Phobia
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Nothing Much to Do/Much Ado About Nothing.
A/N: This story is set in a universe where everything happens except Balthazar and Pedro getting together. The chapters will not take place in chronological order, so don't think you've missed anything if chapters don't match up with the ones before. Also, there'll be mention of a major character death, so yeah, there's that warning. Hope everyone enjoys this - I'll try to update as often as possible!
It was almost done. The project he had been working on for sleepless weeks was finally coming together. With a sigh, Balthazar pushed his chair back from the desk and stretched. He would allow himself a few minutes to relax and unwind - then back to the grindstone.
Balth had exactly eighteen hours till midnight struck, and he was determined to get everything perfect for his friend's birthday. After all the work he had put into the project, he was afraid he would mess it up in the final hours and have nothing to surprise Pedro with. And after Pedro's birthday gift to him earlier in the year, failure was not an option. Despite the concert being completely sold out months in advance, his friend had shown up on his doorstep with two Mumford and Sons tickets. The evening had been magical (Balth tried to tell himself Pedro's presence had only contributed a small amount to his happiness).
Now, he had a project to get back to. There was no way in hell Pedro was going to beat him at giving presents.
Silence was not quite the reception he was hoping for, but it was most definitely the one he got.
Balthazar was sitting on the bed next to his friend, laptop perched on his knees so both of them had a good view. He wanted to look at Pedro, but he stared at the carpet instead.
Ten minutes earlier, he had let his friend into the room. 11:50. Now, at 12:05, he was starting to regret all the time he had put into the present. Pedro obviously hated it.
It had seemed like such a good idea three weeks ago - "Ablutophobia" was Pedro's favorite song by Sheep, Dog & Wolf, and Balth decided to cover it. He certainly had enough instruments to recreate the sound. Before showing it to his friend, Balthazar had actually been quite pleased with the result. It sounded like him but kept everything that made the song so great: the layering of instruments, the sparse vocals.
Reaching for the laptop to close it seemed to break Pedro from his silence. "That. Was. Amazing. That was… ugh… I can't even think of the words right now. Can we listen to it again?" Pedro's hand was on his, keeping him from shutting the computer.
"So, you liked it?" Balthazar didn't mean for his voice to come out so small, so unsure. For the first time since he pressed play on the video, he looked at his friend's face and quickly looked away. The tangle of emotions in Pedro's eyes confused him. He pressed play again.
Pedro's head was resting on his shoulder by the end of their fourth viewing. "I think I could listen to that forever." Balth scoffed. "I mean it, Balthy. I felt the same watching "An Ode." I mean, how many people are lucky enough to have a best friend who writes and performs music just for them?" Pedro put his hand on Balth's knee. "This is by far the best birthday present I've ever gotten."
"I - I'm glad you like it. Happy Birthday!" They hugged and spent the rest of the night talking about music until they both fell asleep on Balth's bed.