens with a question on his tongue, eyes displaying what needed to be said. Jens’ eyebrows raised slightly and he shrugged one of his shoulders, head tilting into the motion as if to say ‘It’s your choice.’ “Well…”

Kes’ eyes squinted, eyebrows pinching inward. He cocked his head to the side, inspecting Lucas with ample curiosity. After a moment, his expression morphed into one of realization. He’d always been good at reading Lucas. 

“Is he-?” he asked, the inquiry dying off when Lucas nodded with a nervous smile. 

Jayden looked back and forth between his two friends, confusion laced across his face. “No, hey, you guys know I don’t like when you do that creepy silent conversation thing,” he butted in. “What is it?”

“Dude, he’s there,” Kes mumbled, making Jayden’s back straighten in shock. “If you don’t turn the camera I swear I will find him on Instagram and tell him about the time you fell off your bed while-”

“Okay!” Lucas interrupted, voice high and cheeks tinted a light red. Jens raised a questioning eyebrow but Lucas pretended not to notice, grabbing the other’s forearm and pulling him up toward the headboard. 

Jens knee-walked his way over the bed, settling down next to Lucas with an arm draped over his shoulders. Lucas tilted his laptop to the right slightly, making sure to capture Jens fully in the frame, before whispering, “Say hi.”

Jens smiled at his boyfriend softly, turning to take in the boys on the screen now that his view wasn’t obstructed by a glare. He waved his hand that wasn’t resting on Lucas' shoulder with a beam. “Hi! I’m Jens.”

“Holy shit, Luc, you did good!” Jayden called out, pausing at the looks he received. “What? I can appreciate the male gender and not be gay.”

“Good lord,” Kes mumbled under his breath. “Hey, I’m Kes. Don’t mind Jayden.”

Jens laughed. “As long as Lucas doesn’t mind his friend trying to steal me from him, I’m all good.” 

“I think he’s on to you, Jayden,” Lucas said with a teasing wince. 

“Okay, I don’t appreciate the whole ‘ganging-up-on-Jayden’ thing you guys are doing,” Jayden replied, but the smile on his face gave away his fake annoyance. “Let’s talk to the guy who stole our best friend’s heart.”

“Yeah, I actually agree with Jayden for once,” Kes commented, making the boy next to him throw his arms up dramatically, still smiling. “So. Jens.” 

The inquisitive tone lining Kes’ voice made Lucas flop his head back onto Jens’ arm with a hand over his eyes. The boy at issue bit back an amused smile, somehow keeping his face straight while being scrutinized by the Dutch pair illuminated on the laptop. 

“What are your intentions with our Lucas?”

Lucas huffed a laugh out, shaking his still thrown-back head with happy exasperation. 

“Well, I want to teach him how to actually skateboard,” Jens started, ignoring Lucas’ offended ‘ Hey! ’ in favor of continuing. “And make him listen to Mr. Brightside on repeat until he finally learns the words and stops just mumbling to the melody. I’m gonna take him to the two cafes near our school so he can decide which one’s cake he likes better.” Jens hesitated slightly, then simpered. “You probably don’t need to know the rest.”

Kes let out a ‘yo!’ and wolf-whistled, bobbing along to Jayden’s ragging rendition of Candy Shop. 

“Jens!” Lucas called out, playfully slapping the tan boy's arm. “They aren’t going to let me live that down.”

Jens only shrugged, a Cheshire grin spreading across his lips. 

...

The group of them ended up talking for hours, the midday sun eventually dipping beneath the horizon, allowing the dark of the night to take over the sky and dim the streets. At some point, Jens’ head had dropped onto the shoulder next to him, even breaths ghosting across the skin of Lucas’ neck. Jayden had gone home sometime after the sun had set, a worried call from his mother about staying out after curfew jump-starting his brain and making him realize his obliviousness to the time. Kes stayed though, grabbing the fuzzy blanket he kept on his bed and wrapping it comfortably around himself, feet resting on the stool Jayden occupied before his phone buzzed. 

“You seem happier,” Kes pointed out, voice low so as to not disturb the sleeping boy next to his friend. “More smiley.”

As if on cue, the corners of Lucas’ mouth upturned. “I am happier.”

Kes smiled back, soft and bright and oh-so content. “Good.”

They sat in silence, but it wasn’t uncomfortable like the quiet he experienced when he saw his dad, or scary like the soundless house he stepped into when his mother was going through a bout of depression. It was calm, peaceful - like rain without thunder, the ocean without waves. 

Then Kes looked up at the wall behind his computer where Lucas knew the Pac-Man-themed clock Isa got him as a gag gift hung, and sat up in his chair with a hand running through his dark hair. 

“I should probably get going, it’s almost 3:00,” he said with a stretch. 

“A.M?” Lucas asked rhetorically. “Damn, I should go too. Sorry for keeping you so long.”

“Don’t worry about it, Luc. We missed you,” Kes replied, then jutted his chin out toward Jens. “Thank you, by the way - for introducing us. I can tell he’s good for you.” 

Lucas looked down at his shoulder. “Yeah, he is.”

The two quietly said their goodbyes, Lucas slowly powering his laptop off and grabbing the top of the screen to close it. He moved to place it in its respective place on one of his nightstands, freezing when he felt the mop of hair resting against him shift. 

“‘wassup?” Jens mumbled, lifting his head up and rubbing his eyes with the pads of his fingers. His bedhead made Lucas chuckle.

“Everything’s fine,” he said, scooting his body down the mattress so he could fully lie down. Jens followed suit, resting his head on Lucas’ pillow instead of his own, their faces mere inches apart. 

“D’it go good?” he asked, eyes refusing to stay open.

“Yeah, it did.” Lucas reached up to brush a hand through Jens’ curls. “Go back to sleep.”

“M’kay.”

“M’kay,” Lucas mocked the hum softly, placing a light kiss on the other’s forehead. 

Tomorrow morning, Lucas would wake up to the chirping of birds and the smell of Jens’ coconut shampoo. The sunlight would shine on his face and Jens would grumble about forgetting to close the curtains, but tuck his head into Lucas’ chest instead of getting up and shutting them. They would laze around, using their Sunday to stay in bed and kiss to their heart's content. 

But for now, Lucas just closed his eyes, happy to let his mind slip into a peaceful rest.

Chapter Text

11:37

Me you have competition

11:37 

baby <3 ??? 

11:38 

Me the woman next to me on the train said she would give me a twix bar if i got with her

Me you know how much i love twix

11:38 

baby <3 Twix? really? Not even a kit kat?

11:39 

Me jens. we’ve been over this. kit kats suck.

11:40 

baby <3 No Luca ur wrong. Youve never even tried the orange halloween ones 

11:40 

Me i dont need to they taste the same

11:40 

baby <3 I swear they dont 

11:41 

Me they do, just like rainbow goldfish

11:41 

baby <3 No. nononono the red goldfish are the best ones 

11:41 

Me and fruit loops

11:42 

baby <3 You cant see it but theres smoke coming out of my ears

Lucas shook his head with a smile. 

Utrecht Centraal was busier than usual, the hustle and bustle of people in work attire rushing and families with far too many children yelling at each other in frustration filling his head with an overwhelming clamor of noise. He was lucky enough to have been able to steal a seat in one of the less crowded corners of the train station, settling down next to an older woman doing a crossword puzzle and across from a father with his baby. 

Isa had texted minutes before Lucas’ train stopped in his hometown, letting him know that she was on her way to pick him up so they could walk the short distance together back to the cozy apartment he used to frequent. 

Though it took his mother practically begging for it, Jayden had moved out a month after Lucas moved himself. It’s sad to see him leave but I will not miss him leaving the milk out on the counter, Liv told Lucas when he visited a couple of months back. Esra went off to university to become a doctor, which was no surprise to Lucas; he knew she was going to make something of herself when they first got partnered in biology, she would never let her genius go to waste. 

This left the once-packed apartment with only two tenants - Ralph and Liv. Lucas knew that deep down neither of them liked the quiet that came with their friend's departure, despite their best efforts to try to seem indifferent. 

“Luc!” 

A call of his name broke Lucas out of his daze. 

Isa was a little ways away from the bench Lucas was on, squeezing her way through the crowd, getting annoyed looks from the people around her as she went. Whether she was ignoring them or genuinely wasn’t noticing them, Lucas wasn’t sure, but knowing her either was possible. A few strands of hair were falling out of the bun that rested against the back of her head, giving her curls the messy feel Lucas knew she preferred to a clean, tidy do. 

Once she made it across the sea of people, Isa held out her arms with a smile. “Hi!”

Lucas stood up with a smile of his own, grabbing his duffle bag by its handle and embracing Isa with his free arm. “Hey, Is! I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever!”

“Because you haven’t! You’ve been off in Belgium probably having the time of your life, while I had to stay here and listen to your dumbass friends complaining about how much they miss you,” she teased, pulling back from the hug with an affectionate eye roll. 

“Well, it would be hard not to miss me,” Lucas replied brightly with a shrug. 

“Mm, I don’t know,” Isa hummed. “I did perfectly fine without you.”

Lucas put a hand over his chest, tilting his head with a chaffing frown. “Oh Is, you don’t have to be strong in front of me.”

“Ha, ha,” Isa said, syllables separated to showcase her sarcasm. “Fuck you.”

Lucas laughed loudly, following Isa as she started her trek back through the mass of people, twisting and turning and almost bumping into multiple children. Eventually, they found one of the station’s exits, slipping through the glass doors and breathing in the air devoid of sweat and stuffiness. 

“Dude, have you heard about this whole thing with Janna?” Isa asked suddenly, following the arrows that led to the city’s sidewalks. 

“What thing with Janna?”

Isa let out an amused chuckle. “Shit, man, it’s fucking insane. So this girl she was seeing - Anna? Anne? - I don’t know, it’s not important. So basically, she was like convinced she was gonna be famous…”

Lucas let himself become engrossed in the chatter, listening intently to everything he’d missed with an easy smile and cheerful strides. 

...

It was Liv who answered the door once they made it back to the apartment, a dazzling smile overtaking her features. 

“Luc! Ralph, Lucas is here!” she called, pulling Lucas into the apartment and in for a hug, giving Isa room to shut the door behind them. “It’s so good to see you!” 

Lucas opened his mouth to share the sentiment but was interrupted by a loud voice before he could speak.

“Lucas van der Heijden! Look at you!” Ralph basically skipped over to Lucas, taking in his outfit and ruffling his hair. “New sense of style, hair is getting longer. Belgium looks good on you!” 

Lucas laughed, swatting Ralph’s hand away gently and slipping his Converse off, pushing them closer to the door with his foot. “Don’t worry, not too much has changed. Still love my hoodies,” he pinched the fabric of the white sweatshirt that was layered underneath his fur-lined jean jacket. 

The group migrated over to the couches, Isa and Lucas taking the love seat, Ralph and Liv sitting in their usual spots on the living room’s bigger couch. Liv grabbed the blanket that was folded neatly over the back of the couch and wrapped it around her shoulders like she always did. “So, tell us about the people you keep posting on your Instagram. I’m getting a little jealous,” she joked, making Lucas chuckle.

“Um, yeah- well there’s Robbe and Sander. They’re the couple you always see. The guy with the platinum blond hair is Sander and the brunette is Robbe,” he filled in, absentmindedly pulling his phone out of his back pocket and setting it down on the couch without any real purpose. “They’re really nice. Sander was actually the guy who introduced me to everyone. We met in a photography class and it turns out we have, like, a ton in common. Um…”

“Did you paint that?” 

Isa was staring at Lucas’ phone, tapping the screen every other second to keep it lit up. It was then that Lucas remembered his phone’s wallpaper. 

He had painted it. 2 intertwined hands laid over a background of pitch black, pale and tan fingers lacing together, shaded with gray and blue. Certain patches of skin were almost white, giving the appearance of light coming from the left side of the painting. The colors were somehow melded together with graceful disorder. 

“Uh- yeah,” Lucas chuckled, suddenly self-conscious.

“Holy shit!” Isa blurted out. “Luc, this is, like- wow. Guys, look.” She held up the phone, letting the pair on the bigger couch have a look. 

“Oh my God, that’s amazing,” Liv said, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Where did you learn to paint like that?” Ralph asked, taking the phone from Isa’s outstretched hand to take a closer look. He passed the device to Liv after a moment, who was looking over his shoulder to get a glance. 

“I don’t- I mean I took an art class for school in, like, year 8.”

“No, a 40-minute public school class that happened once a week could not have taught you that,” Isa argued. “No, that’s just raw talent.” 

“Well, Sander’s been helping me too, he’s really good.”

“Take the compliment, we all-” Ralph started, only to be cut off by Liv. 

“Uh, yeah, so I agree with everything they’re saying,” she said, “but I just have one question. Who’s ‘baby’ ?”

Liv tilted the screen toward the loveseat, a questioning smile making her lips turn up. Lucas snatched the phone from Liv’s hands, cheeks rapidly turning pink at the group's gasps and what!? ’s. 

Lo and behold, there on the screen was a text from Jens. 

13:22

baby <3 Let me know when u can talk

The message made Lucas’ eyebrows furrow, his concern drowning out the other’s gossip. He started typing. 

13:23

Me is everything ok? 

13:23

baby <3 Yea just bored

Perfect timing, Jens. Lucas licked his teeth. 

“What’s their name?” Ralph badgered. Lucas couldn’t help but notice the absence of female pronouns, and he didn’t know if he was grateful for the wording or not. 

“Uh…” Lucas bit his lip, fidgeting with his phone’s case. “His name is Jens.”

Each of them had their own delighted expressions, but none of them seemed anywhere near surprised. Lucas breathed in, ready to ask why, exactly, they were as unruffled as they were, but decided against it, playing his inhale off with a nod of his head. 

Isa looked at her friends, head swinging back and forth between the two of them, seemingly waiting for something. When she didn’t get what she was looking for, she shrugged. “Okay, I’ll ask. Is he cute?”

Lucas laughed with a scrunch of his nose, nodding and unlocking his phone once again. “Yeah, he is. Let me…” 

He gave his phone to Isa when he found the picture. He had taken it in Jens’ bedroom unbeknownst to said boy, who hated having his picture taken. A pair of black, soundproof headphones rested around his neck, the wire trailing down and plugging into his keyboard, only the last 5 keys of the instrument actually in the frame of the picture. He was illuminated by his lamp in the room’s lighting which was almost as dark as the ringlet of hair that fell against his forehead. Looking at his lover's eyes, Lucas wondered how his eyelashes didn’t tangle together because of their length. 

One of Ralph’s brows lifted when he got ahold of the phone again, head tilting as he looked at Lucas with a proud smile. “Does he- does he have any brothers?”

Liv pushed Ralph playfully, taking the device from him and handing it back to Lucas. “He’s nice, right?” she asked, her protective tone making Lucas snort.

“Really nice. He, uh,” Lucas squeezed his eyes in an attempt to keep the blush from overtaking his face. “He calls me ‘Luca.’”

“Luca!” “Oh, that’s fucking adorable,” Liv and Isa said, their voices overlapping with one another, while Ralph covered his face with his hands and announced, “I’m gonna get cavities.” 

Liv flung her blanket onto the cushion next to her, walking with purpose toward the apartment's small kitchen. “You’re telling us all about him, you can’t back out now,” she called, walking back through the doorway with a family-sized bag of Doritos. She plopped back down in her spot, handing the plastic chip bag to Ralph after taking a handful, and asked “How did you meet?”

Lucas answered their questions freely, showing them videos of the time he and Jens snuck onto the school’s roof to smoke weed and watch people down below them trip on the school's sneaky transition strip, and pictures of the Batman-themed birthday cake with the words “Happy 6th Birthday Zach!” iced onto it they impulsively bought from Walmart when the worker told them that no one came to pick it up. 

He told them about the butterflies he felt when Jens laid his head on his chest, the blush he gained when Jens called him pretty. 

He knew his friends were happy to listen, so he talked, happy to give them something to hear. 

Chapter Text

@vanderheijden.lucas

Antwerp, Belgium

 ♡ 54 likes                   

 vanderheijden.lucas my baby <3 @jensrolt 

View all 19 comments

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♡ by creator

jensrolt I <3 u

 vanderheijden.lucas @jensrolt i love you too 🫶

♡ by creator

j4nn4n4s  looked at his profile, you got yourself a hottie luc DAMN 

       vanderheijden.lucas @j4nn4n4s sure did 🙈

♡ by creator

engelbeekman Lucas!!! Congrats!!

♡ by creator

itsesraaydin @broodjeralph told me how much he makes you blush 👀 Can’t wait to meet him!!!

       vanderheijden.lucas @itsesraaydin luv you es <3 @broodjerralph i hate you. 

♡ by creator

          broodjeralph @vanderheijden.lucas just stating facts babe 🤷

♡ by creator

baasantwerp idk if i can deal with another couple swapping spit at the lunch table (jkjk, congrats @vanderheijden.lucas and @jensrolt) 

       vanderheijden.lucas @baasantwerp lol thank u moyo :)))

♡ by creator

          jensrolt @baasantwerp 🖕(thx bro)

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aarondaarom @baasantwerp You’re the only single guy left in the group bro, hurry it upppp 

♡ by creator

       baasantwerp @aarondaarom 😑

♡ by creator

zoeloockx Congratulations you 2 <3 

♡ by creator

helloolly Ugh I feel like a proud dad 🥹 love you @vanderheijden.lucas and @jensrolt

       vanderheijden.lucas @helloolly we love u too milan 🥰 

♡ by creator

earthlingoddity Cute, but not as cute as @sterkerdanijzer and i 🥱

       vanderheijden.lucas @earthlingoddity ehhhh thats debatable ✋

♡ by creator

          sterkerdanijzer  @vanderheijden.lucas no i dont think it is 🤔 lol congrats 💟