Work Text:
j: hey
j: you awake?
Two vibrating buzzes become three, four, and five.
Chris blinks awake, knowing before he even checks his phone that it's Josh who's spamming him with text messages. Unprecedented usually, but not at all surprising because it's 2 am and Josh's sleeping habits are close to nonexistent during the summer time.
c: now i am
c: you done spamming me or
j: let's go
c: what
j: i'm outside bro let's go
Chris never agreed to an overnight road trip, but it's not really in him to say no to Josh, because of that good old overarching fear that if he declines, he'll never see Josh again and their friendship will end. It's a childish fear, it sprung out of absolutely nothing yet it continues to loom over his head like a crooked tree.
c: bro
c: i better not be driving
j: uhhhh
c: let me get my shoes
With a sigh, and no real resentment, Chris sits up feeling all types of crusty. He knows Josh will say something about it, tell him his hair “actually looks good when he doesn't style it”, implying that Chris's styling is shit, which is hardly an implication at this point since Josh will just flat out say it out of nowhere. Chris keeps it unstyled, because fine, it got to him. If letting the shit that Josh said get to him was a job, Chris would be rolling in money.
They had two more months to reel over the great rejection from Anissa, a girl Chris had been “oh so crazy” over. In reality, she just shared a lot in common with Chris, easy to talk to, stereotypical nerdy girl with a lot of unconventional interests. Yeah, it kinda sucked she wasn't into him, and it double sucked that Chris got rejected at the good luck spot. Apparently not so good, Chris would say it was a debuff, dulling his chances that were already pretty goddamn low.
On the last day of school too, no less, but at least that meant he wouldn't have to see her again. Chris could handle being rejected in the school playground at age 9, it didn't mean anything, and he would already forget that it happened but this one was gnarly. As in, it was fucking embarrassing.
“Like holy shit, bro. When people were right there too? Yikes.” Josh says in the car that Chris is currently being forced to drive. He fucking hates this guy, the fucker texting him at 2 am, not even giving him a chance to really get ready and then making him drive. Chris wonders why Josh even made the walk here, or how, he's notoriously lazy and a slow walker.
Chris exhales heavily, having no idea where the fuck they're even going so he continues to drive aimlessly while following the rules of the road. “Okay, it's been a month, can we move on?”
“Have you?”
“Uh, kinda? I met this girl at the mall the other day, she was pretty cool.” Chris says, tiredly recapping the day and honestly it didn't even sink in that that happened. She was this short, ginger-haired girl in a creeper jacket and funky sneakers. “Got her number, you proud of me?”
Josh draws his knees up to his chest, shoes on the fucking seat. “Wow, okay. All by yourself?”
Chris glares at him. “Yes, bro, all by myself, put my big boy pants on and everything. We totally didn't hit it off like normal people.” he says gruffly, taking a jab at Josh who always thought Chris had four consecutive heart attacks before walking up to a girl. He had his anxieties, sure, but it was fine. Like really.
Without taking offense, Josh laughs gleefully, a hearty sound that draws Chris's attention in a unique way. Like a stomach-fluttering kind of way, and it's perfect timing because he's at a red light and able to get a good view of Josh's side profile. Josh doesn't notice the staring, if he did, he'd start bitching, so Chris can enjoy the view in peace.
He pauses, looking away. Okay, so what if he enjoyed it? Josh was a handsome guy, turning down favors left and right, dates, offers, what have you. Chris never really understood why, he always wondered who was on Josh's mind that he turned so many people down without giving them a chance. Chris's working theory was that it was Sam, but Josh hardly talks about her when they're alone. The focus is always on Chris and his love life, or lack there fucking of.
“Oh, by the way,” Josh says, and Chris just now realizes he's not buckled, watching Josh lean down to the beach bag he brought. “Snuck it from my dad’s liquor cabinet.” he wiggles a beer, a fancy brand and not that cheap shit that Josh used a fake ID to get, leaving Chris outside the shop worrying for his safety.
“Not while I'm driving.” Chris calmly declines, mostly as a joke, Josh had to have been saving these for wherever the fuck they're going, which is still undecided. “Where are we headed, man? I don't even know where the hell we are anymore.”
Josh is a sneaky guy, judging by how he also snagged Beth’s precious gummy worms and Hannah's pretzels.
“Jesus, you're greedy as fuck.” Chris comments within a split second of glancing at Josh's bag.
Josh leans back with a fond scoff. “Both of them wolfed down my sour cream and onion chips. This is a tale of revenge.” he says, ripping open the sugar-covered gummy worms. “You know that cliff by my house?” he asks, which isn't really a question, because if that's where they're headed, Chris has made this drive a million times before.
In the distance, he can see it, among all the city lights and blinking neighborhoods. Chris makes a wide turn at an intersection while they're driving in silence, but Josh doesn't seem to handle that well for long, always in need of some audible stimulation.
“I'm DJing, hand that shit over.” Josh says firmly, sitting up straight as if he just clocked into work. Chris stops at a red light, handing Josh the aux cord.
“Don't blast out my ear drums please.” Chris disclaims, foot on the pedal when the light turns green, sending them forward. Past all the storefronts, the new and old trees and the encased neighborhoods, Chris keeps a pin in that cliff in the horizon, as it looks over the entire town, next to all the rich people houses.
Josh scrolls endlessly for a couple of minutes.
“Damn, you got nothing good?” Chris snorts, at yet another red light, a pattern that isn't going to break anytime soon. He taps his hand idly on his thigh, finding himself weirdly mesmerized at Josh's appearance, slightly disheveled, pupils blown, heavy eyebags as if he hasn't slept in days. He wears it well, often being described as “half dead” by Emily or in more extreme cases, a zombie.
Josh is curled up in the passenger's seat, the threads of his ripped jeans blowing in one direction. “Shut up, dude. I don't even wanna hear your suggestions, you listen to the Paper Mario soundtrack.” he says, and before he even mentioned Paper Mario, Chris knew he'd bring that up, but the soundtrack was fucking good, even Josh can't deny that.
“I would've had it playing by now at least.” Chris says with a grin, because once he's got Josh a little irritated, he can push it for a bit.
Josh seems to have found a song, judging by how he straightens his posture and adjusts the volume. The song isn't loud by any means, it's some digicore beat, sounding all chippy and 8bit. It's got a clearer beat underneath all that, one that Chris can tap his foot to, so Josh gets a point this time. Chris expected Rob Zombie in all honesty, and for that, he has no comment.
“So this girl, what's her name?” Josh asks, back on his bullshit. Chris could either keep it a secret and therefore have a calmer life, or he could tell Josh and never hear the end of it.
“Ash, Ashley, she's a redhead.” Chris says simply, a couple turns closer to the base of the cliff that was probably still blocked off by a shitty “do not trespass” sign and chain. Josh hums silently, not immediately breaking into hysterics about a “potential love interest”, and sure, Chris thought she was cute, but they've hardly gotten to know each other yet, he doesn't even know if she lives in his side of town.
Josh exclaims, “Oh!” a shocking amount of emotion that has Chris looking over at him. “I know her. You didn't see her around at school?” he asks, and Chris vaguely feels like Josh is fucking with him, but he can never actually tell. Josh does it so often, it's hard to tell when he's serious.
“She went there? For real?” Chris asks, pulling up to the curb by the base of the cliff. The music ceases abruptly when he stops the car, accompanied by soft dinging. “Shit, guess I didn't. She said she knew me from somewhere."
Josh snorts, “And where did you think that somewhere was? You don't leave your house.”
“Uh, I do leave my house. Ben and Jerry's needed me.”
“Oh, and you think she knew you from seeing you at Ben and Jerry's with your stupid uniform on?” Josh laughs, shoes on the car floor for once as he braces a hand on the door handle. “I mean, shit, if that was the case, then I pity you. You could've been doing something cool.” he says, leaving Chris in the car for a split second.
Trespassing isn't a new thing for them, but Chris can't lie and say he wasn't a goody two shoes about it at first. Then he realized nobody actually noticed or cared and that time he sprained an ankle by making a run for it was all for nothing. That day plays like a vivid movie in his head, Josh had been cackling at him when they “got to safety” and Chris had been cradling his ankle.
“Oh, like this? Breaking the law?” Chris quips, pants almost getting caught on the chain when he crosses over it. Josh easily passes through, a beer in hand while he drags the bag along with him, looking over his shoulder with a sugary smile that makes Chris feel things he tries to physically shake off.
“Everyone goes up here, and they're fine.” Josh shrugs, following the path up to the cliff. It's a goddamn hike that's for sure, and Chris likes to think he has a lot of mental discipline and fortitude to be able to do athletics but this was fucking sucky. “Cardio, cochise! Get a move on.”
Chris catches up to him, sighing heavily before Josh slings an arm around his shoulders. Their height difference doesn't change much, Chris feels a bit dragged down to be on Josh's level, but he enjoys the closeness, not that he'd ever say that aloud. Like ever. Besides, it's out of nowhere and it'll definitely last a week.
From “redhead” to “that ginger girl” to “Ashley”, Chris can say that he and Ash are closer now more than ever. She's an actual helpful study partner, into the same shit Chris likes, and is on the same page as him all the time. There has yet to be a day where Chris hasn't enjoyed her company, a steady type of warmth that he feels thankful to have.
“Yeah, it's this… annual thing that they do. You wanna come? I mean, you totally don't have to if you don't want, but offers on the table.” Chris says as casually as he can, sharing a desk with Ashley who asked him what he got for the first problem and not what he was doing next weekend.
She smiles. “Yeah, sure. I'll have to check in with my parents. Uh, Washington, right?” she asks, picking up her phone. Chris will be surprised if she's able to go, he's met her parents and they were fun but strict when it came to curfew and boundaries.
“Yeah. Uh, it'll be you, me, Josh, and uh, some people that he knows too.” Chris explains nervously, gesturing with flabby hands that simply have no direction and he looks like a clown, but Ashley smiles at him all the same.
“That sounds really fun!” Ashley gushes, all shades of awkward but it's cute on her. “Um, it's next weekend, right?”
“Yup, but you don't have to be early, you can show up the day of,” Chris says, trying not to trip over his own words. He isn't Josh, he’s never handed out invitations like this but speaking of Josh, it was his idea to invite Ashley, and Chris was the perfect candidate since according to Josh, he and Ashley “are fused together at this point”. It's a gross dramatization.
A week’s worth of waiting from Ashley while they spend time apart proves to be a success, because Ashley says her parents gave her the go, finally putting trust in her when they had no reason not to. Chris relays it to Josh, who answers predictably.
j: oh word?
j: i'm proud of you cochise
j: i didn't have to step in this time
c: when have you ever
j: you want the full list?
c: i've had many sidekicks help me out
j: but i'm your favorite sidekick ;)
Chris feels his face burn a little bit when he reads it, putting his phone face down as he continues to pack his things. Josh thinks Chris is gonna make “the move to end all moves” on Ashley but that is out of Chris's ability, in the back of his mind. Something is telling him not to jump the gun so early, but he hasn't figured out what it is, why it's here, where it came from, it just sits in his gut for now.
The lodge furniture is covered in blankets, saving it from dust bunnies and bugs. Chris brings his luggage in, planning to stay in the room that he always holes up in, which is next to Josh's. It's funny how he's so close to Josh's room, but has never actually seen the interior. Josh says it's nothing special, that it's a wasteland in there and they can always go somewhere else, Chris wants to know what he's hiding.
The first night is a shit show because Jess suggests truth or dare. Chris is nervous she'll hand select him and project a burning spotlight, he doesn't know her that well, and she doesn't really give two shits about him. She ends up proving Chris wrong at some point, turning the conversation on him and Josh and it becomes an impromptu interview.
“Wow, since the sandbox, huh?” Jess asks over the counter.
“Not really. More like since elementary detention.” Chris says, but even that's not true. It was a simple case of seat rearrangement, a domino that fell.
Josh cracks open yet another beer. “We only got that once.”
“Yeah because of your dumb ass.”
Out of everyone in the group, it was probably them who have been friends for the longest. Chris doesn't know why Jess is so intrigued out of nowhere, for a while Chris was a passing thought to her, a stupid geek below her social ladder. But since he hung out with Josh, Chris probably got a pass or something that he's just not aware of.
He realizes he likes reminiscing, he likes talking about their friendship. Nobody has ever really asked, but Chris likes to randomly dump about the dumb shit they've gotten into.
“Like when we were kids, there was a june bug that flew in my mouth,” he disgustingly recalls, prompting Josh to laugh and most of the girls grimace, Hannah shrieks. “In my mouth, like I could feel its little legs and —” Chris gags, as if he's reliving the memory but Josh doesn't give a shit, he's laughing because he was there when it happened.
“And this piece of shit did nothing to help.” Chris points at him with a thumb.
Josh recovers, covering his face. “You know what you did? You went like,” then he proceeds to do an awful impression of 10 year old Chris being traumatized, breaking out into another fit of laughter. “I felt so bad, like right after.”
“Dude, shut up, you feeling bad is you laughing for twenty minutes,” Chris says, but soon enough he's laughing too because Josh's laugh is just that contagious. “You didn't feel bad, like suck my dick.”
Sam looks grossed out but it must've been her curiosity that asks Chris what it tasted like. Pneumonia, it tasted like pneumonia. Josh thinks it's the funniest fucking thing ever, buckling over with a beer in hand, significantly drunk which ultimately ends the night where it is. Chris didn't need a whole room of drunk morons laughing at his pain.
Night two is worse, Chris thinks, slumped at the counter while he reads the unimportant words on the label of the beer bottle. Josh sits across from him, eyeing the group in the living room as if he's the overseer and in a way, he kinda is. He told everyone not to act like fools, to stay inside and not break any vases, but they're about to engage in an act so stupid, Chris thinks they might break all those rules.
“Alright. You think you can chug these quicker than me?” Josh says, an array of beers separating them. Chris stares at all of them, pretty confident in his own limits. He doesn't, however, have the determination that Josh does, the determination to out best everyone in a game.
“We're gonna die if we do this.” Chris chuckles, cracking open his. He says sure, he'll do this, because he's just that fucking bored.
“Everyone's dying, cochise.” Josh shrugs, and in a second, he's halfway through his own bottle. Chris quickly gets on board, trying to beat him until he's hardly able to sit upright. Josh has a shit ton of sustainability apparently, but Chris knew that, except seeing it right in front of him like this, completely unavoidable.
He looks really good in that sweater.
Chris blinks, very hard, and continues to chug down a second beer while Josh is on his third of his second set of beers. This is a bad idea, Chris thinks, a really bad idea but all the while, Josh is saying some bullshit about the people they knew, inside jokes that haven't been reignited in years and Chris is laughing, laughing so hard he turns red and slumping over the counter. He wants to keep looking at Josh, in all of his glory and mental fortitude that's potent enough to keep him going. Chris doesn't know how many more beers Josh drinks before he clonks out.
March 3rd rolls around, after long weeks of silence. Chris's sleep schedule took a shit, avalanching down a hill and he hasn't been able to stop it. He talks to Ash sometimes, questioning what he's doing at some points, because nothing really feels right. He feels guilty just breathing. When your best friend’s sisters go missing while you were passed out, you start to think you made a mistake. Chris tried texting Josh, but there wasn't a response until tonight.
But it's not a text, it's a phone call.
Chris answers at the speed of light the moment he saw the brief flash of Josh's name.
“You home?” he asks, voice dead tired and devoid of emotion or excitement. Whenever he used to ask Chris this question, he said it with so much enthusiasm that it made whatever they were about to do more fun.
Chris clears his throat in the darkness of his room, ceiling fan whirring. “Yeah, what's up?”
“Wanna kill some time? I got a beer here with your name on it.” Josh lifelessly chuckles, it kind of hurts to hear how he really tries to force emotion. It's the first time Chris has strongly detected Josh's sadness, he's only ever heard of it, that Josh took pills to maintain it and whatever else it came with, but Chris never got the full story, Josh didn't treat it like it mattered so Chris didn't either.
Chris feels wrong smiling and chuckling but he only does it because it feels like he has to. “Uh, yeah. Your place?”
“Maybe, maybe not. I'm here right now. Hurry up before I change my mind.” Josh says lightly, not sounding mad, he doesn't sound much of anything, his usual tone is very casual, with a voice so nice to listen to, Chris thinks he could sit there and listen to Josh recite the phone book.
Okay, so it never really went away. The more time they spent together, the more Chris started to fall deeper and deeper into this pit that he wasn't sure if he'd been in the whole time. Josh always said he was oblivious, a clueless dummy who couldn't tell the forest from the trees. Chris thinks that maybe he's right. Josh is an unequivocal constant in Chris's life that he can't imagine being without, his other half, the side of the necklace that completes his. Attached to the hip, partners in crime, everyone says shit like that to them, about them, noting their closeness and some have even said there was more to them.
Chris hadn't noticed it, not because he didn't want to, but he always had a goal in mind, either set by himself or Josh, usually Josh. He was Chris's handyman, his school survival guide who served as that cool older brother that Chris never had, a guy who he really wanted to be and maybe wanted to be with. That's too corny, he can't see Josh giving into it. He wants to, deep down, to solidify what they are, if it's anything.
But it's been a rough couple of weeks. It's been worse for Josh, Chris doesn't even need to ask. He's ridden with guilt for not reaching out for those first couple of days, since he didn't want to do it too early, to potentially overwhelm Josh or cause an argument. It's only ever happened once, cured with a stupid video game session after a week of not talking, but Chris doesn't think a session of COD will help Josh now. The guy already hates the game enough as it is, though, jokes aside, Chris can tell that's not what he wants.
Whatever it is, Chris promises to himself that he'll stick by Josh, not wanting to let him down when he clearly needs him. It's an unspoken thing, they never talked about this shit, Chris has not the first fucking clue of what to do. He doesn't think anyone does. Josh might not be expecting five star treatment, he probably just wants somebody. Always alone, not close with his parents— there's shit Chris knew and the shit he didn't, it's up to Josh to surprise him with it, like he always does.
Chris makes a silent drive full of smoldering thoughts on his way to Josh's house, the dark neighborhood it's in with distant sounds of dogs barking and the cityscape’s ambience. The driveway is empty, maybe housing Bob’s car in the garage but for some reason, Chris doesn't doubt that Bob isn't home, because he probably isn't, he never is.
One hand in his pocket, Chris knocks on the door, a bit chilly as the cold bites his cheeks.
Josh opens the door, significantly more angular than the last time Chris saw his rounded face. His eyes have less light in them, a dull, vomit-green, and downturned lips. Nevertheless, Josh begins to smile at him.
“Still want that beer?” Josh asks, leading Chris inside. The countertops are right by the door, serving as a pedestal for a Jeremiah Craig bottle, glinting with a memory. Chris sighs as he reaches for it, a bit nauseous but then he stops.
“But I'm driving, aren't I?”
Josh grabs a coat, one of his dad’s, evident by the size. “We're not going anywhere.” he says, but they're clearly going somewhere, the two of them all dressed up. It's not a new phenomenon, Chris doesn't give it a second thought. He does what he always does and what he felt he was programmed to do which was follow Josh out the door.
They don't go to the cliff, oddly enough, Chris doesn't think to question it until they're closer to an abandoned bowling alley.
“Remember this place?” Josh asks, parting from Chris, raising his voice but there's still no life in it. He looks over his shoulder with an empty smile. “They're tearing it down next fall, shame.”
The bowling alley had been abandoned for years, and its status made it a great place to party. Josh joined in on that auction, and most of his event parties were at this shit hole. People loved it, got so drunk they almost vomited up their intestines with alcohol supplied by Josh, it kept him on people’s phones, but Chris had a feeling he didn't like it all that much.
Chris doesn't say anything about how Josh is acting a little off, because it makes sense, doesn't it? He's coping, or trying to, all by himself. Chris walks over to him with a heavy head, racked with guilt that he shouldn't have.
Josh takes a swig. “Everything's gonna be fine,” he says but the confidence isn't as strong as it would've been a year ago. “It's…” he grows uncertain, “It's gonna be fine.”
Chris nods. “Yeah, man,” he says, not very good at this but he slings an arm around Josh, a bit hesitant even though they've hugged many times before. “You know, if you ever wanna like–”
“Yeah. Yeah, bro. I get it.” Josh chuckles, again with no emotion, no heart behind it. He continues drinking his beer, his other hand limp by his side as he pilots them around to the back of the bowling alley. People loved this place because of the vast backyard it had, it felt like Earth stopped here, like they reached the end.
It's a small pit that they sit above, using Chris's jacket as a blanket. Josh lets his beer roll down the hill, breaths short and hollow. Chris doesn't think his beer tastes very good, but he's not giving it to Josh, who looks like he's had more than one and shit, he probably has. It's a conversation he's rehearsed in his head but never had the guts to initiate. Josh had a problem, they both knew it, but it was never outwardly acknowledged. It's just something Josh did.
“How's everything with you and Ash?” Josh asks, and despite being blanketed over Chris, he doesn't look over at Chris, not even a glance.
Chris stares at the bottle wedged in his arm. “They're fine. Uh, she's been busy. With… school and all that.” he murmurs quietly, remembering her place that night, the guilty expression on her face. He half expected Josh to say “drop her” but Josh has never been one for conflict, he opts to awkwardly navigate his way around it, to avoid it completely.
“Don't keep her waiting, man.” Josh says with a grin.
“Dude, we’re just friends. I don't wanna… scare her off.” Chris replies, looking at the circle of trees they're surrounded by instead of looking at Josh, whose gaunt appearance becomes less and less recognizable.
“Need me to lend you a hand?” Josh asks, head rolling over to look at him.
Chris rolls his eyes. “You always talk about being my sidekick, when am I gonna be yours? You don't have any girls you're gawking at?” he asks, flipping the conversation on its head.
Josh deflates where he lies, emotionless. “Not really, to tell you the truth.” he says, then they go quiet again, ignoring the reason they need to pick the conversation back up again. Chris finishes his beer much to his stomach’s chagrin, rolling it down the hill and he knows it's not good, it's littering.
“So why'd you wanna come here?” Chris questions, observing the environment once again with judgment. It kinda reeks out here, it's super cold and overall just really menacing.
“I didn't,” Josh answers tiredly, rubbing his face, “There's nowhere to be, ever.” he adds, with an emphasis on the ever and that seals his response. Chris never gets the full picture, he wonders if Josh is scared to let it all out or if he distrusts Chris or something. They never talk about it. It's just girls, gossip, games, and parties.
Deep down, there's an urge yelling at him to say it, why won't you just say it? Why do they have to keep going around in circles, getting nowhere? Chris hasn't tried to stop them, he's just as guilty as Josh is, letting this spinning teacup spin over and over until they're disoriented and they can't focus on anything else.
“Do you… wanna go?” Chris asks tentatively. “I mean, it'll be a hell of a walk, but… cardio?”
Josh exhales a tiny gust of laughter. “Right.” he says but they don't go anywhere.
“You really wanna stay out here, bro? It reeks. I feel like I'm gonna get murdered.” Chris jokes, and it's unclear if it's in poor taste or not but Josh doesn't react either way, he moves just a little bit, a lost expression on his face, like a stormy cloud. “You drank before I showed up, didn't you?”
“Got me.” Josh shrugs, appearing less and less stable as he walks to the back door of the alley.
“Not to be that guy, bro, but… to be that guy, you should probably cut back on all the drinking.” Chris says aimlessly, putting his hands in his pockets as if that'll conceal his nervousness. “That shit isn't good, and your dad’s gonna be pretty pissed you've been snatching all his liquor.”
Josh doesn't reply, all of his responses narrowing down to silence and smoldering. He seems out of it, probably the damn alcohol. Chris sighs, knowing there's more to say but with them, it'll never be said, it won't go anywhere.
It's deathly quiet, Josh is really close to him, when he'd felt so far away at first. Chris realizes he's staring into his face again, but it's not unreciprocated, Josh is staring right back, not ignoring it, not telling him to knock it off. There's something rising between them, Chris doesn't know what it is, not until Josh's stormy expression blinks away because of the proximity.
It's a kiss, one that didn't really have a place but maybe it didn't need one. Josh wanted to do it, he wanted to be that close, hands hovering along Chris's jawline, breathing harshly through his nose. Chris isn't sure why it takes so long to kiss back, but he hopes it isn't too late, and when he does, something feels more… definitive.
“Uh,” Chris croaks when it ends, not in a bad way, because a part of himself is currently frolicking through the grassy fields with all the rainbows and flowers right now. Josh looks the exact opposite, still appearing out of it as he looks away. Chris can't find the words to finish his sentence, if he even had one.
Josh stands suddenly, causing a spike of panic in Chris's stomach that felt so juvenile and childish. He stands up too, as if defiant, but he just stands there awkwardly. Chris can't stop his endless stare, taking in every inch of Josh's profile, how the moon shines on his skin and his slow blinking.
“You ready to go?” Josh asks once he creates a big distance between them, staring over his shoulder as if what happened didn't just happen.
Chris swallows, grabbing his jacket as his shoe idly shovels the dirt. But he does what he always does, he follows, and they do what they do best: they don't talk about it.
It's the least they could've done.