𝐵𝓁𝒶𝒸𝓀𝒷𝒾𝓇𝒹 𝐹𝓁𝓎

Oh? So you’re worried? Do you have a super smart plan to stop me hiding up your sleeve somewhere, mi amor? 

Worried? No. Anxious, yes. I don’t. I’ll go along for the ride, whatever you want to do mi vida. I love you, Gi. You know that. I’ll support you in whatever you want. I’m just not a party animal myself. 

This place is too quiet for my tastes. I’m thinking it’s time I planned a party, something to liven things up again. Can you all handle a party in the middle of the week or should I wait for next weekend?

@brightwoodstarters​

A party, in the middle of the week? You’re trying to kill me aren’t you? This is how you’re going to try to do it. Jumping off a building didn’t work, so we’ve arrived here. 

Not much, just getting settled and stuff. You? Thanks. It’s nice to meet you too, Brooklyn, guardian extraordinaire. I’m not sure if I should be worried by things being wild here sometimes? Thanks, I’m sure I’ll take you up on that sometime. I’m originally from a small town in Virginia called Castlewood. What about you?

 Sounds like the most fun ever in your whole life. Am I right? Is it? Oh, I’m ito a little of this a little of that. Really I’m just hanging around. Look at that, you got my title right too! Congrats, I’ll have to get you a cookie. Worried? Nah. I mean, they definitely can get a little crazy, but it’s nothing to worry about. Just relax, go with the flow, it’ll all be alright. You should, I’ll be waiting. You don’t say? Wow. I’ll bet this place is a huge culture shock for you, in that case. I’m not one to talk though, I’m from a super small town in Georgia. Macon, actually. Ever heard of it?

Hey all! I know I post one of these every year, but I’m going to do it again anyway. If any Guardeds would like to have a Guardian escort or help for any reason feel free to ask and if I can do it, I will. Doesn’t matter to me if it’s escorting you to class, to a club or sport, to the cafeteria, helping you carry or move something,  or anything you need. @brightwoodstarters

Look at you out here, making all of us look bad! You do you, you’re always the sweetest. Go on with your bad self, corner that market! How you doing, Ashley? Aside from playing Superhuman for all the potentials? 

Hey all! I know I post one of these every year, but I’m going to do it again anyway. If any Guardeds would like to have a Guardian escort or help for any reason feel free to ask and if I can do it, I will. Doesn’t matter to me if it’s escorting you to class, to a club or sport, to the cafeteria, helping you carry or move something,  or anything you need. @brightwoodstarters

Lovely to see you, Ashley, and your yearly post. If nothing else, it is a pleasure to know that we are able to count on you. How have you been faring? Are you excited for the start of the new semester?

I’m really not sure what I’m supposed to say in this sort of thing, but I’m Rosalie Walker, a new Guarded here  and I guess..Hi? You’ll be seeing me around campus with my service dog, and I ask that you please not distract her or try to pet her when her vest is on. Please and thank you very much. 

Hey, what’s up? Welcome, and all the good stuff. I’m Brooklyn Hendrix, Guardian extraordinaire! It’s cool to meet you, Rosalie. I know this place is wild at times, so just let me know if you need anything! Where are you coming from?

Rushed feet padded towards the door. The door opened. The door closed. A few seconds passed. The door opened again. Levi stood holding the knob on the other side, looking at Paxton like he expected the other man to disappear or reveal he wasn’t real. A few more seconds passed. Levi signed, Why?

After sending the last text, Paxton pocketed his phone, knowing full well that the other man would be heading directly for the door. It wasn’t that the Guarded was overly familiar with the Guardian, or that they were close, or had ever been. But, behind all of his antics and his near-wild personality, Paxton cared. He noticed. he took stock of who did what and acted how and where and why and also when too. He’d seen Levi around for several years, and it seemed that with each new semester, the Guardian appeared less and less happy. When the door opened for good, Paxton smiled, stepping forward to casually lean against Levi’s door frame. Why not? He signed back. Perhaps some would have been offended or deterred at Levi’s reaction. Paxton Li, however, simply found it to be funny. Smirking, he asked- Are you going to let me in so we can eat this, or are we going to keep playing 20 questions?

LEVI: ...No, I haven't.

PAX: That's what I thought. Call it a sixth sense.

LEVI: You're persistant af.

LEVI: I'm always quiet. You're paying attention to me?

LEVI: I'm fine. I just don't like people.

PAX: Call it what you want.

PAX: Didn't we already establish that? Why so serious, Batman?

PAX: You know, I don't totally disagree with that. People kind of suck. Not all of them though. You might be surprised.

PAX: Yo, yo, yo. You've been quiet, figured I'd bother the fuck out of you over it.

It was a lot to process, between the feelings from what he’d done to what they were now sharing together. Guillermo felt a lot of things, both shared from Barker and to him. There was plenty of fear, shame, and insecurity moving from Guillermo to Barker as well as the other way around, there was a lot that he kept hidden from the world. They both did. It was no wonder they were made for each other, and now there was one person that neither of them could hide from. Someone that could always call them out on their hidden shit. He chuckled, the breathlessness still evident in his voice. He kissed back when kissed, and kissed a second time after that too because he wanted more. Besides, they didn’t need their mouths to speak anymore. It was easy to keep close, even when the kiss ended. I love you too, Bax. I think about a lot of things, even in a time like this. What do we do now? We can start with that blowjob, either down here or up on the roof like I promised. Or do that later. I think we can move into a room together, once we tell staff. Honestly, I don’t really care what we do next. I got what I wanted. It’s a good thing you’re so strong, belle guapo. I’m not letting you put me down for a while. Maybe days.

It was clear that getting used to having another in his mind, and he sharing of thoughts and feelings between the two, would take some time. Though, it was a task which Barker was happy to both take on and complete. It made him sad in a way, now having the ability to feel the darkness that loomed within his Guarded- not in a malicious or evil way, but rather the darkness of a previously unknown and unspoken past. Taking in the pain, the loneliness, the feelings of hopelessness and rejection, being within Guillermo’s entire presence reminded Barker of being within his own, though feeling the emotion wafting from his soulmate, he wanted nothing more than to help. To fix it. To give the other everything, to be everything he’d ever needed. Feeling the other man’s lips on his was an experience akin and second to none, and it was one he wasn’t ready to let go of just yet. Barker held his Guarded tightly, keeping his lips on his, or on his skin, at all times, taking full advantage of their newfound ability to communicate wordlessly. Part of me wants to ask if you mean that, but I know you do. It’s the most incredible feeling, but also the scariest, knowing that you mean it. I know it means you could hurt me now, but I also know you wouldn’t and won’t. I can feel that. This is a lot, but this is...It’s the best I’ve ever felt, Guillermo. I’ve never been so fucking happy. I’ll carry you to the roof, my love. I want to make good on that, I need you. You’re right, we can. We can. Are you feeling okay about that, about me moving into your space like that? You’re everything I’ve ever wanted, Guillermo. I mean that. I’ve  never met someone so incredible, I...I’ve got you. Now. And forever. Don’t let go. Hold onto me, I’ve got you. As long as you’re in my arms, you’re safe. Always. I have so much to say, there are so many questions...I....Are you- Are you okay? With me? That it’s...It’s me?

The moment Guillermo had stepped off that ledge, he leaned back, crossed his arms over his chest, and closed his eyes. He wanted to be as easy as possible to catch, because despite this originally being about testing his power, it was about testing something else now. When he got close enough to see Barker’s face it was like he could feel it and his eyes opened and his head turned. He’d already become breathless the second he’d started falling and vertigo still overcame him, but suddenly it was so much more than that. He could see the Guardian in a shining bath of white light and he felt something he’d never felt before. His mind opened, a mind full of memories of a dark past and the search for a family that loved him. He fell slowly then and it was easy to keep his eyes open and keep watching. When he landed in Barker’s arms, he was winded and dizzy, but okay. More than okay. A thousand physical sensations washed over his body and his mind was lit up too. Bax, my Belle. What do you think? Am I for you? Did you want it to be me? He wiped that tear off of Baxter’s cheek and then kissed the spot tenderly, leaning up in the other man’s arms to nestle in the crook of his neck. You don’t have to give the ring back. Keep it.

All at once Barker felt a flood of things he hadn’t ever experienced before- each of Guillermo’s feelings, thoughts, emotions, and dreams meshed into Barker’s mind and heart, knowledge he’d never had filling him as though it were meant to be there all along. He could only imagine the same was happening for Guillermo, and for a moment he felt scared about the onslaught of worry, fear, shame, and insecurity he was sure the other was getting. You are. It’s you. It’s you. It has always been you, Guillermo. I did. You know I did. You can feel that now, I know you can. When the kiss came, Barker leaned into it, wrapping his arms tighter around his Guarded, never wanting to let go. You’re worried about that? At a time like this? A laugh escaped him, and he shook his head, leaning forward to press a kiss of his own to the other man’s cheek, then lips. This is...Wow. This is so much. There’s a lot...I never thought I’d find you. I thought I’d broken the system somehow. I...What should we do? What do we do now? I...I love you.

“I know you’re ready for me, belle guapo,” he called out from the roof of Camden Hall. He could see Barker coming, just as Barker could see him standing a few feet away from the edge. He stood tall and unshaken, even as he stepped to the edge. Others might shake, but he stood unbothered, controlling his breathing as he looked down on the man that had just said all of the things that he had said. They’d known each other for a long time, Barker was incredibly interesting and only becoming more and more so as time went on. “Let’s test that pessimism against my iron cajones.” And with that, he stepped off the ledge. 

Despite knowing what to expect, it still shook Barker to the core, looking up to see Guillermo standing at the edge of a massive ledge. His heartbeat increased, and while the fact that the Guarded was yelling down at him so calmly nearly made Baxter laugh, the fear coursing through him wouldn’t be overshadowed or pushed aside. “Guillermo, no!” Barker dropped his bag, immediately tapping into his super speed, arriving directly below the spot which Guillermo’s body would hit just as the other stepped over. His eyes remained laser-focused on the other man’s figure as he fell, arms outstretched and body otherwise unmoving, unwilling to give up his perfect position. Barker yelled, expression nearly pained, worried that he might have misjudged the distance, or position, or something. Suddenly, as he shifted just a bit, and Guillermo’s face came into view...Barker felt the entire world stop. His breath caught in his throat, and he was sure that in that moment, his heart stopped completely. Guillermo was still moving, though his body was in slow motion, his body appearing to be surrounded by something akin to a glowing white light. All Barker saw was the other. All Barker felt was the other. All he knew was Guillermo, and in that moment, nothing else existed, aside from the need to protect. Every bit of love and admiration he’d been seeking to give his entire life flowed forth. When the Guarded’s body landed in his arms, Barker clutched the man tighter than he’d ever held onto anyone, holding him bridal-style and refusing to place him back on the ground. Standing there, holding the Guarded- his Guarded- in his arms felt like everything Barker had ever dreamed of. The realization flooded over him, and a tear slipped from his eye, making its way down his cheek. Guillermo? He thought, looking the other square in the eye, hoping beyond hope that his instincts were correct, that his search was finally over, that he’d truly found his soulmate. Can you...Is it really you? Is this real? You’re my...

GUILLERMO: Keep those fists pretty, killer. You want to get to know me, Bax? That's what I'm getting from these questions. We're getting deep, belle guapo. Then we'll do it. It'll be fun.

GUILLERMO: You're adorable. And sweet. Thank you.

GUILLERMO: You really are worried. Would you be surprised if I said this was the first time I'd gotten this reaction? Yes. I do.

GUILLERMO: And I'll stick around afterwards. No matter what happens. We'll still have that roof blowjob to look forward to. I have no intention of being done with you.

BARKER: I'll do my best. No promises though. So what if I do? Is that a bad thing? I'll take your word for it, until then. Just do me a favor and don't fall, yeah?

BARKER: I haven't heard something like that in a really long time. You are too. You don't need to thank me.

BARKER: Duh. Yeah, I would, that's actually really fucking disturbing. ...I see you.

GUILLERMO: I don't want you to hit people. I might be. Maybe I just don't have everything that I'm looking for yet. It could be. Do you want to?

GUILLERMO: You're adorable. Yes. You remembered.

GUILLERMO: I'll probably be fine. I've been fine every time before. It hurts, but then it heals and it's fine. Hiding from the possibility of bonding with you.

GUILLERMO: No. Like I said, I haven't tested it outside of exams. Have you?

BARKER: Alright, then. I won't. And what is it you're looking for? A soulmate, I'd guess. Your soulmate. But is there anything else? ...I might.

BARKER: Me? Of course I remembered. I listen when you speak.

BARKER: /Probably/, Guillermo. It hurts? I can't...This whole thing is...You drive me insane. So you're not hiding from that then. So you do want me to catch you.

BARKER: Sorry, I misunderstood. Yes. Once. Obviously, we know what happened there.

GUILLERMO: Maybe I do want you to pop a boner in the middle of the courtyard. You know I like public places. Have you ever been sucked off on a rooftop before?

GUILLERMO: So you're going to save me from myself. My hero.

GUILLERMO: I know what's going to happen and I'm still on this roof. I told you what my plans were too. I'm not hiding from it. Not outside of exams.

BARKER: You didn't say if you wanted me to hit people. You're insatiable, aren't you? No? Is that the goal?

BARKER: I'm serious. I'm worried about you. Are you at Camden? I'm coming.

BARKER: What's going to happen then, Guillermo? Do you mean you know that you'll be fine? Because that's just an expectation. Hiding from your gift, or hiding from...Trying to bond?

GUILLERMO: It looks like I get all the questions instead, fun. Yes, I've thought about you. I can still feel you between my legs, Bax.

GUILLERMO: Maybe so. Is this when and how you want to do this?

BARKER: Do you want me to hit them? Whoever asked the questions, I mean. /Good Gods/. Are you /trying/ to cause me to pop a boner in the middle of the courtyard?

BARKER: I told you not to do this, Guillermo. You're...I can't just let you fall. I can't. I don't give a fuck what your power is. So...