Chapter Text
House parties. Really not Fergus’s fucking scene. But his flatmate insisted, “pretend to be my date, please.”, so… he went. At least there was free booze, pretending to be Eloise’s boyfriend gave him someone to tag around with or stand next to that and he gave off a , to quote Eloise, “certain aura” that made people disband any idea of talking to him. Well almost everyone.
“Hey, Fergus right?”
“Uh, yeah?”
“Mm, thought so.” As Fergus looked up from his cup to look at the man standing beside him he was greeted with young Adam Kenyon, which was a face he had recognised from the back of his english lectures.
“You’re um-” The name was on the tip of his tongue, he would be surprised if he remembered it- the other man wasn't the usual sort of person he’d talk to.
“Adam,” he spun to face Fergus holding out a hand awkwardly as if he had forgotten they were standing so close, “Kenyon. Nice to uh meet you… again.”
“Fergus Williams,” they shook hands- but he was rather distracted by the fact they met before, “Sorry, where have we met?”
“Oh, uh music society- and you lent me a pen during an english lecture a while ago.”
“Right! Adam, sorry.”
“No, no problem,” he took a sip from his plastic cup, “you friends with James then?”
“Hm, unfortunately, only came because my flatmate insisted.”
“Ah, Eloise?” Fergus nodded and began looking around for her, “Pretty sure she’s introducing herself as your boyfriend- put a right downer on Jame’s face.”
“Probably why she’s saying it”
“Either way if a woman was to ever get within a foot of him I reckon he’d panic and puke on her shoes” Fergus chuckled into his drink at the insult. The two ended up sitting outside, joking and laughing at some prick they both happened to know, for the rest of the night. Until Eloise came drunk looking for Fergus anyway. They said they’re pleasantries and Ferg was pretty sure he was never going to see or speak to Adam again- not counting spotting Adam, while helping half carrying Eloise, being snogged against a wall by some guy.
Fergus was gay, not that it was anyones buisness. He didn’t tell anyone or be outward about it, strictly telling himself he wouldn't be one of ‘those gays’. But Eloise figured it out, not as if it was a hard thing to do, and she had taken an interest in Fergus asking about Adam the next morning during their morning coffee at the universities cafeteria. “I don’t understand why you’re making a massive deal about this- I was just curious.”
“All I’m saying it’s not like you to ask about other people.” Fergus only grumbled something about them only knowing each other for five months and took a sip of his coffee, when his mind seemed to ping a reminder for his lecture as he checked his watch. “Fuck,” he had forgotten, and he gave a small wave to Eloise as he grabbed his coffee and began darting toward his lecture hall, his friend laughing at his dumb fucking run. He snuck in at the back settling at a seat and pulling out his notepad. Twenty minutes in Fergus heard the door open from behind him and noticed a shift in weight to the seat next to him. It was Adam.
As the lecture ended and he felt a pair of eyes on him, he noticed Adam (who he had been glancing at him out of the corner of his eye throughout) had left. So Fergus slipped his notebook into his backpack, grabbed his now empty cup of coffee and left the lecture hall. He went to wander down a hall in search of a bin, dodging other groups of students that seemed to be too obnoxious to notice Fergus’s existence. As he chucked his cup and did a gracious turn around when he saw Adam, jogging toward him. His leather jacket in his arms, queen and some strange graphic t-shirt he seemed to have ripped the arms off of, “Fergus!”
“Heya… Adam, you alright?”
“Yeah- no I was waiting for you outside but must’ve missed you”
“Right, I was just throwing away my cup,” ‘ Adam was waiting for you’ his mind said repeatedly , “You, uh, you were waiting for me?”
Adam rubbing his neck as if avoiding embarrassment, “Well, yeah? Eloise has been telling me about you and thought we could get a pint?”
“Now?” Adam nodded giving Fergus a slight smile, “Fuck it, let me just drop my shit off at my flat yeah?”
“Oh yeah, ‘course”
Adam ended up walking with Fergus to his flat until they went out again to the local pub. They looked quite strange together, Fergus’s keenes on wearing shirts or at least some nice looking jeans was quite an offset to Adam and his pretty much all black attire. Strangely enough it wasn’t awkward. For two guys who only talked one evening it felt nice, especially for Fergus who was cursed to always find everyone else too aggravating to spend his time with.
“So, Adam- do you even take English?”
“Not quite no, just something to fill the time,” Adam peered at him over his cup as he took another sip, “No, no, I do media- planning on going into politics eventually after I hack some contacts” with that Fergus could only give a slightly discrediting look, “What?!”
“Nothing! Just you don’t seem like you’d want to go into politics!”
“Hmm, is Fergus Williams judging me because of my clothes- are my jeans slightly too tight for you mr?”
“Fuck off, should I get you another pint?”
The sun had begun to set earlier than the two expected since the clocks had changed but it caused Fergus to collapse on a bench whilst walking home, beckoning Adam to sit with him. They were just at the top of a hill, isolated from the town below as they could see traffic starting to set in as it turned to rush hour. The sky wasn’t exactly cloudy but it had gathered enough to create a drawn out interruption of the hued sky. And there was a certain glow that came from the sunset,
“You look nice.”
“What?”
Fergus coughed over his word, “I said it's nice,” he made a flailing gesture at the scenery, “the… grass, and shit.”
“Yeah, I suppose it is.”
From there it wasn’t too far to Fergus’s flat. And they walked in comfy silence, bumping into each other slightly- slowly sobering up.
“You didn’t have to walk me back you know.” Fergus says as he goes to unlock his door.
“Yeah, I know. It’s on the way back to mine anyway,” He lent against the door frame as Fergus entered, “And! I wanted to give you this,” Adam held out a napkin with his number scrawled out on, “Me, and my band have a gig this weekend. So if you call me you can find out where and when.”
“Oh, thanks. Sounds good- ha! I'll make sure to call you then.” Adam had begun to go down the steps as he called out in return.
“Good!”
And just like that Fergus was going to a gig.