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vexedtonightmares · 4 years

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last dance (elu ballet au) chapter seize

Lucas is in his final year at the Paris Opera Ballet School and he’ll be damned if he lets his former friend-turned-rival Eliott steal the lead role in their production of Swan Lake.

aka- lucas and eliott are rivals who are forced to room together for their final year of ballet school before they try to enter the company. we can all see where this is going.

i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. vii. viii. ix. x. xi. xii. xiii. xiv. xv. xvi.

ao3

**tw: mentions of eating disorder and bipolar disorder**

Dimanche 12:44

They were a week out from the show, which meant everyone was in a frenzy. The studios had been booked all day and people came and went as they pleased to practice, everyone a little bit more sluggish than usual on account of the late night they’d all ended up having.

After Eliott and Lucas’ show, their whole year stayed in the auditorium all night under the guise of cleaning it up, but they were really just enjoying one another’s company. There weren’t going to be many more nights like this, so they had to take advantage while they still could. The silly string actually smelled quite bad, but Lucas didn’t think any of them had cared much about it, too lost in the moment and each other to think about anything other than their happiness. It was so beautiful to experience, being in a group like this one. Sure, some of them were better friends with each other than others were, but that night they’d all been one unit built through sweat, strength, blood, broken nails, and more than a few tears.

Lucas was still finding silly string buried in his hair when he ran his hands through it as he practiced, and even though it was kind of gross, he couldn’t help but smile.

He and Eliott were switching off rehearsing with Manon and Imane, both of whom chided them multiple times for not paying enough attention to their partners and too much attention to each other. Thankfully, Lucas had already gotten a fair amount of practice with Manon, so they looked to be in good shape for the weekend. Imane and Eliott hadn’t had as much time to work through the choreography together, but it didn’t seem likely that the two of them would have to perform together on stage, so they weren’t worried.

They had yet to run through the entire ballet in full costume onstage, and Lucas couldn’t have been more excited to start dress rehearsals. They wouldn’t start until the next morning since the show was beginning on Friday, and Lucas hoped that nothing would go wrong, but he didn’t want to jinx it. There was still a lot to be done, and so much that could go wrong, but they were so close.

It was quite surreal that it was finally happening. It seemed like just yesterday he’d come back to school with Manon, marvelling at the year ahead. At the same time, it seemed stupid that at that point he’d been so overcome with blind hatred he’d thought he wouldn’t survive the year sharing a room with Eliott. Now he couldn’t imagine surviving without him.

Eliott flashed him a smile just meant for the two of them, like a secret they shared, and Lucas dropped his head to hide his own grin. One of the best things about falling in love was the secret language that came with it, the one neither person had to learn but already knew by heart. It was a good thing he would never have to live without Eliott.

“I love you,” he mouthed across the room, because he was sappy and he could. If Eliott was the sun, then he was Icarus, flying, falling, but ever in love with its golden rays and the warmth it brought into his life.

Imane snapped in front of his face and he realized he’d probably been staring too long with a dopey expression on his face. The blush that always adorned his cheeks around Eliott deepened, even as Eliott mouthed the words back to him behind Imane.

“I swear, if I’d known you were going to be this insufferable in love, I never would have wished for it for my birthday,” Manon teased, ruffling his hair.

“Shut up,” he groaned, leaning out of her reach, then paused. “Wait… you’re joking, right?”

She raised one eyebrow, turning back to face the mirror with a smirk on her face. She was such a shit, but he supposed he couldn’t complain because the two of them were cut from the same cloth. He pretended not to notice Imane rolling her eyes at all three of them. He knew it was in jest anyways, he knew that Imane liked him a whole lot more than she pretended to.

And, thinking of her, he had to get all the information out of her about her and Sofiane. They could pretend nothing was going on all they wanted, but literally everyone knew it was a lie. He was happy for her, whatever the case, because he could tell she and Sofiane cared about each other deeply and had for practically their whole lives.

Caring was something he’d grown up without, never really considering the impact it might have when he found it. He liked to be cared for, he’d come to realize. Being cared for wasn’t being pitied or belittled, it was a show of pure affection from someone who loved you through thick and thin. Sure, it would still take him some getting used to, but Manon, Imane, and Eliott were just the people to help him with that. He liked to be the one giving care as well, it came more naturally, probably because he’d done it unknowingly with his mother when he was young. There was nothing quite like showing someone how much they meant to you.

The rehearsals continued, going by more smoothly than initially anticipated, mostly due to the fact that the four of them were pretty professional when they wanted to be. It was strange for the show to be looming so close, it really was. Even stranger still was the fact that Lucas would dance the role of his dreams with one of his best friends opposite him in front of an audience that was sure to be more overwhelming than any he’d ever experienced prior.

Thinking about it led to wild daydreams of performing on the same stage as the principal dancer in the Paris Opera Ballet Company. If he even wanted to stay there, that was. It seemed blasphemous to even think of leaving, but he wasn’t assured a place in the company and he didn’t know if this environment was the one he was destined to belong in. He and Eliott hadn’t talked much about what they were going to do after this year, and Lucas had been avoiding thinking about it too much. Not so long ago he’d feared there would be no future for him. He’d wait until after the show, he decided, then he would figure out what the hell he was going to do with his life and his career, if his brain could hold out that long.

Career was a weird word for him to use, even in the confines of his own mind. It meant that his dreams were in reach should he decide to reach out and grab them. Hopefully they wouldn’t slip through his fingers.

Eliott snaked a hand around his shoulders, knocking their heads together. “Break time?” he asked, probably noticing how Lucas had zoned out over the last few minutes. Lucas nodded sinking into Eliott’s embrace.

“Perfect,” Manon said, patting her forehead for sweat that wasn’t there. It boggled his mind, honestly, how she simply didn’t sweat, like she’d just decided not to or something. “I have to meet Daphné,” she continued, light flush coating her cheeks.

“Why haven’t I been giving you a hard time about that?” Lucas wondered aloud, considering all the jokes he could have made about the two of them. Manon surely hadn’t held back on his behalf.

“Because you love us both too much,” Manon suggested with a wink, and Lucas rolled his eyes at her.

He raised one eyebrow, gathering his things from the front of the room. “I take offense on behalf of me and Eliott,” he said, nudging Eliott, who nodded even though he’d been talking to Imane.

Manon pouted at him, patting his cheek maternally. “Please, as if you don’t already know how much I love you.”

“That’s so sweet, Manon, but I’m gay,” he lamented.

“Me too,” she mocked, in the same tone of voice, “For the most part at least.”

She kissed him on both cheeks, waving to Eliott and Imane before leaving, eyes glued to whatever Daphné had probably just sent her on her phone. Eliott re attached himself to Lucas immediately after her absence, bodies melding into place, such a comfort in existing side by side.

Imane left as well, reminding them to meet back there in an hour or so to continue rehearsing, and Eliott and Lucas trailed a bit behind, too lost in their own world to see her meet up with Sofiane and walk off in the opposite direction.

Eliott covered Lucas’ eyes as they walked back to their room, both of them giggling like giddy schoolchildren, and he uncovered Lucas’ eyes with a flourish after struggling to open the door without his hands.

“Ta da!” he exclaimed proudly, gesturing to their room.

Lucas looked around for what the surprise was supposed to be. “Ah, Eliott? What am I supposed to be looking at?”

Eliott’s face fell and turned bright red as he bolted behind the kitchen counter, cursing. He rematerialized a moment later, holding a tray of muffins. Despite himself, Lucas softened.

“My famous blueberry-bacon muffins,” Eliott said proudly, and Lucas tried not to visibly show any disgust.

“When did you make them?” he asked instead, and Eliott blushed again.

“Ok, technically I didn’t make these ones specifically, Idriss did, but that’s only because we’ve been rehearsing all day and I still wanted to do something special for you,” Eliott continued with a timid smile. Every time Lucas thought Eliott couldn’t be more endearning, he had to go and do something like make Lucas want to eat blueberry-bacon muffins, didn’t he?

Lucas took the tray from his hands and set it on the counter before wrapping his arms around Eliott’s neck. “I’m sure I’ll love them,” he lied, then pressed their foreheads together, “But not half as much as I love you.”

“I’d give you the world if I could,” Eliott said sincerely, and Lucas believed him. He had no reason not to. “No,” he amended, “The universe. Every single one of them.”

Lucas leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. “You already have.”

Eliott shut his eyes, rubbing their noses together and wrapping his arms around Lucas’ waist. Neither one of them moved an inch, sinking into the moment, and Lucas was struck by the peace he felt. It was a silent dance, the two of them swaying there in their kitchen slash living room combo area. It was easy to picture living in their own little apartment, spending most of their nights like this. If that was what their future held, no matter how far ahead, Lucas couldn’t wait.

Lundi 13:07

Eliott’s blueberry-bacon muffins had been awful, so Lucas declined the offer to go home and cook with Eliott during their dress rehearsal lunch break, instead agreeing to join Yann and Arthur in meeting up with Basile. They hadn’t seen him in a while, and Lucas had to admit he missed him and the illusion of normalcy he brought to their lives. He didn’t know how fucked up they’d all been recently, at least in Lucas and Arthur’s case, so there was a lot of catching up to do.

His friends had made him pick the restaurant, probably to assure that he would actually eat, but his knowledge of restaurants was pretty limited due to a combination of his eating problems and lack of free time outside of school, so they ended up at one of the same places they always went to but no one seemed to mind. Lucas ordered himself a sandwich and a salad, ignoring the looks that Yann and Arthur shared over his head.

Basile joined them, bringing the energy of a thousand suns with him. After exchanging pleasantries, he barrelled into talking about some drama he’d found himself in when Alexia had convinced him to help her throw a clandestine party in their school, but then the night guard turned up and almost caught them, and Lucas realized that if his life was crazy, normal was a whole other level of crazy.

“But, uh, what’s been up with you all?” Basile asked, noting all of their wide eyed gazes. He hadn’t stopped talking for nearly fifteen minutes, not that any of them minded, but he had been eating the entire time as well, words somewhat garbled for at least half the time he’d been speaking.

Yann and Lucas exchanged a look, wondering where to even begin. Arthur cut in instead. “You’re coming to the show this weekend, right?”

“Of course! I’ve told everyone at school about it a million times. Alexia too. Not sure how many people you can count on, to be fair, but Alexia, Idriss, and I will for sure be there cheering the loudest. Oh, and Alex,” Basile added, almost as an afterthought.

“Alex?” Yann inquired.

Basile clarified, “From Alexia’s party earlier this year? He and Emma have been dating since then, I think. And he’s friends with Idriss and Sofiane. Not sure about Eliott— oh, sorry, Lucas.”

Lucas furrowed his brows. “What?”

Basile blinked at him. “You hate Eliott?”

Arthur burst out laughing and Lucas blushed bright red. Surely he’d told Baz about Eliott… but then again he’d only just told everyone at school, and not necessarily because he’d wanted to. He just assumed everyone knew at this point, but that clearly wasn’t the case.

“Ah, Baz,” Lucas began, unsure of how to say it gently, “I’m, um, Eliott and I, um…” Fuck, he couldn’t do this, he felt so weird. Literally all Baz knew of Eliott was shit he’d heard from Lucas over the years, he didn’t have Arthur’s experience living with him or Yann’s ability to see past Lucas’ blind hatred and respect him as a person even if they hadn’t thought they would ever be friends.

“They’re fucking,” Yann supplied, and Lucas smacked him on the arm.

Basile’s jaw dropped wide open and his eyes searched Lucas’ face, as if looking for a hint that Yann was lying. It was technically true, but what he and Eliott had was so much more than that.

“They’re in looooove,” Arthur corrected, and Lucas shifted uncomfortably again, watching as Baz’s jaw dropped so far Lucas was convinced it would end up on the floor. Arthur met Lucas’ eyes across the table reassuring him that there were no hard feelings, which Lucas appreciated, because a small part of him did still wonder if there was a universe where Lucas still hated Eliott, and saw Arthur as something more than a friend.

“I need every detail right this minute,” was all Baz seemed to have the ability to say, still in utter shock. Lucas kind of wanted to circle back to Alex dating Emma, and Yann looked like he wanted to as well, but he supposed he didn’t mind talking about Eliott too much.

The look on his face must have gotten too soft too fast, because Basile nearly yelled in surprise, squinting at him. “Is this what a Lucas in love looks like? It’s terrifying,” he said to Arthur and Yann, and Lucas glared at him.

“Do you want me to tell you, or not?” he asked, crossing his arms, and Basile finally gestured for him to continue. He hadn’t told Yann or Arthur anything about how it had all gone down really. He launched into how he and Eliott had sort of become friends by accident, various small instances coming to a climax of pushing and pulling each other into a fountain and realizing that their hate was more or less a facade to cover up other feelings, at least in Lucas’ case.

He snuck in details about his eating disorder, wondering if he’d have to say it or if Basile would be able to infer from context clues. He hoped for the latter but was prepared for the former. Yann and Arthur seemed a little shocked at how many subtle hints they’d missed, but for the most part Lucas and Eliott had been good at keeping their romantic lives separate from the studio and vice versa. He didn’t tell them about Polaris, because he wanted Eliott to be able to tell people about it, but he did talk about the countless nights they’d spent together in the studio and how they’d accidentally been in the room when Manon and Daphné confessed their feelings to each other.

“Wait a minute,” Basile cut him off, holding his hands up. “Daphné… blonde Daphné? Gorgeous Daphné? Love of my life Daphné?”

Lucas shrugged. “Uh, yeah, I guess? What about her?”

Basile dropped his head into his hands dramatically on the table. “No! Do you think they’re going to break up any time soon? I swear, I’ve only met her a few times, but it was love at first sight. And second, and so on.”

“I wouldn’t hold your breath,” Arthur chimed in, patting Basile on the back. “Daphné is a lesbian.”

“She could be bi,” Basile pouted, lifting his head.

“Ah, but she’s not,” Arthur said apologetically, sharing a look with Lucas. Basile’s antics, while exasperating in large doses, had been sorely missed by Lucas.

“So what’s going on with Emma and Alex, then?” Yann asked casually, finding his opportunity.

Lucas narrowed his eyes, speaking in a low, warning, voice, “Yann…”

Yann ignored him, and Basile looked a little disgruntled by the subject change. “I don’t know much, Alex finds me annoying, I think, but him and Emma are annoyingly cute every time I’ve seen them together.”

“Oh, cool,” Yann said nonchalantly, and Lucas shot him another warning glare. Now was not the time for Yann to rediscover his feelings for Emma or get jealous over Emma’s new relationship.

“What about you, Tuturo?” Basile asked, moving on to eat a bit of Yann’s lunch. “How’s life been treating you?”

Arthur zoned out for a minute, and Lucas completely understood where his head was at. How was he supposed to succinctly wrap up a lifetime of struggle into one neat story to share with a friend? “Fine,” Arthur decided finally, “Better recently than it has been.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Basile sighed. “I must admit, you guys are a lot more boring than I’d hoped.”

Lucas laughed, taking a small bite of his salad. “I just told you all about my secret relationship with my roommate who I previously hated.”

“Yeah, but now you’re all happy and in love,” Basile said ruefully.

“He almost got kicked out of school a week ago, and now he’s playing the lead on alternating shows,” Arthur supplied, pointing his fork at Lucas.

Basile slammed his hands on the table. “Now this is what I’m talking about! Spill the tea, Lallemant, spill it now.”

Lucas took time to flip Arthur off before considering where to start. He was sure his final year of ballet school would be a story he’d tell for a long, long time, so it didn’t hurt to start then. He wondered how Eliott would tell it, or how Eliott would tell their story. Lucas’ version was tinged with regret and a bit of his chaotic energy, but wrapped in care. Where he might include stories of them doing stupid things and singing stupid songs in the middle of the night, he suspected Eliott would include the soft moments shared in the hazy morning light. Eyes meeting across the kitchen counter and hands gently tangled together as they talked, the only distance between them created by a current of words and thoughts to intimate to share aloud.

Was Eliott sitting in the kitchen with Sofiane and Idriss at that moment, each of them trying not to cringe over blueberry-bacon muffins as Eliott’s face lit up in wonder talking about their relationship? Was his version yearning and heartache warmed around the edges with the light of the sun that filled Eliott’s heart so full of love?

It was interesting to think about, that was for sure, the fact that there existed parallel universes even inside their own minds. Of course everyone saw and experience life differently, but Lucas had never really thought about it in terms of how two different people might recount the same series of events. It made him consider how he’d been the subject of so many misunderstandings in his life, and how much of that was probably due to his own perspective varying from the perspectives of others. Hadn’t his hatred of Eliott for years proved that? He was quite the unreliable narrator, especially inside his own mind, but wasn’t everyone? Was there even a person in the world who trusted themselves with unflinching clarity? If so, Lucas didn’t envy them. The questioning and mistakes were what made him human, and what made the epiphanies and happy moments much more worthwhile.

He’d been talking on autopilot while these thoughts ran through his mind, not really even paying attention to Basile’s reactions to the dramatic series of events that he simply called ‘life’. Basile cracked a few jokes when he was done, and Lucas melted into a laugh, shaking his head. A week ago he’d never thought any of this would be worthy or capable of being laughed at, but there they were.

Healing often took him by surprise, but it showed itself in subtle ways. This laugh, for example, or the fact that he’d eaten his whole meal without overthinking it. It said more about the safe space his friends had provided for him than anything else, but he was glad for it all regardless. He’d only had Eliott for a little while, he’d had these friends much longer, and he would never let himself forget that no matter how much he loved Eliott. Both loves were different, but that didn’t diminish either one of them, both just as important and essential to his healing and growth and livelihood.

They not only made him better, mentally, and physically, but they also made him want to be a better person so he could return the favor to them. Arthur was his first target, and he didn’t really know how well he was doing, but he was trying, and that would have to count for something.

Life was just a series of trying and trying and trying again, wasn’t it? Lucas had come close to not trying as of late, but he was glad he hadn’t stopped completely, because the payoff was so worth it.

Mardi 18:12

It was Lucas’ first therapy session beyond his diagnosis session, and to say he was nervous was a bit of an understatement. He didn’t know his therapist, she was different from the woman who’d assessed him previously, but she had a kind smile and pulled her hair back in a way that reminded him of his mom. He didn’t know if that made him sad or hopeful. Well, he supposed she was supposed to be the one to help him figure that out, wasn’t she?

She shook his hand as he walked into her office, sitting down on the couch across from her. He fidgeted a bit, not knowing how to sit. Was this formal, or casual? Was he supposed to lay on the couch like they always did in the movies?

“I’m Dr. Rowe, but you may call me Angelique, if that makes you more comfortable. In my experience, most of the people I treat prefer us to address one another on a first name basis, but I’ll do whatever suits you,” she said, voice kind. She looked younger than he’d expected her to be, but looks could be deceiving and he wasn’t stupid enough to ask.

“Um, first names are fine, yeah,” he agreed. Dr. Rowe seemed to formal for what they were going to be doing, even if it was his first instinct to refuse the familiarity. “I’m Lucas,” he supplied, even though she probably already knew that. She probably already knew more about him than he did.

“Lucas,” she confirmed anyways, giving him another warm smile. He couldn’t tell if that was her natural reaction or if she was just trying to be extra welcoming. Whatever the case, he didn’t mind it, and he could already feel himself becoming a bit more at ease.

She shuffled the few papers she was holding, turning more professional. “I have your diagnosis reports with me here, but that’s not what I want to talk with you about today, ok?”

“Ok?” Lucas put his hands under his legs, definitely not to keep them from shaking.

“Just… tell me about you. I don’t want to know you through what various files and diagnoses tell me, that’s not going to help either of us. I want to know you. Who is Lucas, really?” she prompted.

That was the question of a lifetime, wasn’t it? “Well,” he began, “I’m… struggling. I have been for so long I forgot what it’s like to not live every day in some sort of pain. It’s not that I didn’t want to get better, it’s more that I didn’t think there was any way of getting better. I didn’t know that was an option.”

“But you do now?” she asked.

He smiled involuntarily. “Yeah. I do. Someone in my life recently has helped me realize I’m worth more than I ever thought. I’m not really sure if I believe him all the time, but I think the same of him, so I get where he’s coming from and I try to listen.”

“What is your relationship to this person?” she continued, listening intently as ever. He already liked this session better than the one he’d had previously.

“He’s my boyfriend,” Lucas said, ducking his head. He knew for a fact he had when Yann had dubbed his ‘sappy Eliott face’ on right now and he didn’t want to be too much of a lovesick disaster right off the bat. “Eliott.”

“How did you two meet?”

He almost snorted aloud. She definitely wasn’t going to have been expecting what he was about to tell her. “We were best friends growing up,” he began, because it was as good a place as any to start. “We both go to school at the Paris Opera Ballet School, which you obviously know, at least on my behalf, but yeah. We kind of, um, grew apart for a few years, but we became friends again this year, and then something more.”

Angelique considered this, and she looked like she wanted to ask more about it. He figured she would. There was too much to cover in a single session, though, and the last thing he wanted was for her to come to come sort of conclusion that he and Eliott weren’t good together. Because if anything was true, it was that they truly did belong together.

“He’s helped me a lot, he’s the only one who really saw what was going on and wouldn’t let me talk my way out of it,” he said.

“Do you do that a lot?” she asked, “Talk your way out of things?”

He nodded. “Well, yes and no. Most times I just don’t talk about it at all, or get super defensive.”

She looked at him curiously. “You seem rather open with me?”

Yeah, he was kind of confused by it too. He shrugged. “I guess so many people know about the deepest darkest parts of me now that I don’t see the point in hiding it.”

She laughed. “That’s a start.”

“I guess,” he agreed, smiling minutely. “Is there, um, anything I should be talking about in particular?”

Angelique shook her head. “These sessions are more or less dictated by you. I’ll give my input, and I’ll lead you in discussions, but I don’t ever want to monopolize the conversation. This is about you and your growth most of all, and we’ll get there however you’re most comfortable.”

“And if I don’t know?” he asked.

She smiled, but it wasn’t a smile borne from joy, nor from sadness. It was a smile of understanding. “That’s ok too.”

He appreciated her flexibility, it did in fact make him feel better about being there, but he also wanted some sort of structure. Should he jump in with the capital T trauma right away, or was that something to be saved for later on when they knew each other a little better? Then again, she already knew quite a bit about him didn’t she? Even the things unwritten in his diagnoses were written in the way he sat or his vocal inflections. She could see the bags under his eyes or the light inside them, and she could see that he wrung his hands together when he didn’t know what to say or that those very same hands were made to hold the hands of another. Someone she could probably see was always on his mind, even in the quietest moments.

“I have a show starting this weekend,” he said instead, the only thing he could think to say.

“In the ballet?” she clarified, and he grinned, finding his footing. He could talk about ballet for hours and never tire of it.

“Yeah, it’s my final year of school, and every group of terminale students puts on a ballet production in the winter for the holidays, so this year we’re doing Swan Lake,” he explained.

She nodded along like she understood so far, which was promising. “And Swan Lake, is that one you’ve heard of? I apologize, I don’t know much about ballet.”

Lucas laughed, mostly to himself. It was crazy how those two words could mean so little to someone who was completely outside of the ballet world. “It’s been my favorite show since I was a kid. Prince Siegfried, the lead male role, has always been my dream role.”

“Is that who you’ll be playing, then?” she asked.

“That’s kind of a long story,” he admitted, “But yes, in a way. I’ll be alternating the role with Eliott. The show runs for two weekends, so he gets the Saturday matinee and the Sunday matinee, I get Friday evening and Saturday evening, and then next weekend we switch. Otherwise I’m just in the corps, which is sort of like the ensemble.”

She nodded. “And Eliott… is this the same Eliott…?”

She didn’t finish the thought fully, but he understood well enough. Who was Eliott? The man of his dreams, and so much more. “Yeah, this Eliott is my boyfriend.”

She blinked, sitting up a bit straighter. “I see.”

“When I said it was a long story, I really meant it,” he laughed nervously.

“Do you want to talk about it all now?” she asked, giving him the option to take things slowly, and he decided that was what he needed at the moment, especially with the show so close. He could go deep into his psyche once the show was over.

“Actually can I just talk a bit about ballet, for now?” he asked.

Angelique nodded graciously. “Of course. We’ll move at whatever pace you’re comfortable with.”

“Ok,” he agreed readily, deciding what he wanted to do with the remaining time of their session. To his surprise, it was almost halfway through already. He was certain that not every session would fly by as quickly, but it was nice that this first one hadn’t been excruciating and uncomfortable.

“So,” he began again, and shared his passion for dance with Angelique, sparing no details of how he felt and what ballet did for him and his emotions. Being a dancer was where all the troubles and pain came about, but the act of dancing itself was ethereal. Nothing else mattered when he was dancing. Sure he might mess up some steps here and there or get tired after a while, but those things never bothered him in the moment. In the moment it was just Lucas in his purest form, and that was the sort of feeling he wanted to be able to find away from the stage or the studio.

When he spoke, he was worried Angelique wouldn’t understand, but he could see in her eyes that she did. She may not know anything about the finer details of which he spoke, but the overall feelings were universal, and as long as they both knew that Lucas could see their sessions being really good for him. He hoped they would be, at least.

It was a big, scary step to take to even go there in the first place, but he was proud of himself for doing so. Lucas from months or even weeks ago probably never would have predicted this. But he was Lucas Lallemant 2.0 now, and he’d found some love for himself that he was determined not to lose again for as long as he could. And if he ever did lose it again, he wanted to know how to find his way back, and being there with Angelique seemed like a great place to start.

Mercredi 9:39

It was the third day of dress rehearsals and Lucas was finally able to practice in his properly fitted costumes. He’d felt a twinge of guilt on Monday when he’d tried on the costumes made for him and realized they were at least a few sizes too big. He hadn’t really thought that was possible, but the measurements had been taken right after casting, and though no one had said anything about how much weight he’d lost in the meantime, the proof was in the outfitting.

It was a wonder to him how he hadn’t seen it, but then again he really hadn’t wanted to, and his brain liked to trick him into believing or disbelieving things more often than not. His ribs protruded too far and his collarbone was too defined and his jawline wasn’t sharp in the right kind of way, but he promised himself he would get back on track and try to fix the damage he’d wrought on his body for real. Sooner than later.

Lucas could see in Eliott’s eyes that he knew why Lucas had been quieter than normal while getting dressed, lost in his own head. He didn’t really want to talk about it, partially because he was ashamed and partially because he didn’t even know what he would say. Being thinner had never really been his objective, he’d always been fit from rigorous dance training, but there had always been that voice in the back of his mind telling him what a real ballet dancer looked like and how he needed to do everything in his power to be that person so no one would be able to overlook him ever again.

Yet in doing so he’d somehow allowed himself to waste away to someone small and fragile. He didn’t want to be fragile, he wanted to wear his costumes with pride and show the world that Lucas Lallemant wasn’t broken. The people he loved already knew it, and a part of him did realize that it shouldn’t matter if the whole world knew as long as the people he cared about did, but Lucas had always wanted more, flawed as that logic might have been.

Complicated emotions aside, it did fill Lucas with a bit of pride to be practicing the role of the Prince in full costume. Another thing he could see in Eliott’s eyes was how much he wanted to see Lucas outside of that costume, or maybe even have his way with him in it, and that was not very conducive to the fact that he was wearing tights.

Funny how he’d have to revert to all his old ignoring Eliott tactics for an entirely different reason. Thankfully, he was quite busy, as he was rehearsing for the Prince that day. When he’d been informed that he’d be the Prince in the first show instead of Eliott he’d gone from shock, to panic, to unease, to cautious acceptance. Eliott said he didn’t care, that he was happy to have a chance to dance the role at all, but Lucas knew it made Eliott a little upset that Lucas got to open and close their show in the lead role. He would have felt the same, but probably would have been more vocal about it.

Manon looked beautiful, of course. At the moment she was dressed in her Odile costume, the darkness of the tutu standing out starkly against her pale skin. No one could say she didn’t look striking up there on the stage, even during a simple dress rehearsal. Imane would have looked just as striking, and Lucas made sure to let her know that even if she pretended she didn’t want to hear it.

Lucas risked a glance at Eliott as Manon practiced her fouettes, mind trailing back to the weekend, knowing before their eyes even met that Eliott was thinking of the same thing.

You did them better, Eliott mouthed across the room, nodding to Manon.

He most absolutely did not, but he appreciated the sentiment. It must have shown on his face, all sappy and soft, because behind Eliott Yann mimed puking and Lucas had to take a momentary glance away from the man of his dreams to glare at this best friend. Eliott’s brows furrowed, turning and laughing in a small inaudible breath when he realized Yann was beside him. Lucas briefly wondered if he could (or should) start inviting Eliott to hang out with him and Arthur sometimes. He thought he might like that, and he thought Eliott might too.

“Lallemant, to the stage please,” the director called out, voice reeking of displeasure, but for once Lucas didn’t give a shit. After the show his interactions with the director would likely be kept to a minimum, so long as he didn’t fuck up like he had this term, and then he’d be gone and the director would only be a blip on the tapestry of his life. One that, with effort, could someday be stitched over.

Nevertheless, he did go to the stage, because no matter how shitty the director was it was like he’d explained to Angelique the day before; ballet meant too much to him to give into all the bad things. Maybe that was an unhealthy way to think too, but he could cross that bridge some other time. The same thoughts that had been plaguing him plagued him once more, his career and what it would end up being flitting in and out of the center of his thoughts.he closed his eyes briefly, brushing it all aside. For now, he was choosing to let himself enjoy this experience as it came and not dwell on the things he might have dwelled on a few weeks prior.

Lucas took Manon’s hand to practice one of their duets, and the soft smile that graced her face as he did so perfectly encapsulated how he felt under the lights of the stage, dressed in his costume, knowing that Eliott was probably watching him with pride. The last time he’d been on the stage with only one other person he and Eliott had been alone, wondering if their futures were about to slip through their fingers and if this was the last stage they’d ever dance on.

Manon and Lucas danced together seamlessly, a bond forged in what may as well have been blood, as she was one of the closest things he’d ever had to a sister, shared experiences and emotional support bringing them together in a way that impacted their dancing in the subtlest of ways. It was trust in its purest form, and it worked for the stage and the show in ways neither of them probably would have imagined when they’d been partnered up a year beforehand. Neither Lucas nor Manon had ever really been the trusting sort, but once someone earned that trust they’d go to the ends of the earth for them.

Lucas was still getting used to the idea that someone might actually go to the ends of the earth for him, that many people would if given the chance. The funny thing was, Lucas had never considered whether or not the ends of the earth even existed, he’d simply been certain everything in life had a definitive starting and ending point and that nothing in the middle really mattered much at all.

But on that stage, taking Manon by the hand, locking eyes with Eliott in the wings, he could see that everything in between mattered most of all. What was a beginning without something to follow, to turn a moment into infinity? And what was an end if not for everything leading up to that point, that one final moment? It was more likely that an end didn’t even exist, that the present was all that really mattered.

Minute by minute, Lucas and Eliott had promised, and minute by minute it would be until those minutes reached their eternity.

JEUDI 23:57

Lucas’ head was on Eliott’s chest but he wasn’t tired. He should have been sleeping, the show was less than twenty four hours away, but he couldn’t bring himself to. At first he dismissed it as nerves, but he truthfully wasn’t that nervous. At least not in a bad way.

He was thinking, that pesky thing that always seemed to get him into trouble. Not about the show in particular, but a little bit about everything. The same thoughts from earlier in the week had hit him like a ton of bricks earlier that day and now he couldn’t get them out of his mind, no matter how much he tried. It seemed ironic, given how he’d only been thinking about how imperative it was to live in the moment a day ago, that he now was considering the future once more.

The thought that had struck him had come at a brief moment, and surprisingly it hadn’t had anything to do with him at all. Eliott was onstage practicing and the director was looking at him with such distaste that some of his friends had even asked Lucas about it. And yes, Lucas knew that the decision to let them stay had likely not been unanimous, the director leading the opposition, but Eliott had been his star for so long that to see him flip completely only bolstered with the information of Eliott’s mental illness was sickening. It was disheartening and downright cruel to see what a change such a thing could bring, something entirely out of Eliott’s control, simply because the director viewed neurodivergence as lesser than. It wasn’t only him, of course, it would and probably had been already, many people, but it made Lucas think.

He’d always dreamed of entering the company after completing his training at school, the Paris Opera Ballet was one of, if not the most prestigious ballet in the world, but did he want that if he had a pretty good idea of how he’d be treated? Did he want to put himself into a situation that might derail his healing process? If not, what were his other options? The realization that his future was almost entirely his decision had come without warning and pushed the thoughts into a full on spiral.

“Lu?” Eliott’s sleepy voice interrupted the train of questions pushing their way into his mind.

Lucas hummed in response, listening to Eliott’s heartbeat. Eliott continued, just as groggily, “I can hear you thinking.”

“Can you?” Lucas teased, half of him willing Eliott to go back to sleep the other half wanting to talk and talk and talk until all the thoughts ran free from his head and he felt like he could breathe peacefully again.

“Lucas,” Eliott said, sounding more awake now than before, and Lucas sighed.

“Eliott.”

Eliott shifted so they were lying opposite one another, ignoring Lucas’ small groans at being denied Eliott’s chest as a pillow. “What’s going on?”

Lucas sighed again. “I know we promised minute by minute, and I’m trying, but these thoughts won’t leave my mind and I don’t know what to do about them.”

“What thoughts?” Eliott looked concerned, and Lucas didn’t want him to be.

“I don’t want to be here next year,” he said quietly, realizing how that sounded when Eliott stiffened beside him. He rushed to clarify, “Like, in the Paris Opera Ballet. I don’t want to dance for the Paris Opera Ballet.”

Eliott relaxed slightly, nodding. “Oh. Yeah. Where do you want to be?”

Lucas hadn’t gotten that far yet. “I don’t know. Somewhere I’m not already a pariah.”

“You aren’t a pariah—”

“We both are, Eliott. The director has a say in the company too, and I don’t want to give him the chance to ruin ballet for me more than he’s already tried to,” Lucas pleaded, not really sure why he was pleading. It wasn’t like Eliott wasn’t listening to him, he was. Lucas just felt the need to justify everything to an extreme degree all the time.

Eliott simply looked at him in one of those ways he always did, one of those ways no one ever had before, and touched his cheek softly. “Hey. Lucas. I understand.”

“Oh.”

Eliott smiled minutely, thumb brushing Lucas’ cheekbone. “I haven’t really allowed myself to think about it, since my diagnosis, but… I don’t know if I want to be here either.”

“Really?” Lucas blinked in surprise. The way Eliott loved Paris… Lucas had never seen anything like it, so he’d never even considered Eliott might feel the same way he did.

“It hurts me a bit to even think about,” Eliott admitted, “Because I love Paris more than I can even express, but Paris will always be here.”

“What do you mean?” Lucas asked.

Eliott moved his hand to Lucas’ hair. “I want to experience a bit of the world outside what I’ve always known. I’ll always have Paris, we’ll always have Paris, but it might be fun to see what else the world has in store for us. I’ve always wanted to go to London, or Berlin, or America, I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m saying.”

“Hey,” Lucas said, placing a hand on Eliott’s cheek. “I want that too, I think. I’ve just been scared to admit it to myself. Paris is just a place, when it really comes down to it. I’ve never really had a home until now. My home is with you.”

Eliott blushed, looking a bit flustered even in the dim light and Lucas couldn’t help but smile. “And mine with you,” Eliott said, voice no more than a murmur.

Lucas turned onto his back and gazed up at the ceiling. Sometimes he forgot whose room they were in at night, but it was usually Eliott’s. Lucas knew that Eliott liked sleeping there better, in the comfort of the drawings and posters he’d hung up on the walls in the bed with the sheets he carefully made every day. Lucas preferred being in there too, it felt warmer than his room, more personal. They were almost through with the term and Lucas had yet to put up any decorations in his own room or make it look like more than a place he slept every once and awhile. Eliott’s hand slipped from his cheek to his waist.

“What are you thinking about now?” Eliott asked.

“Us, I guess,” Lucas said, gaze still turned upward.

“What about us? Good things I hope?” Lucas could hear the hint of a smile in Eliott’s voice and he let it wash over him like a warm blanket.

Lucas folded his hand over the one Eliott circled his waist with. “Of course. I think only the best things of you.”

“You didn’t for quite a while there,” Eliott joked, and Lucas finally turned his head back to look at him.

“No, I didn’t.” He hummed, settling back into Eliott’s side. “Part of me has always been afraid of change, you know? But this year so many things have changed, and I don’t really mind it.”

“No?”

Lucas shook his head. “I mean, for example, I moved out of my dad’s house, which is probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, I became closer with Manon than I ever thought I’d be and now I can’t imagine my life without her, I had to face some new realities about myself and my mental and physical health, and I fell in love with you. If you would have told me last year that any of this would be happening, I’m not sure if I would have laughed or fought it with every fiber of my being, but I’m glad I didn’t. I’m glad it all happened.”

“You’re telling me it was never a fantasy of yours to fall in love with your arch nemesis?” Eliott asked, scandalized.

Lucas laughed louder than he meant to, thinking about Yann talking about enemies to lovers fanfiction and whatnot. “Was it yours?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Eliott agreed right away. “I thrive off of sexual tension concealed by a layer of hate. That’s the only reason I let you hate me, of course, so that one day you could push me into a fountain, I could pull you in after me, and our story would reach its peak.”

“Psssh, that is so not the peak of our story,” Lucas shot back.

Eliott raised an eyebrow at him. “No?”

“No! Our peak hasn’t happened yet. If we’re lucky, it never will.” Lucas began to draw a graph with his hands, hoping Eliott was following along. “It’s like one of those graphs for exponential growth, you know? The curve keeps going up with no end.”

“You lost me,” Eliott said apologetically, and Lucas just laughed.

“I forgot math and science aren’t your subjects.”

Eliott scrunched his nose, nudging Lucas a bit. “No need to rub it in smarty pants.”

Lucas nudged him back, taking the time to meet him halfway for a soft, searing kiss. “All I’m saying is that I love you exponentially. My love for you grows each day with no intention of ever stopping, even when we’re old and grey.”

“Bold of you to assume I’ll ever be old and grey.”

Lucas giggled despite himself, despite the fact that he’d been trying to be serious. “What the fuck does that even mean? Are you a vampire or something?”

“They don’t call me Edward Cullen for no reason,” Eliott said with a slight shrug, and Lucas broke down into giggles again.

“Who calls you Edward Cullen?” he asked between bouts of laughter.

Eliott started to laugh too, trying to hide it. “No one yet. But they will.”

“You’re such an idiot,” Lucas said, adoration coating every layer of his voice.

“Ah,” Eliott said, pulling him close. He kissed the tip of Lucas’ nose, then his lips. “But I’m your idiot.”

Lucas blushed bright red, kissing Eliott senseless because he could. “That you are,” he agreed. And it was in that dim, love drunk light that Lucas realized no matter what he decided or what he wanted to do with his life and his career, he could do it. Because he had Eliott, and he could do anything with Eliott by his side. With Eliott the dark wasn’t so dark and the light had never been brighter.

It was crazy to think that he’d never considered the possibility of another person making him feel that way, like his heart was on fire in the best way possible. Daddy issues aside, love was never something he’d taken for granted, and he had never intended on giving his heart away unless he knew the person on the receiving end deserved it. And that Eliott did, he deserved every bit of love Lucas could offer.

Internal tumult put to the wayside for the time being, Lucas breathed in and out more steadily once more. His eyelids felt heavier than they had a moment earlier and he leaned into the feeling, aiming to be as well rested as possible for one of the biggest days of his life so far. He wondered, at the end of his life, how this day would rank, if it would rank at all. He couldn’t decide if he hoped it did or hoped it didn’t. There were so many good days to come, there had to be.

Lucas was on the precipice of sleep, brain shutting down more and more with each passing second when Eliott decided to speak again. “And by the way?” Eliott whispered, just as Lucas settled back onto his chest, falling closer to sleep with every passing second, “I love you exponentially as well.”

Lucas fell asleep with a smile on his face.

VENDREDI 18:45

Fifteen minutes.

Fifteen minutes until everything Lucas had worked so hard for was realized. Rehearsals had been hell, even though they had really only been finalizing blocking and lighting, not wanting to tire anyone too much before their big night.

Manon looked to be a vision of calm in her white tutu, makeup done to perfection, probably by Daphné, who held her hand loosely. They’d all just vacated the stage and waited in the wings, smiles full of eagerness and anxiety. Imane in particular refused to talk to anyone, tying and retying her pointe shoes. Lucas felt like his whole body was buzzing with nerves, but there was nothing more to be done. This was it. They’d made it, and now it was time to show everyone what they could do.

He didn’t know whether he felt better or worse about the fact that there was no one in the audience there to cheer him on. On the one hand, he could probably dance better for a crowd of strangers than he could for people he knew, but on the other it would have meant everything to him to see his mother’s face out in the crowd, or even just to know that she was proud of him. He hoped that in another universe she was proud, and that she would greet him after the show with a bouquet of flowers and a hug to last a lifetime.

Minor costume snafus aside, everything backstage was running well and everyone was where they were supposed to be. Eliott looked like a dream, even dressed for the corps. Lucas hadn��t mentioned anything, but he could see the longing in Eliott’s eyes when he looked at him, longing that couldn’t be attributed to the love they felt for one another. Sure, come Saturday Eliott would have his chance to be in Lucas’ position, but this was supposed to be him, and he wasn’t supposed to have to share the spotlight.

Basile had been blowing up his, Arthur’s, and Yann’s phones before they’d gotten into preparation mode, so he could only assume that he’d find Basile, Alexia, Alex, and Idriss somewhere in the crowd being the kind of idiots ballet tried to avoid. He loved them for it.

Arthur came to stand beside Lucas, looking down at him. It wasn’t like Lucas had never seen him wear contacts before, but he was still struck with how different Arthur looked without his glasses. He looked less like a boy, more like someone regal, deserving to be sculpted in marble. He looked like the type of person Lucas could only hope to be someday, even if it was all just a facade.

“How are you feeling?” Arthur asked.

Lucas looked out to the stage from the wings, wanting to pinch himself to make sure this was all real. “Ask me again after the show?”

The corner of Arthur’s mouth quirked up. “You’re going to do amazing,” Arthur promised, sounding so sure.

“Thanks,” Lucas said genuinely, instead of deflecting with a snarky comment like he wanted to. “You too.”

“Pssh, please, with Eliott in the corps no one will look at me twice,” Arthur joked.

Lucas could have joked back, or rolled his eyes, but being where they were, he was feeling a bit sentimental. “They’d be stupid not to,” he said, and Arthur looked surprised.

“I mean it,” he continued, looking Arthur in the eye, “You’re a really amazing dancer. I know you’ve been through a lot, and if I were you I probably would have quit a long time ago, but I can see how much you love it when you allow yourself to. So do that, allow yourself to love it, because this world is a horribly fucked up place but if you can find happiness somewhere along the way you should hold onto it and never let it go.”

Arthur was still looking at him intently, unspeaking. “It’s what I do,” Lucas admitted, “And you know me, I’m no optimist, I don’t believe that everything happens for a reason and that everything we do is all in god’s plan, or whatever, but I do think that we can create new memories to try to escape the bad ones, and that when we love something, it should never be a bad thing.”

“You’re wise now, too, who the hell are you?” Arthur said, looking him up and down, which was about as sentimental as he expected from Arthur. But then, he admitted, “I’m trying. To enjoy it. I want to, because all of you here mean more to me than anyone else in my life, and if anyone deserves one hundred percent of me, it’s you all.”

“Me especially?” Lucas asked, nudging Arthur lightly and earning him a glare.

“Yes, you especially,” Arthur caved, pointing a finger at him as he did so, “But not because I’m in love with you. Or was in love with you. Fuck if I know anymore. Even platonically, you’re one of the most important people to me, I really mean that.”

Lucas smiled, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. He was determined not to let them fall, even if only because Daphné had done his makeup so well. “You are to me too. And I really mean that.”

“Are the gays being all sappy, is that what I’m witnessing?” Another voice entered their conversation, a voice unmistakably belonging to the third in their three musketeers. Yann slung an arm around both of their shoulders, grinning cheesily. “Because if so, why didn’t you invite me?”

Arthur rolled his eyes, expression tinged with fondness. “I’m bi, asshole.”

“A gay is a gay,” Yann said solemnly, and Lucas resisted the urge to strangle him.

The three of them stood there for a minute in complete silence, even as the world bustled around them, looking out onto the stage.

“I can’t believe we’re actually here,” Yann said, all traces of humor gone from his voice. Lucas couldn’t do anything but nod, as if in a daze.

“It’s surreal,” Arthur agreed.

And then the moment ended, Emma shoving past them to get in the proper place, and Lucas realized their fifteen minutes had run out. Eliott was on the other side of the stage, but they’d already said their break a legs and kissed each other senseless for the night.

Manon’s fingers ghosted across his and he saw every emotion he was feeling reflected in her expression. He clasped her fingers, squeezing them tightly, and the small amount of tension that had been present left her shoulders, leaving her looking every bit the regal prima ballerina she was destined to be.

“Are you ready?” someone asked. Lucas didn’t even know if they were talking to him, but as the curtains opened and the lights flooded the stage, he smiled. Eliott’s eye caught his from the wings on the opposite side of the stage, filling him to the brim with warmth. There was no jealousy, no longing, just pure love and pride. The music filled the room and Lucas rolled back his shoulders, wasting only a single moment to mouth I love you across the stage to the boy on the other side. He stepped to the edge of the curtain, awaiting his cue.

“I am.”

***

The curtains closed, but the image of a whole crowd of people standing and cheering as he bowed in front of them didn’t leave Lucas’ mind, and he hoped it never would. He couldn’t feel a thing, adrenaline too high, everyone around him looked like they were moving in slow motion.

“How are you feeling?” Arthur’s voice invaded his daze, and Lucas blinked, image of the crowd vanishing from his mind. Ask me after the show, he heard himself saying only hours earlier as Arthur had asked the same question.

He thought about Manon and how they’d danced as one, a bond unbreakable in every sense of the word. Meeting Eliott’s eye backstage and kissing him during intermission, careful not to mess up their makeup. Sofiane pulling off a showstopping performance no one would ever forget. All the girls sharing the stage looking like they’d been born to dance there together. Julian from the year below holding his own on the stage, wholly out of his depth but handling it all better than anyone could have expected. Yann proving that he wasn’t someone to overlook, Arthur letting himself go and dance the way he’d held back from for so many years. The fact that they got to do this all again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again.

How was he feeling? Alive, happy, lost, tired, whole, every emotion in between a million times over. He thought of every universe he existed in, and how none of them could possibly compared to this one, in this moment.

Eliott swept him up spinning him around with the widest smile Lucas had ever seen.

How was he feeling?

“Infinite.”

#skam france #elu fic #elu #elu ballet au #skamfr #lucas lallemant #eliott demaury #WE BACK BITCHES

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polarispluie · 5 years

Text

Hold Me Tight

Eliott just really loves holding Lucas, and Lucas isn’t complaining

(aka, I’m in denial that everything may be over, so I finished this fic I started a while ago)

The gang was sprawled all over the living room of Lucas’ apartment after a chill day of beers and video games. Everyone had decided that putting on a movie and relaxing was the best thing at the late hour, seeing as they had been at the brunette’s place for about 6 hours by now. Basile and Arthur were laying on their stomachs on the floor, Yann took the chair while Eliott and Lucas were on the couch.

“Who the fuck would pick Gretchen as their name? You can literally pick any name you want and you pick Gretchen.” Basile mumbled through a mouth full of popcorn.

“First of all, ew, swallow your food you fucking troll. Second of all, it’s a movie about a schizophrenic boy who takes orders from a six foot bunny, and you’re worried about the girl’s name?” Arthur threw a kernel at the other boy’s head, which started a mini war with the buttery snack flying throughout the living room. Lucas looked on and shook his head at his friends, huffing out a laugh before turning to Eliott next to him.

Eliott still looked a bit exhausted from his last depressive episode, he had been out of it for almost a week by now but there were still dark circles under his eyes, his irises still a bit glazed over.

“Hey, you good?” Lucas leaned closer to the boy and lowered his voice. Eliott turned towards him and smiled, “Still a bit tired but I’m fine, it wasn’t too bad this time.” Lucas nodded his head and gave a smile before breaking out into a yawn.

“You want me to tell everyone you’re heading off to bed?” Eliott softly spoke as he pushed his hand through Lucas’ hair. Lucas shook his head and blinked his eyes a couple of times before digging his fists into them.

Lucas sluggishly shook his head again before glancing at Eliott, “I’m good, we basically just started the movie. Besides, I don’t mind staring at Jake Gyllenhaal in exchange of sleep.” He gave a cheeky smile as Eliott huffed a laugh through his nose and ruffled his best friend’s hair.

The two fell into a drowsy silence as Eliott continued to rake his fingers through the brunette’s hair. Lucas sighed and leaned into the touch, his eyes beginning to flutter shut, all senses zeroing in on his best friend putting him to sleep with the hand to his head.

Eliott turned his head to ask Lucas something, his features turning soft when he was faced with a sleeping boy. He gazed at his friend, his heart tugging at the sight of smooth skin bathed in the light of the tv and the sound of soft snores coming from the petal lips. He smiled and leaned forward to press a kiss into the unruly hair before tugging Lucas into his chest.

He adjusted the blanket, cocooning both of them in warmth before settling back to watch the movie that he missed a good five minutes of just staring at Lucas.

When he felt eyes on him he turned to see Yann, watching with a soft expression. When Eliott caught his eye, the other smirked and wiggled his eyebrows, earning a scoff and a middle finger in his direction. Yann just let out a breathy laugh before turning back to bug Basile and Arthur with continuous kicks to their sides, whines erupting from the both of them.

Eliott grew tired after some time, still recovering from his last down. He slowly began to adjust himself to lay down and pulled Lucas on top of him, earning a grunt and a small whine.

Eliott froze all movements, glancing down at the boy to see if he had woken up. Lucas hummed before burying his face into the warm chest underneath him, small snores continuing shortly after. The older boy relaxed and pressed another kiss into the other’s hair, wrapping his arms around him before slipping into sleep.

Lucas woke up to a strong grip around his waist and the feeling of a rising and falling chest beneath him. Still disoriented and sleepy, he rubbed his face into the surface beneath him until a grumble came from above him.

Eliott stretched out with a yawn, almost dislodging Lucas from on top of him. He peered down at the body on his chest and gave a drowsy smile.

Lucas’ face grew red and he pushed himself up on Eliott’s chest, “Fuck, sorry. Did I fall asleep on you?” He rubbed his eyes and sat back between Eliott’s legs.

“Yeah, but it’s fine. You looked really fucking tired.” That caused Lucas to groan and cover his face.

“Oh god, sorry. You should’ve just- I don’t know, pushed me off or some shit.”

Eliott shook his head and tugged Lucas back to him, letting out a grunt at the impact to his chest. “Jesus Lulu, it’s fine. Now shut the fuck up because it’s 5:30 in the morning and I will end someone’s life if i’m awake for another second.” Lucas glared at him and shook his head.

“Let me up.”

“No, shush.”

“Eliott let me go.”

“Shhh, I’m going to sleep.”

“You fucking goblin, I swear to god-“

“I’m asleep.”

Lucas let out a huff and smacked Eliott’s cheek once, making him grunt before wrapping his friend up in his arms once again. Lucas thunked his head back onto Eliott’s chest before shutting his eyes and falling back asleep.

Lucas tapped his foot and scrolled through his phone as he sat on the bus. He tried to distract himself with twitter and instagram before giving up and shoving his phone back into the pocket of his jacket. He leaned his head against the window, bringing his hand up to his lips and biting the skin around his nails.

It’s not that he didn’t want to see his mama, he missed her so much. He was swamped with guilt for not having visited her any sooner. Classes had kept him busy and he was with the boys and helping Eliott with his episode and- he groaned. He definitely could have made time to see her. He was just so exhausted all the time.

As they pulled up to his stop, he ran a hand over his face before heaving himself off the seat and towards the door of the bus. He sent a small thank you to the driver before stepping off and heading in the direction of the clinic.

Lucas got to the entrance, stopping to gather himself. He took a deep breath and reached into his pocket to bring out his phone. He turned it on, saw a message and opened it.

#1 Idiot (Eliott)

Take a deep breath you’ll be ok lulu

Lulu 💕

❤️❤️

He pocketed his phone again, drummed his fingers against his thigh and stepped through the doors.

Lucas remembers the first time he stepped into this place, young and scared, his mama empty and barely present. He remembers hugging her as tight as he could, whispering into her hair that she was going to be okay, that this was temporary. He remembers pulling back and looking into her blank stare as a nurse came, taking his mother’s arm and guiding her to her new residence. He remembers leaving and waiting until he got outside to break down, his head full and his heart empty. He remembers everything.

It’s been so long, years, since then, but he still remembers the feeling of that day when he looks at the meticulously placed chairs and pristine white walls. The feeling of his life finally falling apart.

Lucas willed his hands to stop shaking as he went up to the front desk, waiting for the receptionist to notice him. She looked up at him with a smile, “Hi Lucas, it’s been a while since we’ve seen you.” She didn’t realize how that made his stomach curl with guilt.

He gave a small, tight lipped smile and nodded, “Yeah, sorry, classes and exams and- yeah.” He looked down at the counter, tracing a crack in it, avoiding the sympathetic gaze directed at him.

“Lucas, I’m not going to lie. She- your mom hasn’t been the best lately. It’s okay for you to see her if you want to. Maybe it’ll be good for her.” Lucas nodded and let out a shaky breath.

“Yeah, I’ll- I’d like to see her.” The receptionist nodded and made a quick call. Lucas went and sat in one of the plush chairs, waiting for one of the nurses to lead him to his mom’s room. His leg bounced as his name was called and was led through a door.

When he got to his mom’s room, he sucked in a breath at the sight. His mama was laying in her bed facing the door, her platinum hair greasy and disarray, her eyes unfocused and vacant. He stepped into the room, walking over and situating himself in the chair beside her.

Her eyes slid over to him, but no reaction came. “Hi mama.” Lucas kept his voice low, “How are you?”

“I’m being punished Lucas.” Her voice barely above a whisper. Lucas eyes welled up as he reached for his mother’s hand and cradled it in his.

“Punished? For what mama?” Lucas voice was shaky, his throat closing up from the tears threatening to fall.

His mom looked into his eyes again, “I’ve sinned so much, baby. So, so much.” Her blue eyes became glassy with tears.

Lucas shook his head and brought her hand to his chest, “No mama. You’re okay. You’re doing so good. You’re not being punished mama.” The tears finally slid down his cheeks and he his the frail hand he was holding. His mama gently took her hand back and gently brushed his tears away.

“My sweet boy, don’t cry. I’ll pray and pray until He forgives me. For being a bad wife and mother.” Lucas sat there, tears silently slipping down his face as he continuously whispered, You’re perfect, mama, perfect. He took his mother’s hand back into his and stroked it until she fell asleep.

He placed her hand back in the bed, stood on shaky legs, gave his mother’s head a quick kiss, and quickly walked out of the room and the clinic. He was shaking by the time he got outside, whipping his phone out of his pocket and sending a message with shaky fingers.

Lulu 💕

Eliott?

Eli

Can I come over

Please

I need you

#1 Idiot (Eliott)

The door will be open

Lucas sprinted to the bus stop, stepped inside and threw himself onto a seat. The bus ride felt too long, his lungs and chest feeling tighter with every passing minute. When he got to the stop he wanted, he ran out the doors and straight to Eliott’s complex. He slid past a person coming out and took two steps at a time until he reached his friend’s door. He swung the door open, searching for Eliott and finding him the kitchen.

The other boy locked eyes with him, his face falling when he saw the state that Lucas was in. The shorter let out a choked sob and crashed his body against Eliott’s. He clutched the back of Eliott’s shirt and shoved his face into his shoulder, letting go and sobbing into the soft fabric.

Eliott wrapped his arms around Lucas, one going around his waist and the other around his shoulder so he could place his hand into the messy hair and hold him there. He swayed them and softly started shushing his friend, “It’s okay Lulu. You’re okay, I’m here. I’m not letting you go. You’re safe.”

Eliott kissed the top of his head, staying there until Lucas was just sniffling. He pulled back and attached Lucas to his side before leading him to his bedroom, letting Lucas crawl onto the bed and climbing in next to him. He immediately wrapped his arms around his friend again and pulled Lucas to himself.

Lucas buried his face into his neck, sniffling, his breathing shuddery. Eliott ran his hand up and down Lucas’ arm, pressing small kisses into his head. “Did something happen?” Lucas took a moment before pulling back slightly, bringing his fingers up to curl into the front of Eliott’s shirt.

“She was so out of it this time, Eliott. She kept saying that she sinned and was being punished,” tears began to fall down his face once more, “she was fine last time, she was good. I shouldn’t have waited so long to see her. She looked so empty, she didn’t look like my mom, she didn’t-” his throat closed up, making it impossible to continue.

Eliott brought his hand up to Lucas’ face, rested it on his cheek and brushed his tears away, “Lucas, it’ll be okay. She’s gone through this before and she always gets better, everytime. She’ll be okay, and you will too. She’s your mother and she’ll always come back to you, just like me. We’ll always come back, no matter what.”

Eliott pressed a kiss to Lucas’ forehead, the younger’s heart unclenching a little as he nodded. “Just- Can I stay? I don’t- can’t be alone right now.”

“You don’t have to ask. Sleep a little, I’m not going anywhere.” Lucas sighed and placed his head back in the crook of Eliott’s neck, falling asleep before he was wrapped back up into the comforting arms of his best friend.

A couple of weeks had passed since Lucas’ visit to the clinic. He had gotten a call that his mom was doing better and wanted him to visit again. He agreed to visit her on the weekend and take her out to lunch.

Now, he and Eliott were leaned against a granite counter in someone’s kitchen. Around them were drunk and high students from the university, celebrating the end of exams and the end to another year. The boys had begged him to go and he finally gave in with a grumble and a roll of his eyes.

Eliott was laughing at the rest of the boys arguing over who got to take the last drink that they had before having to go find more. Lucas looked over to the boy and took in his crinkly eyes and hunched posture. He’d always thought Eliott was attractive since he met him in their joined required communications class, it’s just that now he’s been thinking about it a lot more.

He knows he’s always had more of a connection with Eliott than he’s had with any other person. He knows there’s always been something unspoken between them, how quickly they got along and how casually affectionate they were. Lucas had always been close with his friends, not afraid to dole out hugs and I love you’s, but with Eliott it was different.

With Eliott, he felt safe, he felt cared for, he felt more. Having him there after what happened with his mother proved all of that.

He startled out of his thoughts when he was nudged by a pointy elbow. He looked up to see Yann with his head slightly tilted, “You good?” Lucas smiled and nodded, taking a sip of his beer.

“Lulu! It’s the end of semester! We’re gonna do shots and you have no say.” Basile yelled, shoving a shot of something dark at Lucas. Lucas hesitated before shrugging and throwing it back, he deserved it after everything this past month.

Soon, after downing whatever his friends handed to him, he was buzzed. After a bit, the three heathens went off in search of weed, leaving the tipsy boy with Eliott. “Lucas, you’re so fucking gone.” Eliott laughed and wrapped an arm around the shorter boy’s shoulder.

Lucas shook his head and huffed, “Nope, I’m fine. I’m super sober, dude.” He detached himself from Eliott’s side and straightened up before swaying back and thumping the small of his back against the counter. Okay, maybe he wasn’t completely sober, but he was still fine.

Eliott smiled and placed his arm back in its previous place, “Whatever you say Lulu.” Lucas looked up at the boy and smiled before bringing his hand up to pet his face, a bit too harsh for a ‘sober’ person.

“You’re so nice. Have I told you that? You’re nice and so pretty.” Lucas nuzzled his face into Eliott’s chest, sighing contently. Eliott melted, wrapping his arm around the boy’s waist and running his hand through the brown hair.

Lucas craned his neck, setting his chin on Eliott’s chest while the other looked down at him. Lucas smiled and stood a bit on his tiptoes, “I want a kiss.” Eliott’s eyes widened a bit, his heart racing and his hand stopping it’s movement in Lucas’ hair.

Lucas stayed on his tiptoes, waiting for his request to be fulfilled, pouting when Eliott dipped his head to give a quick kiss to his forehead, “No, I want a real kiss.” he whined, setting himself back on his feet.

Eliott gave him a tender smile and brushed his hair away from his face, “Lulu, you don’t know what you’re saying.” Lucas huffed and smushed his face into the taller boy’s chest. He began to grumble incoherently until Eliott cupped his face and brought it up to hear.

“I know what I’m doing, I just want a kiss. I want to kiss your stupid, beautiful face all the time.” Eliott flushed, his lips stretching into a wide grin. Lucas scowled at him and hit him softly in the chest, “Don’t laugh at me, asshole.”

Eliott bit his lip to contain his smile and resumed petting Lucas’ hair, “Sorry, baby. I’ll stop.” Lucas’ face turned red at the pet name as he placed his head back on Eliott’s chest. “You wanna go, baby?” Eliott received a nod, “Okay, I’ll text the boys, let’s go.”

Eliott pulled out his phone, shooting a text to the groupchat before pulling his boy out of the house and back to his apartment.

Lucas woke up with a groan, his headache surprisingly not too bad considering how much he had drank. He stretched and sat up, instantly recognizing Eliott’s room. He picked up his phone from the nightstand, seeing it was only a little past nine and set it back down.

He sighed and laid back down, noticing that he was in the bed alone. His eyes slipped shut and remained that way for a couple of minutes before they shot open again. Oh god, oh god. Lucas slammed his face into the pillow, remembering the events from last night. He had tried to kiss Eliott, he tried to kiss his best friend.

He started groaning into the pillow until he heard the door open and turned to see Eliott wearing a devilish smirk. “No, no. Shut the fuck up.” He prickled, slamming his face back into the pillow.

“I wasn’t saying anything.” He stepped over to the bed and sat next to the bundled up body, placing a hand on Lucas’ back and rubbing. Lucas sighed and turned his head, his eyes closing at the soothing feeling of Eliott’s hand.

They stayed there in silence until Lucas spoke up, “Sorry about last night. I- I don’t want to ruin shit.” His voice was quiet, his fingers tightening their grip on the blanket.

Eliott smiled down at him and hummed, “I gotta say, I didn’t mind.” Lucas whipped his head around to stare at Eliott, face growing pink when he saw the look the boy was giving him.

Lucas bit his lip and shook his head, “You don’t have to be so nice about it. If it made you uncomfortable then just tell me.” Eliott sighed and retracted his hand, positioning himself to lay down beside Lucas.

He brought his hand up to stroke Lucas’ cheek, trying to catch his eye, “Lucas, the only reason I didn’t kiss the shit out of you last night was because you were drunk.”

Lucas’ blushed and looked back into Eliott’s stormy eyes. “You don’t want me to feel bad.” He looked away again, focusing on a loose thread in the blanket and fiddling with it.

Eliott shook his head, “Lucas, how are you this fucking oblivious? I haven’t been very subtle when it comes to how much I like you.” He chuckled as Lucas’ eyes popped out of his head. The smaller boy thunked his face back onto the pillow before Eliott turned it towards him again.

Both of them just looked at each other for a bit, taking the other in. Lucas was the first to start moving in, Eliott following a bit after.

It wasn’t much, just lips softly connecting and moving against each other. There were hands wandering, hearts rapidly beating, content sighs. Suddenly, Eliott began to giggle, causing Lucas to whine and pull away. “Fuck, I’ve been wanting to do that forever.” Eliott began to stroke Luca’s cheekbones with both of his hands.

Lucas rolled his eyes and tried to bat the other’s hands away, “Don’t be so fucking cheesy.”

Eliott just smiled and shook his head, “I’m gonna be fucking cheesy all I want, I’m dating the most beautiful boy ever.”

Lucas huffed, trying to contain a smile but his efforts were futile, “Dating? We said nothing about dating,” Eliott pushed his bottom lip out in a pout, “If you cuddle me and let me sleep then I’ll consider a date.”

Eliott smiled and nodded, “My little cuddly baby.” He cooed and Lucas huffed.

“Don’t make me regret this, shithead.” Eliott softly laughed, pulled Lucas to him and wrapped himself around the other.

And, even though they’ve done this before, this time it felt so much better.

#skam france #skamfr #elu #elu fic #Pluie writes

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revengeisalwaysanoption · 4 years

Text

Fic: Io non ci credo, alle giraffe (FINAL CHAPTER)

So, you can find this chapter on AO3 as well (together with the sappiest epilogue you could ever imagine) and I do hope it lives up to your expectations. It mostly did, to mine. I agonized over writing this fic, but I nearly cried now that it’s over.

This wasn't quite what he had in mind, when he had tried to picture the afterlife. The few times he did that, whilst attending the funerals of some old relative, Martino had conjured up a field of barley. An eternal sunset. A light breeze.

Loved ones, lost too early, ready to show him the ropes and teach him how to haunt his friends for the rest of their lives.

"Boohoo! Poor Marti wanted a welcoming committee in a lovely bucolic setting…" said a grating voice in a harsh and judgemental tone.

Where did it come from? Who was speaking? There was nothing around him. No one.

Only darkness.

"Instead of you've got me. This." The stranger continued. "Because we've got to be predictable, don't we? Unimaginative. But do you know what? Screw you, man. I can do better."

Then he heard a loud, snapping sound and had to shield his eyes from a bright blinding light.

"Are you still there?" Marti asked to his unknown companion.

They didn't sound like a particularly pleasant person, but… Anyone, even Marco - Emma's brutish brother - would do...

'Beggars can't be choosers' as his dad used to say.

"Unbelievable!! You're still quoting him. As if that man ever said anything worth repeating…"

Uhh, this guy sure had some serious beef with his father… and could read his thoughts, apparently? No wonder why the stranger was so grumpy, given that he had been bombarded by flashes of Marti kissing Nico for the last… day?

Week? It was hard to keep track of time when they only thing that existed was you, and your immense loneliness.

"No!! That's not my division, you've got somebody else covering that. I'm in charge of rage, disdain, frustration, resent and pettiness. Yeah, yeah. I do most of the work around here." The more Marti listened to him talking, the less sense he made.

Where were they? Who was he? Where was he hiding?

"I'm not hiding. I'm right behind you."

What? How was that possible? He must have been joking, because Marti would have noticed if… Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. A hand that was too familiar in weight and texture. He turned, finally, to face himself.

He looked battered, exhausted, dishevelled. His eyes were red, and teary. His shoulders hunched, as though he had been carrying the weight of the word for quite some time. Wow. It was a lot to take in. Did he really-

"Let me stop you there. Yes, this is how you sound to other people and how they see you. They are used to it, by the way, so they don't find it as unpleasant as you do. Next? Are you alive? Yes? No? How should I know, when I am literally something you made up?"

So, basically, Martino could only hope that he wasn't stuck here, with the worst of himself, forever.

"The worst, huh? Wait until fear, jealousy and paranoia show up... Not to mention the good old self-preservation instinct, aka what you usually refer to as 'common sense', who's gonna bore y-"

"Okay, okay. I get it. No need to get so defensive." Damn, someone here was a bit too sensitive to criticism!

Okay, alright. Perhaps this guy wasn't the bottom of the barrel, maybe some people even found his fiery disposition and charming, but…. it couldn't be all that his friends - and Nico; his sweet gentle dorky Nico - saw in Martino.

He had plenty of good, in him… so where was it?

"Ooh! That's the attitude you need to get out of here… Know your worth! Fight for it!" Anger goaded him on, suddenly mellowing out and becoming a lot more amiable.

"Lend an ear to your heart, be true to yourself…" Martino rebuked, not quite as sarcastic as he would have been a couple of days before.

"... and when you do, you'll hold the key to open all doors, yeah. Starting from that one" his grumpy companion said, pointing at the portal that just appeared out of nowhere.

"Don't. Save it. We are nowhere, therefore…" Marti shushed him, rolling his eyes and smiling. It was kind of endearing to realise how predictable he could be. Comforting.

"Stop stalling and go through that damn door. Someone's waiting for you."

Who? Could it be… ? Well there was only one way to find out.

As he stepped over the threshold, everything changed.

He could have sworn that the air was filled with the smell of his mother's freshly baked cinnamon rolls, which she hadn't been making for nearly a decade. The sun shine brightly in a cloudless blue sky, but it didn't burn skin. A pleasant warmth was spreading through him, while Marti relieved the bone crushing hugs, the forehead kisses, the most gentle touch upon his own lips and all those casual loving gestures he had taken for granted for far too long.

He knew where he was. The Emerald Fields, and idyllic place on the outskirts of Eterna. A city 'where all wishes come true', according to legends. His father - merchant for a living, myth-buster for 'the greater good, the improvement of society as a whole' - had proved them to be nothing more than smoke and mirrors… Quite ironic that a man so obsessed with honesty and transparency had the guts to… No. Forget it.

It was unacceptable: he wouldn't any unresolved issues he had with his dad spoil this memory.

Of the last time it truly felt invincible, invaluable. Unique, in all his untapped potential. Carefree.

He didn't mind being alone, here… not that he was. Obviously, he wasn't. Deer and and fawns had materialise beside him, stubbornly nudging Martino towards the lake.

Playfully splashing water with his feet, with a flower crown in his auburn hair, sat the person who had been waiting for him. Not Niccolò, unfortunately. Or Gio.

"I suppose you'll have to settle for me." He said, silently asking Marti to sit next to him with an eloquent look. Welcoming, rather than threatening.

There was an aura of 'now tell me all about your troubles, my friend… share the weight with me and maybe they won't seem half as bad..' surrounding him, which normally Martino would've labelled as patronising - unless it came from Giovanni. Normally.

FlowerBoy tapped the plank on his right, for emphasis, thanking Marti when you finally took a seat on the creek.

"I'm glad you two parted on good terms. He got us through some awful times, you know? You call him 'anger', but he is 'pride'. Which, in itself, is not so bad. Life has hardened him, made him constantly ready for a fight, but… what you see as a flaw, indeed, is one of your biggest strengths. Loyalty. Perseverance. Spite… I can't take the credit for those - especially the latter, which has repeatedly spurred you into action. It comes from loving yourself, sure, but with a slight disdain for others and their shitty opinions."

Woah. Martino hadn't being ready for the lecture on his own negative feelings from… His hippie self?

"You seem nicer, though." Clean-shaven, soft-spoken, well-rested and well-dressed.

A stark contrast from the guy he had met first.

"I generally am. Enough to make people stay, most of the time. Draw them in, however? Avoiding to wax lyrical on how the universe now revolves around them, and keeping a shred of dignity as if I wouldn't gladly have them on every available surface?" Huh? Were they still talking about his family and friends?

"Sorry, I got a bit carried away. The most recent developments with Ni… That's all very new to me. Never had I experienced something so intense. It's exciting and scary. Fascinating and confusing. Anyway, the point is: I'm cheesy. Sappy. Shamelessly so. He gives us an edge, turning mushiness into good-natured banter."

An interesting take, undoubtedly, but… kind of pointless? It did offer a new perspective on parts of himself he hadn't been overly fond of, still… In the grand scheme of things, what was the purpose of these talks? Where was the conflict, and the revelation that came with it?

"Not every tale needs to feature a dragon's slayer, or a fearless knight battling orcs. Lessons can be learnt without suffering."

All he needed to do was listen, basically? Could it be that easy? Wasn't it such a cop out?

"Easy, you say. And yet you haven't been able to achieve such an easy task in all these years. You refuse to. Shut up. You weren't talking? Well, you were thinking. Given them - dreaded common sense, fear and self-pity - too much attention."

Empty your mind. Find the sound that resonates within your soul. Amplify it. That's your spark.

Martino had never progressed past that stage, at the Academy, much to the Mentors' bafflement. He'd supposed they couldn't believe what they were seeing… that an individual with no magic at all co-

"SHUT UP!!"

Right. Right. No more thoughts. Hear the waves sloshing against the creek? The breeze blowing through the grass? The pitter-patter of deer hooves? Great. Cancel them out. Your breath is deafening, now, isn't it? It's all you can hear, and that's not particularly interesting…

"Don't give up, Marti please." Whose voice was it? His mom's?

"Come on, man. Wake up." Gio's?

"Going from sleep deprived to lethargic? Really? Since when are you the 'go big or go home' kind of guy?" Eva's?

"Are you trying to impress someone, hun? You don't need to. One would think you hung the stars and moon from the way he looks at you…" Filo's?

"Marti, you can't go without seeing Luca's latest master-" Oh, how he had missed Elia's laughter. "masterpiece, yeah, that you've inspired."

"Don't fret. It doesn't matter how long it takes, but come back to me when it's over, okay? I'll be waiting. I'll always be waiting." Nico's.

Wait. How could that be possible. Shouldn't he… No, no, no. Marti, no. Don't get lost, don't let logical reasoning lure you in. Take care of that later, okay? Okay.

Silence, please… There. You have it. The complete absence of s-

"LET ME OUT!!" A young boy yelled, thumping repeatedly from under the thick ice layer it was now covering the lake.

Was it some kind of ruse, a deceit it was supposed to ignore to reach a higher level of consciousness?

"HELP ME!!!" Thud. Thud. Thud. "PLEASE!!!" Thud. Thud. Thud.

Screw it. Too bad if he wasn't supposed to intervene: he was going to, regardless of the consequences.

Deprived of any tool that could help him with the rescue, it soon became clear that's the only way he could smash the ice was by jumping on it. And once he inevitably plunged into the freezing water, it would be just a matter of minutes before hypothermia kicked in and killed them both.

It didn't matter.

"HOLD ON!!!" Jump. Jump. Jump. "I'M GONNA GET YOU HOME. GONNA GET BOTH OF US HOME!!! "Jump. Jump. Jump. "ALIVE!!!"

Crack. He did it!

Seize the kid and get out. Survive.

"Thanks. I'm sorry I cursed you." The boy said, creating a bubble around them. "I… I didn't mean… It backfired… I…"

"... didn’t want to be alone anymore. You aren’t, you understand? I’m the one who’s sorry. You just wanted to be heard. Acknowledged. Remembered.” Martino couldn't recall the last time I took in the world around him with wonder, grateful to be alive and getting to see a rainbow. The first snow. The low tide. Shooting stars. The dancing curtains. Sunrises and sunsets. Niccolò.

"You really like him, don't you? Me too… He's cool… and he was the first one who saw me. Saw all of us, really… and still chose to stay."

Enough with the chit chat. The promises he'd only made, all that he had never allowed himself to be… No more words were needed to reconcile.

Much better to embrace them. Swim back to the surface. Rise.

********************************** Messy black curls. Full, red, pouty lips. Insanely long lashes. Lithe fingers, adorned with huge rings. More beautiful than Martino ever recalled. “You look like shit.” He mumbled, lazily stroking his hair. “And you’re heavy. Doze off somewhere else, please.” “Marti?” Oi! He had no business breaking his heart with that note of desperation in his voice. Or with the tears in his eyes. He shouldn’t be allowed to cry. Not on his watch.

“Marti, Marti, Marti…” He didn’t seem able to say or do anything else, for a while. Only kiss him, and repeat his name like a mantra. Eventually, he calmed down. “Look who’s talking, by the way.” Niccolò retorted, rolling his eyes. “I don’t accept criticism from ‘Mr. Death-Warmed-Over’, sorry.” “And from whom would you accept it, huh? Your husband?” Marti teased, hoping he wasn’t being too cheeky. “Mh. Maybe. I wouldn’t say yes to a proposal that came from a bedside, when he’s still hazy from a long sleep and doesn’t quite know what he’s saying.” Niccolò answered, kissing his knuckles reverently. “I do know…” Martino huffed, taking comfort in the fact that Nico hadn’t utterly turned him down. “... nonetheless, you deserve a better proposal. I get it. And you’ll have it. I’ll ride a giraffe, if that’s what is required for you to say yes, okay?” “Okay. I’ll be waiting for it, then.” He leaned down, resting his forehead against Martino’s. “Choose my wedding dress, in the meantime. Unless you’d want me to wear a suit.” “You could wear a gunny sack and I wouldn’t dream to complain, Ni.” “What if I showed up naked, then?” Niccolò moved to the side, brushing his lips against his ear and neck. “Well, it’s not a sight I’m really so willing to share with everyone out there, but I suppose that if that’s what makes you happy…” “Forget it, then. We should be both happy on that day. We’ll be.” And they were. Living fully - though not always happily - ever after.

#skam italia #my writing #fairy tale au #nicotino

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kyulkyungs · 6 years

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enemies-to-lovers!renjun

Request: can i please request an enemies-to-lovers story of nct’s renjun? he doesn’t have much aus :(( thank you!!! 💕💗💞💘💓💓(YES I CAN TOTALLY DO THIS!!!!! YOU ARE THE ONE I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR ILYYYYY, but seriously he gets no love and i’m prepared to give him the entire universe)

others: lucas | yuta | jisung | hendery

this guy is your neighbor, you’ve known him for a couple years but have not actually known him???? you feel me???

like, the two of you are familiar faces to each other and you know his name and his family

but you’ve never really interacted beyond that

one thing is is that you don’t want to

because he always has his friends over and they’re so loud and you’re trying to s t u d y and w o r k and w a t c h y o u t u b e

or he’ll be helping his mom garden and stuff but like he’s so messy?

he throws the dirt into your yard somehow and you have to go and scoop it back to where it belongs

you’re sure at this point he’s messing with you because when you shut your blinds or messily throw the dirt back over

his friends either get louder and louder or you’ll even find some pebbles and plant bits on the path or smushed against something

but the biggest thing of all?

there’s a park nearby the neighborhood that you like to go to and a swing set that you love and it’s your favorite thing

however, there’s only one swing...

and he always takes it

the thing is you think he’s purposely and knowingly taking your favorite spot ever

sometimes you think he’s laughing when you see that he’s taken the swing

and it’s not just because that thing is super fun and it’s always in the shade and just the right height no matter how tall you are

unless you’re like an 87 foot man aka johnny

but you love that thing to bits and not only has this kid taken up your time cleaning up your own house after him, having to relocate multiple times in your house to avoid being in a room that’s closer to his, and having to turn your heel and walk like two blocks once you realize the swing has been taken over

not only that but sometimes he even brings his friends there and there’s no way you can get through like 200 guys all sitting in the shade and hogging the tree swing and area near it

the nerve of him he didn’t even realize that he was there for like four hours because when you came back he was still. there.

the one time you had asked him if he could free up the swing he looked at you like you asked him to launch himself into space and never come back

which is kind of what you wanted him to do when he just looked away and said sorry no can do go somewhere else

so you did and walked home and sulked on your bed because dang you just want to swing man it’s not that hard but like....... you love that thing

it’s so closely attached to your childhood and the shade feels nice and the wind in your hair where you get higher up from the ground......... nothing can beat that

except for this guy u G H

one day he had his friends over again

and normally you’d just wait it out until that storm blows over

but not this time when apparently all of his friends were over for a slumber party and probably celebrating something

and with that celebration they were oh so loud from like 5pm to whatever it was in the forbidden hours of the morning where no sounds should be disturbing your precious sleep

but there you were holding a pillow over your head and using your blankets as the ultimate cocoon around you to try to block out whatever sound possible

but it seemed that everything you did was useless and they got even louder somehow when you covered yourself

you have half a mind to call the cops and stuff but you’re just like nope nope i’ll just go swing my worries away

you know for sure that it’s a safe neighborhood after living there for a long time and plus it’s super late who would be around?

so you go in your pajamas and bring a coat with you just in case and the second you step out of the house you can hear the boys at a greater volume than before

they all sound so joyful and are laughing a lot and you’d be fine with it any other time............ but they’ve messed so badly with your sleep and you’re up to here with it all

you’re about to turn and head for the park until you hear the loud noises of the house get louder and someone inside go

‘hey, let’s go to the park! we can run around more there so my parents don’t get mad’

and you’re like noooo oh no these guys are NOT gonna go there

so you march up to his door and when it swings open you see your neighbor with a bunch of his friends behind him

and renjun looks at you and freezes because oh my he was not expecting you right there at his door his neighbor that he doesn’t even know the name of

but also????

you look kind of................ cute.........

with your messy hair and grouchy face and kinda pouty lip and oh gosh those pajamas are...........

and you realize what he’s looking at and you’re like

aSDGKNFG LEAVE MY FLUFFY DUCK PAJAMAS ALONE THEY’RE COMFY OKAY

but renjun snaps back into the world and is awkwardly like

ohhh sorry.... are we being too loud?? we’re going to the park-

and you cut him off like no bucko, i’m going to the park

and he’s kind of confused like uh???? what???

‘‘i’m going to the park’

and he’s confused like

‘we can go together????’

and you start making a bunch of frustrated noises trying to bring coherent thoughts together at like 3am and he doesn’t get it until you start swinging your arms around like

oh............

so he cheekily smiles and turns to his friends and is like yknow what how about you stay in, i’ll try to see what’s wrong with my neighbor

and some of them give him a l o o k and others are just fiiine i guess we’ll play another round of mario party 8

and when he shuts the door behind him you hear the chatter of his friends fade away deeper into the house

then your neighbor turns towards you and is like

‘i’ll race you to the swings’

which prompts you to go nonononono i am not giving those up

so you give in to his game and you start sprinting and you can hear his footsteps behind you

little do you know that renjun probably has the full ability to outrun you but he’s purposely pulling back and letting you win this race

when you two near the swingset you make a dive for it and land right on top of it while renjun puts on his biggest ‘awww i lost’ face

but the smile makes it so that you know he really wasn’t that upset about it

‘here since i lost, i’ll push you’ he says and before you can object he’s already behind you and starts gently pushing you while you’re still trying to catch your breath

once you’re stopped heaving he asks ‘why do you like this thing so much anyways? you’re always on it and get kinda upset when you’re not’

you huff and not answer him

he doesn’t mind and just keeps pushing you

‘you give me a lot of trouble, you know that?’ he says after a little while and you swing your legs so that the momentum knocks you into him slightly

but he catches you and pushes again, taking a step back so he doesn’t get knocked completely over

‘trouble? me? you’re the one giving me trouble most of the time’ and you can practically feel the confusion radiating off your neighbor in waves

‘what do you mean?’

you bite your tongue and try not to rant to this guy, because hey at least he seems like a decent person and he’s not being a total jerk to you right now

plus he let you have the swing

begrudgingly you end up spilling some of those pent up feelings you’ve had about his shenanigans and you’re like

‘well first off this swing is wonderful. i’ve grown up with it and it’s never failed to always support me and help me with my problems’

‘ah like a comfort food?’ you nod and then continue

‘second... you’re so messy helping your mom garden i have to clean up so much after you in my own yard’

renjun apologizes but you miss the cheeky grin that comes along with it

i admit that i am a messy gardener, although i’m the one that brought my mom some ripe strawberries’

you gave him a light, joking scoff and clapped your hands twice as a way of saying ‘good job, you did something!’

he pushes you a little harder as a joke, startling you yet it came back to bite him as you fell back into him square in the chest, making him emit an ‘oof’ sound

‘your friends are loud too’ you say after he starts pushing you again

‘yeah, sorry. that’s mainly my fault for inviting them over so much... thanks for not calling the cops on us a bunch of times though’

and make a sarcastic mhm sound and he snickers, gripping the back of your shirt and dragging you backwards

you yelp at the sudden tugging and how far he’s able to get you above the ground and the sudden hard push he delivers

‘you know swinging isn’t supposed to make me feel stressed out!’ you yell out, feeling him continue to push you higher and higher you try to drag your feet into the ground to stop him but he tries regardless

‘well, this is how you’re making me feel!’

‘stRESSED? bUddY If anYthiNg-’

‘no! like i’m soaring!’ you let his words sink in for a second and then when you ask him what he means he continues his yelling out

‘i actually think you’re really cute! sometimes i’d throw dirt over on purpose to get you to come out but you always do when i go inside! other than that i’m legitimately messy.......’

you snort at his quieter statement

‘and i always have my friends over in hopes that you’d come over to tell us to quiet down and i could smoothly invite you to hang out with us, like in the shows!’

you can feel the cold wind much better on your cheeks than before, the speed of the swing stayed the same

your cheeks were just beginning to grow red

‘or my friends could dare me to go over to your house and talk with you but they never once mentioned you!’ you turned your head and saw him pouting and throwing his arms around

he honestly looked super adorable doing that

when he saw you looking at him he stopped the swing and held you in place, speaking into your ear softly now

‘and i kept stealing the swing because i knew you were always there and i hoped you’d come over to talk to me’

you felt red by how close he was to you, with his hands nearly touching yours on the swing

‘yeah i hoped you swung so hard you flew into space to be honest’ you managed to get out, but you squeaked and he chuckled once seeing how flustered you actually were because of him

‘sorry, that’s completely on me’

he moved away and stood in front of you this time, then crouching down and looking up at you while you tried to get your blush down

‘this hasn’t gone the way it does in dramas and movies........’ he admits plainly and honestly

this makes you throw your head back and start cackling because this guy has been acting so weird and has been bugging you because he was interested in you... but he was following romcoms

he smiles up at you in reply, no shame taking over his features

‘if you’re willing to forgive me for playing the really dumb and annoying next-door-neighbor role can i just play the regular-boy-next-door one like i should?’ you manage to calm down and sigh, deciding to let your grudge over the swing go for this cutie

when you nod, his smile turns into an ecstatic grin and he hops up

‘okay! cool! i’m renjun and i’m your neighbor and i think you’re really cute! can i be the one to push you on the swing from now on?’

#elli writes #renjun #nct #nct dream #nct scenarios #nct imagines #nct fluff #nct dream scenarios #nct dream imagines #nct dream fluff #enemies to lovers au #neutral pronouns #fluff

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nailriddenbat · 6 years

Text

We Make a Good Team

Summary: Mom is out for the night and you’re in charge of the party (AKA the six kids who constantly seemed to crash at your house) and while they can be a handful, you’ve got a pretty good partner to help you out.

Requested by: @somekryptonitewriting; so what i got is a stev x reader!henderson oneshot where they are both babysitting the kids and its just them trying to maintain control over the kids and trying to keep them out of trouble but they secretly like dealing with them and just overall fluff between steve and the reader

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Henderson!Reader

Word Count: 2.1k

Tags (PLEASE message me if you want to be added to the permanent tag list for any fic, especially if you already asked and I forgot!): @thegirlwhoisintoomanyfandoms @la-fille-en-aiguilles @jj-writes-shit @thebitterbookeater @with-a-hint-of-pesto-aioli @richletozler @just-smile-darling @w-ingardiumleviosa @buckysmaingirl @magic-and-timetravel

A/N: This is my first request so I hope I did it justice! I am starting to accept them but I will fill them in the order I accept them, so hang in there if I don’t post one immediately! I’m very excited to hear all of your ideas and very excited to share some more Steve fluff with you all!

1985.

Another night, another adventure in babysitting. What shall it be tonight? A trip to the arcade? Another endearing round of Dungeons and Dragons? Movie night? You tapped your finger against your chin as you stared at the group of children in the living room as they all spoke over each other. While you loved your brother and his friends dearly, the volume of their voices was enough to cause your head to start throbbing.

You called out to them to get their attention but they didn’t even turn around. You rolled your eyes and took a deep breath, holding your fingers up to your mouth before whistling loudly.

“Jesus Christ!” Dustin shouted as he threw his hands over his ear.

“What are you trying to do? Get the attention of every dog in the neighborhood?” Mike groaned as he tugged at his ear a little.

“Nope. Just trying to get the attention of you dipshits,” you grinned. “Movie night. Head to the rack and pick one.”

“Y/N we have watched almost every single one of those movies,” Lucas sighed as he dropped to the couch.

“Is there anything new?” Will asked as he walked over to the rack.

“Y’know there is one person in this group who hasn’t seen all of them,” Max pointed out that little fact to the boys as she looked over at El, who simply just shrugged her shoulders with a small smile.

You stood back as another heated discussion began between the kids over what movie they should watch. You counted to ten in your head and took a deep breath before whistling again.

“Would you STOP?” Dustin yelled over at you.

“Never,” you laughed.

The doorbell rang and the kids looked over at the door.

“In come the reinforcements!” you skipped over to the door and pulled it open to reveal Steve Harrington. He stood armed with two boxes of pizza, bags wrapped around one arm that had bottles of soda and another bag filled with new releases from the video store.

“I’m here and ready for battle,” Steve smirked at you before he moved in.

The kids all jumped up and shouted as they saw him walk through the door. He held his leg up to keep them at bay as he shouted over the group, “Back up! If I drop one of these boxes you can all pick the cheese off of the floor because I am not going back to get another one.”

“Kitchen!” you waved your hands so they would all flock to the other room and watched as they did so, looking over at Steve with a grin.

“Steve Harrington to the rescue,” he winked at you before he leaned in to kiss your cheek gently.

You swooned and you sighed, “My hero,” as you held your hand up to your forehead. He rolled his eyes and called you a jerk playfully before he followed the party into the kitchen.

Dustin was lined up first, holding a plate in his hand and waiting impatiently to grab the first slice.

You raised an eyebrow at him and glanced behind him, where Max and El stood. “Dustin,” you cleared your throat. “Ever heard of a rule called ladies first?”

Steve slid the pizza boxes onto the stove and turned his body so he was blocking them. In typical Steve Harrington fashion, as you so frequently teased him about, he snatched the nearest dish towel up and swung it over his shoulders. His hands went to his hips and he looked over at Dustin with a tilted head as he said, “No one’s getting pizza until the ladies eat first. And that includes your sister.”

Dustin sighed before he moved out of the way and to the back of the line as Max stepped up with a smirk.

He started cutting up slices and handing them to the kids, stopping after Max and El to hand you a slice of your own which you left to the side for now. You and Steve had an assembly line going as he handed out the pizza and you handed out cups of soda. One by one they wandered to the table and sat back down.

You leaned against the counter and blew a piece of hair out of your face. “I’m too old for this shit,” you exhaled.

“You have not even hit your twenties yet,” Steve laughed as he jumped up onto the counter and started to eat his slice of pizza.

You hushed him which caused him to laugh even more and looked over at the table as you chewed on your pizza. They had their heads pressed together and were whispering. Your eyes narrowed and you looked back at Steve.

He caught them too and rolled his eyes as he muttered underneath his breath with a mouth full of pizza, “These damn kids are always planning something.”

“Hey!” you shouted. “No plans that result in Max driving, someone getting punched, or going into any underground lairs, okay? Final warning!” You paused to take a sip of your soda then looked at Steve for approval. “How was that?”

“Pretty good,” Steve said.

“Why do you automatically assume that we’re always up to no good?” Dustin spoke up.

“Because you’re always up to no good,” both you and Steve answered him simultaneously.

Lucas shuddered a little and shook his head, “It’s scary when they do that.”

“And they do it too often,” Will argued with him as he leaned forward to take another bite of his pizza.

“Yeah, yeah. Big, bad, scary babysitters,” you rolled your eyes before leaning forward to snatch the bag of movies Steve had brought over. “Alright shitheads! Steve brought over new movies for you to pick from.”

They all shouted out in relief and El leaned forward to watch you as you laid out each case on the table. You listed them off and held them up so the whole table could see: Back to the Future, A Nightmare on Elm Street (this caused you to throw a dirty look in Steve’s direction), Red Dawn - which had your vote because Patrick freaking Swayze - Footloose, The Karate Kid, and Sixteen Candles.

The boys threw their hands up in the air, shouting that they wanted to watch A Nightmare on Elm Street while Max scrunched her face up.

“Seriously? Haven’t we dealt with enough scary shit?” she said. “Back to the Future is by far the better choice.”

“It’s Freddy freaking Kreuger!” Mike shouted.

“It’s Marty freaking McFly!” Max shot back at him, twisting her face at him.

“OR we can watch Red Dawn,” you jumped in.

“You just want to watch Red Dawn so you can drool over Patrick Swayze,” Dustin rolled his eyes at his older sister.

“Why drool over him when you have me?” Steve called out from behind me.

You waved your hand at him to shush him. “On a serious note,” you said, “Max has a point. I’d rather you watch something that’s a little more chill. El? What do you think?”

El looked over at the movie covers, examining them closely. She was unsure of which one Max had suggested and looked up at her. Max pointed to the cover and El nodded her head. “That one,” she smiled up at you.

You glanced up at Mike and Lucas, watching as their faces melt. You grinned as they mumbled underneath their breath that Back to the Future was a good choice. Dustin groaned loudly and Will just grinned to himself.

“Back to the Future it is,” Steve said. He jumped off of the counter and moved over to the table. “Help me clean up and then we’ll set the TV up.”

“I’ll prep the living room,” you said as you wandered off. You had a closet full of extra blankets and pillows that you usually tossed around the living room when it was movie night.

You were dropping pillows to the floor when you felt arms circle around your waist. Steve’s voice rang in your ears as he whispered, “Do you really drool over Patrick Swayze?”

You laughed softly and slid your hands over his arms, the blankets falling to the floor. “He’s so dreamy, Steve. What can I say?” you tilted your head back so you could look up at him.

He groaned and started to pout, “I have better hair than him.”

You turned in his arms and touched his hair lightly, humming as you nod your head, “It’s a shame that’s all you’ve got going for you, Harrington.”

He poked your sides and caused you to jerk into his body. You were extremely ticklish and you slapped his shoulder playfully. He grabbed your wrist gently and tugged you closer, leaning down to kiss you. You breathed in before you took his head in your hands and held it as you kissed him back. His arms tightened around your waist and he leaned back, lifting you off of the ground slightly. Your feet kicked back just as you bit down on his lip slowly, causing him to groan against your lips.

The kiss was cut short just as you heard something crash to the ground followed by curse words. You pulled away shortly as your face twisted in frustration. “What was that?” you called out.

All of the kids shouted back that it was nothing which meant it was in fact something.

“They can’t just sit still for two freaking seconds,” you rubbed your face as you sighed. There was the familiar throbbing in your head.

Steve leaned forward to kiss your head before he turned to find out what had happened in the kitchen. You picked the pillows and blankets back up to continue setting up, shaking your head as you heard Steve shout at them for spilling an entire bottle of soda.

The clean up took a while but eventually they all shuffled back into the living room to take their respective spots. The kids opted to all lay out on the floor as Steve set up the TV and you wandered back into the kitchen to make them some popcorn that they could pass back and forth.

“You all good?” you heard Steve ask them. You grabbed the bowl and moved back into the living room, leaning down to hand over the popcorn.

“Just shut the lights off and start the movie already,” Max called out.

“Someone’s demanding,” Steve snorted before he hit the lights off. He tugged his jacket off and kicked his shoes off before he leaned down and pushed the tape into the VCR player, pressing play before stepping over the kids.

You scooted over as he dropped into the corner of the couch. His legs lifted up and spread apart just as you leaned in between them, laying on your side as your head rested on his chest. His arms came around you as he leaned down to kiss your head, whispering into your hair, “Is your head okay?”

You nodded your head and looked up at him, your voice small so the kids couldn’t hear it much, “It’ll go away soon.”

“Good,” he poked your nose lightly and you nipped the tip of his finger playfully. He glanced at the kids then back at you as he whispered with a grin, “They’re finally quiet.”

You laughed a little and rested your head on his chest again. While the kids watched the movie, you watched them. You couldn’t put into words how happy it made you to know that Dustin had such a good group of friends. Sure, they were trouble makers. Sure, they were loud and messy. And sure, they were most likely always in some sort of danger. Despite all of that, though, they were a tight-knit group who supported each other no matter what. They knew how to make you laugh and the way they idolized Steve made your heart soar. They were your kids, Steve’s kids, and you loved them all despite the headaches they gave you every single time you had to babysit.

“You’re lost in thought,” Steve muttered. He pushed your hair back gently and you looked back up at him

“I’m just thinking of how much I love babysitting these shitheads,” you admitted to him.

He chuckled and nodded his head in agreement. “I kinda like it too,” he grinned. “Especially with you as a partner.”

“We make a good team,” you winked up at him and leaned up to kiss him softly, balancing yourself by holding onto his shoulders. His hand moved up to cup your face as he moved his lips across yours slowly.

“Can you two stop sucking face so we can pay attention to the damn movie?” Dustin broke up the moment by tossing a piece of popcorn at you.

You turned your head and grabbed the nearest pillow, chucking it at Dustin’s head. “Watch the movie, dipshit!” you yelled at him.

Steve laughed loudly as he pulled you back to his chest. He kissed your head and you sighed, putting all of your attention on the movie. Another night of babysitting was complete.

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vexedtonightmares · 5 years

Text

with great power (elu spiderman au)

eliott has been saved by spiderman quite a few times for absolutely no reason. hopeless romantic that he is, eliott accidentally starts falling for spiderman somewhere along the way and doesn’t know what to do about it. obviously, there’s only one solution. he and his good friend lucas should pretend to date to make spiderman jealous. there’s no ulterior motives here, of course, just lucas helping a bro out.

aka eliott’s falling in love with spiderman, lucas is in love with eliott, and lucas is spiderman.

1 2

ao3

no.3 “I don’t want you to kiss me.”

Eliott woke up on Lucas’ floor with the light streaming in the window. Lucas had insisted that he take the bed, but Eliott didn’t want to displace Lucas in his own room or make Lucas uncomfortable by sleeping in the bed with him. Sure, they’d shared beds on occasion over the years, but Eliott tended to try to cuddle when he’d had a few drinks, even more so when he smoked, and he hadn’t wanted to subject Lucas to that.

Lucas’ head was hanging over the edge of his bed, looking down at Eliott with a goofy grin. “Morning, sleepyhead.”

“Sleepyhead? How late is it?” Eliott asked, rubbing his eyes.

Lucas checked the clock on the other side of his bed before leaning back over the edge to speak to Eliott. “About eleven-thirty.”

Eliott was suddenly more awake. “Seriously? I’m so sorry, usually I wake up earlier, you know that.”

Lucas furrowed his brows. “Eleven-thirty isn’t that late. I just got up too. If I could sleep like a normal person I’d sleep until noon or later every day.”

Eliott frowned, even though Lucas was still grinning happily. He knew Lucas had sleeping issues, he always came to school with dark circles under his eyes and texted Eliott at odd hours of the night, but Eliott had never thought much of it. Lucas always seemed to brush all his problems under the rug and Eliott just let him. He felt guilt churning in his stomach, about to say something when he saw a small scratch on Lucas’ cheek. “What’s that?” he asked, pointing to it.

Lucas raised his hand to his cheek in surprise, as if he had no idea what Eliott was talking about. Eliott watched him catch a glimpse of himself in the mirror across the room before turning bright red. “I, um, cut myself shaving,” he stammered.

Eliott frowned. First of all, he was pretty sure Lucas didn’t have to shave yet, and second of all, he knew that cut hadn’t been there last night so that meant Lucas was lying about just waking up. Lucas must have realized this the same time Eliott did, because he confessed, “Ok I’ve been awake for a little while, actually, I just didn’t want you to feel bad.”

“Ever the gentleman,” Eliott grinned. He sat up further. “When did you start shaving?”

“Like a week ago,” Lucas said, blushing again.

“You know that you have no facial hair to shave, right?” Eliott teased, and was subsequently hit in the face by a pillow. Either the pillow was super heavy, or Lucas had thrown it with an insane amount of force, because it almost knocked the breath out of him.

Lucas’ eyes were wide and nervous when Eliott looked back up at him. “I’m so, so, sorry,” he apologized, blinking rapidly.

Eliott tossed the pillow back, making sure not to launch it like Lucas apparently had. “Stronger than you thought you were?”

Lucas coughed uncomfortably. “I’ve, uh, been, um, working out?” He said it like a question, even though it shouldn’t have been one.

“When? I’d go with you, you know.”

Lucas shook his head fervently. “No, no, I like doing it alone.”

“Ok…” Eliott narrowed his eyes, wondering why Lucas was acting so skittish. They still didn’t lie to one another, right?

Before Eliott could question him further, Lucas coughed abruptly and changed the subject. “Come up here, I’m tired of talking to you down there.”

Eliott did as he was told, hopping up and sitting beside Lucas on the bed. Lucas always looked so soft in the mornings, hair a beautiful mess, eyes a bit bleary, pillow wrinkles imprinted in his face. He wondered what Spiderman looked like in the mornings. Or at all. “You summoned me?”

“We need to come up with some rules,” Lucas declared.

“Rules?”

“For dating each other— fake dating each other,” Lucas explained further, “I don’t want either one of us to be confused about the whole thing, you know?”

Eliott did know, and it was actually something that had been on his mind. He was glad that Lucas had brought it up, because he probably would have forgotten about it until it was too late and then their plan would have been ruined. “Of course,” he agreed, “Where do we start?”

Lucas bit his lip. “Um, basic things, I guess. Like kissing.”

Kissing. Eliott wouldn’t mind kissing Lucas while they fake dated.

“I don’t want you to kiss me,” Lucas said.

Oh, never mind then.

Lucas must have noted Eliott’s confusion, because he launched into an explanation. “I’m sure you’re a great kisser, but I don’t want to kiss you just because we’re pretending, all right? I want to save my kisses for people who actually want to be with me.”

“No one is going to believe we’re together if we don’t kiss,” Eliott pointed out, though he wasn’t sure why. If Lucas didn’t want to kiss him, that was his prerogative, Eliott didn’t need to fight him on it. It was a decent point though.

“I can just tell people I don’t like PDA, it’s not like I’ve ever had a real boyfriend before, so they won’t know the difference,” Lucas shrugged, and Eliott thought oh. Lucas didn’t want to kiss him because he hadn’t ever had any of these experiences in a real relationship yet, and wanted to save them.

“Ok, fair enough. How about holding hands, cuddling, stuff like that?” Eliott asked.

Lucas thought about it for a moment. “That’s fine, I guess, just not too much, because then no one will believe I don’t like PDA.”

“I’m gonna cuddle the shit out of you,” Eliott said with a wide grin, pulling Lucas to him. Lucas widened his eyes and pulled away quickly, looking flustered. Lucas blinked rapidly again and Eliott wondered if he might have something in his eye.

“No need,” Lucas eked out. Maybe he had something caught in his throat, not his eye? “Minimal cuddles will suffice, most people won’t question it, trust me.”

“Well what if I want to cuddle the shit out of you?”

Lucas rolled his eyes. “Save the cuddles for Spiderman, Romeo.”

“Fine,” Eliott shrugged, “I will. What other rules are there?”

Lucas’ eyes zoned out and Eliott wondered if maybe he was second guessing this whole thing. He was about to clap in front of his face when Lucas said, dead serious, “Well, we’re going to have to sleep together.”

Now it was Eliott’s turn to cough in surprise. “Let me get this straight. No kissing… but we—?”

“Oh, god, no! Not like that!” Lucas laughed, and the tension in the air dissipated. Eliott hadn’t even noticed there was tension until it disappeared. Lucas was still laughing as he continued, “I meant like, stay over at each other’s places— just to sleep! My flatmates know that I sleep better when other people are here, so they’ll assume we’ll spend a lot of nights together.”

“Ok.”

“We don’t actually have to, of course, you can sneak out when they’re all asleep or whatever, and I can sleep on your couch at your flat, but I think that will help with the ruse,” Lucas explained further.

“Lucas don’t be an idiot, of course I’ll stay over here. And you don’t have to sleep on my couch. We’ve shared beds many, many, times, this is no different as long as you don’t steal all the covers.” Eliott nudged Lucas’ knee with his and Lucas blushed. “Deal?”

“Deal,” Lucas mumbled, shaking the hand Eliott had outstretched. Damn, he had quite the grip. Eliott wasn’t sure how he’d never noticed it before, he supposed they didn’t shake hands often. “What else?”

“One date a week?” Eliott suggested. The more Spiderman saw the two of them engaging in typical couple activities the better. “We can hang out more often than that, obviously, but we should have one ‘formal’ date per week.”

“Fuck, I should be writing this down,” Lucas murmured, hopping off the bed with ease and searching the room for a pen and paper. Once he found them, he sat back down, writing down everything they had mentioned up to that point. No kissing, other pda ok in small amounts, sleepovers (no blanket hogging), one date night per week. Eliott wondered what it would be like to just do these things with Lucas without it being fake, then shook the idea from his mind. Where had that come from? Sure, he loved Lucas, but not like that, of course not.

“I can make drawings for you,” Eliott offered. He already did it pretty often anyway, but he could be more consistent with them, make them look more like couple drawings than friend drawings.

Lucas smiled softly. “Really? You’d do that?”

“Of course.”

Lucas’ smiled vanished in an instant, turning into a pout. “I don’t have anything like that to offer, I’m not talented like you are.”

Eliott sighed deeply, rolling his eyes. “Shut up, Lu.”

“I’m serious! I want to be able to do something for you, too.”

He most definitely did not need to, but Eliott could see where he was coming from. If Lucas had offered drawings, Eliott would have wanted to do something as well. “You could write me notes?” Eliott suggested.

“Notes?”

“Yeah, like little love letters.”

“Ha ha. You know I’m no good with words.” Lucas was frowning again, and Eliott didn’t like to see him frown.

He kicked Lucas lightly. “They don’t have to be actual love letters, I can pretend they’re too personal to show anyone. You can write whatever you want, give me your bio notes for all I care.”

Lucas considered this. “Ok. Notes it is, then.” He wrote it down underneath (couple-y) drawings by Eli. Eliott wasn’t sure what else they were missing, their list seemed pretty complete to him. “Also,” Lucas added, “We can’t tell anyone that this is fake.”

“Duh,” Eliott agreed.

“And when we end it, it has to be mutual and we have to stay best friends.”

“I thought Yann was your best friend?” Eliott teased, but when he looked at Lucas’ face Lucas looked nervous.

“I’m serious. I don’t want to lose you as one of my best friends because of this.” There was actual fear in Lucas’ voice and Eliott just wanted to wrap him up and never let him go.

He took Lucas’ face in his hands. “Hey. I'll never stop being your friend. Never ever. You’re one of the best things in my life, ok?”

“Ok…”

Lucas wasn’t meeting his eyes and Eliott waited until he finally did to ask again. “Ok?”

“Ok,” Lucas said, firmer this time. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against Eliott’s, closing his eyes. Eliott dropped his hands from Lucas’ face and brought them around his neck, pulling him into a hug. Lucas responded immediately, wrapping his arms around Eliott as well, head now tucked into Eliott’s neck.

“You’re one of the best things in my life too,” Lucas said softly, almost like he wasn’t sure he wanted it to be said aloud. Because of this, Eliott gave no verbal response, simply tightening his grip on Lucas a little bit, burying one hand in Lucas’ glorious hot mess disaster rat’s nest hair.

A knock came from the door and the two of them sprang apart, even though they weren’t doing anything wrong. They hugged all the time, and what did it matter if anyone saw them do it now, especially if they were supposed to be dating.

Lucas shoved the piece of paper he’d been writing on underneath his pillow before answering, yelling at the door, “Yeah? You can come in.”

Mika walked into the room dramatically, flopping onto Lucas’ bed right between the two of them. Lucas met Eliott’s gaze with an amused smile. “What’s up?” Lucas asked.

“I was bored and you two were still hiding here,” Mika explained, “Manon’s out and Lisa’s asleep. Besides, the gays are much more interesting than the girls, but don’t tell them I said that.”

Lucas rolled his eyes and nudged Mika with his knee. “Seriously? We were in the middle of something.”

“You didn’t have to invite me in,” Mika said with a shrug. Eliott met Lucas’ eyes again and lifted one eyebrow. If they were going to be pretending, now might be the time to start. Mika caught the end of Eliott’s glance at Lucas and he sat up abruptly. “Wait a minute,” he said, “Oh my god.”

Eliott looked at him questioningly, then at Lucas. Lucas was looking right at Mika with raised eyebrows and a small smirk, causing Mika to scream in indignation. “Finally! God knows how long we’ve all been waiting for this!”

“Mika, shut up,” Lucas said, with an apologetic glance at Eliott. Eliott furrowed his eyebrows as Mika began to ramble on and on about how it was about damn time. Probably noticing Eliott’s confusion, Lucas slid his hand across the bed and laced his fingers with Eliott’s. It wasn’t the first time they’d held hands, but it was purposeful this time, and a light bulb switched on in Eliott’s head. Oh, he thought, then, Wait a minute… how long who’s been waiting for this?

“Um, who’s been waiting for what now?” Eliott asked, and Mika paused in the middle of his sentence.

“Literally everyone? We all see the way you two look at each other.” What was Mika talking about, Eliott and Lucas looked at each other normally, right? “Regardless,” Mika bulldozed on, “I want details. Who made the first move?”

Fuck, they hadn’t talked about the details. Eliott looked to Lucas, maybe he’d be better at bullshitting than Eliott. Everyone could always see through Eliott when he was lying, which was a bit annoying, but expected. Lucas blinked. “Um, I did, I guess.”

“Do tell, kitten. Who knew you could be so bold?”

Lucas rolled his eyes again. Eliott thought it was endearing when he did that, but that was probably only because whenever Lucas rolled his eyes at him it was followed by a smile. “Drunk me can, I guess. I asked Eliott if he wanted to shotgun the joint we’d all been passing around, one thing led to another, and yeah. That’s it.”

Mika narrowed his eyes. “That’s all you’re giving me? Are you official or what?”

Eliott jumped in to answer Mika, letting Lucas take a moment to come up with whatever else they needed to sell their story. “We decided to take things slow but… yeah. I guess you could say that.”

“Don’t tell anyone yet, though, we literally just discussed it before you barged in,” Lucas pleaded.

Mika scoffed. “I didn’t barge, I knocked. I always knock with you two just in case and it turns out I stay winning, so…”

“Goodbye, Mika,” Lucas said, pushing him off the bed with a loud thump. Lucas’ eyes widened and he leaned over the side of the bed. “Fuck, I’m sorry, are you ok?”

“Jesus, you’re strong kitten,” Mika said with a disbelieving laugh. Lucas laughed weakly in return.

“He’s been working out,” Eliott explained, and Lucas looked at him gratefully. Lucas had clearly been modest about how much time he’d put into working out earlier when they’d talked about it. Eliott was impressed, he’d never really taken Lucas for the type. Mika nodded at the explanation, leaving the room with wary eyes.

“Just don’t fuck too loud!” he yelled over his shoulder as he left, closing the door behind him. Eliott met Lucas’ eyes and the two of them nearly collapsed into a fit of giggles, Lucas pulling their rules sheet out from under his pillow.

Eliott tried to get a look over Lucas’ shoulder as he wrote something down. “What are you adding?”

Lucas bit his lip, unable to contain the few giggles that rose up out of him as he turned the sheet to Eliott. There, at the bottom of the page, a few words that had Eliott equally exasperated and endeared.

Final rule: Don’t fuck too loud. (for mika)

🕷🕷🕷🕷

Lunch, they’d decided, would be a good time to tell all their friends that they were ‘together’. Manon already knew, partly because Mika couldn’t keep his mouth shut and partly because Eliott had lived at the flat for the rest of the weekend, he and Lucas testing out different coupley things and finding it wasn’t much different than being friends, especially if they weren’t going to kiss or anything. She was happy for them, very supportive, which was exactly what both of them had expected from her. They didn’t think any of their friends would have an objection, but it would still be interesting to see their reactions.

The crew and the gang didn’t usually all sit together at lunch, but thankfully that day they were. Daphné had called a meeting to discuss the foyer renovations, though Eliott had thought since he and Lucas and the boys had painted a new mural they were pretty much good on renovations for the time being.

Eliott and Lucas walked in together, sitting down beside one another. Manon eyed them from across the table and Eliott caught Lucas sending her a look, wrinkling his nose. Eliott clasped Lucas’ hand under the table, startling him slightly. Now or never, right? he tried to ask subliminally. Lucas seemed to get his message, but before they could say anything Arthur addressed them.

“Either of you want to share what the fuck that whole thing was at the party the other day?” he asked, looking at them over the rims of his glasses. Yann was eyeing them carefully, as was Imane, for some reason. Everyone else just seemed confused except for Manon.

Lucas furrowed his brows. “I don’t know what you’re talking about?”

Eliott bit the inside of his cheek, Lucas was such a little shit. Lucas squeezed his hand lightly under the table as if to say What? We never said we couldn’t have a little fun in the reveal. Which, fair. Eliott figured he’d just let Lucas do his thing until he was expected to chime in.

“Dude, you two basically made out right in front of us,” Basile chimed in, mouth full of whatever food the school had been offering that day. Daphné’s eyes widened and she nearly spit out her drink. “Come again?” she clarified.

Lucas sighed deeply, placing his free hand on the table. “I don’t see what the big deal is…”

“I don’t know Lulu, usually we don’t just nearly make out with our friends in front of our other friends and then mysteriously disappear all weekend,” Arthur reasoned, looking at them suspiciously.

Lucas turned slightly and Eliott took that as his cue, casually lifting their joined hands to rest on the table. He saw the moment everyone noticed, eyes widening comically. “That’ll be the last time I show any sort of PDA with my boyfriend, then,” Eliott said with a sigh, and all hell broke loose.

“EXCUSE ME?”

“Boyfriend?”

“I fucking knew it!”

“About time…”

Eliott frowned. Were all their friends really that easy to trick? Yann had a glint in his eye that looked all too knowing as he looked at a blushing Lucas, a glint that went away when he noticed Eliott noticing him. The girls had stopped attacking them with questions and moved on to a too silent Manon.

“You knew and you didn’t tell us!” Emma accused and Manon shrugged.

“Not mine to tell,” she said simply.

Alexia turned to Lucas and Eliott. “You’re lucky she’s your roommate, not me.”

Lucas laughed, and Eliott could feel tension roll off him in waves. It seemed silly that they’d both be so nervous to tell their friends about a relationship that wasn’t actually real, but Eliott found himself letting go of some nerves as well.

Arthur had his head tipped back and his eyes closed and Eliott looked at him curiously. “Um, Arthur? What are you doing?” he asked.

“Shhh,” Arthur shushed him, “I’m basking in the moment.”

“The moment?”

“The moment you two idiots finally realized you were in love with each other.” Arthur opened one eye and zeroed in on Eliott. “So shhh and let me enjoy this monumental occasion.”

They weren’t in love, but that was beside the point. Although, it was odd how many of their friends were acting like this had been a long time coming. He and Lucas had never seen each other as more than friends. Sure, they could be quite affectionate with one another, but that was just because they knew each other so well. Lucas loved to be affirmed by touch, platonic or otherwise, and Eliott loved cuddling with anyone and everyone.

“So, what was this about the foyer, Daphy?” Lucas coughed, clearly trying to change the subject. His hand stayed wrapped around Eliott, almost like it was a symbol of their secret and they had to hold on tight to make sure they didn’t let it go.

Daphné blinked a few times, then smiled widely. “Right, right! Well, I’ve been thinking we should add some sort of decoration or addition to the mural to honor the hero of our city.”

Lucas stiffened beside him and Imane’s eyes shot right to him. Daphné continued, “I’m talking, of course, about Spiderman. He’s done so much for the city these past few months, I really think it would be a nice thing to do to show our appreciation.”

“I’m not sure he needs something like that Daphné,” Yann chimed in, looking hesitant. Eliott wondered for a moment if Yann could be Spiderman, then dismissed the idea. He was too tall, and he never would have been able to keep his identity a secret from Eliott. It couldn’t be anyone he knew well at all, it would be too hard to pretend.

“Why not?” Daphné looked affronted.

Imane looked away from Lucas, shrugging. “I mean, he’s just some normal kid or adult or whatever. Some people volunteer or donate to charity and we don’t memorialize them.”

“But he’s a superhero, not just some volunteer,” Emma pointed out and Daphné gestured to her as if she was the only one of them making any sense.

“If I was Spiderman,” Daphné said, “I’d be so touched that people appreciated everything I did for them.”

Alexia widened her eyes comically. “Shit, Daph, are you Spiderman?”

Daphné blushed as everyone started laughing, and Eliott felt a little bit bad for her. After all, he was the one pretending to date one of his best friends to make Spiderman jealous. He was also the only one who knew that Spiderman was sixteen and possibly went to this school, the only one who knew what Spiderman really thought about being referred to as a hero. “I think it’s a great idea in theory,” he said, noticing how Daphné’s eyes brightened.

He continued, “It’s just… imagine Spiderman is a kid at this school. How do you think they would feel going to the common room and seeing people memorialize them as some type of god? At best, Spiderman feels a little uncomfortable, at worst, all that attention goes to Spiderman’s head and they become a villain.”

“Spiderman could never be a villain!” Basile scoffed.

“You never know,” Imane agreed. Eliott shot her a grateful look, knowing she’d have his back. Sure, he was friends with Idriss first and she was just the little sister, but since he’d gotten to know her better he considered her one of his greatest friends. Lucas was glaring at Imane, and Eliott nudged him with his elbow, shooting him a questioning look. Lucas shook his head, giving a weak smile, even though he looked a little bit like he was about to be sick. Maybe he was still reeling from telling their friends they were dating.

Eliott stood up, pulling Lucas with him. “We’ve got to go guys, but maybe we can continue this discussion later?”

Manon pursed her lips, raising one eyebrow. “You have to go?”

“Yes,” Lucas stated harshly, color returning to his face. “Goodbye.”

Everyone gave them exaggerated goodbyes, miming kisses and making loud proclamations of love. Lucas flipped them all off over his shoulder as they walked away, but his relief was palpable. Eliott released his hand as soon as they were out of view, but he placed a comforting hand on Lucas’ shoulder. “Hey, you ok?”

“Yeah, sorry.” Lucas blinked rapidly, taking a breath. “Just a bit overwhelmed I guess.”

Eliott nodded, that was what he’d expected. “Well, hey, no need to be overwhelmed, ok? I’ve got you, always.”

Lucas sank into his touch, not saying anything, but showing his gratitude with his face. It was still a little red now that it had regained its color, but he looked calmer than he had a moment before. Eliott laughed lightly. “Besides, it’s all just pretend anyway, right?”

Something shifted in the space between them and Lucas shrugged away from his touch. Eliott frowned, wondering if he’d said something wrong. Maybe he’d read Lucas wrong, acted too boyfriend-y instead of friend-y.

“Right,” Lucas said stiffly, “I’ll see you later.”

“Ok?”

Lucas walked away without another word, leaving Eliott standing dumbfounded in the middle of the hallway.

🕷🕷🕷🕷

Things hadn’t been weird between Lucas and Eliott since Lucas had walked away after lunch a few days prior. Eliott had decided not to acknowledge the weirdness, and he and Lucas had picked up on their usual dynamic as they’d met up to walk to the bus stop after school.

If anything, Lucas had been a bit quieter than usual, but Eliott attributed that to the fact that school was heating up and they spent most of their time together drowning in homework. Lucas would disappear every now and then, ignoring everyone for a few hours at a time, but then he’d reappear like nothing had happened at all, so they all decided to just ignore it. Yann shared with Eliott that Lucas had been seeing his mother more often recently, so Eliott figured that was all it was.

They were supposed to have their first date that night, but Lucas had just texted Eliott, asking if they could reschedule. Eliott’s phone vibrated, lighting up with another apology text from Lucas.

Lucas: I’m so so sorry, I promise I’ll make it up to you

Eliott: no worries, seriously

Lucas: I feel terrible though

Lucas: It’s in the rules

Eliott: we can go tomorrow night?

Lucas: True…

Lucas: I still feel bad

Eliott: don’t, i can go hang out with spiderman ;)

Lucas: Ha ha

Eliott: if i say i expect double love notes next week will your guilt be laid to rest?

Lucas: I’m not filled with guilt

Eliott: lu, i know you

Eliott: you shouldn’t feel guilty, but you do

Lucas: Fuck outta here w your ‘I know lucas better than anyone’ bullshit

Eliott: am i wrong tho?

Lucas: ...No

Lucas: Extra notes it is

Lucas: Gotta go text you later

Eliott: bye lover <33

Lucas: You’re dead to me

Eliott laughed at Lucas’ dramatics, turning his phone off and casting a glance around his messy bedroom. He supposed he could spend the extra time cleaning, but he really didn’t want to. He’d been joking about hanging out with Spiderman, but what if there was a chance they could run into each other now that Eliott didn’t have plans? Spiderman always seemed to know where Eliott was.

Filled with new purpose, Eliott threw on his trusty brown bomber jacket and left his apartment, no destination in mind. The air outside was crisp and chilly, but also refreshing. He thought about maybe going to the petite ceinture, but decided against it. If he was going to possibly “run into” Spiderman, he couldn’t do it from under the bridge.

Eliott never visited the Eiffel Tower for fun, he figured he’d leave that to the tourists, but something drew him there that night. Maybe it was because, romantic that he was, he’d always wanted to end a date at the top of the tower, kissing whoever it was right there as the tower twinkled around them. Even if it was touristy, he had to admit that it was quite beautiful.

Tonight was no exception, and Eliott raised his phone to take a picture to send to Lucas. It was something they always did, whenever they weren’t with each other. It was their way of saying wish you were here, even in the most mundane of places, like the grocery store or their own flats.

Lucas’ response was immediate, and Eliott smiled down at his phone until he opened the message, smile dimming in confusion.

Lucas: JDIS89))*&S csgk

Eliott typed a row of question marks in response, but Lucas didn’t answer again. Maybe he’d sat on his phone or something and not meant to send that. Lucas was known to send accidental texts every now and then.

Someone screamed to Eliott’s right and he startled, following their gaze to the top of the Eiffel Tower. The normally sparkling lights were flickering precariously and Eliott could see the faint outline of something or someone perching on the tip. People around him were starting to get their phones out to videotape, but Eliott just moved closer, squinting to see what was happening.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he picked it up immediately when he saw Lucas’ name. The sound was muffled and Eliott held the phone back from his ear to make sure he’d actually answered.

“Lucas? You there?” he asked, still watching the tower worriedly.

“— nkedvpv FUCK! Did they— ugh— no, I’m not—” Lucas answered, voice coming in and out of focus. It didn’t sound like he was trying to talk to Eliott at all. Maybe it was a butt dial? There was a loud noise and Eliott couldn’t tell if it was coming from in front of him or on the phone. He turned up the volume on the call and pressed the phone into his ear, moving closer still to the tower.

“Can you hear me, Lucas?” He was aware he was shouting a bit, but no one seemed to notice. There was a loud crash as something fell just in front of Eliott’s feet. He dropped his phone accidentally, blinking rapidly. If he’d still been moving it would have crushed him.

He scrambled out of the way, picking up his phone as he went, surprised at the fact that Lucas hadn’t hung up yet. When he put it back up to his ear, he frowned. The noises from the phone sounded quite similar to the screams Eliott was surrounded by. Was Lucas there? Eliott had to find him, get him out of there safely.

“What do you want?” Lucas’ voice said angrily, and Eliott sighed in relief. He wasn’t sure why Lucas was angry, but at least he was safe.

“Lu, where are you? I can come find you, it’s not safe he—”

He cut off as he noticed another figure joined whatever was lurking above the Eiffel Tower. Lucas said something into the phone that he couldn’t distinguish, then the call went dead, just as a loud roar emanated from the thing terrorizing the tower.

A lady beside Eliott let out a relieved scream and he looked at her curiously until she pointed back up at the tower. “Spiderman is here! We’ll be ok!”

Eliott had never looked at something so fast. How had he not realized that Spiderman would show up to whatever crisis this was? Usually Spiderman handled everyday sort of crimes, but this seemed like something bigger.

Before Eliott could register what he was seeing, the creature at the top of the tower took off into the air. He hadn’t even realized the thing had wings. Was it possible that Spiderman wasn’t the only one with superpowers? Was this like one of those parallel universes Lucas always talked about?

Spiderman leapt from the tower, shooting one of his webs and attaching himself to the creature’s leg, dragging them both down at a rapid pace. Everyone around Eliott was screaming and running in terror, but he found himself glued to one spot, watching as it all went down. If Lucas had been there, Eliott hoped he was running away with everyone else.

The thing with wings was using all its might to shake off Spiderman, but Spiderman clung to it regardless, shooting another web and launching himself around the creature to wrap its wings together. The two of them plummeted further still, Spiderman leaping away at the last moment before the creature slammed into the concrete, sticking himself to the side of the Eiffel Tower, running down its side and yelling at people to stay away from the thing that fell.

Eliott was still frozen in place, watching as Spiderman attacked the creature with more webs, making sure it was unable to move or escape. He didn’t know what they would end up doing with the creature, Spiderman didn’t seem the type to kill someone or something, but what else could be done with something that had superpowers it intended to use for evil?

Most people had cleared the way, so Eliott had a better look at Spiderman and his adversary. To his surprise, the creature wasn’t a creature at all, but a man with these elaborate mechanical wings, plastered to the ground by webs. Spiderman was leaning over him, speaking quietly enough that Eliott couldn’t distinguish any words, but could tell he was saying something.

Just as Eliott was about to take a step closer, against his better judgement, law enforcement arrived, surrounding the scene. Spiderman paused over his adversary, looking up at the people surrounding him. It became apparent to Eliott and Spiderman at the same time that the officers weren’t looking at Spiderman like a hero. Eliott opened his mouth to say something, but Spiderman shot a web into the distance, swinging away as quickly as he’d come, leaving everyone in a frenzy. He could have sworn Spiderman met his eye a second before he swung away.

The officers focused in on the man with the wings, but Eliott ran after the direction he’d seen Spiderman swing away. He knew he’d never be able to catch of find him if he didn’t want to be caught or found, but as long as he got away everything would be ok. It scared him to think that law enforcement might come to think of Spiderman as a threat when he was really the one saving them all.

Eliott hadn’t realized his feet were carrying him back to his flat until he was staring at the door, rustling for his keys. Once inside the building, he realized he was shaking. He’d never been in real danger, unlike the people at the top of the Eiffel Tower, but he’d been scared for Spiderman. He couldn’t win every fight, after all, and what if that one had been the one he’d lost? What if the wings had shredded his webs, or the man had knocked him out as he fell, rendering him unable to soften his landing?

He opened the door to his flat and slumped back against it the minute he got back inside. There was a sheet of paper on the floor beside him, like someone had stopped by and slipped it under. He unfolded it carefully and widened his eyes with each word he read.

Eliott,

Next time you’re somewhere like that, run please. I don’t want you to get hurt. You may think you can help me, but you can’t. No one can. I’ll be fine, but it’s really important to me that you are too. I’ll find you next time, hopefully under less dire circumstances.

-Spiderman

Eliott leaned his head back against the door with an incredulous grin. He knew that Spiderman had seen him. He wasn’t crazy, was he, for thinking that this meant something? Spiderman didn’t leave these notes for everyone he saw, did he?

Eliott was so focused on the note that he nearly forgot about Lucas and if he’d gotten out of there safely. He wondered why Lucas had been there in the first place if he’d supposedly been too busy to go out, but he decided not to question it. Maybe he’d been with his mother.

Eliott: hey, did u get home ok?

Lucas: What are you talking about?

Eliott: weren’t u at the eiffel tower?

Lucas: No???

Eliott: oh… u accidentally called me and it sounded like u were there bc i was too

Lucas: Nope, maybe your phone glitched or something… I was with Imane working on a bio project

Eliott: oh nevermind then, glad you’re safe

Lucas: You too… I saw what happened on the news. Please tell me you didn’t go there because Spiderman was there??

Eliott: relax hedgehog, i was on a walk and i just happened to end up near the mess

Eliott: i wouldn’t put myself in danger like that just because i wanted to see spiderman

Lucas: Ok…

Lucas: Glad you’re safe too

Eliott: see u tomorrow, night

Lucas: Night

Between Lucas and Spiderman and all his other friends and school and his parents and life in general, Eliott was going to be stretched very thin very soon. Thankfully he had Lucas, otherwise it probably would have been too much to handle. Sure, he’d brought some of it on himself, but it wasn’t like he’d just woken up one day and decided to fall for Spiderman.

One thing that had been bothering him about that night, though, was the fact that the winged man hadn’t decided to act until Spiderman showed up, almost like he was waiting for him. It unnerved Eliott to think that someone might be out there plotting against some sixteen year old kid doing his best to make the world just a little bit safer.

Hopefully it was just a one time thing, a fluke. It wouldn’t happen again, not after Spiderman had bested his adversary so quickly, right? Eliott didn’t know what he’d do if something like that did happen again, no matter what Spiderman wanted from him. As much as his head told him to stay away, he couldn’t just stand by if Spiderman got hurt, he’d never forgive himself. Ugh, he really was in too deep, wasn’t he?

#skam france #elu fic #elu spiderman au #with great power #lucas lallemant #eliott demaury #elu

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