I push the present to the past and received the scars that we both got...
A week ago...
Zachary Harper, an ebony haired man with ocean blue eyes stared into the darkness of the night with a small, sleeping white puppy cradled in his right arm and his left hand holding onto a flashlight. He wore a white tee with Slayer on it, with ripped, dark denim jeans, black vans, and a red hoodie. The sound of crunching leaves could be heard in this vast Wood right behind the playground in Allure Park. The young man had strayed off the hiking path, following small landmarks of his past. Lately, there had been a growing desire within him, especially this night in particular, to visit this place he hadn't seen... in awhile. Halloween was swiftly approaching, which meant it would have been his and Scarlet's six year anniversary. They would have been married by now.
Her image kept flashing in his mind while he laid in bed, trying to get some sleep for his early morning helping his twin move into her boyfriend's new apartment. It got to the point where he just said 'fuck it' and took his puppy out for a late night drive in his deceased parents' midnight blue minivan. Absentmindedly, he found himself by the park which led to a distant memory.
As Zac walked deeper into the wood with brisk wind blowing against his light skin making his cheeks a faint pink, his mind projected small figures he hadn't seen in years. The innocent children ran around him as they played 'Hide & Go Seek Tag" in the dark. Looking up, he saw a young Julius on a branch peering down at little Genie, who was following suit. Trees away, Alver poked his head from behind a trunk to see if the person that was 'it' had come out yet. Zac watched as his mirage self, with vibrant maroon hair rather than black, tripped over the roots of a fairly large tree, scrapping his knee. Tears built up in his deep blue eyes but no sound escaped his lips. He didn't want to give away his position. Picking himself up, lil Zac limped to find a hiding place, unaware of someone not too far behind him. Time was running out. He was sure to get caught!
A hand grabbed a hold of his and the youngest of the friend group was pulled in the direction that led toward their paradise shack. Within time, little Zac's blurry eyes realized Niles was holding his hand and taking him inside to clean his wound. Silently, they made their way to the side of the shack. Leaning against the side of the clubhouse as a strawberry blonde boy with heterochromia ran out of it, excitingly yelling, "Ready or not, here I come!~", the two boys waited for their moment to slip in. As they waited, the now 25 year old man watched his doe-eyed little self look up at the brunette with admiration. His small hand tightening on the bigger hand as they slipped into the fortress without being noticed.
Breaking from his daze, Zac found himself standing inside the aged shack... (Holy shit, it's still standing)
~
After reminiscing for a bit but also recalling some of the worst times in his past when his childhood friends fell apart, Zac made his way back into the heart of town to where his humble abode was The Music Loft, or well above it. He's been at this joint for years and he'd like to keep it that way.
Placing his sleeping prince on the right side of his bed, the man went to his desk and opened up his laptop. It was 3 AM in the morning. Going to his email, Zac began writing a message.
To: Graham, Julius <j.graham@gmail.com> Subject: Hey buddy! Catching Up
Dear Jules Julius Graham, I was wondering... How are you? Would you like to meet up sometime soon? I want to talk to you about something... that's been on my mind, but I would like to wait until we're in person. I'd like to talk to you in person. Get back to me when you can.
Thanks, Zac Zachary Harper
From this point on up until Niles' scene collab with @Viciousmarrow
Julius' phone went off in the dead of night, chirping off a loud, vibrant tone that pulled him from his slumber. A little aggravated, the muscular man's green eyes fluttered open and snatched his Galaxy S7 from the bedside table. His frustration faded as soon as he saw what had awoken him was an email from his old friend Zac, and a smile replaced the grimace that had been there before. Zac apparently wanted to talk to him about something, but in person... Julius could only guess as to what that meant.
To: Harper, Zachary <Zmusixx@yahoo.com> Subject: RE: Catching Up
Hey, Zac! Why so formal? I'm not your boss unless you wanna come work in construction... xD. But yeah, that sounds awesome! I can do this weekend. We can talk about it more when I'm awake though. Got work in 3 hours.
BTW I just realized you're still using a Yahoo account! LMAO. I really need to get you with the times, man.
...Our hearts are full of thorns.
Thursday, October 27th.
Mostly Cloudy. High of 55°, low of 34°. Feels like 51°. Tonight 50% chance of Showers.
Zac is wearing something like this: Click Here. With ripped black jeans and red converse. Julius is wearing something like this: Click Here
Following a long path on the outskirts in Julius' giant, red truck, they pulled up at an elegant two story house. At least one of their friends were doing pretty damn well for themselves. As Jules drove, a box of Dunkin' Donuts Munchkins rested on Zac's lap as well as a bag with breakfast sandwiches. They would just go to Alver's door nonchalantly and be like 'Heyyyyyyyyyy we got food!' It should be that easy right? Taking a deep breath in, the young male earnestly stared at the house as the car went to a halt. After the muscle man put his truck in park and turned off the ignition, Zac exited it and patiently waited for Jules to get the coffee out from the backseat.
The only noticeable thing about the youngest that changed was his hair. Other than that, he still very much had this youthful aura about him. Though his style did lighten up over the years, less black, you know? He nervously looked at the house. Their options were: be weirdos and climb into one of Alver's windows or enter through the back or... be normal and knock on the door.
"This... this is his house right?" Turning his head, the young male met his blue stare with Julius' green eyes. Maybe they should turn back? This will turn out terrible, right? Is rebuilding friendships even possible!? Julius was the easiest to convince but the rest... Zac's anxiety was swiftly building up. His palms feeling a bit sweaty.
"Uh... I mean, that's what the GPS said. Looks like he took my advice and reached for the stars. Not bad, Al. Not bad at all." Julius told Zac, a big smile on his face. The anticipation was killing him. He hadn't seen the albino in years. Jules imagined he was still the tiny kid he was all those years ago.
After the blonde responded, they both approached the door, Zac more cautiously than his old friend. Without further ado...
*KNOCK KNOCK*
The gameplan was if Alver shut the door on their faces, Jules would stop it before it closed and... the rest would be figured out after that... this wasn't the best plan, but it was a plan. Having a plan was always good even if it wasn't very clear and there was a high chance for improvisation.
Entering the DeJaBrew, Zac's stomach growled like a famished lion. Sure, they ate like a couple of hours ago but... there was always room for more. However, he was cheap and didn't want to order any of these overpriced pastries. Taking a seat at the far left corner table that leaned against the wall, a table that had a good view of the entire cafe, Zac surveyed the masses for their childhood friend with heterochromia. This was probably a terrible hour to visit the cafe (lunch hour), but maybe, just maybe... Mikaela would have time to talk to them.
Luckily, ever since high school, Zac has been building his contacts and connections, so finding Micah wasn't that hard. Finding Alver's place was more of a challenge, but this cafe was a big hotspot like the Music Loft is. From what a coworker had told him, today was the strawberry blonde's day shift. The dark haired man prayed to some higher power that Micah didn't get suddenly sick. There was no time to postpone their ambush! No sir! It was today or... TODAY.
Taking off his hoodie, his blue orbs continued to look at the many faces in the cafe. From the distance, he saw a figure approaching them... the man was too far for Zac to fully distinguish his features, but something was telling him to not look away.
"Yeah, can I get a triple shot espresso with extra whip cream? Oh, and can I get... all of those macaroons right there? Hm. I probably shouldn't, but I'm gonna do it anyway: I'll take a strawberry danish too."
Julius was at the front counter, ordering for himself. Typically, he wasn't one for the daintiness of coffee shop pastries, but he really couldn't help himself right now. That breakfast sandwich earlier had hardly done anything for his appetite. After all, he was a big guy with an even bigger appetite.
As far as their game plan was, well... We'll see how this goes!
For about twenty minutes, the two men stalked a garbage truck that they strongly believed Genie was driving it. Parking a street away, Zac hopped out and rushed Julius, "Come on, before he drives off! We have to make this seem 'coincidental'. Lets go for a jog!" Not waiting for the blonde's response, Zac took off. He knew within seconds the macho man would catch up but definitely not surpass him. Since they were little, Zac had always been pretty fast for his size. It was probably because he was hyper active kid and excitable at everything once he passed his scaredy cat barrier.
After crossing the street and jogging onto the sidewalk, they approached another big guy, like Jules, but who was surprisingly short, pick up the remnants of garbage that his machine did not pick up. Pretending to be out of breath, Zac slowed down his pace and a surprise expression floated onto his face, "No way! Genie... Genie Fulton? Is that you?" The youthful minded man could remember when he looked up to his old friend, now Zac was two inches taller. He decided to avoid the topic of height... Most men didn't like being short.
"Oh! How silly of me. It's Zachary Harper, you remember from elementary?" He gleamed a smile at Genie, not aware of his past crush with Julius, who was standing right next to him. Standing next to these two guys, Zac felt kind of scrawny, (Maybe I should lift some weights...)
The physically fit Julius bounded after Zac, noting that the kid probably should have done track. Instead, he chose the lazy route. Had he pursued the more athletic career, the blonde figured Zac might have become an Olympian or something. Coming behind the long haired man, he spotted the familiar face of Genie. Not even remotely close to being tired out, Jules strode up to them and gave the garbage man a wave.
"Hey, Gene! Wow, you look great! Long time no see." Julius called out, grinning at his old friends. Like old times, he still towered over the two of them.
The flashing lights glared into Zac's blue eyes as he had just went through security. Strolling in with faux confidence, the man that was secretly dying inside aimed to go straight to the bar and get a drink. He needed something to loosen him up. Was the club scene something he was use to? Absolutely not. Why did his connection tell him this was where someone could most likely find Niles... What has he even been up to?
The music blared into his ear. He couldn't hear anything anyone was saying. A soft hand grabbed his and pulled him into the crowded dance floor, the next thing he knew he was in an awkward situation with little to no space. Bodies against bodies. Barely dressed ladies. Seizure music.
One of the girls, a pink hair dynamite, brought his head closer to her's, as she giggled into his ear, "You're so hot!" Another girl, with curly blonde locks, pushed her friend out of the way and rubbed her bottom against Zac's junk, "Why haven't I seen you here before?! I'd remember a sexy guy like you!!"
(You're doing fine Zac... don't be nervous...breath, breath, breath) Why were these girls so aggressive?! And as if on cue, someone sent him a savior his... twin!?
"Sorry ladies~ He's with me!" The females that surrounded Zac grimaced and gave his flamed hair sister a nasty look. They were too drunk to realize the two of them looked very much alike. His twin swayed her body and gave him the eye cues to follow her. Zac did exactly as she mentally suggested, holding her hips...and dancing behind her, more clinging to her like a child than anything. Before he knew it, he was in the safety of the bar, sorta.
"Hey Louis! Give my bro a whiskey sour, I'll take a straight up Blow Job! Put it on my tab~" With widened eyes, Zac looked at his sister like she was crazy, though he was grateful for the drink. "It's thirsty Thursday! You should know better, what are you even doing here?! You never come here!" This club was one of the best night joints in Willow Valley and his twin was an occasional guest.
"I-I can ask the same thing to you too." He carefully watched her take the shot with ease.
Rolling her eyes, Gabby yelled, "Don't worry about it! I'm babysitting! I can handle my drink and yes, Vince gave me permission. He's out with his boys anyways." Gabby's girlfriends gestured for her to come dance with them. Giving her brother an apologetic look, his twin dismissed herself, "Duty calls! I'm glad you're getting out~"
The bartender slid Zac's drink to him and leered at him as if he was staring at some fresh meat, like a predator waiting for a snack, "What brings you here? You're gorgeous, by the way." Was Louis flirting with him? Picking up his whiskey sour, Zac downed it out of pure nervousness, "You're not so bad yourself. I'm looking for someone..." Zac glanced at the chaos and felt like this search would be a lost cause. This place was a madhouse.
"Just say the name, I might know who you're looking for. Of course, depending on the person, there might be a price~" Swiftly, Zac turned his head and looked at the ash blonde man. He was desperate... and perhaps, there was a deep yearning to see... Zac shouted his old friend's name, trying to talk over the music, "NILES BLAKE!" The bartender simply smiled... not saying anything in response.
"You can't even smile without trying, right? Don't worry, monsters don't need to."
A shiver ran through his psyche as he woke up, but Micah couldn't seem to move. Sleep paralysis, that's what it was. It was all just a dream... If only that was what it was. Memories slipped to the front of his mind from his nightmare, sending daggers through his heart. Luke... He had fallen asleep by his bed again. He was laying on his side on the floor with Luke's tiny comforter slipped over him. His sweet little boy didn't have to see this.
Mikaela could move again. He bolted upright and slipped a hand over his brow. How many times had this happened over the last couple of months? At this rate, he might need some kind of medication... Micah just needed to calm down. He slipped his knees up and planted his face in Luke's comforter, the blue cloth dotted with dinosaurs.
"Pa-pa, if you don't get up now I'm not gonna hug you for the rest of the day!"
"I'm up, I'm up!" Mikaela reassured Luke, throwing the comforter off of him and wrapping it around his adorable son's shoulders. "Ah, I don't think I'll be able to survive without Luke's hugs for a whole day!" With a flick to Luke's nose, Mikaela finally got up and looked at the time. "Eheheheh, I'm gonna get yelled at~ Let's go Luke!"
~
The sound came from the back a few minutes after the two men walked inside. There was a crash! And a bong sound that seemed like it came from something bouncing off the dumpster outside. Next thing anyone knew, the door at the back of the small coffee shop opened and in came a small boy with platinum blonde hair and a... rather frazzled Mikaela. His hair was sticking up in some places, which had to be some feat considering it was so straight normally (what kind of sleeping habits did he have). Luckily, Luke had remembered for his father to put his contacts in, the manager of DeJa Brew slipped passed regulars apologetically as he headed to the back.
No one knew yet why the small boy was there. In truth, Luke's school had been holding conferences so he had the next few days off, there was no way the boy would skip. Luke stretched and looked around, peering at the customers to distinguish the regulars and the newcomers. Lunches were always considerably rushed, which is why he had pestered Micah so much for taking a nap. Knowing that Luke would be staying at home all day, he had tried to get his shift off to no avail, that being said he took a shift in the wee hours of the morning, then had a break right before noon. Luke had found him asleep, kneeling against his bed when he woke up.
Oh! There was someone in the corner. Their ebony hair was long and seemed really silky. Luke slipped two chocolate chip cookies that Micah had made and headed over to him... Or were they are she?
"Hi there! I've um, never seen you in the shop before. Your hair is really pretty uh..." The young boy blushed as his hand held out his bounty, "Cookie?"
Now Mikaela was late, luckily he still had been wearing his clothing from his earlier shift. He shifted into the back room and slipped his red apron on, before taking a look at the new coffee the trucks had been bringing in that morning.
Some of his coworkers were gossiping at the counter in hushed tones, "Did you see that guy at the counter! I've never seen him before... Should I be so bold as to put my number on his cup?" Someone new? Micah didn't exactly think that anything was out of the ordinary as he took a step out of the back room, seeing Julius. His shocked expression came with a tiny blush. Not only was he seeing his 'younger brother,' but he was just... so much bigger than him.
There was something about the atmosphere that was immediately nauseating, and it wasn't the lingering smell of booze and sweat or the way that body heat coated the dance floor in a thin cloud of warmth, like an aggravating sauna. Niles didn't quite know what it was that made these clubs so...off putting because it was a collection of things. The thumping music. The fact that some people took 'Thirsty Thursday' to mean something other than drink specials at the bar. The barely twenty one year olds making their first in a four year long list of mistakes. There wasn't much to love about these night clubs...and yet Niles couldn't keep away; he wasn't a nightly visitor by any means...but his presence at clubs like this had not gone unnoticed by those who were willing to look a little harder. Places like this, where the music drowned out the awkward flirting and the overpriced alcohol, weren't exactly his scene. Sure, there were benefits to be had, but the ratio of people Niles would be into was smaller than the ratio of people here that would be into Niles.
"Mister Carter," the bartender, Louis, slid a napkin in front of Niles as the brown haired actor pushed his way from the overcrowded dance floor towards the bar itself. "Bottle or glass tonight?"
"Bottle. Definitely." Niles had to speak over the music, it was a wonder he didn't go hoarse with how often he had to do something as simple as that. This is why people just went to regular bars, they didn't have to shout over annoying music or deal with sweaty, half-cognizant people, half of which would wake up in some stranger's house for a forgotten walk of shame.
Louis set a green bottle in front of Niles with a smile that only widened after Niles slid a twenty across the counter. The beer was five. The tip was another five. The discretion from Louis was a ten. Louis had made the mistake on Niles' first night at this particular establishment of speaking like a fan would, wide eyed and freaking out. Normally, Niles didn't mind if someone came up to shake his hand or a quick photo for whatever social media was their poison, but there was a time and a place for that. A club filled with people just waiting to be the next top story on TMZ because they have a risque scandal with someone on television was not the place. When he walked through those doors there was no Niles Blake. He was Mike Carter, a seemingly average name for someone that wanted to pass as close to average as possible.
Niles, beer in hand, leaned back against the counter, eyes scanning the floor, looking for nothing in particular but watchful all the same.
11:20 P.M.
"I'm sorry...I don't normally do something like that." The same line Niles had heard countless times and one he simply got in the habit of nodding his head along to. Both parties know it's a way to save face, but Niles at least had the good sense to not backpedal. No one ever wanted to be adults about it, always quick to make up an excuse as if that would make Niles think any more or less of them.
It's hard to buy the story anyway, given that in most cases it was never Niles that made the first move.
He had been nursing his drink, shaking his head at some of the more...well...thirsty dances going on on the floor when a tap on his shoulder snapped his attention to his right. Even in the dim lighting Niles could see the blush on the guy's face. College kid, no doubt, unkempt blonde hair, young face but not in the babyface sense of the word, and nerves hidden behind awkward laughter. "I'm sorry if I'm bothering you...but I have to know...are you...Niles Blake? From Willow City Beat?"
"I could be, but who's asking?" Niles spoke back, keeping it as casual and close to the chest as he could in the situation.
"It's just...I'm a fan and you look just like him. And...And I..And-"
Niles silenced the fan by placing his own index finger against the guy's lips, shushing him as one does. The rest was simple. A whisper of admission to the identity. Another whisper of sweet nothings. Soon enough it's a retreat to a back room, a dark corner, or a stall; lips come together and the sound of a nameless affair drown out the still throbbing bass.
"I'm sorry...I don't normally do something like this..."
Why did they always say sorry? As if the experience was bad or that they had hurt Niles in some way. It didn't matter much anyway, as Niles barely responded as he took a moment to check his hair in the mirror. He was the first to leave the comfort of the bathroom, no worse for wear and thirsty enough to order another drink.
"NILES BLAKE!" came a voice loud enough for Niles to hear. Another fan, perhaps, or...
Niles turned his head towards the bar just in time to see Louis motion with his eyes right towards him. Niles was shaking his head towards the bartender, what the hell was the point of the discretionary fee if he was just going to tell some random nobody...and then Niles' eyes trailed over the curious arrival.
"What the...hell are you doing here?" Niles shouted towards the kid at the bar. No, not a kid. Not anymore. But as he spotted Zac Harper, all grown up, he could still only see the teary eyed childhood friend staring back at him.
It wasn't particularly hard or easy nor was it particularly something to be proud of but, it paid well and it made him feel worth something. Waste Disposal Truck Driver. Maybe if he'd paid a little bit more attention in school, skipped less, and actually gone to college, Genie Fulton might have become something a little more worthwhile. But with all the chaos rampaging his home, his absent father, his promiscuous mother, Genie became nothing more than a trouble child. He had been a hot-headed child back then, easily snapping at others. These days, however, Genie had mellowed out and patched up his relationship with his mother somewhat. A little call once a week, maybe a home visit as well - it was nice.
Genie woke up at exactly seven-AM every morning and went about his morning routine. Then it was nine-AM, time for work. He left his home, walking down the little sidewalk, then made his way to the bus station. From the bus, he went into the city, to the large building where all the other disposal trucks were held from there, he took a truck on route. It was fairly simple really. Stop at a house, pick up the trash - keep at it until his lunch break at twelve-PM, then work some more until five-PM.
3.10 PM
There was a strange feeling disturbing Genie's mind. As though someone was following him. Now mind you, in his off time, Genie hit the gym often and could fend for himself fairly well but Genie just couldn't shake off the feeling that something big was to come. So as he paused his truck and hopped out to pick up the green-colored garbage tin, he felt a shiver run down his spine as a familiar voice addressed him.
"Oh! How silly of me. It's Zachary Harper, you remember from elementary?"
Oh yes. He remembered quite well. Genie dumped the trash into the back of the truck and settled it back down on the driveway. Zachary Harper had been one of his few friends in the short time he'd attended school. 'Friend' was a relative term. Zachary had just been one of the kids that had hung out with some group of kids just as Genie had. Genie had never been particularly close to any of them, often skipping school in favor of playing at the arcade or trying to look 'cool' with kids older than he. But - he had appreciated their company and if anything, Genie almost missed spending time with them, even if it had been plenty of years since. If Genie remembered, Zachary had been the quiet one of their little group - and quite pretty as well. Genie recalled his first meeting with Zachary - a little school play where Zachary had been chosen to play the heroine. How silly it was; Genie had mistaken Zachary as a girl and afterwards, upon discovering he was a boy, he'd teased him relentlessly about it. It was a friendly tease, Genie thought. Nothing too harmful. They had their fun times.
"I remember," Genie didn't smile back at Zachary, opting to cross his arms, peering curiously at the other man. He was dressed in a simple light blue jumpsuit with many pockets and construction gloves on his hands. On the other hand, Zachary was a little more flashy, a little more stylish, and most certainly male.
He couldn't help but feel a little irk of irritation. If he remembered well, Zachary had been the sort of boy to sit about and avoid exercise - why was it that he was taller?
"Hey, Gene! Wow, you look great! Long time no see."
Now this man, he remembered. Julius. An old-time crush and as tall as ever. Genie couldn't help but let a little bit of pink dust over his rugged features. Julius had certainly toned out well. They'd often fought when they were younger but perhaps it had simply been that Jules' unrelenting courage to stand up to him that charmed Genie. He'd often pushed Jules to his limits, trying to see just how far Jules would go and each time, Genie had fallen harder for the blonde man. He'd thought he'd gotten over him but perhaps he hadn't. He felt his heart flutter and beat a little more rapidly because it had just been so long, and he couldn't help but think Julius had not changed at all.
"Long time no see," he agreed with a little smile of his own. Had he been in his teens, he probably would have shouted and made a huge ruckus but Genie was no longer the aggressively hostile boy he'd been back then. He was most definitely still quick to snap and quite terrifying when he did - but Genie had been working on his brash attitude because he was an adult now. Brash attitude and bar fights would put him behind the bars - then who would look after his sweet Sally?
"I get off at five tomorrow," he glanced at Zachary then back at Julius, "If you want to meet up. I'm working right now so - "
Genie opened the truck door and glanced back at the two, a little bit of nostalgia swirling in his chest, " - it was nice seeing you two." Julius knew his email.
"Disappearing is the only thing I'm needed for. Eternal solitude is all I deserve."
8:30 AM
It was quiet. Like normal. Though the birds chirped ever so softly outside that jogged a very tall almost bleached white man out of focus from his drawings. Pale lavender eyes blinking slowly as he stared down at his sketches for his next manga book, he slowly removed his oval shaped glasses and set them on his desk. Drawing slender fingers against the tired eyes to ease them awake. It was already morning it seemed, it felt like time just flew by. Perhaps he should call it a night then, since he got a lot of work done. Alver tended to stay awake at night, and sleep during the day. Those who knew of him often referred him as vampiric because of this. It was a custom he had grown accustomed to after some time. To avoid the sunlight as much as possible. He hadn't had much reason to leave the house anyway ever since he broke up with Lucas. Before then was even rarer. Especially after father died...
Giving a slight yawn, he stretched out a little before standing up from his desk. Setting down his pen, the white haired man glanced over the collection of figurines, manga books, posters, and plushies before moving toward the closed curtains and pulled it aside. Examining the outside, to find some satisfaction of having a dimmer light despite being morning. It looked pretty cloudy, and might rain today. Perhaps after a three hour nap or so, he could go take a walk at the park. For now, perhaps he should have some tea before going to bed.
So, Alver headed out of the room and down the stairs. A soft meow could be heard and once he took the final step to the first floor, a grey ball of fur rubbed up against his legs. With a smile, the tall pale man bent down and stroked his slender fingers against the affectionate feline's head. "...Morning Miko." he greeted the cat gently before continuing on to the kitchen to make his cup of tea.
There was no denial that it was a bit lonely... but that's alright. He at least had Miko and since he moved here, it has been rather peaceful. No buckets full of paint falling on his head, no chittering neighbors within earshot, no looming stares.. no children gossiping and using him to play chicken, it was rather alright when he thought about that.
8:59 AM
After a cup of tea and taking some time to relax, he washed his cup, put it in the dishwasher before heading to bed. Flopping down on the bed face first, he mumbled as Miko decided to jump on the cushy bed as well and promptly step up along his back. Kneeding it before curling in a ball between his shoulder blades. The albino gave a few mutters of disapproval but didn't move from his position. Too tired and comfy to really care about his feline deciding to use him as a personal heated pillow. Slowly, he removed his glasses and set them down on the nightstand. Just a little nap would do.
9:00 AM
About a minute into his nap, he could hear something outside. Before long, his door was being knocked upon. Head jetting up in alarm, Alver whipped his lavender eyes toward the direction his front door was. This of course caused Miko to give mew of complaint as she padded off his back, alarmed by the sudden movement. Confusion etched its way on his slender face as he tried to think of who this mysterious visitor could be. Lily hadn't scheduled a meeting had she? No he couldn't recall any. Mother still was out at work, so she wasn't stopping by anytime soon. Lucas? Hopefully not. There wasn't really anybody around that would bother walking all the way over here since he lived in the more woodsy part of town. Just so he can avoid people. Perhaps some salesman? Maybe.
Ugh... He did not want to go open that door. It meant he had to socialize. No. No, It's fine. It was rude to not answer it, so he better just suck it up and deal with it. Glancing up on his back wall, was a sword displayed on it, and he gave a minor prayer. "Okay. For emergencies, Sakabato... check. Guide me well Kenshin." he mused before rolling out of bed. Running his hands quickly over himself to flatten out his clothes to look somewhat decent. He wore a plain white silky shirt, unbuttoned to the middle of his chest. Hugging his slender frame. Wearing beige sweat pants and a pair of white socks. His white hair reaching just pass his shoulder blades, hanged loosely and was only mildly disheveled. Quickly he ran his fingers through it to flatten it a bit. Muttering as a strand frizzed out and he'd have to try and flatten it again quickly. Not exactly formal wear, but it would do. He wasn't planning on having visitors for long. Long enough to find out what they wanted then shooo them away.
Walking out of his bedroom, he headed to the front door, peeking his head from around the staircase cautiously to stare at the door. Moving his eyes toward the batman bat the rested just beside the door, he took a deep breath. "Batman Bat... double check... Hopefully I will not need your services, Dark Knight." Alver murmured before taking another deep breath to get his composure. Okay, everything was alright. He was a tall, intimidating, odd looking man. It was all fine. If anything weird happens, he can totally scare them off. Just intimidate them, use the vampy/ghostly features to the advantage. They don't have to know that he totally wouldn't hurt a fly. Nope.
Once he got his bearings, Alver walked to the door, posture straight and his lavender eyes narrowing seriously. Pressing his hands against the door, he took a look through the peephole to examine his unexpected guest. Guests apparently. It was difficult for him to see clearly through the peephole, but it seemed to be two boys. One pretty small with black hair, the other pretty big and beefy with blonde hair. Hesitant to open the door, he bit his bottom lip in minor suspicion before shaking his head to get up the courage and just interact. So he opened the door, slowly, before fully revealing his tall pale form. Lavender eyes staring down at his two visitors. Thankfully, his porch protected him from sunlight even on sunny days, so he could safely stand at the door.
Alver opened his mouth slightly to say something before pausing as he felt... a sort of familiarity. Squinting his eyes as he fully looked over the two shorter men, they soon snapped open wide as recognition finally came to him. That baby face.... that air of jovial joy that surrounded a giant being... No.. it couldn't be.
How? Why? When? What?
Harpy and Teddy.... or in other words Zachary Harper and Julius Graham. Alver was not prepared for this. Not at all. He hadn't seen these two in... years. He was for sure he had disappeared from their lives. How in the blueberries did they find him?! For whatever for?! Did mom tattle? Did Lily decide to play a sick joke on him? Did someone stalk him home?! Once full reconition and movement was allowed, Alver immiedietly tried slamming the door. Despite feeling... a part in his heart filling with joy... a great part of it was utter terror. Though his expression remained blank other than mere surprise, his mind was trying to retreat.
"Mission abort Mission abort Mission abort! Noping out of Nopeville!" He couldn't help but think in his mind.
Sadly, it would seem that his attempt to complete shut out his childhood friends was met with failure as Julius managed to catch the door. Right eye slightly twitching, he took a deep breath before crossing his arms over his chest and narrowed his gaze into a full on glare. Well. That didn't work.
After a few moments of silence, Alver finally managed to speak. ".....You have five minutes to either leave. Or explain what you want. Or I'll drain all of the life essence from your body..." The ghostly man's voice spoke out in a minor threat. It was a bit silky and elegant, yet sharp. Though in reality it was empty. He wouldn't actually ever hurt them. Still if they left then all the better. Playing the weird ghost or vampire worked on the kids sometimes... He appeared to be annoyed, though not necessarily at what they were currently doing. Honestly, Harpy dear probably had some silly plan and dragged Teddy into it. It wouldn't be surprising. Really, he was more glaring at Zachary's hair, as he looked over the two of them. Considering his mode of proper escape was just halted, he might as well check out his friends and see how they grew up. Teddy definitely got bigger and put on some muscle, but Harpy still had that pretty face. But he dyed his beautiful red hair! Little twerp!
Course, Alver held his tongue. He wasn't Harpy's mother, so not like he could complain. But for the love of all that is holy... Zachy has such a pretty shade of red hair.
The moment the door opened, the next minutes went by like lightning. Stunned, Zac looked up at the ungodly tall Albino he had known a long time ago. As if this was something both visitors expected, the door went swinging closed. There was no time to react to such a growth spurt! The door! The doooooor! The young man watched as Jules placed his foot in the opening. After the *slam*, the blonde muttered "Ouchhhh." They didn't want to have to use invasion as a means to talk to their childhood friend, but Alver loved to avoid people. This was most likely an impulse reaction because he wasn't mentally prepared to see faces from his past. Who would blame him? Yet, the young man, whose biggest change was his hair, was not going to take 'no' for an answer. The door was fully open and ready for entry~! As if no time had passed between them, Zac took off his shoes, placed them by the door, and handed Al the paper bag filled with breakfast sammies.
"No point in making our kind gesture go to waste. We won't stay too long, but we'd like to leave with full bellies." The once oh so timid boy that the Albino had known years ago was extremely ballsy now, entering his old friend's home like it was only yesterday they had said goodbye. Letting out a whistle from being impressed, Zac couldn't help but appreciate his surroundings, "You've come a long way, Al."
Crossing his arms and leaning against the wall, the dark haired man commented on the empty threat, "As much as I want to be scared, you're just not the type to bash old friends' heads in without a good reason." Zac gestured at the batman bat he took note of when he entered, "Genie on the other hand..." Laughing nervously and not looking forward to the encounter that had yet to come, the youngest and smallest of the men in this room crinkled his nose.
"You know, I think the only thing you've drained is someone's wallet... I don't remember you with this kind of money." Julius joked, wincing at the throbbing in his foot. Alver had gone from a tiny pipsqueak to a... tiny, rich giant. He was tall, but man, the blonde swore he could break him in half with how thin he was.
Turning his head toward the muscle man, he couldn't help but giggle at the wincing Julius, "Looks like you got Jules good though!" Grabbing his cup of Joe out of the tray the pained man was holding, Zac smelled the strong, morning brew, and took a nice, long sip.
"Yeah, yeah. Guess I have a new bruise to look forward to! A great memento from an old friend, I'd say." the blonde spoke, a smile widening onto his face. His stomach began to growl at the same time, hungering for one of those breakfast sandwiches. Impatiently, he strode over to a nearby table and placed the cup holder on top before practically assaulting the bag Al was holding. From within he brought a massive sandwich out and immediately began chomping down on it. He tried to say something while he was eating, something that sounded like "This sandwich is so good!"
"Lets walk and talk, I would love to see your new crib! Oh and to explain 'what I want'... long story short, I want the gang back together." He wasn't going to beat around the bush. With Alver, Zac felt like he could be clear as day with him, or at least he hoped being blunt was an A-OK strategy. It was too early in the morning to think about crazy, convincing tactics. If his old friend didn't want to take the chance, well they could always use force and drag him to the meet up tomorrow...
Of course, Zac would like to avoid 'force' at all cost.
As the pretty boy sat alone, a tiny figure with bright lavender eyes and blonde hair skipped toward him and offered him a cookie. Those eyes.... Something about the shade of lavender was oddly familiar. Smiling and staring at the boy quite lovingly, Zac gave a childish grin, "It's okay for me to have it? I don't want to eat something that isn't mine! If I got you in trouble, I would be sad!" Maybe one day, the man would have kids of his own. The sentiment was nice to think about but a pointless fantasy. Well, at least until he found someone worth spending the rest of his life with. Getting out of his seat, Zac crouched down to the ground so he could be head level with the little guy. Letting out a soothing chuckle, the personable man asked"You're pretty handsome, are your parents around? Oh and if you'd like, you can call me Zac! Or Zaky... Heh, you can call me Cookie too if you want!"
Suddenly, someone tapped on his shoulder and Zac looked up to see an old friend from high school. She crouched down with him. Her skin was tan, she wore red-framed glasses, and her hair was long and brown. This was one of his old friends from his clique. Nina had definitely left her past behind, her attire was pastel and white rather than black and red. An odd change for the young man to see.
"It's good to see you Zac! Whose the kid?"
"My new best friend! Am I right?!" He offered his hand to Luke for a high five. The woman's gray orbs lit up, seeing a perfect, devious opportunity, she could take advantage of...
"Why don't you sing him a little something? I haven't heard your voice in years!" She stuck her tongue out at her old friend, knowing very well she probably intrigued Luke, while cornering her high school bud in an awkward situation.
"Uh... Nina, I don't think this is the time or--"
"Oh, come on! I'm sure everyone in here would appreciate it."
Knowing this was one battle he would not win, Zac stood up and pulled his seat for the little kid to sit in. Sitting in the seat that Julius would have sat in (but Jules was still waiting for his food), the pretty boy clasped his hands together. The song he decided to sing was For Good from the Broadway Musical, Wicked. Something emotional but still uplifting. A song about a true and pure friendship, how we are capable to leave hand prints on each other's hearts. Clearing his throat, the long haired man listened to the notes in his head before he opened his lips.
I've heard it said, That people come into our lives for a reason... Bringing something we must learn And we are led, To those who help us most to grow If we let them... And we help them in return. Well, I don't know if I believe that's true, But I know I'm who I am today, Because I knew you... Like a comet pulled from orbit As it passes a sun Like a stream that meets a boulder Halfway through the wood... Who can say if I've been changed for the better? But because I knew you I have been changed for good...
His voice resonated throughout the room. His blue gaze softly met with Luke's intrigued lavender doe eyes, never turning his attention away from him. In this moment, the stranger wanted to make the child feel important. This was a small show for just the little one, who had a sweet heart, and his whole life ahead of him. Zac prayed this kid had good parents, a great childhood, and would gain friends he would cherish...
Too innocent. Too young.
Closing his eyes as his song came to a close, Zac took in the brief silence around him. The room filled with applause and the young man couldn't help but blush.
"I wished you pursued a career in music! You have such a great voice." Nina complimented as her phone began to ring. Looking at the pretty boy apologetically, she dismissed herself and left the building. Running his hand through his long hair, with still a faint pink on his cheeks, Zac looked at the boy, "I hope you liked it... um... maybe I should take you to your parents?"
Meanwhile, Julius was still waiting at the counter and tapping one of his large feet against the floor. The baristas at the front had left their positions, telling him that they "had to get something from the back". The chick that had been taking his order had been staring at him pretty intensely. She wasn't scared of him or something, was she? He knew he was a bulky, large man, but he wasn't going to hurt anybody. He silently prayed they weren't going to call the cops. "...Uh... Hello?" he uttered, a confused expression floating onto his face.
From behind him, he heard the voice of an angel singing. Or well, he thought it was until he turned around and saw it was just Zac singing for a woman and a child. Julius had known the kid could sing when he was younger, but he didn't know he had gotten that good. Internally, the big man sighed. Zac had so much potential, but it seemed like he had squandered a bit of it. Maybe it wasn't too late though...
"Great job, Zac! Now let's get you the Voice and get you famous." Julius complimented his friend, clapping thunderously.
(Why was he always so intimidating? I know looks can be deceiving but... hm, well, we also interrupted him during his shift... he does have the right to be suspicious...
I remember the day I was a princess for a school play. Genie never left me alone after that! Always with the teasing... yet, I didn't mind. It seemed to make him laugh. Seeing his less scary side was always nice. Plus, boys liked to pick on people... I suppose at the time, I was an exception and liked to be teased? When he was playful, I couldn't help but smile. Genie, out of all people, gave me attention! That's got to be some sort of feat right?
I've learned to accept my features. Hell, I even crossdress from time to time for my sister's sake.
It's weird seeing him again... he carries himself with such power. I don't think I'd ever be able to get over this fear. For now, I'll observe his expressions.)
Catching sight of a faint pink on Genie's face when Julius entered the picture, the pretty boy tilted his head and continued to listen... and watch.
(Those two were like the rowdy rough boys... I never did stand a chance against either of them. But it's nice to see them talking again. HOWEVER. I am ticked he gave Jules a smile and not me, but I'll get over that. Genie always seemed more comfortable with Jules... I'm a bit relieved I brought him along. Things don't seem that bad when jolly Julius is around. With that being said, I think I'll go see Niles on my own... I don't want him to feel like...)
"I get off at five tomorrow..." The hazel stare met with Zac's ocean gaze, as the older man continued, "If you want to meet up. I'm working right now so -" The pretty boy watched as the dark haired man opened the garbage truck door, "- it was nice seeing you two."
(HOLY SHIT. WAS IT THAT EASY!? DID THIS JUST HAPPEN? DID GENIE JUST INITIATE MEETING UP WITH US?!) Frozen in position, Zac watched as the car drove off. Butterflies were in the young man's stomach as he looked at Jules with a gleam in his eyes, "This is becoming more and more a reality!"
"Huh. Guess I'll just email him the details. He seems more rational now, am I right? I'm surprised he didn't toss that trash at me and then try and wrestle me to the ground." Julius commented in a joking manner. He sort of missed those moments where Genie and him would just go at it. As his old sparring buddy pulled away, the blonde waved a massive hand goodbye to him, hoping Gene would catch sight of him in his side mirror.
Suddenly his phone began ringing, sounding off the theme song for Ouran High School Host club. Julius' face went red in embarrassment and nearly dropped his phone while trying to answer it. He kept forgetting to change that ring tone!
Narrowing his eyes, Zac stared at his friend with the strange... ringtone. Wasn't that from a harem anime directed to women?
"Hello? ... Oh, hey, babe! ... No, of course I didn't forget! ... Dinner at 5? Sure I can do that. ... Yeah, sure. That sounds great. ... M'kay. See you then. Love you too." Julius rattled off to the other person on the line, pacing around on the sidewalk.
(Babe? Dinner date? Love you too? Waht. This is none of my business but it sounds like Julius was happily taken. Good for him!)
After the call was through, he shot Zac a glance, hoping he didn't think anything of it. "That was Erika, my friend. Think you can find Niles on your own? She and I do dinner dates at Mario's every Thursday, and I sorta forgot... Sorry about this." he apologized to Zac.
"Sounds like things are getting pretty serious! I'm glad you have a special someone that makes you smile. Yeah, sure. I actually was intending to see Niles alone anyways, since he can be kinda... tricky."
A confused expression fell on Julius' face as he stared at his past crush... wait what?
"What the... hell are you doing here?"
"What the... hell are you doing here?"
For some god damn reason, Zac was not surprised when the devil himself appeared. No, not at all. He was fucking annoyed and oddly enough, Louis could see the change in mood in his sapphire eyes. Faking a smile so that Niles wouldn't notice how perturbed he was, the long haired man listened to the the bartender ask, "Can I get you anything else...?" It sounded like he wanted to address the boy but wasn't familiar with his name.
"Call me Zac! No need for formalities. You know what, I'll take a Kamikaze shot and a nice Italian classic, the Negroni. Damn those hipsters for making my guilty pleasure mainstream. By the way, you're a damn good bartender." Digging in his pocket, he pulled out his wallet, some cash, and waited patiently for Louis to ask for it, common bartender etiquette. Drinking was not something the young man did often... well not as of lately, but tonight, he would treat himself. Why not!? Raising an eyebrow, Louis began making the drink not many of his customers here ordered. This club catered to the party animals more so than hipsters, but Louis got a feeling this kid knew his liquor. The Negroni was one of the main drinks every bartender should know how to make and unbelievably strong.
Turning his stare to his good ol' pal, Niles Blake, Zac boldly rolled his eyes, "Didn't know I needed an invitation to come to a public nightclub. It's good to see you too, Nye." The drinks came around and the young man went straight for the shot with equal parts vodka, triple sec and lime juice, garnished with a lovely lime slice. Shooting it up with ease, especially after last year being drunk everyday, the reckless man gave his old friend challenging eyes, "I see you've been enjoying yourself all these years."
Hell, while he was here, he might as well enjoy it! It didn't help that Niles triggered the stubborn nature in him. In a way, Zac was upset that this was how his childhood friend reacted when seeing him... there might of been a small hope for a more positive reaction. But at last, such was life. Today was one hell of a stressful day. How was he going to convince this man to come to a meet up tomorrow when he might lash out at him?
(I just need to drink until I cool down.) He was part to blame on why they lost contact, being distracted with fixing his ex's problems, but... Niles didn't even care to fight. There was something about their bond in the past that Zac made himself believe could last forever, but here he was, getting drunk, while trying to ease the tension-- most likely doing a terrible job at it.
Soon enough, the pretty boy and the bartender exchanged money with drink and then Louis left the two alone to tend to other customers.
There was a brief silence between the two old friends, now very much acquaintances, as Zac grabbed a hold of his drink and swayed the red liquid inside it like a calm ocean current. They needed to find some place quiet, somewhere neither of them had to constantly yell at each other.
Standing up, with drink in hand, the young one approached the dangerous creature he use to have a crush on. Looking up with a grin, Zac coolly inquired, "Can I assume you know a place we can talk? FYI. I'm not leaving my drink behind." Finally, he took the time to look, truly look, at his old friend. And wow, did he grow up. (Two inches taller than me, clean cut, surprisingly neat hair, and... still very much a looker...). Keeping his thoughts to himself, the fair-skinned man took a sip of his drink, his eyes never wavering from the muddy brown glare that looked down on him.
Back then, lil Zac would have never kept a straight face nor look anyone in the eye for long periods of time. Sure, he still had some childish tendencies but after years of being emotionally abused, asserting himself became top priority. From a distance, he could see the two girls from earlier staring at him. (Avoid at all cost.) Unintentionally, he gave the girls a heartbreaker beam and their faces flushed tomato red.
It appeared his intimidation factor didn't work and his old friends just sort of forced their way in like they visited so often. Lavender eyes blinking as the bag of offered goods was forced in his hands, he gave a slight sigh. He somehow didn't feel surprised by these actions of there's. Despite leaving at the age of eleven, it seemed they still somewhat remembered how he was. To be honest, he hadn't changed too much from then either. He just got a little bigger bark. Sort of was required he learned in order to avoid too much trouble. Obviously, these two weren't exactly leaving and taking no for a answer so the pale man relented, closing the door behind them with his back. Nodding in minor approval as Zac took off his shoes before he looked to the blonde man.
"....Shoes off." Alver said firmly before taking a moment to glance over his home as his two friends seemed impressed.
"Grandfather gave it to me eleven years ago.." He murmured before snapping his gaze to Julius as the beefy man assaulted the bag. Alver instinctevly tensed up at being in close proximity of someone else. Though his eyes laxed at the childish Julius. He hadn't changed much it seemed.
Frowning slightly as they joked about Julius's foot, guilt and concern tugged at his heart a bit. He hadn't meant to hurt the big lug. Though the moron shouldn't had purposely blocked the door like that.
"Sorry..." The tall pale man apologized, mentally facepalming at himself. Why was he apologizing? They're the ones inviting themselves in.
"Don't talk with your mouth full. Chew with your mouth closed. And eat at the dining table. You're still a kid." Alver scolded, though his voice was softer compared to the sharp 'go away' tone he had been using and minorly flicked a slender finger against the shorter man's forehead. Mhm. Here he thought he broke that mother hen habit. Guess not. Gosh gooseberries.
Looking to Zachary at the mention of checking the place out, Alver sighed again. Mildly amused as it seemed Zachary was a bit more outspoken and social then he remembered. But still had curiousity, and a little bit of a troublemaker. Setting the bag of food goods on the table before striding through the house gracefully.
He couldn't believe this was happening.
Eyes snapping to glance toward his blue eyed friend, blinking a bit in surprise at the apparent reason they were here. It took a long moment for it to process this before Alver gave a response that was just as clear cut.
"No."
This really did seem like a ridiculous idea. It had been years, people change. They probably hardly knew one another now. At least, Alver barely knew them. He had avoided all contact with them. He didn't use Facebook or any of those fancy internet doohickey thingies. His email was his work alias, and his phone was just known by his mother, Lily and Lucas. He had no idea who anyone was.
Course, Harpy and Teddy didn't seem to change much. Mostly Teddy. Plus, getting the childhood friends back together meant he had to actually socialize. With people. Outside. Do things whatever friends do nowadays. What did they do again? And he'd have to see Miky... Alver didn't think he had any lingering feelings. He put those aside after the rejection. Still, he could still remember that day very clearly. It would surely be awkward. Then again, a part of him wanted to see if the boy was still so moe.
"We're not kids anymore. I'm sure everyone is living their own lives. Why start this now?" The pale man asked, his voice cool and calm, all the while his mind rattled at who decided to suddenly throw a curveball in his quiet uneventful life.
The small boy shook his head and smiled, "It's on me!" He said in his big boy voice. This person was even prettier now that they had spoken. They weren't the kind of person to uncomfortably take the cookie and shoo him away. Luke got that a lot with people that looked the pretty person's age, something about children reminded them about their responsibilities. His smile got even wider.
It seemed like his face was as red as a tomato when the person, Zac, had complimented him. He set the cookie on the table in front of him and said, "I-I'll call you Zac then, my papa-"
Another woman crouched down next to him, she was a tiny bit cute with her pastel colors, but she had interrupted him! Luke did his best to cover up his somewhat annoyed pout. His blush had gone down a little bit as he gave the man a high five. Who knew this pretty person was so good with children?
Singing? Luke had heard Micah sing, his papa was most certainly tone deaf. The only people he normally heard sing was the kids at his school, but they didn't even have proper vocal chords yet. He didn't exactly like that the woman was pressuring Zac, but he was definitely intrigued. When Zac wasn't looking, he shot Nina a tiny glare.
Luke took a seat on the chair Zac used to be sitting in. As the pretty person began singing, he stared at Luke, and his heart was seriously a flutter. His cheeks were two cheery rose buds, and the childish locks on his heart started to come undone.
Luke was frozen for a second before he heard the applause. What was what Papa said when he read that storybook to him? A gift of gratitude should be given to the ones you love. With a quick leap off the chair, he gave Zac a kiss on the cheek.
Luke shook his head again, "No, my Papa works here."
Mikaela had been drawn closer by Zac's voice. He stood in the midst of the aisle. He had gone to inconspicuously take someone's order, when they whole shop had been stopped by the pretty boy's singing.
As it continued, Micah remembered the time when all the boys had come together to watch Wicked. Usually Mikaela wasn't too interested in physical things, but he had really wanted to watch this one play. Some group was playing it really late at night one day, and he had convinced the others to go see it. They had all snuck out to go see it. Zac had convinced the peddlers to give them tickets and even though most of the boys had fallen asleep during it, Zac, Alver, and him hadn't.
A tear slipped down Mikaela's face. All the memories rammed through the flood gates. The times he had so treasured. He couldn't seem to move. The pain and guilt he had gone through rejecting Alver, the... pain he had endured after they all separated. Maybe he could reunite with his two little brothers again... but he could never let them know about what had happened.
If ever there was proof that time marched on whether one wanted it to or not, Niles had to look no further than his once-friend Zac and his present antics. Niles hadn't known Zac to be so, well, brazen, but then, Niles' memory of Zac was still back when their biggest concern was who was 'it' in a game of tag. That was a lifetime ago. Niles wouldn't exactly call this new behavior 'assertive' but for the perennial teary eyed boy, as Niles assumed Zac would always be, it was probably as close to assertive as Zac was likely to get.
It came off to the taller man much like a child putting on his father's clothes and acting grown up. Two drinks, a casually dropped compliment to a third party, that seemed like a case of liquid courage. Whatever it was, Niles was not having much of it at all, sighing at the ostentatious display. If this was Zac's idea of coming off as a mature adult, an act to replace the image of childhood forever burned to the brain, then it was falling on unimpressed eyes.
Niles crossed his arms across his chest, narrowing his eyes to meet the old acquaintance's gaze, Niles came off as someone fed up with childish antics...or at least someone whose patience was as thin as straws in cocktail drinks. "You don't belong here," Niles said, and the 'here' came with intentionally vague connotations - though Niles was speaking in the broad sense of the night club - "You stick out and not in a good way. You're going to be eaten alive." Niles cautioned, still sounding overly annoyed as he spoke over the music.
The point of this sudden blast from the past was a talk. Niles suspected the talk wouldn't be so simple a matter as saying 'hey', which is the only sort of conversation he had wanted with those he knew as a silly little kid. But like with a band-aid the right thing to do was to simply take it off fast and deal with the momentary sting. "VIP Lounge, upstairs," Niles growled out, "Five minutes. Say you're with me, the bouncer'll let you through." Niles said nothing else, turning to head for the roped off area in the back of the floor.
The alcohol wasn't helping his self confidence. Zac stared at Niles...
(You're right... I don't belong here.) He needed to be strong. Coming this far, but for what? To run away? Niles was probably waiting for it to happen. Old habits die hard, right? Was Zac always going to be seen as a kid to him? This needed to be fast. If he kept brooding on this, he was bound to let his emotions get the best of him. Sighing to himself, he did as Niles told him and went to the VIP lounge. (Maybe I should have asked Jules to come? I-I don't want to be here...)
"I'm with Niles Blake..." the confidence was dying out of Zac the more and more he came to terms with his stupid fantasy. He was still a damn child and Niles could see that. A damn child whose closest thing to a best friend he had was his twin sister and the second closest person to him would be Jules, who just did random shit for him in the past because he never fails on being so goddamn nice. Friend was a loose term to call Julius. Up until last week, they didn't see each other since... that one night... and before that night, they didn't see each other since the group was together. Staring at his beverage as he walked to the corner of the lounge by a sofa (not bothering to sit down), Zac stared at the substance that gave him some sort of bliss, numbing the pain he could feel without it.
Lost in thought, the man didn't bother to observe the high class lounge. Everyone seemed to be doing good for themselves. Alver lived in his grandfather's house and was content with his life choices. Micah had a beautiful baby boy that brought him incomprehensible joy regardless of his issues. Julius was pretty well off and loved his job as a construction engineer. Genie was sure of himself, even with his skeptical glare and their short 'first' meeting. Last but never the least, there was Niles, someone Zac had recently found out was a decent actor and had a lovely fan base to show for his success.
Did Zac really allow a woman to cloud his perspective and ignore all his surroundings, including himself? He didn't want to blame Scarlet for drifting away from him. What did he have to show as a man? He had no degree, lived in a studio apartment his uncle paid off years ago, used his dead parents' car, had a lack of ambition to pursue a career in something he loved, and... the only thing he had worth talking about was his cultivating skill as a bartender. He remembered his third year English teacher encouraging him to pursue entertainment may it be acting or singing or both but at the time Scarlet was suicidal. He couldn't be selfish and leave her...
There he goes again. Thinking about her. (She left you for a guy that could take care of her. How do you expect to get anywhere if you can't even take care of yourself?) Huh. That's why he needed to do this. The only time he went through any positive leaps in his life was when he had this wonderful group of friends. No, he didn't want to use them to make him feel better about himself... not at all. Just seeing them happy with their lives would be inspiration enough to continue trudging on.
(I just want to know they're okay... and what if? What if we could be friends again?) Zac realized he was dazed out for a minute or two. Dammit. Time wasted. Turning to Niles, he brought his free hand to his hair and scratched his head, "Uh, yeah... sorry. Can we talk under better circumstances, like tomorrow? Do you have the same email or a snazzy business card?"
Taking a sip of his drink, Zac sighed, "I don't know much of what you've been up to, but from what I've heard, you're doing pretty well." His blue orbs softened the more he talked, unintentionally showing he was proud of Niles, "Um, I've been kind of... distracted, so sorry if this isn't the kind of meeting you'd want." He hinted at how he was unable to treat the actor as a fan since he would never be able to see him as some top dog he was becoming. Niles would always be Niles to Zac, even if he changed tremendously over the years.
"I shouldn't keep you... I can send you an email tonight and if I see you tomorrow, great, but if not, that's fine too. It's silly of me anyways." He gave his old friend a weak smile and though he was dying to leave, his feet stood planted on the ground until Niles responded.
Julius seemed to ignore Alver’s scolding, especially when he gave Zac a resounding no. A creeping frustration hit him since the albino wasn’t even willing to give the idea a chance. His emerald eyes flew to Zac’s form and noticed he wasn’t taking the rejection so kindly either. There was a subtle pain in his blue eyes. That settled it for Julius. Gulping down his massive sandwich in one fell bite, he jostled up to Alver and began to drag the taller man into the next room, a sudden ferocity gleaming in his visage. A glance back to Zac told the long-haired man to stay put, he’d take care of this.
As the two left the room, the babyface man went into a daze while staring at his coffee cup. He tried to daydream of positive things like Bubba or his twin passing with flying colors but the dreary morning only made him tired... Tiredness usually brought the worst thoughts in him. (He didn’t even… give me a chance. I know this is a pointless wish but…)
”Look, Alver… There’s more to this than just a spontaneous ‘hey, let’s get the crew back together’ crap. Zac… he really needs some support. Like really, really, REALLY needs people in his life, and it can’t just be me.” Suddenly, the blond took out his phone and held up one of his long fingers to silence the white-haired man in front of him. Going to his email, he pulled up a saved message from a month ago. ”Recently, Zac was… uh… at his all time low. I mean, this is what he sent me only a month ago.” Clearing his throat, Julius prepared his voice to do the best Zac impression he could do.
”Fuck me. I miss her, Julius… I hate myself and I just want to die. Why can’t people stay with me? I know… I’m the problem… I hate it. I hate me. I’m really drunk. And I’ve been drunk… for… I don’t remember. I’m a big pile of nothing. I’m just gonna take a knife to my wrists-” Julius teetered off, grimacing at the brutality of the next paragraph and a half. Deciding that was more than Alver needed to hear, his green orbs floated to the albino’s face and let him take all of that in.
Sighing, the muscular man ran a hand through his hair and then slipped a hand into his pocket to retrieve a surprisingly fancy business card from his wallet. ”Here. We’ll be doing something tomorrow night. Email me or call me with your decision. It would… mean the world to him if you showed up. Even if it’s just for that one night, he’ll be happy, okay?” Julius clapped a hand on to Alver’s shoulder and gave him a small smile, ensuring there were no hard feelings. With that, he turned on his heel and walked back towards the door, letting Zac know it was time to leave now with a curt hand gesture.
”Good seeing you, Al. Can’t believe you’re taller than me now!” he commented as they left the household.
As Julius stood there, applauding Zac’s performance, he noticed a blue-eyed, strawberry blonde man walk out into the open. Strangely, the quite short yet very cute worker seemed to have been driven to tears by his best buddy’s singing, something the former sports aficionado had never seen happen in public. ’I mean, Zac is good… But maybe not Celine Dion good. Not yet, anyway.’ To each their own, he supposed. Some people were just more sensitive than others.
To his side, the baristas that had left their post were finally back at work, furiously completing his order with the speed of a ravenous jaguar. However, one of the girls took a moment to glance at their manager, only to see him standing in the aisle and crying. “Micah? Do you need a tissue?” she asked in a concerned voice.
”Micah?” Julius blinked for a moment, stunned by the revelation. As if possessed by a demon, the burly man bounded towards his old comrade. In one incredible motion, both of his muscular arms embraced the tiny man and threatened to crush the life out of him from the sheer joy Julius felt. ”Look at you! You’re so little! And your eyes! They don’t weird me out anymore!”
When Luke planted a sweet kiss on the babyface-adult’s cheek, Zac couldn’t help but have a faint blush fall on his face. This kid was absolutely precious! Standing up, the long haired man kindly asked the child, “Mind if you take me to him? I’d love to tell your papa how good you’ve been to me.” As the lavender eyed boy reached for his new friend’s hand, Zac grabbed the cookie off the table and took a nice, big bite out of it. With obvious satisfaction, the man cheered, “This is delicious!”
As Zac was led to the back, his eyebrow raised when Julius went straight to the destination him and the little guy were heading towards. Things began to click when they arrived and Jules announced that the child’s father was Mikaela, while crushing him in a bear embrace.
“No way~! Micah is your father, little guy!? Oh wait… how rude of me. What’s your name, buddy?” With a serene stare, he looked at Luke. Everything made sense now. He could see his childhood friend in this delightful boy. Cute, small, and with a big, bright smile. Unable to resist, Zac ruffled the adorable son’s hair.
Julius finally dropped his old companion back onto his feet, a gleeful expression spread upon his face. In tandem, his hand reached out and tousled Micaela’s hair, while a similar scenario was happening with Zac and Luke. ”Oh right! Why we’re here! So… Zac and I had heard you worked here, and we wanted to cordially invite you to a get together we’re having tomorrow.” he jumped straight to the point. ”It’ll probably just be Zac, me, my friend Erika, and whoever else decides to show up. It’s almost Halloween, and, you know, we just need a change of pace. Especially Zac. So… Might as well invite an old friend and catch up, right?”
Before Micah could even get a word out, Julius was already pulling out a business card from his wallet. ”I know it’s sort of short notice, but here’s my card. It has my email and number on it, so let me know something by tonight!” he explained jovially.
“Yeah! We’ll give you more deets tonight! Assuming you have the same email… if not, we’ll just have to wait for your email~”
Behind him, a loud crash was heard, and a glance back at the main counter saw that one of the baristas had made an awful mess. There was coffee all over the floor and somehow it had even gotten on the ceiling. Cringing at the disaster, Julius gave his friend an apologetic stare. ”Er… I think we’ll let you get back to work.” Giving him a sportsman-like pat on his rear, the large man flew over to Zac, motioning it was time to leave. It was probably best to forget about his coffee and pastries… They’d just get a real lunch somewhere.
The minute Julius moved, Alver snapped his lavender gaze toward him, resuming to tense up as he neared and dragged the taller man to another room. Once they were, Alver removed himself from the blonde and gave them a comfortable distance while smoothing out his clothes. "Language." he scolded immediately when 'crap' was uttered before continuing to listen to what the beefy man had to say. The pale man opened his mouth to retort against Julius' words, but closed it as the shorter man raised a finger of silence as he pulled out his phone.
Honestly, Alver was unsure why exactly they were so determined to get him in on this plan. He was sure, that the others would be enough to comfort Zac, and were probably better company. Safer. Not dangerous... not a waste of space. Pathetic. Disgusting. A walking disaster. Abnormal. Everything he wasn't. He had his reasons to keep his distance from the small girly boy. He was safer that way. Better without him. They all were. So they should just forget him. Let him disappear amongst foggy memories. Alver thought they would by now, as it had been so long ago now.
Listening to Julius read off what apparently was Zachary's message, a soft melancholy frown crossed the tall man's ghostly face. Honestly, Zachary was still such a kid. A baby. Who needed someone to hold his hand, and now he wanted his childhood crew back to do it. He made it difficult to say 'no' when it was for his own good. Yet as much as the albino wanted to be firm in his 'no' he was finding it harder now. A part of him did want to help, take care of Zac and get him back on his feet. Alver wasn't confident he could though, but he still felt that way.
The pale man took the card, giving it a brief examination as his lavender pale gaze narrowed thoughtfully. Alver then flinched slightly when Julius raised his hand, as if preparing to be physically hit, but his childhood friend only placed it on his shoulder in the usual friendly manner. Silently looking at Julius and slightly following as he bid farewell and left with Zachary, Alver watched before shutting the door and locking it before giving a deep exasperated sigh before looking at the business card again.
There was no way he could go. Right? But it was only for one night. And it was at night time, not like he had to worry about daylight. What was he even suppose to do though? Socializing as grownups was a lot harder compared to children. Especially when attempting to comfort and show a former friend a good time. How in cucumbers was he supposed to accomplish that? Him, the least social person probably in this town? Maybe he would just sleep on it...
Giving another sigh, Alver went back to his bedroom, placing the business card on his nice stand before getting into bed. Curling up and cuddling under the covers. Staring at the ceiling thoughtfully as he pondered on what just occurred. Absently petting a grey feline that had decided to jump up and curl up beside him. Closing his eyes, he grabbed one of his other pillows and pressed it against his face as he continually tried to force himself to just go to sleep.
Darkness rolled around, and the pale man continued to lie there. Thinking. He didn't feel like working at the moment. Another sigh escaped him before he rolled out of bed and grabbed his glasses and the business card. Slipping the glasses on as he headed upstairs to his work room. Sitting at his desk, he turned on the computer. Logging into his email, he frowned as he stared at the business card before giving another deep sigh.
"It's just one night. One night. That's all. Nothing more. I can do it. Just be the mature adult that you are and entertain them to the best of your ability. Just one night. Then I can go back to being into the darkness. Miky will be there... but that's okay just be a charming mature adult like some anime prince. Or something. It'll be fine, it's been years. I can do this. Just one night.. just for the good of a past friend and to help them get on their feet a little." He murmured, unnoticing slightly hyperventilating. Taking a deep breath, he started typing and emailed Julius.
"Alright. One night only. I'll come." he typed before sending it before he quickly changed his mind.
Pausing he tried thinking of the possibilities of this night out. What in the flubber were they going to do? Glancing toward the immensely large collection of anime, the white haired man paused before standing and started browsing. Taking out certain manga books and quickly started to do 'research' to the best of his abilities. Somewhat prepare himself for tomorrow night.
Niles hated the lounges in these sorts of places even if he often used them to duck away and escape the public eye for an hour or so. The allure of the VIP lounge was lost as soon as you were allowed in. The appeal was always the mystery of what went on behind the velvet rope and the regular sorts who would never be allowed up did like to make up little stories. They were always so obscene in nature; at the seedier night clubs the VIP lounges always had the nasty rumor of being a place where wealthy and famous people went to...unwind in whatever fashion that meant. But Niles knew the truth. All the lounges were were places where the music wasn't loud, there were actually places to sit, and the snacks were complimentary.
He arrived before Zac did and took a seat in the black lounge chair, sinking into it - they WERE quite comfortable all things considered - and sighing. He couldn't...didn't understand why Zac had come to a place like this. Niles had meant it when he said Zac didn't belong here, in this world, in this club...though perhaps he was projecting the image he had of his former friend. Once a child in Niles' mind, always a child. Time had passed. Time changes things. People change along with time. But even as he saw Zac now grown up...he still didn't believe Zac had belonged here. Was it an act? It had to have been; the guy ordered a shot, there were two reasons to order a shot: to celebrate something or to get a quick jolt of liquid courage.
Niles doubted that Zac was here to celebrate anything.
When Zac made his way upstairs, Niles paid closer attention for any obvious tells. The eyes that stared back at him flashed back to the softer side that Niles was more familiar with, the awkward pauses in his speech, the scratching of his hair, the sudden backing down...Niles was right. Zac didn't want to be here. Zac wanted to leave and Niles couldn't exactly blame him.
"Well which is it?" Niles replied back, his voice not wavering in the slightest, "You're going to email me but you don't know my email address? You wanted to talk but now you don't? You haven't heard what I've been up to but you know I'm doing well? Stop that. There's nothing more annoying than someone who doesn't know what they want." Niles didn't seem to care that his words could very well come off as rude, he had adopted the same tone he would've used against a director of an episode who didn't know what lens to use or how to shoot a scene.
"You wanted to talk to me for some reason. So do it. Talk. Talk or walk, doesn't matter to me." One way or another, Niles wanted to get to the end of this trip down memory lane.
It took a second after his coworker asked if he needed a tissue before he got back to reality. "N-No, I'm alright... Sorry, don't know wh-"
Ow... The childhood friend Mikaela had unconsciously avoided came in and started to crush him with a huge hug. There weren't many people that were so big and strong in Micah's life so he hadn't gotten a hug like this in a while. Had... Had Mikaela ever been hugged like this? Hank gave him a slap on the back or a side hug, but nothing like this. Oh dear, he was getting teary-eyed all over again.
His eyes weirded Julius out, that was a little unsettling. His eyes showed off, let everyone know, that he was a freak, so a tiny prickle of pain slipped through his chest. He knew that the blonde didn't mean anything by it, but the traumatic experiences he had had because of his eyes were still plaguing him.
Luke took Zac's hand, his face slipping into a huge goofy grin and his eyes scanning the counter for his Papa. He really wanted Papa to meet this new pretty person! He hurried on his tiny legs to the back, slipping through the crowd of people that were starting to go back to their coffee and desserts. The barista- what was her name again? -Called his Papa's name so he pivoted towards that direction. Who was that hugging his dad? The guy seemed almost like a giant bear and he kinda scared Luke a little.
Zac was saying something about knowing Papa, it sounded like they were friends, but Mikaela had never talked about either of the two men. Luke's hair was suddenly ruffled and his head tingled from Zac's touch. "L-Luke, my name is Luke."
Okay, on the ground now. That meant he was supposed to focus, get out of his brain and get back to reality again. Zac was here and Julius, his two brothers! "It's been a really long time..." He said, embarrassed as he remembered he had never said goodbye. His hair was suddenly tousled, which actually did happen a lot. If he had been anything like his mother, he would have gone into a hissy fit for his hairdo would have been messed up. But Micah's hair already did whatever it wanted, so whatever.
Tomorrow night, he didn't have work, it seemed like fate. He would probably need to find someone to take care of Luke for the night, it wouldn't be a good idea for such a young boy to be out so late. Luke would already be out 'til at least ten for Halloween. With only Zac, Julius, and a few other... this wouldn't be that bad. Mikaela smiled, thinking that hey, a good catch up would be great!
When had Julius even gotten a hold of his wallet? It wasn't like he kept much money on him in the first place, the new Julius must have secretly been somewhat cunning. Mikaela did have a new email, he had done everything he could to separate from his life back in the Winter house. "Uh, okay, I'll send you a message the-"
It didn't seem like anything important was happening, so life decided to give him a slap on the back. One of the baristas slipped on the flour that hadn't been swept up from that mornings baking and she dropped everything she was holding. How would he get the coffee off the ceiling... Micah's face went pale. With the somewhat sneaky pat on the butt, Julius and Zac hightailed it out of there.
Luke pouted, Zac and that somewhat forward big guy were leaving, "I hope to meet again soon!"
Mikaela's cheeks puffed out as he watched the blonde leave. The manager didn't even know how to react to something like that. Luckily, the baristas hadn't seen the move, having been so busy cleaning up, or they would have teased the poor father 'til his face never stopped blushing.
Don't dwell on it... Micah had to get back to work. He ruffled Luke's hair passing him and called for all the employees to keep working and he would clean it up.
Niles didn't make this easier. No, somehow he made this experience more agonizing than Zac was mentally prepared for. Cringing at the bluntness, Zac stared at the moving lips as they pointed out the flaws in his poor attempt. The grip he had on his drink tightened, but not once did he look away, no matter how fearful he was. The person he was afraid of meeting the most today was Niles... for more than just a simple reason. There may have been a contradictory hope of not finding him this lovely Thursday night. A scenario where Zac just stayed at the bar, got drunk, and Gabby took him home... but then that would mean, Zac didn't try. If he gave up, he would have felt even worse than hearing these sharp words. At least Niles was being honest and this pain was nothing like what the long-haired boy experienced in the past.
The chocolate eyes never turned away from the man child. Deep seated feelings that only good would prevail was something Zac had to constantly tell himself. His protective guard was crumbling as the hammer kept smashing into the poorly renovated wall he tried to create to protect him from all this torment. His shaken heart ached, but he didn't want to be seen as someone so weak even if his thoughts told him otherwise. Perhaps that is why Scarlet left him? A woman of her stature needed a powerful, confident man, someone who could stand tall and guide her through the creeping darkness of the world.
The voice came to a halt. Taking a deep breath in, Zac went to a sofa right next to Niles' chair and gently sat himself down. Placing his drink on a side table, he clasped his hands together and let his right thumb subconsciously rub his left. The couches were rather comfortable but Zac didn't want to think about anything but the matter at hand. Sitting down was for the sake of keeping himself stable. At this rate, Niles' words were going to make the young man collapse.
(You can do it... just be honest.)
His blue orbs became distant as he spoke the racing thoughts in his mind, "Do you ever wonder if you could turn back time? Rewrite your life so it wouldn't turn out so... painful. I can't help but find myself drifting further and further away from reality because... it hurts so much." Unintentionally, tears began to trail down his cheeks, his attention was no longer toward his old friend but locked inside the dark abyss that held all his memories, "I don't want any of you to feel like you need to take care of me. I just need one moment, only a moment, where things seem different. Lying to myself that nothing is falling apart. My plan is not the brightest but... you guys made me feel like I..." Covering his face with his hands, he just let the stream spill out. His voice became muffled by doing so.
"...could take on this godforsaken place... I haven't changed and you saw right through me, didn't you? I'm still selfish. I'm still hopeless. I'm still..." Zac couldn't help but choke on his words.
(Fuck me. Stop it. Stop crying. This is ugly.) Stopping his tears from making him look more of a fool, Zac wiped his face and brought his stare back to Niles, "All I'm asking is one night of your time tomorrow." He wanted to go home and drown himself in his bath tub. This... this display probably lost all chances at convincing Niles to come. He didn't need to put up with this. None of them did. Why was it so hard to be strong?
(Runaway, you know you want to. Why change now?) Standing up once more, leaving his drink on the table, Zac tried to figure out words of retreat, but no more words could escape his quivering lips. He was terrified of the backlash. It wasn't like Niles cared if Zac stayed or not, he said it himself...
There was initially one immediate thought when Zac sat down and Niles saw the watery formation in the corner of his former friend's eyes, and that thought came with a quick trip back in time, to numerous moments as a child when Niles was a bit of a dweeb playing at being cool like all the popular people on the television. In those days, how often did Niles see Zac with tears, and how often did it fall to Niles to repeat some seemingly profound line he had heard; empty platitudes that sounded cool and helpful. But every time it seemed to work, as far as Niles remembered. Every time Zac came to him crying, Niles was quick to turn the frown into a right-side up position.
And now, years later, how little things changed. Zac put on a brave face initially, but Niles was around people who were paid to put on brave faces. He could tell when someone was acting, when someone was uncomfortable, when someone was lying, not just to another person, but to themselves. And after a hard sigh and an internal question (Is this my fault?) Niles ran his index finger and thumb from opposite sides of his temple to the center.
Niles could not think of anything he wanted to do less than dig up what had long been buried: old wounds. Everyone had moved on. Except for Zac, clearly. Well, Niles had moved on. He wasn't in a band or the symphony orchestra, but he was cool, or at least played cool really well every Thursday night at prime time. The old days were over, and no amount of wishing or hoping would bring them back.
And yet, as he saw Zac cry, Niles couldn't help but to feel that deep rooted twinge of nostalgia. Once more it fell to him to make things right, to cheer up the little kid; only this time Niles doubted regurgitating someone else's dialog would do the trick. One night. One night. Tomorrow he had made planes with Chelsea to be her wingman on her ever present quest for passion...but she would understand. She might even invite herself along...but that's what clever little lies were for.
"One night," Niles finally spoke with another deep sigh, not wanting to reveal how much of a bad idea he thought this was, "That's it. One night. And I reserve the right to leave whenever I want." Niles had every intention of leaving an hour or so in, fulfilling the obligation of making an appearance. "Just tell me where, I'll figure the rest out."
Niles had a hunch that he would regret this. But old habits, or at least old memories, have a tendency to show up when you least expect.
Email written by Zac the previous night that Julius forwarded to everyone (or words in Niles' case at the club)
Dear [your character's name],
Do you remember where the old bookstore was by Cedar and Miller? I think it was called Creatures 'n Crooks. The store that shut down years ago and became The Mockingbird. Well, that cafe shut down too like a month ago. There's a new attraction that has yet to make its debut. The building is MASSIVE now.
Jules and I pulled some strings and I'm excited to say we will be the first to walk into the renovated future hot spot. The address is 809 Cedar St! Dress festive! (Not mandatory but would be awesome...). We're going to have fun! I hope you guys can let loose for one night. Dinner will be served at 6:30 PM. You can bring a person or two (21+ preferably). I'm bringing my twin and her boyfriend. I'm thankful you guys took the time to listen to me. The OG boss is okay with you guys bringing your own liquor. If not, there will be refreshments provided. I hope to see you there!
Best regards, Zachary Harper
What the young man forgot to share with his old friends was what the place was called (Google Maps has not been updated yet so if you were to search for it, it would show the Mockingbird), what kind of place it even was, what they were going to do besides dinner and that his brother is now a she.
Timeskip: Friday, October 28th 6:25PM
If Zac could, he would go Trick or Treating. When it came to games, he was still very much a child. He just hoped his old friends could enjoy themselves. The Coopers were nice enough to let Zac bring some people to enjoy their new Entertainment center (BEFORE THE PREMIERE)! In this place, they even had a bar and a nice dining area. The young man could tell this was definitely going to be the hot spot of the century in Willow Valley. Of course, Jules had to put in some money to pay for electricity...but... the opening date for DADDZ FUN ZONE was on Halloween so this was also Mr. Cooper's way of testing his employers. A fun night to let go and have fun, even if his old friends probably planned to leave early. The arcade was an absolute utopia and they sold alcoholic beverages as well?! Fan-fucking-tastic! Granted, drinks and beverages had to stay in the eating areas. But man was Zac excited!
Standing outside nervously, the dark haired man with (red color spray on his hair) began to play with his top hat. He and his sister couldn't help but go all out in their wear. Yes, when they played some games they'd take some of their shit off but for now, they were going to bring out their inner kid again. Leaning on the wall, Vince, Gabby's boyfriend, brought his camera up.
"Hey you two, turn around." Gabriella and Vince were a 'Couple' of pirates, while Zac took on the role as a vampire. This costume was stashed in his closet for quite some time now. Something he wore senior year of high school. Thank god he could still fit in it. The two twins turned simultaneously.
Gabriella kissed Zac's cheek while her brother made a silly face, revealing his fangs. After he took the picture, Vince glanced down at his camera silently to review it. He wasn't one to talk often but when he did, he was pretty cool.
"Gabs... They're not going to have fun." Turning to his sister, the fear in the man's blue orbs were apparent as hell.
Taking his top hat away from him and then placing it back on his head, she playfully rolled her eyes, "You'll be fine dork. Just breathe. They're coming for you. Make the best of it. No depression from you Mister!" Bringing her pointer finger to his noise, she adorably poked it which made him smile.
"Yeah, you're right... oh, did we remember the-"
"Yeah. It's all set."
Turning to see if anyone arrived yet, the 'prettyface' boy turned to look at the parking lot, while replying, "Thanks man! I still need to figure out when I want to bring it out though..."
Alver paused as he received a email in the night, looking at his computer from his intense self manga study to help assist what would be somewhat expected in regular interaction. Of course anime or manga probably shouldn't be the one to help him out in socialization or friendship interaction but it was all he had. Clicking open the email, his lavender gaze quickly read it over and he raised a slight eyebrow. He vaguely remembered the place... and he wasn't sure what exactly they were doing now. Great, harder to prepare. Thanks Harpy. Wait.... wasn't his twin a guy? Eh.. whatever. For now, the tall ghostly man had other concerns to deal with. Whatever they were doing, Zachary apparently wanted to go all out and be fun. Considering the request to dress 'festive' whatever that means. It was a bit childish... or a lot. Wasn't even Halloween yet, but Alver still considered it since it would probably make his immature acquaintance happy. That was the whole point of him leaving his safe haven.
What would he go as though? He was basically a walking attraction anyway. At least, he didn't know any other albino in town. The children liked comparing him to a ghost or a vampire. Ghost was a bit too simple and be basically his everyday self. Vampire might work. He could even go as Zero Kiryu. Alver liked to think he looked quite like the ex-human vampire. Yet he wasn't quite positive the others would get it since Zero wore mostly everyday clothes. If he was going to dress up, it might as well be something he doesn't wear every day. His hair and eyes were natural, so of course he just wore those everyday. Since he was meeting everyone, he at least wanted to look somewhat impressive. After all, it was like a first appearance and in a way he wanted to come in like a dashing handsome man.
Sesshomaru? Nah. Samurai? Mhmm not quite. Perhaps a knight? Oh or maybe Dante? Mhm... decisions. Mhmm he did have that suit of armor so maybe a knight would be impressive enough. It wasn't something he wore all the time and it did feel like actually dressing up. So a knight it was! Something a bit opposite to the down terms people usually threw at him. More on the light and chivalrous path. The place probably would let him bring a real sword so he should probably just use a fake decorative one.
Glancing at the clock, Alver realized it was about morning now and decided to head back to his room for some rest.
Timeskip: October 28th 6:30 PM
After waking up and getting the costume ready, Alver called in to his boss/friend to give him a ride. Getting out of the car, Alver turned his head to Lily who stared at him with a serious nerve wrecking gaze.
"It's good you're finally getting out Alver.... but just a suggestion... if these guys are hot. Be sure to take photographic memory and draw them. Could be used in another good series." The older woman said, making the tall pale man sigh.
"Unsure they would appreciate being made into a manga Boss. Thank you for the ride." Alver said, watching her role her eyes and wave her hand.
"Details. Probably wouldn't ever know. You probably draw them anyway and they are hiding in that garage of yours. Call me with the details. And email me a picture of them." Lily said before driving off.
Alver blinked slowly as he watched the black mustang car drive off before walking along the side walk, staring at a piece of paper he hand written down the address. His armor clinking gingerly as he walked along. It was a bit heavy, but it fit him well. Men of the medieval times sure had to have quite a bit of strength to always lug these things around. Thank his mother for her years of physical training to get him to stay reasonably healthy.
Mhmm.. maybe he should write something on that? Flicking his lavender gaze up, the coloring slightly flashing red with a lamppost he walked under. He spotted the building supposedly he needed to go. Harpy failed to give a name, but it seemed like this was the one formerly known as Creatures 'n Crooks then the Mockingbird. It looked like... some arcade? Entertainment center? Whatever it was, somehow Alver should of guessed Zachary wanted them all to meet them in someplace like this. Not that he.. disliked these places. He enjoyed games he was able to play without burning his eyeballs. Just usually these places were too loud for his ears. Still, it was for Zachary, so he'd tolerate it for now.
Taking a deep breath, the tall man brushed a gloved hand through his white hair, looking himself over briefly in the window reflection to check himself out. Had to make sure he looked alright. Satisfied, despite spending many hours in front of his mirror to get it right, he pushed the door open and walked inside. Standing tall and walking inside calmly and cooly. Tall.. handsome man. He could do this. He was a adult. He was tall. He could play it cool for a night. All was fine.
Spotting Zachary, the one who started all of this along with two others, Alver walked over, looking down at all three of them. Two pirates and Zachary was apparently a vampire. How cute. "....Salutations." the pale man managed to greet them. His face remaining calm, but managed to give a slight friendly smile.
Ah, the feeling of discomfort, physically and emotionally hung over the strawberry blonde. After such a hectic day with how Zac and Julius had come over and coffee on the ceiling meaning that he and the barista had been chewed out by the cafe's owner, he hadn't even gotten a chance to look over the email until the day of the meet up. He had told Hank about how he was going to be going out the next day and his friend was surprised to find out the day of the party that he was going to be Mikaela's plus one, but Hank loved parties.
Micah had come upon the email, only a few hours before the party, getting ready to go home after his shift. He had been in the backroom on his chromebook, checking up on his inbox when he came upon it. Creatures 'n Crooks, that old bookstore used to be a favorite of his before it was torn down. Micah had heard about the Mockingbird being shut down as well seeing as how he was a higher up for one of the only cafes in town. This would probably be really fun! ...Awkward, but fun. Zac and Julius had always seemed like the ones that had the most energy when they were kids, and Micah thought it would be good to catch up.
Jocelyn had given the okay to take care of Luke for the night too, everything was set for tonight when... Oh, Micah had to wear a halloween costume. The male hadn't really dressed up as anything the past few years, he had wanted to look the part of the meddlesome father watching over his trick-or-treating son too much to dress up. Where would he get a good costume on such short notice? All the stores seemed to only have bad fake costumes that had been made of rather itchy materials.
As Mikaela thought this, one of the baristas, Lauren, glanced over at the email over his shoulder. "You're going to a party?"
"Um yeah... It's with a few old friends of mine. But I don't have anything to wear-"
The look that Lauren gave him sent chills through his body. Never again would he ask a girl to help him pick out an outfit. She made this rather evil grin and put a finger to the shorter male's lips. After silencing Micah, she skipped away to talk to Angela before they both came in, Angela mirroring her coworker's expression.
"We have the perfect idea~ Just give me fifteen minutes, 'kay?" The girls then hurried off, one walking down the few blocks to her house and the other leaving by car. While waiting, Micah called up Hank and talked to him about the party and they both decided that his friend would meet him there. The rest of the time was spent contemplating the email, a twin sister? That wasn't what Micah remembered... Anyway, what were those girls up to?
When some girls have the chance to get creative, they go all out. Angela and Lauren arrived with quite a few things that Mikaela didn't even know what they were used for, along with a wig... and a huge white wedding dress.
"Girls-" Micah got out of the chair he had been sitting on in the rec room and backed up, trapped with both exits blocked off. And so, Mikaela was dazzled up with makeup and hair clips and a wig and a garter belt? All the things you would expect a girl to wear on her wedding day in only a little over an hour to spare.
When Micah looked into the mirror, he couldn't help but feel shocked. It was the female version of him that was ready to walk down the aisle. He could still tell it was him, but any trace of man that had been on him was completely gone... How could he face the manly Julius like this?
"Just wear this as long as you can at the party. If you need to wear something easier to move around in, we have for you a shorter skirt and white blouse. You have to wear them okay~? We won't let you say no~" Yes, these girls were truely evil. Micah had to make sure Luke did not see this. And in order to make sure Mikaela went to the meet up in his feminine get up, they stole his original clothes.
So there he was, waiting about a block away from DADDZ FUN ZONE, going to meet up with Hank. It was a great laugh to see what Hank was wearing though. He had on a Hawaiian flower shirt that was completely unbuttoned, a flower necklace, and swim trunks, paired with sunglasses and flip flops.
"And I thought you would be making fun of me for my get up," Hank laughed, taking the necklace from around his neck and twirling it around. Micah's face went a bright red and he didn't say anything, a little to flustered and embarrassed. He walked ahead of the chuckling Hank, wanting to stomp on his foot, but having too much skirt to do so.
"H-Here goes nothing...!"
Mikaela started nearing where the group of people at the front were migrating. There was two pirates that appeared to be a couple and Zac as a rather extravagant vampire. And... That looked an awful lot like... For the love of all that is holy... Micah was feeling ready to faint. And though he didn't go unconscious, he did trip on his own skirts and start to fall.
As soon as he read the email Niles knew he was going to regret ever agreeing to this. He had expected to maybe go to Zac's house or apartment or whatever, have a beer, and leave after the mandatory hour - stating some bullshit reason like an early call time as a reason why he was leaving. But of course things couldn't just be...simple. Things couldn't just be...normal. Though what was normal anyway? Niles had projected his ideal version of a meeting and of course he would wind up disappointed by such a radical shift in tone. Maybe it wasn't too late to call it off. He could find some excuse. What business did he have at a 'hot spot'? Niles frequented night clubs, he had had enough of hot spots to last him three lifetimes.
And yet...the most confusing and thus damning piece of information on the invite was a simple line halfway through the piece. No, it wasn't the fact that Niles remembered Zac having a twin brother - Niles was no stranger to that community having 'dated' a handful over the years - but rather something seemingly innocuous.
"What the fuck does 'dress festive' mean?"
"It means to wear a costume," Chelsea Harrington nonchalantly said as she was busily checking her makeup on a compact mirror. "Your little friend is having a costume party. How adorable."
Niles had shared the details of his meeting with Zac and the subsequent email with his co-star and closest confidant, Chelsea. They had very few secrets between them and usually Chelsea was the one to bore Niles with details of her friends and their affairs - and sometimes LITERAL affairs. Niles appreciated the minor bit of role reversal.
"Well that's crazy. Who celebrates Halloween over the age of thirteen?"
"I do. You know that."
"No, you find a cheap 'adult nurse' or something costume and try to play hook up. That's not celebrating Halloween, that's an ordinary Friday night."
"Ouch, I forgot how catty you are. Anyway, what are you going as?"
"Niles Blake."
"Niles, hon, you know I love you but you really need to let your hair down every now and then. Just because your character on t.v. has a stick up his ass doesn't mean YOU have to as well." Chelsea shut her compact with a smile and began digging through her bag. "Besides, I have the cutest idea for a duo costume. I'm dying my hair and everything." With a smile, Chelsea found what she had been looking for and pulled out a red bra that she then hurriedly put on.
"What do you mean? Are you...you actually want to go to this thing?" Niles couldn't believe what he was hearing. He barely wanted to go and yet here Chelsea was showing what could count as excitement.
"Well I figure one of your friends has to be single and not...you know...you. Plus imagine the publicity this place could get if two television stars were spotted. I'm going, Niles, and I'm going to snag me a cute little boy toy." Chelsea spoke with absolutely no shame, a direct contrast to the character she portrayed on television. But that's what people hired actors to do. Act. "You're not bringing Carson are you? He's such a little pervert."
"Carson will be at a sporting event trying to sign someone. So no. But I guess if you're so determined to go you can come with me. No sense taking three cars."
"Three? Who else do you know?"
Timeskip: Friday, October 28th
"Holy shit why does the only girl confirmed to show up at this thing have to have a boyfriend?" Rebecca Blake was moping in the backseat of Niles' car, her arms crossed and her costume only making her feel more depressed - she had picked something that would hopefully be eye catching only to be hit with the bomb that the 'party' was actually just 'Niles' old friends', and Rebecca already knew them. The night was certainly not looking good for her...or the other Blake sibling in the driver's seat for that matter.
"Oh? Are you a lesbian, Rebecca? Niles never told me."
"What I am is fucking desperate. Girls, guys, whatever, just give me SOMETHING. Art school was supposed to be full of sexually liberated people but it's all a bunch of pretentious assholes. I draw erotic things, Chels, but do you think people would commission me to draw their favorite characters fucking if they knew the artist was a virgin? Fuck no! But Niles here told me this was a party not a...circlejerk."
"Well, your sister's very...colorful, isn't she?"
"I wouldn't even HAVE this problem if someone let me have FUN in high school." Rebecca and Niles had patched up their relationship considerably since they entered adulthood, but every now and then Rebecca liked to dig up old wounds just so she could throw a little bit of salt in them. What were siblings for?
Niles, meanwhile, said little on the drive though not for lack of trying. Rebecca just had this way of bulldozing through conversations and she and Chelsea had spent the length of the car ride discussing things better discussed in the privacy of a closed room. Niles wasn't quite sure when he became that one friend to Chelsea and by association his sister, but he had and he was sure he didn't exactly like it. Almost as much as how he didn't like the costume Chelsea had all but forced him to wear. It was a costume meant for couples, ideally, and Niles and Chelsea were anything but, but Niles learned a long while ago that when Chelsea Harrington asks you to do something...you do it.
"Hey, Reby?" Niles was the only person Rebecca allowed to call her that; she was saving the rights to that nickname for a boyfriend or girlfriend but that ship had yet to leave the port, "Maybe less...profane when we get there?"
"What? Why? You don't give a shit about these people, why should I? They weren't my friends, you guys never let me play in your stupid games." That was a Niles decision and one he had come to regret later in life. But again, he and Rebecca were...better now.
Niles knew that this was a losing battle and so sighed. This was going to be a trainwreck. The conversation bounced back and forth between Chelsea swapping stories of her various flings and Rebecca talking about the weirdest commissions on her blog and Niles regretting ever telling either of them about this event that by the time he pulled into the location where they were all meeting he was glad just to get out of the car for a minute.
"Oh good, we're not the first ones. You never want to be the first. What a...suburban location this is." Chelsea was the first one to leave the car though she waited for Niles to leave before approaching the group - paired costumes worked better that way. But both Chelsea and Niles had forgotten about the little third wheel.
"HOLY SHIT IS THAT GUY WEARING A WEDDING DRESS?" Rebecca couldn't help herself from shouting as she got out of the car and spotted the very visible Mikaela. "I'm so fucking drawing this later. Oh my god."
Niles had only gotten as far as the parking lot and already he was hating everything about this night.
I've heard it said, That people come into our lives for a reason... Bringing something we must learn And we are led, To those who help us most to grow If we let them... And we help them in return. Well, I don't know if I believe that's true, But I know I'm who I am today, Because I knew you... Like a comet pulled from orbit As it passes a sun Like a stream that meets a boulder Halfway through the wood... Who can say if I've been changed for the better? But because I knew you I have been changed for good...
