Chapter Text
To say that 5up is looking forward to the Vegas trip would be an understatement.
There’s this raw excitement pulsating through his veins, a feeling that, by this point, has been accumulating for weeks - and now, as he sits at the airport, his flight minutes away from boarding, 5up is very thankful for the mask covering his face, because surely , somebody would think he’s not quite alright if they saw the wide grin that’s currently plastered on his lips. But truly, who could blame him for feeling this way, when he’s about to finally meet the people he’s been spending every morning with for a good part of the last year, the people who have become his closest and most valued friends in such a short period of time?
So, there he is, just mere hours away from the big meetup , too giddy to just sit by idly and wait; so, there he is , praying to the shitty airport wifi to maintain steady connection while Hafu streams their little q&a.
On the tiny screen of his phone, he watches Hafu and the easiness with which she makes everybody feel at home; he watches Janet oscillate between soft smiles and uncontrolled laughter; he watches Apollo looking somehow like he’s both kind of terrified and living for the attention of those loud personalities around him; and he watches Steve… Well, he watches Steve just be himself and somehow, still manage to make it the most captivating thing ever. When Steve lifts his hand up to fix his hair, 5up watches carefully the way his fingers move to rearrange his curls; when Steve throws his entire body back in laughter, 5up feels his own chest moving right along with him; when Steve leans towards Apollo to whisper something to his ear, 5up lets his eyes take in the entire length of Steve’s body, kind of a terrifying remind of just how insanely tall that man is.
An announcement goes off somewhere in the distance, the tin-can-sounding noise distracting 5up’s attention from the stream just as the topic of the conversation changes. He manages to catch its tail end once he refocuses, Apollo murmuring something about height, Janer nodding with the words I see and then Hafu chiming in with 5’7” and there’s only one thought that flashes through his mind: this better not be a jab at me.
But then Steve shrugs, the gentlest move of his shoulders, and says - oh, he’s my little guy - and this warmth quickly shoots through 5up’s chest and settles right on the top of his cheeks, burning flush of something .
5up tries to swallow it down, but Steve hasn’t stopped talking, now moved on to saying just how excited he is to give 5up a little hug and when Hafu mock-hugs the air, her body angled forward and down, to clearly emphasize that she’s hugging a tiny person, 5up doesn’t even think once before switching from twitch to discord, pulling up his conversation thread with Steve.
5up: doooon’t call me a little guy
He doesn’t expect an immediate reply, but when he switches back to the stream and sees Steve playing with his phone, the notification that comes through only seconds later doesn’t surprise him.
stevensuptic: what do you mean?
stevensuptic: you are my little guy
“Steve,” 5up murmurs with a sigh under his nose, shaking his head softly in disbelief.
5up: i’m not that little
5up: i’m 5’8”
The typing indicator at the bottom of his screen pops up a couple of times, but always disappears after a moment or two and 5up just stares at that spot intently, as if somehow there was a way to see through it all the way to Vegas, to whatever it is Steve is trying so hard to not say.
Eventually a series of messages come through, one quickly succeeded by another.
stevensuptic: dude.
stevensuptic: you’re t i n y
stevensuptic: i bet i could pick you up
5up: i bet you could not
stevensuptic: is that a dare?
stevensuptic: because the answer is simply yes
stevensuptic: i accept the challenge
5up: steven…
stevensuptic: too late to back out now, my little guy
5up chuckles, rolling his eyes.
5up: can’t wait to see what’s the weather like up there, my big guy
stevensuptic: doooooon’t call me a big guy
stevensuptic: also, that was quite literally the worst joke ever, please, never try that again
5up: hahaha, can’t wait to see you
stevensuptic: same dude, same
stevensuptic: when are you getting here?
5up flicks his eyes up to the nearest display, quickly locating the row with his flight and the words BOARDING NOW right next to it.
5up: about to board rn
5up: a bit over an hour for the flight
5up: so... soon
stevensuptic: i’m so pumped
stevensuptic: go board my dude
stevensuptic: and don’t be afraid to ask some adult to help you put your bag into the overhead storage
5up: love u steve :)
stevensuptic: yeah yeah, love you too bro x
Yeah, 5up doesn’t think he’s ever been this excited for something in his life.
Even though he specifically asked Hafu for no welcome committee (and multiple times, mind you), when he steps out of David’s car at their driveway, blinded by the harsh Nevada sun even through his sunglasses, he hears everybody’s excited screams before he has the chance to blink through the light and actually see their faces. But then, once he finally forces his eyes to adjust, he doesn’t really need to anymore, as both Hafu and Janet throw themselves at him, their arms squeezing him tightly and their voices overlapping in a happy chipper. 5up laughs with them, his chest warm and soft and happy.
When they eventually let go of him and pause for a breath, 5up uses the opportunity to say hi properly, like a normal human being. Janet is still giddy with happiness, rambling about a million things at once - you look nothing like I imagined; finally somebody to match my short girl energy; should I call you by your normal name or is 5up okay - and then Hafu, easily matching her energy, answering each and every of her questions - doesn’t he? what did you imagine he’d be like?; hey, what about me?; whatever you want, he’s fine with either - and at some point, 5up just tunes them out and turns his attention to the two men standing by the door and well, what their movements might lack in excitement, their faces definitely make up for - at least if the wide grins are anything to go by. Steve’s eyes are fixed on 5up as he whispers something to Apollo, which makes Apollo roll his eyes but then quickly join Steve in laughing.
“Hi,” 5up says, the single word accompanied with a small wave.
“Wait, you are not actually a turnip?” Apollo asks, a teasing tilt to both his voice and his head.
“Wow, that’s a real low blow coming from someone who’s definitely-not-a-dog,” 5up retorts back, slurring the last few words together.
“I mean, c’mon, you’re not even pink ?” Apollo continues, his voice jumping up an octave or two higher as he says the colour.
“Oh, so is this just going to be me slander the entire time now, just a little me slander?” 5up asks, his eyebrows shooting up.
Apollo just shakes his head, a kind of awkward but impossibly soft, a gentler smile finding its way onto his lips. “Nah, man, just messing with you. It’s so fucking good to see you actually.”
They end up in this bro hug, one that just feels somehow exactly how 5up imagined being around Apollo would feel like - tiniest bit awkward, a whole lot friendly and just so, so nice.
The moment they separate though, another pair of arms is thrown around 5up, warm and long and strong. 5up doesn’t take any time to process what’s happening, he just laughs into Steve’s chest, more from the pure surprise than anything else. And then, when he figures it’s perhaps about the time he should start processing it, he feels his feet disconnecting from the ground and then his entire body just spinning and spinning and spinning.
So, he just laughs louder, until Steve starts laughing with him, his entire chest vibrating against 5up’s face. By that point, 5up’s thoughts are spinning as well, the only thing that he manages to focus on being Steve and how Steve smells of forests and mint and how naturally Steve’s arms fit around his waist and how Steve-
“Dude, I can’t believe you are real,” Steve says as his spins come to a gentle stop.
Once 5up’s feet are planted firmly back on the ground, he takes a step back to be able to look in Steve's face without completely spraining his neck. His mind is spinning, his heart is beating loudly in his chest - he feels high on giddiness. “Oh, so we’re back to this again?” he asks, wanting it to come out kind of disapprovingly, but instead, the question is just laced with laughter.
Steve grins widely, his eyes glinting with a hint of playfulness and 5up wants to know so desperately just what exactly is going through Steve’s mind right now.
“Nah, you’ve been just a voice for so long, so this is weird, you know,” Steve says, pausing for a moment as he reaches up to fix his hair. “But nice,” he adds then and there is this softness to his voice, this indescribable gentleness.
“Nice?” he repeats, but can’t quite get his tone to match Steve’s - it almost feels like he’s missing an ingredient from a recipe, the taste almost right, almost .
Steve holds his gaze as he nods. “Yeah, nice.”
Hafu’s birthday celebration is everything 5up has expected Hafu’s birthday celebration to be - it’s fun, it’s loud and it’s on, constantly. Don’t take him the wrong way, he loves Hafu, he loves having a good time, he loves being around everyone - it just gets a bit too much at certain moments, that’s all. It’s not Hafu’s fault, definitely not - it’s just him, coming from his small and lonely bedroom, coming from a city where lately, his social interactions were rather rare and sparse, coming from behind his computer and instantly being thrown into a huge mix of people.
And it doesn’t matter how much he loves those people, how long he has been dreaming of meeting them; right now Hafu’s living room feels a bit too suffocating, a bit too much for his mind that’s already slipping into an alcohol-induced spin. So, he gets up from the sofa, mumbling an excuse nobody can really catch over the pulsating music and slips outside without looking back even once.
The glass door slides closed behind his back, like a veil falling between him and the noises of the party - music dampens, voices turn into ineligible whispers. Night time doesn’t do much to rid Nevada’s air of its dryness, but 5up still finds every inhale incredibly refreshing. He lets his eyes fall closed for a moment as his body becomes one with the hot desert.
“Dude, are you okay?” a voice reaches his ears; however, it doesn’t sound as dull as he would expect it when coming through the shut door behind his back.
5up slowly pushes one of his eyes open, scanning the garden in front of him. He locates Steve fairly quickly - he’s seated on the ground, his back leaning against one of the trees that line the sides of Hafu’s garden, his long extended legs practically unmissable.
“What?” 5up asks, opening his second eye as well, blinking at Steve in confusion.
Steve waves his hand in front of himself. “Dunno, man, you just looked like you needed a moment alone or something,” he answers with a shrug. 5up waits for a continuation, waits for one of Steve’s trademark comments, one that tiptoes the line between being toxic and hilarious - but nothing follows, just silence stretching over the two of them.
“Nah, don’t worry. I just needed-” 5up considers his next words for a second, “- something a bit quieter, I suppose.”
Steve nods understandingly before turning his attention to his vape, not saying anything more.
5up stands still, considering Steve for a moment.
Steve, who he hasn’t even noticed sneaking out and yet, there he is, looking a little too comfortable to not have been sitting there like that for quite a while; Steve, who is all long limbs and tall body and yet, he looks kind of small under the massive tree; Steve, whose head is hidden in a soft cloud of his own making underneath the clear night sky.
“Actually,” 5up starts, his mouth moving almost on its own, the question finding its way to the tip of his tongue before he can even think about it. “You mind if I join you?”
Steve exhales the answer, his voice rough and coated in vapour. “Not at all.”
5up crosses the garden, dropping down next to Steve. He leans against the tree trunk, feeling its rough bark through the thin fabric of his shirt; but also, feeling the heat coming off Steve’s body where their arms press against each other. And normally, with this dry Nevada heatwave, any skin contact would feel incredibly uncomfortable, something about this feels just nice enough that 5up can’t really be bothered to move away.
They sit without talking for a bit, the silence around them not deafening only because of all of the whtie noise; cars passing by on a distant highway, subdued music coming from inside the house, soft crackling noise Steve’s vape makes every time he takes a hit, sound of 5up’s heart beating rhythmically against his ribcage.
“Why are you hiding out here?” 5up asks eventually, keeping his voice in a whisper, as if in an attempt to not disturb the peacefulness that seems to have settled all around them.
“Didn’t want to smoke inside,” Steve says with a small shrug, his back moving against the tree, his arm against 5up’s skin. He brings the pen up to his lips, taking a long drag almost as if to emphasize his reasoning, almost as if to prove his point.
“Since when?” 5up asks, angling his head to the side to get a slightly better look at Steve.
“Since Janet decided to be fucking annoying and scream at me about how unhealthy it is every time I tried, completely ruining any calming effect it had,” Steve explains and although he sounds a bit mad, he is also laughing.
“Uhm, that’s truly surprising, absolutely shocking,” 5up says, cheekily clicking his tongue at the end. “She ain’t wrong though, you know.”
“I know, smoking is the worst, yadi-yadi, thanks, mom .”
“Steven,” 5up exhales, a laugh stuck somewhere in his throat. “Shuuut the fuck up.”
“Dudeee,” Steve says, dragging the word out as he laughs and exhales vapour. “Have you ever tried?”
“What, smoking?” 5up asks and when Steve doesn’t reply instantly, he looks up, finding Steve’s eyes. There’s a certain cloudiness in them, but also a certain intensity and 5up feels like he could stare into them for an eternity and not ever grow tired; worlds must be hidden behind those eyes and the idea of them being left unexplored sounds simply preposterous to 5up’s ears.
“Yeah,” Steve hums and 5up expects him to look away then, but Steve doesn’t. He holds 5up’s gaze intently, not even blinking as he brings the vape up, tapping the end of the pen against his lips before taking a quick suck - oh god, 5up is so glad Steve can’t hear his thoughts right now - and then continues watching silently as Steve lets the smoke slowly escape out. A soft wall builds up between them, smelling all minty and soft and tingling 5up’s skin, drawing a smile to his lips, leaving him completely and utterly mesmerised.
“You still with me, little dude?” Steve asks, flapping his eyelashes at 5up, blinking him out of his thoughts.
5up chuckles, forcing his eyes away from Steve’s. “Tried smoking cigarettes once or twice, but didn't really enjoy it.”
“Good. Cigarettes suck,” Steve says without missing a beat. “This is so much better though,” he adds, waving the pen in the air.
“Oh, is it now?” 5up asks, raising his eyebrow up.
“Oh, for sure,” Steve agrees eagerly. “Try it,” he offers then, angling the vape towards him.
5up’s eyes jump between the vape and Steve in surprise a few times before eventually settling on Steve. The question topples off the tip of his tongue before he can reconsider. “Did you just offer me a quick suck?”
Steve laughs, his shoulder moving against 5up’s. “Dude, you know I’m a suck freak.”
“Simply a suck freak, simply a suck freak,” 5up repeats, trying to hold back his own laugh.
“You’ve got it,” Steve smirks, twirling his vape pen between his long fingers. “Anyways, my offer, you know, for the quick suck, still stands,” Steve adds, pausing for a second as he licks his lips and finds 5up’s gaze, “but no pressure.”
“I see, so this is how it’s going to be now, is it? You just shamelessly corrupting me?”
“It’s the big city life, baby,” Steve says, a sly smile plastered on his lips and nonchalance in his voice.
5up stares him down with a hint of scepticism mixed with a hint of curiosity. “Alright, hit me.”
A flash of surprise runs through Steve’s face, almost as if he hadn’t expected 5up to actually agree, but it disappears as fast as it appeared, right back to the trademark Steven grin and sparks of excitement in his eyes. “Okay, so there isn’t a lot to it, you pretty much just put it between your lips and, ya know, suck.”
Steve tips the pen towards 5up, holding it out in an invitation. 5up reaches for it, his fingers brushing against Steve’s in the process; the touch is fleeting and gentle and 5up doesn’t quite understand why he’s even thinking about it, but, here he is anyway.
He feels Steve’s eyes bearing into him even though he doesn’t lift up his gaze to meet his; instead he focuses on twirling the pen between his fingers a couple of times, the movements nowhere as smooth as Steve’s were, but still pretty solid, at least in his humble opinion. Slowly, he lifts it up and places it against his bottom lip.
“Oh, it’s warm,” he mumbles, not quite sure what he expected.
“Of course it’s warm, dude, there’s like a little spark thingy inside,” Steve says quickly.
“Yep, yep, but are you totally sure it’s not just from your mouth?” 5up asks, a teasing smile on his lips.
“Shuuuut the fuck up and suck,” Steve laughs and so 5up shuts up and inhales in.
It’s definitely a sensation.
It kind of reminds him of the cigarettes he tried, but it lacks the annoying nicotine burn, the harsh fire that builds up at the back of one’s throat; it just tastes kind of soft and of mint and coolness and 5up knows he’ll now forever associate this taste with Steve.
It also sends this sensation down to the ends of his fingers, to the ends of his toes, feeling both like peacefulness itself is flowing through his veins and something else, something exciting and-
Must be the nicotine, 5up thinks, just as his chest starts burning and his train of thoughts dissolves into a cough.
Next to him, Steve bursts out laughing. “Dude, you’ve got to exhale as well,” Steve says as he reaches for the pen, brushing their fingers together as he takes it from him. He presses the vape against his own lips then, taking an exemplary, seamless drag, as if it was as natural to him as breathing.
“Uhm, I know,” 5up exhales, a certain hint of exasperation lacing his voice.
“Do you, though?” Steve asks.
“Contrary to what you might assume, I’m not dumb, Steven,” 5up says, rolling his eyes, but keeping his tone lighthearted.
Steve pauses for a second and there’s something in his expression that almost makes him look like 5up’s answer shocked him. He licks his lips before chuckling, but the laughter comes off a bit too short, a bit too fake, a bit too polite .
“C’mon, you know I don’t think that, honey,” Steve shakes his head, his tone just impossibly soft. “If anything, you’re literally like the smartest guy I know.”
“Aww, Steeeeve,” 5up says, drawing his name out into almost a squeal, “that’s so nice!”
“Aaaaand, we’re done talking about this,” Steve says quickly.
“Oh no, we’re definitely not done talking about this,” 5up laughs. “So, I’m the smartest person you know, did I hear that right?”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Steve mumbles. “Anyways, you-wanna try shotgunning-this?” he asks instantly afterwards, slurring the words together in his attempt to fly through the question as fast as possible.
5up chokes on the air, Steve’s question definitely not something he expected to hear right now (or well, in general, ever). “What? Just how drunk are you?”
Steve looks kind of surprised as well, but there’s also something else in his features, something 5up can’t quite put a name on. “Nevermind, fo’get ‘bout it,” Steve says, his words still slurring together, but in a way that feels marginally different from just moments before.
5up considers Steve for a second - the way he keeps tapping the tip of the vape pen against his bottom lip, the way his eyes keep jumping from left to right, always landing on spots that aren’t 5up’s eyes, the way his curls sway gently in the soft wind - 5up looks down, looks away and wills his mind to do the same. However, when it doesn’t, he simply makes a decision.
“Steve,” 5up breathes out. “Yeah, I’m down.”
“Nah, man, forget about it. It was a dumb idea anyways.”
“No, no, I want to do it,” 5up says and he kind of doesn’t want to explore just how much he actually means that, how much it isn’t something he just throws back at Steve half-jokingly. Right now is not the time for that, soooo not the time. But Steve is shaking his head and 5up can already see another argument about to fall from his lips, so he chooses to speak first. “Steven, I dare you to shotgun this with me.”
Steve freezes at 5up’s words, however, just for a moment; he blinks then, slowly, and 5up just has to look at his eyelashes, there’s simply no other option.
“Okay,” Steve says carefully, his voice impossibly soft and a smile on his lips that looks almost hopeful.
“Oki,” 5up hums back and lifts one corner of his lips, in a gentle encouragement, in a gentle invitation.
Some time passes; or perhaps it doesn’t, who really knows - 5up completely loses track of it, his focus unable to move away the gentlest of freckles that cover Steve’s cheeks and nose, his mind unable to figure out how he was able to notice such a miniscule detail under the blanket of late night. His eyes hang onto them, almost desperate to just keep staring until he would count them all; but he doesn’t stay, as a soft movement distracts him.
Steve taps the pen against his bottom lip once, twice- and just like that, 5up’s fixation shifts and he is unsure whether it is for better or for worse.
Somewhere far away, a door slides open and loud music pours out of the living room, breaking through the peacefulness of the night like a tidal wave. 5up holds his breath, but he feels the air shifting, a spell quickly fizzling out, a magical moment crackling away right in front of his eyes.
“Are the two of you coming back in at any point tonight?” Hafu calls out.
“Nope,” 5up mumbles just loud enough for Steve to hear and Steve chuckles, but as 5up watches Steve straighten his back, putting space between them where previously none existed, he knows the moment is gone, having slipped right through their fingers.
“Will be there in a second,” Steve calls out and just like that, he is on his feet, extending his arm out for 5up to take. He accepts, letting Steve pull him up, letting their hands be pressed together for a second longer than strictly necessary, letting this weird sense of comfort stemming from their touch wash over him.
And then, Steve grins at him and winks - god damn, the man really winks at him, like the biggest flirt - and starts walking back towards the house, not waiting for 5up to join him. Which is probably for the best, since there is a rosiness settling on the top of his cheeks and the last thing 5up wants is for Steve to notice, to make assumptions - to make assumptions before 5up can make some himself.