Plus One S2 - Chapter 3: Here and there

[deedee_sims]

Warnings: Moodiness, Rhett being half-naked a lot, Callum, Ollie in colors, wet things, one (1) nsfw-ish but not explicit picture, Rhett having a dirty mind once again, burnt pancakes



"It's just... there are always these damn expectations. I studied business because my father wanted me to. I didn’t have any choice in what I wanted to do for a long time. And I hated it, but I also hated that father didn’t really care. I mean… there was Callum, all perfect, and I was never good at following what he wanted." I avert my gaze because I can't stand his concerned face. "And it's not like I'd be able to live up to his expectations, really."



"You don't have to."
I chuckle in disbelief.
"But really. You just... need to find your own way. We don't have to talk about it right now if you feel uncomfortable, but... I'll support you no matter what you do."



Fuck, why do I feel like crying all of a sudden? I started this conversation just hoping for some woohoo, not deep psychological shit. I pull him to a tight embrace. He's not complaining.

***





I can't sleep. I hate sleeping, but I also hate when I want to sleep but I can't. But I do not dare to move, because I don't want to wake Olls up. He's drooling a bit on my chest, and it's lovely. Everything he does is just lovely.
It's this fucking place. I can hardly sleep whenever I visit here, so I just don't come often. It's the best for everyone anyway. I try to remind myself that it's less than one more day. We'll be free by tomorrow afternoon.



Olls squirms a little in his sleep. He said that I can talk to him about stuff. But the thing is, I don't know how to. I told him one thing and it sent me on the verge of a freakout. Because it's not like we ever talk about such things in this family. I learned early that I have to hide my feelings if I want to survive, so I did. 'Toughen up' that's what father used to say to us. I don't even think Callum had feelings, to begin with. Or he just hides them better than me. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he was better at this as well.



Or we're all just fucking broken.

***



"You're up early."
The last person I needed this morning was my brother. My stomach clenches before we even start this conversation. It's ridiculous.



"I'm always refreshed after some nighttime exercise."
He raises his eyebrows, mockingly. "It's really sweet of you that you think it would work."
"What? My dick? It works pretty fine, thank you for your concern."



"This thing with Oliver. Relationships are not for you, Rhett."
I try to take a deep breath without making him notice it. "Let me try it first, alright?"



"You're just going to break his lil gay heart."
"The only thing I'm going to break is your nose if you continue!" I burst out.
"Such violence!" He smirks. "You know I'm just telling the truth."



I force myself to keep a straight face. "Are you quite finished?"



"Oh yeah! I need to practice some piano anyway. Good day!" he says casually, then turns away.
Fuck.



I wait for him to get out of sight, then bury my face in my hands. I know he's only saying these to get on my nerves, but still... I'm not sure there's no truth in it.



I take a deep breath for real now. Then another one.
I'm fine.

***



I peek into the study, and find dad there, of course, he's up at ass-o-clock, working. I say a half-hearted hi, and proceed to the living room. Unfortunately, he calls out after me.



"I want to talk to you."
I let out a sigh, and try to suppress the dread that starts coiling up from somewhere around my stomach, for the second time in like ten minutes.



I go back and lean to the doorframe, crossing my arms. "Yes?"



He considers me for a moment. "I thought you wanted to talk about Oliver's rent."
"Well, I don't anymore. He insists on paying for it as usual, so one less problem for you."
"Hm."
"What's that hum?" I say irritably.
"At least he's not with you because of your money."



I let out a huff. "If all you can do is to insult my boyfriend then I'm off."
"I'm not insulting anyone. I'm merely taking notes."
"Sure."



He sighs his usual sigh indicating he's disappointed in me once again. "Anyway. What are you going to do now that you graduated?"
The dread continues to spread all over my insides. I know I can't say I have no idea even if that's the truth.



"I'll find a job. Don't worry about it."
"Alright. but if you-"
"I don't."



"Okay." He raises his hands.



"Can I go now?"
He nods. "Of course."



I hurry to the living room and flop down on the sofa, angrily. That's exactly why I hate coming here. I'm not sure if I want to call it home anymore.



That's when Olls enters the room, and all my anger disperses at once. It's wonderful, this effect he has on me. He's wearing some jeans, and one of my shirts, which looks just a bit big on him. It shouldn't make me slightly aroused.



I whistle at him.
"Hey handsome, can I get your number?"



He answers with an eyeroll.



"But really," I continue, "that shirt looks good on you. You should wear colors more often!"



"Black... is? A color?" he says, a bit confused and flushed at the same time. Because he's just such a clever bastard.



"I hate you, and I will never touch your body ever again."
"Of course," he smirks, and sits down next to me.



Of course, I can't stop myself from pulling him closer and kissing him eagerly. I'm a weak man when it comes to pretty guys called Oliver Pearson.
It takes me quite an effort to disentangle myself from him.



"You okay?" he asks like he's capable of reading my mind.



I smile at him. It's not the right time or place to talk about things. "I am now. Do you want to go for a swim?" Not gonna lie, I want to see him all wet and pretty.
"I'm not very good at swimming."
"Oh, c'mon!"



"I think there's a bigger possibility that I'll drown than stay on the surface," he mutters, going slightly pink.



"Okay, just sit on the edge then!" I offer. "Do you want to see me in swimming trunks or not?"
His eyes flash at that. Oh yes, I got him.

***



"C'mon in, the water is so good!"



"I'm fine here, thanks."



"Oooooolls!" I whine, situating myself between his legs. "It's just water! It's not even cold! A bit wet, but what else to expect?"
He rolls his eyes fondly but doesn't move. I need to change tactics.



I push myself out of the water, and he immediately leans closer, like I'm a magnet or something.
"Nope," I smirk. "You can't get a kiss out there!"



He whimpers, as he watches me lower myself back to the water. I start swimming in backstroke, away from him.



When I reach the other side of the pool, I see him sighing. I got him. He carefully splashes himself with water and slowly lowers himself to the pool.
I've never swum so fast in my life.



When I finally reach him, and wrap my arms around him, awarding him with the promised kiss, it's like heaven. It doesn't matter anymore that we're in the water, or my family can see us, all that matters is him. All the points where our bodies meet, sending electric jolts over me. I push him to the edge and kiss him harder.
I briefly wonder if he would like to do it in the water. My parents saw me in weirder situations than this. But what if Callum...



Olls lets out a needy sound, and I make myself stop. He looks all wet and flushed and beautiful.



I let out a defeated sigh, and lean my head on his shoulder. "We should move to my room, I guess."
He chuckles at that. "I quite agree."



That's when a brilliant idea hits me. I tighten my embrace and pull him down with me in the water, so he has no opportunity to escape.



I laugh at him, when he emerges, wiping his wet face with his (wet) hand. He also spits out some pool water.
"Asshole," he grunts.
I flash a wide smile at him. "You can't get wet if you don't get wet beforehand!" Then seeing his expression, I decide to run (or more like swim) for it.



After he clumsily gets himself out of the pool, I start drying him with a towel.
"You know you can't towel my trunks dry like this?" he murmurs.



I drop the towel on his head, and run away, cackling.



We get rid of our wet trunks shortly.

***



We don't stay much longer, I don't want to stay for lunch, and Olls doesn't oppose when I tell him as much.
I say my not-so-emotional goodbyes, and then we're thankfully on our way home.

***



"Olls I'm hoooooome!" I shout out when I close the front door behind me.
"Come here!" he shouts back at me from his room.



Huh, what's that? I drop all my shopping bags where I am. Maybe he's waiting for me wrapped in a bow? That sounds too good to be true, but I can imagine him... only in a bow... uhhhh.



I hurry into his room, but to my slight disappointment, no bows are present, even worse, Olls is completely dressed.



He looks up at me with a smile. "Say hi to Mom!"



I join him on the bed and wave at the screen. "Hi, Emma!"
"Rhett, dear!" She smiles back at me. "How are you doing?"



"Fine! I just bought some new pants! I hope Olls will like them!" I wink at him.



"I bet he would!" Emma laughs. "Ollie said you're missing my cupcakes?"
"Very much!"
"I'll make sure to send some the next time I make cupcakes then!"



Bless her. "You're an angel! Now I know two!" I wrap my arm around Olls. Watcher knows I can't keep my hands off of him even for a short while.
"Are you coming home this month?" She turns her attention back to Olls.



"I don't know yet. Probably?"
"You know July is the only month-"
"Yeah, yeah, when you're free of kidlets. Of course, I know," Olls says with an eyeroll.



"Rhett, you should come too!"
"Only if there will be cupcakes," I beam at her.
"At least you don't have high demands," she chuckles.



"What can I say, I'm easy to please!"

***



That's how we end up at Emma's house the next weekend. It's not a big one, but cute and cozy. Olls points out that Lainey's family lives two houses down.



He gives me a tour, which is remarkably shorter than what I gave him a couple of days ago.



His room is just as small and cozy as the rest of the house, and it's bright and clean, just like his room at our apartment. I look around to see various certificates and prizes from math competitions (of course, he's clever as fuck). My gaze falls upon a picture of him and Lainey. They look about ten.
"Aw, look how cute you two were!"



"Ah yeah. We used to hang out all the time, we were basically inseparable." He smiles. "Then she moved and I moved, and I know I can still call her anytime, but... it's not the same."
I hum, and pull him a bit closer.



"I'm happy for her, it's not that!" he explains. "I know that Dan is great for her, and they're happy together. And I know it's natural that we grew apart a bit. I'm just... I just miss those times sometimes."



I place a light kiss on his forehead. "It's okay. You have me!"
"I do," he says with a small smile and kisses me.



I just started to discover all his kisses. There's the one that's full of want. There are the quick pecks. And there's this. Just tender and grounding.



"Do you think your mother would mind if we did naughty things in your bed?"
He just shrugs at that. "It's not like I've never done naughty things there."



"Good!"
"But I think we should eat dinner before."
"Also good!"

***



Dinner is so fucking amazing. And there are cupcakes as well. I'm in heaven.



Emma asks about my interests, which leads me to a ten-minute ramble about soccer. I think Olls already has regrets, but she just smiles kindly and lets me talk about whatever I want.



Then she tells us stories about her students, and I can't stop laughing. I was definitely just as weird when I attended elementary.



We settle for a movie after that. And it's just nice. Everything is nice and cozy.



I really like being here.

***



When I get up around half past six, Emma is already wide awake.
"Good morning!"
"Good morning dear!" She smiles at me from above her coffee. "Did you sleep well?"



"Yeah! I'm just not good at sleeping in general."
"Ah, same. Although, at this point, I can start blaming it on my age." She chuckles.
"Thirty is not an old age!"



She laughs at that. "I wish!"
I briefly wonder why I feel better around her than my own family.



"Do you want to help with making breakfast?" She asks after she finishes her coffee. "I’m about to make pancakes!"
"Oh, I'm not very good at the kitchen," I admit.
But she just raises her eyebrows. "You'll never be better if you don't try!"



Well, I burn the first three pancakes and ruin the fourth while I flip it.



Emma is very patient, though. She explains multiple times how I can improve, and peppers in encouraging words. It must be because she's a teacher, you probably need a lot of patience for dealing with kids.
My fifth attempt is finally successful.



I'm working on the next one when Olls emerges from his room, with a ridiculous bedhead. He's adorable.



"Look, I'm flipping pancakes!" I announce, grinning.



I flip the pancake, which ends up on the kitchen counter. Oof.



Olls just rolls his eyes fondly and comes to me. "Morning, honey!" He places a kiss on my cheek. "Morning Mom!"



"Did you sleep well?" She asks him.
"Yeah. Did you really let Rhett make pancakes?"
"Yes! He's an enthusiastic student!"
I flash a smile at Olls.



"Just admit you miss teaching."
"Maybe I do." She shrugs. "But I miss you the most!"
"Moooom!" he whines and busies himself with making coffee.



"I think it's cute that she misses you!" I add, then I successfully flip a pancake. I'm getting very good at this, not gonna lie.



"I see you're teaming up against me again." He sighs, defeated.
"We're just telling you the truth!"



He sits down with his coffee in silence, then.
"I can take over now," Emma says to me. "You did well!"



"Oh!" I look at my creations. "I made three edible pancakes!"



"We need to taste them before we determine if they're edible," Olls adds.



"You're such a pessimist!"
He admits later, with a small smile that the pancakes are great (ha!).

***



I wake up to the unsettling thought that I need to find a job. I could avoid it for a couple of weeks with various excuses, but I really need to start searching now. Especially after what I said to Dad about it. Ugh.



The main problem is that I still don't know what I want. I randomly send my CV to job ads that don't seem weird. Mostly sales stuff, I guess that can't be that bad.



After I decide that I did enough for today, my thoughts wander to Olls. I really do think a lot about him. I want to do something nice for him because he deserves everything good.
I have an idea.
"Morning, sleepyhead!"



Olls grunts and sleepily opens one eye.



"Made you coffee." I wave the mug around, trying not to spill its content on my sheets.



Now he opens both his eyes wide and kicks away the blanket. I sit down, and watch him stretch, his shirt riding up on his stomach, revealing a patch of freckled skin. How he has freckles everywhere, I don't understand, but it's wonderful.



He reaches for the mug, and I hand it to him. "No sugar, little milk."



He freezes for a moment, his cheeks getting pink.
"What?" I muse, seeing his expression.
"T-thanks," he mutters, his cheeks reaching an alarming shade of red.



"Are you okay? You look a little red here." I reach out to pet his face, and he leans into my touch.
"I just need my morning coffee," he whimpers, quickly taking a sip.



"Alright then!" I grin, briefly wondering if I could lure him into a morning romp. I end up flopping down on the bed. "What do you want to do today? We could go outside! The weather is so nice!"
"What do you have in mind?"

---
That was another chapter! As usual, there's a voting again (I really had to think about some of the votings we'll have here lol). You can now choose a date activity for the boys! I assure you both options turned out quite funny, so choose at your heart's will! You can VOTE HERE! I'll close it in 2 weeks, on the 20th of November how is it november already

Me when I'm taking the pictures: Ah, I'll edit out the clippings and stuff later, no need to fight with them ingame
Me when I have to edit them out in Photoshop: 😩

This chapter kinda felt like it took an eternity, because it was a lot of high effort short scenes, but I kinda like how the pictures turned out so... it's all good!

I hope you enjoyed all the weird shenanigans, and the non-shenanigans, and some of the artistic stuff I tried to add XD They're probably not noticable, but there was an attempt.

Special thanks to Summer (summer-choi-simblr) for the great pineapple henley :P

Thank you for reading! Make sure you vote and comment your thoughts (if you have any, and your brain didn't melt in all the fluff XD)!

Comments

[hemfbg]

I thought this chapter was sweet :3 I especially like how you "filmed" the pool scene!

Happy Birthday!

[deedee_sims]

Thank you! I had a lot of fun with the pool scene :P
Thanks! (even if it took me ages to reply... XD)

[potentialfate_sims]

" I started this conversation just hoping for some woohoo, not deep psychological shit"

The biggest mood, Rhett.

also this:

Me when I'm taking the pictures: Ah, I'll edit out the clippings and stuff later, no need to fight with them ingame
Me when I have to edit them out in Photoshop: 😩

and this is a mood irl as well 😂 I don't want to deal with things in game then I regret all my choices later ;-;

[deedee_sims]

Lol yeah, Rhett prefers the woohoo, obviously XD
And yeah, we're just making it harder for ourselves sometimes XD