Swing Set AU; A Bdoc Oneshots Collection

A Close Friend

"I really need to buy a scarf," Doc muttered, hunching his shoulders so he could bury his chin in his long coat. He glanced over at his boyfriend who was walking beside him. He was rubbing his hands together since he forgot his gloves. Smiling, the hybrid reached over and stole his hand. He pulled it into his pocket, giving it a little squeeze.

"You nervous?" Bdubs asked, leaning against the other's arm.

"A little," he admitted. "I feel like he isn't going to like me."

The shorter male reached up so he could sneak a kiss on his boyfriend's cheek. "Keralis is going to love you, I promise." With his free hand, he held onto Doc's arm.

-

Finally, the two found themselves standing outside a small café. When they walked in, Bdubs waved to a wide-eyed male. He led the tall brunette over to the booth and the guy stood up. He threw himself onto the freckled boy, causing him to let go of his roommate's hand.

"Bubbles! It's been so long!" Keralis exclaimed. He pulled away, but his hands were still on the other's shoulders.

A weird feeling sprouted inside Doc. 'Bubbles'? Is that some sort of nickname? Wait, I haven't given a pet name to him yet, have I? Should I?

"So you must be Doc," Snapping him back to reality, the hybrid shook Bdubs' childhood friend's hand.

"It's nice to meet you," he replied. Keralis sat back down in the booth, the other two sliding in on the opposite side. "Sorry for skipping out on the Halloween party," the hybrid apologized, scratching his chin.

"No worries! Trust me, I get it. My boyfriend isn't a big party person either," he assured him.

A waiter came over to take their order - Doc and Keralis coffee and Bdubs hot chocolate - and the two friends fell into mindless conversation. The tallest quickly grew bored with whatever they were going on about. He wanted to reach over and play with his boyfriend's hair, or at least go back to holding his hand. But ever since they met up with his friend, the dark brunette suddenly felt too self-conscious to touch the freckled male next to him. He didn't know why he felt this way, all he knew was that he hated it.

And there was another thing he hated.

How jealous he felt.

Keralis grew up with Bdubs. He knows everything about him. He's so much closer to him than Doc is. Because he moved, Doc missed out on so much, but Keralis was there for it all. For the first time since that first date, doubts snuck into his mind. What if Bdubs thinks we're moving too fast? What if he realizes I'm not who he thought and wants to break things off? What if Keralis doesn't like me, and tells Bdubs that? Would he want to end things because his best friend doesn't approve? Even when their drinks arrived the thoughts wouldn't go away. He considered trying to chime in on the conversation, but he felt too awkward and instead took a sip of his black coffee.

In fact, he stays quiet until he notices his boyfriend eyeing his drink. Sighing, a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I know what you're thinking, and no you can't try it. It's black coffee so you'll hate it," he slowly explained. The short brunette pouted and widened his eyes. Chuckling, Doc pulled his red bandana down, covering his giant chocolate-and-emerald-colored eyes. "A pretty looking glass isn't going to change the flavor," he added.

"Never change, Bubbles," Keralis giggled as he sipped his coffee.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he squawked, fixing his bandana.

"Oh nothing," he said in a sing-song voice. His smile faltered, and he set down his glass. "So... you two ran into Xavion and Hels a while ago?"

"Yeah..." Bdubs slumped in the booth. "They're still awful," he mumbled.

"Xisuma tried to talk to them; at least get them to apologize, but you know how EX is," the wide-eyed male mumbled.

The freckled male slowly nodded, his eyes darkening. "It's whatever," he said with a small smile.

"It's not 'whatever', but okay," the hybrid grumbled into his glass.

Keralis clapped his hands together and attempted to lighten the mood. "So where do you work?" he asked the dark brunette.

"Oh nowhere special. I work as a biochemist at G.O.A.T Labs with an old friend. What about you?"

"I own a construction company, which I know is ironic since Bdubs works at a demolition company," Keralis laughed.

-

Eventually, Doc excused himself to use the bathroom. The moment he was out of view, a giant grin spread from ear to ear on both their faces. "Gosh I love him," Bdubs gushed.

"I can tell!" his friend laughed. "I'll admit I don't remember anything about him from elementary school, but I can tell you two are great together!"

"Ah, I'm so glad you do!"

"I just can't wait for the rest of our friends to meet him!"

-

The three males stood outside the café in the refreshing cold. Doc began to freak out when Bdubs' best friend asked to speak with the hybrid privately. The two stepped aside, and he braced for a lecture, for some harsh words of warning, something. "Listen, I just wanted to make sure it was clear that I'm not mad you guys didn't come to the Halloween party. I didn't know if you were still hung up over that so I just wanted to be sure," Keralis spoke softly to match his smile.

Doc relaxed slightly. So he isn't going to yell at me. That's good I suppose. Though, there was something else still stuck on his mind. "Um, do you think I'm right for Bdubs? Th-That we are- That I deserve to be with him?" he asked, his voice shrinking with each word. He practically jumped as he was pulled into a big hug.

"Of course you are. I can tell Bdubs really cares about you, and I'm positive you feel the same way. You don't need to worry about anything," Keralis reassured him.

After inviting the two to a Christmas party - which Doc promised they'd attend - he left in the opposite direction.

"See? Not so bad, right?" Bdubs grinned, nudging the taller male. Doc returned the smile and the two fell into silence as they began their walk home. The hybrid found it comforting, but the other grew more and more nervous with each step. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and gave his boyfriend's coat sleeve a little tug.

"What's up?" he asked, turning to him. The shorter brunette pulled his hand back and slowly looked up.

"Are you uncomfortable with PDA?" The hybrid blinked, having to take a moment to remember PDA stood for 'Public Displays of Affection'.

"No, I don't mind it," he shrugged. A small grin formed on his face. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I just noticed how you kept hesitating to hold my hand or something while we were in the cafe. I assumed you felt obligated to do it, and I just wanted to say you don't need to," Bdubs explained, his gaze falling to their feet.

The hybrid lifted his chin and leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "I was hesitating because I didn't know if you would be comfortable with me being super clingy around your best friend," he quietly admitted.

"Doc," the shorter boyfriend giggled. "You could've asked. And for future reference, I'm perfectly fine with it." He wrapped his arms around his neck, stealing another kiss.

With clasped hands tucked in Doc's pocket again, the two continued the walk home. 

For a chapter about Keralis, I feel like he's hardly present lmao
Dw next month's chapter will be *chefs kiss*