Texts 2

[Pocky]

Wednesday night Trick was under the covers with them pulled up to his waist but no higher. He was scrolling through his photos and landed on the ones Harm had taken of himself at the lake. He paused on each one, drinking in Harm's face, staring at his eyes, then moving onto the next photo in line and staring at that next.

Trick had ghosted Harm since Saturday night and Harm had sent no messages to him either. After checking out the lake photos, Trick changed apps and read through his messages that he'd had with Harm. As he read and watched the movies they'd sent to each other, Trick squirmed and eventually gave in, taking care of himself and then hunting for tissues once he was done, using Harm's final video to get him over the edge.

He stared at the sheer curtains as they danced lazily in the low breeze and got his breathing back under control. Once he was calm, Trick tapped the reply box and considered what he would say. After some mental debate he typed in a message with confidence.

Hey. I have a nighttime photography assignment for my class. I get off work at 10pm tomorrow if you're free to meet up.

He kept it on his phone for ten minutes, editing it and putting in the right words for just the right vibe. After one final read-through, he pressed SEND.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm was in bed, almost asleep when the message came. His phone was on silent but it buzzed, dragging him out of slumber on a wave of annoyance. He thought it was his brother and even though it was probably unimportant, he always checked texts. Always. Too many near misses and last messages never received came through his work for him to ever think about voluntarily ignoring people he loved.

After a few fumbles in the black room, he found his phone and pulled it over, squinting as the bright screen burnt his retinas. The sender of the message pushed him straight back to wakefulness, his heart dropping and then racing with excitement. He’d given up on hearing from Trick again. He’d debated messaging him so many times in the last four days that his brain had grown tired from entertaining possibilities.

Now, just as he’d resolved to let it go - to let Trick go - he messaged? Life was strange and wonderful. Harm grinned as he blinked through the simple message, contemplating. He really shouldn’t. He needed to be in bed by ten because he was working morning shifts this week and was at the hospital for six am starts. He would be tired as fuck if he hung out with Trick starting at ten... but it would be worth it. And he’d nap when he got home at three tomorrow afternoon.

I’d love to. Where do you want me to meet you?

[Pocky]

Trick held onto his phone and didn't have long to wait before his message revealed that it was read. His heartrate sped up and he scratched his chest over it, rubbing it next, as though his touches could calm the muscle that pumped there. He pulled his legs up, bending them at the knees and pyramiding his sheet for a while before resettling his shoulders on the wall and waiting.

It took forever. Just as his shoulders sagged and he looked to his bedside table for his charger, his phone buzzed in his hand. He was so excited that he fumbled it but quickly he had the message in front of him.

He thumb-texted a reply.

At the DJs registers.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm was groggy enough that he took longer than usual to decipher that message. DJs? A nightclub? Registers? Eventually, it clicked that Trick worked at David Jones - and he remembered that the brunette worked the registers! Harm's sigh of relief when it all made sense washed through him, leaving him grinning stupidly at his phone.

Trick wanted him to come to his work tomorrow night at ten o'clock and then... photography assignment? His brain wasn't keeping up with the specifics but he trusted the plan enough to let it ride. He knew when and where to start and there were plenty of buses to the shopping centre so the rest would take care of itself. Or he'd be less fuzzy in the morning when he re-read these messages.

Okay. Be there AT 10, right? Or earlier? Half asleep, just checking he explained himself, needing this point clarified specifically because he didn't want to leave anything to chance. He didn't know exactly what he'd done wrong in the first place so he didn't want to fuck up by not saying anything again. His fingers hovered over his phone as he debated adding another phrase at the end. Sorry I... He scrubbed it out and tried I'm really happy you texted! but it got wiped as well. He sent the text he had prepared and then, the second it was gone, decided what else he wanted to say, so he sent another soon after.

It's good to hear from you

[Pocky]

Trick pulled his lips in when he read that Harm was sleepy, then they surfaced again into a grin at the second text. He typed a reply.

Yeah at ten. You can get into centre but the DJ door will be half down. Just wait outside of it and I’ll find you. I meant to text sooner but I had to get over myself first 

[Existentially Odd]

Harm tilted his head, the sound of his hair rustling across the pillow loud in his otherwise-silent bedroom. "Get over yourself?" he murmured, finding it a positive statement, though ambiguous. Trick hadn't said he needed to get over him. It implied that the reason Trick had shot out of Harm's place had been because of his hangups, in fact. Harm felt bold and relieved, hazarding such a guess. It spurred him on to tentatively addressing the circumstances around Saturday night.

It wasn't something I did? Thought I'd offended you. Was so sorry

[Pocky]

When Trick read the text that came back he shuffled down flat under his covers and glanced at the open window before turning onto his side and curling up with the phone.

In his cosy but slightly awkward position he tapped out a reply.

Yes in a way but I want to talk about it to you in person because I like you.

With a heartbeat that picked up pace he sent it before he could change his mind. He made a soft noise of fear in his throat and bit his lip, blushing in the dark.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm raised his eyebrows and pressed his lips together, trying to suppress the smile trying to split them apart. His cheeks ached mildly from being scrunched up but he couldn't help it. He kept scanning those last four words repeatedly, enjoying the warm feeling spreading through his chest and belly. Then he realised he hadn't replied in so long that Trick was probably wondering whether he'd fallen asleep.

Okay. I like you too. Have missed hearing from you. Picked up my phone SO many times to text you but didn't want to impose :/

[Pocky]

Trick had plugged in his phone to charge and tried to get to sleep when his phone buzzed. He reached for his phone and was careful not to pull the cord as he read it. He smiled as he unplugged it and typed a reply.

How long can I have you with me tomorrow? It’ll affect my decision of what to shoot.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm frowned, suddenly nervous about what he'd agreed to. Was he modelling for Trick?

I have work at 6am so I guess up til then? Lol. What am I getting myself into??

[Pocky]

When the text came back that Harm had to go to work at 6am, Trick made a soft breathy sound of surprise. He gradually smiled and read that part of the message a few times. Then he looked at the question and his eyebrows flickered, not frowning but twitching like they wanted to draw down.

After a short moment he had a reply that he thought suited the question.

I promise it'll be something beautiful.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm pondered the statement, yawning as he tried to decipher its deliberate ambiguity. It set his heart to pounding a slow, steady rhythm of excitement despite his exhaustion.

Lol okay. I trust you. I better sleep now, night! L

He chuckled at himself, having realised he'd fallen into a habit of texting 'Love you' at the end of his texts because the person he was usually half asleep and sending messages to was Joe. Harm thought he'd deleted all of his message when he'd put the heart in instead.

He'd be given pause over it the next morning when he noticed it but by then it wasn't worth worrying about. Trick would surely not have noticed.