Do You Blame Yourself?

[Chapter 39] - The Small Things

Sometimes, you have to chase what you're looking for.

If it's worth it, it's not easy.

"You know, I was wondering something!" Kwazii exclaimed, popping up behind.
"You didn't have to scare me like that!" Peso slapped his hand over his chest, but still looking him in the eyes. "But continue, please."
"Well, you've got this little thing going on, and I needed to know what I should do."

"What does that mean? I've got something going on?" he asked.
"In a good way!" he exclaimed. "Trust me, everything about you is completely perfect."

What?

"Oh, I don't think that's true, no one can be completely perfect."
"Not in my eyes. There's got to be someone out there who's perfect."
"And it's not me."
"Yes it is!" Would it really take this long to convince him that he was perfect, or would it take years?

"There hasn't been a single person or thing in history that hasn't made a mistake ever, so no one truly is perfect," Peso said, sauntering next to him.
"Why won't you just believe me?" Kwazii dragged his hands down his face.

"Do you really want me to believe you that bad?"

Peso leaned against the wall, the hallway becoming eerily silent. The stare he had could cut right through people, as if it were a knife. Despite that, he couldn't keep a serious face. A smile slowly started to form on his face, just staring at a wide-eyed Kwazii threw him into laughing fits.

"Of course I want you to believe that! Why don't you? Don't use making mistakes as an excuse, I'm not taking that for an answer," Kwazii stated.

...

He didn't reply.

"Ha ha. I caught you."
"If you- if you asked anyone else that question they'd respond the same way! I'm no different!"

"How to convince your stubborn boyfriend..." Kwazii leaned next to him, face pressed against the wall.
"Are you asking me that? I am your boyfriend!"

Oh good god, why me?

They both froze in their spots, hands and eyes not moving an inch.

"I'd be surprised if no one heard that with our luck." Peso averted his eyes, looking down behind the two.
"Correction, my luck."

"Can I ask, why do you want to convince me now all those things?"
"Because if I did that before, I'd have everyone on my case."

...

"Touché."

~

"We're cheesy." Kwazii muttered, not even making eye contact.
"We? We!? This isn't French class, you're the cheesy one. Next corny move you make is most likely going to expose us, no offense."

It went quiet. With everything running around in the chaos of their brain, neither of them knew what to do, nor where they were. 

"Well, they're all bound to find out soon."
"Oh, don't say that. I can only imagine their reactions." Peso looked away, shaking his head.
"You don't want them finding out, yet you tell your own family without even coming out?"
"They've probably placed bets already!"

"Where did they run off to?" Shellington asked.
"Off on their little date," Barnacles replied, jokingly rolling his eyes.
"Pfft- not shocking! How much you want to bet they come back and they're dating?"
"I'd give it a few days or so, they might just be too scared to admit it," he said.
"A few days? A week or two for me, there's no way they would tell us that like that." He snapped his fingers.

"All right, it's a bet then!"
"Oh, you're on Captain!"

"Bets? They're making bets?" Kwazii blurted, his voice raising an entire eight octaves.
"For all we know, they probably did!"

Peso smacked his head against the wall, slowly sliding down and hitting the floor. "Okay, all we have to do is get everyone in the same spot and tell them! That way they won't be onto us!"
"Anywhere but the HQ, everything happens there..." He slid down next to him.
"Anywhere but the kitchen, too. Things have happened there that we don't need to talk about."

"Well, it's the little, small things that matter, right?" Kwazii grabbed him by the hand and held their hands, now folded together, in between their faces.
"Yeah, it really is just the small things."

In hopes of some of their stress fading away or leaving completely for a while, the two sat there, fingers intertwined.

Today was quite possibly the day they had been dreading for the longest of times, before anything between them was even confirmed.

This would work, it had to.

~

"We're done for."
"I know that, matey."

It was oddly quiet, despite everyone being present that night.

They had chosen the kitchen, where most things like this happened. Not surprisingly, at dinner time too.

Peso tightened his grip on Kwazii's hand from under the table as if he were trying to tell him something. When he looked over in a way of asking 'What's up?', his hand squeezed his so hard, he thought he'd break it or damage a bone.

"You all right, Peso?"

That question made him snap out of whatever kind of trance he was in.

Who even said that?

He looked up a bit more only to see Barnacles staring right back at him. "I'm fine, no need to worry," he assured him, "but..."

But.

He had seen this coming from miles away.

"I- or, we, wanted to tell you something."

He looked down at him.

Peso was still holding his hand.

"Wait, we?" Kwazii questioned, scrunching up his face.
"Mhm."

He could almost feel the sarcastic smile on Barnacles's face, even though he wasn't looking at anyone else.

And while still holding his hand, Peso held them up. "The moment you've all been waiting for..." he announced unenthusiastically. "It's official! Congrats us!" He softly shook their hands, thought not softening his hold.

As expected, everyone but the poor couple were enthusiastic about this, almost as if they had been waiting for a while.

They were, but it wasn't like that was going to be admitted anytime soon.

"Hah! I won the bet, Captain. Pay up!" Shellington exclaimed from down the table, smacking his hands on the counter.
"Oh come on," Barnacles responded, still laughing.

"Are you kidding me?"
"Kwaz, I told you they were making bets!"

Words: 1042 Words
1) corny ass chapter because school actually killed me and ive got no sleep right now
2) things are not going to be this boring i swear they'll get interesting
3) send help i can't remember the last time i ate