He felt as if Bad was here, then he was gone. Back to square one, hundreds of miles away. Even though it was about a week of being together in real life, it felt like a couple days, maybe even hours.
He just missed him so much. He missed everything. He missed observing things he couldn't from over a screen. He missed the little remarks he would get when he would flirt with the other.
But most of all, he missed his best friend. Someone to hang out with, sleepovers every night. It had almost felt like he went back in time to Middle School, hanging out with his best friends every day all day.
While having the company of Bad around was something he wouldn't trade anything for, it was a little weird at times. He can admit, most of the times it was his fault. He kept forgetting that flirting with your best friend is different in real life, face to face, then it is over a screen. Way different.
Seeing Bad's face heat up like he hadn't before. Watching as Bad's smile grew from the compliments Skeppy threw out at him. It took a lot, flirting with him. Even though it really didn't.
He had been flirting with him ever since they met. It felt right, like if he hadn't it would have been more weird. It just works with their duo they have created together.
Words and remarks slip out of his mouth without him noticing. Even sometimes pet names. He didn't mean to, he swears.
It was late, around one in the morning. They were laying on Skeppy's floor together, with Rocco and Rat. Skeppy's thoughts were swirling in every which way. It was the day they had meet up.
The first hug wasn't awkward. It was nice, warm, and felt familiar. But the silence afterwards was. Only for a minute before they became comfortable with being in each other's presence.
Maybe a little too comfortable.
"Skeppy... I think this has been the best day of my life."
Maybe Bad didn't mean it, maybe he was just tired. But it still felt as if his heart stopped in his chest the second the words left Bad's mouth.
"Me too. I've had so much fun with you here," he whispered back. His fingers were tingling from petting Rocco's fur for so long. Or maybe it was from the nerves of being next to his best friend after years of pinning.
"I love you a lot. I hope you know that, and I'm sorry it took so long to meet up with you. I've had so much fun, I really don't know why I didn't want to do this sooner."
Bad did know. He knew the reason he had put off the meet up for so long, reasons he would never say out loud. Reasons that were even hard to admit to himself.
He was scared. Scared of a lot of things. Scared of how Skeppy was going to see him. He wasn't the most confident person, and he truly cared about what Skeppy thought of him.
While he knew Skeppy would never judge him for how he looks, he was still scared.
He was also scared of the flirting. Skeppy's personality was the flirty type, and he knew it would be no matter how far apart they were. He was afraid of how he might react to the flirting. Skeppy would be able to see his face and his reactions like he never had before.
He didn't want to scare Skeppy off.
In the background, there was a faint sound of a song playing. He didn't know what the singer was even saying, but the tune was good. It made his worries fall down a bit, until they picked up again with a single movement.
Rocco yawned before getting up. He was between the two boys, laying in the middle. It was almost like a wall between them.
Skeppy's heart wanted to reach out, take Bad's hand in his and get closer to him. Because after all this time, years of being so far, they deserved it, right?
He would like to believe it. He would like to believe that if he did move any closer to Bad, he wouldn't move away. That if he took the other's hand in his, he wouldn't shut him out the second they touched.
"What do you want to do tomorrow?"
He wished he had a direct answer for Bad, but he didn't. Even though he had been thinking about the meet up for years on end, planning every word he would say out in his head, he truly had no idea.
"Spend time together."
Bad let out a giggle. "Of course we will spend time together Skeppy. I'm going to be here for a whole week. Which, we will spend every second together."
In a way, the words meant less then he had intended them too. Of course they wouldn't spend every second together, that's impossible. It sounded nice though. He wouldn't mind having to spend the rest of his life with every second with Skeppy.
"Okay good." his heart caught up deep within his throat as he moved. He moved closer, blaming it on how cold the room was, needing the other's body heat to warm him up.
"I'm cold..." Skeppy trailed off, moving himself closer to the other. Bad stiffened, not knowing what he was supposed to do. Was he supposed to move closer as well, not move at all? Maybe even move Rat so Skeppy could get even closer?
He shut down the thought the second it came up. As well as all his other thoughts shut down the second Skeppy's arm touched his own.
Even through his hoodie and the other's long sleeve, he could feel his body warmth. He felt warm and safe. Being here in Skeppy's apartment felt warm and safe in it's self.
"You're so warm." even though it might have been an excuse to move just a little closer when he had the chance, he did mean it.
"Thanks.." Bad let out a giggle under his breath.
"I think we should take Rat and Rocco on a walk tomorrow to the park, would you like that?" the idea had just came to Skeppy, but he thought it was a good one.
"Yeah! We could even bring some food or something to have a picnic there." the smile on his face grew with his thoughts. A nice picnic with Skeppy and the dogs sounds like a perfect day. But really, any day with Skeppy sounds like a perfect day.
"Also Hannah wants us to do a baking stream or something with her for valentines day. I think she wants to do it in a couple days after we go to Bush Garden."
A baking stream. The only thing Bad had done close to a baking stream was the soup video he made years ago.
"Yeah! That sounds like so much fun. Hannah is a good muffin."
Which was another thing about the meet up, he thought that when they meet up, Bad would be different in real life then he was over a screen. But he isn't. He still says language and tells people they are being muffins.
It's funny really, but for the most part it's cute. It's really cute. That whenever Bad does it, he has to hide his reaction. Either his face growing redder, causing him to hide his face behind his selves, or something else.
"You're such a cutie Bad."
The words had left his mouth in seconds. Seconds that broke the bubble they had created throughout the day. A safe bubble, no flirting, just friendship.
He hadn't meant to say it. He had called the other cute countless times over the phone late at night as well as in the replies to a selfie. But right here, right now, with the boy sitting next to him, their arms touching, it felt like so much more then it ever had before.
He turned his head and looked at the other's face. His eyes were a little wider then before, and he looked awake. His cheeks were flushed a pinkish color as well. He looked down to Skeppy, and their eyes meet.
Skeppy looked away instantly, like it had burned him. In a way, it did. Looking into Bad's eyes was something he could never explain out loud. Not because he was embarrassed, or didn't want to admit it. Because he didn't understand.
Looking at Bad gave him something deep inside his heart. Even hundreds of miles apart he still had this weird effect when he was with his best friend.
"Thanks Skeppy, you are too."
Words out loud, then silence. He didn't know what to say. So just like always, he ignored the awkwardness. He went back to being himself.
"And you are too Rat! Such a cutie little girl..." he trailed off, petting her white fur in strokes. Skeppy was frozen in his spot, watching Bad's face. For anything, a hint, something to give him hope that it wasn't weird now.
But it never came. So he sat there for a few minutes, next to Bad. The silence was so loud. Other from the soft music playing in the background.
"I need to go to the bathroom. I'll be back." wasn't have a lie. He didn't need to use the bathroom, just needed to get away from Bad. He never thought he would be thinking that, but with the circumstances, he didn't know what else to do.
It was hot. He felt hot. Instead of going to the bathroom, he stepped into his room. Searching his closet for anything else to wear then the long sleeve he had on. It was just too hot.
He found a white short sleeve shirt. He put it on, then actually headed to the bathroom.
The mirror reflection didn't make things better. He started at himself, a flushed version of himself staring back. What was he going to do? His best friend was out there in his living room, waiting for him to come back.
He walked in, then right back out. If he wanted to spend a whole week, he was going to have to come to terms with the fact this is how it was going to be.
He stepped out of the bathroom and into the hall, making his way back to Bad. The floor creaked under neath his feet as he moved swiftly.
"There you are, me and Rat missed you!"
Which is basically how they got here. Back to square one. Hundreds of miles apart again, missing each other like they can't explain. It was another sleepless night, being on the phone for hours on end.
A sleep call was bound to happen, as they were both on the verge of falling asleep. Skeppy's eyes were closed and Bad's were barely open.
"I miss you so much Bad... it feels so weird without you here. It's like I wake up, and I think to myself, 'Oh I get to hangout with Bad.. oh wait he's not here anymore.' And I want to cry like every time."
Skeppy really meant it. Even though it's almost two in the morning and he can barely think straight, he knows in his heart he is telling the truth. He would never lie to Bad in the first place.
"I miss you too Skeppy. And I know Rat does too.. she's been weird ever since we left. I think she missed Rocco as well..." he laughed a little.
"I need you to come back out here." he moved around a little, trying to keep himself awake. "I just miss you so much... it hurts."
It hurts a lot. More then Skeppy could put into words. His chest felt weird, as if Bad had taken a part of his heart when he left. He just wanted his best friend back.
He was on the verge of sleep before he heard the other sniffle. He almost fully sat up in his bed, his headphones almost falling out of his ears.
"Bad? Are you okay? Are you crying?"
Another sniffle. A frown grew onto his face, he hated when Bad was sad. Or really anything other then happy.
"Yeah I'm okay, I just miss you I guess. I can't even explain it Skeppy. I miss having you around and joking in real life with you. I miss the tweets and the pictures and the streams. I miss touching you."
He knows he didn't mean anything other then wholesomeness by what he said. But he can't help himself from repeating the last words over and over again in his head. I miss touching you.
His stomach flurries with butterflies, his heart rate picking up.
"I miss you Bad. Can you come out again, like soon? And please don't cry, trust me we will see each other again, I don't know what I'd do if we don't." he let out a laugh at the end of his words. His mouth fell shut as he listened to the other's breathing.
"I know it will be okay. And I know we will see each other again, I just. I don't know. Can I come this week? Please?"
It sort of shocked Skeppy, but it really didn't. He saw them being like this after they meet up. He knew he would feel a sort of emptiness when Bad left. He just wasn't expecting Bad to feel the exact same, maybe even more.
"Of course. I'll make room for you in my schedule, and we can surprise everyone with another meet up."
—
After that night, they planned to meet up again. Skeppy was so happy. He felt like everything would be okay again, and his life would have more meaning with the other by his side.
They would make more vlog content, do streams, troll everyone, and most importantly they would spend time together. One on one or with other friends around, it really didn't matter. He was just so happy to be with his best friend again.
"Okay Bad, I'm gonna start streaming now." he yelled out. Bad was in the other room. He had streamed only minutes before, and now Skeppy was going to stream.
They told everyone that they were going to play a bed-wars to see when the next meet up was going to be. At this point they had gotten down to a month. It was so funny, fighting over something that had already happened.
Bad was literally in the room next to him. Because he moved in. They had talked about it, and it finally happened. Knowing they were going to have to go through the pain again from missing each other, was something they both didn't want.
So Bad moved his stuff in, clothes, Rat, set up, and more. And Skeppy couldn't be happier. His apartment was small, but it worked for them. Anything worked for them if they really tried.
"Okay! I'll come in and tap your shoulder or something after I get super mad." he yelled.
Skeppy smiled. This was going to be great.