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Fluttering Fingers and Flushed Faces.

a vds one shot. you can find more on my ao3.

( @ apolloswords )

feel free to comment/message me any suggestions for one shot ideas!

Jens can’t help it if he thinks the new boy is cute. Even if he so happens to be his best friend’s step-brother.

“Jesus Jana, how many boxes do you have?” Jens groaned as he made another flight up the stairs.

Jana laughed and playfully nudged him with the box in her own hands.

“I promise we’re on the last ones.” She laughed.

“Yeah out of hundreds.” He teased.

She laughed again, following her into her new room. It was pretty much empty, aside from all the boxes he and Jana had brought up the stairs all morning. Jana placed the last box down on the ground gently, before Jens huffed and dropped his box, rather more aggressively.

It made a thud that shook through the room, and probably through the entire house. Jens put his hands on his hips in a dramatic fashion, before sighing dramatically.

“Oh what would you do without me?”

“Probably get this done quicker?” She laughed.

He rolled his eyes before they sat down to look through the boxes. Picking up the box with most of her trinkets and collectibles, he began unpacking them slowly.

“How do you feel about the move?” He asked, as she began pulling out sweaters to hang in her new closet.

She shrugged, turning her back towards him so he couldn’t really see her expression.

“It’s not too bad. I don’t mind living in a house with George and his son. But it’s further away from my friends so that kind of sucks.”

“Yeah but at least he’s not a shitty step-sibling.” He wrinkled his nose.

“Sorry you ended up with the evil step sisters and I didn’t.” Jana flung a random item his way. Catching it, he put it alongside the rest of the trinkets he had in organized piles on the floor.

“Hey, we’re both a child of divorce. The least my mom could’ve done is re-marry someone without bratty children. Makes it worst since they’re older and don’t ever give me a break.”

“I don’t know if he’s older, but he is in the same grade as me. It’s going to be weird.”

“Have you met him?”

“Once or twice. But he chose to live with his mom back in the Netherlands and his dad didn’t get custody of him until recently. He moved here a week ago, before my mom came back and settled our move.”

“Oh so you guys are kind of in the same position. A new home for a new family.” He reached for another box, pulling out storage containers to arrange the objects in. “Maybe that’s a bit easier.”

“Maybe. He’s a bit reserved though so it’s a little harder to get to know him but I’m sure he’s just fine.”

“Is he nice?”

“Yeah, super. Just, well okay, ‘hard to get to know him’ was the wrong choice of words.” Jana paused. “He’s just shy.”

There was a sense of movement over in the room beside him, and Jens froze. As far as he knew, him and Jana were the only ones here. Her mom and her step-dad had left to get some errands done early morning.

Oh yeah, Jens thought. Jana isn’t an only child anymore.

A faint sound of music started to play and while they couldn’t hear the lyrics or make out the song itself, it seemed to be a fun little indie song. Jens felt his head bopping along to it, feeling the faint rhythm through his body.

She smiled, kicking the now empty box of sweaters aside and picking up the ones of her folded shirts.

“That’s him. He does seem like a fun person though and I think we’ll eventually get close. I’m probably going to introduce him to the girls on Monday.”

“And me?” He asked, giving her a smirk.

“Nah, you’re trouble.”

“I’m your best friend.”

“A horrible decision on my part, really.” She teased. “What are you organizing?”

“Uhm,” He looked down. “Jewellery I think.”

Before she could open her mouth and say something, they heard the door beside her room open and the music become a little audibly louder. There was a shuffling of footsteps until Jana smiled at her doorway, before Jens heard some soft little taps.

“Hey.” She greeted cheerfully as he turned around.

Jens almost felt his jaw drop, immediately smitten by the boy at the door. He had a small frame underneath his bright pick sweater and his grey sweatpants were cuffed at the ankle, almost like they were a bit too long. He noticed the pattern on his socks, one with bright sunflowers and the other with constellations against a dark night sky. The sleeves of the sweater covered most of his hand, as he leaned against Jana’s door with a small smile.

“Hi, sorry I forgot you were moving in today.” The boy said, his voice small and well, shy. He took a quick notice of Jens on the flower and tightened his jaw a bit. “Sorry, I didn’t know you had company.”

When the boy’s eyes had wandered towards Jens, he had resist another urge to drop his jaw. The boy’s face was nothing short of beautiful. He looked as though he was an angel that had fallen from heaven, golden strays of hair hiding beneath the rest of his dark brown curls. His face was lithe, almost like the only reason he had features were from being kissed gently by the fallen rain. Jens felt his chest go tight, having to hold in a breath before he felt like what it meant to be breathless.

“It’s no problem.” Jana assured. “Uhm, Lucas, meet my friend Jens. Jens, meet my step-brother Lucas.”

“Hey, it’s nice to meet you.” He managed to say, surprised he even managed to choke that out without tripping over his words.

“Hi.” Lucas said shyly, giving him a small wave.

Jens gave him a small smile, and fluttered his fingers softly, returning back the small wave. He secretly hoped the faint flush on Lucas’ face was from the little gesture, but it may have just been from the way his bright pink sweater contrasted against his pale skin.

“I didn’t even know you were home.” Jana noted. “It wasn’t until I heard your music that I realized you were here.”

“Oh,” Lucas said, a little flustered. The faint pink colouring on his cheeks flushed a little more, most likely from the embarrassment. “Yeah, I was working on some art and had headphones on. Then my headphones died so I had to play my music out loud.”

“Oh shit, I hope we didn’t bother you.” She said worriedly, putting a hand to her face from her own slight embarrassment.

“No, no, it’s okay.” Lucas pressed his lips together, like he was trying to think of something to say next. “Uhm, I’m just going to head back to work. Yeah, uhm, yeah I’ll be in my room if you need me. Nice meeting you Jens.”

“Nice meeting you too Luc.” He said, this time smiling a little bigger, turning the corners of his lips a little higher as he pressed his lips together.

Lucas gave him another small wave, another flutter of the fingers before looking away and waving to Jana. His wave towards her was less of his fingers, more of his hand, which she mimicked back. But Jens gave him the same wave he had given him earlier, almost like it was something they just did.

It was weird to already share something with someone he had just met.

As quickly as he had appeared, Lucas had disappeared. He saw the blur of his clothes and hair fade away with his soft footsteps, hearing the creak of his door closing and the light hearted melody of the indie song fading into the background once again.

When he turned away from the door and back to Jana, he was greeted with a smirk on her face and her arms crossed, leaning on the empty bookshelf that stood next to her closet. She was eyeing Jens teasingly, like a school girl in the playground who was about to start a rumour that he had a crush.

“What?” He asked impatiently.

Jana clicked her tongue and turned away, still adding to the theatrics of her teasing.

“Nothing.” She said with a snort.

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t lie to me.”

“Oh I’m not lying. I’m just sparing you.” There was a mischievous glisten to her eyes.

Raising a brow, he looked at her, unimpressed. “Sparing me from what?”

“You’re asking for it.” She said, in a sing-song voice.

“I don’t even know what it is!”

“You think Lucas is cuteeee.”

He felt his face go warm, shaking his head quickly. “I do not.”

“Then why are you blushing?”

“It’s warm in your room.”

“It’s the middle of November.”

“Then you’re seeing things.”

“What I’m seeing is you giving heart eyes to my new brother.” She wiggled her brows.

“I am not giving heart eyes to your brother.” He lied.

Jana put her hands on her hips and gave him a sarcastic expression of shock. “What? Are you saying Lucas is ugly?”

“…That is not what I’m saying at all.”

“So you think he’s cute.” There it was again, the mischievous glisten in her eyes.

“…I’m also not saying that.”

“Well I’m saying I saw you practically thinking of shoving your tongue down Lucas’ throat.”

“Well get your eyes checked because they deceive you.” Jens wrinkled her nose at her. “And could you be any louder? He’s right next door.”

“What, are you afraid he finds out you think he’s ugly or he finds out you think he’s cute?”

“Janaaaa.” He whined. “Must you be so difficult?”

“Jens is shy about his little crushhhh.” She sang out loud again, and he just prayed Lucas’ music drowned out their conversation.

-

Jens leaned against the bike rack as students began making their way home. He was supposed to go to Jana’s house again since they had a chemistry quiz coming up at the end of the week. But she wasn’t here yet, so he decided just to wait a bit.

But after about ten minutes when the after school rush died down a bit, Jana was still nowhere in sight. Frowning, he pulled out his phone to text her.

Where are you?

The little blue messaged showed a Delivered. right underneath it. After a few seconds, the typing icon appeared and he stared at the three little dots on the screen.

Sorry, forgot Amber wanted to host a meeting for Ibiza. Meet me home.

He shrugged, figuring it probably wouldn't be too weird since he had always been going over to Jana’s house for years. Her mom surely didn’t mind and maybe George and Lucas wouldn’t either.

Before he could pocket his phone away, another text appeared.

Walk home with Lucas.

His eyes widened, feeling his heart race as he read the message over and over. Was Jana setting him up? It surely would be in her antics to do so. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, frantically thinking of what to say.

Are you setting me up?

The same Delivered. sign appeared again, but no texting icon. Jens was shaking his leg, impatient for an answer but after a minute or two, there was still no reply.

He was about to text her again, an emphasized JANA to get her attention until he heard someone walking over.

“Uhm,” the soft voice from a few feet away said. “Hi.”

Jens whipped his head up, looking up from his phone. Lucas was standing shyly, under the school’s courtyard tree. He gave him a small smile, though Jens noticed his seemed to harshly biting down on his bottom lip. A wave from his delicate fingers appeared, and once again, Jens felt his heart flutter along with it.

“Hey, Lucas right?” He asked, slipping his phone in his back pocket. That was a stupid question. Jens knew who he was, considering he had never left his mind from three days ago.

“Yeah, hi.” He said softly, approaching a little closer.

Lucas wore a denim jacket over a patterned knitted sweater and his Converse seemed like they would untie any minute. His curls were a bit looser, probably tousled by the wind. But they still looked soft and Jens had to resist the urge to wonder what they would feel like against his fingertips.

Speaking of fingertips, he found them fluttering a wave towards Lucas, just like he had when he first met him. The pink on Lucas’ cheeks returned, but Jens figured it could be from the slight chilly breeze.

“Uhm,” Lucas said, shifting his weight from side to side. “Jana told me she would be coming home late and I should just walk home with you.”

Jens couldn’t help but smile. Whether or not Jana actually planned this, he couldn’t pass up the chance to spend some time with Lucas. On his first day, Jens secretly hoped he would be in some of his classes but he sadly wasn’t. Instead, he only saw him in the halls before the next class and Lucas had his head down, so Jens couldn’t even get his attention.

“Sure, I was just waiting for you.” He replied with a grin, pulling the strap of his backpack a bit higher on his shoulder. “You ready to go?”

He nodded quickly and Jens gave him another smile. Lucas seemed to return the smile back but he ducked his head down before Jens could be sure.

It took Jens a second to realize he had to walk to Jana’s new house, which was in the opposite direction of her old house, his house and most of their friend’s houses. While it was on the other side, Jens was pretty much familiar with Antwerp entirely so he knew where he was headed. He wondered what it was like for Lucas, someone so new to the city.

“So how much of Antwerp have you seen?” He asked, as they walked pass some small shops and a bus stop.

Lucas shrugged, still hanging his head a little low, not meeting Jens’ eyes. “Not much. I think I came here once before last week?”

“Really?” Jens’ eyes widened in shock. “So it’s super new to you.”

“Yeah. I only came here for my Dad’s wedding.”

Jens frowned slightly. He was supposed to attend that wedding, but ended up going to some dance recital for his step-sisters. He wished he had went to the wedding instead, imagining how good Lucas must’ve looked all dressed up.

“Is Antwerp anything like where you’re from?”

He shook his head, but then tilted it up, with a thinking expression on his face.

“It’s a little like Utrecht. But I think Antwerp is a bit bigger. Utrecht is like a smaller Amsterdam.”

“I’ve been to Amsterdam once.” Jens recalled. “But I was a kid so I don’t remember much.”

“There’s a lot of…” He paused.

“Weed?”

“…Canals.” Lucas gave Jens a weird look, but there was a small smile on his face. Jens chuckled lightly, looking down at the ground.

His and Lucas’ walking pattern perfectly matched up.

-

When they arrived at the house, they realized it was empty. Lucas hummed softly to himself as he stepped inside, placing his bag down on the couch and headed into the kitchen. Jens followed, not really knowing how to go about.

Lucas turned on a kettle and opened up a cupboard, slightly looking over his shoulder and at Jens. While he wasn’t short, he did go on the tips of his toes to reach the shelves and pulled out two mugs.

“Do you want some tea?” He asked softly, and Jens couldn’t help but feel a warm fuzzy feeling wash over his body.

“Sure.” He replied, noticing the colour of the mugs, one red and the other blue.

And the designs.

They were almost like little sketches and doodles against their bright red or blue backgrounds. Jens took a closer looked and realized the doodles seemed to be clouds made up of flower petals, constellations of suns instead of stars and flowers with Saturn in its centre and shooting stars as the petals.

“These are some nice mugs.” He noted, taking a sip out of the blue one. The tea was hot and calming, with a sweet lingering taste of honey.

“Really?” Lucas asked shyly.

“Yeah. Where did you get them?”

“Uhm,” He gave Jens a small smile. “I painted them.”

“Really?” Jens said, rather impressed and taking a closer look at the designs. “It’s really creative, I love it.”

“Thanks. I made a bunch of them before I moved here.” Lucas gave Jens another shy look. “Do you want to see some other stuff I have painted?”

“Sure.” He said with a smile, feeling his heart flutter again.

Lucas placed his tea down and abandoned it on the counter. Jens on the other hand, carried his mug and followed Lucas to his room.

He had expected to see his walls with canvases or artworks place on it, like a little gallery. But instead, there wasn’t what he was greeted with. Jens marvelled in awe, as he noticed that all of Lucas’ furniture was painted with similar abstract designs. They weren’t exactly like the ones on the mug, but it was clear they were painted by the same hands.

He walked a little closer, looking at the way Lucas had chosen to design his bed frame. The paint was dry and the wood was smooth, but his fingers traced over the designs, fluttering over them.

“Do you like it?” He heard Lucas ask in his small voice.

“It’s amazing.” Jens turned around to face him. “Was this what you were working on last weekend?”

“Pretty much.” He hung his head down again. “I kind of got into an angsty mood moving here. I didn’t really want to move in the first place so I kind of locked myself in my room and tried to find a way to annoy my dad.”

“Has he seen it?”

Lucas let a small smile escape his lips and Jens felt himself fall for him all over again.

“Yeah he has. Kind of failed pissing him off but he’s kind of impressed by my unconventional canvases.”

Jens smiled, leaning against end of the bed frame as Lucas shyly walked over and leaned against it as well. His body was close to his, and Jens had to suck in a breath and hold it, before he made it painfully obvious just how much his body reacted to the other boy.

“At least you’re in a good mood now.” Jens’s voice was low, dropped into a whisper.

Lucas’ cheeks turned pink again, and this time, he was sure it was a blush. Testing the waters a bit, he let his fingers flutter over Lucas’, as though their waves were meeting for the first time.

He didn’t remove his hand away.

“Yeah, uhm, I kinda felt better a few days ago.” Lucas whispered. “After uhm, meeting you.”

“Really?” Jens asked, his face lighting up.

“Yeah, Jana teased me relentlessly about it.”

“Don’t worry she probably teased me just as much.”

“I actually think she set this up.” Lucas giggled.

“Did I hear my name?” A sing-song voice came from down the hall, making their head turn towards Lucas’s door.

Jana peaked her head inside, and upon seeing their close proximity and hand over the other, she squealed.

“I knew it!” She cried, holding her hands up high as she grinned widely.

Jens only rolled his eyes and snorted, as Lucas covered his mouth with his other hand and leaned closer into Jens’ body, hiding the now, very pink blush all over his face.

life’s a blur

in my head, vds has been so far gone from the skamverse that i forget it is technically apart of it

Buried Boxes and Bashful Booths.

a vds one shot. you can find more on my ao3.

( @ apolloswords )

feel free to comment/message me any suggestions for one shot ideas!

Despite the amount of weeks Lucas had spent in Antwerp, it still feels a little weird to call it home. Maybe he just needed a bit more convincing. 

Continuation of “Fluttering Fingers and Flushed Faces.”

It had started to become a routine.

Lucas didn’t think he could ever enjoy waking up on a school morning. And most times, he still didn’t. A lot of his time at school was spent alone, not having any classes with his step-sister Jana or hardly seeing her during the lunch break either. The only time he did see her was before the first bell and after the last bell, and it felt like an eternity in-between.

But he found himself waiting down the minutes of the school day for a different reason. He didn’t expect the whole thing was going to become a routine, but it slowly did. It started of gradual, once every week, twice every week and now, almost three times every week. Lucas questioned Jana about it once, before they went to bed one night. But she only gave him a mischievous smirk, ruffled his hair and winked.

“Night Luc,” She said before closing her bedroom door. “Sweet dreams.”

Lucas didn’t think he would get any other answer, so that was the last time he asked. Instead, he tried not to question it so much and allowed himself to be apart of it. This so called routine that resulted in the cute boy he had met on his step-sister’s floor hanging out in his room multiple times a week.

“You still have some boxes you haven’t unpacked.” Jens noted, gesturing to the boxes Lucas had shoved in his closet. From where Jens was sitting on the bed, it was in his direct line of sight.

Shifting on his chair, Lucas took his attention away from the English homework on his desk and over to where Jens was looking. He was right. About three boxes were stacked to the side, his sweaters and jackets just briefly hanging over them.

“I guess I do.” He replied, without much indication of a tone and shrugged.

Jens narrowed his eyes on him, as if he was trying to find an expression on his blank face. There was none.

He watched him bounce off his bed and towards the boxes, dragging them out and staring down at them. They weren’t sealed, but the flaps were closed as if Lucas intended for them to never be opened. He watched as Jens’ eyes narrowed in on them, like he had on Lucas earlier. Only this time, it seemed like he had more of a reaction from some inanimate cardboard boxes rather than Lucas’ own face.

“I could unpack them for you if you wanted.” He suggested.

He raised a brow and gave a light chuckle. “Don’t you have anything better to do?”

Jens shrugged, pouting his bottom lip out. “Schultz’s homework sounds like a problem for another day.”

Lucas had no idea which teacher in the school ‘Schultz’ was, and he had no idea what they taught either.

“Besides,” Jens added. “I unpacked all of Jana’s boxes in a days work. How hard can three boxes be to kill some time before she comes home?”

“Where is she anyway?” He asked, puzzled.

Shrugging again, Jens responded. “Not sure. I think Amber had something after school that required all the girls to tag along.” He looked at Lucas again, a small smirk on his face as he came a little closer. “So, can I? I’m pretty good at it. Even sorted through all of Jana’s jewelry.”

“Was that what you were doing on the floor?” Lucas felt the corners of his lips turn up into a grin.

Jens warmly chuckled, which ironically ran a cold shiver down Lucas’ spine.

“Are you teasing me Luc?” He said with a smirk. “Do you know how long I waited to be a victim of your torment?”

“Sorry.” His face flushed pink and he tried to hide it by looking down. “I think Jana is rubbing off on me.”

“No, don’t be sorry.” Jens’ voice was warm, just like his laugh and it felt like a tickle down Lucas’ back. “It’s…”

“Nice?”

“…Nice.” He smiled at him, before pointing at the boxes again. “So, may I?”

Lucas shrugged. Maybe if Jens was doing it, it wouldn’t be so lonely to be emptying those specific boxes in the first place.

“Sure go ahead.” He said, before turning around to try to focus back on his homework.

He felt Jens sit down in the floor, picking up the first box and opening it. Lucas tried to focus on the rough draft of the essay he was supposed to be doing, but he couldn’t help but think about what Jens would be unpacking. It wasn’t like it was anything embarrassing, but he didn’t have an explanation as to why he was putting off the unpacking.

“Are these your friends in Utrecht?” Jens asked, and Lucas had no choice but to turn around and look at him.

Jens didn’t lift his head from looking at the multiple photos he had in his hand. He must’ve found one of the many envelopes Lucas had kept them in.

“Yeah.” He responded softly, as Jens began to look through them. He could make out some of the photographs, seeing some of the familiar faces he had come to know and love being admired by the new face he was starting to feel a love for.

“You must have been popular.” Jens teased, showing off a large group photo from some party. Lucas smiled sadly, realizing it was actually from his going away party.

“No, not really.” He shook his head, trying not to feel the yearning for his old life in his heart.

Jens flipped through some of the photos again, before wrinkling his nose at one of them. It wasn’t of disgust but after living for a few weeks with Jana, Lucas had come to know the familiar look teasing very well.”

“Is this your boyfriend?” He asked, holding up a photo.

Lucas smiled upon recognizing it. It was of him and Kes, an arm wrapped around him and slightly on his chest, Kes’ hand even holding his wrist gently. They were caught in the middle of a laugh, the bright sun kissing both of them and allowing a golden glow to emerge through the photograph. Lucas had always loved that photo. It has been one of his favourite memories.

“No, not my boyfriend.” Lucas rolled his eyes and snorted. “He was just my best friend back home.”

Slowly nodding, Jens put it towards the back of the pile before looking through some more photos. Lucas tapped his fingers in his leg lightly, thinking about his old and new life. He was trying hard to adjust, he really was. But he wasn’t exactly in the best mood about the whole thing, especially at the start of it. He had a lot of angst, having to leave his mom, his friends and the one city he knew behind. He sulked for weeks. Of course, starting to get close to Jana and slowly befriending Jens had helped, but he still felt like a stranger in this new home.

“You must miss it, don’t you?” Jens asked softly.

“I do.” He looked past Jens’ head and through his window. “Antwerp just isn’t home yet.”

Before Jens could reply, they heard some excited footsteps down the hall. Jana skipped into the room and instantly went over to sit on the edge of Lucas’ bed, close to where Jens was sitting on the floor. Her hair was a tousled mess but the bright grin on her face was radiating, and Lucas almost forgot the conversation him and Jens were having beforehand.

“Okay guys, guess what!” She exclaimed with a chap of hands.

Jens snorted and shook his head. “What are you about to drag us into?”

“Well, I just heard from Zoë that Senne is hosting a party this weekend and she says we should definitely go.”

“At his place?” Jens asked, raising his brow. Lucas had no idea who this Senne person was, but he did remember Zoë. After Jana introduced him on his first day, she was nice enough to show him to his first class.

“He got access to it for the weekend. Some family plan to get him to move back in with them but he still refuses.” She explained. “Anyway, we have to go. Senne’s friends are ridiculously cute.”

“Luca isn’t all that.” Jens snorted again.

“Luca?” Lucas asked, thinking it was probably the only thing he could contribute to the conversation.

“Oh my gosh Luc, you’ll think he’s so cute.” Jana said.

He wrinkled his nose. “No thanks, his name is too similar to mine. It’s kind of narcissistic.”

Jana rolled her eyes while Jens had to hold back from laughing. “Fine whatever, but you have to come.” She pleaded. “It’ll be your first ever Belgian party. Nobody parties like us.”

Lucas laughed and leaned back a bit. “I truly beg to differ. Have you ever been to a Dutch party?”

“No.” She crossed her arms in a playful defence. “But I’m sure it’s not as good as our parties.”

“You sure about that?” Jens asked, grabbing both of their attention. He held up a photograph from pile he was still sorting through. “Because I think Lucas knows what makes a real party.”

Lucas’ eyes widened as he recognized the photo Jens was holding up. It was from his second year in high school, passed out on someone’s random couch with glitter all over his face as he hugged a bottle of vodka. Kes and Jayden, were hovering over him, joints in their mouths as they held up peace signs, clearly making fun of the boy who had blacked out in front of them. To make matters even better, or worse, Lucas noticed he was wrapped up in Isa’s fluffy white jacket. He had no idea who took this photo or who’s party it was, but his face flushed red in horror.

“Oh my god Jens.” He cried, getting up from his chair. “Give that back!”

He lunged forward, but Jens was quick. He bounced on his bed and threw Jana’s body as an obstacle between them, creating a diversion. Lucas acted quickly, and chased Jens down the hall and into Jana’s room, while she tried to stop the both of them, all of them unable to keep in their laughter.

-

Lucas felt congested.

The party was full of people and he held a half empty bottle of beer in his hand, not even remotely interested to drink it.

He felt a little awkward, standing in the corner of the room just watching everyone. He had tried to oppose coming in the first place, but Jana was very persistent and practically dragged him out of the house to come along. He felt a little better when they met up with Jens half way, to which they stole glances at each other not so discretely. Lucas couldn't help it. Jens looked good in the grew crewneck sweater he had, despite the late autumn chill to the air. His hair looked softer than usual and fell a bit more in his face, and Lucas wished they were just in his room talking as opposed to a room full of people he hardly knew or had any interest in knowing.

Sighing, he took another sip of the beer. His head started to spin and it wasn't from the alcohol. Lucas needed to step outside, for a moment or even, long enough until he figured out a way to get back home. It wasn't so early into the party or so late at night. He could easily have said he went as easily as he could go home without looking like a complete loner.

Besides, it wasn't like anyone knew him anyway. Nobody would miss him. The only people who even knew he was here were Jens and Jana, and they were well gone with other people. Downing the last of his beer, he tossed it into a recycling bin, hearing its glass clatter against others. Lucas hadn't bothered to take off his jacket since coming here, so he had everything he needed before heading out.

It took a bit, but he eventually found the front door. Lucas took one last look over his shoulder, wondering if he could see anyone, more significantly Jens, before he headed out. But just as he was about to step out of the doorframe, he walked right into someone.

He had walked right into Jens.

Wincing, Lucas rubbed his forehead, the one that had took a hard hit from Jens chin, as Jens was trying to regain his balance from Lucas walking straight into him. They both groaned, recollecting themselves, before looking at each other. Confused.

"Luc?" Jens asked, in a hoarse voice. "Were you leaving?"

Busted. He thought.

"Yeah," He admitted, looking down at the ground to avoid eye contact. "I'm not really feeling it tonight."

By now, Lucas was familiar to what it felt being underneath Jens' studying eyes. He knew he was crouching a bit, trying to get a good look at the expression he was hiding.

"Would you," Jens began to say, a little hesitantly. "Would you like to head out with me?"

"You want to head out?" Lucas asked, surprised as he furrowed his brows at him. "With me?" The last part came out more like a squeak and he hoped the warmth on his face was from the alcohol.

Jens seemed to take an amusement at his reaction, chuckling lightly. "Yes, with you."

"Wouldn't you want to stay behind?"

"Am I supposed to?"

"No." He paused. "Why?"

"I'm not really feeling it tonight." His lips turned up into a small smile, and Lucas instantly knew that the warmth on his face was not from the alcohol.

He didn't really know what to say. But that didn't seem to bother Jens. He did a motion with his head, an indication to get Lucas to follow him. Lucas shrugged, and figured that even if he didn't want to, he would follow anyway.

They walked away from the house, and Lucas was at least grateful that the alcohol in his system managed to give him a warm fuzzy feeling. But he knew he didn't have just the alcohol to thank. He side-eyed Jens a little, watching as he tilted his head up to the sky, hands in his pockets and an almost permanent smile resting on his face.

"It's awfully warm out tonight." Jens noted, his voice sounding airy and light.

“Awfully?” Lucas asked, with a slight smirk.

Jens grinned at his attempt at teasing, and he nudged Lucas gently with his elbow.

“Fine. Gratefully warm out.” He dipped his head a bit, to grab Lucas’ attention. “Better?”

“Better.”

They smiled at each other, Lucas feeling so much better than he had at the party. Jens just had that effect on him. It was almost impossible to feel even the slightest angst with him and Lucas actually found himself feeling rather grateful for that.

As they continued walking, Lucas noticed they seemed to be heading into a small square, with shops lining up and cafe tables sitting outside, empty. He frowned. He may not be super aware of where everything was in Antwerp, but he knew for sure that this wasn’t the way home.

“Uhm, Jens? I think we’re heading the wrong way.”

He only shook his head. “No, I meant for us to go this way.”

Lucas paused. “Why?”

“Remember what I said to you the first week we met? I told you I could show you around.”

“Yeah but,” He tilted his head and looked at him weirdly. “Nothing is open. Everything is closed. There’s nobody here.”

“Well that’s the beauty of it, isn’t it?” He gave him a wide grin, and Lucas couldn’t help but be rather intrigued by it. “Come on, I want to show you something.”

Just like he had earlier, Jens made the little indication with his head to follow him. And figuring he had no opposition in doing so, Lucas did. They walked past a few shops, their display windows too dim and dark for Lucas to even make out what they were selling. In any other setting, it would’ve felt as though they were walking through a ghost town.

Jens lead him to a small booth, covered by a red curtain beside what appeared to be camera store, judging by the sign. He pushed the curtain aside in a singular swift motion, revealing a photo booth.

“Ta da!” Jens sang out, dramatically showcasing it to him.

He let out a light chuckle. “You brought me to a photo booth?”

“Sure did.” He sounded rather impressed.

“Why?”

“Well I noticed you didn’t have any photos of Antwerp just yet. I figured maybe I could be in your first set.” Jens said this rather shyly, much different from the confident pride he has on just a few seconds ago.

“Really?” Lucas asked, feeling his face blush as he grinned softly at Jens.

“Yeah, come on!”

Jens hopped in first, before taking his hand and pulling him in. The seat in the booth could’ve easily fit two people, but with the way he had pulled Lucas in, he ended up leaning over top of him. Very close to be sitting on top of him in general. Lucas felt himself squeal and giggle against Jens, taking in the affection of the other boy. He didn’t know how intoxicated Jens was, but the funny thing was, Lucas didn’t even smell a hint of weed or alcohol off of him.

He didn’t let go of his grasp on Lucas, only fiddling around with the coins in his pocket before dropping them in the little slot. The little screen stated that they had three pictures to take and they began frantically adjusting themselves before the camera’s countdown.

They hardly had time to position before the first pose. It was more of a candid shot if anything. Jens had both of his arms wrapped around Lucas’ waist, pressing his head against his arm as Lucas was still in a burst of giggles. His eyes were shut tight but Jens smiled cheekily at the screen.

The second one was a little more organized. Lucas brought his hand to the bottom half of Jens’ face, squishing it slightly as he felt him smile against it. Lucas was a bit too distracted to turn his face towards the screen, so the camera captured him looking at Jens, smiling widely and completely smitten.

Lastly, Jens and him faced the screen, smiling widely at it. But at the very last second, right before he heard the shutter go off, Lucas felt the softest of lips touch his cheek, capturing a kiss that definitely had him turning pink.

-

When Lucas woke up the next morning, he brushed his fingers against Jens’ soft hair. The other boy was still sound asleep, softly snoring in the soft glow of the morning and covered by his blankets. He didn’t really remember much from last night after his and Jens’ little adventure. What he did remember was Jana calling them as they pocketed their photos, sounding completely wasted. They must’ve rescued her and brought her home, where Jens decided he was just going to crash. Probably due to their parents’ wishes, Jens was told to sleep in Lucas’ room.

He wasn’t sure if Jens was supposed to take the floor or the bed, but something must’ve convinced them to both take the bed and sleep together. And in any other situation, Lucas would’ve be probably felt weird to share a bed with his crush. A crush who had in fact, kissed him last night. He wasn’t sure where there friendship went from here, but he knew that wasn’t something he really needed to worry about.

Gently slipping out of bed, and careful not to wake Jens up, Lucas headed over to the other side of the room. The boxes Jens had been unpacking still laid on the floor, photos still scattered within them. Rummaging through a bit, he picked a few of them out and picked up a few picture frames from the other box. Quietly, he sat on the floor, finding peace within the early sunshine and quiet of the morning.

When Lucas was finally done, he placed the photo frames on his dresses. Most of them were filled with photos from Utrecht, all of his favourite and loved people filling up this new little corner of his life. He knew they always had a place in his heart, no matter where in the world he was.

But now, sat another frame, in the midst of it all. The frame held three pictures, taken only a few hours ago, with the boy who had made every part of his new life just as good as his old one.

Because sometimes, home wasn’t just a place you could point at on a map. Sometimes home was made up of the people around you.

And as Lucas climbed back in bed, careful not to disturb the sleeping boy who pulled him in closer to his chest, he realized that he could get used to his new home.

Shy Smiles and Soft Snuggles.

a vds one shot. you can find more on my ao3.

( @ apolloswords )

feel free to comment/message me any suggestions for one shot ideas!

Lucas takes Jens and Jana on a weekend trip to Utrecht. When Jana teases them about the status of their relationship, it has Lucas thinking about making it official.

Continuation of “ Buried Boxes and Bashful Booths.”

“The train!” Lucas yelled as he tried to keep up with Jens and Jana.

The three of them raced down the platform, lunging their overnight bags on their side or their backs as they tried to make it to the train to Utrecht. The train they had taken to Antwerp’s main station was delayed by five minutes, which meant they had to get to the train to Utrecht in the next ten seconds if they didn’t want to miss it.

Luckily, Jens practically flung himself through the doors, holding it open just in time for Jana and Lucas to hope on. They took a second to catch their breath, panting heavily as they tried to find their seats.

When they did, they threw their bangs down and sat. Lucas and Jens placed their bags beside Jana, so they could have a bit more room on their shared seats.

“I thought we were going to miss it.” Jana said, still catching her breath. “So much for thinking we had that five minutes to spare.”

“I hate running.” Lucas pouted, before letting his body weight fall on top of Jens.

Jens groaned, but shifted a little to make sure he and Lucas were more comfortable. Jana laughed at the frown Lucas had on his face for having to be shifted into a new position, and she shook her head.

“Are you excited for us to meet your friends?” She asked. “You get to introduce them to a sister and a boyfriend.” She teased.

“We aren’t boyfriends!” He and Jens said in unison, which only fuelled her amusement.

“Yeah right.” She crossed her arms and looked at them with a smug smile. “You guys are definitely more than friends.”

“Well what if we’re just doing it to fool you?” Jens teased back. “You’re the one who keeps teasing us, maybe we’re just putting on an act for you.”

Jana snorted. “Please, I would hope the both of you hanging around each other almost 24/7 isn’t because of me.”

“Should I ask you for permission first?” Jens teased again, matching her smug smile. “Have your blessing so I can date your brother?”

“I would hope my brother had better choices in boys.” She shot back, and Lucas let out a laugh.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Jens knows you’ll kick his ass if anything happens to me.” He assured.

“So your friends,” Jens asked, turning away from Jana and raising a brow. “Have you told them anything?”

“They know as much as Jana knows.” He said with a smirk.

“I hardly know anything!” She cried, throwing her hands up in the air. “What did you tell them? That Jens was just some random kid we picked up and decided to bring along for the weekend?”

“Basically.” Lucas shrugged, now turning to wink at Jens. “I said you were a charity case.”

“Oh fuck off.” He snorted, lightly pushing him off. Lucas only laughed and fell on top of him again, only reviewing a chuckle and a roll of eyes as retaliation.

“Alright, I want peace and quiet for the next hour.” Jana instructed. “Faoucci’s math test fried by brain during my last class. I need time to heal.” She eyes the both of them seriously, narrowing her eyes and pointing at the two of them. “If you both leave me here and abandon me at the stop, you’ll both be sorry.”

-

“Oh fuck no.” Lucas said, as he saw two familiar faces standing next to a small black car in the train station’s parking lot.

Both of the boys standing there waved at him, giving him mischievous smiles before they raced over. As much as Lucas wanted to pretend he wasn’t happy to see them, he felt a sudden burst of adrenaline shot through him and ran up a bit. When the three of them had gotten close enough, they enveloped into a hug.

“Luc!” Kes laughed, hugging the right side of him tightly. “We thought we’d never see you again!”

“It’s not the same without you!” Jayden dramatically cried into Lucas’ left shoulder, only to get snorts of laughter from the other two boys.

When they pulled apart, Lucas turned around and saw that Jens and Jana had caught up to him. Jana had a wide smile on her face, the breeze blowing her hair in the wind as Jens tried to look composed with his straight posture and confident grin.

“Hey guys, these are the people I brought.” He said, standing off to the side a bit so he could properly introduce them. “This is my sister Jana and my friend Jens. Jens, Jana, these are my friends Kes and Jayden.”

“The charity case huh?” Kes said with a smirk. “If I didn’t know any better, I would have figured he was your-“

Lucas shot him a glare which made Kes quickly shut up. Kes gave him a smug look, much to his dismay.

“Damn, does everyone in Belgium look like you guys? I might have to consider moving.” Jayden said, smiling at the both of them.

Lucas felt his face burn up as Jens and Jana chuckled, obviously flattered by Jayden’s compliment.

“Well it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Jana said with a smile, as Jens managed to give both Kes and Jayden some handshakes.

“Luc, we got a car so we don’t have to train back to Jayden’s place.” Kes explained. “It’s going to be a tight fit but I’m sure they’ll find a way to fit all of you in the flat.”

“Come on!” Jayden called out, pulling some car keys out of his jacket pocket. “I’m driving.”

“Oh we are so fucked.” Lucas muttered under his breath, causing everyone around them to laugh.

They all started to heard towards the car, with Lucas following slowly behind. Jayden, who seemed very interested in Jana, was walking beside her, as Kes basically lead the entire group. Lucas felt his face flush when he noticed Jens walking beside him. Feeling the familiar nudge to his shoulder, he looked up and was greeted by a satisfied smirk from the tall raven haired boy.

“So, do you think I’m cute enough to move countries for?” He asked, a smirk on his lips.

Lucas scoffed. “You’re cute for a Belgian.”

He continued walking, trying to hide a smile from his face as Jens took a pause, standing there and thinking about what Lucas had just said.

“Hey!” He called out, Lucas whipping his head around to teasingly grin the boy behind him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

-

“We are going to get wasted!” Isa cried out, throwing her arms around Jana who was becoming a giggling mess.

“Aren’t you already?” Liv shouted over the music, groaning as she shook her head, following them across the room.

Lucas shook his head, laughing and knowing the two girls were probably going to find some more alcohol. He could already envision the horrible hangover that awaited them the next morning.

“Hey,” Jens nudged his arm gently. “I’m going to go smoke some weed. Come out with me?”

“Was that pun intended?” Lucas laughed.

“What pun?”

“Never mind.” He shook his head, while still chuckling. “Sure, let’s go.”

They headed outside of the house and towards the front lawn, leaning on the gates. Everybody else seemed to be inside. Lucas had already lost sight of Kes and Jayden about five minutes after entering the house. And if they weren’t outside smoking weed, it was a definite loss cause to even try to find them amidst the crowd of people.

Jens took out a lighter from his back pocket and a pre-rolled joint from the back of his ear. He lit the end of it, and Lucas couldn’t help but almost gawk at how attractive he found it. As Jens took a hit and let the smoke curl out of his lips, Lucas could feel his heart race and body go to complete jelly.

He passed the joint to him and he took it gratefully. The weed seemed to calm his nerves down a bit, and he was pleasantly surprised with its familiarity.

“Where’d you get Nederlands weed?” He asked Jens, who took the joint from him again.

“Your friend Kes gave it to me before we got here. He gave me a few actually.” He pulled out two more pre-rolled joints from his front pocket. “I hope he doesn’t think I’m going to smoke them all in one night. I don’t have that tolerance to this type of weed.”

“I hope he’s not doing that either.” Lucas scoffed.

He watched as Jens tilted his head back in a light laugh, more smoke coming out of his lips and making Lucas suck in a breath.

“Your friends are really nice.” He noted. “I can see why it was hard to leave them.”

“They’re chaotic as hell.” He snorted, but gave a small smile. “But I can’t believe how much I actually missed their chaos.”

“It must be nice to be back home at least. How does it feel?”

“Weird. I know in a way it’s still home but it’s weird to be a visitor.” He managed to look up and give Jens a small smile. “But I’m glad you came along?”

“Yeah?” He smirked. “I’m glad you brought me along too.”

Lucas knew his face probably had a light blush to it, and he looked down at his shoes to hide it. He felt Jens lean a little more to the gate, reaching out and letting the sides of their hands touch. Lucas felt something fuzzy inhabit his body, and it only made the blush on his face feel warmer.

“Have you ever thought about what Jana said earlier?” Jens asked, a little hesitation in his voice.

Looking at him, Lucas gave him a confused loo. “What did she say?”

“Well she mentioned us being boyfriends.”

“Oh.” He didn’t really know what to say. “I mean, I have.”

“Really?” He seemed rather surprised.

“Yeah, have you?”

“Yeah, I have.”

He widened his grin. “Really? Since when?”

“Probably since I met you. I looked at you and thought, wow, this guy has to be the one who puts up with me.”

“You’re kidding?” Lucas asked in disbelief.

“I’m not.” Jens leaned in forward and whispered to him. “I really thought that.”

Lucas smiled, blushing again and felt himself staring into Jens’ eyes. His eyes then lowered onto his lips, their soft pink colour looking down bright against the dim sky. He wanted to lean forward, to stand on the tips of his toes and wrap his arms around the other boy, finally doing what he had thought the second he had looked at him.

Just before he was going to do it, they were quickly interrupted by Liv shouting at them from the front steps of the house.

“Luc, Jens!” She called out. “We need you to carry Jana home, her and Isa just threw up all over the place.”

“Classic.” Jens laughed as he nodded at her. “Okay, we’ll be right there.”

Lucas bit his hip, a little disappointed that their moment had been ruined. Trying not to let it show so much on his face, he tried to crack a small chuckle.

“Looks like the party is ending earlier than we thought.” He managed to say, as they walked towards the house.

Jens laughed again. “Sorry us Belgians have a weaker tolerance than you Dutch.”

He shook his head. “Didn’t you hear Liv? It was both Jana and Isa throwing up.”

“Isa doesn’t stand a chance against that Dutch tolerance does she?”

“Nope. It wouldn’t be a party without her losing to it each time.”

They arrived into the house and were greeted quickly by the rest of this friends. Poor Isa was being held up by Kes and Jayden, her eyelids dropping as she groaned from her nausea. They found Jana being held up by Isa, her face pale and her voice slurred.

“Liv, Liv, Liv, look!” She exclaimed, pointing at both Jens and Lucas. “My rescuers have come to save me!” She pouted her lips. “My favourite pair of boyfriends.”

“In a different country but the party routine still commences, doesn’t it Jana?” Jens teased, ignoring the last part and walking towards her side. He slung one arm around him, letting her shift some of her weight onto him. He nodded at Lucas. “Come get her other side.”

“Oh yeah.” Lucas said, figuring to ignore what Jana had said as well. He walked over, Liv placing her gently onto him.

“Looks like Isa finally found her drinking buddy.” Jayden laughed, before opening the front door with his foot.

“Too bad she lives on the other side of the border.” Jens snorted. “She won’t be able to party like this every weekend.”

“Oh thank god.” Liv said from behind them, rolling her eyes as they all headed out the door.

-

“Even in a different country, I still manage to sleep beside you.” Jens chuckled as he slid into the empty space on the bed beside him.

Sleeping arrangements turned out to be fairly easy. The second they had walked into the flat, Isa and Jana both collapsed onto the two couches. Liv seemed decently pleased, knowing she wouldn’t have to share her bed. They threw some blankets on them, chilled out in the kitchen for awhile before eventually heading off to bed. Since Ralph was gone for the weekend, Lucas and Jens were able to crash in his room while Kes was forced to make do with Jayden.

“Some things never change.” Lucas said with a smile, instantly feeling some of Jens’ radiating heat off of him. Instinctively, he moved in a little closer, minimizing the space that laid between them.

“Hey.” Jens whispered in the dark, smiling brightly that his teeth shown like the stars.

Lucas giggled. “Hi.”

“You know, it’s kind of nice that I’ve gotten used to sleeping beside you.” He whispered. “It doesn’t make this place feel any different than home.”

“Does it feel different?” He asked, frowning a little. “Do you feel weird being here?”

“No!” He shook his head quickly, and chuckled. “No, of course not. I actually love it here. It’s a nice place to make a life out of.”

“Oh.” He paused. “I kind of want to move back here after high school.”

“For university?”

“Probably.”

“I’d come with you.”

He widened his eyes in surprise. “You would follow me here?”

“Sure, why not?” Jens shrugged. “It’s not that far away from Antwerp. Close enough for me to visit my parents and far enough that they have no control over me.” Now Jens paused. “To be honest, I think I would prefer the distance actually.”

“Are things at home not good?” Lucas asked softly and nervously, hoping it wouldn’t upset Jens.

But Jens only chuckled again. “No, it’s not that. Things could be better though. I don’t think I’ve ever told you this, but I’m also a child of divorce. Except instead of living with my dad, who by the way, moved all the way to Switzerland of all places, I live with my mom. And the second marriage brought some baggage, also known as my evil step sisters.”

“I thought it was going to be strange from going from an only child to having a sister.” He admitted. “But it’s actually pretty cool. It’s like having a permanent friend with you all the time.”

“Yeah, you got the lucky deck handed to you. I don’t think my sisters even tried being remotely decent towards me.” His voice lowered a bit. “To be honest, I almost got a little jealous over Jana. When she told me she was getting a brother and he was really nice, I was a little upset that I didn’t get a nice sibling.”

“Oh.” He paused again. “Sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.” Jens smiled. “I was lucky she got you. You ended up being one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, and now I have no idea what I would do without you.”

“Oh.” His voice went up in a delight as he smiled back at him. “I don’t know what I would do without you either.”

Jens looked at him softly, bringing a hand up to the side of his face and tucking some loose curls behind his ear. Lucas held his breath, feeling his heart race and the familiar fuzzy feeling take over. It was the same feeling he had gotten earlier, right before they were interrupted, just before Lucas was going to kiss him.

“Luc,” He said quietly, not taking his eyes off of him. “You do know I like you more than a friend, right?”

“I know. It, just.” He trailed off.

“Just what?”

“Well I haven’t asked you to be my boyfriend yet because I haven’t kissed you yet.” Lucas blurted out. “And I know I shouldn’t be scared to because I know you feel the same way I do and even if you didn’t I know you wouldn’t make me feel bad about it but I just don’t know when’s the perfect time to do it and then I panic and over think and then I miss my chance and then I-“

Lucas was quickly cut off by a kiss.

It took him a second for his brain to register it, but when he did, he instantly melted against it. Jens was holding his face firmly while still managing to make the kiss soft and gently. Lucas hummed into the kiss, almost having to hold his breath as he felt his chest tighten with so much euphoria. The space between them didn’t exist, and Lucas trailed his hand to Jens’ jawline, tilting it so he could have more of him. Lucas felt him smile against his lips, and it felt like a breath of fresh air. He could almost feel Jens’ own heart beating against his chest and he wondered if he could feel his.

He wondered why he hadn’t kissed him sooner. He wished he had. If he had known it was going to be like this then maybe Lucas wouldn't have felt so shy about his little crush.

But he also didn’t mind the waiting. He didn’t mind that he got to spend time with Jens before this, to really know him and understand him. To have had their shy glances exchanged for shy smiles to eventual shy affections.

Lucas didn’t mind the waiting. Because right now, the moment was perfect. And he wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Eventually they pulled apart, staring at each other in awe. Lucas couldn’t stop holding his face as he marvelled at the boy in front of him. The boy he had fallen so hard for, despite the short amount of time he had known him for. But with the way he was being marvelled at and also being held in the hands of Jens, he knew there was no more questioning between them.

“Now can you ask me to be your boyfriend?” Jens asked, his voice panting a little as he tried to regulate his breathing.

Giggling, Lucas leaned his forehead forward, pressing it against his.

“Will you be my boyfriend?” He asked in a whispered.

And he smiled. Because he already knew the answer.

-

Lucas was barely awake when he heard the bedroom door swing open. Groaning, he opened his eyes halfway and saw Jana standing there. She looked way better than she had last night, and based on the brightness on her face, she was definitely way more alive.

“Wake up.” She instructed them, flinging her hands everywhere. “We’re gonna roam around Utrecht today and we have to hit all the spots.

“Few more minutes.” Jens groaned, his eyes still shut and his head still buried in the pillows.

Jana narrowed her eyes at them. It didn’t take her long to realize the way they had fallen asleep. Jens hand one arm tucked under Lucas, his hand wrapped around to his back. Lucas was practically shoved into his chest, as one leg was thrown over him, peeking from the tangled blanket that halfway laid on top of them. Jens had his other hand thrown over Lucas’ waist, and it was unlike any sleeping position Jana had ever seen them in.

“Oh my god, it finally happened.” She squealed.

“What?” Lucas mumbled, trying to sit up but Jens only pulled him back down.

“Ignore her.” He mumbled.

He could hear Jana excitedly running towards the kitchen, which he figured everyone else was at based on where the sound of a clatter of dishes, smell of breakfast food and chatting voices came from. He wanted to sit up, to try to figure out what was happening but Jens’ grip was tight and firm. There was no escape to it.

“You guys!” He heard Jana exclaim. “I told you! I told you all! Lucas and Jens, they’re boyfriends!”

“I called it first!” He heard Kes yell, envisioning him scrambling through the kitchen to go declare it to them personally.

Knowing his friends were going to instantly swarm into the room and interrogate them, Lucas ducked underneath the blanket as Jens’ chest vibrated with a laugh. He felt Jens kiss the top of the curls that peaked out from out of the blanket as he pushed himself closer to his chest.

At least only one of their flushed faces would be given away.

Lives Before Us.

vds one shot. you can find more on my ao3.

( @ apolloswords )

feel free to comment/message me any suggestions for one shot ideas!

Lives are sometimes finished abruptly, and the souls are forced to carry out into the next life. If soulmates are true, will Lucian and Johannes ever find their way back to each other?

When Johannes heard the rustling in between the trees, he immediately tensed up. If he was doing this sneaking around during the day, he probably wouldn’t have to feel his heart jump out of his chest. Instinctively, he placed his hand around the handle of the dagger he had tucked under his shirt and into his belt. He paused a bit, waiting for another warning through the rustle of the bushes and trees.

Nothing came.

He let go of the breath he was holding and relaxed a bit. He must’ve just heard a squirrel or something rustling about. Since no following sound came after, Johannes was probably paranoid for nothing.

Just before he was about to take another step further, he heard the rustle again. He reached for his dagger again, but the sounds of the rustling only seemed to get closer. And whatever was behind the noise seemed to be quicker then him.

Before Johannes could take hold of his dagger, something lunged at the back of him and he instantly fell to the ground. Trying to fight back, though it was hard when pressed down against the grass, Johannes wrestled with whatever it was that had attacked him. It was hard to make out with the shadows of the tall trees cascading onto him and only relying on the light of the moon to make a little sense out of the figure. But it wasn’t until he heard the familiar sound of giggles that he stopped fighting back.

There was no way a giggle like that could come from any kind of animal.

Feeling a smile begin to form on his face, he flipped himself around and face the boy on top of him. He beamed at him with a bright smile, satisfied that his plan of attack had worked and his victim laid helplessly under him.

“Well that’s one way to meet me.” Johannes smirked as he let himself lay on the soft grass. “You think I want to come out here in the first place? I thought something was lurking in the shadows but I didn’t think it was going to be you.”

Lucian grinned and reached out to ruffle his soft dark hair. “You should have seen your face. I know you were scared.”

“I don’t get scared.” He pouted.

The smaller boy giggled again. “Yes you do and you did.” He poked at Johannes’ stomach. “Just admit I got you.”

“Nope.” Using his strength, he gripped onto Lucian’s waist and quickly flipped him over. Lucian yelped just as Johannes pinned him down in the ground. Now it was Lucian laying in the soft grass as he continued to smirk at him. “Now I got you.”

“Listen, I tried.” He snorted. “It’s not easy trying to scare a knight.”

“Maybe one day.” He winked at him before rolling off of him and laying beside him in the grass.

They both looked up at the stars around them, the trees seemed to have made a clearing and there were no clouds tonight. They twinkled and danced above them and Johannes thought this was probably the brightest he had seen them. He didn’t want to admit it, but it did cause a rather sadness in him.

Because it was probably the last night they would ever see the stars together.

“Isn’t it so wonderful to think that people before and after us will see the same stars?” Lucian asked in wonderment, a completely different perspective then the one Jens was currently in.

He frowned. “Don’t stars die?”

He shrugged and kept looking at them. “Probably not in our lifetime.”

“I see.”

They were silent for a minute. Quiet. And when Johannes had felt too much time pass between them, he heard Lucian whisper in a small voice.

“Are you scared?”

Johannes turned his head away and looked at Lucian, who was already looking at him. Even in the darkness of the night, the other boy’s blue eyes were brightly lit. But they held a sadness to them. One that Johannes never though he would see.

“I am.” He admitted, nodding slowly. “But not because of the war. I just want to come back home to you.”

“I want you to come back home too.” Lucian whispered back, his bottom lip quivering.

“But you won’t be here.”

Lucian sighed and shook his head sadly. “No I won’t. The whole village is moving east and I don’t know how far. And we both don’t know how long the war can end.”

Johannes could feel his eyes begin to water and he knew his voice was going to shake. Looking deeply at the other boy, he tried to hold back from crying. “Promise me you’ll let me find you no matter where you go.”

A singular tear began to fall down from eye and he prepared himself to feel it roll down his cheek. However, just before it fell down even further, a pair of lips stopped it. He felt Lucian’s lips on his cheek, kissing him right below his eye. Johannes felt his lips turn up into a small smile. It wasn’t unusual for Lucian to kiss him on the higher part of his cheek.

In fact, it seemed to be his favourite place to kiss.

“As long as you promise to always come find me.” Lucian whispered back.

“I will.” He nodded, trying to smile through the other tears that fell from his face. “I will find you in every life I live.”

Placing, his hand on his face, Lucian brought Johannes’ face closer to his. He used his thumb to wipe away some tears and tried to give him his own reassuring smile. Kissing him in the same spot, Johannes held his breath to keep the tears from falling. He felt his body vibrate a small hun of laughter as Lucian began repeatedly kissing the same spot, over and over again until there were no more tears running down his face.

Pulling away, Lucian faced him with a grin. “You know they say that the marks on your face and body were left by your lover in a past life.”

He snorted, amused at his romanticism. “Where did you hear that one from?”

“My mother.” He traced his finger on the spots his lips were just on. “It means in your next life, I’ll know it’s your when theres marks dotted on your face like the stars above us.”

“God Luc,” He marvelled at the boy. “You are unlike anyone I’ve ever met.”

“Maybe that’s why you’re so in love with me.”

“Maybe so.”

They laid there for awhile, Lucian tracing his finger on his face. If Lucian didn’t have to spend all day working at the shop where his mother sold all kinds of trinkets and crystals, Johannes could easily see him as an artist. And probably the best one in the village. It was too bad Lucian had to take over the shop after his mother got sick. He hoped that one day, he could be the artist he always dreamed of becoming.

“What are you thinking about?” Lucian asked.

Johannes shrugged. “Just about who we could be in our next life.”

“God, don’t make it sound like it’s going to happen so soon.” He snorted. “I would like to know we at least survive the war.”

“I’m just ready to come back home to you.” He lifted his body off the ground and held a thumb to Lucian’s bottom lip. “And my soul is already missing you.”

He leaned in, closing the space between their lips and kissing him like it was his last time. He didn’t want to think of it like that. He didn’t want this to be the last time. But tomorrow he would have to face what the morning brought, and he had to accept that it could be his last sunrise.

When they parted lips, Johannes made sure to study every small detail about Lucian. The dark curls of his hair sweeping into his face. The freckles that dotted his porcelain skin and bright cheeks, like the colour of spring flowers. The lips flushed from his own, slightly parted as he tried to catch his breath and turn the corners of them up into the sweetest smile his eyes had laid on. The lightness of his eyelashes, like the golden summer sun striking against the most beautiful blue that rushed out of waterfalls, painted the sky and shimmered through refracted light.

He would remember this face. And he would remember it even if it was the last thing in his memory.

“Promise me you’ll come back to me.” Lucian whispered.

Leaning forward once more, he placed a kiss on his face. Right at the top corner of his lip. He kissed it a few times as he felt the other boy crack a small smile, giggling again.

“Why did you kiss me there?” He asked, the lightness in his eyes returning. And the lightness made them twinkle, much more brighter than the stars.

“So when I come back to you, I’ll give you a real kiss.” Kissing the spot one more time, he lowered his voice. “If your story is true, then I know by my mark that it is you that I’ve come back to.”

-

Jens was definitely awake when he began feeling the train jostle along the tracks. The trip from Antwerp to Utrecht had been a rather smooth, but getting to Amersfoort was almost the complete opposite. Luckily it was less than a fifteen minute ride.

“You finally look awake.” Moyo laughed from beside him, nudging him gently. “I’m pretty sure you slept the entire ride to Utrecht.” stop

He shrugged. “Had to get up early to put on the costume.”

Moyo frowned at him. “It’s only a fluffy blouse and some pants. The sash and your dagger are like your only accessories.”

He shrugged again. “What can I say? I’m a noble knight on his day off. It’s a great costume.”

“A lazy one too.” Robbe smirked from across from him.

“Well I didn’t really know what to wear for a Renaissance fair. Speaking of which, why are we going?”

“Figured it would be a good vlog.” Robbe shrugged. “Plus it’s apparently a big thing here. Amersfoort resembles a small medieval town and it’s really popular for them to host a Renaissance fair every year.”

“So we’ll clearly blend in.” Jens smirked, gesturing towards all their costumes. While his was probably the least extravagant, he was impressed by the Broerrs and Sander’s effort.

“I went with Amber last year.” Aaron shrugged, poking his head up from behind Jens’ and Moyo’s seats. Poor guy was had gotten the short end of the stick and had to sit alone. “It’s actually pretty fun. They transform the whole place and it’s almost magical.”

“Oh!” Sander snapped his fingers. “So you know the legend of Amersfoort then, don’t you?”

Aaron frowned. “No. I think Amber told me but I forgot.”

“Classic.” Moyo teased as Jens snorted.

Sander rolled his eyes but there was an intriguing look on his face. He leaned in, calling the others to come forward. Aaron came from behind and shoved himself beside Moyo, practically squashing Jens towards the train’s windows.

“Amersfoort once used to be a beautiful kingdom, one of the grandest in the land. But after the war, only a little bit of it remained.” Sander began to say. “But it was home to the great lovers, the son of a local shopkeeper in the town square and one of the greatest knights in the entire land.”

“What were their names?” Moyo asked.

“Lucian and Johannes. Lucian was the heart of the villagers and Johannes was one of the bravest protectors of the villagers. They fell in love when Johannes wandered around the town square one day. He spotted Lucian sitting by the fountain, his head buried into some book. Eventually, he found himself falling in love with the rather ordinary boy.” Sander continued.

A shiver ran down Jens’ back. It wasn’t remotely cold inside the train and with Moyo’s body heat practically on him, there was hardly any way for him to be cold. But the shiver didn’t run down with cold spikes. It ran down with rather fuzzy shocks and tingled following behind.

Shaking it off, he prompted Sander to continue the story. “What was the legend?”

“Well it’s not really a legend. I was wrong on that part. But it is a story told by the people through many generations.” He continued. “One day, the kingdom had to go to a great war. Not only did all the knights have to go and fight, but the village was targeted as well. The villagers were told to leave and find a new place to settle while the knights fought off the enemies as much as hard as they could to give them some time to evacuate. So Johannes was forced to stay behind and fight while Lucian had to leave with the rest of the people.”

“Did they see each other again?” Robbe asked.

Sander sadly shook his head. “No, they didn’t. They promised they would come back to each other on their last night. But the next day, the village was attacked much earlier than expected. Lucian and a few other members tried to create a barricade at the village’s entrance to hold off the enemies from tearing up the place, but they were killed in the midst of it. Johannes didn’t know until nightfall, in which the grief took over. The next day, on the battle field, he fought with all he could but they say his energy gave out because of his heartbreak. He died shortly enough so they never did get to come back home to each other.”

“Shit.” Aaron said. “No wonder I didn’t remember that. It’s so sad.”

“It is.” Sander nodded. “They say that one day they may be reunited again but, nobody knows for sure.”

“How did they know about the legend?” Robbe asked.

“Lucian was an aspiring artist. Or he wanted to be. He carried a sketchbook around, filled with sketches of his everyday life and slowly, the pages began to be filled with Johannes. Sometimes just himself or sometimes, with Lucian in it. On the last page was a poem of their last night, with the recollection of their promises.” Sander replied. “Sadly, the sketchbook got lost in the archives so nobody knows the original poem. Only translations and interpretations.”

“I feel like that makes it sadder.” Moyo noted

Jens shifted in his seat uncomfortably. He wasn’t sure why, but there was something eerily familiar about the story. Maybe he had heard it as a bed time story as a kid. His mother’s side of the family was Dutch, so maybe they had known and told him the legend. The familiarity ran deep into his bones, but the announcement on the train’s system interrupted himself from further thinking about it.

“Next stop, Amersfoort.” The voice on the overhead system spoke.

The boys scrambled out of their seats to prepare to get off. They made sure the camera and their accessories were still attached onto their costumes. Jens gripped the handle of his dagger as he followed close behind.

-

It was like they had been transported back in time.

Jens hadn’t been sure exactly what he was expecting, but this exceeded any idea he had. The Renaissance fair took over almost all of Amersfoort. The shops had little stands showcasing their products with rustic packaging and stands of trinkets were being sold at almost every corner. The restaurants presented food in clay dishes, and they resembled any food you would see in a fantasy tavern. Even the townspeople seemed like they were from a different era. Jens had been right, they all blended right in.

He managed to lose his friends after being distracted by certain stands. Crystals, brass necklaces and leather bounded notebooks intrigued him. He didn’t worry so much, they couldn’t be that far away. He figured he would eventually run back to them as he wandered around

Eventually, he found himself in the middle of the town. People danced around to the music being played near a beautiful fountain. The fountain refracted in the grace of the sun, leading it’s light to fall on a boy standing beside an easel.

The boy couldn’t be any older or younger than Jens. His tousled brown curls fell over his face as he continued to paint on the easel. From what Jens could make out, it seemed to be the beautiful scenery of the town. Stepping closer, past the dancers and the musicians, he made his way towards him, feeling a tug at his heart strings.

He seemed to be unlike anyone Jens had ever met.

His work is beautiful, he thought to himself. And it really was. Jens felt a warm feeling towards it, and it was almost like the strokes in the painting seemed to sway a little bit to life. It looked like a dream to him, as though he had once closed his eyes and had been in the same exact setting.

“May I help you?” The young boy asked, a twinkle in his vibrant blue eyes.

Jens had realized he had been staring and found himself at a loss for words. By the way the boy was looking up at him, he felt himself take a closer look at him. Tousled curls. Porcelain skin. Dotted freckles. Flushed lips. Sweet smile. Light eyelashes. And of course, beautiful blue eyes that twinkled brighter than the stars.

“Sorry,” He stammered. “I didn’t mean to stare. You just, looked like someone I know.”

“Really?” The boy asked, the corners of his lips tugging upwards. “Who?”

He opened his mouth, expecting a name to tumble out but then frowned. Jens didn’t know who he reminded him of. He didn’t have a name. But yet, he knew this boy’s face. There was something so familiar about it, he swore he knew one just like it.

“I’m not quite sure.” He finally said.

The boy giggled and Jens felt his heart skin. He knew that sound. He knew he knew that sound. But he just didn’t know how.

“I’m Lucas.” The boy said, extending his hand to shake.

“I’m Jens.” He replied, breathless. Reaching out, he shook Lucas’ hand and felt the tingles run down his back again. Only this time, they were following shocks of pure warmth.

“So Jens, are you enjoying the fair so far?”

“From what I’ve seen, yes. It’s somewhat magical.”

“Well that’s one way to put it.” He winked. “I probably shouldn’t hold you from the rest of it. I’m just here to paint a few scenes and do some portraits.”

“Actually uhm, could I stay?” He asked, shifting on his feet. Jens knew it was probably a weird thing to ask upon meeting this stranger, that was the last thing Lucas felt like to him.

“Stay?” Lucas asked, obviously surprised at the question.

He nodded, holding his breath as he waited for him to laugh or tell him off. But Lucas didn’t do that. Instead, he smiled again and nodded.

“Sure Jens, you can stay. You can sit on that stool there if you want.”

“Thanks.” He grabbed the stool and pushed it closer to him, which Lucas pretended not to see even though a pink blush covered his face. And that’s when Jens noticed the most intricate detail about the boy in front of him.

There laid a mark, just above the right corner of his top.

And that’s when Jens finally knew.

-

“Isn’t it crazy that we’ve seen the same stars as those before us?” Lucas whispered, playing with a blade of grass as his head tilted up towards the night sky.

Hours had passed since their meeting, and Jens only left Lucas for a little while when he had to film a few videos for the vlog or when Lucas had a customer to paint. But he knew he couldn’t leave him just yet and met up with him, even when the fair was done for the day. So they walked towards a nearby meadow, surrounded by trees and away from the late bustle of the town. From here, the stars began to dance brightly before their very eyes, in the brightest light any of them had ever seen.

Feeling the soft blades of grass against his own back, Jens turned his head to also look up. “I’m pretty sure it’s because they don’t die in our lifetime.”

“And probably not in any other.” He said, still looking up. “Lives before our own have witness the same stars.”

Lucas turned his head to face Jens with a small smile. “Aren’t you supposed to be with your friends?”

“They know I’m here. I think they’re getting drunk at some pub. Besides, I think I should be here right now. With you.”

Grinning, he let out a soft chuckle. “Can I say something crazy?”

“Go ahead.”

“I don’t think this is the first time I’ve met you.”

Jens turned his head to face him, Lucas’ eyes wide and blue. “I don’t think this is the first time I’ve met you either.” He breathed out.

Reaching out, he felt Lucas brush his fingertips across his cheek. They grazed over the small marks on his face, pressing onto them gently.

“I know these marks.” He whispered. “I used to see them in some of my dreams. I think I’ve seen you in some of my dreams too. But it’s a little different. I don’t know how, but it is.”

“Do you believe in past lives?” Jens whispered.

He nodded.

“Well,” Jens said softly, letting his eyes lower onto the mark above Lucas’ lips. “I’ve been told that marks are often left by lovers of our past lives.”

He giggled, and it rang through his body like sounds of tinkling bells. “Who told you that?”

Jens smirked and shrugged. “It’s just something I know.”

Holding his breath, he reached out and let his thumb brush over Lucas’ mark. Lucas didn’t flinch from under him and only melted against his touch.

“It’s you.” Jens whispered out. He didn’t know what the words meant or why he said them, but he knew they had to be said. “I’ve come back to you.”

Lucas held his breath and searched Jens’ face. And as he did, he noticed the same way his blue eyes marvelled at him. He looked at him in the same way he had looked at the night sky.

The same way he looked at him many lives ago.

“You found me.” Lucas breathed out. “You kept your promise.”

Leaning forward, he let his lips brush against his. But before he could let them fall and kiss the boy his soul had never forgotten, he whispered softly.

“Well this is surely one way to meet me.” He said, smirking against his lips.

A giggle escaped past the lips of the other boy and sent soft vibrations through his body.

“Welcome home.” Lucas whispered, pulling on the fabric of Jens’ shirt to close the space between them. “Now, I got you.”

i literally do not care if the entire vds community is dead i will continue to create the little fics swirling around in my head because as long as my brain is willing to corporate with my heart there will be enough fics for this lifetime and the next

new fic has been posted!

🎞 spotify playlist

because who doesn’t love a good band au? ;)

sending all the love and adornment to anyone who takes the time to read <3

i’ve been resisting the urge of checking out wtf f1 racing is and then i saw someone tag #vanderstoffels so now i’m intrigued

i used to bust out fics in five days and now it’s almost the end of the month and i barely even have two chapters of this new fic 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

alternate universe - childhood best friends to lovers

jens, lucas and jana were inseparable best friends- until the day lucas moves away to utrecht with a cold shoulder. thinking that he'll never come back, they figured his sudden emotional distance would remain a mystery forever.

until one day, he does come back and they try to figure out what really happened.

(late upload- but don’t miss out! it’s got angst, pining, angry declarations of love and even a sharing the bed trope!)

fanfic link: sunroof by apolloswords

SO FRUSTRATED BECAUSE I HAD BIG PLANS FOR THIS FIC AND BECAUSE OF PROCRASTINATION I LOWKEY FORGOT THE PLOT GRR

after MONTHS of beating myself up that i didn’t finish the fanfic in the desired time (i was overwhelmed by sm stuff so i don’t know why i added sm pressure onto myself) i actually realized last night how happy i am with what i have written so far :D

NATHAN BOUTS PLAYING A CHARACTER NAMED LUCAS ON A NEW SERIES WRITTEN BY THE WTFOCK WRITERS???? I HATE IT HERE!

i literally do not care if the entire vds community is dead i will continue to create the little fics swirling around in my head because as long as my brain is willing to corporate with my heart there will be enough fics for this lifetime and the next

(hi just talking to myself here don’t mind me <3)

list of van der stoffels fics i want to write/have inspo for:

(yes. van der stoffels. i’m aware i’m the only one probably still hyperfixated on them but i need to create storage for all my little thoughts on them)

“before sunset” au (because them meeting by chance and spending the night together for escapism is so them??? need i say more??)

a possible lucas season (will work this one out a lot but i would like to write his season- it would either be a stand alone or a possible parallel to the jens season fic?? that sounds fun)

(POTENTIALLY) a fantasy au with the whole past lives concept + lucas being anti monarchy and jens is the prince (basically an extension of a one shot)

one in which they meet years later and it starts off at some cafe with very ambiguous emotions and conversations (i only have the title set up for this and it’s good enough to make me want to write more)

maybe a university/roommates sort of vibes one (this would probably be a bit more light hearted than the rest but still fun)

a couple more one shots probably (if i have the time and inspo)

(i am still very much here for my beloved lucas and jens and at this point it’s a sort of love that knows no end- and neither do the fics apparently)

(x)

alternate universe - dark academia

lucas is an aspiring musician who just received an internship to study under the well-renowned dr. elio stoffels. leaving utrecht is all he ever wanted but he feels quite adamant to see antwerp as a possible new home. music and studying, he tells himself, is all he is bound to do in the new city.

until he meets the beautiful lips turned up in a smirk and a cigarette dangling between them.

fanfic link: i hear a symphony by apolloswords

listen, i’ve read a handful of unfinished fics in my life but the two that hurt most have been the unfinished vds fics with the spider-man au and the notting hill au. i cry everyday.

anyway, if ur out there, ty for creating them.

sad because it’s been awhile since i’ve written my fic (which i’m so excited for) but i never feel like i have enough time to actually write