IT'S IN OUR EYES

While I'd love to start this whole shabang by charming the pants off you all, I'm pretty sure that would be frowned upon in my profession and so I'll stick to the boring type of charm to save myself some trouble in the future. So you can pretty much see my name up there, but for those who want clarification, it's Cooper Anderson. Yes I'm that guy who sits in your classes and maybe takes over from your teacher on occasion. Or just sits there distracting you from your work, who knows? I won't judge too much. But, anyway, if you get a smiley face and a big ben fatto! on your work, that's probably my doing. I should make a game of people collecting these hand drawn smiley faces, but that involves thinking up a prize and I'm not even going to put time into that. Just getting your own personal piece of Cooper should be enough to satisfy. Now that I've sufficiently rambled enough to make this look like I've spent time and effort on it, get yourself doing something worth your while. Suggestion: Look through the rest of my blog!

[andercooper]

COOPBASTIAN | PHONE CALL

SEBASTIAN: Oh. [Sebastian couldn't help but sound a little disappointed, but he continued as best he could, knowing that he had made it more than obvious.] Yeah, sure. That's fine. I mean, I'm going to go see my parents and the wifi is always a little sketchy at their place anyway. [He lied, knowing his parents had perfectly good wifi, but the last thing he wanted to do was make Cooper feel guilty about not Skyping him. It was just that he missed him. That was all.] Tomorrow sounds great. I'll let you know when we're back from the tours and everything. Though honestly, you're right, I hate the whole tourist thing, I might just sneak away and see some friends for the day or something. I'm sure no one would even notice. [He took a breath, realizing he was speaking a little bit too quickly, and ran a hand through his hair, closing his eyes for a moment. Cooper's admittance made him smile slightly, which grew into a soft chuckle of at his description of his previous flight.] Clearly this is why you're an awesome travel companion. [He teased.]

COOPER: [The sound of disappointment in Sebastian's voice left Cooper cringing ever so slightly, wishing he could reassure his boyfriend that he'd see him very soon, but he couldn't give away his surprise that easily.] Say hi to your parents for me? I wish I could be there, you know how much I love your mom. [He smiled softly, if not a little sadly to himself.] Okay. Well, just let me know what you're doing. I'm sure it'll beat whatever I'm doing so I'll need a constant stream of updates. [It was impossible not to laugh softly at how excitable Sebastian could yet and how it was a rare moment that Cooper actually got to experience. The teasing left him laughing again, shaking his head softly.] I'm brilliant, what can I say?

[andercooper]

COOPBASTIAN | PHONE CALL

SEBASTIAN: [He nodded despite the fact that Cooper couldn't see him, finding a loose string on the hem of his shirt and toying with it absently.] Good. You should call me when you've stopped and had some rest - I think I can find wifi so we could even Skype if you wanted. [He sort of hates how hopeful he sounds - even all of this time, getting to talk to Cooper, to see his face and read his reactions (the way he smiled), was something of a treat. He huffed at Cooper's assurance that he was fine driving - telling Sebastian not to worry about him was as useless as Sebastian telling Cooper not to worry, but they did it anyway.] Fine, cher. If you say so. [He resigns himself, blinking up at the ceiling. Talking about the trip makes him miss Cooper more, so he directs his attention to still trying to figure out what Cooper has been doing while he's been gone - flying in and out of Milan didn't give him much clues though. But he couldn't help but laugh when Cooper mentioned grabbing the hand of his fellow passenger during the flight.] I don't know how you got on without me before. [He teased, smiling fondly in spite of himself.] And if a hot stranger like you grabbed my hand, I suppose I wouldn't object. But I'm not everyone. Besides, you like driving, right? Even though that it quite far.

COOPER: [At Sebastian's request, Cooper felt his heart sink to his stomach. He knew fine well he couldn't Skype Sebastian from his car and tell him that's where he was sleeping for a few hours before continuing and so instead he had to equivocate.] I don't know if I'll have wifi... [Cooper murmured softly, biting his lip as he slowed down a little to concentrate on the conversation they were having.] But how about I Skype you tomorrow? I'll get to see your face and you can see mine, it'll be great. [The prospect that it wouldn't actually be via video and instead would be in person left Cooper feeling a little giddy and he couldn't help but take a look at his GPS to see how long he had left of the 13 hour journey.] I don't know either. [He admitted with complete honesty and a soft sigh.] It was awful... Oh god, he was one of those guys who's terrified of brushing against another man in case it makes him gay, so there was a bit of a scene made by him. It was ridiculous. [He laughed at the memory before nodding to himself.] Yeah. I love driving. I mean, give me a day full of driving and I'm in my element. [He yawned softly before licking his lips.] So, what are you all up to? Any tours to see the Eiffel tower? Moulin Rogue? Bet you're hating the tourist life in your own city.

[andercooper]

TEXT MESSAGE → COOPCHEL

RACHEL: He's going to visit his parents today. :)

COOPER: You're an absolute angel. Thank you so much.

[andercooper]

COOPBASTIAN | PHONE CALL

SEBASTIAN: [He felt his lips tug upwards at the use of the term of endearment. He wasn't sure why, but Cooper calling him 'baby' gave him a stir of feelings that he was sure he'd never really get used to. On the other end of the line, Cooper sounds tired, and Sebastian feels his smile falter slightly in concern.] You sound tired. [He murmured, rolling onto his side, phone pinned between his pillow and his head.] Promise you're not going to drive off the side of the road or something. For my sanity. [ Sebastian wasn't sure when he had become a worrier - hr blamed Cooper for the trait rubbing off on him, though it was obvious that Cooper was the reason he cared in the first place. He frowned when Cooper mentioned that they hadn't spoken in that long. Cooper had encouraged him to enjoy his trip and not worry about him, but Sebastian couldn't help but feel guilty that they hadn't spoken in a few days.] Turkey was nice. I could get used to that weather. I had all of your food suggestions so I was stuffed by the time I left. And then we were in Romania and Vienna. I went to see the opera in Vienna and god, Coop, you and I have to go back sometime. It's amazing. [His excitement bleeds through his voice and he rolls onto his back again, smiling at the ceiling of his hotel room. He liked making these sort of plans with Cooper - there were a million and one things that he wanted to do, and he wanted to do them with Cooper.] So where are you now, driving-wise? Heading to Milan again?

COOPER: [At the mention of how tired he sounded, Cooper glanced at the clock on the dashboard of his car before shrugging to himself slightly.] I am a little, but I'm stopping soon, don't worry. [It was impossible not to let out a soft laugh, rolling his eyes at the worry in Sebastian's voice with complete and utter fondness. It wasn't often he got to hear it and so treasuring the little things like this was something Cooper had learned to do quite quickly.] Caro, I promise I'm not going to drive off the road. I'm fine. Trust me. I'm stopping in the next hour or so and the road is straight and quiet, so stop worrying, please. [As Sebastian began to talk about the trip, Cooper couldn't help but smile as he listened, looking out over the road. He regretted not fighting harder to be able to experience it, and he was truthfully quite jealous considering his love of travelling, but hearing the excitement in his boyfriend's voice was enough to make up for it.] I'd love to go with you. [He murmured, trying not to disturb Sebastian's excitement before biting his lip and taking a brief second to think up a little lie.] Yeah. I thought it'd be better to drive than to take another plane. I can't go on them without you. I squeezed my neighbour's hand so tight on the last flight... He really wasn't impressed.

[littlegoldstarlet]

PRIVATE → COOPCHEL

[littlegoldstarlet]

If there’s anything, I’ll be certain to let you know, but honestly, I’m happy to help! You know that!

[andercooper]

Save a hug for me when I'm finally in the city, alright? I want to hear all about the trip. Everything.

[littlegoldstarlet]

PRIVATE → COOPCHEL

andercooper replied to your post: PRIVATE: I need a little bit of a favour…

I’m about two hours away from Paris and I need to know what Sebastian’s plans are today so I can surprise him.

Oh! Today’s a free day, but we’re going as a group for dinner sometime this evening. I’ll try and get in touch with him to figure out his plans.

[andercooper]

I owe you for absolutely everything. Thank you. Really. I swear, anything you want, just say the word.

[jais-diary]

[andercooper]

COOPBASTIAN | PHONE CALL

SEBASTIAN: [ The trip, so far, had been amazing. Though Sebastian prided himself on being fairly cultured, he had been blown away by most of the cities they had stopped in so far. Vienna, obviously, had been his favorite for the history aspect, but he had to admit he had been smitten with the climate in Greece and Turkey. That was definitely the sort of weather he could get used to. But now they were in Paris - god, Sebastian had missed it more than he was willing to admit. But Paris seemed lacking something in particular, something he couldn't really quite explain as he wandered around with the tour groups and got drinks with friends the first night he was there. It wasn't until he saw Cooper's reply to his message when he woke up the next morning that he realized what it was precisely that was missing. He missed Cooper - a fact that he had been quite aware of, but the amount had been something that he had been keeping quiet. He missed Cooper, a lot, and for once their rating system was lacking him at that moment. He wanted to be wandering about Paris with Cooper, showing him all of the sights like he had promised he would. He didn't know what was keeping Cooper so busy, but he knew better than to question it. Instead, he picked up his phone, collapsing onto the bed of his hotel room and dialing Cooper's number. He half expected his boyfriend not to answer - they were both busy this summer, so it was to be expected, but when the line connected, he swallowed, throat a little dry all of a sudden.] Hey. [He greeted after a beat, lips curling into a half smile.] Driving?

COOPER: [There were absolutely no words to describe how much Cooper missed Sebastian. Considering their relationship had been a lot more comforted by the physical aspects of just being able to be around each other rather than distant conversations and the fact they'd fallen into being so close so quickly, it wasn't a surprise that Cooper was finding it difficult to sleep at home upon realising that it was Summer and Sebastian could have been there every single day. Maybe it was pathetic that Cooper felt so lost without him, or his brother, or just anyone around so much that he'd got to the point where he'd sold various things just for a backlog of money for fuel before setting off in his car. It was over 12 hour worth of driving to get to Paris, but Cooper was determined to do it. He could sleep in his car if the need came, but so far, around eight hours in, he was doing good. As his phone rang, he pressed the accept button on his dashboard, smiling to himself about how they were in the same country for the first time in far too long.] Hey baby. [He sighed a little tiredly into the empty car, eyes glancing at the stereo displaying Sebastian's name with a grin.] Yeah, it's okay though, the roads are pretty empty. [His voice was dismissive, wanting to surprise his boyfriend when he got there, although the only address he had was for Sebastian's parents' house in Paris to allow him to park up before trying to figure out where the hell he was.] How's the trip been? I last talked to you in Turkey right? Tell me all about it.

[andercooper]

[private] Tell me when you're free? I want to call but you know I don't want to bother you with whatever it is you're working on. But, you know, it's Paris. And I miss you.

PRIVATE: Well, I'm going to be in the car pretty much all day, but I can set up my hands free and talk to you while I drive? I miss you too. So much.

[andercooper]

PRIVATE → COOPBASTIAN

[parisian-smythe-blog]

You’re so sentimental. I figured you’ve been pretty busy - I didn’t want to bother you or anything, especially if you were working, so I didn’t call. I know. You’ll tell me when you can tell me.

We’re going to Paris soon, you know.

[andercooper]

It's all part of my charm. Hey, I told you to call me regardless, didn't I? I promise, you'll be the first to know when I can tell you, okay?

I know...

[andercooper]

PRIVATE → COOPBASTIAN

[parisian-smythe-blog]

If you’re not careful, he’ll start to love her more than us. How’s Milan and the super secret stuff you can’t talk about?

[andercooper]

We're like his parents, Bas, he has unconditional love for us. Milan was good, I got back home last night from spending a few days with some old friends and kind of crashed so I've been a little MIA. I didn't miss any calls though, right? The super secret stuff is still super secret, babe.

[italian-anderson]

When do you find out, and when are you going to tell me what’s going on? I’m impatient.

[andercooper]

Late August probably, I don't really know. I'll know when I know. I'll tell you when I know. 

[bellebryant]

[andercooper]

PRIVATE → COOPBASTIAN

parisian-smythe replied to your post: Surprisingly, life has been incredibly hectic.

private: Poor Atlas, he’s probably missing both of us.

I bet he is, but at the same time, my mom has been taking him out on the beach every day so he's probably forgotten all about us.

[andercooper]

italian-anderson replied to your post: Surprisingly, life has been incredibly hectic.

How was the trip, Coop?

It was exciting, really exciting. And you know how much I love Milan anyway, so it was really good. Let's just keep our fingers crossed!

kelijahum replied to your post: Surprisingly, life has been incredibly hectic.

You get more and more cryptic with every post you make.

I'm just keeping you intrigued and guessing.

[andercooper]

Surprisingly, life has been incredibly hectic.

I've been living out of a suitcase since coming back from Milan and jetting from place to place. It's got to the point where Atlas is living with my mom because I'm not home enough at the moment. But, it's a good thing, don't worry.

[andercooper]

PRIVATE → COOPBASTIAN

[parisian-smythe-blog]

No, you’re going to kiss me. You know it.

Shut up. By the time I get back, you and I both know I’m going to miss you like crazy, so I’ll even do a trip into the mountains if it means spending time with you. Fine, it is. Well, easing the black hole is something I can’t complain about, I suppose. 

[andercooper]

I can hit you first and then kiss you. That can happen. I have the control to do that.

Never. We could just book somewhere cheap and have a little time to ourselves and catch up and spend days on the beach. You don't have to camp if you don't want to. Precisely. So let's hope it actually happens and I'll be able to come and visit you in Paris at the drop of a hat or whisk you away to Thailand or India or Hong Kong or New Zealand.