Paper Hearts

𝕐𝕠𝕦 & 𝕄𝕖

Chapter 28: You & Me

Today was one of those rare days where Lex and Fern both had break at the same time. Lex was looking forward to it, seeing as he'd finally be able to see his boyfriend after not seeing him all weekend and the first two days of the week. That Wednesday morning, Lex had had a slow and boring day thus far and wanted to make it better.

When he walked into the cafeteria with his friends, he expected to get in line, get the food of his choice and spend some time with Fern, but he didn't get to even walk into the line before someone was tapping his shoulder and pushing him into the direction he'd come. He didn't recognise the person very well, though he recalled he may have seen them with some of Fern's senior friends.

Outside of the cafeteria doors, Fern stood waiting with a soft smile on his face. Lex didn't know what he expected, but from the way he was pulled away from lunch, he thought something out-of-the-ordinary would happen. "Oh," he said with faux disdain, "It's just you." A frown settled on his face, arms crossing themselves over his chest. He was dressed in Fern's Uni jacket, ripped boyfriend jeans and white sneakers.

Fern's smile faltered, eyes blinking, visibly confused at Lex's reaction. He'd expected Lex to smile, hug him, maybe receive a kiss from him, but this was the last thing he expected Lex to do. "What?" His poster visibly slouched, and he looked so dejected, Lex almost felt bad. Almost.

"I thought I was being dragged away from food for something special," he sneered, shaking his head as if he was disappointed. "Guess I was wrong."

Fern's frown deepened, but he said nothing further, walking closer to an unsuspecting Lex. Being close enough, he smiled softly at Lex, but there was an impish glint in his eyes that suggested malicious intent. Well, as malicious as Fern could get.

His hand gripped Lex's jaw, squeezing enough to have his cheeks squish together cutely while his lips formed a pout involuntarily, but Lex still kept up his act, arms crossed and brows furrowed in defiance. That didn't hinder Fern at all, his lips barely brushing against Lex's as he spoke. "Am I not special enough for you?" He could see Lex struggling and it was fun.

When Lex didn't answer, his smile dropped and his head shook from side to side. He looked disappointed, and Lex found it hard to tell whether it was fake or not. "Such a shame," he continued. "And here I thought-"

A peck. Soft and teasing. Right on his bottom lip. "You are special." Lex mumbled those words against his lips, cheeks still squished in Fern's hand as he said it so softly that the weight of his words were amplified. The grip around is jaw loosened and he took his opportunity to kiss Fern properly this time. "I hold you so dear to me, you know." Fern hummed into his mouth after they connected again.

"Right!" Fern exclaimed after they pulled apart from their brief kiss. He didn't need to be called into the office for PDA. "Now that you've softened up, let's go." Lex, confused and clueless, followed after Fern like a lost puppy to his car, where he opened the passenger door for him and waited until Lex was seated comfortably before he leaned his body over him, hand resting on the body of the car. Cheekily, he pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, closing the door right after. 

On the drive to who-knows-where, Fern blatantly ignored any questions Lex asked about where they were going, making a point to answer only everything else. 

Lex gave up after several tries, choosing to sit and watch the scenery outside the car pass by in a blur of colours. Lex sat absentmindedly humming to the music Fern put on when he felt a hand on his thigh, squeezing the slightest bit. "We're almost there."

He placed his own hand on top of Fern's, giving a tiny squeeze all the while staring at the passing buildings. 

When they did stop, it was in a parking lot. Lex would normally love to go wherever Fern took him, but a parking lot wasn't one of those places. He turned to Fern with a confused expression, "And we're here because...?"

Fern chuckled. "You'll see." He left the car after pulling out his keys, opening the door for Lex who stared at him silently. "Come on." He said nothing in response, taking Fern's hand and following as he led them to the reception area of a big building with many windows. 

Apparently, Fern had been here before because the receptionist gave him a kind and professional smile before pointing at the elevator and held up three fingers that she pushed forward in the air twice. Fern smiled back, nodding his head. 

"What was that?" Lex asked as soon as the two were in the elevator. Fern pressed the button for the 33rd floor and stepped back, slinging an arm around Lex's shoulders.

Fern smiled, "Nothing. She was just telling me which floor to go to."

"Where are we going to anyway?"

Ruffling his hair, Fern shook his head. "You'll see."

Defeated, Lex waited until they reached floor 33, where Fern led them down a few corridors, seemingly searching for a particular door. When he did stop, they were both standing in front of a certain Mr. Grey's office.

One, two, three knocks later and a muffled 'come in!' came from the office within and Lex pushed the door open eagerly.

Leaving Fern where he chuckled and worked on closing the door, Lex sped to the man behind the desk, hugging him over his chair where he placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. "Mateo!" He glared over Mateo's hair, "You should've told me we were coming to see him."

Fern shrugged, seating himself on the other side of the desk. "Where's the fun in that?"

Huffing, Lex moved to sit beside him, the both of them staring expectantly at their boyfriend's worn face. He looked tired, with his styled hair and partially untied tie. "Hey guys. Aren't you supposed to be on break right now?"

"We are, but I wanted to see you." Fern answered the transcriber, peeking at Lex who was looking around the small office space. Mateo worked from home a lot, but the company he worked at gave him a small office he could work in nonetheless.

Mateo chuckled, "Ah. Makes sense." He tugged at the tie around his neck. "Did you eat? I could order something for you."

Lex nodded, and poked at Fern's side because it was his fault that he hadn't eaten yet. Whipping out his phone, he texted Sam to tell him where he was and hoped he would be back in time for his next class.

Over the tacos and drinks they were enjoying, Mateo cleared his throat. "I was thinking about this for a while," he began, taking a sip from his can of coke. "Just hear me out, and I'll even pay for everything and ask your parents and guardians," he nodded at Lex, "for permission."

"What is it?" Fern asked, brows furrowed in worry.

"I want you both to meet my parents..." He stated. "But..." he said before either of them could comment, "They're in Paris right now. That's where they live, and I know I'm asking something very big from the both of you but that's the only way you guys might ever meet them."

At the thought of traveling to Paris, Lex was absolutely stoked, but then he thought of how Lexi and Nathan might react to the news that he wanted to leave the continent for another.

"I'm okay with going." Fern started. "I'm sure if I told my dad that I'm leaving with you, he won't mind. He's out of the country anyway." Mateo nodded along, looking at Lex next for his input.

"It'll be hard convincing Nathan and Lexi, but I'm sure they won't mind."