“If one squinted into Cabeswater long enough, in the right way, one could see secrets dart between the trees. The shadows of horned animals that never appeared. The winking lights of another summer's fireflies. The rushing sound of many wings, the sound of a massive flock always out of sight. Magic.”
Listen if I ever write more for this ship, all the titles are going to be puns of the ship name, because it’s right there.
Anyways, I read @chidi-anagonye‘s fic and it pushed me not only into this ship (lbr it wasn’t too hard to push me, Papi is a disaster Bi and Haled just wants,,, something more and they’re right there together) but to write my own.
Summary? It’s basically the scenes in the show, but? More obvious gay? Anyways sorry it’s lowkey bad but I tried...
"Where the hell is Zelger?" Papi muttered quietly to himself, taking another glance of the surrounding area before turning to face forward once more. Realistically, he knew that his friend was always late, no matter what they were doing. Despite Papi telling him repeatedly that he hated to stand around waiting since that was what they did every day, Zelger wouldn't change. And, really, he had no reason to. It wasn't like Papi would stop being his friend because of it. Even if he would, Papi didn't have any other options. In the middle of nowhere, Bet Hatikva was filled with the same faces, every day. Everyone knew that he was a human disaster, and those that didn't know quickly found out. Honestly, he usually didn't even bother to meet any visitors. He could meet new people, sure, but he could also make an absolute fool out of himself in front of beautiful strangers. Papi was anxious enough, it didn't need to fuel it.
Before he could spiral into his ever-present self-hate, his thoughts
were interrupted by a smooth voice, almost directly behind him. Papi felt himself flinch, not expecting anyone but Zelger to approach him, and it took an embarrassingly long time to respond to what the stranger had asked. Still startled, he replied with honesty: "Eh... No." His friend always invited him along in an attempt to set him up with a girl, but they ended up both awkwardly third wheeling Zelger and his girl. One glance at the man who had approached him made him wish more than anything that his friend would arrive. He was handsome, and as Papi turned away from him, he could already feel his hands sweating. His wish was granted, for once, as his best (and only) friend called out to him. Zelger playfully punched his arm, but he still shied away from the contact, painfully aware of the stranger behind him. Building up a bit of courage, he turned halfway, still avoiding eye contact, and pointed towards a nearby building, where some of the band's members sat. "You can... go in. Your friends, they are there." To his horror, the taller man moved to stand in front of him, catching his eyes. Papi prayed his nerves weren't as obvious as he felt they were.
"Maybe I go with you, like tourist? I don't sleep, so maybe I could look at the city?" the man asked, flashing a charming smile. In the back of his mind, Papi could hear the ocean tide, his thoughts turning to mush.
Already knowing the afternoon would end in embarrassment for himself, he attempted to refuse but Zelger, the traitor, stepped forward, and the stranger introduced himself. His friend complimented Haled's outfit, and of course, Papi's eyes roved over his figure. The suit was lovely, and he couldn't help but notice, it fit his frame perfectly. Something about this observation brought reality back to him, and it was entirely unpleasant. It was extremely unlikely that a man as handsome as Haled would be interested in guys, and if he were, it wouldn't be himself. For all he knew, the musician could be involved with someone else in his band. It was this line of thought that compelled him to blurt out "Only two girls... okay?" before gesturing again towards the other building.
Haled gave a small smile, before gently grabbing his arm, turning to gesture towards the city at large. The most Papi heard was "It's okay", and he assumed the man said more, but just the simple touch was enough to bring the ocean sounds back, drowning out the words. He was broken from his trance as Zelger announced the arrival of the ladies. And, of course, it was Julia that had been brought along. "Julia? Zelger why?" He demanded, groaning under his breath, and he continued the argument in his native tongue, not noticing he was being backed up until he felt a strong chest behind him, and two hands grabbing his shoulders to stop him. Argument forgotten, he quickly turned, feeling his cheeks heat in a blush.
"I know this girl. She is so gloomy! No smile!" Papi complained, frowning as his best friend hushed him.
"You want I to talk to her?" the taller man offered, and Papi immediately refused, mind leaping to the possibility of Julia ending up with Haled.
While Papi was hopeless, already certain that he would never find someone, whether they were a man or woman, Julia was most certainly not his type. He hesitantly said hello, trying to hide his frown. Zelger sent him a private glare before motioning the group into movement, Haled easily following.
The walk wasn't long to the ice skating rink, but in the eight-minute trip, Papi had nearly shoved his thumb through a hole in the hem of his shirt, the spot worn thin after nervously fidgeting with it for years, and he tripped twice. The first was simply tripping over a rock, and thankfully no one seemed to notice him. The second one, unfortunately, was because Haled had dropped back to his stride, and gently bumped his shoulder. It startled him so much that he stumbled, having been looking at the ground. Thankfully, he managed to catch himself, but his cheeks were stained red. Haled occasionally asked questions about buildings they passed, and he tried his best to try to tamp down his nervous stuttering. He noticed, out of the corner of his eye, there was a flash of silver near Haled's hand. Papi apparently wasn't as subtle looking at it as he thought, because the taller man lifted his hand to eye level, revealing a silver and gold pound coin. He watched, fascinated, as it rolled over his knuckles, practically a blur. He was, admittedly, both entranced and impressed. Before he could comment on it, though, he heard Zelger yell his name.
Papi sighed quietly to himself as he stepped into the building, resigning himself to a boring night. He hoped that, at least tonight, he could ignore all of his friend's ribbing to "make a move". Despite repeatedly trying to explain it, Zelger didn't ever seem to understand that most people, male or female, ever looked his way for anything even close to that. Even if they would, he knew he'd be lost on how to talk to them. Haled was a perfect example: Papi had been on edge ever since the man had first talked to him, trying so hard to at least not make a complete fool of himself. The man was everything he aspired to be, cool, calm, and handsome. He had no doubt that Haled could get anyone he wanted with minimal effort.
He realized, suddenly, that he had gotten on his skates on was absentmindedly skating. Zelger made them come here at least once a month, and he came because... what else did he have to do? Rounding a wall of the rink, he saw Haled standing in front of a guy he knew to be an asshole, who picked fights whenever he could. Papi lingered for a moment, hearing them talk about music and payment, and was shocked that the man moved towards the foreigner, intent clear. Surprising himself, he skated up to the pair, grabbing his shoulders and turning him away. "Leave him alone, he has done nothing wrong!" Papi shouted, glaring. When the asshole gestured for them to leave, he took the opportunity, steering Halid towards a wall around the corner, on the opposite side of the rink.
Now standing under the speaker that blared music, he didn't even consider that they would have to lean closer to speak until Haled did just that, lips barely a few inches away from his ear. "Thank you... and for, ah, invite me in," he said, at a normal level, but being that close to him did... things to him.
He could hear the waves creeping in, though he tried to will them away. "You're welcome," he replied, before leaning against the wall once more. Unconsciously, his fingers found the spot on the edge of his shirt, once again worrying the fabric. The silence began to creep towards awkward, and Papi tried to think of anything to break it. He glanced up as Julia skated by, hiding his grimace before returning his gaze to his shoes.
Haled watched the woman skate away, before leaning into him once more. "You uh... no go with the girls too much, eh?" he asked, a seemingly innocent question.
Papi felt himself cringe, regretting that he couldn't hide it. He couldn't help that he knew he was nothing special, nothing of interest. "No. Not the girls or the guys." He agreed. Something reminded him that, even casually, to a stranger he'd never see again, that he shouldn't come out to others, not knowing how they'd react. Casting a nervous glance up at the taller man, he was surprised to see a thoughtful expression. He hesitated for a moment, before asking, "You go with girls all the time, yes?"
A frown made its way onto the man's face, and he immediately regretted asking. "It is... not so simple." Haled told him, sighing before he continued. As he explained the arranged marriage, Papi couldn't help but feel crushed. Of course, when anyone gave him the time of day, it was only casual. Though he'd expected it, he still wished it would be different. For one short moment, he'd had hope. Haled interrupted his thoughts once more as he asked, "So you and the girl never...?" sounding curious, but face unreadable.
Papi cringed, realizing he'd have to explain what he heard, whenever anyone attractive tried to speak to him. He couldn't decide if it was better to avoid Haled's gaze or keep looking at him, but with the very reason he could barely hear his own words over the waves he was describing listening aptly, he chose to avoid his eyes. When he finally finished his explanation, he realized how stupid it probably sounded, sighed, preparing for the laughter. Really, Papi didn't understand why he spilled his guts to this, well, stranger. Haled and his band had arrived just that night, and they'd only spoken a handful of times. Maybe it was because the foreigner was... extremely attractive. The more he thought about it, Papi realized this was exactly the reason. Haled had told him that he had a woman waiting for him when he returned home, but some part of him desperately hoped that he might consider refusing the arranged marriage.
The silence stretched on for almost half a minute, the air around them thick, though he assumed it was caused by Haled realizing what a mess he was. Tugging at the hem of his shirt, he cast his gaze around for anything to talk about. "The, uh, girls are over there," Papi informed him, nodding towards a bench across the room, where they both sat, talking quietly. “I am sorry, I think I shared too much. Anyone else would be a better conversationalist, really... feel free,” He added, not bothering to hide his frown.
"I... did not ask where they were." Haled murmured. He was close enough now that his low tones were easily heard, lips brushing his ear.
Papi turned to find his face much closer to his own than expected. He instinctively tried to back away, confused as to why he'd be so close, but he was already pressed against the wall. "Haled- what?" Papi whispered, eyes widening the taller mn moved to stand in front of him, arm casually supporting his weight on the wall next to his hea. The sounds of the ocean increased to a roar as the foreigner's eyes slipped down to his lips.
"May I kiss you?" he asked, in the same whisper.
"Um. Yes?" Papi responded, feeling like it was a trick question. He was stunned, then, when Haled leaned forward to kiss him, gentle and soft.
