Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Teo:

The party is loud, bright and exciting. Extremely Loud. Teo regrets not bringing his noise cancelling headphones.Teo slips out of the bustling crowd, nearly bumping into an intricately decorated pillar, dodging it just in time. Teo clings to the walls of the room as he makes his way to the back corner where he pulls up a singular chair. All the other tables are claimed by groups of people socialising and eating. Their conversations flow around him, words trying to stuff themselves into his ears. Teo hates it.

”Oh my god stop- is that true?’

”’Did you hear about Bianca’s baby?””

Teo drops his head back against the wall. Someone bites into something crunchy- damnit chew with your mouth closed!
Stupid bird hearing. Teo snacks on a mini-taco he got earlier. It’s really good, which isn't surprising. The food at these events is always good. Teo resigns himself to people watching, scanning the crowds carefully for anything that looks particularly interesting. Glamorous, shiny partygoers mingle together. Teo has no idea how they’re having so much fun. These clothes are so uncomfortable. Even his wings hurt more than usual.
A chair screeches against the floor, making Teo’s shoulders hike up to his ears. Somebody sits down next to him. Teo turns his head miniscule, the feeling of his shirt tag scratching against his skin nearly pushing him over the edge. A Gold sits next to him. One of Niya’s classmates…Ocelo, that’s right. They don’t say anything as they place their plate next to Teo’s. Who the fuck said they can just come and sit?

“Why are you here?” Teo forces a modicum of politeness into his voice, even if he’d rather barf than talk to anyone.

“Taking a break. Problem?” They reply as they bite into a burger. Teo wonders where they got it. He’d like a burger. Even if he isn’t particularly hungry. Teo deliberates for a moment.

What’s the harm in asking?

“Where’d you get the burger?” Teo asks as he fiddles with his bracelets. At least he got to keep them, usually his Mother asked him to wear only the accessories prescribed in his regalia, practically sucking the personality out of Teo.

“Table over there.” Ocelo says bluntly, pointing to a table on the other side of the crowd with burgers in the corner. To get to it Teo would have to go back through the dense crowd. Spilling drinks, music, food, smells, touching. Teo deflates internally. No burger tonight, then.

“Not getting one?” Ocelo prompts as they take another bite of that…delicious looking burger. Teo should;ve grabbed more snacks. He looks at his megarly filled plate.

“I don’t like the crowd.” Teo replies tersely. Which is an understatement, to be honest. He hates all of it. Niya left ages ago to go mingle with some random people Teos\’s never heard of before and has no interest hanging around. His Mum is busy doing whatever she does. Teo’s just waiting for it all to end so he can go home. Ocelo turns to look at him. They give Teo a considerate look before putting down their burger and picking up a knife. They cut it in half and offer Teo the uneaten section. Teo looks from the food to Ocelo. They aren’t known for being nice, even to Niya. Let alone a Jade like him. (Or anyone). Or sharing.

“Why?” Teo hesitates, slowly accepting the food like Ocelo’s going to rip it away and start pointing and laughing.

“If I’m eating I don't have to stand and talk.” Ocelo replies, placing the burger carefully into Teo’s hands so it doesn’t fall apart. Teo takes a tentative bite. It’s perfect. A medium patty, chips in it, sauce, pickles. Even a little bit of spice. It’s his favourite type of burger.

“Not a big fan of socialising?” Teo asks around his food. Ocelo turns back to their own plate thoughtfully.

“No. So if we’re both quiet and pretend to eat, they won’t notice us. Or bother us.” Ocelo munches on some chips quietly, shooting the crowd an intimidating glare.

“What makes you think I’m trying to go unbothered?” Teo chides - damn that burger is so good. Teo focuses on fitting as much of it as possible into his mouth while Ocelo talks. Maybe he should ask for the recipe, he’s not much of a baker but he’s a decent cook. That might be a good idea.

“You seem overstimulated too, enhanced hearing and all that.”

Oh. Teo didn’t think anyone had noticed. They barely notice him, let alone if Teo’s uncomfortable. A small realisation settles in his brain.
Ocelo is overstimulated too. So they’re both hiding. That’s why they're being nice. Huh. Teo eats the rest of his burger. Ocelo taps out after their burger, pushing the rest of their chips towards Teo in a silent offering. Teo feels bad taking all their food. He shouldn’t, really, they’re offering. It’s not like Ocelo’s the type to be forced into doing anything- or feel the need to submit to any expectations or politeness. But Teo feels irked by taking things from someone like Ocelo, a Gold, so easily. So Teo doesn't take the chips, he just sits back in his chair. He doesn't look at Ocelo. He just watches the crowd. Someone spills a drink on someone else. How outrageous. Teo watches as they get into an argument, gesturing dramatically at each other. Ocelo goes on their phone, barely sparing the scene a look.

A reporter spots them. Because of course things were too peaceful. They jog over with their notepad and pen. It's one of Communion’s kids. Of course, an event like this is probably perfect for getting one-on-one time with a God, or Semi-dios.

“Ocelo!” They stop directly in front of the pair. Ocelo looks up slowly, the top corner of their scarred lip curling in disgust.

“Can I ask you some questions?” They scribble down something on their notepad, looking up to Ocelo hopefully.

“I’m eating.” Ocelo says as they select a singular, most likely cold, chip. Ah, Cady. That’s her name

“You seem to be done.” Cady gestures at the food, dismissing Ocelo’s excuse quickly.

“So, How is school? How are you feeling about the updated rankings?” Cady leans forward, barely hiding her excitement. She’s looking for a story, clearly. Ocelo leans back. They look wholly unimpressed at being questioned and they don’t do anything to hide it. Ocelo goes back to their phone for a moment, their nails making a small tapping sound against the screen that Teo hadn’t noticed earlier.

“Can’t you ask him about…expanding the bird sanctuary?” Ocelo nods towards Teo as they speak. What?

Wait.

Teo peeks over at their phone.

Search: Interesting things happening in Quetzlan

So they googled that to get Cady to leave them alone. Cady looks to Teo unsurely and gives him a tense smile.

“Oh…that’s not really one of our- topics. For tonight, we might do a piece on that later though!” Cady explains awkwardly as she gives a polite nod to Teo. Teo snorts into his drink. Yeah, right. The condescension in her tone and fake smile told Teo all he needed to know. Ocelo’s nose wrinkles. They take a bite of their chips, keeping dead eye contact with Cady. Cady’s shoulders stiffen and so does her face. Teo’s pretty sure her left-eye is twitching.

“I’m busy.” Ocelo replies, mouth still full of food.

“I’ll let you get back to it.” Cady replies, turning on her heel and tossing a dirty look over her shoulder at Ocelo.

Teo leans in to whisper: “Next time you want to pass of a reporter, pick something and someone interesting.” Teo says defensively.

“I thought that was pretty interesting.” Ocelo snaps back. Teo laughs. They glare at him.

“What? I’m allowed to be interested in things.” They huff, turning in their seat.
Teo rolls his eyes.

“Uhuh.” Teo hums sarcastically.

“What? I actually think it’s interesting. Here, tell me about it.” Ocelo demands as they fold their arms. Teo relents, deciding to call their bluff.

“We're basically expanding the bird sanctuary to make it bigger, so that we can have more room and more space for specific services.” Teo waits to see if they look bored yet. Or ready to give in and move on.

“Why?”

“Because we need the space and it’s easier to offer all the services in one place instead of sending people away.” Teo explains, taking one of the chips from Ocelo’s plate.

“What types of services?” Ocelo tilts their head curiously.

“Medical, informational, training, grooming and all that good stuff.” Teo sat back in his chair, still waiting for Ocelo to move on.

“What services can you do after the expansion?” Ocelo starts snacking on their chips again.

“More overnight stays, more storage, a safe space for some birds to breed. More rehabilitation.” Teo picks quietly at the beds of his nails.

“What’s it going to look like when you're done?” Ocelo continues to ask questions. Annoyingly enough.

“Much the same as the rest of the city. Lots of plants, stained windows and space.” Teo replies shortly.

“Do the birds get a say on what happens?”

“I think you’ve made your point.” Teo shoots them a glare. Ocelo rolls their eyes.

“I’m not trying to be mean, I’m trying to prove a point.” They state.

“And what point is that?” Teo fiddles with the edge of the table cloth.

“That I am interested and I’m not trying to be a dickhead.” Ocelo growls, munching angrily on their chips.

“You don’t have to be. Nobody even cares about this. You’re picking a strange hill to die on, given that it’s barely a mound.” Teo snaps back. He rolls his neck. His wings are so itchy.

“Yeah- well so what?” Ocelo turns away.

“You tried to pass off a reporter and then made some strange commitment to proving you find me interesting.” Teo points out.

“I don’t care about you. I was just proving that the topic isn’t boring, because you implied the reporter thought it was boring!” Ocelo argues.

“Why? I’m pretty sure you don’t even know my name.” Teo replies. Ocelo’s jaw clenches. Bulls-eye.

“Ocelo.” Teo states teasingy.

“Who even cares.” They say petulantly.

“You, apparently.”

“Whatever.”

They sit in silence for the rest of the party. Thankfully, no reporters approach them. As Teo gets up to leave, Ocelo speaks again.

“I might’ve been a bit petty. Sorry, Teo…Good luck with the expansion.” Ocelo says before turning away with a flourish, their red wrap billowing behind them like a cape. Teo swallows. Admitting they were wrong and apologising are supposedly two things Ocelo never does. Or bothering to learn the name of a lowly jade, Teo would guess.

Chapter Text

Teo:

Teo clicks upload on an update of the expansion. Then he double checks to make sure he put it on the correct instagrafia account. Perfect. A notification loads in Teo’s inbox.

New Follower: Ocelo_ChildofGuerrero Started Following You!

Great. Teo opens their account and starts scrolling. Photos of them and the twins, at the gym, protein-food, baby jaguars, family. It’s…sweet, how many photos they post of their family, with such loving captions. They have a relatively large family. Unlike Teo’s well… he has a family. Him, his Mum, Huemac and his grandparents. Teo isn’t very close with his Dad’s side of the family. To be fair, neither was he.

Ocelo: the expansion looks cool

A text.

Teo: thanks.

Mm, that full-stop adds just the right amount of passive-aggressiveness. What is Ocelo doing messaging a jade?
Ocelo likes the message. Whatever. Teo goes back to stalking their account. Unfortunately, Ocelo actually posts decent photos of themselves. Teo swipes away.

Over the next few days, Ocelo messages to check up on the expansion project…and to start one meaningless argument. Teo doesn’t mind much. He sort of likes arguing with them. So they argue meaninglessly. Over pizza, the texture of cookies, philosophy. Teo begrudgingly accepts that arguing with them is fun. Ocelo only once tried to use being a jade against Teo. That was their most genuine argument. It also meant they haven’t spoken in nearly a week.

Ocelo:

Ocelo fiddles with their jaguar plush, clicking away on their laptop. Stupid Teo. Making them do actual research. Change their views and all that shit. Ocelo is pissed. They ran out of points to make in their ‘jades are lesser-than’ argument so they had to do research. Except now they're starting to doubt their whole argument in the first place. Which is so stupid. It’s like writing half a persuasive essay only to realise you chose the wrong side. Except that can’t be. Because jades are lesser than. They always have been. They don’t learn to be heroes, they don’t save people, they don’t spend their whole lives competing in The Academy. Ocelo’s starting to realise that’s not so bad. So many Jades go to the Olympics, become doctors, teachers, political activists, contribute to their communities almost more than any Gold Ocelo’s ever spoken to. Which is so annoying. Ocelo clicks on the next link. Fantastic. More stupid good-people with jade green blood contributing to their community. Can they just quit being good people?

Stupid Teo too. He also contributes to his community. Volunteer work, construction, friendship. Fucks sake. Ocelo feels stupid. Their argument is looking more and more wrong. They’ve had a week and they’ve barely found anything to agree with them. Except Auristela. Who’s never wrong. Unless she’s arguing with Ocelo. (or in this very rare case).

Ocelo shuts their laptop. They set up their plushy. Start ranting. About the whole argument, the research, everything they found, the self-doubt.

The plushie slumps slightly when they’re done.

Okay, they might be feeling a little guilty. Ocelo can admit they were pretty vicious. Which is normally a good thing. But maybe not now.

The plushie slumps some more.

Okay, maybe they regret being so mean to Teo. Maybe they miss talking to him. Maybe, just maybe they enjoy arguing. But somehow the concept of actually being mean to the boy churns his gut. It’s all so ridiculous.

Ocelo mulls it all over for three days. Then, they come to the conclusion, that, for the first time ever, they were wrong. Ocelo opens their messages, where the argument greets them. Ocelo cringes as they look back over the messages. They type out a dozen messages and delete every single one.

Ocelo: I’m sorry. I was wrong.

Teo: really?

Ocelo: yes.

Ocelo facetimes him in case he doesn’t believe. Teo picks up on the first ring with a curious look.

“Look, I did some research. Yeah, you guys don’t suck that much. I kind of do, though.” Ocelo pulls a pillow under their head, staring at the background of the facetime call. Posters from bands, shows and pictures line the walls of what Ocelo assumes is Teo’s bedroom.

“I appreciate that. I am better than you.” Teo pretends to flick his hair over his shoulder, casually alleviating the tension.

“Don’t get too cocky.” Ocelo props the phone up on their bed. Teo laughs into the phone. They talk about Ocelo’s new revelations. Ocelo feels less weird about it now. They even manage to convince Teo to to show them his room. It’s got a pretty cool aesthetic. Ocelo wouldn’t tell him that though. Lest he feel a bit too good about himself.

When Teo hangs up, it ends up being nearly eleven o’clock for Ocelo. Damn. They haven’t even done their homework…as if that was ever actually getting done. Ocelo rolls over and goes to bed (scrolls for another hour).

—----------

“Damnit Ocelo! I told you to go to bed earlier.” Auristela bumps her shoulder against theirs, her voice a harsh whisper. Ocelo snaps up, rubbing their eyes.

“This is just boring as fuck,” Ocelo whispers. They watch Stela shake her head out the corner of their eye.

“Okay, now do your online tasks.” The teacher announces. Ocelo pulls out their laptop, opening the task in one tab and messages in another. The teacher strolls through the class, pointedly checking peoples laptops. Ocelo pretends to do their work. Auristela actually does it. Ocelo opens their messages with Teo.

Ocelo: english class is so boring :(

Teo: haha - doing math rn but its my last class

Ocelo: lucky- i have 2 more periods

“Who are you texting?” Auristela leans over. Ocelo swipes away, returning to the tab contiaming their unstarted work.

“Nobody.” They reply, shoulders curling in on themselves. Ocelo can’t tell if their cheeks are warm because of Auristela’s judgmental stare or for another reason entirely. She hums suspiciously, turning back to her work so she can finish it in time. Ocelo sighs quietly, happy she dropped it. Auristela isn’t known for letting things go, but at least now Ocelo has time to come up with some sort of lie. Auristela hates Teo. It would be a disaster if she found out they were friends.

Ocelo manages to get through the rest of class without Auristela snooping again. That night, they curl up in bed texting Teo again. He sends some stupid memes and Ocelo laughs. Texting Teo is so fun. He’s got great jokes. Ocelo sifts through their collection of cat memes, selecting an appropriate one they hope will make Teo laugh. Teo texts something, those three dots appearing then disappearing, appearing again. Ocelo blinks slowly, fighting to stay awake to see the next text message. They shouldn’t be this bothered. Their friendship isn’t work messing up their sleep schedule. Against their will, Ocelo falls asleep before Teo can send the next text message.

Chapter Text

Teo:

Teo combs his hands through his hair, massaging the curl gel in and trying to get his hair to look just right. Quetzal hums along to a song made long before Teo was ever born, carefully dusting colours across her eyelids. Teo smiles at his Mother. Her dress is a dark green with light green embellishments and a red bow around the waist. She looks beautiful, her wings decorated with dainty chains. Happy, too. Sometimes Teo forgets that these events are some of her only opportunities to catch up with the Gods, some of them like her siblings. He makes a mental promise not to bother her too much tonight. He knows how hard she’s been working lately.

Teo finishes up with his hair, leaning back to check himself over in the mirror one last time. Satisfied, he pulls on his shoes and gets ready to join the party with the rest of the Semi-dioses.

Like all the parties, it’s loud. Thankfully not everyone has arrived yet so Teo has time to stack his plate with food and scout a spot to retreat to later. Plate in hand, Teo follows the line of people slowly filling their plates with the delicious treats prepared by Dios Maiza, Diosa Pan Dulce and their teams. It smells decadent. Steaming piles of perfect food, dipping sauces, sides, drinks. Teo stacks his plate precariously high, collecting a brightly coloured mocktail along the way.

Teo steps to the side of the crowd as it begins to get busier, Gold Dioses and their children arriving in all their dramatic glory.

“Teo!” Niya barks from across the room. Teo turns his head towards her voice. As usual, Niya is wearing the least amount of clothing possible to be allowed entry. Her white tube top and skirt decorated with gold chains and jewellery, a stark contrast to her bronze skin. She bounds over excitedly, carefully balancing her plate (hers somehow has more food then Teo’s despite being the same size). Teo accepts her bone-crushing one armed hug. Niya smells like the earth.

“How have you been?” Niya asks as she stuffs something into her mouth. Teo gives her the latest update on his life, including that he’s talking to a new friend. He just doesn’t name drop them.

“Do I know them?” Niya bounces on the balls of her feet, swapping between peppering Teo with a million questions and stuffing her face. Teo quirks an eyebrow at her.

“If you did, why would I tell you?” Teo steals a snack off her plate, popping it into his mouth before she can protest. Niya shoots him a dirty glare, pursing her lips. She doesn’t say anything, which usually means she’s planning something. Teo holds his plate closer to his chest.

“So I do know them?” Niya’s hand crawls across the wall at their back. Teo’s careful to keep a blank face, watching her hand closely.

“I don’t know them?”

Niya’s hand gets suspiciously closer.

“Ugh, Teo this is too hard. Just tell me!”

Teo scoffs, rolling his eyes. Niya steals a macaron from his plate, lightning quick.

“Damnit!” Teo hisses as he turns away from the thief. Niya giggles, eyes crinkling and face lighting up with a triumphant smile. Teo doesn’t stay mad for long, but he quickly finds a different topic for them to move on to. Niya doesn't seem to catch on.
—--

“I’ll catch up with you later okay?” Niya snatches another macaron from Teo’s plate, running off to go talk to someone about something. Teo waves, nodding.

Just as quickly as she leaves, Ocelo settles into the chair Niya had previously occupied.

“Just been hanging around waiting to get me alone all night? Have you no other friends?” Teo nudges Ocelo’s shoulder, his tone light and jeering. Ocelo rolls their eyes.

“Piss off, bird shit.” Ocelo hisses in reply. Teo laughs along easily.

“Look over there, at the couple and the parents. Twenty bucks says the parents don’t like the girlfriend.” Ocelo leans closer, clearly pointing out a supposedly new couple, a Dios and their mortal partner.

“Yeesh. But yeah, I’ll take that. Look how polite she’s being.” Teo adjusts his angle so he can see past the crowd, watching the dinner unfold. Ocelo shakes their head, muttering.

“It’s your money.”

They spend the night watching the dinner and arguing about how well it supposedly is or isn't going when they can barely hear the conversation and don’t know the people. Teo would like to say he’s made a very convincing argument of their body language and facial expressions alone. Ocelo’s argument is weak, if you ask him. Though Teo’s sure they’d say the same about his. Towards the end of the night, Ocelo and Teo watch as they get ready to leave. Moment of truth. An awkward hug goodbye from both parents and the young couple…an awkward goodbye. Could go either way. Ocelo jumps in to make their case, cutting Teo off. Teo rushes to think of a way he can spin this. He just needs to be convincing.

“You saw that. It was so awkward, no way it went well. They're probably all going to drown in second hand embarrassment.” Ocelo finishes as they sit back and cross their arms confidently, red fabric wrapped around their shoulders like a cape. Teo takes a deep breath before launching into his own argument. Half of it is bullshit, but he commits to it anyway.

“They only just met each other. They can’t have fully formed opinions yet, of course it’ll be a little awkward. What would have been bad was if they didn’t hug or say goodbye at all.” Teo explains, slightly out of breath from his rambling.

They spend the rest of the night debating their argument before agreeing to call it even. Somehow, they end up in Teo’s room for the night watching a badass action-monster movie. Teo begrudgingly shares his candy stash, letting Ocelo pick out their favourites and take some back to school with them. Teo can always get more.

Teo wakes up to the feeling of his neck aching. He lifts up his head, but there’s a heavy weight on his shoulder. Once his eyes adjust to the dark, Teo can see that his laptop is illuminating the soft planes of Ocelo’s face. Teo drops his head back onto the pillow, resigned to the fact he’s not physically capable of lifting Ocelo off of him. At least they’re warm. Teo awkwardly reaches for his laptop, placing it on the bedside table before closing his eyes and falling back asleep.

“Ugh, get up already.”

A pillow smacks Teo’s face. Teo groans and rolls over, using the pillow to cover his ears.

“It’s nearly nine, you can’t sleep forever. We have to go soon. Get. Up.” Ocelo chastises. Teo feels their hands dig into the blankets, ripping them from Teo’s body.

“Screw you.” Teo remarks, finally opening his eyes. Sunlight streams in through the window Ocelo must have opened. It’s so bright. Teo hears Ocelo scoff before he registers the smell of coffee.

“Did you get me coffee?” Teo sits up in bed, marginally more awake at the prospect of coffee. Ocelo slams a coffee cup down on the table.

“You seem like the type to have it iced and sweet.” Is all Ocelo says as they curl up in a chair in the corner, already changed into athleisure wear and clutching their own cup of coffee. Teo sips his own coffee quietly. Not how he’d usually make it, but Ocelo guessed close enough. Teo looks over to Ocelo again. Their latest hair dye has started to fade.

“What are you going to do with it next?” Teo nods towards the top of Ocelo’s head. Their hand smoothes over it almost self-consciously.

“What do you think I should do?” Ocelo sits back in their chair, cat-eyes locked on Teo. This feels like a test.

“It’s nearly pride-month- so, nonbinary flag?” Teo swirls his coffee, the ice swishing around. Ocelo hums, not giving away anything else. They finish their coffee in silence.

“I should get ready to go,” Teo says after a few minutes of them sitting in awkward silence. Ocelo nods. They get up and leave. Teo finally gets out of bed, stuffing his belongings back into his bag. He’s a little sad he won’t have more time with his friend, but there’s not much they can do about it. Ocelo has to go back to school and Teo has to go back home.

Chapter Text

Ocelo:

School is boring as ever, which surprises absolutely no one. Ocelo scrolls through their homework, skipping to the next easiest question. It’s all so boring.

The sound of Teo’s laughter echoes through the facetime call.

“What?” Ocelo demands, snapping out of their boredom induced coma.

“I’ll send it to you,”

Moments later Ocelo’s phone pings with a notification from Teo. Ocelo watches the video, scoffing at the stupidity of it.

“Only you find this shit funny.” Ocelo states, returning to their homework. They can practically hear Teo rolling his eyes. Ridiculous.

“I heard you laugh.” Teo replies. Ocelo’s phone pings again. They decide they won’t look.

It pings again

“Stop sending me shit.” Ocelo snaps, typing in the answer to their next homework question. Auristela might actually kill them if they forget to do theri homework and ask to copy from her again.

“Just looook,” Teo makes a silly voice into the phone.

Ocelo’s phone pings again.

And again.

“Fine!” Ocelo yells, throwing up their hands. They reach for their phone again, scrolling through the video’s Teo sent. They stifle their laughter spitefully. Teo has the worst sense of humor and Ocelo tells him as much.

“Not like yours is any better.” Teo remarks. Ocelo watches the birds in the background of the facetime call, pecking at each other. The same way Ocelo and Teo annoy each other.

“It is.” Ocelo says decisively. Teo pokes out his tongue childishly. Ocelo sticks out their tongue too. Ocelo starts sending Teo stupid videos. Just to show him how much funnier they are. Teo laughs. It makes Ocelo happy, so they keep sending videos. Teo keeps laughing. His laugh can be nice sometimes when he’s not being a complete idiot, which is a thought Ocelo chooses not to examine too closely.

Having abandoned their homework completely, Ocelo spends the rest of the afternoon sending Teo funny videos just to hear him laugh. Oddly enough, his laugh sounds better in person and Ocelo wishes they were there to hear it.

—------

Teo:

It’s been two months since the last event and there’s another month until the next. Teo wishes it would come faster, he misses Ocelo so much. That movie night they had was so chill, even if it was a little awkward after. He’s been trying not to think about it too much, but it’s been nagging at him. Why was it so awkward after?
Maybe because they slept together. Platonically. Then Ocelo brought him coffee and he got to wake up with them peacefully. Maybe because Teo would like to do it all again. He finds himself frequently replaying his memories from that night. Teo wishes he could convince himself it’s entirely platonic but he’s not sure that’s 100% true. Teo quietly makes himself five minute noodles, trying to decide what to do with his feelings. Should he talk to Ocelo about it?

Not yet that might come across as weird.

While Teo waits for his noodles to finish cooking, he continues to mull over his thoughts. He mostly ends up going in circles. What type of person feels like this?

The moment Teo’s noodles are finished cooking, so is his thought process.

A person in love.

Well, fuck.

Teo collects his noodles and sits down to eat them, lightly tapping himself in the head with a closed fist. It’s not even like Ocelo is a bad person to have a crush on. It’s just that they live so far away, in a different timezone, different lives. Different worlds.

It would be so difficult to make it work. Yet Teo craves a repeat of that movie night. He groans, finishing his lunch.

Later that night, Teo texts Ocelo. Texting Ocelo is one of the best parts of his day. Pico and Peri peek at the texts, teasing Teo. Teo buries his face into the pillow, ignoring their teasing comments and mocking.

Chapter Text

Ocelo:

Ocelo stares at their phone, deleting and retyping the same message over and over.

Is a text even the right way to go about this?

Ocelo wishes they could go to Stela for advice, but they know her only advice would involve blocking him. Ocelo doesn’t want to do that, they want to talk to Teo. More importantly, Ocelo wants to tell him how they feel.

Ocelo hadn’t realised it at the time, but they’d been falling for Teo since the day they met. Becoming friends with him, it was wonderful. The friendship had been so amazing Ocelo hadn’t even noticed their romantic feelings. Until, of course. The movie night. Waking up next to Teo warm and happy…

Ocelo felt like an idiot. They escaped the dorm to go for a long, long walk. Got coffee.

Sat in Teo’s room, processing in silence like an idiot. Less than 12 hours later Ocelo came to the conclusion that they were in love with Teo. Ocelo desperately needs someone to keep a secret. Or someone who could just give good advice. They could text Aurelio. He wouldn’t pry if Ocelo told him not too.

Ocelo: i need ur help

Aurelio: What is it? I can be there in 5 minutes.
Aurelio: Should I bring Auristela?

Ocelo: nothing like that
Ocelo: need advice - pls dont tell stela

Aurelio: If you're in trouble I can’t promise.

Ocelo: I’m not. I like someone.

Aurelio: oh.

Ocelo: can i tell them over text??

Aurelio: From what I’ve heard, texting isn’t the best way to share news.

Ocelo: and what have you heard? From who?

Aurelio: Moving on. It’s usually best to do those kinds of things in person. In Stela’s romance movies there’s usually a ‘grand romantic gesture’. Otherwise it’s usually best to be yourself.

Ocelo: thanks

Aurelio: You’re welcome.

Well, doing it in person is impossible. They’re trapped at the Academy. The closest thing to in-person would be a phone call. Which…okay.

Ocelo immediately opens Teo’s contact and calls him.

Why would they do that?

Ocelo hands up. They need to make an actual plan.

Teo calls them back. Shit- Shit Shit!

Instead of hanging up, they slip and accidently answer the phone.

“Ocelo? What’s up?”

Teo’s sat at his desk, wearing a band shirt. Fuck.

“Uh- nothing.” Ocelo awkwardly scratches the back of their head, checking for anything between their teeth in the facetime camera. Teo grimaces, shaking his head.

“You called me.” He points out. Which, yes they did. Unfortunately. Ocelo’s heart and head are racing. This is not good. They should just hang up, but that would be suspicious, right? Uh.

“I like you and don’t know how to tell you.” They blurt out.

FUCK.

Ocelo hangs up. That was a shit show. What the fuck?

Teo calls back. Can’t he just let them die?

Ocelo lets it ring for a minute before making the decision to face it head on.

“I would've said that was a pretty good way of telling me if you hadn't immediately hung up.” He replies, jumping straight into it. Oh?

Ocelo’s face feels like it’s on fire.

“What?” Their voice cracks embarrassingly.

“I guess I like you too.” Is all Teo says. Ocelo chokes on nothing.

“You do?” Ocelo breathes a sigh of relief.

“Yes..” Teo chuckles, dropping his head to his knees.

It wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. They spend the rest of the afternoon making slightly flirty conversation and plans for the next event.

—-----

Ocelo sticks to the edge of the crowd, keeping a careful eye out for Teo. Their boyfriend. Teo appears at the edge of the crowd with a plate of food. Ocelo grins. Delicious.

They make their grand escape from the party, leaving behind the bright lights and loud noises and retreating to Teo’s room. Ocelo changes into the pajamas they’d stashed behind a plant earlier. Teo changes too and they pick another action film to be the background of their conversation.

Which somehow turns into a make out session. Ocelo couldn’t tell you who started it.

Teo’s mouth is warm and cool at the same time. So calm and gently too, his hand carefully placed on Ocelo’s shoulder. Ocelo lays back on the bed, dragging Teo on top of them. Their mouth slides down to his jaw and throat. Ocelo mouths at Teo’s throat, enjoying the boy on top of him. Teo’s noises are so pretty. They keep going for a moment before pulling back and giving them both a moment to calm down. Teo drops his head into the crook of Ocelo’s neck. Ocelo snuffs, keeping their arms firmly wrapped around him.

The End.

Chapter Text

Snapshots of (pre canon) SugarSwan visiting Quetzlan!!
Day 1

Teo:

Teo shoves a pile of clothes into the drawer, shutting it firmly. Slightly out of breath, he turns around to admire his finally clean room. The beds made, surfaces cleaned, piles of stuff organised. Pico swoops in through the open window, settling on Teo’s shoulder.
“Are they coming today?” Pico chirps directly into Teo’s ear, claws digging into Teo’s shoulder.

“They’ll be here soon.” Teo says, quickly exiting his room. Teo checks his phone for the millionth time that day.

🌊WaterBoy 🌊: where outside

Teo immediately runs down the stairs and through the courtyard. He skids to a stop at the top of the temple stairs, because standing there are two of his favourite people in the whole world. Dezi’s wearing a soft pink jumper and dark blue sweatpants Teo’s almost sure he stole from Marino. Marino’s wearing a long sleeve black shirt with a picture of the ocean inscribed on it and baggy shorts. Not at all surprising for either of them.

“Hi,” Teo says as he pulls both of his boyfriends into an excited hug which they eagerly return.

“Hi,” Marino whispers as he pulls back to admire Teo. Teo leans away from Dezi to sign his greeting. So far, so good. Teo leads them both inside, taking them to the rooms right next door from him so they can put their things away. Teo goes back to his own room to give them a moment to freshen up. From the sounds of it they’ve been travelling for a while. Which means they’ll probably be tired, so maybe they should just have a chill day. Teo deliberates on what he should plan while nervously fluttering around his room, making miniscule changes to things to try and calm his anxiety. He shouldn’t be nervous, they’ve seen his room over facetime before. But it’s different now that it’s in person. Exciting, but different.
Marino joins him first, having changed into a cropped long sleeve shirt and athleisure pants. He sits next to Teo, leaning heavily into Teo’s side.

“Tired?” Teo wraps his arm around Marino’s shoulders. Marino nods, grumbling. Cute. Dezi joins them too, still vibrant and brilliant, just not as much as usual. He sits on Teo’s bed, dropping his head onto Teo’s free shoulder.

“Okay. We’ll make lunch and watch T.V?” Teo pats both of their shoulders, receiving two sets of nods. Teo takes them to the kitchen and they slowly find their flow, making a smorgasbord of delicious snacks they brought in their bags and from Teo’s cupboard. Once they’re done, they return to Teo’s room and turn his bed into a massive space filled with blankets and pillows for the three of them. Marino climbs into the space closest to the wall, Dezi in the middle and Teo on the outside. They balance the plate between them, snacking and flicking through movies. Teo lets his head rest on Marino’s shoulder and they talk quietly about the movies.

Day 2
The next day, Teo takes the opportunity to show his boyfriends around his home. Quetzlan has delicious food, beautiful forests, and colourful birds. So much for them to see. It isn’t much new to Teo, but seeing it with his partners puts it all in a different light.

Dezi keeps making comments about how pretty the birds are. They love him for it, constantly swarming him with attention and asking Teo to translate things. It’s a little much, but Teo’s glad they’re being welcomed so warmly.

Marino sticks close to Teo, arm firmly around his waist. Teo’s not at all upset about it, happy to soak up all the affection he can while they’re here. Marino asks quiet questions about the birds and their personalities, laughing confidently at Teo’s stories.

They continue on throughout the forest trail, careful not to trip on any branches. Marino is delighted when they come across a crystal clear stream. He carefully runs along the edge, following it to where it pools into a lake. He turns back to Teo, as if asking permission. Teo waves him on. Marino rips off his shirt, jumping into the lake with an excited yell.
Dezi nervously peeks over the edge, waiting for Marino to re-emerge from the depths of the water. Teo places a calming hand on his shoulder, right as Marino emerges.

“Come swim!” He yells, waving them both over. Dezi shakes his head, a bright smile gracing his lips.

“It’s really nice, you should swim if you want to,” Teo signs to Dezi as they walk down, placing their things under a shady tree. Dezi shrugs, intertwining his fingers with Teo’s as they walk ankle-deep into the water.

Marino keeps diving down and back up to talk about all the cool stuff he’s seeing at the bottom. Teo pulls out his phone, snapping a photo of Marino next time he returns to the surface. Dei holds out his hand, wordlessly asking to see the photo which Teo hands over easily. Dezi nods his approval, putting the photo into their group chat.
Eventually Dezi agrees to float on the water with Teo. The water is cold in comparison to the warm sun on their skin. Neither Teo nor Marino chooses to comment on it, but Dezi looks perfectly at peace. The three of them float peacefully, occasionally bumping into each other with a little giggle before floating away again.
They spend the rest of their afternoon there before going back to the temple to shower, have dinner and fall asleep together.

Day 3

They’re visiting Chavo’s candy shop together when a small, inquisitive child asks:

“So, like, how’d you get together? You guys are dating right?” She looks between the three of them, her pigtails swishing behind her. Teo catches Marino blushing as Dezi’s face lights up. He loves romance stories, especially their own. Dezi crouches down, beginning to sign. The child frowns.

“I don’t speak sign language that well.” She states apologetically, looking up to Dezi. Dezi looks to Teo, who translates for her. Teo remembers that Dezi hadn’t worn his hearing aid, instead choosing to take a break for the day.
Teo tries his best to do the story justice, translating as accurately as possible and trying to embody Dezi’s romance-story skills.

“We met two years ago, when we asked our friend Niya where she was getting her math notes from. She kept lending them to us and Marino and I wanted to be nice and thank the person making the notes…”

She listens intently, absolutely enraptured. She even manages to recognise a few signs by the end, which Teo thinks is pretty cool. When they’re finished, she fist-bumps the three of them.

“Muuuum,” She turns around to find her mother standing down the aisle. Her mother looks up, offering the trio an apologetic smile.

“Yes?” She asks, looking down her glasses at her daughter.

“I want to learn sign language.” Her daughter declares emphatically.

“Well alright then.” Her mother says, taking her daughter's hand and leading her away. Their conversation about signing up for lessons fades as they exit the shop.
After purchasing their candy they find a park bench to enjoy it on, sharing stories from their respective schools. They’ve got the better part of the next week to spend in Quetzlan, if this is only the beginning Teo can only imagine how much better it’s going to get.

Day 4:

The next day, they decide to stay home. Teo shows them all his favorite shows and things to do while he’s home. Dezi shows Teo jis latest knitting and crochet projects.
Dezi does his best to teach Marino and Teo how to crochet…Teo doesn't have the patience for it and Marino’s keeps coming out wrong. Dezi covers his laughter politely, leaning over to kiss Teo on the cheek when he gets fed up and gives up. Marino sticks it out for a bit longer, but ultimately there’s only room in their relationship for one crocheter.

Next, Marino decides to try and get them into his herbs. He pulls out little packets of seeds for different small plants, demonstrating how to plant them. He then proceeds to show them a million photos of his plants from school that he lovingly entrusted a friend with looking after while on holiday. Teo’s more interested in Dezi, but Dezi still gives it a go. They leave their plants in a sunny patch on Teo’s window sill, lightly spraying them with water before they move on. Dezi sneaks a grateful kiss from Marino.

Next, is Teo’s art. He sets up three canvases and his collection of spray paints for them to play with. It takes a moment, but Dezi gets the hang of it. He chooses to paint a pretty sunset, doing his best to blend the colours together.

Marino makes a pattern on his canvas, the colours dripping down into each other. Teo’s pretty sure it isn’t intentional, but Marino seems happy. Teo leans up on his toes to tell Marino he’s doing a good job, give him some advice and a kiss. They leave their art in the sun to make sure it dries completely before Dezi and marino have to take it back with them.
They spend the rest of the afternoon trying each other's hobbies and cycling through different activities, trading kisses and hugs between each other.
Teo would say it’s one of his favourite days.