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It was pretty typical that the one time he didn’t go out with the boys after a game he would get dumb texts from Connor. He’d been tired, more tired than usual and thought maybe he’d stave off a cold with some sleep. It was his own bad decisions that he had left his phone on ring so that he was nice and asleep when he randomly heard ping after ping after ping for what felt like a minute, waking him up.
“I am a giant.”
“I am an eagle.”
“I am a lion, down in the jungle.”
“I am a marching band, I am the people.”
“I am a helping hand I am a hero.”
“If anybody asks you who I am, just stand up tall look them in the face and say. I'm that star up in the sky, I’m the mountain peak up high. Hey I made it.
“I’m the world’s greatest.”
Despite being quite proud of what had to be a pretty blitzed Connor’s ability to go type in his text message, hell it was better than normal Connor texts, he was unsure as to why he was getting these texts at 1:31 am. He let his fingers hesitate over the keys for a second, eyes blinking at the bright lights before he responded.
“Is Duke there?”
“NAW, DUKE PEACED OUT WITH MAXIE LIKE AN HOUR AGAO”
And there was the texting he was familiar with drunk Connor. Shit. Tobi slung his legs over the side of his bed and rubbed his face. He didn’t even bother texting this time, just touched the picture at the top and had it call Connor. Unsurprisingly when it was answered his ear was hit with a wave of loud music.
“Where are you?”
“TOBI! You’re supposed to be here!” Connor yelled Tobi pulled the phone a few inches away from his ear. It was still pretty loud. “I’m borrrred.”
“Where’s Shane?”
Connor made a put-upon sigh. “Fucker went home to his family at like midnight.”
“What about Ollie? Or I don’t know… Jordie?”
“I think they’re gone. Most people are gone. Laws got the bartender to serve him. I got carded again. Hey, hey, you think I won’t get carded someday?”
Tobi wiped at his face. “When you’re old and gray you’ll get carded, babyface.”
“You’re mean, Tobias Rieder,” Connor said, indignantly emphasizing all the syllables in his name.
“I’ll see you soon,” Tobi said and hung up. He was always a little creeped out that Connor had insisted they download the stupid app that lets you see where your friends are but it had been more helpful that he’d foreseen it to be. He opened it up and was relieved to find that he wasn’t that far away. Maybe a ten-minute drive.
He slipped on a pair of jeans and walked over to the sink to splash some cold water on his face. He grabbed the nearest shirt that didn’t seem too gross and slipped it on as well. It wasn’t like he was going to pick up. Well, he was going to pick up but he wasn’t going to pick up someone who cared he was wearing a shirt that looked like a stupid ugly tux in Coyotes colors.
*
The bar that Connor was at was pretty open air, no bouncers and really freaking loud. Tobi found a spot that wasn’t too far away and walked in to find Lawson and a sober looking Chych seated at a table. Lawson was laughing his ass off at something and as soon as Chych saw him it was like he’d seen Gd himself. He slipped out of the seat and walked over.
“Help,” Chych said. “That dude had like 20 lbs on me and he is dead weighting.”
Tobi rolled his eyes. “Did you drive here?”
“No, HE DID,” Chych sighed.
“ The first trick, get his keys,” Tobi said, touching the side of his nose. “I have to find my idiot.”
Which, it turned out, wasn’t that difficult as he was soon to find out. Connor stumbled out from the crowd and was smiling wide and slow. He wasn’t black out drunk, Tobi could easily see that. But he was ‘trouble maker’ drunk. Tobi smiled back at him, probably a lot more sarcastic than it should be.
“YOU ARE HERE!” Connor bellowed over the music, coming up and throwing his arms around Tobi. “I KNEW YOU’D COME.”
Tobi slipped his arm around Connor and turned, trying to very casually lead him towards the table where it looked like Lawson and was wrestling Chych. “Because I told you, Murphs.”
“They look like they need alone time,” Connor giggled, resisting moving towards there. “Come on, let’s dance. You want to dance, Tobs? I mean the music here is awesome. I remember it from when I was a kid. Do you remember it?”
The song that was playing was one he didn’t remember in the least. It wasn’t like Germany was completely cut off, he remembered a lot of the music, but this one was not one he could recall. “Did you pay your bill?”
“Duh,” Connor said. “I’m not a douche. Paid with cash every time. Tipped well too.”
It would be endearing how proud he was of this fact but he was pretty hefty for a bean pole so Tobi was not in the mood to be endeared. “Come on, buddy. Time to go.”
“Whhhhhy?” he whined. “The music is playing. Lawson is drunk. Man, I have some photos for you… Let’s daaaaance.”
“We can dance tomorrow, Connor,” he assured him. “It’s almost closing time.”
Which was about when Connor started to sing. “YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO HOME BUT YOU CAN’T STAY HERE. I KNOW WHO I WANT TO TAKE ME HOME. TAKE ME HOME.”
Chych had finagled the keys out of Lawson’s pockets and was pushing him off of the table. He put his thumbs up towards Tobi and Tobi laughed, honestly, because really? This was random.
“Hey, you don’t like my singing?” Connor said, obviously actually offended.
“I love your singing, come on,” Tobi said. “Laws and Chych are leaving. Time to go..”
Connor leaned in to Tobi’s ear and drunk-whispered, “I know who I want to take me home, take me hooooome.”
Despite his better judgment he slipped his hand into Connor’s and squeezed lightly. It wasn’t intertwined fingers or anything, but he let them indulge in the hand hold for as long as it took for him to pull him to his car and make sure he got his seat belt on. By the time he went around the car and got into his own seat, Connor was curled on the glass of the car door mostly asleep.
*
He woke the next morning with Connor wrapped around his back and his hands dangling over Tobi’s chest. He knew from the slight groaning that Connor was awake, but kept quiet for as long as he could because it was nice and warm and he was still freaking tired. It was his bladder that won out.
He slipped out of bed and into the bathroom, pissed, washed his hands and grabbed the bottle of Tylenol he kept in the cabinet. He had already made sure there was SmartWater by the bed. When he came out Connor was staring at the ceiling like it had insulted his mother.
“Here,” Tobi said gently. “Take these.”
Connor smiled at him slightly. “Good boyfriend.”
“I picked your drunk ass up after you sent me too many texts last night, I am the Best boyfriend.”
Connor’s face twisted in thought before he grabbed his phone and laughed a little. “Oh, dude. I’m sorry I sent you R. Kelly lyrics.”
“Best. Boyfriend.”
“No competition,” Connor said, as Tobi slipped back into bed beside him.