Chapter Text
Adam had been nursing the rum and coke in his hand for well over an hour now, stuck to the wall of the crowded bar. Scott’s friends cheered, as one of the girls Scott had hired finally took her top off. He cringed, looking away. It had probably been a mistake to let Scott organise the stag do, but Adam had been so adamant about him being his best man, despite Lawrence’s raised eyebrow. The stag do had been the only part Scott had really shown interest in, after rolling his eyes at the idea of a speech and scoffing at the mention of a dress code. Adam had wanted so badly to encourage him, to give him something to do so he could feel useful. Their friendship had been rocky the last few years, Adam felt like he was watching his friend sink into the quicksand, no rope to pull him out. Sure he wanted Scott in his life, he struggled to picture a life without him. Something so intrinsically tied their lives together, a stream of firsts littered their past. Scott had been his first kiss, on the swings after skipping class, his first dealer, held his hair back after drinking vodka for the first time, hell Scott had even been his first blowjob. Watching the man eagerly snort a line off the stripper's navel, Adam almost gagged at the memory. This was so not his scene. Sure living with Larry had slowed him down a bit but Adam couldn’t think of a single time he’d expressed any kind of desire for any of this.
His phone buzzed, Lawrence texting him. The message lit up his face, he smiled despite himself.
McDreamy: Enjoying yourself?
Adam: I thought we weren’t going to talk till tomorrow…
The three dots bounce for a bit then disappear, Adam laughs and puts his phone back in his pocket. He’s not sure how much of this he’ll share with Lawrence at least not till after the ceremony, once they’re away from everyone, away from Scott. God he did not want to sleep in this place, he was sure Scott had done this all just to make him squirm. Making eye contact with the man, he caught the wolfy grin under the strobe lights from the makeshift stage. Scott was gesturing him over, and he reluctantly pushed off the wall towards him.
“You’re being boring.” Scott slung an arm around him, his eyes wide. He was clearly wired.
“You’re fucked.” Adam tried to squirm out of his grasp, only for Scotts hands to find his hips instead. Trust Scott to know just where to touch him to make him feel like a teenage girl again.
“Come on man, you used to love this shit.”
Adam twists out of his grasp, smirking in a way he only ever does in front of Scott, the one he had practised in front of the mirror.
“You love this shit.” He glances up at the dancer, who to be fair on her was very talented on a pole. He couldn't help but laugh at the irony, Scott had managed to throw him the straightest stag do for his very gay wedding. Spinning the engagement band absentmindedly, he let Scott throw an arm over his shoulder again, mostly so the man wouldn't fall over.
“Don’t worry bro, I got one for you tooooo” His eyes are wide, wild, as he grins. Adam felt his stomach turn.
“What?” But Scott was moving away, grabbing a glass and stumbling onto the stage. Knocking one of his rings against the glass he silenced the crowd. Adam glances around and realises he barely knows any of them. Turning back to Scott he lets himself believe this will be the saving grace, Scott will say something nice, something sincere, and Adam will feel himself melt. This is the moment, and all the times he defended Scott to Lawrence will ring true. Scott meets Adam’s eye, causing him to smile softly. His best friend, his best man. A memory of Scott opening his door to Adam the night his parents kicked him out flashed through his mind, Scotts immediate acceptance, how he’d held him to his chest as Adam had sobbed.
“Friends, fans” There was a holler from the back and Adam couldn’t help but laugh.
“I think Adam is ready for his surprise.” Scotts smiles, the corner of his mouth turned up sharp as a knife's edge. Adam felt his stomach flip, and knew the moment of hope had been for nought. A laugh ripples across the crowd, clearly Adam was the only one left out of the joke.
As the surprise stepped onto stage Scott hollered, and wolf whistled, glancing at Adam with a shit eating grin. The male stripper, donned in an open blue doctor's coat, a stethoscope around his neck, could only be described as mature. Adam’s jaw dropped, the laughter surrounding him, suffocated him.
“Just your type right Ace.”
Adam’s eyes pricked with the first tell-tell signs of tears. Scott jumps off the stage, striding towards him, his hand finding the small of his back. Gagging, Adam turned away, only to be spun around and pushed towards the stage.
“Get off” He mumbles, turning into Scott rather than away, hoping for one final moment that Scott will be the friend he actually needs.
“Come on, don't be a buzzkill.” Anger flashes through him. Pulling away he takes several steps back.
“A buzzkill!? Jesus christ Scott this is my fucking stag do!”
“I just wanted to have a laugh!” Scott throws his hands in the air, like he’s so exasperated at Adam for throwing a fit at his party. Spinning on his heels, Adam pushes through the crowd of strangers, and out the front door. The rain is a welcome change, and Adam kicks the wall of the shitty dive bar, pulling out his phone. The dial tone had rung twice before the phone was knocked from his hand, skimming across the wet pavement and into the leaf sodden gutter.
“What the fuck man!” He knows it's Scott before he turns, the rain dripping down his face, spitting forward in his anger.
“What are you doing?” Scott resembles a wet dog, his face angry but his eyes swimming with rejection. Adam wonders if he’d looked at Scott like that before, gritting his teeth at the knowledge that of course he had.
“Calling my fucking fiancé and going home.” Reaching down to save his phone, Scott places his boot on his back and shoves him into the gutter.
“You’re so fucking ungrateful, I just wanted us to have some fun! Or are you too good for fun now Stanheight with your geriatric boyfriend and your fucking therapy!”
Adam stands, his clothes sodden and dirty, for a moment the sensation is all too familiar. The bile rises in his throat. He looks down at his phone, a long crack down the centre, he punches Amanda’s number in before he can think. The breath catches in his throat as he holds the phone to his ear, his other hand out as if to hold Scott at a distance forever. He hiccups, his tears burning down his face, he can smell the fucking sewer, the bathroom.
“You-” He takes a shaky breath. “You are an asshole.”
Scott barks a laugh, they’d had this argument a hundred times.
“Don’t come tomorrow. Please Scott, if you have ever, ever, given a shit about me don’t come, please.”
The call goes through, Amanda's tone is laced with sleep, but she hears his shaky breath and is immediately asking where he is.
“Why haven’t you called Lawrence?” Her voice sounds a hundred miles away, she’s grabbing her keys, he can hear them rattle in the lock. A laugh rips out his throat, he sounds like a wounded animal, lashing out.
“Cause if Lawrence comes down here there might be a murder.”
There’s silence on the end of the receiver, and then Adam can hear a car’s engine start.
“I’m on my way.”
The call cuts out, Adam lowers the phone, his other hand still stretched out towards Scott. Going to take a step forward, Scott hesitates when Adam flinches.
“Come on man, come inside. It was just a joke.”
Just a joke. Scott had laughed when Adam had first told him about the engagement. He’d actually laughed.
“It’s over Scott. Let it go.”
The rain ran down Scotts hair, dripping onto his face, counting down the seconds it took him to really take it in. Then he nodded, and headed back into the bar.