"Well, it's about time you two got the fuck up." Luke commented as Jonathan and Evan came shuffling together out of the guest room.
"Can't sleep in when Tyler's out here yelling about cereal." Evan replied, glaring at the other man who just grinned sheepishly. Jonathan ended up cooking breakfast that morning. He was busy at work at the stove in the kitchen, frying up some eggs for his friends while they sat at his table, talking and laughing. It was like family was coming to visit, and Jonathan was happy. And while he was cooking, Vanoss was watching him. Every now and again, the younger man would take shy glances out of the corner of his eye, studying Jonathan's every move as he moved back and forth between the stove and the fridge.
What did he have to tell him last night? What was so important that his voice quivered and he had to say his name twice? Those questions haunted Evan relentlessly, and he knew he wouldn't be able to get them off his mind until Jonathan brought it back up. And who the hell knows when that would be? The older man could have changed his mind about it all by now. Whatever it was, he knew it was important, but he also had no idea just what it was... "Hey Evan, maybe if you stare at him long enough he'll burst into flames." It was Moo's voice who brought Evan back to reality.
The asian man turned to look at his friend who sat across from him at the table, "Hm? I'm not staring."
Brock only laughed, "Yeah, okay."
"You were so staring at him." Mini jumped in. "I mean, we know he's attractive and everything, but you really don't have to stare."
Vanoss gave a small chuckle, and ducked his head from embarrassment, "Fuck you guys." He tried to laugh it off, but he couldn't help the blush that was rising to his cheeks. His face felt too hot, and he didn't like it. He didn't like the fact that the guys were gaining up on him, making him realize that yes, Delirious was attractive. Way too attractive for his own good... Making him realize that he wished he could call Jonathan his. He wanted that man like no other, wanted him more than anything else in this world. He turned his attention back to the kitchen, "Is the food done yet, Jonathan?" He inquired, just hoping that some of the attention would be drawn away from him.
"Almost." Delirious answered without missing a beat.
"We're hungry!" Nogla whined.
"You're hungry!?" Tyler retorted. "You got to eat already!"
Evan sighed, "Come on guys, not this crap again."
As soon as Jonathan had breakfast done, the boys wasted no time in getting their plates of food and digging in. And Jon had not disappointed them, he made eggs, and bacon, along with some buttered toast. They ate in chit chat and laughter at the older man's kitchen table, just enjoying the company of each other. "Holy fuck, Delirious can cook." Brian exclaimed as he took the first bite. And the rest of the boys agreed, loving the man's first meal he prepared for them. When breakfast was over, Droid and Craig helped Jonathan clean up the kitchen, and all was content in the household. But Jonathan knew good and well that he'd have to entertain his guests or they'd start acting crazy again.
"Okay, everybody listen the fuck up." Delirious announced. "We're going swimming, so get your shit and let's go."
"Swimming?" Lui questioned.
Jonathan nodded, "Me and Luke got a great spot."
And the older man did have a great spot. Back when he and Luke were kids, there was a small and very secluded lake that'd they swim at after school, or waste their summers away at. Delirious knew that the guys just had to see it, and he knew that Evan would love it. So, after everyone got cleaned up and ready to go, they were on their way. Jonathan drove his car, with Vanoss in the passenger seat, and Moo, Nogla, and Droid in the back seat. Luke also drove his car, Lui in the passenger seat, and Mini, Brian, Marcel, and Wildcat rode in the back. Jonathan was thankful for Cartoonz and his car, because without it, there was no way in hell all of them could hang out at the same time.
The drive to the lake took about an hour, and for the most part, both cars were quiet. Nothing but the sound of the wind whipping through the windows filled the air, and it was hot as hell out. Delirious concluded that this had to have been the hottest day all summer. That's why swimming was a great idea. And all the while while driving, Jonathan couldn't help but to get lost in his thoughts. What if Evan hadn't fallen asleep last night? Would he had still confessed his feelings? Or would he have pussied out like always? Those questions tormented him, making his brow furrow in frustration. Why did this have to be so goddamn hard? Why did he have to be so insecure and doubt everything that crossed his mind? Jonathan hated himself for that part of him. "You alright?" Evan inquired, glancing over at the man, noticing his frustrated demeanor. A laugh then escaped him, "You're either really pissed off, or thinking really hard about something." He joked, dark eyes softening as he turned to look at Jonathan.
"Just in my thoughts, that's all." Delirious answered. "We're almost there though." He added, giving Evan a half smile. Shit, they hadn't even been around each other in person that much and Vanoss could already ready Jonathan like a book. That was a sign of how close they were already, a sign of just how well they actually knew each other. A sigh escaped the older man's lips, and he wondered just how long he could actually do this and put up this whole façade of just being friends. A connection was there, he could feel it, and he knew Evan could too. A part of him wished that Evan would confess first, then all the pressure wouldn't be on him. But he knew Evan wouldn't, he wasn't the type, and he damn sure didn't ever talk about his feelings. Only ever once in a blue moon did that happen.
"So, would this be a bad time to tell you guys I can't swim?" Brock questioned from the backseat. "Because I really don't want to die today."
Jonathan laughed, "Don't worry, the lake's pretty shallow."
A few more minutes of driving, and they were nearing a dirt road that led back to the lake. Luke followed behind Jonathan in his car, driving slowly, not wanting to pick up dust on the road. The sun shined high in the sky, and the humid air was almost unbearable, but finally they made it, and all ten of them unpacked from the cars. "Holy shit." Tyler trailed off as he took in the sight of the lake. The water was a clear blue color, the trees around had the greenest of leaves, and it definitely was a sight for sore eyes. "I need to go outside more often." Wildcat continued to joke.
"Yes, welcome to the outdoors." Delirious gestured to the lake. "Now please, try not to kill each other." He added, and began walking towards the lake. He wrapped his arms around his torso, and pulled his shirt over his head, and threw it to the ground. The rest of the guys, with the exception of Luke who was already in the water, walked behind him, and Evan couldn't take his dark eyes off of the older man. His pale skin reflected the sunlight, and his muscles, goddamn those muscles of his would be the death of the younger man. Jonathan was perfect, in more ways than one. And right above his back dimples, there was a small bruise from where he fell ice skating the other day.
Mini coughed, "You're staring again."
Evan turned around and glared at the smaller man, "So?"
Nogla grinned, "Ya know Evan, if I didn't know any better, I'd say ye got a bit of a crush on Delirious."
The sound of water splashing made Vanoss turn his attention back to lake, and sure enough, there was Jonathan, coming up from the lake, the water making his skin glisten in the light of the sun. A smile graced his beautiful lips, and he motioned to Evan. "Come on Ev!" He yelled through a giggle, "The water's great!" He continued to laugh as he went under water once more. It was definitely a better feeling than being in the too hot car. Evan turned around, giving the other guys a look, simply ignoring Nogla's comment, and took his own shirt off as well, then ran for the water.
One by one, the rest of the guys joined Luke, Evan, and Jon in the water. Swimming seemed to be just what they needed. It helped get rid of some tension that was between them, helped them relax from the oncoming waves of heat, and helped them bond and spend time together. And albeit, all the other guys were there too, Evan and Jonathan never seemed to stray too far from one another. It was like they were in each other's orbit, and were inevitably drawn together, whether they were doing it on purpose or not. "Wanna see who can hold their breath longer?" Evan challenged, giving Delirious that loving crooked smile.
"Oh you're on bitch." He replied, before the both of them disappeared underneath the clear lake water.
"Goddamn they are so into each other." Tyler shook his head as he watched the two boys from afar.
"You see it too?" Luke questioned.
"A blind person could see that shit."
"Yeah, well, Jon's always had a bit of a crush on Evan." Luke revealed. "It's easy to see why..." He trailed off, "Look at 'em." He pointed to the two men who were now splashing water in each other's faces, laughing. They were so so so interlinked into each other's lives, it was almost uncanny. Neither of them able to imagine life without the other one. There was this undeniable chemistry lingering between them, and every single person in the group could see it. You couldn't miss it, it was like an elephant in the room.
"Should we do something?" Lui inquired, "Like to help?"
"I don't know guys... We shouldn't fuck with them like that." Droid commented.
"Let's just give 'em alone time." Craig suggested. "Then maybe it'll get out on its own?" He suggested, and that was the best that anybody had to offer. Cartoonz especially liked that idea, because giving them alone time meant that Delirious would be able to do this on his own. He'd be able to work up the courage to finally confess to Evan, unless Evan confessed first, and that was still a good thing. Both of them needed the balls to do, and if they were alone, it'd be so much more easier for them to be comfortable and just come out with it.
"Alone time." Tyler agreed.
"Are you assholes over there talkin' shit?" Jonathan joked, pulling the guys' attention away from each other, and back to the two men who were left alone to begin with. He swam over to the rest of the guys who were in a small huddle beside each other in the water, with Evan swimming right behind him. "Just because I'm prettier than you doesn't mean you have to talk shit about me, okay? Okay." He laughed, joining the guys.
"But I thought we agreed Brian was the pretty one?" Moo asked.
"Not anymore." Brian commented. "Delirious has me beat." After swimming for a few more hours, the sun began to set on the horizon, and the group of boys agreed to build a small fire and sit around it to relax. They truly were like family, laughing, and joking around with each other, and everything was great at the moment. Jonathan was thankful for his friends, thankful for everything great in his life at the moment.