atrius-trower:
Atrius grinned happily as Bailey pulled him closer and answered the wrong question, too enamored to care either way. âNeither of you listen to me.â He argued happily, leaning into Bailey as the other held him. His insides turned to mush as Bailey wished him a happy birthday, in love with the fact that Bailey would ask him about Luna without any bitterness whatsoever.Â
âMhm.â He murmured in response, beaming as Bailey moved them towards the kitchen without letting go of him. âThat girlâs on prescriptions so good that itâs a nonstop party. Minus the crutches. And the near-death experience. And the- We had cake.â He stopped himself from rambling, deciding that he didnât want to unleash the storm of pent up emotions he had regarding the whole incident where Luna had almost gotten blown to smithereens. He had a beautiful guy doing sweet things for him on his birthday, making Atrius feel like he needed to focus on the good things. âI made dinner. Are you hungry? I love my presents, B. That was so nice.â He mumbled, his emotions welling up in his chest as the word love escaped him but not in the way that he wanted it to. âYou make me happy, B. Thank you.âÂ
Bailey shouldâve remembered not to bring up Luna, or at least should have expected the sinking feeling in his gut at Atriusâ answer. Heâd never had a problem with keeping things to himself before, though heâd also never cared so deeply before. Lying by omission was the only way he could get away with dishonesty-- and it did feel dishonest, deliberately hiding something he should atone for. Something that required more than a desk and battered dog tags.
âIâm glad you like them,â Bailey mumbled into the otherâs hair, keeping his face hidden until the tumult in his chest ebbed. Even if the guilt made dead weight of his limbs, it was hard not to feel even a little bit happy around Atrius. Especially when it seemed like Baileyâs first attempt at gift-giving was well-received. His only other comparable experience was signing his name on whatever card was being passed around the camp.
âI like these on you,â Bailey admitted, pulling back to flick the tags. The sliver of space he made between them was enough for Toast to take his chance, fiercely wriggling between them and around Atriusâ legs.Â















