#telorian

Fandom: EPlC, Modern AU 

Second year, first semester, week 5

Sunlight filtered into the dorm room, the sound of birds chirping filled the sky, and Dorian was humming a song they'd been listening to on their headphones.

TeIemachus had slept in, and Dorian let him. He didn't have to be in class until later anyway. Though, they did find it weird that he hadn't woken up earlier. TeIemachus was an early riser. Every day, he would be the one who woke Dorian up with a sweet kiss or whispers in their ear that sent a shiver down their spine. It was honestly their favorite way to wake up nowadays.

Dorian didn't have any classes scheduled for today–he liked to have Fridays all to themselves to study. However, he was aware of TeIemachus’ class that started in about…3 hours, they checked on their watch.

Deciding to surprise his beloved with breakfast, they got dressed in a black vest with a chest window, black ripped jeans, and covered up with a dark green varsity jacket. Throwing on their sneakers, he grabbed his key card and walked over to TeIemachus, placing a soft kiss on his forehead.

“You're burning up…” he noticed and removed the blanket from covering him.

Dorian, now concerned, placed the back of his hand against his forehead. Their lips were right, TeIemachus was unnaturally warm. He gently shook him, “Telly? TeIemachus, wake up, dearest.”

TeIemachus groaned and whined in protest, moving away from them. Dorian kept attempting to wake him until they saw his eyes slowly flutter open.

He squinted his eyes at the brightness, turning to look at Dorian. His voice was hoarse from a mixture of his morning voice, and what Dorian figured was a sore throat, “Dorian?”

TeIemachus winced and held his throat. It felt like needles were constantly scratching his throat and he was sweating, but also cold. He pulled up his blanket and covered his mouth to cough. One cough turned to two turned to an entire coughing fit.

Dorian watched him concernedly, “that…does not sound good, hun.”

TeIemachus groaned and pouted, “m'sick…”

“My poor guy,” Dorian frowned, “I was going to surprise you with breakfast from the cafeteria, but…I think I need to send someone else. I'm not leaving you here by yourself.”

They grabbed their phone, ignoring the time that said 8:30am. Out of their three friends, they called on Ari, as she was the most responsible. 

It took a few rings before Ari answered the call, “Dorian? What did you do now?”

“He- wait, why do you think I did something?” Dorian was taken aback by the question.

“You never wake up this early on your day off,” Ari raised an eyebrow.

“Right, well, do you mind doing me a favor?” Dorian cut to the chase. “Telly's sick and I don't want him here by himself, so can you please pick up some medicine and breakfast for him? Something not too rough for his throat.”

Dorian heard a sigh, but eventually heard the sound of movement and he knew she was getting ready.

“What is he sick with?” Ari asked him.

“Uhhh, I dunno,” Dorian shrugged, starting to pace the room, “he's burning up, so he probably has a fever, and he's been coughing, also, I think he's got that weird hot and cold thing going on? You know when-”

“Yes, I'm familiar. Any nausea?” Ari asked.

Dorian looked at TeIemachus, his face melting into concern at TeIemachus’ pathetic look. They brushed his hair back, feeling the heat radiating off of him, “hey baby, you feeling any nausea?”

TeIemachus winced, his voice crackling with a nod, “yeah…a l-little.”

“Aww, poor Telly,” Dorian frowned sympathetically. He hated seeing TeIemachus like this.

“Dorian?” Ari questioned on the phone.

“Right, yeah, he's a little nauseous,” Dorian replied to her original question.

“Fever, nausea, sore throat, chills and sweats…sounds like the flu to me,” Ari deduced, “I'll get him lots of fluids, lozenges, the medicine, and soups and oatmeal will probably be his best bet.”

Dorian's eyes widened and he backed away from TeIemachus, “the flu? Isn't that, like…contagious?”

“Highly,” Ari confirmed. 

“Oh gosh…” Dorian bit their lips.

“Is there a problem?” Ari raised an eyebrow.

“Uhhhh…no, not at all,” Dorian lied, looking at TeIemachus worriedly, “but, uh, thank you and I'll send you the money and everything for you.”

“Alright, I'll be there in about 30-45 minutes,” Ari told him.

“Okay, thank you,” Dorian hung up the phone and took a shallow breath.

See, Dorian was afraid of being sick. They literally felt like death whenever they would get any kind of sickness. From just a head cold to a simple sore throat to a stomach flu, it would overtake them and they'd be bedridden until it was over.

“D-Dori…? ” TeIemachus sounded confused, looking around for him.

“I'm right here, Telly,” Dorian reassured him, “over here.”

TeIemachus locked eyes with him and reached for him, “Dori…no feel good…”

“Aww, I…I know, TeIemachus,” Dorian backed away, “I'm sorry, but you're contagious, I can't be near you…”

TeIemachus only frowned and attempted to sit up, the world spinning in circles. He whimpered and closed his eyes. Dorian frowned, “hey, lay back down, you need to rest.”

“But snuggles…” he whined and made grabby hands.

Dorian sighed, “fine, just…just give me a minute.” They walked to their bag, then turned to TeIemachus, “and lay back down.”

TeIemachus groaned but did what Dorian told him to, getting snug under the covers. With him situated, Dorian turned back to their bag, grabbing some gloves and a face mask. Putting on the equipment, they looked back over to TeIemachus, reminding themselves that they were doing this because he loved TeIemachus.

And his TeIemachus was requesting cuddles. Pronto.

“Okay, I can do this…” they muttered, hyping themselves up, “for Telly.”

Dorian walked over to the germ-infested bed. TeIemachus saw him and reached for them. “Dorian…”

“Yes, I'm…I-I'm here,” Dorian looked a bit apprehensive, looking at the bed, then at TeIemachus’ face and nodded to themselves before climbing into the bed. “I'm here for you, Telly.”

TeIemachus instantly latched onto Dorian, snuggling close. He had always been a bit of a snugglebug, but with the addition of being sick, he'd turned the snugglebug factor up to snuggle monster levels. Dorian cringed slightly, but snuggled him back.

“Dorian…” 

“Is your vocabulary limited to just saying my name whilst you're sick?” Dorian smirked and kissed his forehead through their mask.

TeIemachus groaned and turned his head away from Dorian, coughing himself into another harsh fit. Dorian kept a hand on his back, supporting him. The boy frowned and whined, taking a moment to catch his breath as he wheezed. 

“You good?” Dorian asked him concernedly.

“Ngh…I hate this,” TeIemachus frowned even more, coughing again into his arm.

“I know,” Dorian empathized, “but I'm gonna be here with you the whole time.”

“Kay…” TeIemachus nuzzled back into their arms, “my knight and shining armor.”

“I think it's ‘knight in shining armor.’ babe,” they corrected him, stroking his hair back.

“Meh,” he replied nonchalantly and closed his eyes again.

As Dorian nuzzled close to him, TeIemachus had fallen back asleep, clinging to them closely. Dorian smiled and kept a close eye on him.

Later on, after Ari dropped off the supplies, Dorian woke him up and fed him. TeIemachus whined, complaining about not being hungry. Dorian was patient with him and once they'd gotten him to eat half the bowl of soup they prepared, they were satisfied. They grabbed the medicine, coaxing TeIemachus to take it to help him feel better. He swallowed the grape flavored medicine and cringed.

“Blegh, that's not how grapes taste,” TeIemachus complained.

Dorian covered his mouth to hide their amused smirk, not realizing it was already hidden due to the mask over his nose and mouth. “I should've told her to get the bubblegum flavor…”

“Probably wouldn't have made a difference…hate medicine,” TeIemachus frowned as he held his stomach uncomfortably.

Dorian frowned concernedly, “Telly?”

TeIemachus replied with a sickly burp and a whimper. Dorian's eyes widened and he mumbled an expletive before hurrying to grab the trash can from the kitchenette. They brought it over just in time for TeIemachus to gag into it.

‘Shit shit shit, this is bad,’ Dorian freaked out internally. He was terrified of the thought of throwing up, seeing others throwing up, and being around vomit. But the one person he loved most in the world was suffering right now. They had to be there for him.

TeIemachus gagged again and Dorian closed his eyes, rubbing his back, “i-i-it's ok, T-T-Telly, I'm h-h-here.”

The boy coughed wetly, and groaned before he jolted with a silent but strong hiccup. Dorian peeked at TeIemachus, their hand still on his back. “Tel?”

“M'go—od,” TeIemachus winced and rubbed his chest.

Dorian blinked, his brain somewhat malfunctioning. “A-are you gonna…?”

TeIemachus shook his head, then held it regretfully as the room spun around him, “ugh, no, I think I'm ok—kay, ow.”

“Let me get you some water,” Dorian made to stand up, but TeIemachus grabbed their hand. “I'll be right back, just a few steps away. I think Ari said she'd gotten you some anti-nausea meds too.”

“Bu-huck-” TeIemachus frowned.

Dorian failed to hide the way TeIemachus’ neck caving in and chest jolting made their breath shudder. That was his fourth hiccup which pretty much confirmed he'd gotten a case. They couldn't help the initial excitement of the rare occasion, but they also knew TeIemachus was hurting, so they wanted to cure them as soon as they could.

“I-It's okay,” Dorian stammered, closing his eyes and telling himself internally to get it together, “I'll get you some water. It might calm the nausea…”

“But I hmp I got the hngk-” he winced quietly, “got the hiccups hngkuh…”

Dorian shivered and took a shaky breath, “I-I know…but it's gotta be hurting your throat, I hear those winces. These aren't fun ones. And I still love you regardless, okay? You gotta take care of yourself too…”

TeIemachus frowned, but inevitably nodded through a silent hiccup that jolted his head back. Dorian kissed his forehead a second after that. Then they stood up, grabbing the room temperature water as well as the anti-nausea chewables. He walked back to the bed and sat down, feeling the bed shake with TeIemachus’ next “huckuh! ow…”

“Here, honey,” Dorian frowned as he opened the bottle of water for him and helped him drink it.

Unfortunately, TeIemachus hiccupped as he swallowed, causing him to choke. Dorian's eyes widened and they patted his back as TeIemachus was attacked with hard cough after hard cough mixed with hiccups after every cough.

TeIemachus groaned once the attack was over, leaning into Dorian’s shoulder, once again jolting against them with another hiccup.

“Hun?” Dorian stroked his hair comfortingly.

“...hingk! owww,” TeIemachus whined, his voice crackling making his hiccups squeakier.

“Aww,” Dorian frowned, “you wanna try holding your breath?”

They really hated how much discomfort his boyfriend was in. As TeIemachus started to hold his breath, they rubbed his back in a circular motion. Dorian wanted to provide as much comfort as possible.

As TeIemachus eventually started releasing his breath, they both waited for the results.

“I think…think they're HICKGOLP!-owwww,” TeIemachus whined and shut his eyes tightly, preparing himself for the next, “hi'ip!-nnngghh.”

“I'm sorry, sweetheart,” Dorian frowned, watching him rub the front of his neck.

“Guh hickuck!,” Tel replied and leaned more into Dorian’s shoulder, closing his eyes.

Dorian hugged him closer, feeling every jolt that seemed harder every time. Any other time, they would love hearing TeIemachus hiccup, it's such a rare occasion. But these were painful and they hated hiccups that caused pain. Especially to his boyfriend.

It took them a moment to realize that TeIemachus had somehow managed to fall asleep while he had the hiccups from hell. Was Dorian really that comfortable?

They slowly lay them both down on the bed, Tel resting on their chest, still hiccuping strongly. His face would scrunch up slightly before relaxing again. Dorian wished there was something they could've done to cure their boyfriend before he'd fallen asleep, but maybe time was all he needed. They watched Tel sleep for a bit before dozing off himself.

Fandom: EPIC, Modern AU

Second Year, First Semester, Week 4

Dorian was a fan of their coding class. It'd begin with a lecture and end with actually making a code. Today, the professor had announced that they would be doing group work–though, was it really considered a group if it was two people per group? Maybe it'd best be described as pair work.

Either way, Dorian turned to their left to see that his usual partner for these projects was absent. Right…they remembered making that observation at the start of class. He turned to the cute quiet guy on their right. He had freckles over his nose and cheeks and bluish-gray eyes. He was wearing some eyeliner and had a piercing above his top lip. He reminded them of Tele.machus honestly.

They smiled, “hi, wanna be partners?”

The guy turned to Dorian with a shy expression, “uh, hey, s-sure…”

“I'm Dorian, they/he pronouns please,” they introduced themselves.

“Uh, Keenan, he/him,” Keenan waved at them.

Keenan, huh? That was the name of Tele.machus’ oldest and closest friend, wasn't it? They wondered if this was the same person…

“Cool, also, love your eyeliner,” Dorian complimented before he pulled out a Monster from their bag, “energy drink?”

“Thanks,” Keenan smiled shyly before shaking his head at the offer, “no thank you. Are you even supposed to have drinks in here?”

Dorian shrugged before taking a sip, the bubbles fizzing down their throat as he swallowed. They put the can down after muffling a quiet burp. “Excuse me. Anyway, ready to get coding?”

Keenan chuckled quietly and nodded, “yeah.”

The two of them got to work, brainstorming ideas and working together to turn their ideas into reality. Just as they had figured out a particularly difficult line of code, Dorian took a longer drink from his Monster.

“Hey, maybe if we-”

Keenan's voice stopped in its tracks when he'd heard Dorian's, “hm'mp!-ouurrp! Scu-hookulp!gmp!HMKGMP!”

Dorian covered their mouth as his diaphragm started acting up, kicking into high gear. They honestly should've known better…Monster apparently always gave them the hiccups.

The class all turned to Dorian, but otherwise made no comment. Though, the professor did comment, “maybe next time you'll heed the no drink policy, Mr. Waterson.”

“Sor-HRGK!-ry, sir,” they looked down sheepishly before placing their hand on his chest as it convulsed with two more silent hics.

Keenan stayed quiet, his eyes focused strictly on the computer screen. See, Keenan had a particular…appreciation for hiccups. The same appreciation that Dorian and Tele.machus both had.

Dorian noticed Keenan getting quiet again, but didn't think much of it. They noticed that he was more on the shyer side anyway. They still wanted to check in, so they asked, “You HULP! okay?”

“Mmhm, yes, just fixing something in the code,” Keenan replied almost too quickly.

Dorian nodded, interrupted by his head getting pulled back by a couple of silent hiccups. “Alri–ight HUCK!-uh HULK!HICKOLP!-”

“Dude!” one of the students called out, annoyed.

“Relax, they can't control it,” another student, the previous heckler's partner presumably, scolded.

“Try holding your breath,” another suggested.

“Pulling my tongue works for me!” Said another.

“It may sound weird, but I swear mine go away whenever I tell myself I'm not a fish.”

Dorian blinked amusedly at the last suggestion, “wh-HUCKuck!-what?”

“Try it,” the student encouraged with a nod.

With no excuse not to try it, and to satiate his curiosity, Dorian started chanting, “I am-mmk!HMGK! not a fi-hick!-fish…hugKUP!HILK!...I am n–nkmp!-not a fish…hiup!hickup…I am not a fish…”

They put a hand on their chest, confusion on their face. “Holy shit, that worked?”

“Thank goodness,” the first heckler rolled their eyes.

Keenan also thanked goodness in his mind, not in a mean way. He didn't know how much longer he would've lasted with those powerful hiccups happening next to him.

“Right, now that the excitement is over,” the professor pointedly looked at Dorian, “everyone back to your projects.”

Dorian shrugged as the class continued on with their work. Class ended fifteen minutes later with everyone exchanging contact information to continue their projects.

As Dorian was opening their phone to collect Keenan's number, they noticed a text from Tele.machus telling them to meet him in the library. They smiled before handing their phone to Keenan to enter his contact info.

“Say,” they started as they put their bag over their shoulder, “if you're free, we can continue our project in the library and get it over with.”

“Oh, yeah, this was my last class today, so that'd work,” Keenan smiled slightly as he finished putting in his number. He handed them the phone back before gathering his things.

“Cool,” Dorian smiled, placing the returned phone into his pocket after sending a quick text to Telemachus letting him know he was on his way.

They headed towards the library with Keenan by their side. Was this a ploy to see if Tele.machus knew this Keenan? …maybe a little.

“So, uh,” Keenan fidgeted with his sleeves, trying to start up a conversation, but having no idea how to start.

“What's your major?” Dorian helped him out.

Keenan smiled appreciatively, “computer science. I wanna get into IT.”

“Oh, sweet,” Dorian smiled. “Have you always known that that's what you wanted to do?”

“Kinda? I mean, my mom used to say I was tech savvy, so…” he trailed off with a shrug, “what about you?”

“Game design and development for me,” they told him “I've always been a fan of video games and I would LOVE to create my own one day…”

“That sounds cool too,” Keenan smiled.

The two made it to the library, walked in, greeted the librarian, then Dorian searched for the study room Tele.machus mentioned he, Riddy, and Orfeo were in. Walking up the stairs, they spotted their friends and boyfriend. Beside them, he heard a soft gasp.

“Is…i-is that…?” Keenan was looking straight at Tele.machus, who just happened to look up back at him through the glass door with familiarity.

Tele.machus shot up from his seat and ran out the door to greet him. “Keenan? Is that you?!”

“Tele.machus…” Keenan teared up and nodded, a big smile on his face, “y-yeah, oh my gosh!”

Tele.machus reached them and wrapped his arms tightly around Keenan, who did the same. Both of them were crying about how much they missed each other and how it was great to see the other. Dorian smiled and let them have their moment, happy to bring them together again.

They headed into the study room, waving at Riddy and Orfeo, “‘sup you two?”

“Hey dude!” Orfeo smiled.

“Dorian, glad you could make it over,” Riddy smiled as well.

“Yeah, figured I'd join my besties and my boyfriend, though he seems preoccupied with his long lost friend,” Dorian explained, pushing their bangs behind his ear.

“I didn't even know Tel had any other friends than us,” Orfeo shrugged.

“I'm sure everyone knows someone outside of our friendship group, hun,” Riddy chuckled.

“Speaking of others, where's Ari?” Dorian asked as they sat down in one of the chairs, putting his bag behind it.

“She had to go to her class,” Riddy informed them, “but she said hi.”

“Aww, bummer,” Dorian pouted and took out his laptop and a pop-tarts.

“Dude, you got pop-tarts?!” Orfeo's eyes sparkled.

Dorian raised an eyebrow, “yeah, for me and Telly.”

“Aw, c'mon, man, I'm hungryyy,” Orfeo groaned.

“I keep telling you to bring your own snacks,” Dorian snorted amusedly and opened the package, breaking off a piece and handing it to him.

“Yesss, thanks, Dorian!” Orfeo gladly took the offering while Riddy shook her head.

“You shouldn't let him take away all of your food,” she commented.

“It was only a little piece, it's fine,” Dorian waved it off and broke another piece just as the door opened again, Tele.machus and Keenan walking inside.

“Well, it's about time you came back in,” Riddy joked.

“Yeah yeah, sorry,” Tele.machus rolled his eyes and kissed Dorian's forehead, “hi babe.”

Dorian tilted their head up to smile at Tele.machus, “hi, I didn't think I'd ever get to see you.”

“Huh? Oh…with me saying hi to my best friend from childhood who I haven't seen since before middle school,” Tel raised an eyebrow.

“No comment…”

“So, Tel, you gonna introduce us to your friend?” Riddy asked, looking at Keenan with a smile.

“Oh, yeah, Riddy, Orfeo, this is Keenan,” Tele.machus introduced, “and Keenan, these are two of my friends Riddy and Orfeo, and I'm guessing you know my partner, Dorian.”

Keenan looked at both Riddy and Orfeo, having quite the internal bi panic as he waved shyly at them, “h-hi…”

Orfeo and Riddy both smiled at him, “sup, dude.”

“Nice to meet you,” Riddy greeted.

“Uh…yeah, y-you too,” Keenan nodded and sat down next to Dorian while Tele.machus sat on the other side of Dorian.

“And, wait, partner?” Keenan's jaw dropped slightly as Dorian ate their piece of pop-tart.

“Mmhm,” Dorian nodded and swallowed their bite, “Tel and I have been dating since the beginning of the year.”

“Wow, congratulations, Tel,” Keenan smiled proudly.

“Hehe, thanks,” Tele.machus smiled and rested his head on Dorian's shoulder as they fed him a piece of pop-tart. “I'm incredibly lucky to have them.”

“Nah, I'm the lucky one,” Dorian kissed his cheek before enjoying another bite of his pop-tart.

“No, I am!” Tel pinched their cheek gently.

“Ah! Nuh-uh!” Dorian gulped down the pop-tart and poked Telemachus’ side.

Tele.machus squeaked and retaliated with his own poke to Dorian's side, making him snort into giggles.

“Okay! Okay! Tru-hook!-uce!” Dorian held their hands up in surrender.

Tele.machus stopped with a smile on his face, “that'll teach you

“Fi–ine, hickolk!-oh,” Dorian placed a hand on their chest as it jolted softly.

Both Keenan and Tel looked at Dorian, though the former looked shocked, “they're back?”

“Back?” Tele.machus tilted his head confused.

“Yeah, I hi'ULK! had ‘em in hickGUP! cla–ass earlier herkuck!-uhh HICKURK!-ah-HIP!HIP!” Dorian explained before chuckling slightly, “I cu-hurngk!-cured them-HMPKuh! by sa–aying-hingk'uh! ‘I HUCK! am n–not a HUCKolk! fi-HICK'IP!-fish’ ov-HERK! and o–ver again.”

“That actually works?” Riddy tilted her head.

“Not for long apparently,” Keenan said quietly, bringing one of his knees up and hugging it.

“Oh, my hip! hiccups a–always com-HMPKglm! back after I c-HUCK!-cure them HUCK!-uh,” Dorian explained

“Hey, shh, we're in a library,” Orfeo joked, “you're gonna get us kicked out with all this noise.”

“Orf‐HEE!-o, kindly shu-huck!UCK!-t up,” Dorian stuck their tongue out at him as he wrapped an arm around Tel, who had moved the chair closer to them for optimal cuddles.

Orfeo chuckled at his attempt at humor.

“Anyway, you want some water or anything?” Riddy offered. “They sound pretty bad.”

Dorian waved a hand nonchalantly, “Na–ah, they'll hilkULK!-uh, calm m'glk! down HICK! in a bit HEEK!-uh HIPULP!HIUP!-ugh, HEE'uh!HOLP'K!-fu–uck,” they muttered and patted their chest.

Tele.machus’ hand fell on their stomach, rubbing it gently as it convulsed, “a-are you sure?”

“Ye–yeah, I mean nkUP! they'll ju-hu'UCK!HAULK!-just com-HMM’glmp!-” they swallowed that one down, “come ba-HICK'IT!-mm, come ba–ack again HICKOLP!”

They took another piece of pop-tart and carefully ate it before turning to Keenan, “hey, I know HMMP! I brought you over HERK'L!HUP!HIP!-oof, scu-HOOKULP!-scuse me, brou‐HAULP!-ought you here t–to work on-HNK'UP! our proj-EC!-t, but it was mo–stly a ploy to see if HICK!HICK'olp!HUP! if-HUCK!-”

“Me and Tel knew each other?” Keenan quickly guessed, trying to appear calm and collected.

Between the returned hiccups and the two very attractive people in front of him, the stimulation was overwhelming. Especially because he couldn't stop imagining Riddy and Orfeo with the hiccups. Gosh, he bet they'd look even more attractive.

Dorian nodded, “pre-HEEK!HICK!-oof, hickuck!HOLP'K!-uh, precisely-hup!HUOP!-ah, hip!-hu'ULK!-NGK'ULP!-gmp!-uff, scu—use me.”

They placed a hand on their chest. These hiccups were kinda bad in the best way. They loved the way they made their body bounce. Tele.machus was having fun too, feeling every spasm through his rubbing their tummy while resting his head on their shoulder. And Keenan was just trying to keep it together.

Orfeo snorted, “it took you a whole five minutes to say one word, ha!”

“Orfeo,” Riddy rolled her eyes.

“No n–nk!-no,” Dorian chuckled softly, “it's fu-uck!ngkulp!-uff, funny.”

“I should become a comedian,” Orfeo's eyes sparkled.

“Nah, I hickip! didn't say all HULP!hu'uck! that,” Dorian shook his head, being pulled back by two silent hiccups in the process.

“You're so mean,” Orfeo pouted.

“Yet yo–ou're the one lau-hup!-laughing at my mis-hick!hip!HUP!-uh, misfortune HNGK'mm!,” Dorian raised an eyebrow.

“Touche,” Orfeo slumped.

“You still doing ok?” Tel checked in. He'd noticed they'd gotten softer and a bit slower than before.

Dorian nodded, “yeah, I'm goo-hoop!hip!-good. I th-hink! they're star–ting to go aw-HILK!-oops, away.”

Tele.machus nodded and kissed his cheek, “okay, as long as you're not in pain.”

“Not–t at a-hauk!-all, I told you they do-hop!-don't ever hur-herk!hirngk!-hurt,” Dorian reassured him.

“Kay…” he made a move to whisper in their ear, but thought better of it and texted Dorian.

Tilting their head confused, Dorian checked his phone and smiled amusedly at the words.

Sunshine: your hics r amazing as always😉

Then a moment later, another message came through.

Sunshine: thank you for sharing them with me💕

Dorian smiled slightly and kissed Tel's forehead, whispering, “any-hip!-time, babe.”

Tele.machus blushed and hugged Dorian, “I love you.”

“I lo—ove you too, heekulk!-uh,” Dorian hugged him back.

Tele.machus chuckled quietly and nuzzled close to them. Keenan smiled at the two of them, “You two are really cute.”

Tele.machus blushed more and smiled a bit at Keenan, “awww, thanks, Keenan. They really are really amazing to me and I definitely don't deserve them.”

“Oh non–sense, you deser-herkulk!-uh, deserve the worl-hurlk!-world,” Dorian rubbed Tel's arm as they hugged him closer.

“How'd you two meet?” Keenan asked curiously.

“We've been dormmates since freshman year of college,” Tele.machus informed him.

“Mm‐hmk!-hmm,” Dorian agreed, “we started off as fr-hrk!-friends, then hick!HUP!-oh, sorry, then we…kinda had a fa–alling out during winter break hup'm before we reconvened when we returned from brea–eak.”

“Yeah, it was the hardest winter break, not communicating with them,” Tele.machus bit his lip. “All because I was scared cuz I kissed them impulsively.”

“But then he got me this beautiful watch and everything was all better,” Dorian showed off their watch.

“Oooh, it's beautiful,” Keenan's eyes sparkled, “where'd you find it?”

“My guncle Otto made it for me,” Dorian smiled proudly, mumbling, “I should really send him a text and catch up…” They pulled out their phone to do so.

Orfeo tilted his head, "guncle?"

“Short for gay uncle,” Tele.machus chuckled quietly, before turning his attention to Keenan, “but I can give you his card or website if you're interested. I definitely recommend you check him out.”

“Yeah, sounds good, thank you,” Keenan smiled and nodded.

“Of course,” Tel beamed, turning back to Dorian, “but, yeah, after that, we started dating and the rest is history.”

“Yep,” Dorian smiled before letting out a yawn, resting his head on top of Tele.machus’ head, “just realized my hiccups are gone and now I'm sleepy…”

“I'm sure you are after suffering two cases back to back like that,” Riddy frowned sympathetically.

“I guess…” Dorian shrugged nonchalantly.

“That makes sense,” Tel nuzzled closer to him, “You wanna go back to the dorms? We could just chill, watch a movie, and take a nap.”

“That honestly sounds really amazing,” Dorian smiled lazily and slowly sat up, stretching. “Do you have Keenan's number so you guys can keep in touch?”

“Yes,” Tele.machus nodded, “and I'm definitely adding him to the group chat.”

“Sweet, the champ has brought two old friends together again,” Dorian giggled and stood up, helping Tele.machus stand up.

“Yeah, thank you,” Keenan smiled, “we're definitely gonna make more time to hang out now that I know we're so close.”

Dorian nodded, putting their backpack on their back, “I'll see you guys later.”

“Bye everyone,” Tele.machus smiled and waved.

Everyone else waved and wished the two farewell, watching as they left the library. The remaining students stayed behind and got to know each other a bit more, though Keenan didn't know how he survived chatting with his newfound crushes.

Fandom: EPIC, Modern AU

First Year, Second Semester, Week 1

Dorian fidgeted with his fingers again as they sat alone in a nice restaurant near the college. They'd dressed to impress in a light blue fuzzy sweater with a white shirt collar peeking out the top and some black dress pants. They waited for their date to arrive.

Tele.machus was finishing up one last class before he'd be able to join. They offered to wait on campus for him, but Tele.machus insisted they go without.

Dorian checked the time on his watch. Ten minutes past 6. Also known as ten minutes past when the reservation was. They sighed and swirled the sparkling water in the glass when he'd heard quick footsteps headed towards them.

On full alert now, Dorian perked up, looking towards where the footsteps were heard and gasped at Tele.machus in a nice off-white dress shirt and navy blue sweater vest with some dress pants and shoes scurrying over to them with a bouquet of red roses.

“Dorian!” Tele.machus called out as he made it to the table out of breath.

“Aww, Telly,” Dorian stood up and met him halfway.

“I'm so sorry I'm so late,” Tele.machus frowned at them, “class got out later than usual so the flower shop I planned to go to was closed, so I had to find another one and-”

“Tele.machus, it's okay, really,” Dorian reassured him with a smile.

“Really? Cuz…I didn't want you to think I stood you up and then you'd wanna switch rooms cuz you wouldn't be able to look at me,” Tele.machus worried.

“First off, I knew you weren't standing me up,” Dorian stroked his hair behind his ear, “you're too much of a sweetheart to do that. Second off, I'm not going anywhere, bad date or not.” They whispered in his ear, "Besides, I've finally found someone I can talk about hiccups with and I am not blowing that chance.”

Tele.machus blushed and covered his face, “just…take the flowers.”

Dorian chuckled and took the roses, “thank you, they're beautiful.”

“Speaking of beautiful, you look very handsome,” Tele.machus smiled at them.

“Why thank you, but you look ravishing,” Dorian switched the focus on Tele.machus. “I mean, that sweater vest mixed with that dress shirt? Amazing work, fashionista.”

Tele.machus blushed and looked away, “th-thank you…it was just something I decided to try and I'm glad it works.”

“Here, have a seat,” Dorian offered, pulling out the chair for him.

Tele.machus thanked them and sat down. He looked at the menu while Dorian sat down.

“Order anything you'd like,” Dorian encouraged him. “Don't worry about the price, I can handle it-”

“We can split the bill,” Tele.machus shrugged.

“But I invited you out, so it's my treat,” Dorian tilted his head confusedly as they sipped on their sparkling water again.

“I really don't mind,” he reassured.

“...okay…are you sure?”

“Positive, Dori,” he smiled at him before looking back at the menu, internally cursing his indecisiveness.

“Alright, but I'll pay for your order and you'll pay for mine?” Dorian offered.

“Mmm,” Tele.machus hummed, “we can pay for our own- if that's okay.”

Dorian nodded, “yeah, that's fine, don't worry.”

After a minute of looking through the menu, their waiter came over, giving them both a look, but not saying anything other than requesting their drink order. Dorian requested another sparkling water–it was more like flavored sparkling water than just water with bubbles–while Tele.machus ordered a sweetened iced tea with lemon.

Once the waiter left and was out of earshot, Dorian looked over to Tele.machus, “did you notice that look?”

Tele.machus looked up from the menu, “no?”

“Huh…maybe I just imagined it then…anyway,” Dorian clapped their hands, “let's get to know each other…well, more than we already do.”

“Wait, I gotta figure out what I want to eat first,” Tele.machus huffed, “I hate my indecisiveness sometimes…everything sounds so good.”

“Ah, it's alright,” Dorian giggled slightly, “here, maybe I can help. What are our options?”

“Well, it's between the shrimp risotto, the lemon butter grilled salmon with parmesan truffle fries, or just classic chicken fingers with those same fries.”

“You can't go wrong with classic chicken tenders I always say,” Dorian suggested. “But all of those options sound amazing.”

“Right! I don't know…” Tele.machus groaned, frustrated.

“Well, we could always get a shrimp risotto for the table, and you can get the chicken tenders because I was planning to get the salmon anyway and I can give you some,” Dorian said and sipped some more of the sparkling water.

“Really? That's probably the best option,” Tele.machus nodded, “as long as you don't mind.”

“More good food? Why would I be complaining about that?” Dorian chuckled softly.

“Touche,” Tele.machus giggled. “Oh, and gotta make sure nothing is cooked in peanut oil or nothing has peanuts in it.”

“Oh? How come?” Dorian tilted their head curiously.

“I'm allergic to peanuts,” Tele.machus slumped.

Dorian's jaw dropped, “whaaaat???”

“I knooowww,” he covered his face, “and I found out later in life when I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and almost died. Peanut butter is soooo good!”

“I know! Gah, I'm so sorry, Telly,” Dorian frowned.

“It's okay, I've somewhat come to terms with it…” Tele.machus sighed.

The waiter finally returned with their drinks and asked for their food order.

“Before anything else, I, uh…have a peanut allergy,” Tele.machus announced.

The waiter sighed and made a note on top of his notepad. Dorian glared at the waiter, “is that a problem?”

“Dorian, it's fine, let's just order,” Tele.machus placed a hand on top of theirs, trying to calm him down.

Dorian looked at Tele.machus, seeing the slightly concerned and worried look on his face. They took a deep breath and nodded, “fine.”

They ordered their food before the waiter left again. Dorian huffed and ran a hand down their face.

“I'm sorry,” Dorian sighed, “I didn't mean to make it a big thing, I just…don't want you to be treated like that.”

“It's alright, I get it, I just…don't like confrontation,” Tele.machus bit his bottom lip, squeezing Dorian's hand when they'd flipped it around to hold it. “Especially with people handling our food…”

Dorian nodded, “I understand…you just deserve all the respect…” they looked down, “I'm starting off on the wrong foot, aren't I?”

“Oh, Dori, no, I don't think so,” Tele.machus reassured him with another squeeze of his hand. “You're showing you care about me, I can see that.”

Dorian looked back up at Tele.machus and nodded, picking up their previous glass, “okay…if you're sure.”

“I'm sure,” Tel nodded his head with a genuine smile as he watched Dorian finish the last of their drink, “now I believe you wanted us to get to know each other better?”

Dorian gasped after they gulped down the liquid in his mouth, “yes! Yes, I thought we could, like, interview each other, play something like 20 questions?”

Tele.machus chuckled, smiling slightly, “sure, sounds fun.”

“Cool,” Dorian smiled, “and if either of us want to skip a question, that's perfectly fine and we cast no judgment, fair?”

“Definitely fair,” Tele.machus agreed, slowly sipping his tea.

“Alright, would you like to start or should I?” Dorian asked, taking a swig from his second glass.

“You can start us off,” Tele.machus offered.

“Aweso-” they were interrupted by a strong belch they were barely able to muffle. “Ooh, excuse me.” He burped again, “urp! Sorry, excuse me again. Must be all the carbo-hup'k!-ourrp!-oof,” they patted their chest, “carbonation. Urp!-ahh hup!-uh, par-herk!HU'UCK!” Dorian covered their mouth as their eyes widened, locked onto Tele.machus.

Tele.machus swallowed thickly, watching as Dorian convulsed with more hiccups that he'd tried and failed to keep quiet.

“Well hi'URK!HMK! this was un-NGK’M!-unexpec-HICKULK!-ted…HULP!-uh,” Dorian expressed, their hand steady on their chest.

“I-It's alright,” Tel stammered, blushing slightly, “you ok?”

“Mm-HMPK!-mm, yep–p,” Dorian nodded, smiling coyly, “how hup'm! abo-HAULGK!-out you? huckUH!HU'ULP!-uh…HUP!-mm…HIP!HICKOLP!-grrup, whew, ‘scu–use me.”

Tele.machus shivered, “oh boy…um, I-I'll be alright.” He lowered his voice, “you're so freaking hot right now-well, you're always hot, but you're particularly hotter right now.” He blushed profusely and sipped on his iced tea.

Dorian winked, “well HULKuh!hup!ULP!-uh, if thi-HIMPK!-s gets me bo-huckuh!‐uff, bonus hup!-H'KULP!-oof, bonus points o—on this date, then-ngk! they're he-HEEK!-here to st–ay.” Then they glanced at Tele.machus, “unless-”

“I'm fine, promise,” Tele.machus brushed his hair back with his fingers, “and please don't think you have to keep them for me. You can cure them anytime they get annoying to you.”

“Of co-huck!-gmrp! pardon, of cour-hrk!HURK'L!-course,” Dorian promised him, smiling through a silent hiccup that knocked their head back.

Tele.machus didn't know how he was going to survive this, but he was going to try, “alright, so, uh, before we get distracted again, and knowing me, distraction is my middle name, alongside procrastination, um…wanna start off our icebreaker game?”

“Oh! Yeah hippuh!,” Dorian danced in their seat, Tele.machus finding them adorable. “Okay HIGguh! first ques–guh!-ooh, fir-hrk!-first question. HU'UUP! What’s yo–ur favori-HICK!-ite pa-HAUK!ULK!-uff part of the day an-ng'KULP!-d why? hmp!-pff”

Tele.machus quirked an eyebrow, “that's your first question?”

“Whaaa–at? I'm curi-HIK!-ous,” Dorian chuckled softly, prompting a quick, “HILK!HUP!HUCKOLK!-urp! pardon.”

Tele.machus chuckled, biting his lip at that cluster, “a-alright then…I love it when the sun sets and the clouds and sky turn into a beautiful combination of colors. They make for beautiful pictures.”

“Ooh, sam-HMMK! except I like hulp!HU'UCK!-uh, the sunrise bec–UCK!-cause of the bir-HURKuck!hrk'l!-birds chirp-INGK!HIGK!-HIUP!-chirping,” Dorian explained.

“Aww, yeah, that makes sense,” Tel smiled, “though, I can never get up early enough to witness it. Even through my sleepless nights, heh.”

“Sle-heek!-epless n-NGK!NNK!-nights?” Dorian tilted their head.

“Yeah, or I guess earlier wake-ups would be more accurate,” he shrugged, “2 am, 3 am, 4 if I'm lucky.”

“Jee-HEEP!-eez,” Dorian frowned, “have you hu'ULP!-uh tried melato-HOLK!olp!-tonin?”

“I have, but it doesn't really help much.”

“Dam-MMK! that su-HUCK!-s, man,” Dorian sipped some more of his sparkling water, their stomach bouncing out with a strong muffled hiccup at the action. “Your HU'UULP! turn.”

They patted their chest as it jolted twice with more deep muffled hiccups.

Tele.machus blinked, slowly processing that it was his turn to ask a question. “Oh, uh, shoot, sorry. Um…when you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?”

“It's okay HUP!-HIK! I kn–ow I'm di-HICK'IP!-distract-INGK! right now,” Dorian winked teasingly, to which Tele.machus blushed. They continued, “but hmm-HM'MK! honestly? I HI'ULP! wan-NGK!-mm, want–ed to be a sur-HURK!URK!-fer.”

Tel chuckled, “Oh my gosh, seriously?”

“Wha-HUCK!-at's so fun-nk'GUP!-funny about tha–t?” Dorian tilted their head curiously, his chin tucking in at another silent spasm.

“I dunno…it was just so…unexpected,” he chuckled more before calming down, “to be fair, though, I was a little all over the place as a kid…it changed constantly from a vet to a teacher to an actor to an astronaut, everything! Guess that's why I'm an undecided student right now…” He slumped a bit, scratching the side of his neck.

“Hey HULP!-uh,” Dorian said softly, moving their hand to caress his cheek, “don't HNGKUP!ULK!-ourp! ‘scuse me hup! don't wor-HRK'L!-oof worry about that huckuh!HU'UCK! I know your cal-hi'ILK!-calling will com-hmgmp! to you himpk!-uh HUMPK!-uhh HI’UH!-fuck…HUCKOLK!”

Tele.machus looked at them with concern on his face. “You doing okay? Those sound rough…” He checked in, slightly pushing his tea towards them.

Dorian pushed the drink away and waved him off, “I'm alr-HURKULK!-right. Pro-HOCK!-omise I'll cu—ure in a bit, I'm HM'MK!HMMK!-mmf, sti-hickUCK!-still goo-uck!-good.”

Tele.machus nodded, “alright, just checking in.”

“I appre-HEEK!ULP!-appreciate HICK!UP'K!-uh you hu'ULP!” Dorian smiled, “no—ow, my next que-hip!IC!HIUP!-uh, question is…wha–t's a s-HIMPK!-ple pleasur-HURK!-e that al–UP!-ways makes you sm-MK!HMMK!-smile, no matter HERKULK! how your day hip'k! is going?”

Tel watched as Dorian rubbed their chest comfortingly. He replied, “um, a baby's laughter always cheers me up. I dunno, just hearing that innocent laughing to the simplest things just warms my heart.”

“Awww, hickup!HULP!-uh, that's really HIUP!ULP! sweet, and vali-ip'k!-valid,” Dorian smiled, “for m-mkGMP!-me, I en-ngk!-joy those re-heek!ULK!hulgk!-really cool dan—ce videos. Like tho-holp!HOLK!-those groups in pu-HUCK!HU'UCK!‐public?”

“Oh yeah! I know what you're talking about,” Tele.machus lit up and nodded, “yeah, they are super cool to watch! I bet it took so much time to rehearse and learn all the dance moves. Y'know, I used to be in theater and I would have to learn SO much choreography! It was crazy, haha!”

Dorian's brows raised in surprise, “you– were i-HICK!IC!IP!HUOP!-ngh, in the-HEEKulk!ULP!-guh, theater?”

“Yeah, in high school,” Tele.machus told him, “though, throughout time, I've kinda enjoyed watching performances rather than being in them…but I don't know, maybe I'll get back into it at some point.”

“I-hi’ULK! thi-nkGUP!-uff, think-hingk! there's a the—eater clu-HUCKulp!ulk!HUP!-uh-HIMPK!” Dorian patted their chest a few times before continuing, “theater HRK!HERK!-uh club on cam-mgk!GMP!-campus.”

Tele.machus nodded, “yeah, I was actually considering joining, but…I dunno yet. I'll see how I feel after my intro to theater class.”

“Un-NK'olp!hnglk'UP!-und-ERK!-stand–able-hulk'ULK!-grrrup!-heekolk!-oof, ‘scuse HIP!-HI'UP! me,” Dorian covered his mouth with a fist at the burp.

“All good,” Tel reassured them, crossing his legs in an attempt to stay calm. “Um, my turn to ask, right?” At Dorian's nod, he continued, “ok, so…what do you love to do in your free time?”

“Hmm-MMK! I…well-hlk!, I li—like to play vi-HICK!HI'IP!-video HUP! gam—mes, watch gam–UP!-gamers, and…” they lowered their voice, “try t—to induce HUCKulk!UP!, not li–ke it's har-HURK!-ard HUP'K!...clearly.”

Tel blushed, envisioning Dorian just sitting in the dorms just giving himself the hiccups. Was it always a bubbly drink? Was there a specific method? A ritual? Did it always work or were there times the hiccups would play hard to get? He wondered if they'd let him watch someday…though, he was a little too nervous to ask.

Dorian smirked, seeming to read through the silence, “I'd lo—ove to in-ngk!-duce for y-HYULP!-you some-MP!MMPK!‐uh, someday heekup!-huckOLP!-HU'UP!-grrulp! Whew, sor-hrgk!-sorry, ge-heek!IC!-ez!”

Tele.machus blushed even more, covering his face, stammering, “hhhh-how did you know?”

Dorian shrugged, “lu-huck!-y gue–ess.” Their chin tucked in with a few silent hiccups before he smiled at Tel, “You sti-hi’ICK!-still ok—kay? HM'MP!”

Tel nodded quickly, “hanging in there…they're not bothering you? Or hurting you?”

Dorian shook their head, “n-ngmp!-no, tho-HOLP!-ugh they ar-HRK!KMP! stay-hingk! a bit long—ger than I'm us—sed to.”

“They don't seem to plan on stopping anytime soon either,” Tele.machus noted. “But, um…guess I'll answer too…I enjoy cooking, listening to music–particularly showtunes–and rewatching shows I've watched before instead of new ones I'm interested in…I dunno, it's weird, hehe.”

“Not hock! weird, ju-hup!-st you,” Dorian winked before wincing slightly at a deep silent cluster. “Ok—kay, I thi-HIP!HINGK!-think I'll as—k the n-HNGKUH!HUH!-next question then-ngk'l! hold my bre-HEP!-eath for a bi-HICK'IT!HI'UP!-uh, bit.”

“Alright,” Tele.machus grabbed their hand again and gently squeezed it.

“Hmm-MPK!, oh, he—ere's a goo-HOOKULP!-good one,” Dorian nodded approvingly to himself, “what’s—s the wor-hrk'm!HURK!-ourrp!-uh, ‘scuse m-MK!-me…worst date you’ve ev-ERK! been on, an-NK!HINGK'ULP!-and why? HIP!”

Dorian then proceeded to suck in some air and held it in puffed out cheeks.

“Oh, easily Melissa Norris,” Tele.machus scowled at just saying her name, “it was in the 11th grade, or was it 10th…I'm not sure, but things were going well until I'd told her that I was trans. She caused this whole scene, screaming about biology and other transphobic crap. The people around us didn't help, no one stuck up for me, just watched the drama unfold. I think I even saw some people recording the whole thing? I was so embarrassed about it, so I just left. Funny enough, a few days later, I received a coupon for the restaurant to return, but after that fiasco, I never went back there. They didn't deserve my money.”

Dorian released his breath at the end of the story, “man, what a bitch!”

“I know right?” Tele.machus chuckled slightly, “I never saw her again, either, so guess she moved schools, which is good riddance anyway.”

“Glad she didn't stick around, cuz I would've found her and given her a taste of her own medicine,” Dorian promised him.

“Your, um…h-hiccups are gone,” Tele.machus notified unnecessarily.

“Yeah, only for a moment, though,” Dorian shrugged, “You know how my hiccups operate. But it's nice to have a breather for a bit.”

They took a cleansing deep breath. Then noticed Tele.machus looking down a little guilty. They squeezed his hand, lowering their voice, “hey, it's not your fault for my hiccups, okay? I enjoy them too, remember?”

“Yeah, I know,” he replied meekly, looking away. “You sure you're okay?”

“Positive, sweets,” Dorian smiled at him, “now, let me tell you about my worst date ever.”

Tel giggled and nodded, looking at Dorian as if they were his everything.

“Okay, so mine was Nicholas Jones,” Dorian told him, “10th grade, the most boring date I've ever been on. He barely said anything, just sat there. And whenever I would try to ask a question, he'd respond with a nod, shake of his head, or a shrug. It was so dull, I wanted to pull my hair out! I literally learned nothing about this boy except to never go on another date with him.”

“Maybe he was just nervous and froze on the spot,” Tele.machus sympathized, “I mean, you are incredibly sexy, Dorian. It's an honor to even be in your presence.”

Dorian snorted, “Oh please.”

“I mean it,” Tel winked with a smirk.

“N-next question,” they stammered, a blush dusting his cheeks.

“Aww, alright, hmm…” Tele.machus thought for a bit.

As he was thinking, their waiter finally returned with all of their food, set everything on the table, then left without a word. Dorian mumbled about how this waiter wouldn't be getting a tip. The two of them inspected the food to make sure it wasn't tampered with. They grabbed their utensils and shared some of everything.

“Okay, my question for you is, who would you want to have dinner with, dead or alive?” Tele.machus asked just as he bit into the shrimp risotto.

“Ooh, probably Ollie Golden, I love his music,” Dorian smiled and sang a bit of one of his songs. “Either him or my favorite video game designer. How about you?” They placed a forkful of salmon in their mouth.

“Well, I don't really know if he's dead or alive, but…I'd like to have dinner with my dad so I can meet him,” Tel admitted.

“Awww,” Dorian pouted, “I wish there was a way you could.”

“Me too,” Tele.machus sighed, slumping slightly. “But, um…your turn.”

“Right, okay, um…oh! If you could travel anywhere without money being an issue, where would you go and why?” Dorian asked curiously.

“Oh, easily Ithaca, Greece because that's where I'm originally from,” Tel told them, taking a chicken tender and biting into it before continuing, “plus, I'm curious about the food.”

“You're from Greece?” Dorian gasped. “How the heck did you get here?”

“Mom says I was born there, but she and dad moved here pretty soon afterwards,” Tele.machus admitted.

“Wow, I would've never guessed,” Dorian moved to take a sip of their sparkling water before abandoning it, thinking that'd be a bad idea, “um, for me, I'd probably go to Paris because I want to taste all of the food, and see the eiffel tower I guess.”

“Oooh, that would be a nice vacation,” Tele.machus smiled before trying the salmon and humming. “Okay, hmmm…curious, what’s the weirdest food you've ever tasted?”

“Oh my gosh, Ramen noodles without the flavoring, -10/10, definitely don't recommend,” Dorian stuck his tongue out in disgust.

“The impulsive thoughts won that day, huh?” Tele.machus chuckled.

Dorian scratched the back of his neck, “yeah, unfortunately. Then, to try to make it taste better, I tried adding cream cheese!”

Tel's eyes widened and almost choked on his bite of salmon, “what?! For real?”

Dorian nodded and laughed, “yeah, I don't know what was going through my head that day.” They snorted before tasting the risotto. “What about you?”

“Oh gosh, no…it's really weird,” Tele.machus pushed his hair back.

“I would never judge you, sweetheart,” Dorian promised him.

“Okay…” he took a deep breath before revealing, “I had avocado toast with mayonnaise…”

Dorian's brows raised, “mayonnaise?”

“Yeah…0/10 don't recommend,” Tel shook his head.

“I bet,” Dorian cringed, “I mean, I don't like avocados either, so…none of that sounds appetizing.”

“Really? I mean, I guess it's an acquired taste,” Tel shrugged. “Anyway, it's your turn.” He sipped his iced tea.

“Right, hmm…who’s your oldest friend, and what do you love about them?” Dorian asked intrigued.

“Oh, his name's Keenan,” Tele.machus remembered, “but he moved away when we started middle school. We still kinda keep in touch through texts and phone calls. I love his everlasting kindness and ability to see the good parts in everybody. I should probably text him at some point…I miss him a lot. He also helped me learn more about myself…I hope he's doing alright…uh, what about you? Mr. Charisma must have a close friend they care deeply about.”

“Haha, so funny,” Dorian shook their head amusedly, “but I didn't really make any friendships that lasted, surprisingly.”

“Really?” Tele.machus’ brows raised in surprise.

“Yep!” Dorian shrugged and swallowed their bite of risotto, already feeling their hiccups trying to return. Patting his chest, they continued with the next question, “What’s a skill you wish you had?”

“Wait, wasn't it my turn?” Tele.machus furrowed his brows.

“Shit, you're right, my bad,” Dorian facepalmed.

“Don't worry, I'm not upset, just pointing it out,” Tel winked, biting into his chicken tender, “but as for your question, decisiveness.”

“That was a very decisive answer,” Dorian smirked teasingly.

“Shut up,” the other blushed.

Dorian chuckled at the response before they were interrupted by a, “heheh-ICK!HICKUCK!-uh, heh-HIP!HIUP!-uh, shi-HICK!-it.”

Tele.machus dragged a hand down his face, “that was fast…”

“Yeah, hup!ic'KOLP!HU'UCK!-uh,” Dorian patted their chest, “an–HNK!-and with a ven-ngkULP!HULP!HIUP!-vengen-hingkuck!HU'UULK!-uh…HOUP! vengeance! HICKOLK!hickolp!HU'ULP!-ugh hipuh!”

Tel bit his lip at the display. He watched as their whole body jolted, exaggerated with every spasm as if it were a bouncy ball.

“Wanna answer the question too?” He squeaked.

“Oh y-HYULP!-yeah,” Dorian nodded, “cook-HINK!-ing, I can't coo-HOOK!H'KLP!-ook to sa–ave my li-HAUGLK!ICK!‐life, heh-HICK!HUP!-whew!”

“Really?” Tele.machus raised his eyebrows. “I can teach you sometime.”

“Se-HEEKULK!-eriously?” Dorian's eyes lit up. “That'd be aw-HAULK!UP!-some! Tha-NK!HNGKULP!HULK!-uh, thanks!”

“Of course,” Tel smiled, “now my next question, well, it's not really a question per se, but share a fun fact about yourself that most people don't know.”

“Oh, tha-HACK!-that's ea-HEEKull!-easy!” Dorian smirked and lowered their voice, “I l–like hicc-UP!-s.”

Tele.machus rolled his eyes amusedly, “me too, but something I don't know.”

“I kn-nkmp!-know,” they winked before thinking a bit, “ok—ay, watch thi-HICK!ICK!HULP!-ourp!-uh, ‘scuse me heekULP!”

They looked at their sparkling water and focused on it, lifting a drop of the liquid. Tele.machus watched intrigued. “You have water powers? That is so cool, dude!”

Dorian smiled and dropped the liquid into their mouth, swallowing it with a hiccup-burp combo. They bowed at the end of their performance.

“Tha-nk! you,” Dorian smiled, “wha-UCK!-uff, what ab–bout yo-hook'lp!-you?”

“Well…I can burp the entire alphabet,” Tele.machus confessed.

“What? HUCK!” Dorian's eyes widened.

“Yep, I discovered it while I was trying to trigger my, um, h-hiccups one day,” Tele.machus explained before he took a forkful of salmon.

“You go–HOCK!‐gotta show m-hmk!MPK!HIMPK'M!-me when we ge-HEULP!-uh home.” They rubbed their chest a bit winded. Before Tel could ask, they gave him a thumbs up, notifying that they were alright.

The waiter came over, looking quite pleased with himself, “I'm sorry sirs, but we have been receiving too many complaints from this table, so we must ask you to leave.”

“What?” Tele.machus looked at him confused.

“N-nkUP!-none of us are lea-hick!HEEK!-uh HUMPK! leaving,” Dorian crossed their arms.

“I'll get security to make you go,” the waiter smirked.

“Can we at least get containers for our food?” Tele.machus asked.

“Is this HULP!HIP! because o–of my HICK!-cups?” Dorian raised an eyebrow at him, “cuz I c-HICKulk!‐can't con-nk!nk!HNGK!-uh HUCKULK!HU'UCK!HUOP!-oof…HUP! can't contro–ol that.”

The waiter walked away again without a word. Tele.machus looked at Dorian confused before looking around. He saw plenty of people just minding their business. So it just had to be the waiter, right?

“Tel-ULKGMP!-el?” Dorian tilted his head.

Tele.machus stood up and took Dorian's hand, “forget the containers, let's just go.”

Dorian nodded and grabbed their jacket and roses before following Tele.machus out of the dining area and out the door. Dorian stayed quiet, well, as quiet as they could be with the hiccups that shook them every few seconds.

Tele.machus had taken a rideshare service to the restaurant, so Dorian led him to their car. Unlocking the doors, they opened the passenger door for Tel, waiting patiently for him to get in before closing it and heading to the driver's side. They got inside and started the car.

“I'm-”

“Don't you dare apologize for those beautiful sounds you're making,” Tele.machus turned to them, a serious look on his face.

“Bu-huck!-”

“That guy was an asshole,” Tele.machus continued, “but he's not going to ruin our date night. Besides, we both saved money by eating and not waiting for that check cuz he wanted us gone so badly.”

Dorian gasped incredulously, “Telem-hmgmk!-ourrp!-uh, ‘scuse me…Tele.machus La-HAUK!-Last Name…did you jus-huckgmm!-just…swear?”

“Wha-? Oh my gosh!” Tele.machus covered his face, “he was, though!”

“Oh, to–otally agree–e,” Dorian patted their chest.

Tele.machus chuckled before looking at Dorian again, “how about we head to the dorm, order Chinese, and watch a movie and cuddle?”

“That sounds li–ike a lovely ide-heek!-a,” Dorian smiled at him before driving off.

“It's funny,” Tel laughed slightly, “we were gonna get kicked out by h-hiccups,” he cleared his throat at his stammer, “and now they decided to quiet down.”

Dorian chuckled a bit, “heh-hick! yeah, and slo–owed down too…I think h'ingk! they're trying to go a-whick!-away now.”

“But they just came back,” Tele.machus said confused. “And they seemed so powerful before.”

“Yeah, my re-heek!-peat cases from cur-hrk!-ing don't last long,” Dorian shrugged, turning the corner, “my theory is hip!-uh that since they ended prematurely, the hick!-ups are just finishing up the rest of their hi'ulp!hip!hi'ilp!-grmp! sorry, excuse me, the rest of their case.”

“Huh…interesting,” Tel hummed, “do you ever have repeat cases without having cured them before?”

“Mmm…I hickulk! I'm not sure,” Dorian said after thinking a moment, “that'd be really cool tho-holp!-ough. I mean, I think hiup! when I induce over and over again, but I do–on't think it happ-hickip!-ens naturally.”

“They really seem to be lingering,” Tele.machus smiled, “think they'll last long enough for our cuddles?”

“Doubt h'gup! it,” Dorian shrugged, “but we'll see. There's a first for everything. Hugguh!-uh, I don't know, they are still ki–inda strong. You wanna feel ‘em now before they're go–one?”

Tele.machus bit his lip, looking out the window, “kinda…if it's okay.”

“Of course, Tel-hlk!ulk!-ly, I wouldn't have offered if it wasn-ngk!-n't,” Dorian smiled.

They took Tele.machus’ hand and placed it on their chest. Tel almost melted just at the feeling of their pecs.

Dorian noticed and chuckled softly, “you like what you feel?”

“What is your workout plan because holy crap,” Tele.machus shuddered slightly.

“Not much really,” Dorian shrugged before explaining their workout routine.

“‘Not much’ they say and then explains a multi-step plan,” Tel muttered.

Dorian laughed openly at that, “what? I mean…okay, maybe it's not much for me…”

“That is so much. Are you tryna be a bodybuilder or something?” Tel tilted his head.

“No, unless-”

“No, don't change for me, you're perfect the way you are,” Tel patted their chest, “also, your h-hiccups are gone again.”

Dorian parked at the student dorm parking lot and turned to Tele.machus, “you're so sweet, Tele.machus…and adorable. And of course they go away right when we get here…probably for the best. Give the ole diaphragm a break.” He gently patted where his diaphragm was located, “good work tonight. You really saved this date.”

Tele.machus snorted, and lay his head on their shoulder while laughing, “oh my gosh!”

Dorian chuckled along, their head on top of Tel's. The two of them just sat there, laughing with each other until tears fell from their eyes. Once they both calmed down, they looked at each other, smiles on both their faces.

“Hey,” Dorian whispered.

“Hey,” Tele.machus repeated with a little giggle.

“So…despite us getting kicked out by a homophobic asshole, was this a good first date?” Dorian asked curiously but also a little nervously.

Tele.machus smiled, “does this answer your question?”

Dorian tilted their head confusedly before Tel held their cheeks and gently pulled them in for a soft and meaningful kiss. Dorian smiled into the kiss and happily reciprocated. They both felt their hearts fluttering and a spark like fireworks in their souls.

They released after a moment, staring at each other for a bit before going back in for another passionate kiss. They kissed in the front seats of Dorian’s car for quite a while, losing track of time.

Once the lovebirds had enough of their make out session, they smiled at each other.

“I guess that means the date was pretty decent,” Dorian chuckled and kissed Tele.machus’ cheek.

Tele.machus snorted, “all of that and that's the takeaway?” He kissed their forehead.

“Alright, on a scale of 1 to 10-”

“Oh my gosh, no,” Tele.machus stopped him with another laugh.

Dorian smiled at him and stroked his hair, “I like you, Tele.machus…like…really like you.”

“Glad the feeling's mutual,” Tel smiled back at him, “now what movie are we watching?”

Dorian chuckled, “First, we've gotta figure out which Chinese food place to order from.”

“Well, we could always get that place we always order from,” Tele.machus suggested as he got out of the car.

“You genius,” Dorian cheered and followed suit.

The two of them held hands as they walked back into the dorm building and towards their room. They ordered in, picked a movie, and spent the night together, continuing their questions game. Sometimes, fancy restaurants were overrated and all it took for a good time was good company.