ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍʏ ᴍɪɴᴅ

declan’s face contorted for a moment before he shook his head. “ god, no. crying time is an individuals only event, no company allowed. no offense or anything. it’s just not a good look and i can’t expose myself like that. ” he nodded once. “ it does. i’m basically all of the fab five from queer eye combined. ”

it was a pretty rare occurrence that declan and dean were both home at the same time, especially with both of them being awake. for some reason, it felt like it was cause for celebrating of some kind. partially because he wasn’t really in his usual mood to relax with a book in his down time and partially because he hadn’t really spent any time with dean in quite some time. “ hey, do you want to come out with me tonight ?? ” he asked, lifting his gaze from the wig he was styling to meet that of his roommate. “ or—should we stay in and order takeout or something ?? ”

“ i mean—people do eat ice cream when they’re sad, yeah. but scheduled crying time usually just calls for a bottle of wine and a bubble bath, since it’s planned and all. ” he shrugged, as if it was just some common thing that everyone did. meeting the other’s gaze, declan’s lips curved into the tiniest of smiles. “ of course. the last thing i want is you make you uncomfortable about anything. but the tasteful decorations really should mean a lot to you. i worked hard on that place, you know. ”

declan let out a soft groan, head leaning back against the couch. “ no !! a man needs to cry, rory. you’re gonna cry and it’s gonna feel amazing. trust me, i have scheduled crying time every sunday night and it keeps me youthful and gorgeous and stops me from having breakdowns in the middle of the day. ” he met the other’s gaze, smile forming on his face as their fingers tangled together. “ sure, windows open, lights on, whatever you need. it’s very tastefully decorated, i promise. ”

“ that’s what i’m saying. you can’t keep your emotions all locked inside for that long. they’ve gotta come out eventually and i bet this is gonna be the movie that does it for you. good, though. ‘cause my shoulders are perfect for crying on, you know. ” he cracked a playful smile. “ god, no. i mean—i am pretty high maintenance but i’m pretty sure i can live with plain popcorn. so, your secret is safe with me. don’t worry about it. next time you can just come to my place because i have better snacks. ”

“ well then you, my friend, are in for a lovely emotional cleansing, ” declan cooed, giving the other a boop on the nose as he leaned back into the couch. “ pretty sure you’re gonna be the one crying on MY shoulder but i guess we’ll find out. ” leaning forward, he grabbed a couple of pieces of popcorn to pop into his own mouth, biting down with a loud crunch. “ nah, it’s actually not bad when it’s plain like this. ”

following the other back to the living room, declan was quick to plop down on the couch, crossing one leg over the other and spread both arms across the back. “ uh— ” it was a pretty tough choice, his nose scrunching slightly as he thought it over. “ i guess that depends on when you want to do your crying. i recommend the wizard of oz second to lighten the mood because brokeback mountain is depressing as hell. ”

another laugh escaped declan’s lips at rory’s reaction to the brief review he’d given. “ it is, but probably not in the way you’re thinking. the tent is the least uncomfortable part. anyway—you’ll find out. ” he waved a hand dismissively. “ that is indeed what popcorn smells like. smells good, huh ?? it tastes better if you put like—salt and butter and shit on it but since you have no FOOD, we can just—eat it. ”

it wasn’t really a funny situation, but declan found himself letting out a little laugh anyway, head tilting back. “ no you aren’t, rory. not to me, anyway. ” he dropped his hand back to his side. “ although, i am smart and funny i’ll give you that. everyone should know the wizard of oz. it’s one of the greatest stories of all time, you’ll understand soon enough. ” declan held his gaze for a moment before he leaned in again, placing another gentle kiss to his lips before leaning back against the counter. “ brokeback mountain is—iconic. it’s a classic love story filled with sexual repression and heartbreak. and jake gyllenhaal and heath ledger fuck in a tent. so, it’s amazing. ”

declan ducked down slightly to meet the other’s lips, smiling through the short kiss. as rory went on to tell his own life story, declan listened intently, leaned back against the counter with his arms crossed. he was definitely more of a talker than a listener, but he wanted to hear all rory had to say. once he finished, he was pretty speechless, quite frankly. what could he say, anyway ?? there wasn’t much. “ hey— ” he spoke gently, stepping forward and placing a finger under the other’s chin, lifting his head so their eyes could meet. “ i’m sorry that happened to you. no one deserves any of that. you’re a good guy. and, i will reiterate, you DON’T have to ask. ”

“ well, i’ll have to teach you how at some point, then. or you could just watch the food network that a normal person. anyway, you should still have food, ” he clicked his tongue, shaking his head slowly. as he listened to the other’s nervous words, his brows furrowed slightly. “ what—like right now ?? you know you don’t have to ask, right ?? ” he cracked a tiny smile. “ but hey—you can tell me anything. i’d never judge you for whatever happened. ”

brows rose as rory joined him, reaching out to take a look at the movies he’d chosen. “ wow, i could have sworn you would have picked bring it on, honestly. ” he shrugged once. he liked all of the movies, considering he had brought them over himself, so he had no problem with any choice he made. “ it’s actually sepia, not black and white. and it’s ‘cause that’s what the beginning of the movie is. the rest is in technicolor, don’t worry. ” he waved a hand dismissively. “ you know—where you keep all of your seasonings ?? how do you not have food ?? ”

“ i mean—it can be healthy, but it tastes the best when it’s NOT, ” he called, opening the microwave to throw the unpopped snack inside. “ you gotta stop asking me to describe flavors for you and just trust i have good taste in food, okay ?? ” delcan huffed out a little sigh, leaning against the counter while he waited for it to pop. “ you got a spice rack hiding in here somewhere ?? i gotta know what i’m working with before i make this masterpiece. ”

“ okay, so— “ declan paused, dropping a stack of dvds onto the other’s coffee table without a word of warning after he had been let inside. “ it’s come to my attention that you’re seriously uncultured so i’m forcing you to watch movies with me. these are some of the best movies of all time and i’m not leaving until you’ve watched at least TWO of them. i’ve got carabet, the wizard of oz, bring it on, gone with the wind, carrie, legally blonde, and of course, brokeback mountain. ” his brows rose as he turned on his heel, headed towards the kitchen. “ you pick something, i’ll make the popcorn. ”

“ i will not consider it a date. and i’m about to fill YOU with haterade. that kind of sounds like it could be a sex thing but i promise it’s just an empty threat that has no meaning whatsoever. anyway—no. i’m artist and a performer and a creative genius, not a meme maker. ”

“ i bet you thought i’d pick a dude but kiko is one hot bitch. ”

“ sure, i mean—i’ll smoke weed with anyone. i’m not going to turn down free snacks or anything so i’m totally in. hey man, my mom did nothing but fill me with love. she’s an angel and knows nothing of hate so shut your mouth. of COURSE it’s good, because i’m a creative genius. puns are my specialty—they’re my art. ”