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Hawk liked to think he had everything under control. He told himself he had everything. under. control. His life was arguably the best it had ever been, he had relationships he never thought he would have, he was a person that himself two years ago wouldn’t even recognise. He woke up every morning thankful and he fell asleep excited for the next day.
Until he didn’t.
It was like one day a flip switched and suddenly everything that made his life colourful before was just another dull moment to add to a folder of memories that were soon forgotten. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this way, like life was simply something he had to do, that every second passed was just another second that left him wondering why he couldn’t just be happy.
Now it felt awfully like he was wearing this mask, like he was a stranger in his own skin. Act like this Eli, talk like this, dress like this. Speak up, don’t be silent again. Suddenly people expected something of him, they had this idea of how he was supposed to react, this idea of who he was and it was driving him insane.
All he ever wanted was to be normal, to escape the piercing eyes that watched his every move, waiting and ready to pounce upon every opportunity. Maybe he should have focused more on blending in with those around him rather than standing out. He wanted to disappear and his inability to do so was only his fault.
After everything that happened before the All Valley and despite his win, his mom took him to see a therapist. Despite Eli’s obvious hesitance towards the idea it became clear she wasn’t taking no for an answer. It was humiliating, that was part of the reason Eli didn't tell anyone. The other reason was because of what he’d been told while he attended his appointments.
Amy was nice enough, she was kind and soft spoken in a way that kind of made him feel uncomfortable, but that wasn’t her fault. She spoke like she knew the answer to everything and maybe she did. It felt a little condescending to sit opposite her and have his life broken down like he was in some sort of simulation.
His therapist had called it ‘masking’, explaining to him that it was often associated with people who had autism. Eli’s world had been turned upside down, although he had his suspicions in the past there was a reason he avoided the conversation. It felt like a punch to the gut.
She told him Hawk was a mask that Eli wore, he was made up, a fake name with a fake personality. She said it was Eli’s last desperate attempt to finally be something worth admiring rather than tormenting. It was embarrassing to know that people could look at him and still see the scared boy hiding beneath.
She’d taken every pivotal moment in his life and broken it down into his newly discovered diagnosis. Everything he thought he knew was different, all the things he could never understand suddenly made sense but for all the wrong reasons. He didn’t want to understand, he wanted to be confused and lost like he had been before. He’d give up all the answers if it meant being normal.
Autistic burnout was brought up more times than he could remember. It was a saying he’d never even heard of, part of him felt like she was just making it up, like it was all some sick joke.
The night of the La’Russo house fight? All his emotions crashing down on him at once like that? Amy had used that as a prime example of a burnout. He hated it, hated that he was like this and there was nothing he could ever do about it.
She had explained that he was in a good place right now, that his ‘unmasking’ of Hawk was healthy for him, that he had found a balance between the two in a positive way that meant he no longer had to hide behind Hawk anymore.
Fuck Amy.
What would she know anyway? What would 7 years of school teach someone? Her degree didn’t mean shit, at least not to Eli.
He started lashing out again, snapping at people. He didn’t know how to cope with this alone but he was too scared to tell someone. He felt alone in a way he hadn’t before, even in a room full of people he felt out of place.
He started over analyzing everything he did, what he said, how he acted. He became obsessed with understanding why he was the way he was, it wasn’t normal and he needed to know how to fix it.
His obsession turned bad really quickly, when he realised there was nothing he could do he became closed off. Another thing Amy decided to stick her nose into, telling him it was normal for autistic people to struggle to regulate their emotions, that his depression was just another form of his trapped feelings he didn’t know how to express.
Amy was going to figure out what trapped feelings looked like really soon. Eli had a feeling she wouldn’t appreciate a roundhouse kick to the head.
Analyze that, bitch.
———
He’d never been good with words, even when he knew what he wanted to say he just could never seem to articulate how he felt no matter how hard he tried. It was frustrating to say the least, he was sure it was probably just as frustrating for those around him.
He tried, he really did try.
It was difficult to explain to someone how you felt when you didn’t even know yourself. Sometimes he just felt so much that he didn’t know what to do with all of it. When angry he lashed out, turned violent. When upset he shut down, turning silent and closed off. When he was happy he got carried away, scared those around him. It was an exhausting cycle that left Eli feeling drained.
He hadn’t said anything in 40 minutes.
Miguel could only rant on about his new obsession for so long before the one sided conversation just died out and they were left in an uncomfortable silence, one that Eli couldn’t even be bothered to attempt to fill. He was exhausted, not physically but in every other sense of the word. He felt like a ticking time bomb ready to blow at any minute.
He knew he was being shitty company, being a shitty boyfriend. He was just too tired to care. How could he even begin to explain to Miguel what was going on?
“Hawk?”
Eli looked over his shoulder, having been facing the wall prior to his name being spoken. The look on Miguel’s face already made him feel guilty, he was such an asshole.
“We can nap if you’re tired.” He smiled, that stupid bright smile that made Eli want to burst into tears.
“No it’s fine.” He muttered, turning to face his boyfriend. “What were you saying?”
“Nothing, it doesn't really matter.” He said, picking at his fingernails. It was an obvious tell that he was nervous, that something was off. Eli knew it was his fault Miguel was feeling awkward and uncomfortable. He hadn't been much fun to be around the past few weeks, even Eli was aware of that. But if Miguel had noticed, which he definitely had, he chose not to say anything about it.
“It does matter,” He muttered, sitting up and reaching to grab Miguel’s hands. “It totally matters.”
Miguel sighed heavily, shifting a little closer to Eli. “Does it?” He frowned, looking down at their hands with another sigh. “Somethings up with you, Hawk.”
“If you dont wanna tell me that's fine,” He said, pausing to think carefully on how to continue.
“But … I want you to tell me. I wanna be the person you can tell shit to.”
He knew Miguel was only trying to be supportive, he was trying to create a healthy space in their relationship for honesty and communication. Eli hated that it made him want to run and hide, that his boyfriend's kindness was terrifying to him.
He wordlessly climbed up off the bed, confronted with the reality that he would have to tell Miguel what was going on before he pushed him away completely. Eli paced the room, feeling Miguel’s eyes watching his every move.
Eli was clearly troubled, that wasn’t a secret, but Miguel had no idea what was really going on. He leaned forward a little, resting his head on one of his hands.
“Hawk,” Miguel spoke up softly.
Eli stopped abruptly, his head snapping in Miguel’s direction. “What?” He snapped, crossing his arms over his chest in a way that would have come off as defiant if he didn’t look so troubled already.
Miguel’s eyebrows shot up, surprised at his boyfriend’s sudden hostility but not at all shocked. This is how Eli had been acting for the past few weeks - distant, avoidant, even a bit rude. It had thrown Miguel off, it upset him. He thought they were past the aggression, that Eli realised he didn’t need to be so defensive over every little thing.
“Eli.” He muttered, watching his boyfriend’s eyes soften briefly. “Talk to me.”
Hawk frowned, unable to hide just how much he truly wanted to tell Miguel. He wanted to be honest with him, he wanted it more than anything. But he was terrified of what this meant, of how Miguel would treat him.
“I can’t.” He whispered, shaking his head.
“You’re scaring me.” Miguel mumbled back, shifting further onto the edge of the bed. “Hawk, I - I just wanna help.”
“You can’t help me!” He snapped, groaning as he rubbed a hand down his face. He hated that he was yelling at him, but fuck he didn’t know what else to do.
“You can’t fix this, Miguel! You can’t make me better, okay?”
“Make you better? Jesus, Hawk.” He whispered, shaking his head. “What is going on?…”
Eli took a shaky breath, trying to remind himself that he shouldn’t be angry with Miguel, he hadn’t done anything to deserve his hostility. It wasn’t his fault Eli didn’t know how to communicate, he was giving him all the space he needed to be honest yet the thought of opening up still made Eli want to disappear.
“Fuck.” He muttered, looking anywhere but his boyfriend. “I shouldn’t have yelled. I’m sorry.”
When Miguel didn’t respond he finally shifted his gaze, being met with a deep frown and worried eyes. His heart stuttered in his chest, the repeated feeling that he was going to lose this if he didn’t tell Miguel what was actually going on.
“Sit down.” Miguel said simply.
Eli didn’t want to, he really didn’t want to. He felt sick to his stomach just thinking about telling Miguel what had been going on these past few weeks. He didn't want anything to change, that was his worst fear.
Despite how hard it felt to do, he sat a fair distance from Miguel and angled his body away as if to create distance between them. It was his last desperate attempt to close himself off and hide despite knowing there was no point.
“I’m trying here, Hawk. I really am.” He said, letting out a heavy sigh. “I don’t know what’s going on with you but I just wanna help.”
“I’m fine.”
“Bullshit.”
Eli shifted further on the edge of the bed, bouncing his leg up and down. The motion made the bed creak in an annoying squeaky noise.
“Look at me.”
It wasn’t until he felt Miguel’s hand on his shoulder that he finally turned to look at him, letting out a shaky breath when he met Miguel’s eyes. He knew deep down he wasn’t superficial enough to care about any of this. That was the messed up part about all this, is that he knew his boyfriend wouldn’t actually care, Miguel was too kind for that. He never judged anyone because they were different than he was, he hadn’t judged Eli for it once so why would he now?
Yet the words still got trapped in his throat, despite knowing he was sat next to the most supportive person he knew he still didn’t have the courage to speak up.
“I can’t.” He whispered, shaking his head. “I can’t tell you, Miguel.”
“Why?” He stressed, frown deepening. “Why not?”
“Because - I just,” He paused, brain frantically searching for a reason why, but like always he came up short. “I just can’t.”
“That’s not a good enough reason, Hawk!” Miguel snapped, in his defence it had been a long time coming.
“When have we ever been the couple that keeps secrets from each other?”
Miguel was right, undoubtedly he was right. They had never been that kind of couple, their relationship wasn’t built off lies and secrets they kept from each other. He had every right to question why that supposedly had changed, why Eli had changed.
This was tearing his relationship apart.
“Miguel, I -“ His voice shook with just the one word, his throat suddenly dry, not that he could blame the shakiness on that. “I’m autistic.”
Any expectation he had on how it would feel to finally say it aloud were crushed, the words sat heavy in the air and Eli didn’t feel the slightest bit relieved. He felt like the weight of the world had just fallen on him, like his heart was about to beat out of his chest and his lunch from hours prior was going to come back up.
Usally he had to practically beg Miguel to stop talking, not that he actually disliked how talkative he was, just simply pretended too. Now he wished more than anything that Miguel would just say something, anything. His silence felt like a knife to the chest and every second that ticked by was just twisting it further.
“I’ve been going to this stupid fucking therapist and she won’t stop nagging me about all this shit and the everything just feels so fucked up right now-“
“Hawk.”
“- and I just feel like I’m fucking drowning, like I can’t catch my breath and I don’t know what the fuck to do-“
“Hawk.”
“-I wanted to tell you! I wanted to tell you so bad, I was just so scared that you’d hate me and I don’t want you to hate me, Miguel-“
“Eli!”
Suddenly the room fell silent, the only noise Eli could hear was the hammering of his own heart in his chest, the rapid beating that echoed through his body and made his head spin.
When he met Miguel’s eyes he felt a sudden stinging behind his own, unshed tears now threatening to fall. There was something so soft about the way Miguel was looking at him, something intense in a way that didn’t feel like hatred.
“I’m proud of you.”
Hawk’s bottom lip trembled despite how hard he tried to fight it. He desperately tried to keep his tears from falling, shifting his gaze to the roof, blinking rapidly to urge them away.
“Hawk.” Miguel whispered, voice soft in the same way that always made Eli want to melt, this time it only served to remind him just how close he’d come to losing his person.
“Look at me,” He muttered, shifting closer to his boyfriend, his hand resting on Hawk’s arm. “Eli, look at me.”
It was inevitable that when he did finally look at Miguel, that his tears would finally fall and any facade he attempted to make would crumble.
He let out a soft noise, somewhere between a whimper and a sob. He didn’t even have it in him to be embarrassed, mind too caught up on the way Miguel was looking at him.
“I’m proud of you, Eli.” He whispered again, and Hawk just broke. He let all the weight of the past few weeks break under Miguel’s words, the relief washing over him with a wave that almost made him feel physically sick.
He’d been so stupid to think Miguel could ever be anything other than loving despite how little he felt he deserved it.
He sobbed, raw and ugly in a way he’d never allowed before. He cried for Eli, for the scared little boy that had begged his parents to fix him, to make him normal. He cried for the boy that had looked in the mirror and imagined a world in which he wasn’t deformed. He cried for the boy that hated himself so much he lost himself to anger and violence. He cried for the boy that had feared that his differences made him unlovable.
He cried for the boy that never knew Miguel’s love.
“Eli…” Miguel whispered under his breath, shifting forward until he could wrap his arms around him. Usually Hawk would find a way to downplay Miguel’s affection, he’d pull him closer and squeeze him until he was gasping and wheezing for him to let him go. He’d lock his head in a headlock, rub his knuckles against his hair and laugh when Miguel complained about him messing up his hair.
The affection he secretly craved but was too afraid to show it. He’d pretend he hated it while imprinting the feeling of Miguel’s arms around him and using the brief memory as a lullaby to help him fall asleep at night. He’d complain about Miguel’s touch like it wasn’t a lifeline, like it wasn’t the same touch that kept him from sinking below the surface.
He needed Miguel like he needed air, like he needed water.
And for the first time in his whole life he let himself show it. He wrapped his arms around Miguel, face pressing into his neck as he cried. He cried until he thought he couldn’t anymore, and then he cried some more. He sobbed like no one was there, like Miguel wasn’t holding him as his body trembled and he gasped for air.
“You still l-love me?” He hiccuped, pressing himself impossibly closer to Miguel. “Tell me you s-still love me.”
He felt Miguel’s hand cup the back of his neck, fingers brushing against the slightly grown hair on the nape of his neck.
“Look at me, Eli.” He whispered softly, voice dripping with a sweetness that could’ve given him a cavity if it didn’t serve to make his throat burn with another wave of tears.
He pulled himself from his boyfriend’s neck, meeting his eyes with a pathetic sniffle that was gross in a way he would usually never allow Miguel to see.
“I can’t even tell you how much I love you.” He whispered, reaching a gentle hand to wipe his wet cheeks. “I love you like crazy, Hawk. I can’t even make sense of it half the time because I don’t even know what to do with it all.”
“I suck at saying it.” Eli whispered, letting out a small hiccup. “I’m such a shitty boyfriend.”
“Hey - hey, enough,” Miguel mumbled, shaking his head. “Just because you don’t say it as much as I do doesn’t mean you’re a shitty boyfriend.”
“You show me how much you love me everyday and that’s enough for me, Eli.”
“I wanna be more for you, Miguel. I just don’t know how.”
“I like how much you are already.”
“I do,” Eli mumbled, meeting Miguel’s gaze with bloodshot eyes. To Miguel they were just as beautifully heartbreaking as the day they’d first met, the day Eli had looked at him with the same piercing blue eyes that spoke every word the boy couldn’t. “Love you, I mean.”
“I know. I love you too.” He smiled, leaning forward to place a soft kiss on Hawk’s upper lip.
“A lot.” He whispered quietly, leaning forward to place a kiss on Miguel’s shoulder, pressing his face into his neck. “I love you so much I just don’t know what to do with it.”
“What you already do is good.” Miguel whispered, grunting quietly as he shifted them so they were laying down. “I like how you love me now.”
Eli let himself be guided down on top of his lover, keeping his face buried in Miguel’s neck. “I like loving you. Even if I kinda suck at it.”
Miguel chuckled quietly, pulling Eli closer. “I like loving you too.”
His boyfriend pressed even closer against him, his breathing finally starting to even out again. He felt eyelashes fluttering against the skin of his neck, a small smile spreading across his face.
If Miguel hadn’t believed Eli’s words he certainly did now. He let himself see all the little ways his boyfriend loved him even while asleep, his hand wrapped around Miguel’s wrist, fingers pressed against his pulse point. His leg tangled underneath Miguel’s, allowing him the opportunity to shift positions in case his back started playing up.
Eli’s love was radiant in the quiet way, his love might not be loud and grand in the way most people craved but it was loud enough that Miguel never questioned it. It was loud in the way he remembered every little thing Miguel told him, in the way he bought him things just because they remind him of Miguel. The way he let him keep his clothes even if he arguably liked the item a lot more than Miguel did.
In the way he started bringing him a Red Bull to training everyday because Miguel mentioned being tired once. The way he kept a bottle of Advil in his glove box because he refused to not be prepared for one of Miguel’s flare ups.
Eli’s love was calm and beautiful, it was fun and exciting, it was intimate and hot all at the same time. He’d never known a love like his and he never wanted to know another.
Eli’s love was special and it was Miguel’s favourite type of love, because it belonged to him.
———
Eli hadn’t expected anything to change after his conversation with Miguel, nor had he wanted it too. Miguel had swore this didn't make him feel any differently towards him.
But he noticed a shift, he noticed a change in Miguel that had initially worried him. That was until he realised just what his boyfriend was doing.
Miguel had started to pick up on Eli’s tells, ones that he himself didn’t even know of. Things he usually would’ve danced around the idea of mentioning to Miguel he now didn’t even have to say anything about in the first place.
After a particularly bad day sometimes all Eli needed was to be with Miguel. Being cuddled up in his bed with his boyfriend was the only way he found that could stop his buzzing mind from sending him spiraling. The thing was, Miguel knew every time. He’d just silently open his arms and invite Eli to lay himself down.
It was something they didn’t talk about, and for the first time in his life it was driving Eli crazy that Miguel wasn’t communicating with him every five seconds. How he always knew what he needed was beyond him.
Eli walked into his room, towel in hand as he roughly dried off his hair. Having been freshly washed the mohawk was down and now simply sitting in his somewhat overgrown undercut. When he glanced over to Miguel, who was lounging on his bed, he wordlessly opened his arms and shifted to make more room for him.
“Okay, what the fuck.” He muttered, watching his boyfriend’s face shift to something between confused and concerned.
“Huh?”
“Don’t ‘huh’ me.” He huffed, throwing his towel onto his desk and glaring down at the not so innocent boy laying on his bed.
“Dude?”
“ Dude?” He scoffed, using the shirt he’d previously been putting on as a weapon to launch at Miguel’s head.
“Eli!” He laughed, sitting up and holding his hands up as Eli reached for his recently discarded towel, as if threatening to throw that at him too. “What did I do?”
His boyfriend huffed, running a hand through his hair and groaning with irritation when it refused to stay out of his face. “How do you always know?” He muttered, facing defeat and begrudgingly walking over to the bed, taking a seat with a heavy breath.
“Know what, baby?” Miguel hummed, Eli practically melted. He shifted until he was laying down, resting his head on the pillows as his boyfriend's arms wrapped around him from behind.
Being in Miguel’s arms felt like home, like falling asleep in the car after a long road trip and waking up in your bed. It felt like a warm shower on a cold winter night, like a bowl of homemade soup when sick. Miguel was his constant in a world full of change.
“Everything.”
Miguel let out a loud laugh, nuzzling his face into Eli’s neck. “Flattery will get you anywhere, hmm?”
“God - shut up.” He groaned, rolling his eyes despite Miguel not being able to see the gesture.
“I just mean - like,” He sighed loudly, looking down at his own hands, now fiddling with his bed sheets. “You just … know .” He whispered.
Miguel hummed, as if encouraging him to continue talking.
“Today was hard.” Eli settled on saying, letting out yet another sigh. “Like - it wasn’t bad or anything… just - not good?” He attempted to explain.
“Today wasn’t good, and I feel like you know that.”
He could feel Miguel’s smile against his shoulder, placing a small kiss on the exposed skin of his neck. “I do.” He whispered, hands reaching to wordlessly pull Eli’s prying fingers from ruining his bed sheets.
“I know because I know you.”
The words almost made his head spin, because why was Miguel saying that like it explained everything. That didn’t answer a single question he had, not even in the slightest.
“I don’t know what that means.” He muttered simply, gaze locked on his and Miguel intertwined hands.
“You actually want me to tell you?” He hummed, rubbing his thumb over a small scab Eli had from picking his nails.
“Do you want me to hit you?”
“Hey, watch it.” Miguel grumbled, words accompanied by a playful bite to his shoulder.
Eli huffed, muttering under his breath but staying silent.
“You just … you have these little things you do.” He said.
“Woah, I have little things I do… You are unreal, Miguel.”
“Your attitude is actually crazy.”
“Just tell me!”
“Jesus … fine - fine, I’m trying.” Miguel chuckled, falling silent like he was contemplating what to say next.
“You let your hair down.” He said, speaking up again before Eli could complain.
“You have a hard day, and then invite me over, and you let your hair down.”
“Which one of us sucks at communicating again?”
Miguel chose to ignore Eli’s comment, choosing to continue to explain instead. “You want to cuddle, right? You let your hair down because it means we can cuddle like this.”
He pushed himself closer behind Eli, nuzzling further into his neck. “No hair poking me in the face, just me holding you, because it helps, right?”
He hated that it made sense, he hated that Miguel had realised it before he had. Because it was true, he was completely and totally right. Eli shifted uncomfortably, suddenly becoming self aware that he wasn’t nearly as secretive as he thought. Not that he was purposely trying to keep this to himself, it was far from that.
Miguel waited for him to fill the silence, thumb still gently tracing circles into Eli’s knuckles. He obviously realised soon after that Eli wasn’t planning on replying so he squeezed his hand, frowning into the crook of his neck.
“That’s okay, Hawk.” He whispered. “It’s okay that you want this sometimes - you’re allowed to want it.”
“Yeah?” He breathed, voice cracking. Miguel surely had no idea just what his words meant to him, that he had such a special way of calming Eli’s buzzing mind. His words helped dull the steadily growing embarrassment that was settling in the back of his head. The fear that he was asking for too much, that he needed more than Miguel could give.
“Yeah.” He placed a gentle kiss to Eli’s shoulder, smiling against his skin. “I like being the person you can do this with.”
“You’re the only person I do this with.” Eli muttered.
“I mean I’d hope so.”
“Oh my god, shut up. I was trying to be romantic.”
“I’m sorry - I’m sorry,” Miguel laughed, pushing himself further into Hawk. “It was so romantic.”
“Now you’re just being mean.” He complained, trying to squirm his way out of Miguel’s arms.
“No no no! C’mon, baby.” He laughed, pressing his face into Eli’s neck.
“Don’t baby me.” He grumbled, relaxing into Miguel again. “You’re being mean.”
“I’m not, I’m not! I love when you get all romantic with me-“
“Yeah whatever.”
“It kinda turns me on, honestly-“
“Shut up! It does not.” He huffed, pressing his face into the pillow despite knowing Miguel couldn’t even see his rapidly reddening cheeks.
“Okay - okay, I’m sorry.” He could feel Miguel’s smile against his shoulder, it made his own smile spread across his face.
A comfortable silence filled the room, the only noise being their quiet breathing. If Eli focused hard enough he was fairly confident he could feel the steadying thump of Miguel’s heartbeat pressed against his back. It was moments like these that made loving Miguel so easy, that made his heart flutter in his chest when he thought about it too much.
There was no hiding behind Hawk in moments like these, there was no pretending that his whole heart didn’t belong to this boy when his blood pumped for him, his heart beat for him. “I love you.” Eli whispered.
The reply was instant, not a single second of hesitation. “I love you too.”
After another beat of silence, Miguel spoke up again. “Are you gonna dry off properly anytime soon because you’re kinda damp.”
“Oh my god-“ He groaned, turning himself around and grabbing Miguel’s arms before he could even think of retreating. He climbed on top of him, glaring down at him with no actual malice.
He placed a free hand on Miguel’s stomach, raising an eyebrow when he felt him shutter.
“No.” Miguel whispered, suddenly a lot more desperate to escape the bed. “No, Hawk!”
His pleas were ignored, instead Eli started the violent attack, fingers dancing along where Miguel was most sensitive, watching him squirm and gasp.
“I said I’m sorry! C’mon, Eli!”
Deciding to take mercy on his boyfriend, Eli paused briefly, a clear mistake considering how fast Miguel reacted. He lifted his lower body off the bed until he was able to wrap his leg around Eli’s waist and use it to drag him down onto his back, laying between Miguel’s legs.
Suddenly it was an all out brawl, play fighting like this was usually limited to the mat, not on Eli’s bed, despite his own list of fantasy’s that he would /never/ share with his boyfriend.
Miguel held him down with an annoyingly strong hand, laughing loudly as Eli fought to get free. “Dude, let me up!”
“You’re free to get up whenever you want, Hawk.” Miguel mumbled, smiling down at him with a certain cockiness that Eli hadn’t seen in quite some time.
“C’mon, Miguel. Just let me up.” He practically whined, reaching his hand to rub up his boyfriend’s arm, squeezing his bicep with a small hum. “You’re just too strong.”
His words got Miguel to let up his grip just a little, enough that Hawk was able to push him off and jump up to his feet.
Miguel let out a laugh that made Eli’s heart flutter in his chest, it might just be his favourite sound in the world. He bounced up and down on his feet, putting his hands up in a fighting position.
“Hawk.” Miguel chuckled, rolling his eyes as he climbed off the bed. He let out a surprised laugh when Hawk gave him a light jab to the stomach.
“C’mon Champ, don’t tell me you’ve gone soft for me.” He said, delivering another quick but gentle punch to his side.
Miguel rolled his eyes again, but shifted his stance so he could block Eli’s next punch. “I’m sorry who kicked your ass the last time we fought?”
“I mean technically if you wanna talk about the last time we fought…” He mumbled. “I did beat you.”
“Only because I for-fitted!”
“Actually you left me all alone on the mat and then booked it to Mexico.”
Miguel let out a loud groan, rushing forward to grab Hawk around the waist and throw him over his shoulder. “Shut up!” He laughed.
Eli laughed from deep in his belly, squirming in Miguel’s grip. It wasn’t long until his boyfriend was throwing him into the bed, the force of impact making him grunt as he hit the mattress.
“You suck-.” Miguel complained.
“Yeahhhh I do-“
“-Don’t you dare!” He let out a loud groan when Eli beat him to it. “Hawk, you’re so immature!”
“You love it.” He smiled as Miguel climbed on top of him, resting his chin on his stomach.
“Yeah I do.” He whispered, looking up at him through his eyelashes.