#bullyhops

And it’s not like he’s against hanging out with Bully, with no one else around. He actually likes hanging with Bully alone a lot. Bully’s awesome! He’s funny and calming and talented and...Hops just likes him a lot. He’s a good friend, so of course Hops likes hanging out with him.

But sometimes he looks at Bully, with his gorgeous long hair and just all around attractive facial structure, and he thinks some things are much more on the romantic side of things, rather than platonic.

His head fills with daydreams of Bully wrapping his arms around Hop’s waist as they cuddle on the couch. Bully wrapping his large hand around Hop’s own. Bully letting Hops run his fingers through his hair. Bully pressing soft kisses down his neck. It’s not something he should be thinking about a friend. A strictly platonic one.

But it happens sometimes. He can’t help it, especially when they’re alone. Bully will settle closer to him, and Hops will then be hyper-aware of their proximity. He’ll only be able to focus on how he could reach out and just grab Bully’s hand, or drop his head on his shoulder. It’d be easy, but then he remembers how his feelings would ruin everything. So he puts more space between them, but then all he thinks about is Bully.

It’s just better for everyone involved if there are other people around when they hang out. Other people to distract Hops from his feelings for one River Bullard.

But he doesn’t want to be the weird friend who can only hang out with someone if they’re in a group, so he forces his feelings down when Bully suggests he and Hops watch one of Hop’s favorite animes together. He said he wanted to watch it because Hops talked about them so much and they sound interesting. And how can Hops say no to his crush telling him that he wants to watch something with Hops because Hops told him it was good?

He can’t. So that’s how he ends up here, in front of Bully’s dorm door, ready to go in there and watch anime on Bully’s college mandated twin size bed, when his roommate isn’t there.

So yeah, maybe he’s a little nervous, but he’ll be fine. He swears. It’s not like Bully is going to be any different than he is normally. Hops can pretend that he only has platonic feelings for him. He can totally do that.

So he knocks on the door, completely confident, and then Bully opens the door. He takes a look at Bully as the door squeaks slightly on its hinges.

Oh fuck. He can’t do this.

No one told him that River Bullard wore glasses?! Why didn’t he know that Bully wore glasses?! Why did no one tell him that he looked fucking hot in glasses too?!

No one could have warned him?! No one could have said “Hey Hops, just a warning, Bully wears horn-rimmed glasses and he looks like every single fantasy of a hot man you’ve ever had. Prepare yourself,” and given him time to prepare?!

Because he definitely needed that warning. Bully looks so hot it’s honestly insufferable. His long hair is pinned up with what he can only assume is a normal Ticonderoga pencil, which is already causing poor Jonathan Hopper’s heart to do jumping jacks. He’s wearing an old t-shirt with some faded lettering that Hops can’t be bothered to read because he’s distracted by how the fabric stretches across Bully’s wide shoulders. And of course, perched on his nose is the offending pair of glasses.

Hops thinks he might pass out.

“Hopper? Are you okay?” Bully asks, tilting his head sideways, eyebrows furrowing.

“Huh?!” he startles, nearly dropping the microwave popcorn and blanket he’s holding.

“You looked kind of scared for a minute there. I didn’t mean to startle you dude.”

Hops nervously chuckles. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

“Alright. Let’s get started! I’m really excited to watch this. It sounds cool from what you told me,” Bully’s smile is blinding as he leads Hops into his room.

His room doesn’t have any shocking changes Hops wasn’t aware of. He’s been in Bully’s room before so he knows what to expect. This is familiar territory.

“Thanks for having me over man,” he says as he and Bully both settle on Bully’s way-too-small-for-2-hockey-players bed, arms barely brushing.

He’s trying to focus on other things. Like the pictures of Bully’s roommate’s wall. Like the Spider-Man print on the blanket his mom bought for him when he got into Samwell. Like Bully’s hands typing on the keyboard, queuing up Sk8 the Infinity. Like the wisps of hair that have fallen from the updo Bully did with a pencil. Like the few sporadic freckles that dot Bully’s face. Like Bully’s deep brown eyes.

“You good?” Bully’s voice snaps him out of his daze.

“Yeah,” he manages to choke out, smiling as best he can. “Just a little distracted.”

“Okay. If you don’t want to watch this we can do something else. I don’t mind.”

Oh my god, could this man get more perfect?

“Nah, I love this show. Let’s do it,”

“Alright, if you need to leave, just let me know,” Bully smiles at him before pushing play and settling back, his shoulder lighting pressing into Hops’s.

If only he was brave enough to reach out and tangle their fingers together. Or brave enough to tell Bully how he really feels.

It's the way Hops’ chest is pressed so hard against his best friend’s back that he's terrified there's a way he'll feel the rapid pounding of his heart. Or the way his legs are bracketing Bully's hips, feeling frozen in place. Or the way Bully’s torso feels underneath Hops’ clasped hands. 

Maybe this is why he's waited this long to agree and get on the bike.

When they reach the building, though, Hops is as disappointed as he's relieved.

He gets off the bike and takes the helmet off, fully prepared to stammer out a goodbye and run to his dorm to scream into a pillow.

But before he can, the engine dies and Bully takes off his helmet too, shaking out his hair in that shampoo commercial move that Nursey has repeatedly insisted has to be rehearsed. Hops has watched Bully do it about a couple hundred times in their two years at Samwell. He finds that he has to agree with Nursey. Otherwise, it would just be unfair that someone just looks that good that effortlessly.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” Hops laughs out, snapping out of his trance and rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, I should-”

“I’ll walk you.”

Hops snorts and immediately regrets it when Bully looks at him in confusion. “Oh, you're serious. Uh, okay? Why, do you wanna play Mario Kart or something?”

Bully scrunches up his face. “I have an early class tomorrow, I shouldn't. Just wanna walk you,” he says, throwing his arm around Hops and spinning them towards the building.

Realizing he had feelings for Bully wasn't a big epiphany that caught him off guard, really. It was a slow build that pieced itself so gradually that by the time Hops fully accepted it, it didn't feel like discovering something new. It just felt like he finally had a name for this thing that he's been carrying inside his chest for the longest time.

It never changed the way he acted around Bully. He was still one of his best friends, and Hops was alright with it only ever being that. But tonight felt like it was charged with an energy that was the slightest bit different, and he couldn't put his finger on it.

So, here he was, hands stuffed in the pockets of his jacket to hide how much they were trembling as he walked with Bully's arm around him. He doesn't know what's gotten into him.

They walk in silence — the comfortable kind that he's used to with Bully — and his nerves start to calm a little. Just a little. Hops usually disrupts the quiet before long; he was always the talker between them. Right now, though, he doesn't trust himself to not say anything that'll give away the way his heart feels like bursting.

When they reach his room, Hops maneuvers away from Bully so he could take his key out of his back pocket. “Well, this is me,” he says in a weird singsong voice, gesturing to the door as if Bully hasn’t been to his room a million times before. Hops wants to punch himself in the face.

“Yeah...Hey, Hops?” Bully has a little smile on his face and is carding his fingers through his hair, pushing it back. “I had a really good time tonight. We should do it again sometime.”

Hops raised an eyebrow. “Uh, yeah? I mean, we always get dinner together on Thursdays.” He turns around to unlock his door. “Did Louis say why he couldn't make it tonight?”

“...Oh.”

“Hmm?” Hops swings his door open and turns back to Bully. “Bully? You okay, bro?”

It used to be hard to decipher what Bully was feeling. His tells are small. A twitch of a mouth. A slight change in the voice. Soon enough after hanging out with him regularly in their first semester, though, Hops and Louis managed to get the hang of noticing them from a mile away.

Right now, it's the way he's chewing the inside of his cheek but trying not to make it too obvious. Which usually meant something has caught him off guard, and it’s making him uncomfortable.

Bully shakes his head. “Yeah, just got a big test tomorrow. I should head back to my dorm.”

Hops frowns. “Bully, did I-”

Bully smiles — the kind where he presses his lips together and looks like it feels stretched and uncomfortable on his face, Hops recognizes — and waves off whatever Hops was gonna say. “I'm good. Really. I'll play Mario Kart with you tomorrow, okay? We can pretend we're both surprised when you win again.”

Still bothered by the sudden shift in Bully's mood but aware that he doesn’t want to talk about it, Hops just chuckles. “Alright. Night, Bully.”

Bully punches Hops lightly on the shoulder. “Night, Hopper.”

Hops watches Bully walk away and turn the corner. Listens for his steps down the stairs. Stays in the doorway as they fade away. As if the more he focuses on Bully’s presence while it lasts, the quicker he can figure out why he feels like he just missed something.

After lingering by the door for too long, Hops sighs as he goes into his room, closing his door behind him, and plops down onto the bed.

His thoughts retrace the steps of the night, trying to place where Bully's mood shifted, just in case it happened earlier and he was just noticing it now. Which Hops doubted, to be honest.

Bully was definitely still fine the whole time at the restaurant. And when they got ice cream afterward at Hops’ favorite place too. They even stayed there until closing just talking. And when Bully-

His phone buzzes multiple times and he knows before even checking it that it's Louis.

Louis   SO WAS IT WEIRD? Or was it good Or was it both

Me was what weird also why didn't you come we went off campus tonight if u were looking for us didnt i text you

Louis ...Are you asking me why I didn't come on your date?

Hops freezes. Was Louis chirping him about Bully? Did Louis figure it out?

Me what date lol

Louis LMAO Come on

Hops bolted upright and started typing with both thumbs, his skin starting to run cold and his heartbeat picking up.

ok dude idk how you know but you CANT tell bully ok like i'm serious you are DELETING this conversation off your phone :(( i don't wanna mess up our friendship and idek if he likes guys??? idk he might bc the other day i was talking about my

Before Hops can finish typing the message, another text comes in.

Louis   Wait. You're not joking are you DUDE??? THAT WAS A DATE BULLY TOLD ME IT WAS A DATE

Me ??? no it wasn't

But as soon as he sends it, something clicks in Hops’ brain. 

The whispered Hey. Do you wanna go out sometime? Maybe dinner off-campus tomorrow? when they were between shelves looking for books at the library instead of the usual Heading to the dining hall in a bit. Coming? text. The No, I'll pay. No, really, I got this. The I don't mind heading back later than usual. Come on, your favorite ice cream place is around here right? We can walk. 

The fucking Hey, Hops? I had a really good time tonight. We should do it again sometime.

It was a date.

Bully asked him on a date.

Me OH FUCK  

Louis DUDE

Hops practically flies off his bed and out of the door, heart hammering, a string of curses spilling out of his mouth and garnering concerned looks from pajama-clad students he pushed past, and trying to remember the quickest route to Bully's building, which was on the other side of campus.

  The speed at which he gets to Bully's room is impressive. He can practically hear Dex putting his Captain Voice on and telling him he should be that fast on the ice.

Doubled over, he places both hands on his knees as he pants. He's just deciding to take a few seconds before knocking to compose himself when the door opens.

“Hops?”

Hops’ head snaps up and sees Bully with his leather jacket and contacts off. His glasses are on, and his hair is up in a messy bun. 

Hops straightens, his chest still heaving but the grin on his face is huge and uncontrollable.

“...Did you run here?”

Hops raises a finger as he takes a couple seconds to catch his breath. And take in the way Bully’s cheekbones look when his hair is up. And how him in glasses always makes Hops’ cheeks burn. And-

“ Hops, what-”

“That was a date.”

Bully is obviously trying to not look too stunned, but Hops doesn't miss the way his eyes slightly widened for a second there. “Well...yeah. I mean I thought it was and- Look, I’m sorry, if that's not what you-”

“You drew Naruto fanart for me and spent all night playing video games you hated with me that one time I got really homesick last year, and I think I immediately fell for you,” Hops blurts out before he can think of something smoother to say. “I just didn't realize it until this year.”

Hops hardly sees Bully smile as wide as he's smiling now. It's making it more difficult to keep his hands off him.

His eyes are fond and bright when he whispers, “Yeah?”

Hops nods hastily, trying not to melt at the way Bully was looking at him. “I was just really dumb tonight.”

Bully shrugs, stepping closer. “Maybe a little.”

Looking up at him, this close, Hops sucks in a breath. God, okay, this was really happening. “Fuck.”

“What?” Bully asks, but his hands are already moving to clutch the sides of Hops’ jacket.

“Nothing, I just. This is weird. I mean, it's good. It's both,” the words come out rushed and jumble into each other. “‘Cause you're one of my best friends and I don't want to fuck that up but I really like you. Like really like you. And you're sort of all I think about and and and can you shut me up?”

Bully huffs in amusement. “How?” he asks with a smirk as if his hands aren't on Hops’ waist already.

Hops rolls his eyes but is beaming so hard he can hardly pass it off as actual annoyance. He rests his hands — trembling, but sure — on Bully's chest. “Dude.”

“Well. I wanted to take you out to dinner before making a move, but apparently the one earlier didn't count, so-”

“I'm going to murder you.”

Bully chuckles, but it fades away as his eyes flicker to Hops’ mouth. “Can I...?”

“Please,” Hops says, not caring enough to be embarrassed about how desperate it sounded as he tilted his head up and Bully closed the distance.

He's thought about kissing River Bullard for a while now. None of it could have prepared Hops for how soft Bully’s lips were as they pressed against his. Or how his mouth still tasted like mango — earlier he ordered Hops’ favorite ice cream flavor because he wanted to try it. Especially didn't prepare him for the little pleased whine that Bully makes when Hops’ hands slide up, arms wrapping around Bully’s neck to pull him closer and deepen the kiss.

Hops isn't sure how long it takes until they break apart, but when they do, Bully's glasses are crooked and his lips are shiny and the dazed look on his face is one that Hops tries to memorize.

“Hey,” Hops says in a breathless half-laugh as he fixes Bully's glasses.

“Hi.” Bully grinning wide, slowly pulling away. “I would ask you to come in, but I really do have a huge test first thing tomorrow, and I need to-”

Hops raises his eyebrows, and Bully stops.

“I didn't mean that I expected us to- I just wanted to talk and...Okay, so it’s just that- Fuck you, you know what I mean,” Bully mumbles as he sees the smirk on Hops’ face.

“You can be kind of a dork too, you know?”

“Don't tell Nursey.”

“Secret’s between us,” Hops mumbles as he leans in for one last kiss.

Louis WHY ARENT EITHER OF YOU PICKING UP

Louis It’s been THIRTY minutes since one of you has replied to me I need UPDATES

Louis GUYS?

Me :)

Bully :)