Work Text:
"Wait!"
"Huh?"
Two boys sat in Ethan's room, sipping caprisuns and talking about different things here and there over cookies and a bowl of buttery popcorn. A cheesy movie played on in the background, the two boys sometimes jeering criticism but more often, just talking. Now, however, in the peak of the movie, was the peak of their conversation. Alex, half a cookie in his mouth, stared at his best friend, crumbs getting on his shirt. The other boy sat up on his knees on the bed, arms once waving now outstretched, expression changing infinitely by the second before settling.
"What did you say?"
"There's this really funny meme that--"
"No! Alex, what-? No! I wouldn't get this freaked out over a frog meme."
"I don't know, it's a pretty good one. It's like dat boi, but better!"
"Alex, you're my best friend, I love you, but please try to remember what you just said, for my own sake."
"Okay."
"You said you and Lukas used to what ?"
"We used to date?"
The casual tone in which Alex spoke these mind-boggling words sent Ethan into a spiral. He sat back on his feet, face down as his eyes, wide open, seemed to burn a hole into the starry sheets he had. He didn't move, didn't blink, Alex was sure he didn't even breathe the few seconds before the implosion. If they hadn't already been so close, Alex knew Ethan would have jumped at him.
" When did you two date? Why didn't I hear about any of this? Why did you two date? Why did I not hear about this?!"
"Geez, E, calm down!"
"No! Alex, this is earth-shattering news." The blue haired boy jumped to his feet, beginning to pace a path into his floor. "That would explain why you hate each other but, what happened? When did it all happen? Jesus Christ, Alex, you can't just drop something that simple and leave!"
Aforementioned boy sighed, leaning back against the wall. His lips pursed as he thought, gaze drawn upward, as if the sky could help him narrate the story. "All right, fine, although I'm pretty sure you know? Anyways, it started like this."
It was about 4 months after they had first met Lukas; both of them were 13 and Lukas was 14 and, for lack of a better word, absolutely gross. ("That still hasn't changed," Alex added in a hum.) Ethan had thought Lukas was so cool and it was time to prove to his best friend and any girls that perchance liked Lukas that Alex was the cooler one. This was before they knew Lukas was gay, so Alex, in his need to prove his self-worth, had chugged along with the idea that fighting him would be the best way to prove to everybody Alex was superior.
"As you can remember, it didn't go well," Alex continued, rolling his eyes as he recalled the incident.
Ethan snorted, "Yeah, he grabbed you by the hood of your jacket at the last second, pulled it over your eyes, and you ran into a wall, screaming. And then you kept trying to swing at him? And he just pinned you back up against the same wall and watched you struggle until you gave up."
"I know," Alex said, voice and expression deadpan. "I was there."
While the defeat was just a tad humiliating, as the crowd dispersed, Alex, on the ground, pouted. What else could one do about a fight that wasn't even one? Maybe if blood had been drawn, he could regale the event with more pizazz but nothing was attractive about a boy being done in by a jacket. So he sat, sulking, and a hand was offered to him. It was a disappointment, to say the least, to ses it was just Lukas behind the hand.
"What're you doing? Gloating?" Alex had said, suspiciously eyeing the other.
"Do you not know what gloating is?" Lukas had returned his question with another, smirking. That damned smirk, Alex wanted to wipe it off so frigging bad. Lukas kept talking, unfortunately: "Are you gonna let me help you up or are you just gonna keep pouting like a brat?"
"I'm not a brat!"
"Right, and I'm straight. Hey, look, we're both liars! Now, get up, come on. If people see me being nice, I'll have to murder somebody again."
Lukas had transferred to their school mid-year, and there had been rumors a plenty about the reason. Some say he had killed a kid, while others say he had killed a teacher. A few theorized he had just escaped a mental ward and was posing as a student, but others shut them down because Jesus, how discriminatory can you get? The mentally ill are already villainized in every horror movie, they don't need that treatment. Still, it was whispered he did something bad , so maybe it was a mistake when Alex asked, "You've killed before?"
"The answer depends on how much you're willing to risk that I am."
That was enough for Alex to take the other's hand, eyes rolling to the heavens.
"Jesus, could you get any edgier?"
"I could come to school tomorrow wearing ripped jeans, fake piercings, tattoos, and eyeliner, if that's your preference."
"Nah, I prefer my edgy boys to come with yellow contact lenses, fingerless gloves, and doodle pentagrams in their notebooks. The eyeliner is key, though." And they laughed and he hated it.
The present Alex pursed his lips as Ethan, mouth behind his hand snorted here and there. "You know, I don't have to tell you."
"I know! I know, sorry, it just sounds like a fucking wattpad fic."
Alex just glared, but continued the narration: they walked to the parking lot, where Alex had to stay.
"I told my mom I had tutoring and I'd need to be picked up in an hour or something. I didn't know it was gonna last fucking 15 minutes."
Lukas snorted and, in all his wisdom and humor, said, "Oh, most guys I know think they can last longer than they actually do."
Alex, more out of surprise, hit the other's shoulder lightly with a guffaw, breaking into giggles. "Ew, no, shut up, that's so gross! We're minors!"
"And yet you're a major pain in my ass." The two sat on the concrete sidewalk edge in front of their school, seeing a few others walk around. For the most part, 98% of the students had headed home, leaving the ones who had actual tutoring or extracurricular activities behind. "Ethan's not around?"
"No, we usually get picked up together since we live really close to each other. I told him to tell our parents that I was in tutoring if they asked, so now I'm kinda just stuck here."
"Why not just tell your mom you got let out early?"
Alex frowned, bottom lip out as he rocked his head back and forth, seemingly contemplating before speaking. "Keep a secret? My mom thinks I'm having dinner here and I don't want her to get food for me. I'm kind of one less mouth to feed, and I'd rather not put any more stress on her. I know it's stupid, but I don't know, I don't like her worried over me"
But Lukas, nonchalant as ever, simply shrugged and stretched out his legs. "It's not stupid. Well, okay, a little bit, but you care about her and she does to you. I'm sure she doesn't mind."
"Maybe," Alex shrugged, kicking up the dirt and befriending an ant in the cracks of the cement. "So, what about you? When are you gonna get picked up?"
It was Lukas' turn to shrug. "Idk, dog, It's a gamble and I'm usually wrong."
"One: did you both call me dog and spell out the letters I-D-K in the same sentence? Two: what do you mean it's a gamble? I don't know what you told your parents but I'm pretty sure they can still pick you up, right? …Right, Lukas?"
"Yeah. Yeah, sure. Since your dumbass won't eat and I'm starving, wanna grab a bite while we both wait? You've probably heard of the little diner in the stretch of plaza behind the school-- Eddie's? Sammy went there a couple of times and says the strawberry and banana milkshakes are to die for, and the burgers are gigantic and amazing. My treat?"
And, for no reason at all, Alex agreed. Every Monday for four weeks, they went to the shop after school, so Alex could keep up the appearance of being in tutoring and so Lukas… Alex didn't know what he got out of this, to be honest. Every time they went, he took care of the bills and always was the one left behind at the diner. Everything was confusing, and having only known each other 5 months, Alex didn't feel it appropriate to ask personal, digging questions, and Lukas didn't seem the type to answer them truthfully, or at all. So they split a meal and drank milkshakes and Alex always complained about being lactose-intolerant afterwards and Lukas would laugh and pretend like telling the boy to stop would do anything. It was casual. The talks were quiet, nothing like how Ethan and Alex or Sam and Alex were. While Ethan and Lukas shared the listening trait, Ethan would chime in at certain parts and they'd talk about that, over and over for hours. It was a trade-off of their interests and opinions and silly questions. With the half-blind teen, things were different. He'd listen, and laugh, and listen, and tease, and listen. He would just sit back in his chair and give Alex his entire attention and listen. Alex was softer too, in volume and actions. He imagined if a person was marijuana, Lukas would be it. It wasn't a bad thing, it was just different. The 5th time they went to Eddie's was the time the cycle broke.
In that time span, they had grown to be catered to by one woman: a lovely old woman named Josie with gray hairs and a kind smile who claimed to be Eddie's wife. The third time they came in, she greeted them with a wave and a smile- "Here come my favorite two boys!"- with a tray already donning their regular order. The 5th time they came, she said something that had meant to be well-meaning: "My favorite lovebirds come back for lil ol' me and Juni back there?"
Their reactions were vastly different. Alex sputtered, proclaiming very loudly, "We're not lovebirds!" just as Lukas had chuckled and nodded, saying, "You know us so well." The two varying responses, very plainly, confused the old woman, but she shrugged it with a grin and delivered their tray with a request to enjoy.
They allowed the conversation to settle before Alex hissed, "Why did you tell Josie we were dating?"
"I didn't tell her. I guess she saw my rainbow pin and made the connection herself," Lukas had replied, already digging into his banana shake.
"Great! Except there's no connection to connect! We're not a couple, I don't
even know if I'm actually bi, and I just found out by accident that you're gay!"
"It's not like I hid it from you, or anybody, for that matter."
"That's not the point--"
"You're right, the point is you're bi and don't know it."
"You can't just assume what I am."
"It's not assuming, it's knowing. I look at guys the way you do, too. Like Blain in Mrs. Fawks class? He's pretty cute."
Alex flushed. "You still can't just presume! That's-! Shoot, what's the word? Insensitive! And mean, kind of, but mainly insensitive. Or invasive? It's wrong! That's my decision to make, not yours."
They fought, for the first time in a while. Alex left in a huff, walking some distance away, not really being able to get to places that far away, as he was just 13. Did his arguments even make sense? It didn't matter, Alex had remembered why he hated Lukas.
"So that's why he sucks, and honest to god, I was lucky I found out I was bi in my own time. Imagine if he had fucked it all up because he wanted to be prissy and smarter than me about my own shit? Ugh, he's an asshole," Alex concluded, sinking into the bed as Ethan stared on, flabbergasted. "But I thought you knew all of that already?"
"Yes, I did! Alex, you said, 'I can't believe we used to date'! You didn't say, 'I can't believe Josie fron a diner assumed we were gay for each other'? Look, I'll even ask Sam, hold on!"
As the blue-haired boy began dialing their mutual friend, Alex put on another corny movie and settled in, ignoring the nagging of guilt that usually accompanied lying to his best friend. He would ignore the fact that after the fight, Lukas brought him into a storage closet and kissed him and the two kept up appearances for 3 months before actually breaking it off. He was going to ignore the nights under the stars and the hand holding and the snuck kisses under bleachers and stairwells. The secret was worth something, anyway, as Alex heard Ethan wail, "What?!" into his phone, Sam seemingly confirming their history.
Yeah, it could wait to be told. Lukas was just a sucky ex now.