Chapter Text
“You invited him to your castle?” FM asked, bewildered.
“It was an accident!” Four exclaimed. Both FM and X stared at him in disbelief.
It was Saturday night at the bar, and Four was catching up with FM and X. They were both very shocked that Four had managed to make it this far with Three. FM decided to celebrate Four’s developments with Three by buying all of their drinks for the night. This led to Four truly explaining what happened— this time, however, with liquid courage that made him start saying every thought that crossed his mind. Every thought.
“That’s not something you just do by accident.” X said flatly. Four groaned, and put his elbows on the counter in front of him. He placed his head in his hands as if to keep it from falling.
“No shit, Sherlock.” Four sighed.
“This doesn’t have to be a bad thing, y’know. Just think about it! Now Three knows that you don’t want to use him.” FM said, trying to be reassuring.
“I know— but doesn’t it feel too sudden? Like we’re moving too fast?” Four asked.
“Four, you’ve known him for just a little over two weeks. Compared to some people on dating apps, that’s a long time.” X replied.
Four stared at him, barely processing what he said. Then, he turned to FM. “How many drinks am I allowed to get?”
“As long as you don’t get alcohol poisoning, you’re good.” FM shrugged.
Desti, from nearby, glared at them. “I’m not supposed to give more than two drinks.” She said sternly.
“When has that ever stopped you?” FM retorted, pointing a finger at her.
“It hasn’t in the past, but I’m genuinely getting worried. Four has a crush on the lead singer of a rock band, and instead of confronting his feelings, he’s drinking until he can’t think.” Desti crossed her arms. Four frowned at the personal attack.
“So what? Us getting more beers means more money for you. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.” FM remarked.
“Not if you all die from too much alcohol, or get arrested for walking down the side of the road while being drunk. Public intoxication is a crime.” Desti argued.
“We’ll just get Ubers! Like we always do!” FM bickered.
“Not Four.” Desti said simply. They all turned to look at Four, who just sat there, sipping his beer.
“Maybe he should get someone to drive him home tonight.” X agreed.
“I can speak for myself, fun fact.” Four complained. His friends shared unknowing glances.
“Look. Just two more drinks. That’s all I ask.” FM stated, shifting his attention back towards Desti.
“No. The most you’re getting is one.” Desti objected.
“You’re no fun. We’re never coming back here again.” FM groaned.
“Don’t listen to him, he’s just a crybaby.” X said reassuringly.
“Fuck you!” FM shouted. He glanced at the bartender in front of them. “Desti, can I have my third beer please?”
“Can I get my second?” Four added.
Desti got to work pouring their beers into cups. She placed one in front of each of them, and looked at FM with an unnerving stare. “Try anything, I’ll kick you out.”
Four grabbed his beer and took some large drinks. He relaxed as the alcohol made his mind of tangled thoughts come undone. The first beer mainly kept him buzzed; still able to think rationally, but a lot more relaxed. The second one made him tipsy— which was when he began to lose all logic.
“Do you guys think if I invited him here, he would get beer? Or would he get something like vodka or wine?” Four asked, ranting to himself.
X, who was still on his first beer, gave him a concerned look. “Why are you asking that? Do you plan on bringing him next time?”
“Ooh, you totally should. I need to see how this guy looks. From the way you talk about him, he may as well be Jesus Christ himself.” FM added.
“No, because then I’ll have competition. Get your own band member to obsess over.” Four replied.
“If you do bring him, I’ll personally shake your hand. Because there’s no way in hell your socially awkward self will ever ask him something like that.” Desti commented. Four scoffed, offended.
“Watch me! I’ll ask him right now!” He exclaimed, getting his phone out.
“Wait, Four, think about this—” X tried to say, but Four ignored him. He began to type out a message on his phone.
Four
Hey tree. Are you busy? You should stop that
When he didn’t get a reply immediately, Four slammed his phone down on the bar counter. Desti was laughing in amusement, along with FM, while X gave a sigh of relief. Four took another large drink of his beer— as if it were going to undo the text he sent. He didn’t even realize that his glass was empty.
“You realize it’s like, two in the morning, right?” Desti asked with a grin.
“The sun isn’t out.” Four said with a straight face. X stared at him, mortified.
“No, dude, the sun is out. It’s just taking a break.” FM replied.
“Desti, please take the drinks away from them, please.” X begged, watching his two friends go from tipsy to drunk in minutes.
Desti grabbed the glass of beer away from FM, who was immediately reaching for it. While she went to take Four’s empty glass however, he took FM’s cup and began to chug his beer, not wanting any of it to go to waste.
Desti seized the other side of the cup, trying to get it away from Four. FM was cheering, while X just sat in shock. By the time that Desti managed to pry the glass away from Four’s grasp, it was practically empty.
Four felt oddly proud of himself, before feeling immensely sick. It must have shown on his face, because all of his friends backed away. He looked up desperately at Desti.
“Water.” He said shortly. Desti understood, and grabbed a tall glass from one of the shelves. She went to the closest faucet and turned on the water, filling up the cup while Four was trying not to throw up.
Desti placed the glass of water in front of him, and he gratefully took it. He began to drink it, and although it didn’t get rid of his nausea, it did help remedy his need to vomit.
Four slammed the glass on the counter, similarly to how he did with his phone. He took a deep breath and waited for the room to stop spinning. Then, he heard the sound of a notification from his phone.
Four picked up his phone from the counter and turned it over, revealing he had a few missed messages from Three. He smiled almost pathetically— and his friends immediately knew who had texted him by the way he reacted. Four opened his phone and looked at the messages.
Three
Hello floor, its 2 AM, why are you asking if im busy?????
Four?
Why are you at a bar in the middle of nowhere?
Four sat up straight in his seat. How did he know that? Was Three following him?
Four
I’ll call the police on you don’t scare me
Three
???????
You never turned your location off
Four blinked once. Twice. Then, he finally realized what Three had sent.
Four
Oh shit
That’s all he sent before taking another sip from his water again. His friends were saying something— they have been— but Four’s ear were ringing and his brain was too busy dealing with Three. He watched as another message appeared on his screen.
Three
Four, are you drunk??
Four
Yeah im not even gonna lie im like two seconds away from blacking out
Four was telling the truth. He felt so lightheaded it felt like he was drowning. The world was spinning, his vision was blurry, his face was burning along with his stomach, he couldn’t hear anything, and the only thing on his mind was Three.
Then, he felt a sting on the side of his face. Someone had slapped him. The world stopped spinning for a moment, and he could just barely make out some words.
“You’re going home, Four.”
It was X. He didn’t sound mad, he didn’t even sound upset. He just sounded tired. Four didn’t fight it. He allowed his body to relax.
Next thing he knew it, everything was black. He was knocked out cold.
———————
Three had questions.
Lots of them.
He was doing his nightly routine of scrolling through different social media platforms on his phone, and was just beginning to doze off when he got a message from Four. He didn’t answer it immediately, he was a bit afraid to seem desperate. After a moment, Three’s anxiety jumped to worst-case scenarios. What if Four was in danger?
Reluctantly, Three opened his messages. Then, his worries were replaced by confusion.
Four
Hey tree. Are you busy? You should stop that
Three stared at his screen and rubbed his eyes. He looked again, and the message was the same. He had read it right.
He decided to play along, by calling Four something stupid.
Three
Hello floor, its 2 AM, why are you asking if im busy?????
Four didn’t respond immediately. Three didn’t expect him to necessarily, but his nerves were growing by the second. He began to type another message.
Three
Four?
He still hadn’t replied, or opened the messages at all as a matter of fact. Three was trying to think of what to do, because there were a lot of horrible scenarios going through his mind that he desperately hoped weren’t happening. He was fully sitting up now, lying down felt inappropriate for this situation.
Three was very worried now. Four hadn’t replied in minutes, and maybe Three was just a paranoid maniac, but he wanted to know that Four was safe. He then clicked on the top of his contact to call Four, because maybe that would get his attention. However, right before he was about to call Four, he noticed something.
Four never stopped sharing his location.
Curiosity, along with a desperate attempt to get some answers, drove Three to click on the map. It opened up and showed that Four was not at his castle. Instead, he was in the middle of nowhere, or at least it seemed like it.
Three zoomed in on to where Four’s pin was on the map. Turns out, he wasn’t just in the middle of nowhere. He was at a bar.
Three clicked off the map and hastily typed another message.
Three
Why are you at a bar in the middle of nowhere?
He began to lose hope when Four didn’t respond immediately. Then, he saw the chat bubble that indicated he was typing back, and Three stared at the screen with worry and anticipation.
Four
I’ll call the police on you don’t scare me
What.
Three
???????
You never turned your location off
Three was no longer sitting up in his bed. Instead, he was standing, and putting on his shoes. He was very close to checking on Four in real life.
However, he didn’t want to seem too insane. He sent another message to confirm that he wasn’t going crazy.
Three
Four, are you drunk??
He watched as Four typed out a response. Three was already heading down the stairs of his house. He just needed a sign that Four could actually need him.
Four
Yeah im not even gonna lie im like two seconds away from blacking out
Three
I’m on my way, dont worry
Three was practically sprinting out of his house now. He reached his car, unlocked it, and practically threw the door open. He slammed it shut and started the car, pulling up the location on his phone. Four hadn’t replied, which made Three move even faster.
He put the location of the bar into his GPS, and it was about twenty minutes away. Three was ready to break every road law that stood in his way. He pulled out of his driveway and began to drive, speeding down the road and slamming on the brakes when reaching a stop sign.
There was so much adrenaline pumping through him that Three realized just then what he was doing. He was breaking laws, risking getting arrested, to save his drunk friend that was in a sketchy bar at two in the morning. It was a little insane. Three was a little insane.
He didn’t bother to change out of pajamas or fix his hair or anything. Three looked like a mess— and, honestly, sort of was one. He would react this way if any of his friends needed help. The difference was, however, that his other friends had other people they would reach out to first before him. He thought Four would reach out to anyone else before him. Maybe Three was selfish for taking this opportunity for granted. Surely if Four was sober, he would reach out to someone else before him.
Three was actively ignoring all speed limit signs. He wasn’t too far now, the GPS said he had around seven minutes left. He could turn that seven minutes into two easily.
So he did.
Three sped down the road, running red lights and not stopping at stop signs. There was nobody else around, who cares? He had bigger problems to worry about than following the law.
Eventually, Three rounded a corner, and was on the road that led straight to the bar. He floored it— literally. The suggested speed limit was fifty miles per hour. Three was going eighty.
On the very right side of the road, he could just barely see a building. Three turned and almost drifted. He pulled into the parking lot of the bar, and there was only one other car. He parked haphazardly near the front, and quickly exited the car. He didn’t bother locking it behind him.
Three ran up to the doors of the bar, and swung them open. When he made it inside, multiple pairs of eyes were on him. Then, he spotted Four. He was conscious, barely, and when his eyes landed on Three, he tried to sit up. Three rushed over to him, ignoring the people around them.
“Four, holy shit, what happened?” He asked, grabbing Four’s hands. He looked like he was in a trance.
“Three? Fucking hell,” Four said, not answering his question. He smelled like beer.
“You’re Three!” One of the people next to Four exclaimed. Three looked at them. He was wearing a similar outfit to Four, just red and black instead of blue and white.
“Yeah?” Three replied with utter confusion. On the other side of Four was another man, who was wearing the same outfit but recolored teal and green.
“I’m so sorry this is how we meet. My name is X, and that’s FM.” X said. He seemed to be the most sober one out of them.
“Can someone explain what happened?” Three asked. Four was now leaning against Three’s chest, and he tried desperately to ignore how much he loved the feeling.
“These guys come in every other Saturday. Four decided to get drunk tonight.” A new voice explained. Three looked at the woman behind the counter. “I’m Desti, the bartender.”
“You let him get like this? What’s wrong with you!” Three exclaimed. Desti seemed unfazed.
“I tried to get the drink out of his hands. He chugged it before I got it away from him.” Desti answered.
“Oh man, you should’ve seen it. Very impressive.” FM commented. Three stared at him with an unamused expression.
“I’m sorry, they’re not usually like this. Four just decided to celebrate meeting y—” X began to speak, before cutting himself off.
“X I swear to god if you don’t shut up I’ll fucking kill you.” Four interrupted loudly. Three had no idea what was going on. All he knew was that he needed to get Four home.
“I’m going to take Four home. Nice meeting you guys.” Three said. He grabbed Four’s wrists and pulled him up and out of his seat.
“Bye Four and rock band guy!” FM cheered. X and Desti looked at each other, completely stunned at the whole situation.
Four’s hands were now intertwined with Three’s. He didn’t know how they moved there, or if it was on purpose or not, but Three didn’t mind. They walked outside and Three opened the passenger door for Four, who clumsily sat down in the seat.
When Three got in and sat down in his seat, he looked at Four seriously. Four looked tired, happy, and also on the verge of tears. Three placed a hand on his shoulder.
“I’m going to take you home, okay?” He said comfortingly. Four leaned his head against his hand, and Three might have had a heart attack.
“Yours or mine?” Four asked, looking at Three with eyes full of emotion and unexplainable feelings.
“Yours, Four.” Three answered. He couldn’t help but smile at the question. Four didn’t seem bothered by either option; as long as he was with Three.
Three retracted his hand and put it on the steering wheel. As he backed out of the parking spot, Four began to laugh. Three glared at him with confusion.
“You— you suck at parking, holy shit. I’m surprised you didn’t get fined.” Four grinned. He was looking out the window, and Three huffed out a laugh.
“Well, when you’re worried about someone you care about, parking isn’t exactly your top priority.” Three replied with a shrug. “Also, it’s the middle of the night and there’s no cops around. It’s not a shock that I didn’t get in trouble.”
“You care about me?” Four asked with wide eyes. Three shifted his attention away from the man and back onto the road in front of him.
“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t go thirty miles an hour more than the speed limit just to get to the bar.” Three admitted. The car was filled with silence.
Then, he heard sniffles coming from Four. He glanced at him, and sure enough, he was crying. And that might have been the biggest problem of the night.
Not because he was crying or getting emotional, no. Because Four was a pretty crier. He looked almost beautiful the way that he tried to stop his lips from trembling as tears fell from his eyes and down his cheeks. Three hated himself for finding him pretty like this, when he was obviously not in a mental state where he could process things logically. Yet his curiosity burned like a fire within him— did Four always look this pretty when he cried?
Three realized he didn’t say anything and was just staring at him. “Are you alright?” He asked simply. He forced his eyes away to focus on his driving.
“Yeah, I just never thought you’d care that much.” Four answered. Three’s heart hurt at his words.
“Why not?” He asked. It was less of a question, and more of a desperate attempt at getting some sort of answer that would make Three feel better about the situation.
“I dunno— superiority complex? You’re too good for me.” Four shrugged.
“That makes no sense.” Three said flatly.
“You make no sense. Do you even know where you’re driving?” Four retorted, changing the subject.
“We just turned onto the road that leads to your castle.” Three stated.
“Fuck, I haven’t even cleaned yet.” Four said. Three furrowed his brow in confusion.
They reached the castle, and Three decided that he would walk Four inside. He didn’t want him to trip and hit his head or anything. Three got out of the car, and opened Four’s door.
Four laced their fingers together again, and Three tried hard not to melt into the touch. It was stupid to feel this much emotion over some actions that his friend did while drunk. It was pathetic.
When they got to the doors, Four opened them and dragged Three inside behind him. Three looked around the castle in awe. It was very spacious, with a big staircase in the middle. There were different doors on the sides of the walls that led to different rooms. Three was very curious to see where each one led— but he could think about that later.
Four continued to walk towards one of the rooms, still holding onto Three. He opened the door, and Three looked around in shock. It was his bedroom.
Three watched as Four sat down on his bed. He had let go of his hands by now. Four looked at Three expectingly, waiting for him to join him.
“Well, uh, I should get going. Goodnight Four.” Three said, turning around and beginning to walk away.
There was a tug on his wrist.
“Wait.”
Three glanced behind him, and Four looked absolutely pathetic. His eyes were watering, and a frown was placed on his trembling lips. Three fully turned around to face him.
“Please don’t go.” Four begged. He fucking begged.
Three’s heart was pounding loudly. He swallowed, trying to figure out the right words to say as they caught in his throat.
“You want me to stay?” Three asked. He needed confirmation.
“I need you to stay.” Four answered. He looked down at the floor, as if he were ashamed. “Just at least until the morning. Please.”
Three couldn’t say no, not when Four was looking at him like he was wanted. It felt like his heart was being ripped out of him, and maybe if Four was the one doing it, he’d let him.
“Sure. What do you need right now?” Three asked, keeping his eyes on Four.
“It’s hot.” Four replied, not really answering Three’s question.
Four took his hat and threw it across the room, hitting the ground with a loud thud. He began to undo his overalls, which in turn made Three’s face grow warm very fast.
“You— do you have any pajamas I can get for you?” Three stuttered, looking away.
“I sleep in my boxers.” Four said, as if that meant nothing right now. Three shut his eyes tightly, completely unsure on what to do.
“Okay, sure. Just get under the blankets.” Three responded, still refusing to look at Four. He heard the sounds of clothes being taken off, and he silently reprimanded himself for being slightly curious as to what Four looked like.
After a moment, the noise stopped. Three just barely peeked, and saw Four lying there, his chest just barely showing. He was smiling at him innocently.
“Right, uh, I’m going to find somewhere to sleep if that’s okay.” Three said, grinning back nervously. There was one thing going through his mind right then.
Please don’t say it. Please just say okay. Please for the love of god don’t say it.
“Why not with me?”
God fucking damn it.
“Four. You are drunk. If you woke up sober and saw me next to you, you would probably lose your mind.” Three stated. Four looked very offended at his words.
“Are you saying you hate me?” He asked with a growing frown.
“What? No—”
“I can’t believe you never want to talk to me again. That’s so rude! After everything we’ve been through!” Four began to cry. Three had no idea what to do or what to say.
“Four, please—”
“I can’t believe this whole time I thought you’ve been singing to me for nothing!”
“Oh my god, fine, scoot over.” Three exclaimed. Then, he realized what Four just said. “What?”
“Yay!” Four cheered, moving over in his bed to create room for Three. He either forgot what he said, or was ignoring Three’s question. Both were very possible.
Three walked over near the door and turned off the lights, before heading back over to the bed. Three climbed into the bed, and tried to get as much space in between them as possible. Which wasn’t much, but he would take what he could get. Four was now on his side, facing towards him.
Three stared at the ceiling. Looking at Four was a death sentence. The room was dark, the only light coming from an alarm clock on Four’s nightstand. He wished desperately that Four would start snoring, or any sort of sign that he was asleep.
“Thank you for being here, Three.” Four said quietly. Any sort of doubt or worry melted away, and Three just smiled as he closed his eyes.
“I’ll always be there when you need me.”
———————
When Four woke up that morning, his head felt like it had been crushed by a hydraulic press. He barely remembered the events of that night. He recalled going to the bar, having some drinks, and the rest of it seemed to vanish from his memory.
Four assumed it was just “one of those nights” again. He walked home, crashed onto his bed, and fell asleep. Easy, right?
Wrong, because Four then heard the sound of shuffling coming from somewhere else in the castle. He shot up, and quickly got out of bed. He was hoping that one of his friends had just broken in again, and that it wasn’t a stranger trying to rob him.
Four exited his room, the noises getting louder. He looked around, before realizing that they were coming from the kitchen. Maybe it was Mario, trying to steal his food again.
Four mentally braced himself once he reached the entryway to the kitchen. He quietly walked in, and saw someone he didn’t immediately recognize.
As a normal response, he screamed. Loudly.
The person turned around, and Four felt waves of shame and embarrassment crash into him. It was Three. He was at the stove, and appeared to be cooking something.
Why was he at Four’s castle?
“Good morning to you too.” Three said with a teasing grin.
Four’s face was burning. “What are you doing here?” He asked.
Three paused, and then sighed. “I guess you don’t remember, then.”
“Remember what?” Four was utterly confused.
“It’s a lot to explain. I’m going to finish making breakfast. You should, uh,” Three’s eyes looked Four up and down. “Put on some clothes. I’ll tell you everything over food.”
Four looked down at himself. Like how he usually was when he woke up, he was in just his boxers. That wouldn’t be a problem if it weren’t for the fact that Three was right fucking there.
“Right. I’m gonna do that.” Four said, walking away in pure humiliation.
When he got in his room, Four tried to recall the events of the previous night. He remembered going to the bar with X and FM, talking for a bit, and then the memories stopped. How did Three get involved? Why was he making breakfast for him? Why did Four feel so unbelievably warm in his chest due to the domesticity of Three cooking for the two of them?
It was stupid— no, foolish of him to even entertain that thought. He couldn’t imagine what life would be like if he woke up daily to Three making breakfast. He shouldn’t think about them two sharing coffee in the early hours of the morning, talking about everything and nothing at the same time. He can’t picture them living together, breathing in the same air, existing in the same space, making the castle go from somewhere Four lived to his actual home.
That’s the problem, though. He could imagine that life. He did think about them sharing coffee. He can picture them living together. And all of those thoughts, hitting Four at once, made him feel physically ill.
It wasn’t necessarily the fact he was disgusted by anything. He had just woken up from a confusing and rough night, with a terrible hangover, and all of these realizations were too much for him to handle. Four didn’t know how he could go back into the kitchen and talk with Three. Maybe he should just jump out of a window and escape.
Unfortunately, Four was too much of a coward to do that. Instead, he would have to suffer his fate, and figure out what really happened last night. He prayed that it wasn’t anything. . . Intense.
Four returned to the kitchen with a T-shirt and sweatpants. Three had set plates of pancakes on the dining table for both of them, and was now making coffee. Four had to push back all of the thoughts of wanting to wake up to this daily.
“Do you want any coffee?” Three asked once he noticed Four standing there, awkwardly.
“Yeah, sure.” Four answered. He walked to where Three was standing, next to the coffee maker. From a cabinet above, Four grabbed two mugs for each of them.
The coffee was almost done brewing. Three glanced at Four. “Sleep well?”
“Yeah, I think so.” Four replied. He couldn’t remember when he went to sleep or if he had any dreams. “What about you?”
Three paused. “I slept alright.” He said. A part of Four felt like he was lying, but he decided to drop it.
Once the coffee was finished brewing, Three poured some into both of their mugs. Four got creamer from inside his fridge and added a bit into his, along with some sugar cubes. He noticed that Three added a lot more creamer than he did.
They sat down at the table across from each other. Four poured syrup onto his pancakes, and handed the bottle to Three, who followed his actions. They ate for a bit in silence. Four would enjoy it a lot more if it weren’t for the fact that he was having a mini panic attack over what happened the previous night.
“You got really drunk last night, Four.” Three said after a few minutes. Four swallowed hard, despite not having any food or drink in his mouth.
“I figured that much.” He replied, looking at the table. The feeling of Three staring at him felt like he was being observed under a microscope.
“Have you checked your messages?” Three asked, before adding, “our messages?”
Four’s heart sank. He didn’t remember texting Three at all last night. This couldn’t be good.
“Judging by that look of terror on your face, I’m assuming not. Here,” Three reached into one of his pockets and pulled out his phone. He scrolled and opened their shared messages.
Four read over them, and each one just made the twisted feeling in his stomach grow more and more. He called him “tree”, threatened to call the police on him, and Four forgot to turn off his fucking location.
“Oh. My god.” Four just barely managed to say. He handed Three his phone back with embarrassment.
“You scared the shit out of me, not gonna lie.” Three remarked.
“What exactly happened? After the messages?” Four asked. He felt his throat tighten, almost as if he were going to cry.
He could not let that happen.
“Well, uh, when I got there, you seemed to be just waking up from being unconscious. Your friend— FM, I think?— was pretty excited to meet me. The other guy, X, was apologetic and said. . . Never mind. The bartender had me worried for you, and I ended up taking you here. And, uh,” Three paused. He hesitated over what to say next.
Four looked at him intently. The entire story already made him want to dig his own grave and bury himself alive, so surely it couldn’t get worse. Right?
“I got you to your bed, and was about to leave, when you asked if I could sleep over. I agreed. Then you, uh, you. Took your clothes off.” Three stammered. His face looked a shade of red darker than usual.
Four took a sharp inhale. “Not— not all of them, right?” He asked.
Three stared at him with wide eyes. “Oh my god, no. You had your boxers on.”
“Thank goodness, at least I still have some dignity.” Four gave a sigh of relief.
“You also asked me to sleep with you.”
“I did what.”
Four and Three were both glaring at each other. Four was absolutely mortified. Three saw this, and bursted out into laughter.
“Not like that! Jesus Christ, Four!” He exclaimed. Four blushed profusely.
“Well— I— can you blame me? I didn’t want to jump to conclusions but the way you worded it—” Four tried to explain, but ultimately gave up. He took a sip of his coffee, wishing that the hot liquid would just burn his tongue off.
“How else was I supposed to word it? I literally said, ‘I’m going to go find somewhere to sleep.’ And you said, ‘why not with me?’.” Three replied, still giggling.
“Well, did you?” Four couldn’t help but ask. Three stopped laughing and his smile faded. He looked away, taking a keen interest in the floor.
“Yeah.” He admitted. Four didn’t know how to react to this information.
“And you were able to sleep fine?” Four asked. Three carefully looked up at Four, meeting his gaze with uncertainty in his eyes.
“That was probably the best I’ve slept in weeks.” Three confessed seriously. The silence between them was loud, almost deafening. The moment felt bigger than the both of them.
“I can’t believe you showed up, took me home, stayed with me all night, and cooked breakfast.” Four said, because that’s the only thing that came to mind.
“I meant what I said, Four.” Three responded. His voice was low, almost like he was muttering. “If you ever need me, you can call me.”
Four looked at him, before cracking a smile. “I didn’t call you, though. I texted you.”
“Well, the deal is off now. You ruined it. Goodbye forever.” Three joked. They both began to laugh. It felt so comfortable for Four. It felt so right.
Then, Three’s phone started ringing. His ringtone was some sort of rock song— not one from Pentaphobia, one from a different band that Four didn’t recognize. Four watched as Three took out his phone and answered it.
“Hello?” Three greeted. Four could just barely make out the sound of another voice coming from the speakers.
Three’s eyes widened, like he had just realized something. “No, I’m at Four’s.”
The other voice spoke again, and Three covered his face with his hand. “Shut up! I might just not go now that you’re acting like this.” Four noticed how the tone of his voice changed, and he knew he was joking.
Was it weird that he noticed that?
“I mean, yeah, but I still have clothes at my house I need to get. That would make me an extra thirty minutes late.”
Four frowned. Apparently, Three was late to something. That couldn’t be good.
Three suddenly stared directly at Four. “I can’t just— I’m not doing that!” He exclaimed, his voice louder.
“Why did you put me on speaker? You’re a dick!” Three continued to yell. Four couldn’t help but giggle at his frustration. Three noticed this, and shot him a glare.
“Fine. I’ll do it. Only because I know you guys won’t stop bothering me if I don’t.” Three sighed. Four was extremely curious as to what was going on, and was hoping that Three would tell him.
Three’s gaze fixed on Four. He moved his phone away so the microphone couldn’t pick up what he was saying. “Four, would you like to come to our rehearsal?”
Four blinked. Three wanted him to go to his band’s practice?
“Yeah, sure. That sounds like fun.” Four answered quickly.
“And would you be opposed to running by my house so I can change?” Three asked.
“I don’t care,” Four replied. He caught himself before he could add “as long as I’m with you”.
Three moved the phone back towards his mouth. “He said yes. Give us forty five minutes.”
Four could faintly hear cheering coming from the phone. He scratched the back of his neck nervously. Why did they want him to go so bad?
“Yeah, yeah. See you guys soon.” Three said before hanging up. He sighed and looked at Four with a frown. “I’m sorry about this. The band was pretty upset at me for stealing you away from them at the concert, and they want to actually talk to you.”
Four’s heart skipped a beat when he said that Three “stole” him away. He shook his head regardless. “No, it’s fine. If they’re anything like you, I’ll like them.”
“R-right! So, uh, are you going to change into different clothes?” Three asked, averting his gaze away from Four.
“I should. I don’t want to show up looking like I’m suffering from a hangover.” Four answered, getting up.
“Oh, shit, I didn’t even think of that.” Three said, also standing up. “Are you feeling alright? You don’t have to go if you’re feeling shitty.”
“No, I’m fine, really.” Four reassured. Three looked at him, trying to decide on something.
“Okay, okay. Go get dressed, I’ll take care of the plates and stuff.” Three stated.
Four was going to protest about him doing this, but he decided to stay silent after Three glared at him. Four pushed in his chair and went to his room.
———————
Four was excited, not only to watch the band rehearse, but also to see Three’s house. They were going to stop by there so he could get changed.
They were now driving to Three’s house. Four was wearing his usual clothes, and earlier Three had made a comment on how he was like a cartoon character that had ten pairs of the same outfit. Four didn’t know if he should feel offended or not.
“You’re gonna see how many times we have to go over the same spot in each song.” Three stated.
Four turned his attention from the window to Three. “What do you mean?”
“There’s always just one spot that is either hard to nail down, or it’s just not sounding right. Sometimes we have to change things at the last minute.” Three explained.
“Really? I can’t tell— when you’re performing.” Four replied. Three smiled softly.
“Thanks. We really just change things before releasing the song in general, though.” Three said.
“Right, that makes sense.” Four responded. “Who writes the songs?”
Three didn’t say anything at first. After a beat of silence, he said, “I do. The others help and suggest stuff, but it’s mainly me.”
“Do you ever write with anyone in mind?” Four asked. He felt like he was pushing his luck with the question. Crossing a line, overstepping a boundary.
“No,” Three answered. “Not yet.”
Before Four could ask another question, they were pulling into the driveway of a house. Three parked the car and got out. Four didn’t know if he was allowed to go in or if he should just stay in the car—
“You can come in, you know.” Three said, opening Four’s door.
Four left the car and shut the door. He looked up and observed the house standing in front of him. It wasn’t a mansion, or a castle, but it was a good sized house. Two stories, with a porch and balcony on the second floor.
Three unlocked the door to the house and opened it, allowing him and Four in. Immediately, there was a staircase to the left when you walked inside. To the right was the living room, complete with a couch and large TV suspended over a fireplace.
Four didn’t have much time to look around, though, because Three was already heading up the stairs. Four followed behind him, unsure where else he was supposed to go.
The second floor had a loft on the right of the stairs, with an L shaped couch and beanbags. There were some framed photos on the walls of what looked like Three and his bandmates. Along with this were posters of different bands and movies. There were glass doors that led to the balcony Four saw in the front of the house.
Three turned left and entered the second room down the hallway. Four stayed outside, unsure if he should keep going. Three noticed this.
“I have a bathroom connected to my room where my closet is. You can come in.” He said. Four silently nodded and walked inside.
Three entered his bathroom, which was on the left side of the bedroom. Four slowly walked around, observing the room. There were posters and photos, similar to the ones in the loft. His bed had all black blankets and sheets, with purple pillows. On his bedside table was an alarm clock, similar to Four’s.
Then, Four spotted a flag.
A pride flag.
He didn’t know which one it was— it had pink, yellow, and blue stripes. He knew it wasn’t a country since he had seen people on the internet use it and there were also pins of it he had seen— but Four couldn’t remember what it meant.
It shouldn’t have been a big deal. It wasn’t a big deal. For all he knew, it could mean that Three was attracted to nobody. Yet, Four being bisexual himself, he found some sort of comfort in the fact that Three was at least part of the LGBTQ community.
He purposefully disregarded the pull at his heartstrings when he figured out that Three could like boys.
“Oh, yeah, I’m pansexual.” Three said out of nowhere. Four jumped, not hearing Three’s footsteps or the bathroom door open.
“I don’t know what that means.” Four replied honestly. He turned to look at Three, who was smiling. Three laughed lightheartedly.
“I like anyone no matter what their gender is.” Three explained. Four’s heart leapt, and he tried to stop the stirring in his chest.
“That’s— that’s cool.” Four responded. “I’m, uh, I’m bi actually.”
Four noticed how Three’s eyes widened for a split second, before he grinned again. “Awesome. Are you ready to go?”
“Yeah, I’m ready.”
Four looked at Three’s outfit, which had become one of his favorite activities. He always liked seeing what sort of clothes he would wear. There was so much variety, especially compared to Four.
Three’s shirt had what looked like the statue of an angel on it with the words “momento mori” underneath it. His pants were covered in patches with different symbols that Four didn’t know the meaning of. He wore black combat boots as well.
“You look nice.” Four said. Three looked taken aback, but gave a grateful smile.
“You do too.” Three replied. “Even though I’ve only seen you in four outfits.”
Four cocked a brow. “What do you mean? I have this outfit, the one I wore to the second concert, and the clothes I put on this morning.”
“I was counting when you were only in boxers.” Three stated flatly.
Blushing, Four yelled, “I don’t want to talk about that!”
Three simply laughed in response. He started walking to leave the room. “Come on, I don’t want to be more late than we already are.”
Four followed closely behind him. Before exiting the room, he took one last look at it. Part of Four wondered if he would ever be here again.
———————
“Oh my goodness, Kaizo, two people just broke into your apartment.” Saiko announced right after Four and Three walked into the living room.
“You’re funny.” Three said sarcastically.
Kaizo, who was in his kitchen, came to the living room. He didn’t believe Saiko, but he had to make sure it was actually Three and Four and not some stranger.
“Oh, hey Three.” Kaizo greeted. He glanced at Four, who was standing awkwardly next to him. “Hi Four.”
Melony and Belle, who were sitting on the couch, turned around.
“Hey Four! Glad you could come!” Melony cheered.
Belle silently waved.
“Hello everyone,” Four nervously smiled.
“Four, you can sit on the couch, or do whatever. Make yourself comfortable.” Kaizo remarked. He added, “just don’t break anything.”
“Alright, let’s get to work.” Three said, walking to the microphone set up in front of the couch.
The rest of the band went to their instruments. Four walked over and sat on the couch. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as they all looked at him.
“I’m not actually turning on the mic, don’t worry.” Three reassured Four, even though that’s not what he was even thinking about.
“We’re starting with Cherry Waves, right?” Belle asked.
“Yeah. I need to work on the chorus, and I’m pretty sure Kaizo said he needed to practice that one part.” Three answered.
“Real specific.” Kaizo said.
“Shut up,” Three replied teasingly. “Alright, get set.”
Each member shifted their positions and posture, standing up straight and adjusting the placement of their feet. Four had no idea why they did this, but it looked cool.
“Kaizo, will you click us off?” Three asked, just barely looking over his shoulder.
Kaizo nodded, and then picked up his drumsticks. He hit them together, making a loud noise that was similar to a metronome. After three clicks, both Belle and Saiko started playing their guitars as Kaizo began to drum. Melony was clicking different buttons on her keyboard that sounded almost like sound effects.
Then, Three began to sing.
It felt so surreal to hear him with no microphone on. It genuinely felt like he was singing to Four— more than ever. Began to fidget with his gloved hands, growing more nervous as Three continued to stare at him while he sang.
Four’s heart was in his throat. His brain was working overtime, with what felt like thousands of thoughts running around his head. He tried to ignore them all— to focus on the actual lyrics, the instruments, even the interior of the room— but it couldn’t stop all of them from gathering Four’s attention.
Three has a really beautiful voice.
I like how he’s looking at me.
He’s singing this for me.
I want to hear him sing forever.
He looks so beautiful. Focused and careful.
I’m too sober for this.
I want this moment to last forever.
I want this memory to be etched in my brain.
I want to see all of their concerts.
I want to have Three look at me at each concert.
I want to be his focus.
I want him to forever have a soft spot for me.
I want him.
I want Three.
Someone messed up— they were no longer playing. There was talking in the background, some laughter maybe. But Four didn’t hear it.
Because as soon as he processed that thought, he couldn’t hear anything else.
I want Three.
I want Three.
I want Three.
I want Three.
I want Three.
I want Three.
I want Three.
It was like a prayer— the way he kept repeating it over and over. Four tried to stop; he desperately attempted to think of anything else. He tried to focus on what the band was doing in front of him. He tried hard to ignore it. He tried.
But it was too late.
Once you have a thought like that, there’s no way to reverse it. You couldn’t undo the damage. You couldn’t pretend that you didn’t think it.
That wasn’t Four’s brain speaking to him. It was his heart.
And he knew what this meant.
Four stood up from the couch, getting lightheaded and feeling as if he were going to pass out.
“Kaizo, uh, where’s your bathroom?” Four asked. He had to escape. He needed help. He had to get out of there.
“Down that hall to the right.” Kaizo answered, pointing to a hallway past the kitchen.
Four nodded and walked that way. He reached the bathroom and quietly shut the door behind him. He took out his phone and opened his contacts.
Four
Mario are you busy
Four begged that Mario would respond. He needed to leave. He had to get home. He had to get somewhere safe.
Mario
No wats up :D
Four let out a sigh of relief.
Four
I need you to come pick me up. I’ll explain in the car.
[Four shared a link with Mario.]
Mario
Okie dokie
Be there asap!
Four smiled. He was glad that Mario wasn’t always a dumbass— he was a good friend and was always there for Four when he needed him.
Four put his phone back in his pocket. He looked up and stared at himself in the mirror. It felt like his own reflection was mocking him.
Suddenly, a loud knock on the door.
“Four? Are you alright?”
It was Three.
Four shuffled around in the bathroom anxiously. “Y-yeah. I’m alright.”
He needed to make an excuse to leave, quick.
“Are you sure?” Three asked, voice muffled from the door standing between them.
Four paused. “No, not really. I don’t feel good.”
Three sighed. “I told you not to come if you were feeling bad. Do you need me to take you home?” He replied. The amount of care in his voice made Four weak in the knees.
“No!” Four responded too quickly. “No, uh, Mario is coming to pick me up. I didn’t want to be a bother or anything.”
“Four, you wouldn’t bother me at all. But alright. Are you going to stay in here the rest of the time?” Three asked.
“Yeah, just in case.” Four answered.
“Alright. I hope you feel better.” Three said.
Four’s heart swelled. “Thank you.”
After Four heard Three’s footsteps fade away, he sat down on the floor. He felt pathetic. He was such a coward.
About ten minutes passed, and Four got a message from Mario saying he was there. Four got up and exited the bathroom. He walked down the hallway, listening as the band practiced.
He turned and reached Kaizo’s door. Four looked at Three and saw him wave. He begrudgingly waved back, before leaving the apartment.
Four didn’t know how he was supposed to explain to Mario how he developed a crush on Three.