Road To Happiness ✔

TWENTY-SIX

Kissing was nice. Kissing was great. He enjoyed it more than he thought he would, but kissing with his back pressed against the hard armrest of a couch was not nice. It was uncomfortable, but Stefan was pressed against him, keeping him in the position. That wasn't to say he wasn't enjoying himself. He was definitely enjoying himself; he was just sore.

Stefan pulled away to press light kisses against his chin and cheeks, slowly moving down to his neck. Hugo took the opportunity to suck in a deep breath, squirming at the twinge in his back. He let out an irritated groan when Stefan pulled away, longing to grab the collar of his shirt and pull him back down.

"Is something wrong?" Stefan asked, face warped by concern. "Did I do something you didn't like?"

Hugo shook his head. "You're fine," he replied, smiling at him. "But my back hurts like this."

"Oh!" Stefan looked almost shocked by the admission, as if he'd been expecting something worse. "Well, that I can fix."

It was awkward, trying to manoeuvre themselves on the tiny couch. By the time Hugo decided to ask if they could go into the bedroom, something he'd anxiously declined when he'd arrived at Stefan's apartment, Stefan was lying on the couch and Hugo was staring down at him.

"You're right, this is a little uncomfortable," he said, wriggling to that he was in a better position. Hugo sat on the edge of the cushion, teeth biting into his lip, and before he could second guess himself, he shifted so that he was straddling the other man's lap. "Oh, hello. Am I good to do this?" As he spoke, he placed his hands on Hugo's thighs.

He let them sit there for a moment, trying to figure out if he liked it or not. He did, but it felt a little too close to something he wasn't ready for. "Not yet," he replied and moved his boyfriend's hands up to his waist before leaning down to kiss him again. He hummed as Stefan moved one hand to run it through his hair, keeping the other planted against his waist.

The front door to the apartment burst open and Hugo jolted away with a gasp. "Oh, Jesus, guys! Stefan, you have a bedroom for a reason!" Renee yelled from the doorway. Hugo had his back to her, but that didn't stop the heat from exploding across his cheeks. Stefan sat up, looking over Hugo's shoulder at his roommate.

"Sorry," he said, wrapping his arms around Hugo and pulling his face against his shoulder. He willingly hid his blush in the dark fabric of Stefan's shirt. "We got a little carried away. I thought you were had work tonight."

"I did. I finished," Renee replied, followed by the faint sounds of something being placed on the bench.

Stefan's hand moved up and down his back. "Oh. Uh, time went by quicker than I thought," he said. Renee muttered something in response that Hugo couldn't quite hear and Stefan's body began to shake against him. It took him a minute to realise that the other man was laughing. "You okay there, Hugo?"

He hummed in reply but didn't want to pull away just yet. He was comfortable. "He's embarrassed," Renee said over the sound of clattering plates. And there was that. Renee had just walked in on him making out with someone. Of course, he was going to be embarrassed, but the words only made Stefan laugh harder.

Hugo smacked him the arm and pulled back to glare at him. "Stop laughing at me," he signed.

"It got you to look up, didn't it?" Stefan replied and Hugo whacked him again. "Ow. Rude. I'm not just laughing at you, dork. I'm laughing at this whole situation." Stefan had a different reaction to embarrassment than Hugo. The former laughed it off while the latter hid away with a bright red face.

"Are you two lovebirds hungry?" Renee asked and Hugo finally moved from his place on Stefan's lap. His stomach growled as he grabbed the burgers she'd brought him. She grabbed his hand to stop him. "It's all good, okay? I'm not judging you or anything, so I hope you don't get too worked up."