@gasolinelighter SAID: lying chest to chest, feeling their heartbeat slow back down against yours. (peter + jude)
jude had never been good at being quiet. not in studios, where silence made him restless enough to fill it with half-finished melodies, terrible jokes, and the same eight bars replayed until everyone threatened to kill him. not in green rooms, where they talked too fast because being still gave their thoughts too much room to catch up. not even as a kid, sprawled across peter’s bedroom floor with scraped knees and big, impossible plans, making noise just to SEE if peter would roll his eyes and laugh anyway. but now, with peter pressed close against him, their bodies warm and tangled beneath the sheets, quiet didn’t feel so impossible. jude let their hand move idly along peter’s back, tracing shapeless patterns into his skin while the frantic rhythm between them eased into something calmer. he could feel peter’s pulse settling against his own, could feel the aftermath of all that want turn into closeness so tender it almost made him nervous. that was the ridiculous part, wasn’t it? jude could survive chaos. they could THRIVE in it. he could turn a fight, a breakdown, a bad idea, or three sleepless nights into art if someone gave him enough coffee and a deadline. this was HARDER. peter had always been harder, mostly because he mattered in ways jude had spent years pretending were manageable. childhood best friend was easier. favorite person was easier. the one who knew EVERY ugly version of them and stayed anyway — that was terrifying. boyfriend, almost-boyfriend, basically-boyfriend, whatever the hell they were calling IT now, felt like standing at the edge of a song before the hook hit. familiar. inevitable. still enough to knock him sideways. they dipped their chin, brushing their mouth lightly against peter’s temple, then smiled to themself before peter could see too much of what was written all over their face. “you know,” jude murmured, voice rough with affection and a little leftover awe, “for somebody who spent half our childhood pretending i was annoying as hell, you’re AWFULLY clingy now.” his fingers dragged lazily down peter’s spine, touch unhurried, possessive in a way he might have denied if anyone else called him on it. jude tilted their head just enough to look at him, eyes bright with mischief despite the warmth lodged under their ribs. “not complaining,” he added quickly, because god forbid peter got the WRONG idea. “just documenting the evidence. for science. and also because i deserve to be right about at least one thing tonight.”
