Chapter Text
“Seiji, I don’t like him because I’m in love with you!”
Well, that was unexpected.
Eugene, like everyone else in this common room, stared at Nick in startled disbelief. What was the fool thinking? This wasn’t the time or place to be confessing shit like that. Seiji would not like the publicity of this stunt. But, actually, Seiji had already been in a mood when he led the charge in here, hadn’t he? Eugene wondered what the fuck his freshies had gotten to talking about on the way here from wherever Nick’s sorry ass had found itself before Seiji was sent to save it. Because something had been said, something to make Seiji look that determined and Nick look that desperate.
Eugene was right. Seiji didn’t like Nick’s confession, you could see it in his face. In honesty, ‘didn’t like’ was putting it way nicely. Reviled it might have been a more accurate description.
“Well, stop that.”
Yup, Seiji reviled Nick’s confession in every way it was possible to.
“What?” Nick asked. Poor thing was still staring wildly at Seiji like a deer in headlights.
“I can’t condone your affections for me and must request that you dispose of them immediately.”
“What—you’re offended that I like you?” Nick was getting some wind under his wings now but his incredulity was no match to Seiji’s snide disgust.
“It’s an inconvenience. A nuisance. So I suggest you stop that nonsense at once.”
“You can’t just stop feelings!”
“Figure it out. Because I don’t want them.”
Ouch.
“Fucking brutal,” Eugene said because they were all thinking it; they’d all just shared a collective wince on Nick’s behalf. “Nick, man, you all right?”
“Fine, thanks,” Nick mumbled valiantly. No way was he fine after getting shot down like that. Nick made his way over and Eugene moved to make room for him on the couch. Marcel, the Exton boy Eugene had been talking to, was nice and he was the first one to draw Nick into conversation. Good man.
Eugene turned to talk with one of the twins—Aster—instead. The Exton boys weren’t bad. Or maybe they were just really good actors.
“Interested?” Aster asked.
“Huh?”
“You keep staring.”
Eugene pulled his eyes off his team’s little heartbreaker and Aster’s team’s captain and shook his head bashfully.
“Sorry, I’m not trying to be rude.”
“I can’t blame you and, anyway, I’m not a stranger to the way Jesse turns heads.”
“I’m not—,”
“You don’t look like a total dick so I’ll give you a tip about Jesse: he’s not exactly hard to please. Ask him out and he’ll say yes.” Aster rolled his eyes over at his captain. “But here’s a warning, too. As far as I know—and I would know—Jesse’s never agreed to a second date. That’s the trick to it.”
“That’s all good to know,” Eugene said distractedly, watching Seiji and Jesse again. “But, actually, what I really want to know is if there’s anything going on there.”
“What? Between those two? Are you insane?”
“Seiji’s always harping on about Jesse. I always thought it was rivalry stuff but they’re looking pretty cozy.”
“No, there’s nothing there. Can you imagine? How would that even work?”
“Probably not well,” Eugene laughed, giving his full attention back to Aster. “I just know it’d be a tough blow to my buddy if Seiji was sweet on Jesse.”
“Is that all? You’re not interested in Jesse?”
“Sorry to disappoint, but not everyone is instantly smitten with your glorious leader.”
“Don’t tell him that,” Aster smirked.
“We’ll be heading out soon,” Harvard said. “Anyone that needs the bathroom had better go now.”
Eugene considered and decided that he’d better go, just in case.
“Take a guide,” Nick warned as he stood up. Eugene laughed.
“Nick, I say this with all the love in my heart, but I’m not a fucking dumbass. I’ll be fine.”
“That’s what you say now…” Nick muttered darkly. Eugene gave him a pat on the shoulder on the way out. Kid had had a hard day.
When they’d come up the giant staircase at the start of this adventure, Eugene had seen a bathroom down the hall across from the one they’d taken. It was a simple matter to backtrack, but when he was passing the stretch of hall that opened up, one wall giving way to banister, he abandoned his quest altogether.
He saw the banister. Saw the boy. Saw the disaster about to happen. And then he was moving, faster than he ever moved, even on the piste.
Without even thinking, Eugene yanked the blond boy off the banister a moment before he tipped over it completely, hauling him back. The boy gasped, falling heavy against Eugene, his legs struggling to find the ground for several seconds.
“What the fuck did you think you were doing?” Eugene demanded.
The boy twisted around to gape at him and Eugene recognized him. Of course he did.
“I dropped my phone over the edge,” he explained. “I was looking for it.”
“So, instead of just going down the stairs to find it, you thought it’d be a good idea to hang out over the banister like a moron?”
“I was fine!”
“You looked like you were about to fall.”
Eugene’s adrenaline was still pumping—he had looked like he was teetering on the edge of a precipice and Eugene’s body wasn’t convinced the danger of him falling had passed just yet.
“I have great balance.”
“And if you’d fallen over the edge?”
“I’d have caught the banister and pulled myself back up. I’m very strong.”
“You’re very dumb. How’d you manage to lose your phone that bad, anyway?”
“I told you, I dropped it.”
“Wait. Like, purposefully?” Eugene asked, disbelieving.
“Yes.” The indignant petulance of his voice was insane. “I was on a call and he was annoying me.”
What kind of spoiled brat…?
“Fucking hell. All right, dipshit, let’s go check on your phone.”
“My name’s Jesse.”
“I know. I just think dipshit suits you better.”
“And you’re one of the Kings Row boys,” Jesse said, ignoring the insult. “You’re…Eugene, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Well, Eugene, it’s not that I don’t appreciate getting swept off my feet, but I wasn’t in need of any rescue.”
Jesse had been in need of rescue.
He’d felt his weight shift, felt his body lurch dangerously forward and his heart kick up into panic as he'd realized he wouldn't be able to correct the imbalance quick enough. He hadn’t even had time to scream. But then strong arms had clamped around his middle and pulled him off the banister, away from the edge. They hadn’t let go of him since. As if their owner—Eugene, from Kings Row—thought Jesse would return to the banister if left to his own devices. He wouldn’t. Jesse had learned his lesson. But Eugene was huffing at him like he was the stupidest person he’d ever met and it made Jesse feel less grateful for the rescue and more irritable at this boy’s attitude.
Like now, he laughed at Jesse’s insistence that he’d been fine. He hadn’t been, but Eugene didn’t need to know that. Maybe he knew it anyway.
Jesse could feel Eugene’s laugh as much as hear it, the way it pressed Eugene’s chest into his back and flew by his ear with a tickle. Jesse felt too warm all of a sudden. It had to be from all the extra body heat being shared with him.
He cleared his throat.
“I need to go get my phone.”
“Right,” Eugene agreed, letting go of him. And then he followed Jesse down the stairs. “Why’d you chuck it?”
“I told you.”
“But why? What was so annoying?”
“A stupid boy who wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
“Oh?”
“If you must know, I went out with him last week and he’s been calling every day since even though I told him I wasn’t interested in seeing him again.”
“Aster says you’re notorious for that.”
“Aster shouldn’t be telling my business to strangers.”
When they got to the bottom of the stairs, Jesse scanned the floor for his phone but Eugene found it first, stooping to pick it up. He handed it to Jesse with a grim face, so it didn’t surprise Jesse when he pressed the power button and the cracked screen remained black.
“I’d say it’s a bummer,” Eugene said. “But you brought it upon yourself.”
“It’s fine, I’ll just get a new one.”
“Jesus, I forget how privileged your lot is.”
“My lot? You go to Kings Row, surely you’ve got plenty of privilege too.”
“But not like you.”
“Well, Dad won’t be happy with me,” Jesse guessed with a sigh. “But it’s not like he’d rather have me without a phone. Maybe I’ll tell him it was an accident. Yes, I think I will.”
“So you’re a dipshit, dumbass, and a liar. The whole package. No wonder so many boys are begging for second dates.”
“You shut up,” Jesse told him, dropping his phone into his pocket. “I’m perfectly desirable. Speaking of, your team seems to have its own little drama going on. Seiji won’t spill any of the details.”
“Seiji, spilling details? Not likely. But there’s not much to tell. Those two are always going at it. Fighting and stuff, making a huge ruckus for the rest of us to deal with. I did always wonder if there might be some repressed feelings to that whole thing. Poor Nick, though. Dunno what possessed him to confess like that but Seiji clearly wasn’t ready for it.”
“I think it’s romantic.”
“Seiji thinks it’s inconvenient. He’s so contrary, too, asking him in public like this was a bad move. Bet half the reason he was so nasty was out of spite. Hey, I’d better hurry. My team’s about to take off, I was just looking for the bathroom.”
“It’s down the hall,” Jesse pointed.
“Thanks, you’re a dear,” Eugene made some weird clicking sound as he snapped a finger gun at Jesse. And a wink. Then he was off.
What a strange guy. But Jesse watched him until he’d disappeared.
Then it was back up the stairs to the common room. He stayed against the wall as he walked down the stretch of hall with the banister.
Aster looked up when he came in and frowned. Jesse wondered if he’d been hoping for Eugene. But Aster stood and came over.
“Looking a little overcooked, Captain,” he said. “Bad phone call?”
“Daniel. Again.”
“He’s persistent. That’s romantic, right?”
“That’s annoying.” Jesse rephrased, “From Daniel, it’s annoying.”
“Who wouldn’t it be annoying from?”
“The right boy,” Jesse shrugged. “I’d know it if I saw it.”
“If you say so. By the way, you didn’t happen to run into Eugene, did you?”
“Eugene?”
“The short one who looks like he could bench press you.”
“Yes, I know. Why?”
“Just wondered,” Aster said vaguely. “He couldn’t keep his eyes off you and Katayama earlier. I thought he might have asked you out if he got the chance.”
“Because you assured him I’d say yes?” Jesse grouched.
“So you did run into him.”
“I did. He didn’t ask me out. Or even look like he wanted to. He called me privileged.”
“You are privileged, Jesse.”
“It’s rude to point out. And he called me stupid.”
“Why?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“I guess he really was only checking things out for his friend, then,” Aster said.
“How do you mean?”
“Oh, he just wanted to make sure you weren’t trying to steal Seiji from the other newbie. Nicholas.”
Jesse glanced over at the other newbie. He was on the couch with Marcel and the two seemed to be getting along well. Not surprising. Marcel was so even-tempered and generally nice, he got along with everyone. When Jesse needed to ask adults for favors for the team—opening the salle late, borrowing the van, getting extra food sent up from the kitchens—Marcel was who he’d send to ask when he’d failed.
“That’s kind of sweet of him,” Jesse said, more to himself than to Aster. “Worrying about his friends like that.”
“Think you’ve found Mr. Right?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Mr. Right would save Jesse from certain doom and then be kind and gracious about it. He wouldn’t call Jesse names and laugh at him.
As soon as Eugene reappeared in the common room, the Kings Row team got ready to leave. Jesse politely said goodbye to each member. He said goodbye to Eugene last. Over by the couch, Jesse could see Marcel slip the floppy-haired one—Nicholas—his number.
“I’d say they hit it off if Nick hadn’t just had his heart stomped,” Eugene said, following Jesse’s gaze and watching their teammates as well.
“Tell me what happens with your friends,” Jesse decided, fishing in a drawer for a marker. He took Eugene’s hand and wrote his number on the inside of his forearm. “I’ll have a new phone by tomorrow. I want updates on their romance. I’m curious to see where this goes.”