A Push Forward
“Caleb, we need to get more flour before I make these again,” Fjord called over his shoulder.
He had just finished making fry bread for a snack and stripped off his shirt that was now covered in flour. Caleb came from the bedroom with his hair still mussed from their recent nap. He had not bothered to pull on pants yet and shuffled away from the bedroom and smiled. It was the last full day of spring break and Fjord had last-minute decided to drive up the night before to Amherst to see him as they both had the day off. They spent the night with an old show on in the background. The focus was on the list of apartments that the Boston group had found to look at soon. Fjord got up early to run as usual and found Caleb awake as well, which prompted them to take a nap.
“We can go after lunch,” Caleb replied groggily.
He started to wander over when a knock at the door sounded. They both looked at each other. A second knock was followed by an older female voice asking if he was home. Caleb flushed down his chest and weakly replied in the affirmative. Fjord looked at Caleb confused glance and started to walk toward the bedroom. The doorknob jiggled and the sound of keys clinked through the door. The door opened as Fjord attempted to get into the bedroom. An older woman stood in the doorway with her large bag slung over her shoulder and a jacket on. Her hair was cut short with a bit of a curl, pale skin, and thin glasses on her nose. He felt his body heat with embarrassment. He would meet Caleb’s mother/grandmother while shirtless, hands covered in flour, and Caleb only in boxers.
“Oh. Caleb. I wasn’t aware you had company.” Her voice was thick with a German accent and careful in its wording. It made Fjord all the more embarrassed.
“Ah… Ja. Ja. Mama, this is Fjord. My boyfriend.”
GAME HOES
HeySailor at least u 2 werent fcukin
HeySailor or u kno just after n nekkid
FjordTough don’t remind me
NottListening What are you up to now
FjordTough she’s here with us having lunch
FjordTough I think we’re fine just…
FjordTough yeah
SleevesRBS you couldn’t have looked more guilty if you tried
FjordTough look
NottListening Look
HeySailor look
MT look
FjordTough fuck yall
Molly (2:02pm): Did you remember your emergency meds
Fjord (2:03pm): iI’m fine now. It was just awkward and out of nowhere.
Molly (2:05pm): mkay
Molly (2:06pm): the ladies and them want to go to fire and ice this week. You down
Fjord (2:07pm): yeah sure
GAME HOES
MrPalomares2 I’m not sure why Fjord was so embarrassed. Fjord’s home page is a rather suggestive picture of me.
NottListening sorry?
SleevesRBS omf u right
MT ngl though it’s a good picture
MrPalomares2 Thank-you.
BigBadWolf I have a hard time believing you of all people sent something like that and are okay with him showing it off. Who are you and what have you done with my Caleb?
MrPalomares2 If Fjord wants to show me off, then I am all for it. And that it stays offline.
BigBadWolf Wild
NottListening Trust me Wulf it was a long process to get here
NottListening Awkward flirting
MT I was getting blue balls watching
FjordTough shut it y’all
MT there he is
FjordTough I was driving you asses
MT xo
FjordTough there is a difference between a picture and your mom walking in on us half naked
MrPalomares2 For what it is worth, she thinks you are a very charming young man. Honestly, I think she was more shocked that you had not met with her earlier if you come up so much.
FjordTough Has she been trying to get me to meet her?
MrPalomares2 Not exactly. But now?
SleevesRBS ruh roh fjord has to meet the parents
MT get the dad shovel talk
SassyWitch “dad” is in his seventies and I doubt will try to threaten fjord
FjordTough comforting, really
MrPalomares2 It’s just dinner out here some time when you can. I did warn them that you’re at the end of Hockey and need to focus on that first.
FjordTough maybe we can try to video call first? Or something?
FjordTough I just don’t want to make a bad impression on them
BigBadWolf Dude you’ll be fine.
BigBadWolf for what its worth I think you’re as close to exactly what they want for him as possible so like… just be yourself
FjordTough oh
FjordTough thanks
MissJester OMG THAT WAS SO PURE
MissJester WULFIE YOU ARE SUCH A SOFT BEAN WOW
SassyWitch Told you he was a great guy
MrPalomares2 Fjord?
DarkAngel Fjord.exe has stopped working and frozen on a dopey smile. He should reboot soon.
ItsYaBoi Wulf is officially part of the squad. He got a Fjord shut down to happen.
MT what a loser
DragonQueen I think it’s sweet
SleevesRBS nah hes a bi disaster
DragonQueen Aren’t we all?
WhatsurPoison mood
HeySailor sole hetero in the party ig
WhatsurPoison I feel like I knew that but it never seemed like it
HeySailor sry ill try to be more aggressively masculine in the future
WhatsurPoison You should. We need someone to keep us in line and make sure we aren’t getting too soft
HeySailor u rite no more safe place
WhatsurPoison Really it’s for the best
DragonQueen Uh….
MT what is?
ItsYaBoi ffs
HeySailor how can u b safe n strong if coddled
ItsYaBoi I’m canceling our book club.
BigBadWolf Oh. I get it now.
MissJester Book club?!?!?!
ItsYaBoi Dingus and Dumbass decided they wanted to have a book club as both read weird things while on late and slow shifts.
ItsYaBoi So now they have a book club. Where they read the same shitty books together.
BigBadWolf Cad suggested I should join. Shockingly fun.
ItsYaBoi It’s ridiculous.
WhatsurPoison I think you’re just being triggered
HeySailor lol
ItsYaBoi Reani, why? You were such a nice girl.
WhatsurPoison I was? My b
DragonQueen Lawl bet
MissJester Bet
MT What was this book
BigBadWolf Trigger Warning. It’s rough
HeySailor I thnk it made me feel valid
MT I just read the summary and good lort
WhatsurPoison It made the late night shifts go by faster
HeySailor I read it out loud to the nurse’s desk for a bit
MrPalomares2 I put my phone down to change the cat litter and this happens without me.
NottListening You should know better by now
MissJester Mood~
“How many are we looking at today,” Beau asked from the front seat.
She and Yasha were up front with Fjord folded into the car. None of them were short by any means, and even with the “superior leg room” offered in the newer sedans, Molly and Fjord felt cramped. He was behind Beau, who was shorter than Yasha, sure, but her seat was pushed back to accommodate her legs. Molly had previously whined that they could take two cars and cramming into Beau’s car rather than Cad’s soccer mom van was a bad idea. His best friend was right, of course, but now he refused to admit that in the moment. Molly, however, openly grimaced.
“Four.” Yasha was looking at her phone when she replied. “Three are near by and one is a bit away, but cheaper.”
“Something cheaper not downtown? What?” Molly snorted when Fjord smacked him. “All three bed?”
“Yeah. One has a half bath and a full bath.”
“Oh, dope.” Molly flopped back and shifted again.
“They’re not bad. I mean, one I think is by a bar that has a fight every other weekend,” Yasha muttered.
“Which bar,” Fjord asked.
“Touché.”
Caleb <3 (11:02am): Let me know how it goes?
Fjord<3 (11:04am): will do. Going to the first one now
Fjord<3 (11:35am): First one was actually good. Will send the link
Caleb <3 (11:37am): Danke.
Fjord<3 (11:40am): gern geschehen
Fjord<3 (11:42am): did I spell that right?
Caleb <3 (11:45am): Ja. <3
“Fjord. Focus on the molding and not your phone,” Beau hissed and flicked his ear.
Fjord glared and frowned. He looked around at the second place. It was the location the group had been the most divided on. For Molly, it had been a bit too close to locations Cad strongly disliked. For Beau, it was cramped and was a level of an old house. It was more expensive, as it was larger than the modern apartments, but it was older as well. Yasha liked it because it was close to their works and the hotels. For Caleb, he was simply not a fan of being middle floor with two older groups above and below as three separate queer relationships. He saw potential tension with the landlord, no matter how nice he was when they met.
The third was a traditional, old apartment in a series of attached buildings, which they preferred. They put in their second set of applications in and headed to the final location. It was a towering building with almost two dozen floors that towered over the area. They politely viewed it, despite the choking smell of smoke and stale air. It was not what they had hoped for, but it was cheap enough to at least make up for it all. They put in their applications and headed to get lunch.
“Why were you looking all embarrassed,” Beau asked and took a long drink.
“I… almost said love you to Caleb earlier.”
“What?”
“No shit?”
“Why didn’t you?”
“It was over text?” Fjord caught his half lie. “It feels too soon.”
“Ah,” Molly sighed and nodded. “That’s fair. You’ve had a crush on him since October at least.”
“We’ve been together since January,” he argued.
“What version were you going to use,” Beau asked.
“Uh…”
“Like, were you about to drop a te amo?”
“No… I mean. I’ve thought it but he may not get the difference?”
“It’s Caleb. He will do more research into the meaning of it than you thought possible if you say te queiro. And I doubt he doesn’t feel the same.”
“It’s still too soon,” Fjord argued.
“If you think it is, just don’t say it yet. No big deal.” Molly shrugged and leaned back in his chair. “I’ve been with Essek for about the same amount of time and I’m not really there with him. Flip side is you have these two idiots here who have been together for as long as I’ve been with Astrid and they’ve already said it.”
“True. Even if Beau was vomiting up Four Loko when she said it.”
“I’m a classy bitch.”
GAME HOES
FjordTough I’m still reeling from the fact that my bffs and Caleb’s are in a book club with Caleb’s and neither told me about it
ItsYaBoi You’re not missing anything.
MissJester How did the house hunt go~?
DarkAngel Well enough. None of the places are open until June which works out.
MT daddy needs to go to Texas for his shit soon
MissJester Ohhhhh???? Are you taking Caleb?
FjordTough haven’t gotten that far in planning to be honest
DarkAngel I say there is a pin in that.
MissJester Oh. Yeah. Fairrrrrr….
FjordTough yeah
BigBadWolf Family thing or long car ride?
FjordTough the first one
BigBadWolf If no one else can go down with you and you do want Caleb there. I guess I can help
MissJester WULFIE~~
DragonQueen AWE
BigBadSoftie Darrow do you have an alert for things like this?
HeySailor (͠≖ ͜ʖ͠≖)
DragonQueen Anyone up?
NottListening Yeah
SleevesRBS sleep is for the week
SleevesRBS weak*
NottListening Smooth
MT this a good time to remind people Beau asked Yasha out by introducing Yasha as her girlfriend
SleevesRBS fuck off molly
MT kissies
SleevesRBS no
SleevesRBS whats up Cali
DragonQueen Anyone down for some overcooked?
SleevesRBS Yes!
MT yes!
Dynamis Lurking but yes.
DragonQueen Really? Okay! I’ll set up the game then!
DragonQueen Thank-you, guys <3~
MT of course
“And which apartment was it that you got,” Caleb asked. Fjord could hear the thud of him chopping vegetables on the other side.
“The smaller one. We decided to use the money we’d spend in the down payment to get sound proofing tiles.”
“Smart, as none of you are quiet. Will you fit the stream stations?”
“We’re going in with a measuring tape this weekend. We’ll figure it out.”
“Does this mean a bigger bed?” Fjord hummed and smiled. “I guess I could get behind this.”
“About what Jester said…” Fjord’s voice drifted, and he waited to see how he would respond. When the silence stretched, he coughed. “Would you be willing to? The first week of summer break?”
“Would you want that? That is a long… long drive both ways.”
“Yeah, I know. Just figured it will probably the only chance for a while to meet my family.” Fjord turned away from where he was leaning against the door of his truck in the parking lot. One of the students waved at him as he wandered, which he returned. “I know my Abuela has been dying to meet you. She thinks you’re cute.”
“Ja? Does she?”
“Apparently you’re just my type.”
“I’ll think of it. More for the job thing than… spending time with you.” Caleb stopped chopping and inhaled through the phone. “That is one long first vacation for us, even without the fact that… this will be…”
“My bisexual boyfriend meeting my conservative family as I pack up to leave for good?” Caleb hummed in response. “I know. I just don’t know when I’ll be down that way otherwise unless Abuela begs me to.”
“I’ll talk to my boss,” Caleb offered. “There is a small break between finals and summer courses.”
“Yeah?”
“Ja. I ah… Your Abuela.” Fjord hummed. “Does… I don’t know how to ask this without sounding like an asshole.”
Fjord paused, then chuckled. “Got it. I can help you with some phrases. You took Spanish last year right?”
“My lowest grade.”
“With a 4.0, that’s a humble brag if I’ve ever heard it.”
“Fjord,” Molly called from his room. The yell was punctuated by a whistle. “I ordered pizza.”
“Can I have some,” someone called from their spot in the lawn. A few others joined in.
“Fjord, please take your Lactaid. You have a long week with playoffs.”
“Fine,” Fjord agreed after a pause. “Want me to call you when we’re at the apartment?”
“Ja, I’d like that.” Caleb cleared his throat. “I’ll talk to you tonight, lieb. I miss you.”
“Miss you too,” Fjord smiled. “I have to go before Molls falls out the window yelling down to the quad. Te queiro.”
Fjord was halfway up the stairs when he realized what he had said. He looked at his phone and noticed a few messages from Caleb. He put his phone down on the side table. The man only checked the phone when they went to pay the pizza. Molly was the one who looked. He swiped the phone open and scanned his own fingerprint. Before he could protest was cut short as Molly smacked him upside the head with one hand and put the phone the pizza boxes.
“Reply to your boyfriend, dumbass.”
Caleb <3 (8:10pm): Ich liebe dich auch.