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“Are you alright, King?” Tubbo asks, trying to not show how deeply concerned he is.
They’ve spent the last 20 minutes together, after Fred showed up in the post place once again, while Tubbo was trying to read their letter. Of course he was on the cloud nine because of it! Seeing Fred makes feel all warm and excited and generally so in love it’s not even funny at this point. And he is still very happy, but Tubbo can’t help but notice how Fred’s ears twitch in distress at some moments and she stiffens a bit, before continue moving.
Fred stops to write down an answer, and Tubbo waits patiently, looking around to check if his machines are working in the meantime – they’ve reached his base.
‘I am fine, just a light headache, nothing to worry about’
“You should’ve told me sooner!” Tubbo exclaims, but immediately tones himself down to not disturb Fred further. “Do you have any medicine?” Fred shakes his head. “Shit, I don’t as well”, maybe he should have listened when Phil told him to get a basic First Aid kit here.
He thinks about it for a minute, and Fred starts writing again, probably to tell him that it’s fine and not to worry about it. But Tubbo wants friend to feel okay and be okay, so he is going to think and worry.
“I have an idea”, he lights up before Fred can even show him his next message. “I know something that might help”, Fred closes the book and tilts his head quizzically.
Tubbo sits down right where they are, on the half-broken stairs of his platform. But it’s clean enough and he doesn’t care.
“Lie down and put your head on my lap”, he instructs Fred, clapping the place next to him slightly. Fred looks utterly confused and definitely fighting a desire to ask a lot of questions first, but ultimately ends up doing what Tubbo told him.
She manifests a blanket out of her inventory before laying down carefully, their head gingerly placed right on Tubbo’s thighs, and Tubbo’s breath hitches, when he suddenly realizes a little problem with his plan – Fred is now so close and so breathtakingly adorable. Oh God.
“Okay”, Tubbo clears his throat. “This is not a 100% method, but it helped me when Tallulah did it, so…”, Tubbo raises his right hand and, exhaling, places it on Fred’s forehead.
It’s slightly warmer than it should be, but not in a feverish way. Tubbo’s cold hand is in a harsh contrast to that, and Fred stiffens under the touch, but then almost leans into it, as much as their position allows him. Tubbo keeps his palm there for another few seconds, before slowly moving it into Fred’s hair, ruffling it slightly.
It’s so soft. Tubbo didn’t expect it to be that soft. Almost like a fur of a well-groomed cat, which probably makes sense for a hybrid. Still he gets a very nice whiplash.
He brushes Fred’s hair between his fingers, getting rid of all the knots with much care, and adds pressure on their scalp, massaging it in a light circular movements, scratching the sensitive skin like he would do with a cat.
It’s almost a therapeutic experience, and for a bit Tubbo’s mind completely blanks out, his atention solely on the movements of his right hand. Fred is lying still. His eyes are closed, and only her chest is raising up and down in a slow rythm of breathing. Tubbo reaches out with his left hand and draws a line on Fred’s temple with his thumb. He doesn’t think when he does that, but Fred opens his eyes and looks at him quizzically. Tubbo blushes, but his left palm is now resting on their cheek.
He concentrates on the scalp scratching once more when there’s a warm pressure on his left palm, and Tubbo watches how Fred raises it off her cheek and intertwines their fingers, taking off their mask with their free hand.
It’s rare, to see Fred’s whole face, not masked by anything. The fact that his eyes weren’t hidden too today was already a happy occurrence in Tubbo’s life. So Tubbo soaks the moment in to the best of his abilities, trailing the elegant and pale features with his gaze like the most enchanting art.
He is watching in a trance how Fred brings their interlocked hands closer to his face and presses his very soft lips to Tubbo’s knuckles. Not a kiss, there’s no movement further, Fred just stills in that position again, while Tubbo’s heart does somersaults in his stomach.
He fluffs Fred’s hair again and slides his right hand lower, just tracing absentminded lines on the lovely face.
Tubbo thinks if he died right now, he would die happy.
Fred moves once again after what seemed like eternity but probably closer to a couple of minutes. He lets go of Tubbo’s left hand, placing it carefully on her chest and manifests a flower from his inventory. It’s peony, delicate and beautiful, and Fred reaches up, leaving his place on Tubbo’s lap for a second, to tag this flower behind Tubbo’s ear with an affectionate determination.
“Aww, that’s sweet”, Tubbo laughs quietly, his face burning. “Thank you for the flower”.
Fred pulls his book out again to answer.
‘You are welcome’
‘You look beautiful. Like a wild flower’
Tubbo is not fast enough to hold back a high-pitched squeak that escapes him and he immediately slaps his mouth shut with a horrified expression. Absolutely flustered.
Fred looks amused, even if his pale face also acquires pinkish shades.
“Umm… yeah… I mean, you look beautiful too”, Tubbo stumbles from his response, fighting a desire to hide his face and scream. So his first instinct is to try and move the dialogue to something else until he can collect himself back together. “So, what do peonies mean? On the flower language”.
Fred’s small smile grows a little wider in a tender playful fondness.
‘Good luck and prosperity’
They write. Tubbo nods in understanding. What a good flower.
‘And also love at first sight’
Tubbo exhales loudly and Fred silently laughs.
“You will kill me like that, boss”, he grumbles, dealing with seventeen different emotions at once, and Fred doesn’t help, his light gray eyes watching Tubbo with sparkling warmth and endearment. Tubbo takes their hand to place a small kiss on their knuckles. “Did your headache pass at least?”
‘Hmmm, I don’t know, maybe you should kiss it better?’
Fred’s facial expression is nothing short of innocent, but Tubbo knows he is teasing him. He wants to scream, but also kiss his person until they both can’t breath.
“Okay”, he answers. “Come here”.
He gestures for Fred to get up, and Fred actually looks surprised, but follows his instructions and sits up, so their faces are on more or less one level.
Tubbo wants to kiss him like there’s no tomorrow.
But tomorrow will come, so it can wait another date.
Instead he shifts, so there’s practically no space between them, and palms Fred’s face, bringing it closer. And then Tubbo places a tender kiss on Fred’s much cooler now forehead. He freezes like that for a second before moving and leaving a trace of butterfly kisses on other’s temple, cheekbone, tip of the nose, jaw and finally on the corner of Fred’s mouth, less than a centimeter away from his lips.
“Better?” he asks, his voice breathless like he just ran a marathon.
Fred nods, and his gaze is so full of emotions, just like a human, that Tubbo needs to look away to not drown in this storm.
“I am glad it helped”, he smiles and takes their hand in his once again. “We should go before the sun sets. I promised you a sunset, right?”