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For Asher, New Year’s has never been something worth remembering. But this year? Oh, this year would be different.
The Canadian air was crisp and cool on his throat as he ran. He had to be fast to not miss the ball drop, as it was New Year’s Eve. They had forgotten the confetti so Asher was forced to grab it. If he was late all his plans would unravel like a… um, a…. Forget it. All that matters is that his plans would be deemed useless. Which is why he was running.
The dark, damp, alleyways were prime shortcut spots, so Asher decided to ignore the mysterious puddles and forge on!
When Asher stepped into the yellow-lit store it was 11:30. The sprint back was 15 minutes so if nothing happened and he got in and out of this store in less than 10 minutes then that would still leave him with 5 minutes to fulfill his plan! Now all he had to do was find the confetti.
Oh god. There were so many! What colors do they want? Size? Glitter?? Okay, Asher, calm down. All you have to do is grab the cheapest one. The large, green, and purple ones will do (deffs leftovers from Mardi Gras).
After securing the prize, Asher proceeded to the checkout where a particularly dead-inside teen was seated.
“Is this all I can get you today sir?😐”
“Yes-” Asher was unable to finish his sentence before the cashier cut him off.
“Would you be interested in our loyalty card?😐”
“No thank-”
“Would you be interested in donating to the poor, starving, weak, impoverished, hungry children in India?😐”
“Um no thank you not today, sorry.”
“Hm? Sorry I didn't catch that, could you repeat what you said?😐”
“…”
Asher left the store $30 shorter, and with a piece of his pride destroyed. But, at least he beat his time limit. Asher was still tired from the run there so he tried to conserve his energy on the way back. For the first time in a long time, Asher took in his surroundings. He noted the snow-topped canopies of the pine trees surrounding him. The way the white powder shivered in the gentle light. Had the world always been this beautiful? He wondered if he would still remember this beauty after tonight or if his thoughts would be littered with soft kisses and fireworks.
His watch beeped, reminding him of midnight's unyielding approach as he rounded the street corner. His coworkers and comrades were surrounding a fire in a small clearing of a park. Most parks around here were littered with cigar buds and addicts, but because this park was near a laundromat that was rumored to be run by a gang, it was, for the most part, left alone. They had chosen this park because it was next to a hill that could overlook part of the city. It was one of the best places you could spend new years, thanks to its prime firework view.
“Asher!” a feminine voice yelled from above.
“Kasey!” Our protagonist yelled back.
Kasey was wildly waving her hands from atop the hill with a big smile on her face. Asher waved back. The next person he saw was Kenny, he was a tall, broad man wearing a tracksuit, with a drink (probably beer) in one hand. Kenny gave him a salute in acknowledgment as he crested the slope. The third and fourth people he saw were Tara, the resident technology nerd, and Jesse, his boss. He handed the confetti to Kasey and headed off to hunt down the final member of their little group.
Alien was an enigma, to say the least. He had a bleach blond bowl cut (ew) and was a few inches taller than Asher. He was a known liar who would leave you for dead if it meant saving his ass. He was good with Kenny and the other members of his job, and he was good at what he did. But, knowing all this did nothing to deter Asher as he made his approach known to the man standing about 20 meters away from everyone else.
“Alien!”
“Hey, Asher.”
Asher looked at his watch before answering. Only one minute left till midnight.
“I'm glad you got my message. I've never done this before, so I'm a little nervous.” Asher took a step forward as he spoke, leaving merely a yard between them. Alien said nothing as his friend rambled on. The only thing signaling Asher to continue was his unwavering stare.
Lightly fiddling with the holster attached to his hip, Asher mulled over his speech in his mind. You see, Asher had a thing for blondes, and while he's met plenty of dyed blondes (It's impossible to be born with the unnatural color), they've all been women! Alien is the first man he’s seen with the shade, and well, it was awfully attractive.
One more step forward, and one foot closer, Asher took a deep breath as if to speak—
“Asher. Quit bull-shitting me. What are you really here for?” Alien spat accusingly.
“I— What?🤨”
“Please we both know we hate each other, do what the hell did you drag me out here for?”
Just as Alien was about to carry on with his rant Asher cut him off “I think I'm in love with you.”
“Uh”
“I just have all these feelings I've never felt before- and- and I just don’t know!”
“Uh dude-“
“Every time I look at you my chest hurts! And I just- I just wanna strangle you sometimes- and it hurts!”
“Ew. Little gay boy. Gross.🙈”
“You just make me so mad! Every little thing you do is infuriating! And I'm running out of things to say to stall time— and- and- I just want to kill you!-- Uh, I meant to say kiss.😳”
“Asher, what are you talking about?” Finally, after the frankly embarrassing display, Alien saw it. Hidden with black, Asher fiddled with an object attached to his right hip. Most wouldn’t have noticed the object for what it was. Not much larger than a hand. A black holster shaped like an L rested on his hip. A Gun. A pistol designed for concealed carry, best shot at close range. Oh, Fuck. Now in most cases, Alien should be the one to fear here, he has shot and killed more than he ever cares to recall— but currently, his one flaw was the no-weapon policy. The group decided they deserved at least one day off from work, and stupid, stupid Alien agreed.
Unfortunately Alien realized this all a moment too soon, as Asher’s watch was about to go off signaling the arrival of the new year.
Not a word was spoken. The only thing that broke them from their trance was the sound of a single firework shooting into the sky, the signal for the rest to follow. This was Asher’s plan. The sounds would mask any noise the two would inevitably make. Asher pulled Alien into a kiss, holding onto him to disorient his soundings. For just a moment it felt like they were the only two in the world. Asher couldn’t let himself get distracted though, he had a plan and he had to go through with it. Asher pulled the gun from his side, fumbling lightly to get the correct hand position on the trigger. He slammed the barrel on the underside of his partner's chin, pulling the trigger as he did so.