I really love this story, I’m so glad I got the bonus story from Kenshin’s B-Day Fest 2022. It’s so sweet and has a lot of things that I like when they include them in IkeSen
Author:@maanawa Fandom: Ikemen Vampire Character(s): Theodorus van Gogh / MC (female) Rating: Technically M but probably closer to T, tbh Warnings:Modern AU. Way too much fluff…way too much.
Prompt:Drunken confessions/roommate AU Summary:“Call it dumb luck but, baby, you and I can’t even mess it up, though we both tried.”
Theo could only look on, a confusing swirl of embarrassment and curiosity leaving him rooted to the floor and transfixed on the conversation going on in front of him. He had left her for two minutes, at most - it wasn’t enough to get drunk but perhaps he had miscalculated. Severely miscalculated, if the unsteady way you were teetering on the bar stool and the glowing blush on your cheeks were any indicator.
Part of the embarrassment was self-inflicted, stemming from the fact that even in this absolutely ludicrous situation, there he was: thinking of how pretty you looked. No one else compared to you; past, present or future. And yet, there you were, somehow prattling on to an absolute stranger on how your roommate was so smart, so cool, so…honestly, if he had to listen to a single word more, his ears felt like they would explode from how warm they felt. It was her next words that made him wish the earth would both swallow him whole but he couldn’t leave, he had to make sure you were out of this mess, after all!
“Now”, your insistent tone caught the attention of the poor soul stuck beside you. “Dear Reader…you may be wondering ‘am I in love with my roommate’…are you?” The scene unfurling before his eyes was nothing less of a late night television skit, just less humorous and more…bizarre, for lack of a better term. Theo saw you narrowing your eyes at the man beside you, who seemed to be nodding. Your firm nod in response, you continued speaking. “Well, I am - but the thing is, he’s like, way out of my league. Like, way, way out. Absolute top shelf material, not like this drink. You’re out of his league, too, by the way - don’t even think about it.” Polishing off the rest of your drink with a single swig, you slammed your glass down on the countertop a bit too loud for everyone - including yourself, judging by the slight jump of your shoulders. ‘Silly girl,’ Theo thought to himself, trying his best to not actually smile because of it.
“Anyway, so I am very clearly out of your league, dude. But he…oh my God, he’s way out of our league. Is it ‘league’? Or ‘leagues’? I mean, we’re not in the same league - did I tell you that?” Theo heard the man mumbling, as he made his way towards the both of you. You were right on that account, though - you were definitely out of his league.
Placing a bill on the counter with a firm slap, he slung your arm across his shoulder as he used his other hand to steady your waist. You yelped when you felt someone hoisting you up so suddenly but when you turned around to come face-to-face with the chiselled jaw that you had become so familiar with, an involuntary smile appeared on your lips and you murmured “hey Theo” before remembering absolutely nothing more of that night whatsoever.
When you wake up the next morning, there’s your regular hangover cure on your bedside table: ibuprofen & water. A moment’s joy crosses your heart, as you know just who left these out for you, before you realise the underwire of your bra has been digging into you for God knows how long. You’re still dressed in what you wore last night and a quick glance at the mirror confirms that your makeup wasn’t removed, either. Well, perhaps it was for the better that you weren’t too comfortable with your roommate like that.
Yawning, you walked into the kitchen and the comforting smell of pancakes greeted you. Squinting, it seemed like Theo was getting ready to head out if his habit of leaving his (already read) newspaper folded up neatly in the recycling bin was any indicator. The man himself in question stood at the kitchen sink, washing his dishes.
“Morning,” you do your best to stifle another yawn. “What’s on the menu, chef?” “For you, nothing.” Theo never wastes a moment when it comes to retorts but when you look towards him with a slight frown and a pout, you can see a tell-tale grin hiding beneath the surface, the corners of his lips quirking upwards. He looks back at you and you only pout more exaggeratedly and before he knows it, Theo’s got an exasperated laugh in reply to you. Truly, he’s no match for you, he thinks. “Check the other side of the table.” Reaching forward, your eyes sparkle in delight when you see a warm stack of pancakes and you let out a tiny squee, as you pull the plate towards you with both hands. “You’re my favourite roommate, Theo, did you know?” “I’m your only roommate, actually.” “Right, but you’re still my favourite. I feel like it’s my duty to let you know.” Theo rolled his eyes as a manner of response. “Don’t let others hear you like this, they might actually think you’re always this nice.” “I’m always nice,” you retorted, through mouthfuls of carb heaven. “You’re hungover.” “Yeah,” a soft smile graced your lips, as you watched him complete the last steps of his morning ritual, one you were so used to. Shoes: put on. Jacket: worn. Backpack: slung on. Final check in the mirror: complete. “Yeah, I am.”
It seems utterly silly to have a crush on your roommate (and the epitome of human perfection) but the heart does what it wants. You reckon you’ve done a good job of keeping it under wraps but sometimes the veneer of control slips and that’s when you’re most thankful of how indulgent Theo really is of your whims, your fancies - well, you, really. You’re snatched out of your reverie, though, when Theo calls your name from the door and you stop mid-chew to actually look at him (as opposed to the dreamy-eyed gazing you probably had been doing moments earlier. Thank fuck his back was towards you). “We should grab dinner tonight,” he turns back towards you and gives you a smile worth its weight in gold. For a moment you’re rendered speechless, not sure if you were even worthy to be blessed with such a sight. Or maybe it’s the hungover brain of yours, lying to you.
Before you can give him a coherent reply, though, he’s gone.
And you’re still left wondering if it was a fever dream or if Theo really asked you to get dinner with him. It wasn’t uncommon - when both of you worked late nights, you both would decide to just order in or one of you would get takeout for two. On rare occasions, when both of you were still out in town, you would meet up for dinner before heading home. Realistically, it wouldn’t mean anything more than the latter but there was a niggling feeling at the back of your mind that you’d…done something astounding last night. Your one-sided crush had been on your mind all night, even before you decided to go with him to the local pub’s trivia night and as more and more alcohol entered your system, you felt your inhibitions loosening.
There was nothing different about the way Theo acted today, kindness and good-natured snide came hand-in-hand with him, after all. However, there was a hazy memory at the back of your mind and it only fuelled the precognition fuelling inside of you. Maybe it would be better to call off the dinner, pretend that you’re sick and take off from work early. That way, you wouldn’t have to-
[From Theo; 12:15pm: (location address)] [From Theo; 12:15pm: How about here? Is 7:00PM a good time?]
That gorgeous bastard’s timing was impeccable. You glanced at your phone for a few moments, before picking it up and typing out a quick reply.
[From You; 12:16pm: Yeah, let me check the menu] [From Theo; 12:16pm: No worries. I got a reservation anyway. If you want something else, we can change.] [From You; 12:16pm: RESERVATION??? Wow I cannot be bound by the confines of space-time like that.] [From Theo; 12:18pm: You’ll be missing out on what the NYT calls ‘the best tapas deal in town’.] [From You; 12:18pm: I’m looking at the menu] [From You; 12:18pm: Christ] [From You; 12:18pm: I’ll be there. I’ll be there early, ok?] [From You; 12:18pm: Everything sounds so good wtf?]
Theo tried his best to hide his smile, as he discreetly slid his phone under a folder by his laptop. Perhaps he had missed what was being said at the company’s annual meeting and maybe he has the vaguest clue on their five year plan, but he does have a date, so it works out in the end. When you show up to the restaurant, every single plan that Theo’s ever made for this evening is flung out the window. Seeing you here is not unlike seeing you back at home; you’re still returning back home after a workday but falling in love isn’t always fireworks and a-ha moments. Sometimes, it’s just how the little things add up and Theo’s never been more sure of his love for you.
However, a drunk confession means nothing much, in the end - but if anyone can make something out of it, it’s Theodorus van Gogh.
During dinner, you feel that there’s something different about Theo’s demeanour. Perhaps it was the extra compliment he’d thrown your way, or the way you felt like he was being more charming than usual. Theo was all charm and manners when he was working (you’d seen glimpses of his professional demeanour). That was not to say that he was the opposite off-duty but it was just as much part of his personality as the brusque, kind-hearted man who was always ready with a retort you’d ended up living with. Vague ghosts of the night past kept you away from the alcohol but Theo seemed to be thoroughly enjoying his meal. Perhaps you had no reason to be this suspicious.
“So…” You almost missed Theo’s voice, as you reached over to get a croquette for yourself. “What was this thing about you and me not being in the same league?” The piece of croquette that you had just bit into gets caught in your windpipe and you’re grasping for your glass of water as you try to not choke to your demise at the New York Times’ tapas restaurant of choice. The warmth of wine rushes down your throat and you’re almost about to almost do a spit-take as you realise it’s Theo’s glass you’ve grabbed.
Swallowing, you mustered your best glare towards the man opposite you as you discreetly wiped your mouth with your napkin. “What…what are you on about?” “Just a question, only wondering.” The effortless ease which you had mistaken for charm seemed to almost be weaponised against you, as Theo leaned forward with what could be described as none other than a smug grin. “But you know, you weren’t wrong when you said you were out of his league. You definitely are. Also, aren’t you too old to be going for things like indirect kisses?” The last of his words barely concealed the laughter in his voice, as he picked the almost-empty wine glass from your hands and you could only look on, all too aware of the blush creeping up your cheeks. The worst thing was, it wasn’t even his words as much as it was…well, him.
Perhaps you had one reason to be suspicious.
Maybe the wine acted as a memory reset, or state-dependent memory is truly more effective than you assumed because the events of the night before were as vivid as if they were preserved on celluloid, in your mind: the trivia night, the we-didn’t-deserve-second-place drinking (while your roommate stayed immaculately sober), said roommate went to get his car, random man at the bar hit on you, the ‘out of my league’ talk followed. You had thought that Theo was not there but clearly your alcohol-enhanced situational awareness had made the best of the situation. At this very point, if you could just allow the world to swallow you whole, it would be for the best. Your mortification seemed to only fuel your crush’s mirth, as your telling expression seemed to amuse him no end.
“God, you’re insufferable,” you muttered, before busying yourself with another mouthful of…whatever you found in front of you. “That’s not what you said last night.” “Stop making this sound worse than it already is!” “Worse? I actually thought we had a pretty cute date going on.” “Adate?” Your voice was much louder than intended, getting unwanted stares and glares from those around you. You settled back into your seat with a huff. “You said nothing about this being a date, Theo.” For a moment, perhaps a flicker of something uncharacteristic passed across Theo’s expression but not before he nursed it back to the picture of confidence he always seemed to be. “Do you not want it to be?” There was no way you missed the clipped edge of his tone but that’s not what you were focused on, right now. “I look like shit, why would I want to come out on a date like this?” you whispered to yourself, more than anything. Theo’s lack of response made you look back up at him, only to find him looking at you with the most incredulous expression. “Dates, they’re…they’re a mindset thing, Theo. Like, you gotta be in the right frame of mind, and shit like that! You can’t just say it out of the blue!” Theo scoffed, crossing his arms and you’d be damned if you even admitted to yourself that it somehow made him look even better. “I’ve seen you in worse states, [Name]. What sort of an excuse is that?” Too late to be saved from that damnation, though.
“It’s not an excuse, you jerk,” you muttered in response. “I just would’ve…wanted to put in more effort if I knew what this was about.” “I like you the way you are, though-” Theo’s words mingled with an involuntary sigh that left his lips. You did not hesitate to counter him, at all. “Theodorus van Gogh, this isn’t about yo- wait, what?” “I mean - what I mean to say is,” Theo paused, as if trying to find the best way to put forth his thoughts. “With us having lived together for so long, you don’t have to go out of your way, or anything, for me. You’re fine however you are - does that make sense?” “Yeah,” you nodded. Sure, it sounded unreal, hearing your demigod-tier roommate and crush tell you these things. Maybe saying anything else would shatter the dream. “Yeah, sure. Makes sense. Yep.”
The awkward, momentary silence that followed was shattered by your cell phone ringing and you clambered to pick it up. Theo looked on, watching your expression go from concentration to concern to absolutely devoid of colour. When you hung up, he peered closer and asked if everything was fine.
“I…,” you groaned out of exasperation. “I was trying to set up a process update push notification for our clients at work and…apparently I forgot to turn it off before I left. Boss just told me it’s been sending all our clients various Spongebob memes via email every 20 minutes, I’m so…gah!” Wordlessly, you leant forward and let your forehead touch the table with a soft ‘thud’. “Theo, end me now. I cannot take any more this evening.” “Do you need to go back to work? Want a ride?”It was hard to find his response of laughter as anything but the very sound of the heavens. Love was a funny thing, you thought for a moment. Even if he made fun of you over this for the foreseeable future, Theo would always be there for you; that’s just the sort of person you’d fallen in love with. “No, it’s fine, I’ll get there,” your response was quick, as you struggled to put on your jacket and find your handbag at the same time. When you looked back up from under the table, you found Theo standing there, holding out your handbag to you. Taking it with a smile and what you hoped was genuine affection conveyed through it, you met his azure gaze; the unfathomable depths you had fallen deeply into. “Get yourself home and the check, if you can. I’ll pay you back when I get home, too.” “Nonsense,” his lips pressed to your forehead softly, reassuringly. Coupled with the way he looked at you, full of endearment, made your heart skip several beats. This was a side of Theo that you had never been able to pin down before, you did not know how to respond appropriately. “My date, my check. See you at home.”
Your heart still felt like it was ready to hammer out of your chest, as you rode the subway back home from work. There was no doubt that something had changed between Theo and yourself tonight but to be able to pinpoint it seemed both simple and arduous at once. How would this change translate, in terms of your living conditions? What if Theo didn’t want to act upon it? All of your anxiousness felt misplaced in the end, when you returned to your roommate / crush / hopeful boyfriend evidently on the losing side of a battle with his sleep, the TV was nothing more than background noise. It was sweet of him to try and stay up for you and your Spongebob gaffe, you had to take a moment to smile at the sight in front of you.
In a way, nothing had changed between you two but as the days went by, things gradually began to change. Starting with minute public gestures of affection, so quick and fleeting, then explicit date nights (Theo made sure to let you know well ahead of time - sometimes, just to mess with you, he would send you calendar invites too) and finally culminating with going places together. You still, sometimes, laugh to yourself thinking back on how diametrically opposite his friends (“wait, wait - you didn’t make the first move?”) and yours (“girl, I don’t know how anyone could live with him and not want to ride-” “okay, that’s enough”) were! Few weeks down the line and somehow, you couldn’t imagine the transition being any smoother.
There was…one thing that bothered you, ever so slightly - as funny as the ‘my place, or yours?’ jokes were, nothing had actually changed in living arrangements between you two. Right, you and Theo were a couple in all respects but when it came to spending the night together, it had the feeling like trying to hook up with your college boyfriend. Which is, to say - not ideal. Realistically, this should not have been a problem but, at this point, it was still a lingering thought at the back of your mind; even when you were unlocking the door to your shared apartment.
The last thing you expected was to see Theo standing in the kitchen, holding more packing material than he could possibly wrap his arms around, which he dumped onto the floor when you opened the door. Both of you stared at each other for a moment, before you managed to put out a slightly-strangled “hey, what’s up”. “Yeah…hey, weren’t you working late today?” Theo asked, only adding to the awkwardness that you were feeling right now. “Got lucky. Do you need a hand?” “A hand?” “You’re…sorting the recycling, right?” “Oh,” Theo looked down at the pile of packing material at his feet. “Yeah, I could do with some help, but not right now. You should just relax.”
You stepped closer to him, peering over at the pile by his feet. “Christ, what on earth have you been shopping for?” “A bed.” Theo’s response was so spontaneous and you whirled you head towards him. “What was wrong with the old one?” “Nothing was wrong with it. I just wanted a bigger one.” Your boyfriend narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, crossing his arms. “You watched that documentary on bed bugs, didn’t you?” You looked away, the feeling of overindulged curiosity heavy in your heart. “I know you said it was bad - but to be honest, I may have one new fear.” “I thought I told you it was awful - that’s much worse than bad,” Theo muttered, as he pulled you in for a hug. You could hear the smile in his voice, as you snuggled in closer and wrapped your arms around him in response. “I’m a sucker for the awful, I suppose. I’m with you, aren’t I?” Your tease only earned an eye roll from him. “And here I was, thinking about asking you to move into my room.”
You froze for a moment, before pulling back and peering into his eyes, searching for a hint of a joke but Theo only looked back at you with the fondness that you knew was a sign of his affection for you. “You’re…not joking, right?” “I’m not like you, [Name]. My jokes are actually funny,” he grinned, pulling you in closer. “I just figured that - if you wanted - we could use my room as the master, like it was meant to be and we can use yours for whatever you want.” Your smile growing, you reach up on your tiptoes and press a kiss to his lips, evidently taking him off-guard enough for him to delay in kissing you back. When you pull back, there’s a more-than-faint blush dusting Theo’s cheeks, and it only makes your smile grow wider. “Thank you, Theo.” “‘S’no big deal.” The way his blush creeped down his neck was testimonial to his embarrassment and you found it utterly endearing. “It had to be done sometime, anyway” Smirking, you reached up to kiss him again, quick pecks to punctuate your words. “You’re cute, I love you.” “Yeah, I know, I-” he ran his hand through his hair, looking down at you with a wry smile. “You’re getting real cheeky with your compliments, aren’t you?”
Completely bypassing the embarrassment that he was positively radiating (sometimes, it was absolutely delightful to have the upper hand on Theo), you replied in your cheeriest voice. “So, is the bed ready?” “Well, not quite. I haven’t finished fixing the frame yet - I’ll have it done in a bit.” “Come on, I’ll give you a hand.” Theo shook his head. “No way, you rest up. If you’d come back later, I would’ve had it ready by then.” “But, I want to test the new bed.” Doing your best to feign innocence and not burst out laughing, you glanced up at him. “I can help out however, tighten a nut or-” “Okay, okay, I get it,” Theo’s expression was stuck somewhere between a grimace and pained laughter. A chuckle followed the kiss he pressed to your lips. “I’ll let you help me out - no more pun threats, please.” Grinning, you jokingly nudged his jawline with your fist, in a mock punch. “Smartass.” “That’s right, I love you too.”
And the next morning, as you woke up in his arms more satisfied than you had ever felt, you had to conclude that the bed was worth every cent of Theo’s investment.
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