When Cole awakens it to something warm and wet on his cheek. "Google," he tries, hoping he isn't wrong, "you're cute and all, but can you not?" The cat meows directly in his ear before padding a few spaces and settling on his chest.

"You and that cat," Cryptor says from above him, shaking his head. "I never understand you two."

"Neither do I," Cole admits honestly, blindly reaching a hand to try and pet the cat. "But, I mean, it works. So who are we to question it?"

"The words of a saint," Cryptor teases, and Cole realizes that his hands are still in his hair. "Now, if you're done pretending to be Sleeping Beauty dinner is ready."

"Cat," he whines, and Cryptor laughs.

"Too bad, c'mon. Get up." The older man nudges him gently, and Cole slowly sits up. Google doesn't seem too offended, delicately hopping off his stomach and chirping happily at him. "See? No problem." Cole follows him to the table where Pixel is already sitting. She looks up from her phone when they arrive, and she smiles softly at the both of them.

"Glad you could join us. Are you feeling any better?" She rests her chin in her hands as she speaks, and Cole couldn't help but be reminded of how beautiful she was. She had been offered modeling jobs countless times, even after her tattoos, and she had turned them all down without a second thought. "I am better suited for making the cameras, not being in front of them," was her level-headed response. "Cole?" She urges softly, and he shakes his head.

"Sorry, you just look pretty, is all." She laughs at that, and he can hear Cryptor sigh "fuck yeah she is" beside him.

"I'm a mess," is her simple response, "now come and sit down. Eat." He wants to argue, but Cryptor is already easing him into a chair before taking one beside his girlfriend.

"Thank you for letting me stay," he begins softly, and Pixel smiles dreamily at him.

"No extra charge." He chuckles at that, and Crytpor passes him a box of takeout.

"Indian tonight. Think you can handle it, pretty boy?" There's a serious undertone in Cyrptor's voice and Cole nods, accepting the box from him eagerly.

"Of course I can. I practically lived on curry my senior year of high school."

"Did you now? We haven't heard that story yet." Pixel leans against her boyfriend as she speaks, and Cole racks his brain for the beginning of the story.

"It was a diet plan, I think. My dad...wanted me to loose some weight. Said I had bulked up too much. Guess he thought I couldn't dance with all the muscle I put on." Cole shrugs, scooping some rice onto his plate. "He read somewhere that spicy foods boost your metabolism or something. So, he was putting spices in everything, and more often than not I had curry at least twice a day. You think I'd get sick of it, right? Eating it every day for almost a year." Cole sighs wistfully, tapping idly on the table. "I think it just made me hate him more. And, I guess, it made me fall in love with curry. I can make it, too!"

"The real question is if it's edible," Cyrptor jokes lightly, and Cole kicks in his general direction under the table. That only causes the other man to laugh, and Cole pouts when Pixel giggles beside him. "Kidding, kidding. I don't think I could even look at curry if I had to eat it every day for a year." There's a pause as tries to collect his thoughts. "Did I tell you about how I ate during my first year at trade school?"

"No," Cole leans forward, and Pixel is laughing so hard she's struggling to breathe.

"I would eat straight blocks of ramen noodles. I wouldn't cook them. At all. I'd sprinkle the season packet on and butter if I was feeling, uh...zesty." Cryptor is red all the way to his ears, and Pixel manages to get "tell him why" between wheezes. It takes a few minutes for Cryptor to get the words out, and when he does Cole laughs so hard his sides ache. "I didn't own a pot. Or pan. And I wasn't about to cook noodles in my tool box."

They end up staying there until it's practically morning, swapping stories over Indian food that had gone cold hours before. It's only when Cryptor doesn't get up after laying his head on the table and starts snoring do they start moving again. Cole stretches, feeling entirely too stiff, and Pixel ruffles her boyfriend's hair affectionately. "Stay over," she whispers, startling him a bit.

"I'm only a couple doors down," he reasons, helping her carry any take out that could be salvaged to the refrigerator.

"Google will miss you," she retorts, pausing a moment. "I would miss you."

"That's nice," he has to stand on the tips of his toes to properly reach around her. "Really, though. I want to go home. Film."

"Don't stay up to late," she leans back until her head is pressed against his shoulder, and he has to adjust to keep them both from stumbling. "What are you filming?"

"I don't know," he tries not to shrug, instead chewing on his lip. "ASMR, maybe?"

"Scandalous," she teases, and his face heats up. "I'm joking, I'm joking. Maybe you could make something for those pretty boys of yours. A mouth like yours could seduce them in ten minutes, easy."

"Stop," he whines, and she laughs into his shoulder.

"Go. I'll finish up here, Cole. Good night." She presses a kiss to the back of his neck and he stills.

"I don't love you," he whispers, and she tightens her grip on him. "Not like that. I wish I did, sometimes. Wish I felt like that for both of you. But I don't and I can't and I'm sorry."

"It's alright, darling," she purrs, beginning to rub his shoulders. "It's alright and we understand. There's nothing wrong with you. It's alright that you love men, and can find it in your heart to love more than one. It's beautiful, and amazing, and there is nothing, nothing to be ashamed of." She emphasizes the last words, and their weight settles on his shoulders so much his shoulders actually sag. Carefully she releases him, spinning him around and shutting the refrigerator. "Cole," her voice is a siren's song, and he lets her tip him back so he's leaning against the refrigerator. His hands find her waist, settling just above her hips. Part of him worries for a moment what Cryptor will think if he wakes up and sees them like this, but he pushes those thoughts aside when Pixel presses her lips to his cheek. "Beautiful boy." He lets his hands fall, Pixel studying him a moment before pulling away. "You're going now, yes?"

"I'm going, I'm going." He's glad when she walks him to the door. Her hands are constantly brushing against him, and he isn't sure how much is on purpose and how much is just instinct. They pause for a moment in the doorway, and Pixel smiles fondly at him. Regret blossoms in his chest, though he isn't what sure why, and he tries his best to return her smile. "Good night," she ruffles his hair one last time as he steps out, and he forces a grin back at her. "Sleep, okay." That was another thing they did. No "Sleep well" or "Pleasant dreams" were ever exchanged between them; instead, they exchanged urges to sleep in the hopes that they would, eventually, sleep dreamlessly. He whispers, "You too, okay?"

"Those boys are something special, Cole. I've never seen you smile like that." Pixel's words seem to come out of nowhere, and she smiles soothingly at him. "Bring them over for dinner soon, alright?" He gawks at her, reply already on his lips, but the door is shut (not unkindly) in his face, and he's left gaping in the hallway. Clearing his throat he mutters a sulky "Goodbye" before heading back to his apartment. He ends up fumbling with the key, almost dropping it twice, but when he's finally within the safety of his own apartment he lets out a sob, sinking against the door and landing on the ground with a soft 'thud'. He rests his chin on his knees, taking several deep breaths to try and calm down. "You can't film like this, Cole." His voice cracks in the middle, but it's enough motivation to get himself to pick himself up off the ground and make his way to the bedroom.

...

When Lloyd wakes up, everything is dark. Zane is snoring softly beside him, arm thrown over Lloyd's chest and leg haphazardly tossed across his own. It's suffocating, and as much as he loves his partner Lloyd needs space, now. So he does his best to untangle himself without waking Zane, and when he does so he lets out a sigh in relief. Grabbing one of the phones from the bedside table Lloyd slips out into the living room. It's quite, almost uncomfortably so, and Lloyd settles onto the couch with a sigh. He draws his knees to his chest, plugging his earbuds in and putting them into his ears roughly. Blinking, he stares at the face on the screen, and realizes he grabbed Zane's phone by mistake. Not that it matter-they swapped phones all the time. So, he unlocks it, and when he sees what pops up he almost drops the phone.

It's a video, and the person smiling at him is..."Cole." Lloyd whispers, and a shiver travels down his spine. The video was muted, but Cole was talking animatedly, and it made Lloyd smile. He scrolls through the list, and one of the video's catches his attention. "He does ASMR?" Lloyd scrolls a bit more and finds a playlist entitled "ASMR Role Plays." He glances over his shoulder, though he knows he's not doing anything out of the ordinary , and clicks it. There are nearly a dozen videos in it, and Lloyd is rather impressed. It's diverse, catering to a wide range of audiences. One particular video catches his attention, and with a surge of guilt he clicks on it.

"Hey, love," Cole's voice fills his ears, so soft that Lloyd has to turn the volume up dangerously loud to hear him. "It's been a long day, hasn't it? You look so tired." Cole drags out the 'so' long enough that his voice goes from ear to ear, and when it comes again it's in Lloyd's left ear only. "Shh, it will be alright, darling. Just relax; I'll take care of you." Shivers travel down his spine, and Lloyd begins chewing on his lip. "You aren't tired? Don't lie, sweetie; I can see the dark circles from here." Cole chuckles lowly in Lloyd's ear, and Lloyd let's out a breathy ear. "Oh, I get it," Cole switches ears slowly, humming softly to himself. "You want me to do that. Well, I could never say no to someone like you." His brows furrow, and he lets out a gasp when he hears Cole's lips press against the microphone.

His body reacts faster than he can process it, tingles starting at the base of his neck and spreading like wildfire. Lloyd felt electric, and he pressed a hand over his mouth the make sure no sounds came out. "You're trembling," Cole sighs, pressing his lips against the microphone again, "Must feel good, then."

"Yeah," Lloyd mumbles into his hand, leaning more comfortably against the couch. He glances down at his phone, watching as Cole pulls back far enough that Lloyd can clearly see his face. His brows are furrowed, and Cole is chewing on his bottom lip thoughtfully. "Sit down, love. Get comfortable; we'll be here a while." There's a pause, and Cole shifts, too, dragging his fingers lightly over the microphone. He taps idly, and each one sent shocks of pleasure down Lloyd's spine. "Ah, my boyfriend's so cute!" Cole says the words directly into the front of the mic, and to Lloyd it feels like they're being whispered into his forehead. "Beautiful," Cole begins to kiss the mic again, lips hovering just above it. Lloyd feels overwhelmed by the sensations, and he nearly swears when he feels heat begin to pool at the bottom of his stomach when Cole makes a particularly obscene "Ah," into the left side of the microphone.

He takes a few minutes to adjust, setting the phone precariously onto his left knee while blindly shoving his hand into the waistband of his pajama pants. "Baby," Cole croons, "What're you doing?" Lloyd feels like the words are aimed directly at him and keens into his hand. "I told you I'd take care of you." Cole presses a particularly rough kiss to the left side of the mic, and the static makes the hair on Lloyd neck stand. "That's it, baby, just like that. Relax." Cole's voice is breathy in his ears, whispering things that quickly begin to increase in obscenity the more he spoke. "God, baby, you look so good. Tilt your neck a bit, that's it." Lloyd does as Cole says unintentionally, fingers searching for a moment before settling around his cock. He tries to keep his pace steady, but Cole is purring, "Fuck, baby, I love you," into his ear and Lloyd finds himself going at an almost frantic pace, shoving two fingers in his mouth to keep the noise he was making down. It's futile, he knows, because he's always been incredibly loud and Zane had always been a light sleeper. "Come one, babe, just a little more," Lloyd swears he can hear shifting fabric from Cole's side, but he can't dwell on it because Cole whispers, "Babe, do it for me."

Lloyd comes with a moan, fingers shoved so deep in his throat to try and muffle the sound that he chokes, spluttering a bit as shudders. The video plays on, Cole laughing breathily before muttering something Lloyd doesn't catch. His head aches where he had slammed it against the armrest, and his thighs feel stiff. It takes a minute, but soon Lloyd slowly unfurls himself from his position and sits upright. The afterglow still sits heavy on his chest, and he's only minutely aware of how uncomfortably sticky his hand is. Still, he gets up and heads towards the bathroom, slipping his phone into the pocket of his pajama pants, barely registering that Cole is saying something incredibly sensual into the mic. The house feels still, and Lloyd's breathing too loud, but he chooses not to focus on it. Instead, he clings to the warmth spreading through his chest, effectively blocking out the negative thoughts swirling around his mind.

When he returns to the bedroom his hands are scrubbed raw, icy droplets cascading down his face the only indicator of his attempt hid his shame. The bed groans as he settles, and Zane rolls over towards the noise. Lloyd pauses, nervous, and his partner's eyes open slowly. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Yeah," Lloyd begins slowly, voice feeling heavy. "Yeah, couldn't sleep." He reaches a hand and bops his boyfriend on the nose lightly. Zane opens his arms and Lloyd crawls into them, clinging tightly to his partner. "Love you."

"I love you, too." Zane can't help but feel unnerved by how tight Lloyd's grip on him is, but pushes those feelings aside in favor of running his fingers through his partner's hair. It isn't until Lloyd's breathing evens that Zane considers following him into sleep.

Even then, it isn't until light begins to starts to filter through the blinds that he drifts of.

...

Cole stretched, wincing a bit at the loud cracks. It was almost four in the morning, and he had recorded three solid videos. "Atta boy, Cole. You did good." He gently moves his microphone back to the shelf, turning off all his extra lights and pushing them to one side of the room. Grabbing his phone, Cole lays on his bed, chewing on his bottom lip thoughtfully.

To: Lloyd

Hey, my neighbor really wants to meet my roommates for dinner. Does Saturday work for you?

He hits send before he can overthink it, plugging it in and curling into his sheets. His phone vibrates, and he reaches for it eagerly, smiling widely when he reads the message.

From: Lloyd

You are still willing to be our roommate, even after that? You are a strange man, Cole.

Before he can respond another comes in, and that makes his heart swell.

From: Lloyd

Saturday works. Shall we bring our stuff over to begin moving in?

To: Lloyd

Yeah! I'm going to bed, though. Don't let me forget! :D

Cole grins, smiling stupidly into his pillows. "Well, Cole, looks like things are finally starting to look up."