[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/MXiaJpL.png[/img]
[color=slategray][sub]A [@Silent Observer] & [@Universorum] Collab
Featuring: [color=c66600][b]Trevor “I’m the worst...” Wells[/b][/color] & [color=309b75][b]Damian “We’re the best!” O’Connor[/b][/color]
Setting: Early Wednesday morning, from the Wells household to the phone store.[/sub][/color]
[hr][hr][/center]
[indent]Last night had been a rollercoaster of emotions for the Wells family. While Trevor had been enjoying the best extended first date of his entire eighteen years of life, his brother had apparently been going through a personal crisis. Trevor felt awful about that. As much as he truly enjoyed his time with Savannah, he felt like the worst brother on the planet because he wasn’t there for Riley. He had known something was up with Rye, he knew it, and he wasn’t there for him when he needed to be. Now the person he loved most was suffering, in pain, and all alone in a locked room.

Riley had holed himself up in his bedroom almost as soon as Trevor had driven them home last night. Their dads were up and waiting for them to arrive. Remy, in particular, was a nervous wreck. It had become immediately clear that they had already watched Riley’s video, and that seemed to make things worse for Rye. Trev tried to get him to talk about it. He sat outside that locked bedroom door until he fell asleep in the hallway, and Remy finally was successful in convincing him to go to bed. 

It was now morning, and it seemed that not much had changed. Trevor knocked softly on the closed bedroom door. [color=c66600][b]“Rye? … you up? Do you—”[/b][/color] Trev stumbled on his words and nervously shifted his weight from one leg to the other. [color=c66600][b]“Do you need anything? I could… get us something special for breakfast or—”[/b][/color] 

The feeling of a hand resting on his shoulder cut Trevor’s words off. He turned to see his pops with a mug of coffee in his hand. Jareth gave his son’s ridiculously muscular shoulder a squeeze and shook his head slowly. [color=181313][b]“Just let him be, Trev. He’s a brooder like your old man, he’ll be alright.”[/b][/color] Jar said in a low whisper. Trevor looked like he was about to protest, so Jar spoke again. [color=181313][b]“You’ve done a lot for him already. He knows that you love him, we all do. This isn’t going to be a quick fix, and it’s not your job to do so. So go ahead and go to school, your dad and I will be here with Rye. Don’t you and Damian have plans this morning anyway?”[/b][/color]

Trevor looked pensive for a few moments as he considered his father’s words. He wasn’t happy about it, but his pops was right, and he had no choice but to agree. Trev shrugged and nodded, [color=c66600][b]“Yeah, Dames is gonna get me a new phone. Okay. I’ll see you later then, I guess. Text me if he needs anything.”[/b][/color] Jar said that he would and Trevor left the hallway, sending a text to Damian before getting ready for the day.

[quote]To: [color=309b75][b]Dames[/b][/color]
[color=c66600][b]hey i know ur probably doing unspeakable things with joy rn, but dont forget we got a date
u driving or me?
or i can meet u there?[/b][/color][/quote]

Since six in the morning, Damian’s morning had been on overdrive. He’d skipped his standard early morning workout, and even his normal breakfast. Instead, he’d shook up a protein shake and headed to his godparents place to talk to them about Joy. It went… okay! There was only one casualty, and it wasn’t Damian; so that was a positive thing! Sitting in the center console, rather than around his neck, was the Super Bowl Ring that Ender had given him years ago; Ender had ripped it off of his neck, breaking the chain in the process.

Damian had talked to them for almost two hours, some of which was spent in silence while Ender ‘thought’ about it. This largely consisted of him brooding and grumbling about cigarettes. In the end though, Damian had managed to convince them both of at least one thing: he really did care about Joy, and that seemed to placate both of them.

And so, after dealing with that and being dismissed, Damian had hopped in the car and headed over the Wells household. Once he parked there, he checked his phone to see a few texts from his one, truest love: Trevor Wells. [sub]No homo.[/sub]

[quote]To: [color=c66600][b]Lovebug[/b][/color]
[color=309b75][b]im already here, i just parked actually
no unspeakable things lmao, we were very wholesome
we’ll talk in the car[/b][/color][/quote]

Upon reading Damian’s texts, Trevor scooped up his backpack by the strap and grabbed everything else he might need for the day. Wallet, keys, damaged phone, it was all there. He stepped out the front door, dressed in jeans and a light grey t-shirt with his letterman jacket over it. The outfit was simple, but they way he styled his rusty waves with a touch of pomade made the whole ensemble look very put together. Trev strided over to Damian’s car and popped open the front door, tossing his backpack in first, and them himself. 

[color=c66600][b]“No unspeakable things, huh? You were very [i]wholesome[/i]? Did we trade places or something?[/b][/color] Trevor smirked over at his best friend with a raised eyebrow. He buckled himself in and let out a breath that sounded a lot like a sigh. [color=c66600][b]“Not that I’m doing anything unspeakable… besides feeling like an unspeakably awful brother.”[/b][/color]

Damn, maybe they did trade places. Unspeakably awful brother? That was kind of Damian’s thing — not that he was any worse than older brothers should be to younger sisters, just that Trevor was… [i]good[/i]. It was kind of his thing. [color=309b75][b]“Wait, really? What did I miss? You’re probably just [i]feelin’[/i] like one, I bet you aren’t actually an awful brother. Don’t have it in you.”[/b][/color] He said with a wink, before shifting the car into reverse and pulling out of the driveway, [color=309b75][b]“anyway, yeah dude. I haven’t even seen Joy naked yet, kind of a rip, at least compared to how this usually goes for me. But she’s different, I guess? Anyway, I snuck out this morning and went to her parents house to tell them that we’re dating, since we were keeping it secretive. [i]That[/i] didn’t go well. Jude took it alright, but there was a brief period where I thought Ender was going to kill me, or at least assault me. This happened,”[/b][/color] Damian reached into the center console and withdrew the Superbowl ring that hadn’t left the chain around his neck since the 9th grade.

[color=309b75][b]“Ender ripped it off because he said I didn’t deserve it anymore. He gave it back after we talked, but man… That hurt me emotionally.”[/b][/color] Damian sighed and turned to pull onto the street, heading toward the mall. [color=309b75][b]“How’d it go with the reporter? She interviewed me, dude. Was kinda weird, since it was about the team, and I’m exiled now.”[/b][/color]

Trev scratched at the slight amount of stubble on his chin as he listened to Damian talk about his morning. Going to talk to Joy's parents was bold, it wasn't something Dames did for just any girl he fancied. [color=c66600][b]“Wow, that sounds terrifying. There's not many dudes around here big enough to take you, but Ender… I don't doubt Ender’s abilities to murder a man with his bare hands. You must really like her… huh?”[/b][/color] Trevor smiled over at Damian knowingly. His boy had caught feels.

[color=c66600][b]“Maybe it's good that things are going slow for you guys, love doesn't need to be rushed. And, to answer your question, things went great with Savannah. I had one of the best dates ever. She's beautiful, and sweet, and… like. She's perfect.”[/b][/color] The redhead bit at his lip and smiled in a lovestruck stupor. Both boys had caught feels. The moment of romantic reminiscing was cut short when Trev frowned, remembering his brother. [color=c66600][b]“She was even super understanding when I had to ditch her to be with Rye. Do you really not know what happened? I thought everyone did, but, maybe it's good if you don't. It might not be that viral then.”[/b][/color]

Man, it looked like they both had it bad from what Damian could tell. As much as he liked Joy, it seemed that Trevor liked Savannah [i]even more[/i]. But what was this about something being viral? Now Damian really felt like he was missing out on something. [color=309b75][b]“I haven’t really been on social media at all. Joy and I went to her uncle’s house, which, by the way, is fucking sweet. I’m sure you’ve been there since I think him and your dad are pretty tight. But anyway, we went there and hung out with the kid for a bit before we went to sleep and we pretty much just slept the whole night. We [i]almost[/i] got it on, but then her mom called at like three in the morning. I dunno, she’d woke up for some reason.”[/b][/color] Damian shrugged his shoulders, but glanced over toward Trevor with a curious look in his eye. [color=309b75][b]“What happened? Don’t make me pull the car over so I can check Snapchat. Because I totally will!”[/b][/color]

Trevor sighed again as Damian pulled into a spot in the mall parking lot. He unfastened his seatbelt and looked at Damian. His face was serious, and worried, and sad. [color=c66600][b]“It’s, uhm, it's not really my story to tell. But you'll hear it at school anyway, so it's probably better coming from your brother. Because we're all brothers, you know? Anyway… Riley took some party drugs last night, and he totally freaked out and saw things and heard things. Things from his past, I think, before we were Wells’. It messed him up pretty bad. And, there is a video on Snapchat, actually… among other places. Riley ranted out a whole video on how he's feeling and what he thinks about the school politics, and… that he's gay.”[/b][/color] Trev looked pensive for a few moments and put his hand on the door handle to open it. [color=c66600][b]“He’s been locked in his room all night, bro. It's awful, I can't help him with this and it feels [i]awful[/i].”[/b][/color]

Huh. Well, Damian hadn’t been exactly expecting that. But, drugs would do that to a person unfortunately. [color=309b75][b]“That’s why I don’t do no drugs.”[/b][/color] Was Damian’s initial response, while he was still considering what Trevor had said. [color=309b75][b]“I mean… it probably feels bad now, but if you think about it… I bet he’ll be a lot better for it, like overall. Admitting that he’s gay is a good first step toward better accepting himself, I think. I guess nobody really expected it but… is it really [i]that[/i] surprising? He’s a good looking dude and hangs out with us, he could have gotten a girl if he wanted. As for the school politics thing, that’s kinda shitty, but whatever. People should look at him like he’s brave for doing that, not get angry with him. I guess it depends on what he said and who he said it to. Me, personally? I’m all done with the school politics stuff, miss me with that gay shit.”[/b][/color] Damian said, before he opened the door and stepped out of the car. Time to go shopping, his second favorite activity.

Leaving his school stuff in the car, Trevor stepped out and closed the door behind him. He walked beside his best friend and fellow Elite member with his thumbs hooked into the pockets of his jeans. Trev looked from the ground, up to the sky, and then over to Damian. [color=c66600][b]“No, it’s not really surprising. It makes a lot of sense, actually, I think I might have known it all along. But that’s not really the point though, the point is that I’m quite certain that this isn’t how he meant to come out. He thinks he committed social suicide.”[/b][/color] Trev chewed at his bottom lip and shook his head. [color=c66600][b]“But not with us as his brothers, he hasn’t. Whether or not we support school politics, we’re definitely a part of them. The Elite have status at school, and I think we might need to use that status to make sure no one fucks with Rye about this. I won’t have it.”[/b][/color] Trevor dropped a very rare f-bomb for this occasion. The situation warranted it, if you mess with his loved ones, you get the fury of the big red machine. [color=c66600][b]“So, you’re replacing my phone, but I gotta buy another one too. I have to replace the one that Riley threw into the ocean last night… Brent Richards’ girlfriend tried filming Rye when he was tripping and he kinda freaked, I guess.”[/b][/color]

[color=309b75][b]“Two phones, huh? We’re about to make some sales dude’s day. But... shouldn’t we make bro buy it? It was the girl that stepped outta line, dude, not Rye. Ya never record someone while they’re on the ground. Well… Certain times, you record certain chicks when they’re on the ground, but never a man who is having a moment. Sides, it seems like he’s gone off the deep end. If we have to start buying stuff to replace things that people destroy in the heat of passion, then we probably have a lot more things to buy. But I don’t think anyone will mess with him. Riley’s pretty popular around school — I’d say it’s likely that the only people who would really mess with him are the same people who hate us. Hailey and Hailey’s friends. That being said, yeah. We’ll step in if we have to.”[/b][/color] Damian reached over and patted Trevor on the back, even going so far as to give his friend a squeeze of the shoulder. [color=309b75][b]“Don’t worry about it. For now, focus on today. Maybe Rye will just skip school for today, or the next like… what, three days? I figure it’ll be that long before something wild happens and everyone just forgets about it.”[/b][/color]

[color=c66600][b]“Yeah, he’s definitely skipping at least today I think. You’re probably right, things blow over pretty quickly at school, there’s always some new drama to be had.”[/b][/color] Trevor shrugged, seeming a bit more lighthearted about it now. The boys stepped into the phone store together and began to walk around, browsing the selection. Trev had meant to do some research into getting an upgrade, but he’d forgotten to do that given the situation. A sales person approached the pair of them and asked what they were interested in. [color=c66600][b]“Dunno yet, depends on what my sugar daddy here is willing to offer.”[/b][/color] Trevor grinned goofily at Dames and nudged his elbow into him.

Damian chuckled at Trevor’s comment, before smiling at the sales person. [color=309b75][b]“Let me paint you a picture. A young, tall, strapping young lad threw a party at his parents’ beach house. Like the lad himself, the party is a smashing success. Perhaps, though, it’s too successful. There are fights, and drama, y’know general teenager stuff. Anyway, the next morning the lad is hungover. He got puked on the night before by the girl he was hooking up with. It sucked for him.”[/b][/color] Damian paused, checking to see if the salesperson was getting invested in the tale at all, before deciding he didn’t care and carrying on, [color=309b75][b]“anyway he leaves the house without cleaning it up, takes the girl home and goes about his business. Monday comes up. He goes to school — but there, he meets the beginning of his troubles. The principal calls him into his office and gives him [i]detention[/i], for like three months! Every Friday’s a no go for our hero now. But that isn’t the final blow, the principal calls the dude’s mom. Not wanting to experience his mother’s wrath, the lad goes into hiding. He starts staying at his best friend’s house.”[/b][/color] Damian at this point put an arm over Trevor’s shoulder and pulled him closer.

[color=309b75][b]“It’s family dinner, the first night. The hero of the story smartly shut his own phone off so that he wasn’t bothered by his mother, because his mother is kind of like a demon. So, his mother calls his friend’s phone. The phone is answered, however not by the lad or by his friend — instead the phone is answered by a younger brother. So, that sucks. Anyway, the phone gets switched to speaker. Keepaway is played with the phone, and once our hero gets his hands on it, he does the only thing he can think to do: he throws it out the window, hoping that the garden gnome would catch it. And he did! It just so happens that the garden gnome doesn’t know how to play nice…”[/b][/color] Damian shook his head sadly, glancing down at the floor. [color=309b75][b]“I was the hero. This here’s my best friend. I threw his phone out the window, and a garden gnome punched it and it died. I’d like to replace it, with whatever [i]sweet[/i] phone you have in store for us today. Like, seriously the toppest. Oh, and we’ll need to put his Assistant on it too, but that’s easy.”[/b][/color]

The salesperson glanced between the unusual pair, in stature and in the way they spoke. For a solid few seconds, it was silent as she considered her response. [b]“So… you just want a new phone?”[/b] Damian nodded and gave her a thumbs up. [b]“Okay. I can do that. What exactly are you guys looking for?”[/b]

Damian looked at her as if she were dumb, [color=309b75][b]“The sweetest one, duh. Didn’t I say that? Trev, I said that, right?”[/b][/color]

Trevor chuckled and shook his head at his friend. Damian was always the most dramatic storyteller, captivating, but dramatic… just like the aforementioned “demon” momma of his. Truthfully, Trev didn’t really need the sweetest phone available on the market, but at the same time, he wasn’t exactly going to turn it down either. [color=c66600][b]“Yeah, show us the top tier right now. No Apple stuff though, I don’t like Apple products. But, I mean…”[/b][/color] Trev reached into his pocket and produced his phone, the co-star of Damian’s grand tale. A tiny piece of glass fell out of the shattered screen as he held it up and the display screen behind it was warped. [color=c66600][b]“... anything would be better than this one, I think.”[/b][/color]

Damian suddenly got very serious as Trevor pulled out the phone, looking at the salesperson with his eyebrows furrowed together. [color=309b75][b]“Does this make me an abusive partner?”[/b][/color] He asked, before the salesperson seemed even more flustered, and simply turned around to walk away. Damian looked over at Trevor and sighed, [color=309b75][b]“was I too heavy? Damian of two weeks ago would have flirted with her and you probably would have to wait in the car, y’know. But this is new Damian. This is tied down Damian. A new power level.”[/b][/color]

[color=c66600][b]“I think I like this power level. It’s a good look on you.”[/b][/color] Trev responded with a wide smile. While the salesperson walked off, Trevor powered on the screen of his broken phone and scrolled through his text messages from last night. He found the one from Brent telling him what the model of his girlfriend’s phone was, the phone which was now resting somewhere along the bottom of the Pacific Ocean floor. Trev walked over to the shelves and grabbed one of boxes containing the latest iPhone. Of course she had an iPhone. [color=c66600][b]“Hopefully tied down Damian doesn’t make a habit of throwing electronics, though.”[/b][/color]

For the briefest of seconds, Damian got very serious, almost the point of speaking in a whisper. [color=309b75][b]“I’m in love, man.”[/b][/color]

[color=309b75][b]“Don’t worry, your electronics are safe with me, no more throwing, What basic hoe are we buying a phone for? Does [i]every[/i] girl in our school have iPhones? You know what? Don’t answer that.”[/b][/color] It wasn’t long before the salesperson came back with the fancy, new, still in the box phone. As she worked on unboxing it, Damian posed a question. [color=309b75][b]“Trevor has a lot of shirtless and pantsless pictures of me on his old phone and it’s like [i]really[/i] important that he keep those. Can you do the file transfer thingy?”[/b][/color] He asked, and the salesperson was suddenly flushed in the face again.

[color=c66600][b]“It is.”[/b][/color] Trevor nodded seriously in agreement. Hanging around Damian brought out the best and worst in Trevor, which included his goofy side.

[b]“U-uh, y-yeah.. Can I see your phone?”[/b] She held her hand out toward Trevor, and that dumb smile never left Damian’s face. 

The redhead passed his corpse of a phone to the sales person. [color=c66600][b]“It still works for the most part, so the transfer should probably go through.”[/b][/color] Trev took a peek at the box that the saleslady had brought over. [color=c66600][b]“Does that one have a good camera? I might have a really gorgeous subject to be taking pics of soon, and I don’t mean this guy shirtless.”[/b][/color] Trevor smiled and slapped a hand on his best friend’s shoulder. [color=c66600][b]“Sorry, bro.”[/b][/color]

[color=309b75][b]“That’s okay, I have someone else I can send shirtless pics to nowadays anyway.”[/b][/color] Damian said with a smile, as the salesperson held out the new phone, her mission accomplished. Damian gestured for Trevor to take it, holding out his card with his other hand. The card was swiped, and Damian took it back. [color=309b75][b]“Hey, thanks! You have a wonderful day now, miss.”[/b][/color] With that, Damian hopped off of the seat and turned to walk toward the way out, adding to Trevor.

[color=309b75][b]“Hey, is it cool if I just drop you off at your place? Technically, I still got a girlfriend to tend to. She’s waiting for me at her Uncle’s place, and if I had to guess? She’s probably pissed. Plus… I’m gonna go face my mom.”[/b][/color]

[color=c66600][b]“Yeah, that’s fine, man. Maybe Rye will be doing better now.”[/b][/color] Trevor said as he finished checking out separately to get Brent’s girlfriend’s iPhone. [color=c66600][b]“Good luck with your ma, though. Bring Joy as a buffer, nobody can get too angry if Joy’s around, she’s too sweet.”[/b][/color][/indent]