Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Bright morning sunlight filtered through the darkened windows of the car, slowly bringing life up with it. The tweets and coos of mourning doves filled the air, a sound Joe thought he had forgotten. Familiar houses and scenery passed by as he appreciated the calm of the morning. The Uber, thank god, chose to keep quiet and focus on the winding road ahead. Classical music hummed out of his radio as Joe pressed a kiss to his boyfriend, David's, forehead.

Ironic how Webster had fussed all week long about how they had to head to Dick's house early simply to be on time or some stupid shit like that and yet, low and behold, Joe had to drag him out of the house so they wouldn't be late. All because he was too tired to even get up. The second the Uber arrived, his boyfriend was knocked out. But Joe didn't mind, he loved seeing Web in this state. Peaceful and without a care in the world, the creases of worry on his face gone as he slept. Joe may never admit it to anyone, much less to Webster himself, but he loved seeing his boyfriend worry-free like this.

"You said it was a white house, right?" The Uber driver, which Joe had momentarily forgotten about, suddenly asked. Way to break the ambiance and loving monologue he had going on.

"Yep, just down this road." 

The driver simply nodded, driving slowly so as to not miss the house. It didn't take long for the black car to pull up in front of a decently-sized, white family home. There were steps leading up to a grassy area before another set of steps led to the black front door. Windows littered the front wall, with black casing around them. Hedgerows lined the front of the house, along with a big tree to the left of the house. Joe noticed a long driveway leading to the garage, similar looking to the home in front of him. It was a nice house, a real damn nice one that fit the Winters family perfectly.

"Web wake up." Nothing, not even a stir. "Webster, come on. Get your ass up." A slight shift but that was it. 

Joe simply sighed, wrapping his arms around the slightly, barely, taller man's chest and heaving a now half-awake David out of the car. The Uber, a pretty chill dude in Joe's mind, already had their bags out of the car and smiled politely at them. David was still leaning against Joe's embrace and Joe knew the other man had no intentions of waking up. But Joe needed help with all their bags and besides, Webster could sleep most of the morning while they all drove. They weren't expected to stop until late in the afternoon to visit some National Park for, according to Lipton and Bull, "some bonding time with nature and one another." 

It was stupid if you asked Joe, but that was the set plan. No amount of tantrums or whining could change it. Hoobler, Malarkey, and even Perconte had already tried. 

Then again, it all depended on whatever time they left. But Dick had ensured that most of them would arrive early so he knew they'd be out by 9. Joe wondered if Dick did it because he knew they'd never leave if he told them to arrive in the afternoon or because having everyone wake up so early would mean they'd sleep most of the morning so it'd be a less chaotic drive. Either way, Joe appreciated the ginger's thinking. But at the same time, he didn't because now he had to fucking wake up Web from whatever sleep coma he was in.

"Thank you man." he told the driver, already having paid him in advance.

"My pleasure. Y'all staying with family or?" The man, who seemed to be not much older than Joe or David himself, asked. A thick Southern accent laced his words and Joe momentarily wondered what he was doing out on the East Coast.

"Nah, road trip with.. well people who I consider my family." 

"Ah. Well, best of luck on y'all's travels. And on getting him awake." 

Joe simply snorted at that, nodding a final goodbye to the man and thanking him once again. He watched the other man get into his car and drive off, slowly becoming a moving dot in the far horizon. With another sigh, he attempted to wake up Web once more. If this didn't work, he'd have to bring out the big guns. He could only hope Webster wasn't in the mood to lecture him for his waking-up skills but he knew it was bound to happen either way.

"Lord give me mercy." he mumbled, already looking back at his sleepy boyfriend.

                                                                                                           [...]

It was barely 8:20 and the Winters household was as packed as if it was a pre-game night or sports night. Only there was no screaming or yelling, nobody was breaking things that belonged to poor Mrs. Winters, the beers were being packed into the car, and it was far quieter than Joe had ever seen. It felt sort of strange to be in this strange tranquility, having grown accustomed to always hearing some form of background noise. Whether it was Guarnere cackling that laugh of his or the chaotic trio - Malarkey, Muck, and Penkala cracking up some wiseass prank. But today, it was almost as silent as a mouse might be.

Emphasis on almost. 

He was sat on one of the two comfortable couches the Winters owned, Webster having his head in his lap and sleeping away. Joe's hands found their way into the younger man's head, making patterns with the delicate curls he loved. Right next to him sat Toye, who had Luz cuddled up against his side. He made conversation with the Puerto Rican, bringing up the topic of school. Right across from him, on the other couch, was Malarkey, Muck, and Penk. They were all sprawled on top of each other, Penkala had his head on Malarkey's lap while Muck had his body over Penkala. Right next to them sat Bull, Martin, and Perconte. Perco had his head resting on Martin's thigh, resting his eyes while listening to the lull of the conversation Martin and Bull were having.

Grant had his back to the end of the opposite couch, right next to where Muck's feet were hanging off. Skinny had his back against the coffee table with his body facing Grant to listen as the other man talked while Shifty was napping on the floor, head curled right next to Skinny's crossed legs. Talbert was off to the side, by the fireplace, on the phone with somebody who Joe assumed was his mother. If the way he kept shaking his head and kept flushing red was anything to go by. On the opposite end of the coffee table was a red armchair that was tilted to face the couch Joe was not sitting on. On it was Hoobler, sprawled across with his phone in his hands. An occasional chuckle escaped the man, which seemed to alert a half-dozing off Buck, who was sat against the chair.

Guarnere was pressed up against the opposite end of said chair, head hanging real close to where Hoobler's hand lay. He was on the phone with Frannie, occasionally dismissing whatever she said with a wave of his hand. For his usual loud mouth, Bill was making an effort to be quiet as he spoke. Right across from him and pressed against the couch Joe was sat on, were Gene and Babe. He had to crane his neck to notice them but it seemed as if Babe was taking a nap on Gene while the Cajun stared at his phone.

At the opposite end of the room, past the wooden dining table, in the cozy kitchen the Winters owned were Lip and Nix. Both leaned against the granite counter of the island, surveying the scene in front of them and occasionally making light conversation. Poor Nixon looked like he needed a drink of whisky, sipping away at what seemed to be like coffee. He kept drinking from the black cup, albeit the look on his face gave it away that he was not enjoying it. Lipton simply watched with amusement, eyes narrowing at the shorter man.

As if on cue, Dick, Speirs, and Harry appeared through a hallway that Joe knew led to the backdoor. Joe spared a glance at them, knowing the three men had been loading up all the cars and making sure everything was in place. He refocused his attention on Toye, nodding along as the man commented on why they had to go to a National Park. Joe shared a look with him, feeling the exact same way as him. 

From the corner of Joe's eye, he noticed Dick bending to kiss Nixon, who had long forgotten his coffee. He smirked at the redhead who caught his gaze, watching the taller man respond with an eye roll. From behind them stood Harry who seemed to be making a complaint before turning around to rummage in their fridge. An exhausted and probably grumpy Speirs had his head leaning against Lip's, arms wrapped around the lighter brunette.

It reminded him of whenever he came back home to Web after a long day of work and pressed himself against the other man, wrapping his arms around him and refusing to let go. The memory made him smile slightly as he continued to play with his boyfriend's hair as they waited to leave.

"Think we'll be leaving soon?" Toye's voice cut through his thoughts, focusing Joe's attention back to the man next to him.

"Probably. If Dick and Nix could stop making out." he called out, raising his voice just enough for the two men to hear but not enough to wake everyone up. From below him, Webster stirred but feeling Joe's hands tangled in his head, he pressed his head further into Joe's jorts. 

"You're one to talk Joe." Nix commented, causing Joe to smirk once more. Hell, he had no room to talk on the matter but he still liked to drop his comments.

"What Nix means to say is that we will be leaving soon." Dick told them, now standing behind Hoob's chair, "So boys, start getting people up and into the cars. I want to be out here by 8:45. It's 8:30 now, so that gives you all fifteen minutes. We'll stop at a McDonald's or something on the way for food."

A chorus of 'aye, aye sir' came out of the ones still awake, sleepy hums and incoherent words coming from the ones asleep. With that, the taller man headed back to retrieve his boyfriend who was staring at the cup of coffee as if it personally offended him. Harry, happily munching on a banana, was laughing at the scene. Speirs was already heading to the living room, looking pissed at the fact he'd been instructed to help wake people up.

Joe looked over at Toye who simply shrugged, beginning to shake a sleepy Luz awake. Deciding to avoid an infamous Speirs glare for not getting Webster up, he started to shake the younger man. A muffled and annoyed whine came from underneath him and he sighed, shaking his boyfriend even harder. An annoyed tsk escaped his lips as he gave one final round of hard shakes before his sleepy lover finally lifted his head from Joe’s legs. An annoyed frown gifted his face and his messed-up curls flopped over his forehead. How someone was that cute in the morning was a mystery to Joe.

”Mornin’ sleeping beauty.” 

“Why are you waking me so fucking early.”

Web wasn’t one who cursed very often, but whenever he did, Joe couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride. He knew a lot of Webster’s cursing was rubbed off from Joe’s and it made him smug to know he was slowly changing the other man. He simply grinned at him, shooting him a wink before pressing a kiss to the other man’s lips. It was short and savory, not Joe’s usual ideal kiss but he’d live. 

“Keep the PDA to a minimum and help me wake people up.” Speirs's voice broke through, an annoyed gruff sounding out at the end.

Joe simply laughed, already standing up and helping Web. He saw Speir’s lips falter slightly, almost lifting up to a smile. Most guys feared Speirs but Joe got along with him just fine. He liked the other man and he was more than positive the feeling was mutual. Not that the other man would agree but Joe could see in his facial expressions.

Waking everybody else up wasn’t too much a hassle, a quick shove and drag to the garage was all it took. Before they knew it, the cars were filled with people and engines were sputtering away. Car seating charts had been assigned and managed by Lip, who knew what he was doing.

Joe, Web, Toye, Luz, Guarnere, Babe, and Eugene were all in Guarnere’s car, a seven-seater Honda Pilot. It was ol’ Gonorrhea's prize and gold, other than his wife. Malarkey, Hoob, Muck, Penkala, and Buck were all seated in Buck’s Chevy. Martin’s Toyota had him, Bull, and Perco.

Skinny, Talbert, Shifty, and Grant would be driving in Grant’s Honda Civic. Last but not least, the remaining five—Harry, Nix, Dick, Ron, and Lip—would all be driving in Nix’s Range Rover.

With final partings to the house, each car slowly pulled out onto the lonesome and quiet street. Joe had taken the wheel without having to put up much of a fight with Guarnere. Toye sat next to him, Guarnere right behind Toye. Babe in the middle and Gene right next to him. From behind sat Webster and Luz, leaning on each other for sleep.

Sparing one final glance at the white house and its decorative black windows, Joe slowly pulled the car away. They made it down the street, Nixon and Martin’s car in front while Buck and Grant’s right behind him. This was going to be one hell of a trip.

                                                                                                           […]

A variety of music played through the speakers as the drive progressed. For someone like Liebgott, music was an endless possibility but you needed to make sure each song had a nice transition to ease into. You couldn't just fly from rap to alt-rock, there needed to be a good transition in between that served as the middle ground.

Toye, who had a pretty selective music taste, made sure to complain about Joe's stupid rule. Not that Joe gave a shit, the Jewish man simply grinned in amusement each time the Puerto Rican next to him opened his mouth to complain. Besides, driver's pick so Toye had no choice but to listen to Joe's "shitty ass playlist except for your rap part which I guess COULD be okay." Toye's words, not Joe's. 

"Ya'd think he'd have the sense of a fuckin' manatee. Jesus, he lacked more common sense than the chaotic three when they're together." he rambled, gripping the steering wheel in annoyance as the light turned red.

"Tell me you're jokin'. Toye, tell me he's jokin'. A manatee, a fuckin' manatee? What typa fucking example is that Joe." Guarnere chipped in, cackling as if Joe had told him the funniest joke known to man.

Toye, completely done with the conversation, landed his infamous glare in the Italian's direction. It only made Guarnere laugh even harder, beginning to double over with laughter. How he didn't manage to wake up Eugene, who was right fucking next to him, was a complete mystery to Joe. Babe, George, and Webster could sleep through the end of the world without even stirring once so Joe knew that Bill's laughter was no damage to them.

"Bill, look at my fucking face and ask me if he's joking again." Toye warned, narrowing his eyes down at Bill.

"Since the missus asked so nicely, tell me he's jokin'!" 

The only awake members of the car, except for Toye, erupted into laughter. Guarnere was practically wheezing his guts, clinging a hand on Roe's shoulder to steady himself. Whereas Joe had to clutch his stomach with one arm to ease the pain from laughing so hard. Why bother working out when laughing could practically let him grow a pair of abs? Toye did not seem to appreciate the teasing but Liebgott could've sworn he saw the twitch of a smile on the man's glowering face.

"Hardy har har, knock it off assholes. Jesus Christ why did I choose this damn car." 

"Awe, cuz ya love us Toye!" 

"I for sure am not loving you right now Gonorrhea."

"AWE C'MON WHAT DID WE SAY 'BOUT THAT NAME!"

The two continued to bicker, ranging from different topics that Joe didn't feel like engaging himself in. He'd much rather pay attention to the road as wilderness began to open up to towns. Trees were replaced with buildings and houses, wild deer became happy children dragging their beat-down parents around. They were nearly two hours from New Holland, entering into the town of Chambersburg. A nearly 50-minute drive from their destination - Martinsburg, West Virginia. It was close to 11 am, the top of his phone reading 10:42 am. 

Joe wouldn't mind stopping here, the city seemed pretty decent. But he knew the more stops they took, the longer the trip would take. And they already had a long day ahead of them since Lipton and Bull decided a National Park would be a nice place to visit. Though he knew that by the time they'd arrive, everyone would be awake with energy and they'd somehow all get kicked out. National Parks were okay and all but Joe knew his friends and he knew they would not last five minutes in one. 

"Say Joe, ya never answered me on my question. What typa example is a manatee?"

"Ah Jesus Bill, it's fuckin' Webster rubbin' off on me. All that sea animal shit is gettin' into my head." Joe groaned, choosing to ignore the laugh Toye and Guarnere shared, "Now you have no space to laugh Toye. I'm pretty sure George has been rubbin' off on ya too."

"Fuck you too Lieb. He is not rubbing off on me."

"No, no I think Joe here is onta somethin'. Good ol' George Luz might just be rubbin' some off him on ya, both sexually an'-" 

Fortunately, Bill never got to finish that sentence for Toye was already reaching back to punch the shit out of the man. The Italian hollered with laughter, attempting to duck at Toye's angry hands. For Joe, who was attempting to drive without losing his shit, he was certain he might accidentally kill one of them in the next two seconds. He was starting to regret ever agreeing to drive, knuckles gripping the leather of the wheel. All that anger management therapy shit Webster made him do was certainly not paying off.

"If both of you don't shut your fuckin' mouths and sit down I'm gonna crash this car into a ditch." he warned, glaring at them both through the rearview mirror.

Now that shut them up quickly for a second before Guarnere erupted in a fury of anger and started cursing at Joe every name under the sun and threatening him like no other.

This was his second baby after all and Joe knew he might send the Italian into a coma for even scratching it. Not that Joe would, he knew the importance of cars but he liked to mess with the other man. Besides, seeing his face get all red with anger was a treat to Joe and to Toye as well, who was cackling at the interaction. There was something about making Guarnere angry that everyone loved, the man had a different reaction to everything.

As if someone knew what was going down, Toye's phone began to buzz. Joe gave him a side glance before focusing back on the road, following Martin's car as they moved along the town. The almost silent car, save for Guarnere's rambling curses and threats, was suddenly filled with the sound of other voices. Seemed like a group call was happening and suddenly all five cars were in contact with each other. Different sounds radiated from Toye's phone and Joe cursed him as he had to turn the volume of his music down slightly.

Guarnere, who had gone from cursing Joe out, was now cursing and yelling at Malarkey. What the man did, Joe had no clue but he could tell the redhead found it funny for he was cackling. Joe was certain he could hear Muck laughing as well and the amused chuckle of Buck. He could also hear a half-awake Skinny and a fully awake Shifty arguing in the background as Grant, who was for the most part still asleep, yelled at them to shut up. Jesus Christ, he was surprised the people outside couldn't hear them from how loud everyone's cars seemed.

To Joe's surprise, Martin's car was rather quiet. But a confirmation that Perco was dead asleep and a show of the sleeping Italian man gave him an answer. As for Nix's car, Joe could hear Harry and Nixon loudly singing while Lipton, who was attempting to sleep, begged them to shut up. With Speirs and Dick being in the front, where the phone was placed, everyone got a clear view of their faces. Joe eyed with amusement as Dick let out another sigh and Speirs chewed at his cheek in anger. Seemed like a fun ride.

"How are you holding up there Joe?" Dick's voice cut through the chaos, sending another glare at the back. The redhead was given the response of a kiss blown to him by his boyfriend.

"Ah, doin' good Dick. Only Wild Bill over here is causin' unnecessary ruckus."

Guarnere gave him a wild look which only made the other parties on the phone laugh. "Fuck ya too Joe! This my dam' car you're drivin'! This's why George and Webster are cuddlin' back there."

Joe couldn't help but roll his eyes, focusing back on the road ahead of him. He watched as dogs and their owners trotted the streets, as shops began opening up and customers began piling in. He noticed little cafes full of people who were too lazy to cook and parents dragging their kids to what seemed like the park. Focusing his gaze on the rearview mirror, he noticed a mop of brown curls resting against floppy brown hair. Guarnere hadn't been fully lying when he said they were cuddling, George had most of his body tilted against Web's, and Joe noticed his boyfriend's head beginning to droop down to George's shoulder.

Joe couldn't help but smile slightly,  the sight reminding him of when he and his siblings would fall asleep against each other. Webster and George were an unlikely duo and everyone thought of them as siblings. It was cute and despite how people liked to tease both him and Toye about their boyfriends leaving them for each other, Joe knew that'd never happen. Hell, Webster had told him that he thought of George as his brother.

Muck's voice surprisingly brought Joe out of his daze, coming out a bit muffled, "Are they actually cuddling back there?"

"Basically, George has his body tilted to Web and Web's got his head practically on Georgie's shoulder. Here lemme- Bill if you don't fucking stop I swear to god-" Toye warned, attempting to lift the phone away from Bill's hands so Muck and the rest of the boys could see the backseat.

Joe could hear laughter bark from the speaker and he chuckled, continuing down the road and passing by what seemed like an insurance agency. They were almost out of Chambersburg and would soon return to passing by blooming trees and wild grass. Before long they'd be arriving in Martinsburg, which Joe knew Martin would have to deal with a bunch of teases over the name. And from there was the National Park. Joe couldn't help but grimace at the thought, shaking his head in misery.

He could hear conversation coming from the phone but like the other drivers, he barely paid attention nor spoke. In his car, since Guarnere and Toye were the only other ones awake, they were the ones who mainly spoke. By they, Joe really just meant Guarnere since Toye preferred to let others do the talking for him. Not that Bill minded since the man could speak and speak, aka just argue and tease.

It didn't take much longer to exit Chambersburg and after passing by a Target, they were soon back to mostly trees. But not for long since these were the areas of suburban houses that didn't belong to any particular town or neighborhood. If Web were awake Joe was certain he'd make a stupid metaphor out of that and despite how much he'd hate it, Joe would listen to it anyway. 

And then tell him to shut up and stop being a nerd because who was he to let someone off the hook like that?

As he drove past little houses with big trees surrounding them, Joe picked up on movement in the backseat. He wondered if Bill's dumb loud mouth finally managed to wake someone up, that someone most likely being Gene. Despite how tired the Cajun was, having had to wake up at the crack of dawn to meet at Guarnere's and then drive to Dick's, it was relatively easy to wake him up. Especially if you had a man like Bill Guarnere loudly chatting away and cracking all kinds of jokes.

As if on cue, a voice from behind him spoke, sounding drawn out and tired, "What time is it?"

"Ay!, Gene buddy! Good mornin' to ya too! It is currently, uh," the Italian paused, attempting to see the phone, "Joe what's the time?" 

"It's uh.. 10:55. We're like a half hour away from Martinsburg." 

"There's your answer Gene! Glad to be at your service." Bill joked, shaking the Louisiana man slightly.

Joe watched through the rearview mirror as Roe began fixing himself up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Not that it made much of a difference since Eugene always looked tired, with eyebags practically dragging his skin down. Catching his gaze through the mirror, Joe gave him a classic wink which was given an amused eye roll in return. 

"Jesus, only half an hour away from Martinsburg? Wouldja look at that Martin, we're getting real close to your town boy!" Joe could hear Bull joke and since Martin had the camera practically in his face, Joe and the rest of the boys couldn't help but laugh as his face fumed with anger and annoyance. 

"That is not my damn town and if one more of you make that fucking joke I'll rip your heads off." he warned, glowering at the camera as Harry began to wheeze, "Yeah, yeah, fuckin' wheeze all you want Welsh."

"Awe c'mon Martin it's a little funny!" Muck cried but by then Joe had stopped listening. There was already enough arguing in THIS car, why bother listening to the arguments of other cars?

As they continued to drive on, Joe couldn't help but feel a sense of happiness swell in him. Hell, his friends were sure to be the epitome of what he hated by the time they made it to California but he knew he was bound to have a good time. They already made a shit ton of memories and they hadn't even made it to their main destination yet. Listening to his friends argue back and forth was always a delight, despite claiming he hated it.

"What is that fucking smell." Toye called out, whipping his head to stare at the only awake members of the car.

Pausing at a red light, Joe turned around and took in a big whiff of air. To say the smell was bad was an understatement, Joe was certain the odor could wake fucking Heffron up. One quick look at Guarnere's wild grin already gave him his answer. Joe didn't even have to turn around to feel the anger radiating off from Toye and by the howls of laughter coming from the phone, he guessed everyone realized as well.

"I told ya this happens when I eat all that McDonald's." Guarnere shrugged, already cackling at the Puerto Rican's reaction.

"GUARNERE YOU FART IN THIS CAR AGAIN AND I SWEAR-"

Now usually Guarnere was known for his "silent but deadly" farts but the one he decided to drop, most likely to anger Toye more, was loud and proud. And boy did it stink too. If Toye wasn't already aiming to strangle the man and if the light hadn't turned green, Joe would've killed the Italian himself. 

"Whoopsie daisy!"

Silence filled the car, even the other cars stopped speaking. Joe didn't even want to see Toye's face and by the sound of Guarnere's wheezes, it was not good. Oh god, why did he choose to fucking drive this car?

"GUARNERE I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU."

                                                                                                           [...]

The cooler knocked against the wood with a quiet thud and the buzz of excitement before having a drink filled the air. And since Toye had happily, he was actually sulking, agreed to take the wheel, Joe could now drink without worry. It wasn't like he often drank knowing he'd be behind the wheel, he knew the dangers and his boyfriend was more than happy to tell him.  But sometimes desperate times call for desperate measurements and Joe would find himself carefully measuring his servings.

Watching everyone begin to organize themselves against the tables, he scanned the crowd for a head of familiar curls. Web had woken up when they'd gotten to Martinsburg and was soon followed by Luz. Despite being in the same car, Joe hadn't been able to properly talk with Webster since he was driving and George had already swept his boyfriend into conversation. Babe had been the last one to wake up when they had been an hour away from the park. The car was pretty peaceful once everyone woke, save for Luz's infamous jokes and impressions and Guarnere's loud ass cackling.

The drive to Martinsburg had been easy and from there to the park, Monongahela National Forest to be exact, was smooth failing. No excessive traffic, the towns they passed were cute and quiet, and Joe didn't have to take his road rage out on anyone. They had stayed on call with the other cars until they all found an area with enough picnic tables to fit all of them. 

Now if Joe had thought the joint call had been loud, nothing could compare to this. Now that everyone was pretty much awake, all the energy they had to keep in due to being on the road could now be released. He was more than grateful nobody was around for miles and wouldn't have to hear all the foul things coming from the mouths of him and his friends. And the occasional shrieks and cackles.

Lip was helping to set the food and the coolers across the tables, with the assistance of Gene, Dick, and Bull. They were the only quiet ones, speaking lowly amongst themselves when they needed instructions. Other than that, they worked in mostly silence and ignored the chaos around them. Joe noticed Hoobler and Webster already sitting down, attempting to connect to some type of service. By the looks of it, it seemed like they were trying to call someone but those dumb nutjobs didn't realize that wifi barely worked in these parks. Not that Hoobler would know since he was calling out for help.

"GUYS DO YOU HAVE SERVICE? ME AND WEB WANNA CALL VAN KLINKEN!"

"WHY?," Buck's voice called out, already turning back to talking with Nixon and Harry, "SO YOU CAN BRAG TO HIM ABOUT HOW YOU DON'T HAVE TO MISS OUT ON THIS TRIP?" 

"THAT'S EXACTLY WHY!" 

Joe couldn't help but laugh as he watched his boyfriend's face contort in confusion and annoyance. He knew that Webster wanted to call, say hello, and let his guilt get the best of him so he could apologize that Van Klinken couldn't go on the trip. Hoobler on the other hand wasn't joking when he said he wanted to brag. Those three were such an unlikely trio, even more unlikely than Web and Luz. Joe still had no clue how someone like David could be best friends with people like Hoob and Van Klinken.

Nevertheless, Joe could see his boyfriend reprimanding his best friend and the other man simply cackling with laughter. Right across from where the pair sat were Martin and Perconte. The duo seemed to be in some form of playful argument if the way Perco was laughing and Martin was attempting to hide his smile was anything to go by. Lieb noticed two figures creeping towards the two and it didn't take a genius to figure out who it was.

Guarnere took on Martin and Luz took Perco, meaning both men pounced on the talking duo. Frank's high-pitched screeches filled the air and everyone stopped to face them, watching as Perco began struggling against Luz's grip. Martin just looked annoyed as Bill practically fell onto him, wheezing with laughter. Muck and Penkala were grabbing onto each other as they laughed and Malarkey was practically on the floor from laughing, extending his hand up so he could still film.

He could hear Nix, Buck, and Harry cackling as Speirs shook his head with bewildered amusement. The rest of his friends were spread around the picnic area, either laughing or attempting to film the scene. By the time Frank's struggling stopped, so had most of the hysterical laughing. Only a few chuckles or giggles came out before everyone returned to what they were doing beforehand.

That was until Perco started chasing Luz around the area and screaming every threat he could possibly think of. Howling with laughter at the scene, Joe caught the eye of an amused Webster as he giggled at his two friends. Hoobler was still trying to find service, now with the help of Shifty, while Martin reminded them just how stupid they were. Not that the two men were listening because now Joe could see them calling Skinny over to help.

Making his way over to the table and nearly tripping over as Luz zoomed past him, he wrapped an arm around Web's waist, tightly pulling the other man into his side. His boyfriend simply hummed, leaning his head against Lieb's shoulder. "Fucking dumbasses those two."

"Yeah," he muttered, feeling Web press a kiss against his neck, "and why's that?

"Can answer that for you Web. George is a complete nutjob for thinkin' that pouncing on Perco is a good idea," Toye called, somehow having appeared right behind them, "and Perco.. he's just stupid for taking the bait and chasin' after George." 

Joe couldn't help but snort as he turned his head to look at the other man. Toye seemed annoyed but Joe could tell by the glint in his eyes that he was rather amused. His gaze was already on George and by now he and Perco were on the floor wrestling each other. Letting out another snort and meeting Toye's gaze, Joe couldn't help but smirk. 

"Maybe someone should stop them? One of them dumb fucks is gonna get seriously hurt." Lipton's turn to speak as he brought a cooler of beers to their table. His gaze was focused on Toye as he spoke but the other man simply shrugged.

"Awe c'mon Lip! Them fightin' is as friggin' good as watchin' a game, ya can't have them stop now!" Babe called out, dragging his poor boyfriend to the table, "And don't ya try to correct my grammar Webster, it ain't gonna change."

"Aye, aye Captain Babe." Web retorted, sarcasm dripping from his words as he spoke.

The South Philly man simply grinned, practically cuddling up against Roe. Not that the other man minded since Joe watched as Roe's arm wrap around Babe's waist in a secure hold. It surprised Joe that so many people could fit on one small table and more people were still coming. He had Webster by his side, Toye and George, who had finally given up fighting Perco, on the other side. Right next to Webster were Hoob, Shifty, and Skinny. They were still trying to get service, fuckin' dumbasses.

On the opposite side was Guarnere and next to him were Bull and Martin. Guarnere was happily teasing Martin while Bull simply smiled at his fuming boyfriend. Next to them were Eugene and Babe, followed by Grant and Talbert. The table next to them, which was unable to be moved from the position it was rooted in, held the remaining members. Buck and Malarkey were on the edge, arm wrestling over each other as Muck and Penk, who were sat opposite of them, cheered either opponent on.

Dick and Harry were by Alex and both seemed rather amused by the game while Lipton was happily talking to Perconte, Nix, and Speirs. Perco was shooting daggers at Luz but the minute the other man grinned at him, Joe could sense that the Italian's anger disappeared. Food and drinks had been distributed and everyone fell into a rhythm of eating and talking. It was like their days in the cafeteria on campus all over again.

Joe found himself listening to some stupid story Guarnere was telling which was most likely fake but he was still intrigued. He wasn't the only one listening, it seemed like everyone to the left of him couldn't tear their eyes from the Italian. And he sure was eating the attention up, adding more and more details as the story went on.

"And then she fuckin' jumped off! Like it was just nothing! It's just," he paused, chugging a large quantity of beer before continuing, "insane that she was jus' gon' jump off that buildin' and gimme a fuckin' heart attack. Jesus Christ, that little daredevil."

"What was she again to you boy?" Bull asked, beginning to light up a smoke as he took a bite of his sandwich.

"My fuckin' niece. Only she's like, uh," he began to count, squinting his eyes slightly before grimacing in annoyance, "she's fuckin' fifteen. Fifteen and givin' me a goddamn heart attack!"

Everyone still listening in broke off into laughter, even Gonorrhea himself. Joe couldn't help but shake his head with amusement, already perking up for the story Bull had in mind. His hand had moved from Web's waist to his thigh, simply laying there just to lay there. Webster didn't even seem to notice and from the corner of Joe's eye, he could see him talking to Talbert and Grant. He chewed on his sandwich and sipped on his beer as stories were passed along.

They weren't quiet by any means, how quiet could you possibly be when twenty conversations at once were happening? Laughter could be heard from either table and at times "heated" arguments came into earshot. But Joe was content and at peace despite all the chaos. He never wanted the moment to end, he'd much rather sit out in the open while sipping on a beer and listening to some insane story that someone conjured on the spot than have to get back into the car.

But maybe if he didn't think so much about the future, he could focus on the present and enjoy the moment even more.

                                                                                                           [...]

Monongahela hadn't been as bad as Joe expected. The forest itself was beautiful, especially during the summertime. It was quite peaceful and they could be as loud as they wanted without much of an issue. Other than the sweltering July heat, the trip to the forest had been fun. After everyone finished eating they all hung around the area before park rangers found them and politely kicked them out. Apparently, the stupid park closed at fucking four which nobody had known.

The next stop was Parkersburg, some random city on the outskirts of West Virginia. It was right across from Ohio which was their last stop before settling in for the night. They weren't far from Parkesburg, according to Toye there were around 45 minutes left. Much to Joe's surprise, he didn't feel like sawing his head off with one of those hacksaws Bull owned. He couldn't say the same for Buck, who sounded in need of dire help over the phone.

"OOOOOOKLAHOMA! WHERE THE WIND COMES SWEEPIN' DOWN THE PLAIN!"

"AND THE WAVIN' WHEAT CAN SURE SMELL SWEET!"

"WHEN THE WIND COMES RIGHT BEHIND THE RAIIIIIINNNN!"

Muck, Malark, and Penk had decided a little singing could do the cars some good and despite the shitty quality of Luz's phone, they sure sounded loud and annoying. Even though Luz had his phone positioned on the dashboard and Malarkey's screen being pretty small, Joe could perfectly see the trio singing their heads off. And by the looks of it, Buck didn't seem too pleased to have to deal with a bunch of singing idiots with Hoobler now beginning to join them. And Joe thought their car had been bad.

"If this goes any longer I'm gonna need a smoke." he could hear Lipton call out and he had to squint to watch the blonde shake his head from his position in the backseat.

"I sometimes forget Lip smokes. Speakin' of smoking-" Talbert began before his entire car could be heard screaming no.

Since Tab was one of the youngest, everyone wanted to protect his lungs from the horrid effects of smoking. Though Joe knew better since he once walked in on Tab, Gordon, Shifty, and Skinny drinking and smoking. Safe to say they had been pretty drunk by the time he found them, walking right in on Tab's rant about how hot Grant was and how good of a kisser he was. Safe to say, Joe never brought the night up and he doubts that they knew he walked in on them. They had been a little too out of it to realize.

"If they don't fucking shut up.." Webster grumbled and Joe couldn't help but grin, slinking an arm around his boyfriend's shoulder. He too was annoyed with it but seeing Web annoyed by their friends always amused him. 

"Awe doll, they're just starting!" Joe retorted, knowing the nickname always managed to fluster Web.

Watching his boyfriend turn a pretty shade of red, he couldn't help but bark with laughter. He would've felt bad for teasing the poor man if it weren't for the look on his face that just made Lieb want to tease him even more. So technically it was Webster's fault for Joe teasing him.

"HEY GENE," he could hear George yell out, despite being in the same car as the other man, "DO YOU THINK WEB IS GONNA KILL JOE FIRST OR IF BUCK IS GONNA KILL EVERYBODY IN HIS CAR FIRST? AND WHO WOULD YOU SAVE FIRST?"

"Christ Georgie, can ya be any louder?" Toye grumbled and Joe could see George grin wickedly. If Luz began to sing, Joe wasn't sure if he'd be able to hold his anger in.

Joe had been sat in the middle with Webster to his left and Bill to his right. Gene and Babe had taken the back and of course, Toye was driving with Luz by his side. Sipping on a beer he took from one of the coolers, he couldn't help but admire the view ahead of him. It was nothing crazy, both Martin and Nix's cars ahead blocked most of the view. It was just a long highway with nature on either side. But it still felt scenic, especially with the late afternoon sun shining down on them. They'd been passing close to a town called Pennsboro and would soon pass through Ellenboro.

"Jesus," he muttered, fixing his gaze on George's phone, "hey Lip, question for ya. Why's every damn town in this state end with boro?"

Pausing his obnoxious singing to laugh, Joe could hear Muck's stupid voice answer. As if HE was from West Virginia. "Literally only two towns end with boro Joe."

"It's three actually. Ellenboro, Pennsboro, and Hillsboro. I don't know Joe, why don't you go ask the fuckin' pilgrims or whoever named those towns."

He considered the man's words, already feeling the death glare Web sent his way. Joe simply kissed his cheek, knowing the action would startle Web so much he'd forget the joke that Joe was about to drop. "Hey, I might! While I'm at it maybe me and ol' Shakespeare can meet up for some coffee."

"Joseph," he could hear the desperation in Webster's tone as the man turned to face him, "they are NOT from the same time. How many times have I told you this?"

Web was giving Joe an exasperated look but all Joe could do was fixate on how his lips moved as he attempted to get the words through Joe's head. They were a pretty pink and suddenly Joe felt hungry. Clasping Web's face in his hands, he hungrily took Webster's lips in his own. The other man stilled before giving in and letting Joe take control. His hands found their way to Joe's shoulders as Joe let his hands travel to his boyfriend's waist. He almost forgot they were in a car full of people until voices and complaints came into earshot.

"NOT IN MY FUCKIN' CAR!?"

"EW MUCK ARE YOU SEEING THIS?"

"Get a room you two, absolutely filthy and vile."

"MY EYES! MY EYES! MY EYES!"

"AGHHHHHHHHHHHH GENE THEY'RE BASICALLY FUCKING RIGHT NOW!!!"

Everyone seemed to pause, even Joe. He begrudgingly pulled himself away from a dazed Webster, who had put his fingers to his lips as if this was the first time Joe kissed him. It reminded Joe of their first kiss and he couldn't help but smile at the other man before groaning as everyone's voices began overlapping. It was like a fucking zoo and he was suddenly glad the poor people of Pennsboro were too far away to hear.

"BABE, WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU SAY THAT? GET THAT IMAGE OUTTA MY HEAD."

"That's DISGUSTING, there are kids on this call."

"WHO YOU CALLING A KID GRANT?"

"I'M CALLING YOU A KID MUCK. BOTH YOU AND TALBERT, SPECIFICALLY."

"I'm not a damn kid!?"

Letting out a loud groan of annoyance seemed to shut them all up as Joe glared at the camera. He had let go of Web's waist and had returned to his original position but he had intertwined a hand with Web's and they both just laid their hands on Webster's thigh. "If you all don't shut up I'm gonna kiss him again. With tongue too!"

Hearing the screams and whines of disgust, and feeling Webster punch his arm, he couldn't help but feel satisfied. Having the higher ground when he was with his friends was always funny. Though he normally lost it after two seconds since they were technically all fighting for the higher ground. It still didn't hurt to play around with it while he had the chance to since his friends weren't scared to play dirty to get what they wanted.

Eventually, after some more complaining and unnecessary but funny dirty jokes, the cars began calming down. They had finally passed by Ellenboro and were about half an hour from Parkersburg. Joe, to be frank, was feeling pretty hungry. He only managed to eat one of his own sandwiches and half of Webster's because the other man decided to help Hoob eat the four sandwiches he stole. No wonder the dumbass kept complaining about his stomach hurting, who the fuck tries to eat four sandwiches AND a tin of cookies on their own? 

One and a half sandwiches, which were barely medium-sized, wasn't enough for Joe. Especially since he was a Liebgott and they loved lunch. In Joe's mind, fuck breakfast and just have a big lunch. In Webster's and everyone else's mind, breakfast was the most important meal of the day and lunch could wait. Which was fucking stupid in Joe's mind but nobody seemed to care or listen to him.

It was as if someone had read his mind and knew exactly what he wanted to hear, "I'm fucking starving. Those sandwiches were so tiny who the fuck ordered them?"

"Oh, I'm sorry Miss. Nixon. I'll tell the maids they weren't Jersey enough for you and we'll have it fixed right away."  Speirs teased, sarcasm dripping from his words like spilled paint.

Joe couldn't help but laugh, watching an annoyed Nix turn around and give the man the finger. Not that Speirs was paying attention since from what Joe could see, he was semi-cuddling with Lip in the back. Poor Harry had to leave Kitty behind and was forced into a car full of couples. But he wasn't the only one since Bill, Perco, Skinny, and Shifty were all in the same position as him. At least Shifty and Skinny had each other though and besides, both Grant and Talbert weren't AS lovey-dovey in public as everyone else.

"I thought the sandwiches were pretty good, except for yours Skinny. If dad saw that, he would've tweaked out." Shifty spoke up, grinning as the other man grumbled in annoyance.

"Your dad actually favors me so he wouldn't give a shit about what I put on MY sandwich."

"Kid's got a point Skinny, you put that weird cheese with the olives on your ham. That's nasty dude." Buck spoke up and Joe couldn't help but laugh as he watched Skinny flip him the bird.

They were getting closer and closer to their destination and Joe could sense everyone's hunger. The cars began to quiet down, even Buck's car was less singing and more just talking. Even everyone in the car with Joe was losing most of their energy, resorting to sit in silence while the trees passed by. Babe and Guarnere were having some form of conversation but it wasn't as loud as any of their previous talks. Craning his head to get a view of Gene, he could see the Cajun with his head on Babe's shoulder. He wasn't sleeping but he looked to be lost in thought, with a faraway look in his eyes. 

Joe was certain the pair were holding hands just like he and Web. They always were, could never be separated too long from each other. Joe never understood how someone like Gene could be tied to the hip to Babe, of all people! But he thought their relationship was cute but don't tell anyone he said that. He knew he wasn't the only one who thought that way, the Cajun and the South Phillian had a sweet love. It was delicate and mostly pure, save for a few dirty comments and unnecessary stories told by a drunk Babe. They were passionately in love and Joe had a feeling they'd be married in a couple of years. 

Babe and Eugene weren't the only couple he liked. In fact, he found most of his friend's relationships endearing and felt most would get married someday. Joe often liked to joke that he couldn't wait for when the wedding invitations started rolling in and how he'd wear the same suit to each one. But it wasn't just his friends that he assumed would be married one day; as much as Joe tried to keep his cool about it, he badly wanted to marry Web. He couldn't picture a life without the other man, even with his flaws and imperfections. Joe would love to wake up every day to Web practically suffocating him with the force of his cuddles and go to bed with Webster tucked into his side.

Feeling a hand gently slide itself over his own, Joe met his lover's gaze. Lieb was still holding Webster's right hand but now he had David's left hand over his own. Wrapping his arm around the other man's waist, he connected them both into one. He kept his eyes on the other man's bright baby blues, admiring the splashes of blue that reminded him of a canvas. He couldn't help but smile sweetly at his boyfriend, gently placing a kiss on the tip of his nose.

"Hi," he whispered, despite the car not being silent, "what are you doing?"

Webster simply chuckled, tilting his head at an angle to be able to kiss Joe's cheek. His lips lightly grazed Lieb's skin and he couldn't help but grin. Usually, they had these moments in the privacy of their own home, but everyone was so occupied that even George and Toye weren't paying much attention. Toye was much too focused on the road and Luz was talking happily to the rest of their friends.

"Well, I was staring out the window before I," he started, grinning at Joe with that pretty smile of his, "felt a pair of eyes on me. Who would've guessed—my own boyfriend's gaze! And I just had to check it 'cause who would I be to ignore such a gaze?"

"Hardy har har, Mr. Jokester over here thinks he's so fuckin' funny."

"I know I am!" Web teased and Joe couldn't help but roll his eyes, attempting to hide the smile growing on his face. He had to marry this man, he saw no other choice.

Noticing that specific glint in David's eyes, the one that indicated he had something on his mind, Joe decided to let his boyfriend talk his ear off. Giving him a nod, he watched with adoration as the other man's face practically glowed. Feeling Web quickly lay his head on his shoulder, Joe allowed his hand to travel to the curls just under his head. His fingers danced in between strands, toying and playing with them as he listened to Web's quiet voice. Something about the passing trees and the nature surrounding them.

Keeping his gaze on the view of the outside world, Joe felt himself getting lulled into tranquility by everything around him. The conversations happening between Babe and Guarnere, stories about Frannie and work and Philly. The upbeat rhythm of the hip-hop and reggae flowing through the car, courtesy of Toye and his choice of music. The sound of Luz occasionally laughing and telling jokes as the rest of their friends talk. Their voices traveled through the phone and to Joe's ear, putting him at peace. And finally, the pleasant sound of Webster and his ramblings that Joe pretended to hate but secretly clung to every word.

Feeling his eyes began to shut briefly, he allowed himself to doze off. Once they arrived in Parkersburg, which was only like ten minutes away, they still had to drive around 30 minutes to get to Athens. Plus another ten to try to find a motel or cheap hotel to stay the night for. So Joe had enough time to catch a quick nap, one brought on by the lull of the atmosphere around him.

                                                                                                           [...]

Fishing the keycard out of his pocket, Joe quickly unlocked the door for them. He could see his friends doing the exact same thing everywhere around him, each hauling all their luggage into the rooms. They had selected the cheapest motel they could find which turned out to be Super 8 by Wyndham. Joe wasn't too sure how he felt about it but frankly, he was too out of it to even care.

Closing the door behind them, Joe quickly inspected the area as Webster began unpacking. The room was pretty small and rather ugly for the most part. White and red walls, carpeted floors with weird rug designs. There was a queen-sized bed, a TV and its stand across the bed, a small desk next to the TV, an armchair next to the bed, and nightstands. There was also a big ass photograph of Ohio over the bed.

The bathrooms weren't fancy but pretty well-kept. A yellowy countertop with one sink, a large mirror that stretched across one of the walls, and a metal towel bar with a puny towel hanging on. The shower seemed decent and Joe noticed there was both shampoo and conditioner. The toilet was right next to the tub and there was a towel holder with multiple fresh towels. The room was similar to what Joe had expected, bland and cheap. He'd seen better, he knew Webster had seen way better. But at least there weren't any bugs crawling around and there was no foul odor of a human body.

Returning back to the main section of the room, Joe watched as his boyfriend began to organize their luggage. They didn't pack much, one large suitcase for both their clothes and a few other necessities had done the trick. Joe had wanted to just bring a duffel bag but of course, Webster opposed the minute the idea was brought up. There was nothing wrong with the suitcase but Joe didn't see much of a need for it when they could easily bring bags for their clothes.

Sneaking up behind the other man, he wrapped his arms around his other half's waist. Webster didn't seem to mind much, already used to Joe's antics, and continued unpacking the clothes he was changing into tomorrow. Joe, deciding to be the pester he was, began pressing slow and sloppy kisses to Web's neck. Now that seemed to do the trick!

"Joe. What are you doing." Webster hissed, already beginning to melt in his lover's arms.

"What am I doing? Nothing Web, what are you doing?" Joe teased back, enjoying the way David stiffed in his arms.

He wasn't going to go any further than a simple tease, they were supposed to meet at Dick and Nix's room for dinner in less than half an hour. Besides, they were both too tired to get into anything so why bother starting something he couldn't finish? And Joe knew that Web loved kisses to the neck, even if they were teasing kisses.

"Joseph," he could hear Web warn, "if you don't stop I swear. We're meeting everyone for dinner in like fifteen minutes, please. Was ist, wenn jemand reinkommt und das sieht? Ich spiele dieses Spiel jetzt nicht mit dir, hör auf."

Grinning against his boyfriend's neck, he couldn't help but be amused at the other man's desperation. "Wollen Sie wirklich, dass ich Web aufhalte? Außerdem fange ich nichts an, das ist nur Spaß."

"Liebgott bitte."

Leave it to fucking Webster to say shit that'll get to Joe. Heaving out a long sigh, he lifted his lips from the other man's neck and gently retracted his arms. Meeting the smug smile on Web's face, Joe simply scowled with annoyance. Web unfortunately knew that using a sad and quiet voice always broke Joe out of whatever trance he was in. And the asshole was always using that to his advantage.

Feeling a kiss to the jaw and then to the cheek, Joe couldn't help but smile softly. The asshole may annoy him and use things against him but he always knew how to make it up to Joe. Slipping his hands to the other man's waist, Joe happily accepted a kiss from Webster. Their lips locked perfectly like they were pieces in a puzzle. Webster always tasted like cherries and whipped cream, a snack he was always eating. His lips were soft and pretty, perfect for Joe.

Joe loved kissing Web, it always felt so right to him. The way his boyfriend would blissfully sigh into his mouth and cup Joe's cheeks with his smooth hands. How he would deepen the kiss by tilting his head ever so slightly and parting his lips just enough for Joe's satisfaction. Joe had kissed many people before but nobody kissed like David Kenyon Webster. It was magical and euphoric, always leaving Joe feeling like how he did after their first kiss.

Pulling away from his boyfriend, Joe couldn't help but grin at the other man. His lips were plump and shiny, eyes twinkling with adoration as he opened them slowly. God, Joe had gotten real lucky. His ma really had been right when she said everything would work out in his favor.

"For someone who wanted me to stop so badly," he began, already letting his words drawl in a teasing tone, "you sure didn't want to stop there."

Watching his boyfriend begin to scowl, he couldn't help but laugh as the other man spoke, "Now that's different and y'know that."

"Maybe I don't?"

"Joseph. What would your mother think of this behavior?"

Webster liked to use a lot of things to his advantage like being one of the few people allowed to call Joe by his first name. Joe really didn't care most of the time, he was the one who Webster permission since the other man was special to him. Besides, every time Web did call him Joseph, it was to lecture him and Joe "didn't" listen to half the lectures Web gave. But right now, he couldn't help but grunt in annoyance as he stared down the other man.

Watching his boyfriend smile sweetly at him, Joe felt a kiss pressed to his cheek once more. Damn Webster, always doing this shit to him. Joe was gonna have to plan out revenge since this was just cruel and he felt that he didn't deserve this treatment. He wondered if Web and Luz often planned out little things like these to mess with him and Toye since he knew the other man also had to deal with shit like this.

As if on cue, a loud knock at the door startled him out of his sulking. Seeing that Webster was still rummaging through their suitcase, Joe forced himself to open whoever was pounding on the door. "Holy fuck I'm comin'!"

Standing outside his door with a look of annoyance was Guarnere himself. Babe and Gene were right behind him, at least they had the decency to look a little shameful. Not Guarnere though, who had been scowling deeply at the door but was now focusing his annoyance on Joe. As if Joe did anything to him! 

"Ya done makin' love to your boyfriend?" 

"Nah, not really. Wanna watch? It's quite a show." Joe knew that that in order to melt Guarnere's short spans of annoyance you had to throw his fire right back. 

Watching the South Philly man break out in a grin, Joe couldn't help but shake his head in amusement. The Italian simply told him to hurry up and that the pizza was on its way before dragging Babe and Gene towards another room. Closing the door as the sounds of fists banging against another door started, Joe turned around to find Webster patiently seated on the bed. He was scrolling on his phone and would occasionally let out a chuckle.

"You done yet handsome?" Joe asked, leaning against the wall with an amused smile on his face.

Noticing the pink tint of his boyfriend's cheeks, he couldn't help but smirk. Joe always had the perfect nicknames to make his boy blush and he absolutely loved using that to his advantage. If Webster could reprimand him with his first name and use a sad voice on Joe, he could call him nicknames that make Web a nervous wreck. That was the only way to make them even.

"Yeah! I got the clothes you wanted to wear out, they're the ones right next to mine." he explained, pointing to a stack of clothes right next to him, "Anyways, I'm ready when you are."

Scanning the little pile of clothing, Joe nodded slowly. He'd already told Web what he wanted to wear for the next morning: baggy jorts, a wife beater, and a blue work shirt, that would be worn open. It was similar to what he had worn today, only he had a 50 Cent shirt on. Nothing too crazy but he still liked to have a little style when he was out. Seemed like his boyfriend had listened since every item in the pile seemed to be what he wanted. Joe knew he should've helped his boyfriend out but Webster seemed to enjoy doing mundane tasks like that.

Observing Webster's pile of clothes, he couldn't help but smile. His boyfriend had a similar taste to him and despite how many times Web denied it, Joe knew that he inspired a lot of his boyfriend's clothing choices. Baggy jorts and a cream work shirt with lines were neatly folded by his clothes, one of his favorite outfits. Webster had worn similar clothes to Joe: baggy jorts and a Jaws shirt. It wasn't even intentional or planned, it just happened to be another one of the many coincidences they had. 

"Alright, let's go!" he heard his boyfriend chirp before a hand, Webs, practically dragged him out of the room.

They made their way out of the room, still holding hands as they ran into Skinny and Shifty. The four walked down the hall until they got to the loudest room in the vicinity, Joe taking the initiative to knock. Dick happily let them in, letting them know they were awaiting the pizza, as well as Hoobler, Buck, and Perconte. Those three dumbfucks were taking their sweet time with making their way over.

The room was similar to Joe's, not that he expected anything different. He noticed that Dick and Nix's suitcases were in a corner and there were neatly folded clothes on the desk. Everyone was spread out in any space they could find though most just squeezed on the bed. Leading Webster to where Toye and George were, he couldn't help but feel happy. They chose not to eat out since everyone was far too tired for that and besides, pizza and beer seemed like a fine choice.

The TV was turned on to some movie but mostly everyone was talking, save for the few people who occasionally paused their conversations to watch a certain scene. There was already beer getting spread around and Joe happily accepted one from Martin. It was a Miller Lite, not Joe's favorite but he could work with it. Besides him, Webster was trying out George's Corona and it seemed like he enjoyed it because he wouldn't let it go.

"Awe c'mon Webster! Knock it off and give it back. You ain't even old enough to drink yet!" Luz complained, attempting to steal the beer back.

"Neither are you or most of the people in this damn room." Webster retorted and Joe couldn't help but laugh as George stuck his tongue out

It didn't take long for the remaining three stragglers to arrive, bringing in a couple of beers themselves. Joe knew that they'd been in a shit load of trouble if they got caught drinking, almost everyone in the room was under 21. But neither he nor anyone else in the room gave a shit, not even Dick. Though he was a little iffy every time the drinks were brought out but learned that commenting and trying to stop it was a lost cause.

Lipton was surprisingly more easy-going with them drinking than Dick was. Save for a few teasing comments he made here and there, he didn't really do anything to try and stop it. However, he did encourage them to not make a habit of it. Though Lip's way of encouraging them was to threaten them until they promised to not become alcoholics, which worked each time.

The pizza eventually arrived: seven boxes of pies, including plain, pepperoni, and sausage. A couple of sodas as well as three boxes of garlic knots came with the order as well. It smelt delicious and it only reminded Joe of hungry he was. The wait, which was far too long in his opinion, was finally over. 

"Jesus Dick you know us so well!" Malarkey called out, practically bouncing with happiness as the pizza was brought over. 

The redhead flushed slightly as the rest of them applauded him for his choices, attempting to divert the attention from him. But Joe could tell he appreciated it and so did everyone else. It didn't take a genius to realize he was attempting to not let his smile break out into a grin. Though he pretty much failed and Nix kissing him on the cheek didn't help for shit.

The boxes were scattered over the desk and the TV stand and everyone took turns getting a slice. Joe took two pepperoni slices, a couple of garlic knots, and a Budweiser. It was the perfect meal for him, just enough to fill him up and restore his energy. By the time everyone got their first slice, most of the plain had been taken and only a bit of pepperoni and sausage remained. The garlic knots were all gone and each soda bottle was half full.

The room was so loud that Joe was surprised the lobby clerks hadn't come and told them off. Then again, they had the room at the far end of the motel and he was pretty sure most of the rooms were empty. He hadn't seen many cars in the parking lot and it wasn't like this motel was particularly popular. Hell, the clerks who had checked them in looked surprised when they all piled into the small lobby. So Joe had doubts people would complain about the noise.

It felt like a party, everyone was talking and music was being played. Which was a pretty bad idea since putting a bunch of half-drunk guys into a room with music will always turn into a karaoke fest. At least that's how Joe felt, watching as Malarkey, Muck, and Penkala began a Hamilton sing-along. Joe couldn't help but double over in laughter as they got George and Perco to join them, soon followed by Hoobler and Talbert.

Only reason Talbert joined was because he had been sneakily drinking, along with Penkala. Now Dick and Lip could let it slide by when the 20-year-olds of the group, which was mostly everyone, began to drink. And Malarkey too but that was because his 20th birthday was about a week away.

Now for people like Talbert and Penkala, who wouldn't turn 19 until a little over a month from now, weren't "allowed" to drink yet. Though they always managed to sneak a couple in and by the looks of it, Talbert had managed to get more than just a couple.

Feeling Webster lean against his chest, Joe couldn't help but wrap his arms around the other man. The sing-along seemed to be getting intense as whatever song they were singing began picking up. Joe felt like he recognized it, Webster had forced him to watch Hamilton a total of six times, but he couldn't remember the name for the life of him. But he knew Web loved it since the man was humming along as the rest of them sang.

"Babe, what song is this?" Joe asked, peering down as a pair of baby blues looked back up at him. Web wasn't that close to being drunk yet but the drinks were slowly working on him.

"You'll remember. I've sung this to you like what," he began, focussing his gaze back on his friends before continuing, "a hundred times? God, you'll know which one it is in a few seconds."

Joe simply shrugged as he continued to watch his friends, who were mostly just focusing on the karaoke session going on. Babe, Guarnere, and Buck had finally joined in and they were all in a circle on the bed, focusing on the TV as the lyrics played on. Gene was cuddled up next to Babe, filming his boyfriend with the face of a lovestruck teenager. Martin and Bull were by him, on the edge of the bed, laughing with amusement at their friends. On the opposite side of them were Skinny, Shifty, and Grant. The three were cheering their friends, mostly Talbert, on. 

On the floor were him and Web, Toye being right next to them. Dick and Harry had their backs to the TV stand as they watched while Nix, Speirs, and Lip were standing by the bed and laughing. The music continued to increase as did the singing, which seemed to get more intense and gibberish sounding as it progressed. Almost everyone who wasn't singing had their phones out either recording or calling people who couldn't make it, showing their stupid friends off. Joe couldn't ask for a much better night.

"ALEXANDER JOINS FORCES WITH JAMES MADISON AND JOHN JAY TO WRITE A SERIES OF ESSAYS DEFENDING THE NEW UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION ENTILTED THE FEDERALIST PAPERS!"

Despite them all being loud, Joe could hear George's voice best. He, Web, and Malarkey had crazy Hamilton phases and it made Joe grimace each time he was reminded of that.

The name of the song slowly came to Joe until he finally remembered, shaking his head with amusement. The amount of times Webster had sang that for him, how could he have forgotten? Shaking his boyfriend to get his attention, he couldn't help but laugh as he opened his mouth, "Is this fuckin' Non-Stop?"

"Yup!" Webster responded, popping the 'p' as he spoke. 

Fixing his gaze back on his friends, he continued to laugh as they attempted to harmonize. He could also hear noise from Shifty's phone, he was most likely the one calling people. Straining his ears and attempting to listen, Joe caught a sense of who Shifty had been calling. Pat, Smokey, Popeye, and Spina were his main guesses but he could've been wrong. Hard to tell when the entire room was full of his friend's stupid singing.

"Jesus is that Guarnere singing? No wonder it sounds so off-key!" Spina called out and Joe couldn't help but laugh, watching the Italian flip the phone off.

"John Jay got sick after writing five.." They all seemed to lower their voices as the music began to intensify. Joe remembered this part vividly and by the looks of it, so did Toye.

"James Madison wrote twenty-nine!" 

"HAMILTON WROTE, THE OTHER FIFTY-ONE!" 

It was like a gunman had threatened their lives if they didn't fuckin' belt the damn lyrics. Joe could've sworn his ears were gonna start bleeding from how loud they were being and it didn't seem to stop, each word getting sung just a tad bit louder. If Joe had doubts about noise complaints, they were gone now.

He could practically see the clerk forced to deal with them storming into the room and threatening to kick them out. Joe wouldn't blame them either, he was tempted to kick them out himself. And he knew he wasn't the only one with the same thought.

"WRITE DAY AND NIGHT LIKE YOU'RE RUNNIN' OUT OF TIME! EVERY DAY YOU FIGHT LIKE YOU'RE RUNNIN' OUT OF TIME! LIKE YOU'RE RUNNIN' OUT OF TIME, ARE YOU RUNNIN' OUT OF TIME?"

As the song droned on and on, Joe couldn't get rid of the happy feeling. It hadn't left him since he arrived at Dick's house and he had doubts it would leave until they returned back to Pennsylvania. But he secretly enjoyed the feeling, it made him feel wanted and safe. Despite how much his friends annoyed him, he wouldn't want any other ones. He would happily deal with more karaoke nights and last-minute road trip plans if it meant keeping his friends.

Joe seriously thought he'd die without his friends, they brought his true self out of him. They knew him like no other and Joe had never felt so grateful to have been accepted into Toccoa University. The professors there were pretty strict and there was a plentiful of people that pissed him off like no other. But if he hadn't gotten in or had chosen another college, he would've never met his friends.

Would've never met the love of his life, the man who knew him better than his own ma. So maybe he didn't get into the colleges his ma wanted him to get into but he got into a college that showed him he could see family in non-blood-related people.

The song finally had come to an end and Joe, along with a few others, couldn't have felt any happier. It was only when song recommendations began to arise that he realized this wasn't going to stop anytime soon. He could only pray that any clients trying to sleep weren't disturbed by their loud singing. While he's at it, he might as well pray that he doesn't kill one of them. 

As they all argued over a song, probably another Hamilton one, Dick just had the ask the question that was bound to get them all killed, "I didn't know you enjoyed singing that much Tab."

Talbert, who had been loudly arguing with Perco over the remote, had gone painfully quiet. He was drunk enough to sing with them but not drunk enough to not realize that if he was caught he'd be screwed. His face had gone pale and he seemed to be attempting to hide behind Buck, who was trying to hide him as best as possible.

Joe noticed the suspicious look on Dick's face and he knew right then and there that they were done for. Stupid idiots they were, especially Talbert. 

"Well, uh, you see-" Talbert began before he was interrupted by none other than Muck himself. Muck, who had to have been the drunkest out of all of them and wasn't thinking of the consequences of his words before he spoke them.

"He normally doesn't Dick buuut," the brunette began, ignoring the glares and warning looks sent his way, "our good ol' friend Talbert got his hands on a few drinks! Same with Penk here, ain't that right Penk? Normally Penk is quieter when singing but woah, you should hear him when he's got a couple beers in!"

Time seemed to stop the minute the words flew out his mouth, even the ones on call had shut up. Joe had stiffened and so had Web, who had suddenly sat up instead of leaning on Joe. Everyone, especially Talbert and Penkala, seemed to be waiting for the reactions of Dick and Lip.

It wasn't until now that Muck realized his mistake but it was far too late and Joe had a feeling Malarkey and Penkala were seconds away from beating him to a pulp. At least the brunette had the decency to look bashful.

"They WHAT?"

Chapter Text

Despite being from there, Martin loathed Ohio.

He never understood why. He used to run away all the time to escape. The police would find him roaming the streets of Wisconsin or Indiana countless amount of times. One time, they found him trying to enter Pennsylvania, and that was the last time he chose to run away. Watching his mother break down and ask what she had done wrong was enough to make him stay until he was legally able to leave.

Something about the state always irked him; it made him feel unpleasant and unwanted. At first, he chalked it up to his rough childhood. He hadn't been well-liked at school, which resulted in him always being angry. He often gave his parents a hard time, never doing the best in school and failing to make friends. Then again, feeling sulky and depressed at only seven wasn't easy for him.

It only got worse as he grew older and discovered drugs, falling into an endless loop of self-hatred and depression.

He never thought he'd be able to escape Ohio and the horrors it brought until his younger sister told him she secretly enrolled him into some college in bumfuck Georgia. He had wanted to be angry at her, to scream and yell, but one look at her sad eyes put a stop to his anger. He knew how hard it was for his siblings to watch their older brother become the person he was, and despite his anger, Martin agreed.

It had been the best decision he'd ever made, other than agreeing to be Bull's boyfriend. Johnny loved his family dearly but Georgia had healed him. 

He had avoided Ohio in general, in hopes to erase the memories of the boy he'd been not even ten years ago. So when he was first informed that they'd be stopping in Ohio, everyone asked if he was okay with that. For some reason, he said he was and for the first time in years, he felt like he'd be okay with visiting.

He did miss his family after all, and his parents kept asking when he'd stop by. He hadn't visited since he left, and it was weighing on him. They claimed they wanted to meet Bull, but he knew they missed him, too.

Especially his mother, though he could understand why. He had nearly overdosed countless times and he knew that being away from her for too long always made her anxious that she'd never see him again.

So that's how he found himself back in the place he tried to run away from so many times as a kid. 

Since Bull was the heaviest sleeper known to man, Johnny was always the first one up. They had till 12 to check out but it'd been early and he decided some fresh air would be nice.

It felt strange to breathe in a smell so nostalgic, and for a moment, it felt like he was sixteen again, opening the windows late at night to mask the evidence that he reeked of weed. For a minute he panicked, thinking he broke his clean streak but the faint snoring of his boyfriend brought him back to reality. Even though keeping the windows open made him feel anxious, he couldn't bring himself to close them.

He stayed like that for a while, overlooking the empty parking lot while he stayed in his thoughts. It'd been a long time since he sat to appreciate the beauty of his state, even if it was only the occasional car driving by.

Feeling his phone vibrate against his hand, he slowly tore his gaze from the rising sun. They had all stayed up late last night but he knew the early risers of the group would always wake up early. Even if they were all sporting similar hangover headaches like he was.

He opened his phone to see a text from 'toccoas fav hall 🤑🤑🤑🤑🔥🔥🔥' . Lipton had texted, 'whos up?', followed by Webster's replies: 'me :/' and'I have the WORST hangover ever :('

Martin was beginning to turn his phone off when Bill sent a rather angry text: 'STFU ALL OF U LEMME SLEEP'. He began typing out a reply but Lip beat him to it: 'jesus christ. put ur damn phone on dnd bill.'

The last text he read was from Dick: 'We have till 12 to leave btw, so make sure to be awake and ready by then.' 

Rubbing away the sleep and the throb in his head, he reacted with a quick like. It wasn't that early in the morning, a quarter before seven. They technically had hours to be down by the front desk, packed, and smiling guiltily at the tired clerks. But his friends weren't easy to get out of bed, especially after getting drunk.

Sneaking a glance at his sleeping boyfriend, Martin couldn't help but grin. Bull was sprawled out on the bed, the covers being almost up to his nose. All Johnny could see was a mess of short blonde curls, unevenly sprawled over the pillows.

Setting his phone on the nightstand, Martin found himself crawling back into bed. Despite it being July, the hotel felt far too chilly for his simple band tee and boxer shorts. Slipping into his boyfriend's arms, Johnny felt himself being lulled back to sleep.

They may wake up late, but Johnny didn't give a shit. Not when his lover's arms were pulling him closer, keeping him warm from the haunting memories and the cold air system.

                                                                                                           [...]

They had surprisingly woken up on time for breakfast and by 12, everyone was downstairs and ready. The clerks looked rather pleased to see them leaving and Johnny couldn't stop the shameful smile he sent their way. He was glad he never picked up a job at the hotel by his house, he'd be fucking miserable. 

The plan had been to explain the city of Athens for a bit before driving up to Columbus to visit the Martins. The only thing reason Johnny felt sane about the idea of visiting Columbus was to see his family. He really had missed them.

"What's so special 'bout Athens anyway?" Penkala asked, swinging his legs and nearly missing Buck's car. 

Muck, who hadn't been Penk's favorite person after ratting him out on getting drunk, answered without a question. "They have awesome Halloween parties!"

The blonde sent his best friend a glare but all it took was for Muck to glare at him back to break the ice. The two were like brothers, they could never stay mad at each other for too long. In fact, Martin watched them go from glaring at one each to wrestling over Buck's car. 

"OFF MY CAR, BOTH OF YOU!"

Letting out a chuckle, Martin continued towards his car. Bull was already there, waiting alongside an irritated Buck, who was cursing the two out. Not that Muck or Penkala gave a shit, they were already skipping off to their next victim.

Which just so happened to be Webster, who was trying to haul an annoyed Joe and their luggage to Guarnere's car.

Perco was by some random woman's car, clearly trying to charm her with his stupid flirtatious remarks. The poor blonde chick looked disgusted and Johnny had a feeling that the man stomping towards them wasn't too pleased either. Sometimes Frank was just too stupid for his own good.

"How you doin' with that hangover, baby?" Bull called out, already making his way towards Johnny.

Sliding his hands onto the taller man's shoulders, Martin sealed a gentle kiss to his boyfriend's lips. He let go after a few seconds, grinning fondly at the blonde man before getting interrupted by the sounds of gagging.

Fucking Skinny and Shifty. He was going to "accidentally" kill them one of these days.

"Okay, okay!" a voice called out, louder than all the rest, "Is everyone packed?" 

A chorus of 'yes's' ran along the crowd as Lip nodded, already beginning to move on to his next topic. "Perfect, that's what I like to hear guys. Now, we're gonna stop by Athens for a bit and explore before getting some lunch. Then we're gonna visit Johnny's family before finding somewhere to settle in for the night. Is this understood?"

Watching the blonde man survey the crowd, Martin felt an arm pull him closer. Immediately relaxing into the comfort his boyfriend provided, he watched with amusement as Lip began scolding Luz, who was wheezing against Guarnere. The two were practically doubled over each other, unable to breath from how hard they were laughing.

"What'd they do now?" a voice, Grant's, asked in confusion. By the looks of his messy hair and slightly swollen lips, he and Talbert had clearly been busy.

Bull beat him to it, already saying the words Johnny had on the tip of his tongue, "Well, Grant, since you and Tab were so busy "packing", you missed out on Lip's announcement. We're visiting Athens, getting lunch, and then meeting my future in-laws." Watching the two brunettes turn scarlet, Martin finished for his boyfriend, "Luz over there decided to play funny and Lip started scolding him. Not like it worked, he just found it hilarious."

The two lovers in front of them nodded, already beginning to try and fix their appearances. But it was far too late because seconds later, Johnny heard Skinny and Babe howling with laughter as they pointed at the two. 

He never understood how his friends could have that much energy, especially after waking up with hangovers. 

It took some time for everyone to get into their cars but eventually, they were pulling out of the deserted parking lot, beginning the short drive to Athens. It was a rather calm drive, though Bull kept teasing Perco for flirting with a MARRIED woman.

"All I'm sayin' boy, you can't be flirting with every miss you see on the street! You ain't got the sense God gave a goose."

Keeping his eyes on the road ahead, Martin felt his lips begin to twitch up. He knew how much Perconte hated hearing Bull speaking in his Arkansas slang. As if on cue, the Italian grumbled out, "Shut your mouth Randleman."

The rest of the drive was smooth sailing with only a couple more teases from Bull. They were soon driving through the bustling streets, passing by pretty buildings and lively-looking houses. Tourists and residents wandered the streets around them and Martin couldn't help but silently appreciate the town. It was nothing like Columbus, peaceful enough for his own liking.

It took a couple minutes to find a good place to park and another ten of mindless wandering, trying to find the rest of their group. By the time they managed to locate everyone, the sun was planted high above their heads.

"Alright, settle down guys," Dick called out, attempting to get Nix to help him but failing to do so, "Lew, please."

Watching Nixon begin to sulk beside his boyfriend had to have been one of the funniest sights known to man. Johnny wasn't surprised to find Luz taking photos and recording the whole thing, despite Nix sending glares his way.

"Oh for crying out loud! Luz!" Dick cried, giving Luz one of his infamous warning looks, "Now, can we please settle down so I can explain the plan? Thank you. We have till around two to explore the city and grab some lunch. I'm thinking we could visit this diner called Union Street Diner." he took a breath before continuing, "But anyways, let's try to meet at the diner in about an hour. Got it?"

A chorus of 'yes's' ran through the group as Dick nodded slowly, a smile toying at the edge of his lips. "Perfect! I'll see you all in an hour." 

And with that, Martin watched as the redhead dragged his pouting boyfriend away. Speirs, Lip, and Harry trailed off behind them, all making fun of poor Nix. Skinny and Shifty reluctantly followed after Grant and Talbert, who were making their way to some little thrift store up ahead. Meanwhile, the chaotic three were forcing Buck, Hoobler, and Guarnere on their own little adventure.

Babe and Eugene took to their own path, most likely going to go hiking or something boring. Luz and Toye went the opposite way leaving just him, Perco, and to Martin's surprise, both Webster and Joe. 

"Martin, convince my boyfriend here not to make us go to some looney house." Joe complained, already managing to drag Martin into one of the couple's stupid arguments.

"It's called an insane asylum Joe, not a looney house. Can you not be disrespectful for once?" Webster groaned, beginning to rub his hand over his temple, "And Martin, I'm sorry he's trying to drag you into this."

Rolling his eyes at the couple, Johnny couldn't help but laugh.

Webster and Joe, what a pair.

Martin still couldn't believe they managed to make things work. All that fighting and disagreeing and yet they still managed to collapse into each other's arms each night.

Catching Perconte's amused glance, he let a wicked grin break out. He could hear Webster and Joe arguing in the background, something about not using outdated terms, but frankly, Johnny could give less of a shit. "Perco, Bull, wanna explore?"

Frank was already making his way down the street, eyeing the buildings around him for something interesting to stop at. Bull simply slung his arm around Johnny's back, leading him after their friend.  Johnny couldn't help but smile at his boyfriend, already beginning to lose sight of Perconte.

Having a short friend wasn't for the weak.

"You think they noticed we stopped listenin' to them?" Bull asked, cracking a snort of out Martin.

"Hell no, I can still hear them. They'll figure out soon enough though."

                                                                                                           [...]

Their adventure around Athens had been far from boring. The town itself was full of history and it was surprisingly appealing for Johnny. He still hated Ohio but he couldn't lie and say its history didn't interest him.

He and Bull had mainly trailed after Perconte, letting the Italian lead the way through most of their expedition. They visited a dainty little thrift store that was underground and full of life. The cashier had been a sweet college student with short, blue hair and a couple piercings. While Bull and Perco shopped, she gave Martin a full detailed explanation of her college life. Turns out they were both majoring in finance.

In the end, Bull managed to score some baby clothes for his baby niece whereas Perco found nothing. After their little thrift store stop, they hadn't managed to find anything else for a while. Martin didn't mind that much though, he was enjoying the walk around Athens.

It was a very welcoming and warm town, the people were incredibly sweet and each seemed to have a personality to decipher. He enjoyed getting to smile at the lovely old ladies and wave at the curious babies that passed by. It was far better than Columbus, at least here he could walk without recognizing spots he used to hang out and get high at.

They ended up entering a small bookstore towards the end of their adventure. It was inside of a brick building with large windows at the front, and a cream sign above read 'Little Professor Book Center'. It reminded Johnny of the bookstores he used to visit as a kid, though this one looked newer. 

"Awe Perco, you oughta work here! It's for little people, just like ya." he teased, grinning at the rise he got out of his friends.

"Fuck you too Martin. I always gotta deal with you assholes making fun of my height! You try being short for once you fucker."

Sneaking a glance at Bull, he couldn't help but grin at the amused smirk his boyfriend wore. Perco was still rambling on about how being short sucks ass and how they should all feel sorry for him but all Martin could focus on was his boyfriend. Raising himself slightly on his tiptoes, he pressed a sweet kiss to Bull's lips. 

His boyfriend simply smiled, ruffling Martin's hair up slightly. "Hm, what a pleasant surprise."

"Oh, shut your yap or you ain't getting another one." he warned, feeling himself turn a bright shade of pink.

Bull simply laughed at him, earning an eye roll from Martin. As the door to the store closed behind them, their conversation and laughter died down. Martin took time to examine the shop, eyeing every little detail.

The walls were plain white with purple carpeted floors. Miniature brown bookshelves filled with books lined the floor in rows, while beige bookshelves stood against the walls. There was a little section to buy bags from near the corner. Shitty pop music played through the speakers, and the shop smelt like coffee and freshly baked treats. 

There was an elderly woman behind the counter with frizzy gray curls and small blue eyes. She had purple glasses that dangled across her neck and multiple necklaces. She wore a white dress with a pretty flower design and a pink sweater. She reminded Martin of the elderly woman who lived two doors down from him with the funky blue glasses and a mess she called hair.

"Good afternoon boys. I'm Carla, let me know if you need any help." she smiled sweetly at them, speaking in a gentle and soothing tone.

Johnny couldn't help but smile back at her as he continued to look around the store. He wasn't book crazy and had doubts this little store would have anything he was interested in, but it didn't hurt to look. 

He spent a couple of minutes wandering between the shelves, Bull by his side. The two made little talk but that was normal for them. Perconte had separated from them and was exploring his own section.

It didn't take long for Martin to look up and recognize a familiar redhead. 

"Malark? That you?" he called out, grinning as the other man turned around in confusion.

"Yo! Guys! Look who decided to show up," the other man joked, already making his way to where Martin and Bull were, "wassup you guys!"

Dabbing him up, Martin eyed the rest of the group making their way forward. Penkala and Muck were already by Malarkey's side while Buck and Guarnere took their time walking over. "Ay, who these ugly people?" Guarnere joked, cracking a laugh out of Johnny.

"Good to see you too Bill. What y'all doing out here?" Bull asked, raising an eyebrow at the group in suspicion. 

"Buck over here decided he liked being a nerd and told us we should all start buying books for our majors. To, and I quote, 'catch up on our reading.'" Muck chimed in, scowling at the grinning blonde man next to him.

Typical Buck, always finding ways to sneak education into things that didn't need education. Martin rolled his eyes at him but couldn't stop the grin forming across his face. By then, Perconte had managed to catch up to them and was attempting to give Penkala a noogie.

"Say, where's Hoob?" Perco asked, voice sounding strained as he practically wrestled with Penk.

"He—both of you stop. He went with Web and Joe," Buck answered, attempting to break the two free.

Martin simply nodded, already making his way down the aisle. He was not about to get caught in the middle of that.

They looked around the store for a while and Martin enjoyed himself far more than expected. Carla was rather amused with their little group and Johnny could tell she was getting taken back to when she was in college, however many years ago that was. The woman looked old as shit.

In the end, Martin found a history book for himself and a poetry book for his mom. She was the last one on his list to find a gift, and he knew how much she loved poetry. The rest of them found their own books, even fucking Perconte, who claimed he was too good to read. The little shithead had been the one to walk out with the most books out of all of them.

On top of that, he had been flaunting and bragging to Martin about the stupid book he managed to score. It was called 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' and Martin was seconds away from shoving Perco into the next tree they passed. They still had a bit of a walk to get to the diner and if Frank mentioned that damn book one more time, Martin was certain he was going to do something he shouldn't.

"Garcia said it wasn't a sex book though," Perconte continued on, "which sorta sucks. But it's alright, I guess. I been wantin' to get my hands on it for a while, y'know?"

"Perco, I'm gonna shove that book far up your ass if you don't shut up."

"HEY!"

                                                                                                           [...]

The rest of the walk, much to Martin's dismay, was full of Perconte talking his ear off. It didn't help that Guarnere encouraged him while the chaotic three attempted to cause trouble.

Buck was no help either, he just laughed his ass off with Guarnere at everything. If Bull hadn't been there, massaging Martin's fisted hands and ruffling his hair, Johnny was certain he'd be charged with six accounts of murder.

Or maybe he would later on because if Perconte didn't shut his big ass mouth, Martin was going to do something he shouldn't.

The walk to the diner wasn't that far, only four blocks. But their little group made it feel much longer than necessary. By the time they made it onto the correct street, Martin felt like a cartoon character with steam coming out of his ears. 

The diner wasn't anything pretty nor fancy. A long brick building three large windows and a see-through door. A small wall separated that entrance from another large window and a take-out window. There was a green overhang with the words 'Union Street Diner' written across. A small set of stairs with a rusty railing led up to the entrance of the diner.

"What an ugly lookin' diner," Muck commented, earning a laugh or two from Penkala.

Jesus. Martin was seconds away from killing them.

Sparing a glance at Bull, he felt his anger shrivel as his boyfriend gave him a kind smile. It was enough to make him feel less murderous and more human and suddenly, Martin didn't mind just how loud and obnoxious they were.

Okay, maybe he did, but he felt the urge to kill them went away. Even if it was for just a second.

The inside of the diner was neat and rather comforting. The walls were a plain burgundy color with a wooden chair rail moulding. The walls were decorated with art pieces and a few plaques gifted to the diner. The front desk area was right in front of them, a wooden counter with a computer, a small storage box, and a few other trinkets like a coffee mug, plants, and paperwork. To their left were a bunch of wooden tables with black chairs but up against the walls, there were a few black cushions.

Near the tables with cushion seats was an opening that led into a green room. From what Martin could see, there were a bunch of booths with the same black cushion seats and more artwork. The air smelt like waffles and french fries, which was a surprisingly good combo.

A waitress made her way over to them with a bright smile and a pair of menus. She was shorter than Perco with jet black hair in a claw-clip ponytail. Her eyes were a light blue and rather hooded and he noticed her makeup right away. It wasn't anything crazy but it definitely wasn't Ohio standard. 

"Hi guys, are you part of Dick's party?" her voice was sweet, like the taste of honeydew.

"Yes ma'am," Bull smiled, earning a grin out of her, "I hope we ain't too late."

"Oh, no! You're one of the first to arrive actually," she reassured, "Now, if you could follow me please."

She led them down towards the wall with the cushioned seats and it was now that Martin realized the presence of his friends. They had been one of the first to arrive, the only people seated were Dick, Lew, and Harry. Surprisingly no Speirs or Lipton in sight.

"Glad you could finally join us!" Lew chirped, grinning as Malarkey gave him the finger.

"Shut your yap Nix, it ain't my fault these assholes walk slower than my fuckin' granny." Guarnere complained, practically throwing himself into a chair.

The three tables were pushed together, and a few extra chairs had been added to fit everyone. Though Martin knew they'd all just squeeze into the cushion chairs since nobody could resist such a comfort. 

"Alright well," their waitress started, "since the rest of your party ain't here, I won't start taking food orders. But I can serve you guys drinks, what would you all like?"

Menus had been distributed in the time Martin spent examining the area and he fastly skimmed through it, trying to find something appealing. He could hear everybody else ordering around him as he continued to scan for a drink he could enjoy.

"I'll have," he started, not bothering to look up as his finger traced the menu, "a.. Dr. Pepper please."

Taking his eyes off the menu, he watched her scratch the order down. Her eyes raked through the small piece of paper before she smiled once more at them. "Perfect! So two Pepsis, one Mountain Dew, three Root Beers, one orange juice, one apple juice, one hot chocolate, and two Dr. Peppers?"

A chorus of 'yes''s and head nods ran through and she gave another smile. She was a smiler, which surprised Martin since most people in the food industry looked miserable half the time. But she was a real cheery girl and Johnny hoped she'd never lose that.

"Okay, I'll be back shortly! My name's Penny, so if you need any help, let me know," she gave them a nod before hurrying off to her next client.

The diner wasn't packed, but it wasn't empty either. Right across from them, two moms were chatting with their kids around them. Three little girls happily conversed, while an older boy leaned against the table miserably. By the window, an elderly couple chatted idly, occasionally taking sips from their mugs. A woman sat near the couple on her phone, but Martin could tell she was waiting for someone.

If the way she kept looking at the door and the window was anything to go by.

He could tell there were people in the back area but he couldn't tell how many. Shitty pop music sounded through the speakers as conversation flowed freely. No wonder this spot was a hit, the ambiance was perfect. 

It didn't take long for the rest of their friends to trickle in. Right after Penny had left, Webster and Liebgott arrived, and it seemed like everyone followed. The last to arrive were Lip and Speirs, and one look at the countless bags Speirs was carrying told Martin all he needed to know.

Once everyone's drinks had been ordered—two more Pepsis, a Diet Pepsi, another Mt Dew, another Root Beer, three more orange juices, another hot chocolate, a raspberry iced tea, an espresso, a cappuccino, and a strawberry lemonade—they all settled down into a comfortable conversation about their expedition. 

Most of them had mainly wandered around to shop and explore the quaint streets but turns out Lew and Dick had gone hiking. Fucking hiking.

Martin had never felt more baffled as he heard the story come out of the redhead's mouth.

"You went hiking," he cried out, making sure to emphasize the word, "in Ohio? Of ALL places?"

Lew at least had the decent to look annoyed and bashful whereas Dick just looked confused. Martin had been hiking plenty of times and he enjoyed the concept but to hike in Ohio? They were going to have so many more stops and opportunities to hike at, and this is what they chose?

"What's so bad with hiking in Ohio? It was beautiful scenery and the paths were pretty deserted." Dick asked, crossing his arms in annoyance.

Before Martin could even open his mouth to retort, Harry beat him to it. "Maybe 'cause it's Ohio? Ohio's pretty and all, but c'mon, Dick! We're gonna visit so many better hiking spots, and there was so much to do here than just hiking."

The two friends began bickering back and forth but Martin had stopped listening after Dick tried pointing out that Google said Athens was great for hiking. Leaning his back against the chair, he shared a look with Bull. His boyfriend simply smirked at him, clearly enjoying the bewildered and annoyed look Martin wore.

"Is Ohio really that bad for hikin'?" he asked, knowing it'd get a rise out of Martin.

And of course, Martin fell for the bait.

He always did.

He started sputtering out reasons as to why Ohio was horrible for hiking and he only stopped once Penny returned. As she handed him his drink, he noticed she whispered 'you're right' and he couldn't help but grin at her.

She was just like his cousin, all fiery and wild. Though, unlike his cousin, she was good at concealing it.

It didn't take long for everyone to get their drinks and soon food was being ordered. It was close to half past one so everyone was in the mood for lunch but nothing too heavy. Though apparently, Babe and Skinny were still in the mood for breakfast, as they ordered pancakes.

Scanning his menu thoroughly, Martin listened to everyone else's orders. Most people ordered sandwiches or burgers, though the picky eaters—Luz, Shifty, and Hoobler—opted for tenders. A few salads were ordered and even a quesadilla slipped into the order.

In the end, he settled on a BLT. Bull had ordered a Steak Philly.

As everyone waited for the food, conversations flowed left and right. They were all enjoying their time and as the minutes passed, more people entered the diner. Conversations were suddenly louder than the music but Martin could still hear bits of the lyrics.

Suddenly, Perconte's loud voice broke through the conversation, and everyone's eyes were on him. "Wait, guys, I just remembered something!"

Martin watched him cautiously, already suspecting something. He sipped at his Dr. Pepper carefully, letting the taste swish around in his mouth as the rest of his friends quieted down.

Dr. Pepper had been his favorite as a kid, but he started avoiding it after he moved out. However, he started drinking it again after Bull begged him to, claiming it'd help heal his memories of his childhood.

"Okay so," the Italian started, basking in the sudden attention, "y'all know 'bout my cousin Orlando? I've talked 'bout him a couple times before, me and him were pretty close growin' up. Well, we still are close but-"

"Perco, ain't no one give a shit 'bout whether you're still close. Tell the fuckin' story!" Guarnere grumbled, earning an annoyed glare from Frank.

"ANYWAYS! As I was sayin' before some asshole rudely interrupted me," he continued, "We're still pretty close. Anyways, he lives 'round Columbus, I think? He used to live a couple streets down from me but they moved down to Ohio when we was like, uh, thirteen? He's like a year or two older, I can't remember. Though he just bought some real nice house by Columbus, y'know."

Martin couldn't help but sigh in annoyance, this was just another of Perco's infamous stories with no real meaning or ending. He'd just ramble on and on until he felt like stopping and his rambles wouldn't make sense for shit. Throwing his head back in annoyance, he prayed the cooks could sense their suffering and hurry with the food.

"So I been tellin' him 'bout you guys and this trip and all! He says it's pretty neat and all and if we need somewhere to stay for the night, we can stay at his. Though I told him nah, since we're just getting a hotel, right?"

Martin had lost focus in his friend's words until now. Lifting his head from off Bull's shoulder, he stared at Perco in bewilderment. They'd been struggling to find a place to stay since his house could only fit so many and hotels weren't exactly cheap.

And this dumbass just let go of the answer to all their problems.

Before anyone could call him out on it, Perconte continued to talk. "But boy, his house sure is a doozy!" Perconte paused for a moment, grinning ever so slightly, "He used to be poor, y'know? His dad, my uncle Saul, left them so early on. What a shame, though my ma used to tell me that my aunt Liza, who's Orlando's ma, didn't love him much anyway. So yeah, they was raised by a single mother and Orlando had two younger sisters and one older sister. Maria, Lucia, and Sofia. What a trio they were-"

"Perconte." Toye warned and Martin noticed the way he grit his teeth in anger.

"Oh my god, can a guy not tell a story!?" Perconte complained, before continuing, "So yeah, they used to be real poor. But now, woah! Orlando's sure made a livin' for himself and I'm proud of him. He never had it easy, growin' up in a shitty apartment with only women and the occasional asshole boyfriend my aunt brought. They all sucked, Jesus Christ. Except for Mike, he used to play with us during barbecues though he was often shit talked so..."

Martin felt his mouth opening as his fist piled into a tight ball, already preparing the punch the other man. Frank was one of his best friends but sometimes, the little shit got on his last nerve.

And right now was one of those times.

"Ah, I'm gettin' sidetracked! So anyway, he's made a nice livin' for myself, and boy, what a house. It's like two stories with a basement and so spacious. He's just gotten engaged and they don't got any children but plenty of rooms. I visited him a while back and I was jealous! They've got a shit ton of guest rooms full of beds and all-"

"PERCONTE!" Lip cried out, attracting the attention of the other guests in the room. Even some of the workers paused to watch what was happening.

Perconte had finally stopped talking, much to Martin's relief, but was staring at them in annoyance. "What!?"

"There's no way you turned down the offer, you stupid little shit! Go call your cousin back right now and tell him you need space to sleep." Martin threatened, sending a glare his friend's way.

Martin watched in fury as the Italian took his words in before a sheepish smile broke through his face. Everyone around him was sending Perco the same glare he was and if Martin wasn't so mad, he would've teased his friend over the slight blush on his cheeks. 

"Oh.. yeah. Will do.." Perconte mumbled, already pulling out his phone and attempting to avoid Luz's punch.

The rest of their wait went by peacefully, save for the teasing comments thrown Perco's way. Martin felt his anger shiver and before he knew it, he was back to laughing and talking mindlessly with Frank. 

By the time their food arrived, a debate on the best high school subject had occurred. Martin favored math and was displeased to find mostly everyone siding with English or History. Except for the few science enjoyers that he could make peace with.

And of course, to his dismay, his own boyfriend sided with the English lovers.

"Math may have been difficult but it's in our everyday lives! We are always surrounded by math and since it's been so ingrained into our lives, we need to know how to use it properly. We'd be clueless and a mess if it weren't for math classes. Our economy is the way it is 'cause of MATH." he defended, sending a playful glare to his boyfriend.

"But must it have been so difficult to learn? We was all failin' and for what?" Bull retorted, leaning over to place a kiss to Martin's cheek.

"I love how you're all defending English and still failing to speak grammatically correct." Webster chirped in, earning a smack on the head from his boyfriend.

Though Webster did have a point and Martin couldn't help but smirk smugly. Feeling a thumb rub over his hand, he sparred a glance from his friends and down towards his lap. Bull was attempting, so pretty much failing, to subtly interlock their hands.

Johnny clasped their hands together, feeling a soft smile break through his face. He felt Bull's hand rubbing over the skin of his palm tenderly. Martin couldn't help but place a kiss on his boyfriend's lips before returning to the debate.

"GUYS! Music was obviously the best." 

"Harry, tell me you're joking."

                                                                                                           [...]

The drive to Columbus was calm, to say the least. It was long enough for Martin to prepare himself but short enough that he wouldn't get lost in his thoughts.

They arrived around four and it took only a short time to pull into his old street. Very little had changed since Johnny had last visited, except for some fixing of the grass. The sidewalk still had the cracks he would jump over as a kid and he recognized some old trees as they drove past.

Before he knew it, Bull was parking his car in a spot he was vaguely familiar with and they were making their way over to their friends. Tension filled the air and Martin knew they were all cautious on what to say now. Martin had never told them much about his life in Ohio but they knew about enough.

The walk to his old childhood home felt weird, almost like he was a kid again, returning home. His friends tried to distract him, but all he could muster were polite smiles and half-assed chuckles. The only one who managed to crack a real smile out of him was Bull.

"You've got this, okay?" Bull whispered into his ear as they rounded the corner and suddenly they were back on his old block.

Martin could only nod and slide his hands onto Bull's cheeks, pulling him into a gentle kiss. It didn't last long and they were soon pulling apart and Martin was filled with the dread he was trying to hide.

But he could do this.

Taking cautious steps forward, he tried to forget how many times he'd walked that street high. Or the countless days he'd sadly step over the steps as his head hung defeated, replaying the mean comments in his head.

Soon, he was in front of his old childhood home and despite being surrounded by his friends, he felt rather lonely. 

"I'll go and knock first, alright?"

He was responded with a series of nods and he simply sighed. Taking another step forward, he finally gave his childhood home a once-over. It hadn't changed at all since the last time he'd been there, nearly three years ago.

It was still a long, two-story brick house with a small L-shape in the front. There was still a set of brick stairs leading up to a closed porch with that dirty white screen door. The old swinging chair his mother loved was still there with its old pillows. Only now there was a potted plant by it. The windows were still an ugly white, matching the front door. The overhang was still made of asphalt singles, just like the roof.

Descending up the stairs, he cautiously opened the screen door. His family knew he was on his way but he hadn't told them that he had arrived. His steps across the small porch felt weird yet familiar. Everything about this situation felt weird and foreign yet he knew it all too well.

Standing in front of the front door, Martin took in a deep breath. His fist quickly collided with the wooden door and he waited to hear his mother screaming for him to wait. Only this time he didn't have to, as the door was opened right after his fist returned to his side.

Staring back at his mother, Johnny felt tears simmering in his eyes. She looked the same yet different. Her thick black hair was neatly curled and framed her plump face nicely. Her eyes, which just so happened to be the same color as his own, stared back at him with her own set of tears. He noticed the makeup she wore and it suddenly felt like he was a kid again, watching her doll herself up for a night out.

"Johnny," his mother whispered, as if speaking any louder would make him disappear.

He immediately wrapped her into a hug, pressing his face into her neck. She smelt like honey, Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom & Honey Cologne.

Martin could never forget the smell even if he tried.

Feeling her arms wrap tightly around his back, he let his tears fall. It'd been far too long since he'd received a proper hug from his mom and he hadn't realized how badly he needed it. She used to be his favorite person ever, his role model.

He could hear her muttering words against his head and at first, she'd spoken so delicately that he couldn't pick up on the mumbles. But the harder he listened, the better he could hear her.

"Thank you, God, for bringing my baby back. Thank you for allowing me to see his eyes without the red surrounding them. Thank you for letting him come home with regular pupils. Thank you for letting me see my eyes in his once again."

This time, he couldn't hold back the sob he choked out. He felt himself fully collapse into her arms as he cried, unable to get the words he wanted to say out. But it didn't matter, she was crying too and despite feeling his friend's stares, Martin was content with just hugging and crying.

They eventually let go after a while and for the first time in years, he could finally see his mother's face clearly. She smiled sweetly at him as she wiped his tears, pressing a series of kisses over his face. By the time she managed to let his face go, his siblings had managed to pile behind her.

The first person he saw was his sister Cassidy. Johnny knew his siblings would've changed like crazy since he last saw them, they had been fourteen and twelve when he left. But seeing his sister, with the face of a grown woman, made something break in him.

Her hair was in dark curls pulled back into a pretty bun and she was wearing makeup similar to the girls in his classes. Her glasses and braces were gone and so was the awkwardness that used to surround her. Her bitten nails were replaced with acrylics and he noticed she sported a few more piercings.

"Cass."

"Johnny."

He pulled her into a tight hug, feeling her shaky arms make their way around him. It'd been less emotional than the one with his mother but Martin couldn't deny the tears that managed to streak down his face. By the time he let go of her, his brother was already waiting for his hug.

Just like Cass, his brother Nicholas had changed significantly. His hair was in dark curls and he was growing a small mustache. The boyish and lanky look was gone and Martin noticed bits of muscle in his arms. He had grown slightly and his acne had disappeared. 

"Johnny.." his brother mumbled and it took Martin by surprise just how deep his brother's voice had gotten. Facetime calls didn't pick up on that properly.

Johnny had never managed to form a proper relationship with his brother since by the time Nico was old enough, Johnny was starting to take drugs. It always made him feel like shit that the only memories his brother had of him were of him high or drugged. And then there were the ones of him being forced into therapy or running away.

The hug lasted long enough for his arms to start hurting and when he pulled back, he couldn't help but run his hands through his brother's hair. Only one person remained to hug and Johnny was slightly dreading it.

He and his father had been close when Martin was a kid, but when he turned to drugs and fell into a cycle of depression, their relationship became strained. His father resented him for disregarding the life both his parents had worked hard to provide, and Martin couldn't even blame him.

After he moved, he barely spoke to his father. He had tried to restore their relationship, but his father still held a silent grudge over those five years Martin spent lost to drugs and weed. 

Seeing his dad standing behind his mom felt weird. His father hadn't changed much—same short black hair and downturned brown eyes. His face was clean-shaven with a pencil mustache, just like it'd always been. He looked exactly like he did when Martin last saw him, though his eyes now carried a wary expression.

"Hi, Dad," he whispered, suddenly feeling like was eleven again, getting in trouble for breaking the car window.

His dad simply stared at him before wordlessly pulling Martin into a hug. It had been one of the most genuine hugs he had ever received, and he couldn't help but sink into his dad's arms. It was almost like he was a kid again, running to hug his father after work. 

And for the first time in years, Ohio suddenly felt like home.

                                                                                                           [...]

Before everything happened, Martin used to tag along with his family to those big reunions his aunt would host. He used to think those were chaotic but staring at his friends in his house, he was proven wrong.

After a series of introductions and a brief tour of the house, the emotional mood had disappeared. Things had been normal until Martin's dad pulled out a cooler of beers.

Martin was pressed against his boyfriend, who was squished into the little armchair in the living room. They were surrounded by most of their friends, save for the ones who offered to help his mom or dad with the cooking. Though from what Martin could tell, his dad was grilling alone like always. 

"MARTIN! Get your brother in check, he's talkin' all kinds of bullshit." Babe called out from his position by the hanging chair.

Martin let his gaze travel from Bull's face to Babe, shooting the Philly a glare. Nico was sat on the hanging chair, comfortably wrapped in the blankets with a smug look on his face. Whereas Babe looked outraged and from what Johnny could tell, poor Gene was forced to deal with his angry ranting.

"Nico, what'd you say to him?" he asked, raising his brow at his now wheezing brother.

It took his brother a second to regain his composure, a hand traveling to clutch his stomach while the other grabbed the exterior of the chair. When he was finally able to speak, a few chuckles still managed to escape, "That Steve's the best smash bros character."

"HE AIN'T! THAT'S A LOAD OF BULL 'ND Y'KNOW IT!" Babe cried out, turning to his poor boyfriend for help.

Martin couldn't help but laugh into Bull's shoulders, feeling his stomach begin to hurt. A hand placed itself onto his back to support him and he relaxed into the touch. Bull's touch always managed to calm him, even if it was just the simple brush of their pinkies.

He continued to watch on as his brother and Babe argued before eventually coming to some form of mutual agreement. Though Martin could tell Babe still wasn't over it since Eugene kept placing gentle kisses on his face to calm him down.

There was a game playing on the TV, and music was flowing through some speaker his mom had recently bought. Bowls of chips and salsa littered the coffee table, along with the open and half-drunk beer cans. The living room was mostly packed and conversation ran through every corner of the room. 

From the other end of the house, he watched his mother move around his friends. She had tied her hair back with a bandana and had put an apron over her dress to keep it from getting dirty. Vegetables squeezed into her arms as she instructed Penkala to sprinkle some seasoning onto the fish. She looked so much like she had when he was a kid, preparing meals to take to a barbecue.

A smile lifted itself onto his face as Martin let his head rest against Bull's shoulders. His boyfriend had his hand in his hair, massaging his scalp gently. Martin couldn't remember the last time he'd been this comfortable in his own home, but here he was.

"You seem comfy." Bull commented, a hint of tease lacing his words.

Martin couldn't help but snort, rolling his eyes with amusement. "Shut your yap Bull. I ain't ever sitting with you again."

"You say that and yet you always come my way boy."

Lifting his head to meet Bull's playful stare, Martin felt a grin form on his face. He tilted his head slightly as his hands found Bull's cheeks, cupping them as he pulled the other man into a kiss. It was gentle yet long, enough to let them both savor the taste. Martin couldn't help but smile as he deepened it slightly, tilting his head in a way he knew Bull liked.

He felt Bull's hands travel onto his waist as he was pulled in slightly. Martin could've stayed like that forever if it wasn't for the sudden obnoxious gagging noises his friends began making. Lifting his head from his lover's lips, he gave the group the meanest glare he could muster. Though it was hard to even bother forming a glare when Bull was staring up at him so sweetly.

Martin let himself capture Bull's lips one final time before peppering his face with kisses. By then, everyone was yelling at them to get a room and pretending to throw up. As if they were any better.

"Oh, SHUT UP, all of you!" he cried out, finally detaching himself from Bull's face.

The rest of the time waiting for dinner went by in a flash. He shared stories with his siblings about Ohio and tales of his childhood to his friends. The room had a comfortable feel to it and all you could hear was laughter coming from their little group. He'd almost forgotten they were waiting for dinner, having been too caught up in enjoying his time.

Dinner had been a mixture of grilled steak and fish with Greek salad. Chicken kabobs, corn on the cob, white rice, and brioche rolls had also made their way to the table. And Martin knew his mom's infamous cheesecake was in the fridge.

They had all piled into his backyard, which wasn't very big. It was a small plot of land surrounded by a wooden fence, with a grill to one end and a few bushes at the opposite end. There was already a table with chairs near the bushes, but two extra tables were brought out, along with a series of chairs. Somehow, they all managed to fit, though it was a little cramped.

But to Martin, it was perfect.

Dinner went by perfectly and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. The music had been brought to the back and his mom had hung fairy lights to add to the mood. Martin couldn't remember the last time he had such a good meal like this one. 

Dessert, which had in fact been cheesecake, came before he knew it. Taking the bite into the creamy frosting felt like a taste from heaven and he couldn't help but kiss his mother's cheek in appreciation. He really had missed her cheesecake.

"No, no, Martin—I mean Johnny over here, used to neva talk. His mouth was always shut an' this little fucker used to only glare at you." Bill cackled, getting a laugh to bubble out of his parents.

Martin simply rolled his eyes, flicking a piece of tomato towards the Italian. All it did was earn another round of laughter from his friends and family. 

"Oh my god," Muck called out, sharing a grin with Penkala, "Who remembers when Martin used to write threatening messages in his notes and flick them at you?"

Silence followed before Luz spoke out, "Muck, when did that ever happen?"

"Do you seriously not remember?"

"It's not that we don't remember, it's that it never happened." 

"It so DID happen!"

Martin couldn't help but smirk subtly, sending a wink Muck's way. He used to do that Muck when they both took Calculus II together. Only because the little fucker would do everything in his power to piss him off so it was only fair for Martin to threaten him.

"I think he only did that to you, buddy." Hoobler laughed, grinning over at Martin.

Martin leveled his gaze at Muck, watching in amusement as he sputtered angrily. 

"Oh! That reminds me of when Johnny was younger, he used to threaten the neighborhood boys all the time!" his mother cried, sending him a teasing grin before continuing, "Oh God Johnny, those moms used to hate me. Don't you remember that Henry?"

His friends all laughed, especially Bull. Martin couldn't help but roll his eyes as his boyfriend practically draped himself over him, cackling at the story. He was never the most social kid per se, but he didn't have a recollection of doing such acts.

Despite the teasing looks he was given, it was worth it to see his mom laugh. She sent a wink his way before smiling sweetly, the same smile she used to give him as a kid. He couldn't help but smile back, leaning over slightly to kiss her cheek. From beside her, his dad watched them with a growing smile. 

His siblings grinned at him, listening to his friends with looks of adoration in their eyes. Laughter filled the air as his friends told stories from college and their childhoods. The sun had set, leaving only the soft glow of the fairy lights. The air smelled of barbecued food, and Martin had a feeling his neighbors were bound to stop by and join in on the fun. 

Bull was by his side, holding his hand and stealing glances his way. Martin had never felt happier.

Maybe it had taken a while to get to where he was, but Martin was glad this was the outcome. 

Chapter Text

The sounds of laughter and music crossed over one another. The late morning sun cast a nice glow onto the car, making everything seem slightly brighter. The wind blew at Talbert's hair, hitting him sharp in the face as they drove on. His phone was on the dashboard since he was picked to be on the group call with the other cars. 

Shifty and Skinny were fooling around in the back, most likely playing Block Blast or Magic Tiles 3. By the sounds of their subtle humming and annoying tapping, it was probably Magic Tiles 3.

"Can you guys not make a mess back there?" Grant asked, sighing as the two of them yelled in annoyance.

Talbert couldn't help but chuckle, squeezing Grant's hand softly. The other man smiled, intertwining their fingers as he took another turn. In a world of chaos, Grant would always be Talbert's peace. 

"Ew, stop holdin' hands and being gay," Luz called out, disrupting their moment. What a little fucker!

"Didn't you-," Skinny called out, pausing to slap Shifty's head, "Ow!", "-like, shut up Shifty, get caught giving Joe a lap dance?"

"What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!" Luz cried, grabbing the phone to show off his middle finger. 

"That was actually in my room, not Vegas." Guarnere corrected, his voice projecting an annoyed grumble.

They continued down the highway, nearing Octa. Gazing through the window, Talbert hummed softly. It was a small village with almost nothing to its name. He would hate being from there, it seemed so sad.

"Jesus," Grant muttered, "this is one sad town."

Somehow, Grant always managed to read his mind. Talbert always found it endearing, even when they were just friends. People (Babe) would claim they had some form of an interlinking bond, where they could read each other's thoughts in some strange way.

Slipping his hand towards his boyfriend, Tab felt the smile on his face expand. His eyes twinkled slightly, forgetting that he and Grant weren't alone. From beside him, his boyfriend glanced at him with a grin.

When the light turned red, the two shared a kiss. Tab allowed his hands to reach his lover's neck, soothing the skin beneath his palms. Grant felt warm under his touch.

"HEY! KEEP IT PG!" A voice called from behind, breaking the moment slightly.

Eyeing the back in annoyance, Tab kissed Grant once more before returning to his position. He couldn't help the goofy grin on his face, as he stared at his boyfriend. Skinny and Shifty were still complaining about the kiss, claiming it was corrupting their innocence, but Tab didn't pay them any mind.

"For the love of Christ," Nixon complained, his face blurred by pixels, "someone shut them up! It's already enough hearing Speirs and Lip have sex in this fucking car-"

"We are NOT having sex."

"-and now I gotta hear S-squared complain about their dads kissing up ahead. Somebody get me a drink, I need it. No, Dick, I don't care that it's barely twelve!"

Nixon was always extra dramatic in the morning. Unfortunately, Talbert had learned that the hard way. Apparently, nobody in Hall E thought informing the newbies on shit like that was necessary.

"Why is everyone always hating on us?" Skinny asked, and Tab could hear the pout in his voice. "Shifty and I are innocent men with no harmful intentions! We strive to make this world a better place with our jokes and our laughter. We pursue the happiness of others over our own, and we were only caring for the safety and well-being of our friends."

Shifty finished for him, "Yeah! It is very traumatizing to watch your two friends make out. We only wanted to protect our friends from the harm that may inflict on them. But of course, nobody seems to understand and we're deemed as the bad guys."

Silence followed their words, nobody had the words to counter-attack them. Tab had never heard such a stupid claim come out of his friend's mouth, but there was a first time for everything.

"That was the dumbest thing ever, but I stand by it," Harry called out, his voice echoing loudly.

"THANK you!" Shifty yelled, basically deafening Tab.

"That was the stupidest thing ever, and I don't stand by it," Grant laughed, and Tab soaked in his expression. He loved seeing Grant laughing.

"Awe fuck, Tab is back to lookin' at Grant like he hung the moon an' the stars." Liebgott teased, but Talbert was too engrossed in his boyfriend.

Studying the other man's face carefully, Tab felt his heart skip a beat. The insides of his body churned in anxious excitement and he felt his face break into a blush. Despite being together, Tab still had the fattest crush on his boyfriend. Every time he looked at Grant, it felt like he was entering Art History on his first day and seeing the other man for the first time.

"Maybe 'cause he did," Talbert whispered, his voice barely audible.

                                                                                                           [...]

Cincinnati was an interesting city. Talbert saw the beauty it held, but he wasn't mind-blown by it. 

The city looked mainly like any other city. Then again, Tab didn't visit big cities often and always assumed they looked similar. 

As they turned the corner, a series of brick buildings appeared. One of them had a painting of a woman and male faces on the side. A sign hung from the front wall, which read 'Arnold's Bar & Grill'. There was a cover with white and green stripes and large windows. From what Tab could see, the place looked cozy.

"Okay, we're stopping here for lunch," Lip's voice crackled, pulling Tab out of his thoughts.

They circled a couple of times before finding a decent spot. Unbuckling his seat belt and grabbing his phone, Tab stepped into the bright sunlight. He squinted slightly, examining the scene in front of him. People passed by him, birds flew overhead. Cincinnati wasn't extraordinary, but it was nice.

"Oh, Tab," Shifty sang, "can I get a piggyback ride?"

Whirling around to face the other man, Tab rolled his eyes. The restaurant was only two blocks away, Tab could see the hood from where he stood. "No, what the fuck?"

"Tab, pleaseeee!!!!" Shifty cried, wrapping an arm around Tab. His eyes were pleading and his lips were pouting.

"Baby, just do it. He won't stop till you do." Grant muttered, kissing Talbert's cheek. So much for having back-up support from his boyfriend!

With an annoyed grumble, Tab crouched slightly and allowed Shifty to jump on his back. The other man didn't weigh much and months of practice allowed Tab to grow accustomed to the other man on his back. Wrapping his arms around Shifty's legs, he followed Grant and Skinny. 

"Shifty," Tab started, "you're literally older than me. How does it make sense that I'M giving YOU a piggyback ride? Shouldn't it be like, I don't know, the other way around?"

Shifty laughed in response, tightening his arms around Tab's neck. He always did that to annoy Talbert. "Maybe, but you give fun piggyback rides!"

Jesus Christ, Tab was going to kill himself. 

Approaching the restaurant, Tab dumped Shifty onto the floor. The other man yelped in protest, flailing his arms around helplessly as he cried for Skinny. It was amusing to watch, and Tab couldn't help but laugh at the other man. 

"Is that Shifty I hear?" Hoob called from across the street, running to the scene with his phone out. Luz was right behind him, with two phones out. 

Wearing a shit-eating grin, Tab nodded at the pair. Both began filming Shifty on the floor while laughing hysterically. It was worth the glare and threat Shifty threw at him.

"Oh, oh, oh! This is GOLD! Joe, honey, come look at this! I've got the most perfect blackmail ever!!!" Luz cried, jumping up and down excitedly as Shifty flipped him off.

As the rest of their group arrived, Shifty managed to chase Luz in a circle. It only ended with Shifty clinging to Tab, fake crying, and wailing about the poor treatment he was receiving. Tab playfully shoved him off, and Shifty sobbed to Skinny.

"Why is Shifty... you know what, I don't want to know," Dick muttered, opening the door for Lew.

Entering the restaurant, they were met by a long hallway. There was a bar to one side of the room, with a row of chairs lined against it. Photos, awards, and newspapers hung on the walls. Past the bar was a small section, with a hostess stand and two tables. From what Tab could see, the kitchen was behind that room. 

As they piled in, a waitress appeared from the side. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail and Tab noticed her long nails. She smiled at them, taking her position at the hostess stand. 

Dick talked to her for a couple of minutes, but Tab was too intrigued by the photographs on the wall to care. The photographs were mainly old-fashioned but fascinating to look at. His parents used to claim one of his secret niche interests was photographs on restaurant walls.

Feeling a hand pull at his, he intertwined his fingers with Grants. The other man pulled him down the hall, and Tab felt a dopey smile on his face.

They passed the bar and entered a little room to the side. Tables and booths littered the room, but they whirled past them. Their hostess led them outside, to a large open space filled with tables. She helped connect a series of tables together and they were soon seated. Some people sat on chairs, while others sat on a long bench.

Settling into the bench, Tab leaned into Grant as they were both handed menus. Their hostess, Iris, smiled softly at their group before retreating inside. 

Opening the menu, Talbert scanned his options. Most of the food seemed like typical bar food, but two options caught his eye: The Randi and a Tab Wrap. 

Reading the ingredients of both options, he felt his lips pull into a thin line. Grant noticed (he always did), and Tab felt a nudge on his shoulder. Meeting his boyfriend's charming eyes, Tab raised an eyebrow in confusion. His lips were still pressed thinly into a line.

"What's up?" Grant asked, resting his jaw against his hand. 

Talbert would be a liar if he said he didn't find that hot.

"I can't decide what to get," he huffed, looking back at the menu. 

"Well, what are your options?"

"Either The Randi or a Tab Wrap," he sighed, "but it's hard to choose. They both sound good."

Listening to Grant hum softly, Talbert huffed once more. He was hungry and being cooped in the car made him annoyed. He desperately wanted to eat but he couldn't even fucking decide on what to get. He feared his frustration would get the best of him like it always did.

"Make a list of pros and cons. Weigh out both your options and then you can decide what ya want." Grant shrugged, and Talbert wanted to kiss him.

So he did. 

Looking back at the menu, he read the ingredients of both foods once more. He focused on why he was so keen on trying either. The Tab Wrap was made of foods he knew he enjoyed and it seemed like a safe option to try. It also had his name and he liked that factor. The Randi was something new, with things he had never tried or heard of, and was a risk he wanted to take. 

"I mean, the Tab Wrap sounds safe. I know all the ingredients used, and I enjoy most of them. It's something I know I'll like, and it's worth paying money for. However, I can find a wrap like that anywhere, or make one myself. The Randi is a risk—I'm not sure if I'll like half of the stuff in it. This may be my only chance to try it, though. But I'm sort of worried I won't like it and waste my money on something gross."

Grant gazed at him momentarily, before studying both choices. "Can I share my opinion?"

"Always, babe."

"Okay, well, I think you should try the Tab Wrap. It's your safest bet, and while taking risks is fun, you're clearly hungry. It's better to play it safe. It also has your name, so it'd make sense to go for it."

Tab nodded, taking in Grant's words. It was true, he was hungry. If he didn't enjoy The Randi, he'd be left hungry and frustrated. Whereas with the Tab Wrap, he knew he'd be content with it.

"I think I'll listen to you," he grinned, plastering a kiss on Grant's cheek.

His boyfriend laughed in response, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Tab leaned into the touch as he stared at his boyfriend's menu. "What are you getting?"

"Cobb salad, it seems good."

Talbert nodded before adding, "Alright, I'm stealing some of it."

"Can we have some too?" Skinny and Shifty asked, the top of their heads peering over their shared menu. Why they were sharing a menu was a mystery to Talbert.

"Y'know what I think? I think that-" Guarnere's voice boomed, "Nobody cares 'bout what ya think," "-shut your yap, Heffron! Anyways, I think S-squared are secretly twins that were separated durin' birth."

The whole table focused their attention on the duo, who were both burning a bright red. The menu was still in their hands as they shared a glance and a dopey smile. Talbert could see it, the two were very similar. It was why they were each other's best friend.

As conversations started, Tab focused his attention on Shifty and Skinny (since Grant was chatting with Buck, he couldn't talk to him). The two were arguing over what to share—Skinny wanted an Arnold's Burger, while Shifty wanted The Doc Holliday. It was amusing to watch but Talbert knew that if they didn't decide quickly, they'd never decide. 

"You guys need to decide before our waiter comes. And don't give me that look, Skinny!" he cried, "But-" "No buts, we all know that if you can't decide what to share, you'll both never decide and it becomes a whole mess. So either get separate things and split between each other, or choose a whole different option to share."

The two grumbled at his words, but Tab knew they had understood. The pair spent a couple of minutes circling between options but in the end, kept returning to their first choices. What a mess.

"Tab, help us!!!" Shifty cried, groaning into his hands. Skinny mocked his action in response, laughing when Shifty tried hitting him.

Tab couldn't help but roll his eyes. Snatching the menu from their hands, ("Hey! What the fuck!?"), he glanced through their options. He knew that Skinny didn't like bourbon cherry sauce or bacon jam, and Shifty preferred cheddar over American cheese.

"Look, Skinny doesn't like the shit on that Holliday burger, and Shifty won't enjoy the Arnold burger. Do you both want to share?"

The pair shared a glance, lost in thought. Skinny was the first to speak, "I don't care if we share or not."

Shifty nodded in agreement, and Tab clasped his hands in satisfaction. "Perfect! So don't share—simple as that. If you wanna try each other's foods, which I doubt, you can."

"Thanks, Tab!" Shifty cried, followed by Skinny. "Yeah, thank you!"

Despite having decided on their main course, they got stuck on whether to share a side or drink and what they should share. As they bickered, Tab forced himself to become their mediator. In the process, he felt like a mother fussing over her two children.

"Grant and Tab are like their parents." Web announced, his voice silencing everybody else.

All eyes focused on him and Tab noticed the shark enthusiast turn a bright shade of red. Talbert had a feeling Webster only intended for Luz and Hoob to hear that.

"I see it." Bull laughed, reaching over to pat Tab on the back. 

In a sense, they were right. As embarrassing as it was, Talbert often found himself fussing over Skinny and Shifty. He was like their mother, making sure all their needs were met. Grant was more laidback, but Tab knew the duo were slightly intimidated by him. Grant always found a way to keep them from causing too much trouble.

Shrugging slightly, Tab grinned at the two. "Wish I'd given them to an adoption center."

"HEY!" they both cried at once, as the rest of the table broke out into laughter.

                                                                                                           [...]

Lunch had been delicious. The Tab Wrap had been what Talbert needed.

Everybody was content with their meals and the atmosphere of the restaurant. Music buzzed from speakers around the area, and the whole table conversed happily. The mood of the group lifted by the time they left.

The rest of their time spent in Cincinnati was full of exploring. Tab forced Grant to a record store, where the two walked around the shelves and discussed their favorite albums. Afterward, Grant took him thrifting and to a bookstore. Thrifting had been funny, he and Grant had a mini fashion show with Skinny and Shifty. Whereas the bookstore was cozy, and Talbert listened to Grant ramble about some of their finds.

By the time they reunited with everyone, it had been close to two. They spent their last hour wandering Smale Riverfront Park. The beauty and peacefulness of the park put everyone in a calm mood. Even Luz and the chaotic three, though Talbert had a feeling they were planning something for later.

When three rolled around, everybody returned to their cars and the voyage to Indianapolis started. 

They had been driving for over an hour and had already entered Indiana. They were nearing Shelbyville, though they wouldn't be able to pass through it. 

"How much longer?" Skinny asked, and Tab could hear the sickness in his tone. Skinny was always prone to getting carsick. 

Glancing at the GPS on Grant's phone, he reached into his duffel and pulled out an unopened water bottle, "Like twenty or so minutes, so take this."

Skinny gratefully accepted, guzzling water and leaning against the open window for air. From beside him, Shifty was texting their group chat and sending worried glances Skinny's way. As much as they bickered, Tab knew both boys cared for each other deeply.

Meeting Shifty's worried expression through the rearview mirror, Tab mouthed reassurances. The other man smiled and thanked him with a nod. Talbert knew nothing would ease Shifty's nerves until they got to Indianapolis. 

The car had been relatively quiet, with music softly flowing through the speakers. Each vehicle opted for a group call since the drive was short and people didn't want to waste batteries. 

Tab enjoyed talking with the other calls, but the peace was nice.

Staring out at the scenery, Tab breathed in the smell of the forest. Lines of trees passed by them in blurs and Talbert swore he noticed a deer at one point. They were coming up on the Big Blue River, Tab could see it if he angled his head.

"Babe, look how big it is!" he exclaimed, mesmerized by the length of the water. The river was large and pretty.

He could hear the amusement in Grant's voice as he spoke, "That's what she said."

"Oh, shut it."

Taking his phone out, Tab managed to get a few shots before they whirled past. Through the outside mirrors of the car, he watched the river fade into view. One day, he would like to return and swim in it.

"Sure was pretty," Skinny murmured, his head turned to face the back window.

Tab grinned, giving Grant an I-told-you-so look, "That's what I'm saying!"

As they passed on, Talbert noticed large bodies of water on either side of them. He couldn't tell if they were lakes or not, but they looked nice. He preferred rivers over lakes, though.

"Are those lakes?" Skinny asked, his voice finally steady.

Tab squinted at them for a moment, trying to figure out what they were, "Uhh... not sure. I think?"

"How you feeling, Skinny?" Grant asked, his voice laced with hints of concern. Tab found it cute.

"Like fucking shit. Not as bad as before, though."

Through the rearview mirror, Talbert noticed the brunette finishing his water. Leaning back down to his duffel, he scrounged another unopened bottle. Turning back in his seat, he handed Skinny the new bottle and collected the old one. 

As he shifted back in his seat and began focusing on the houses they passed, he felt a nudge on his shoulder. Meeting Grant's gaze in confusion, he noticed the other man whispering to him.

"Look behind you."

He did as told, craning his neck to see the back. Skinny was upright, taking careful sips of the water and massaging his temple. From beside him, Shifty was squeezing his shoulder in comfort and looking at him with concern.

Reeling back around, Talbert couldn't help but share a smile with his boyfriend. Friends would come and go, but he knew Shifty and Skinny would never leave each other. 

Laying his hand near the console, Tab felt a finger poke at his palm. He smiled sweetly as he allowed Grant to intertwine his fingers with his own. As they drove down the highway, past the occasional little houses and the dense forests, he felt his happiest.

                                                                                                           [...]

They arrived in Indianapolis around 5. The sun was still bright when they explored the bustling city.

Tab enjoyed wandering the streets. Despite the heat and humid air, he found his time in Indianapolis to be peaceful. The whole group ventured through the streets, entering little shops before making their way to Highland Park.

Tab found himself next to Luz and Winters, babbling about his dog to them. He missed Trigger, but bringing him along would've been too much of a hassle. 

While he talked, the rest of the friends played football or had their own conversations. It was nice to recharge and focus on the next steps of their plan. An ongoing debate had been raised when they first arrived in Indianapolis: do they stay for the night or drive an hour to Seymour?

Tab had wanted to drive to Seymour since it would lessen their drive for the next day. In the end, they chose that driving to Seymour was the best option.

The drive took around an hour and they arrived in Seymour close to six. The city wasn't remotely close to Indianapolis, but it reminded Talbert of Kokomo.

"So, what do we want for dinner?" Dick's voice crackled through the phone, reminding Tab that they had yet to decide where to stop.

Different answers came from the phone; none of which appealed to Tab. He was growing tired of only stopping to eat bar food, but he felt his friends would disagree. Resting his phone in his palm, he twisted his head to glance at the rest of the car.

"What would you guys want?" he mouthed.

Skinny shrugged, indicating he didn't care. Shifty thought about it for a moment or two, claiming he wanted real food. Grant agreed with Shifty, though Tab knew he wouldn't care what they ate. Feeling content with their answers—and knowing he wasn't the only one with that mindset—he went to answer. Guarnere beat him to it.

"I ain't sure 'bout everybody else, but I'm gettin' real tired of bar food. Sit me at a restaurant where the food ain't jus' burgers an' wings."

Such a statement coming from Guarnere—bar food's biggest fan—was a shocker. Tab lifted his phone to his face, staring at Guarnere's tiny figure through the phone. Everyone had a similar expression to Talbert's; nobody could believe it.

"Same here, can we get us some real food?" Gene asked, and Tab noticed Bill high-fiving the other man. It failed terribly; Gene gave him an awkward pat on the back instead.

Peering at the other cameras in the call, Talbert noticed many people nodding and discussing. Most seemed keen on the idea of real food, though Tab knew people like Babe and Buck would happily eat bar food every day. In the end, the decision to eat at a Mexican restaurant was finalized. 

The drive to the restaurant wasn't far, and they were soon piling inside. 

Spanish music greeted them as they entered. The front of the restaurant was like any other, with a hostess stand and a little cashier section. The person behind the stand, a young boy with dark curls, snapped out of his daze when they walked in.

"Welcome to San Marcos Mexican Restaurant, how many are in your party?" he asked, straining his neck to see the rest of their group.

"Twenty-five people," Dick answered, finishing his count of heads.

Their host nodded, grabbing a stack of menus and motioning for them to follow. 

The restaurant was large, with multiple tables spread across. Booth tables were lined up against the walls, most falling under a window. Each seat and table had a Mexican-inspired painting, which were beautiful to look at. The restaurant wasn't empty, but it wasn't full. Couples and families briefly watched them as their group passed by.

As they reached the middle of the room, Talbert watched their host move a series of tables together, forming one long table for all of them.

As they got situated, menus were handed to them. Leaning into the chair, Tab scoured the menu before deciding on the San Marcos Fish. Placing the menu on the table, he eyed his boyfriend. Grant also had his menu on the table, and he was looking towards the entrance.

"Babe, what are you getting?" Tab asked, peering down at his menu.

"The Fajita Pastor, it looks-" Grant started, before getting cut off by S-squared. 

"We're also getting that!" The two of them cried, staring at Grant and Tab like excited puppies. 

Laughing at their faces, Tab congratulated them on that. From beside him, Grant chuckled. As they waited for a waiter, Tab studied the rest of their group. Most were looking at their menus and consulting with others for recommendations. 

"Nix, dear, are you sure you want that? What if you don't like it?" Dick asked, a look of concern washing over him.

Nixon waved his hand in dismissal, huffing out a laugh. "Sure I do! Besides, Toye's also getting it."

Toye, who had been fussing over Luz, lifted his head in confusion. "Who said my name?"

"Nix did. His dumbass tried making a point and failed." Speirs grumbled, grinning at the glare Nix gave him.

"My point clearly made sense!"

The table sat in silence before Perconte took the initiative to answer. "What was your point?"

"Are you kidding me!?" Nixon asked, throwing his arms up in annoyance, "My point is that since one person is ordering it, it's safe to say I'll be able to enjoy it! You guys just don't understand anything these days. Philosophers would've agreed with me centuries ago."

"Somebody needs to take a break from the drinking.." Web mumbled, earning an outraged look from Nix and a round of laughter from the table.

By the time everyone managed to calm down, their waiter had arrived.

Tab listened as everybody placed their orders. Each sounded delicious, and he felt he'd be stealing some food. Each order varied: some people wanted seafood, others steak. A few (Gene and Martin) wanted soup, and some wanted chicken.

As their waiter left, Tab listened in on a Luz story. It was something from his childhood, when his neighbor's cat got stuck in a tree and the fire department had to come to save it.

"So, my cousins and I were all watching since we were havin' a cookout. And y'know, my oldest cousin is one of those people who likes to analyze others. Well, the fire department comes and out steps this gorgeous- uh..." Luz stops himself, glancing over at Toye, "...don't take this seriously, babe. That man was gorgeous, but you're still the apple of my eye."

"Got it, sugar," Toye muttered, keeping his head on Luz's shoulder.

Luz grinned at his boyfriend before continuing. "Anyways! The most gorgeous man steps out of that truck and saves that kitty. And boy, his muscles were showing through that tight shirt. Now, little six-year-old me, who's never had such a criminal thought, wanted that man so badly. I didn't think anybody would notice how red I was when I saw him, but my cousin did. And boy, she had a field day with me."

"What'd she do?" Perco asked, literally hanging on the edge of his seat.

"I was getting to that, stupid." Luz grumbled, "She just kept asking me all these stupid questions. 'George, is your face red cuz of the heat, or is it something else', 'George, don't ya think that man is pretty?', 'George, would you want to be saved by that man if you were a kitty?' Oh my god, she would not shut up about it! Like, I get it, he was hot! But you DON'T need to ask me if I'd want to be saved by him." 

Talbert couldn't help but laugh, relishing the grin Luz sent him. George always told the best stories, his childhood happened to be very eventful. Tab often wondered if he'd run out of stories to tell, but he doubted it. 

The wait for their main course went by fast. Chatter went around the tables, stories were told and laughter was shared. Tab had to clutch onto Grant for support after wheezing too hard. At one point, Malarkey said something so funny that Muck spat his drink onto Penk's shirt. 

Luckily, Luz caught the whole thing on camera and sent it to the group chat. 

Before he knew it, the food had arrived. Platters of food were placed around them, each smelling and looking delicious.

Talbert felt his stomach grumble lightly in anticipation as he waited for his dish. It didn't take long for the waiter to come out with his food, and it was soon placed in front of him.

His meal consisted of two breaded catfish fillets with four shrimps on top. Rice, lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream surrounded it. His dish smelt amazing and it looked mouth-watering. Waiting for the rest of their table to be served, he eyed Grant's food.

Grant had cut-up marinated pork in a bowl with vegetables mixed in. Sour cream, pico de gallo, lettuce, rice & beans, and onions were served with the meal. Shifty's was similar but he had added lettuce, and Skinny didn't have sour cream or onions. Each of their meals looked just as good.

When everyone had a plate in front of them, Dick clapped his hands to get everybody's attention. "I know we're all hungry, but I'd like to get a word or two in before we start. Thank you guys for being here with us, this trip has been amazing so far and I can't wait for the rest of it. I hope we all enjoy our meals, they look mouth-watering. Now, dig in."

When he finished speaking, Tab found himself clapping. Slowly, the rest of the table joined in before Guarnere cleared his throat.

"Thanks, Dick. Ya always know how to plan a trip!"

With that, everyone began eating. Taking his fork, Tab grabbed a piece of fish and mixed it with some rice and beans. It tasted amazing, and he immediately shoved another bite into his mouth. After a long trip, he needed a meal like this.

The table remained quiet for the first few minutes of their meal, but soon conversations started. Tab found himself munching and talking to Martin, Buck, and Penkala. 

"Nah, he wouldn't do that. He's a bitch for sure, but that's crossing the line." Buck claimed, mixing his steak and rice.

Martin huffed in response, putting his fork down to speak. "He would, I know it. This is Sobel we're talking about, he'd get anyone in trouble. He's the worst RA ever."

"Martin's got a point, Buck." Tab shrugged, swallowing his food before continuing, "I can see Sobel doing that. He'd try blaming Dick for it."

The dispute went back and forth for a while before Tab got bored and moved to the next person. He listened to Luz's stories, shared dog facts with Nix, debated Web on what animal was the cutest, and laughed at the chaotic three's antics. By the time he finished his meal, he was still conversing with his friends. 

Leaning against Grant's shoulder, Tab felt sleep hit him at full force. He yawned slightly, rubbing at his eye to keep himself awake. There was a debate going on between Speirs and Hoob, and Talbert wanted to be able to watch it in action.

"You tired?" Grant muttered into the top of his head, and Tab nodded slowly. 

In response, Grant wrapped his arms around Talbert and kept him close. Compared to the other couples at the table, this was the most touchy they'd get in public. They preferred being touchy in the privacy of their own home when nobody could interrupt or annoy them. But sometimes, they allowed themselves to get close when they were out with friends.

Breathing in Grant's cologne, Tab felt at peace. Sure, his friends managed to drive him crazy and make him want to bash his head into the wall. But at the end of the day, he wouldn't want to be in a restaurant laughing with any other group. Friends drove you mad, but they also made the little things memorable—like listening to a heated debate in a restaurant late at night.

"This is nice," he muttered, tilting his head to press a kiss to Grant's jaw.

"Yeah?" Grant asked, smiling down at Talbert.

"Yeah."

Chapter Text

There was nothing better than McDonald's breakfast at 9 am. 

Stuffing his sausage, egg, and cheese McGriddle into his mouth, Harry felt at peace. When he was younger, on the days his dad had to take them to school, they always got McDonald's for breakfast. It was a treat Harry loved, and eating McDonald's at breakfast always reminded him of those moments.

"Harry, slow down, will ya?" Lip sighed, taking a sip of his lemonade. 

Harry ignored him, continuing to wolf down the meal. He would not listen to a man who drank lemonade in the morning. That was criminal, unjust, if you will.

Feeling the side eye Lipton gave him, Harry sheepishly grinned. The other man simply sighed, looking back at his phone.

Besides Harry, Nix tried to avoid making a mess, but ultimately failing. Crumbs littered his entire seat, and Harry noticed wrappers stuffed into the door pocket. That dumbass was going to get a scolding from Dick, and Harry will be recording the whole thing.

"Nix, you better not be making a mess," Dick warned, and Harry laughed at the face Nixon made.

"It's my car, babe! I can make as many messes as I want." Nix fired back, and Dick shook his head in annoyance. 

Harry snickered, covering his mouth with his hand. Five seconds later, he was dodging the wrappers Nix threw at him. Ten seconds after that, he had Nix in a headlock, threatening him with every verbal insult he could think of.

"UNCLE! UNCLE!" Nix cried, flailing his arms around like a fish.

Harry let him go, grinning in satisfaction. Lip was glaring at them, Dick was silently praying, and Ron was cackling. That was their usual reaction to anything Harry or Lew did.

"Someone's weak..." Harry muttered, shrieking when Nix started hitting him with McDonald's wrappers. In return, Harry threw dirty socks at him. The brunette tried to come up with a comeback, but Harry swooped away before he could get far. They continued fighting, throwing whatever they could at each other.

"NIX, STOP!? THAT'S A FUCKING BOOK!" A beat of silence followed by a grunt.

"I KNOW it's a book, Harry. I can see perfectly well. Unlike you..."

Another beat of silence, this time followed by a pained cry and hands slapping at skin.

"TAKE THAT BACK!"

The fighting continued for a few minutes before Lip yelled at them to shut up. Even then, they couldn't keep still. Harry poked at Nix's side, eliciting an annoyed grunt from the darker brunette. Nix nudged Harry irritably, which only made Harry poke back harder. This continued for a while until Speirs grew annoyed and threatened them with every threat under the sun.

"Guys, we're bored!" Harry cried, sinking into his seat. The warm cushion felt sticky against his hot skin, and he longed for a dip into the lake outside their university. The cool waters always replenished him. There wasn't much to do in the car other than stare out the window or argue with Nix. But one of those was off the table, and the other got boring after a while. "Can we play a game? Like I-Spy or some stupid shit like that."

"Even better, who wants to drink?" Nix asked, immediately getting his idea shut down by his boyfriend. 

Staring at the other man, Harry longed for the cool beer glass against his skin. Sweat was starting to break out, and little droplets would roll down his skin. It was annoying, and it only made his irritation worse. It didn't help that he was missing Kitty, but she was still asleep, so he couldn't communicate with her. 

"I don't get why drinking right now is a bad idea, babe!" Nix complained, and Harry listened to the other man's stupid rambling. "I think it'd help soothe everyone's nerves. The liquor is cool, which is great for this terrible heat! Besides, it'd wake us up and get the vibes to where they need to be."

"You sound like a middle-aged man attempting to speak in slang to sound cool. Please, shut up," Speirs commented, earning a wrapper thrown at his face.

Before Speirs could even think about getting his revenge, Lip stepped in. "Y'know what, take my fucking phone and watch this." Lip placed his phone in Nix's hands, who then moved it so it sat between Harry and him. Harry stared at the phone, which had started playing Gilmore Girls. 

Soon, the only sound that filled the car was the GPS and the show. Harry found himself engrossed in what he was watching, clinging to Nix when things got exciting. He kept still, keeping his eyes glued to the phone. He occasionally heard the soft murmurs of his friends around him, but for the most part, he ignored anyone who wasn't Rory speaking.

Things stayed like that for a while; neither Harry nor Lew moved from their positions. The scenery changed as they passed through townships and open fields. Thriving houses turned into dense forests, and buildings and shops gave way to quiet springs and long lakes. The conversations in the car ranged from different topics. Despite all this, Harry and Nix continued to stare at the phone. It was the quietest they'd both been in a while.

Everything was going fine. Harry still felt the sweat against his back and continued to ache for Kitty, but he didn't feel the need to cause any disruption or chaos—until Nix ruined it all with his bladder issues.

It started off small, with little squirms coming from the other man. Harry would occasionally glance over, giving his friend weird looks before focusing back on the phone. The squirms turned into Nix practically jumping out of his seat. It became so unbearable that Harry couldn't deal with it.

"Nix, what the fuck is wrong with you?"

The other man turned his head, a look of agony on his face. Harry knew that look—he'd seen it many times before, specifically whenever Nix had too much to drink at a party and the bathroom became an urgent need.

"Harry..."

Oh no.

"Nix, please don't tell me..." Harry muttered, turning around to face the rest of his friends. Dick was focusing on the road ahead, Ron was scrolling on his phone, and Lip was staring out the window. None of them realized what was going on, leaving Harry to deal with the issue at hand. He wasn't sure where they were; trees and cars surrounded them. If they got lucky, they might pass a town soon. If not... Harry didn't want to think about that just yet. 

"Harry, help me," Nix muttered, staring at the car's ceiling. "I don't think I can hold this one out."

They waited a few more minutes, with Harry continuously stealing glances at his friend. His expression didn't get any better; in fact, it worsened. Harry was going to kill Nix—and then himself.

"Hey, babe," Nix called out, grimacing slightly when Dick turned around. They were at a red light, and Harry noticed a couple of houses up ahead. "Remember how you told me not to order a large orange juice?"

Beside them, Lip groaned. Harry could hear Speirs snickering, and he didn't have to look up to see the annoyed expression on Dick's face.

"Lewis Nixon, why do you think I tell you this stuff!?"

"To be a killjoy?"

Harry laughed, disguising it with a cough into his sleeve. Lip looked unamused, but Harry noticed the hints of a smile behind his poker face. Speirs, on the other hand, was turning red from laughter.

The couple bickered back and forth, but Harry tuned it out. Leaning against the window, he cradled Lip's phone in his hand. His sweat-covered cheek smushed into the cool windowpane, and the corner of his eye focused on the scenery they drove past. They were breaking past the never-ending line of trees, approaching a quiet town. He ignored all conversation around him, engrossing in the show. It wasn't until his name came up in the conversation that he looked up.

"What?" Harry asked, shifting his eyes to face everyone else.

Silence followed before Lip sighed, shaking his head in annoyance. "You and Nix are gonna look for a house that'll let Nix piss in."

Harry should've thrown that book at Nixon when he had the chance.

They contacted the other cars, letting everyone know the plan. Harry had the delight of watching everyone tease both him and Nixon. 

Dick drove them around for a little while until they found a free spot. Harry wasn't sure what town they were in, but it seemed nice. There wasn't much to it—just a few houses up ahead and a store around the corner. It didn't matter, though, because Harry wanted to be anywhere but here. He was already planning to find a river to dispose of Nix's body when he was done.

Stepping out into the bright sunlight, Harry grimaced. This was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Hurry, Harry! When a man's gotta go, he's gotta go!" Nix cried in a sing-song manner. The man knew Harry was pissed.

The two walked—Harry walked, Nix desperately hopped—along the streets. They continued their walk until they reached the first house. Nix sprinted to the door, and Harry followed slowly, making sure he took his time.

A young woman opened the door, a baby on her hip. She seemed surprised at first, but when Nix explained the situation, a look of amusement crossed her face. Surprisingly, she let them in.

Harry chatted with the woman while he waited for Nix. She was sweet and reminded him of Kitty's sister. 

Everything seemed to remind Harry of Kitty. He wasn't used to being away from her for more than a couple of days. 

When Nix finished, the two bid the woman thanks and left. Nix—the little fucker—had a look of satisfaction on his face. Harry kept glaring at him, fisting his hands at his sides to prevent himself from punching the other man.

"Best piss of my-"

"Shut the fuck up."

                                                                                                           [...]

Hoosier National Forest was the second of four national parks they planned on visiting. Harry wasn't a huge fan of national parks, but he didn't throw fits about them like Toye or Liebgott. They were boring—sure—but not the end of the world.

Rows and rows of trees surrounded them. They drove down dwindling roads that opened up to hiking trails or open fields. Not many cars passed them, but Harry noticed humans and animals deep inside the forest. 

The plan was to set up a lunch spot and explore. Once everyone got hungry, they'd return to the spot and have lunch. Dick wanted to be out of the park by one so they could get to St. Louis around four. It was a solid plan that worked in everyone's favor.

They drove for some time before locating a small parking lot. It was hidden by large boulders and rocks, and even Harry wasn't sure how Speirs had noticed it.

Stepping out of the car, Harry breathed in the fresh air. A light breeze swept through, feeling nice against his skin. They had a perfect view of a lake, its waters glistening against the sun. As people began piling out of their cars, Harry made his way over to help set up camp.

He moved coolers to the nearby picnic tables alongside Toye and Talbert, and everyone played their part to help.

"Hide the beers from Nix," Talbert teased, earning him a punch to the arm from Nixon.

Once everything was set up, they began discussing their hike. Some people wanted to venture deep into the forest, but most voted against it. It was far too hot to be trapped under the trees, despite the shade they offered. And Harry was starting to feel somewhat hungry, even though it was only half past eleven.

"How about we walk around for half an hour? People are going to start feeling hungry soon, anyway," Web suggested, leaning against Lieb. 

"I say go with Web's plan!" Shifty called out.

They debated for a few more minutes before everyone decided Web's plan was the way to go. Leaving behind anything that'd weigh him down, Harry trailed after his friends.

Harry walked along fallen logs and overgrown roots. Dry leaves crunched beneath his shoes and birds flew overhead. He talked with his friends at the beginning of the walk, discussing various topics with whoever wanted to speak or listen.

"I always hated teachers like that," Talbert sighed, interlocking hands with Grant. "Why wait for the last minute to input grades? I had too many teachers like that in the past."

"It's 'cause they're lazy," Harry shrugged. 

Martin snorted from beside, and Harry turned to the other man with a grin. "That's the dumbest excuse ever. Why become a teacher if you're too lazy to do your job?"

"I wish I knew, Martin. I wish I knew."

At the beginning of the walk, everything went peacefully. Until Luz had the great idea of playing hide-and-go-seek tag. 

"Hide-and-go-seek tag in a forest ain't a good idea, Luz. Y'know how many accidents happen in 'ere?" Roe scolded, but the floppy-haired man ignored him.

"Pshh, loosen up, Gene! Besides, Babe wants to do it. Don't ya, Babe?" George asked, and Harry watched Babe excitedly nod his head.

Gene sighed in response, already giving up. There was no point in trying to convince George to not do something. The man was far more stubborn than Harry's parents—who were already stubborn people themselves. 

A group of people, Harry included, gathered around Luz. Those who didn't want in either turned around or took another trail.

Perconte and Luz were the seekers for the first round. They decided on one round only since they were short on time. Harry bolted in whatever direction he could, somehow beside a limping Guarnere and Nix. The pair hid behind a series of bushes, making themselves small to not be seen. Bill squirmed uncomfortably with his prosthetic leg, and Harry squeezed his shoulder sympathetically. 

They waited for some time, listening to the sound of laughter and footsteps. Eventually, Perco noticed them and charged towards the trio. 

Harry sprinted to the left, leaving behind a shouting Guarnere and a groaning Nix. He ran and ran, through thick trees and over large boulders. He wasn't sure where he was until he spotted Hoobler and Skinny.

Running towards them, Harry hid behind a series of rocks. His back pressed against the boulder, and he kept his head covered under a couple of branches. Skinny was beside him, squished in between an opening in the rocks. He was in a crouched position, covering his head with his arms. Hoobler was a few feet away, crouched under a few bushes.

Harry could hear the distant shouts of his friends and their footsteps as they ran. Cracking a grin at Skinny and Hoob, he kept still. The minutes passed, and the shouting grew distant. The more they waited, the more anticipated Harry got.

"Where are they?" Hoob whispered, lifting his head slightly. 

Harry peeked around the corner, seeing trees for miles. A slight jolt of panic flashed through him when he realized he couldn't see or hear his friends. Turning back to the other two, Harry noticed their looks of panic.

This was just amazing.

"Oh shit, are we lost?!" Skinny cried, squeezing out of his hiding spot. Hoobler followed suit, and they both stood in front of Harry.

Taking a look around, Harry sighed. "Yeah, we are. Guess we should start looking for them."

Following a path of stones along the floor, the three began walking towards the unknown. Harry hated being lost in the forest. but preferred being lost with other people than by himself. As they walked, they made conversation. It was purely to distract themselves from the reality that they had no fucking clue where they were.

"Boy, I'd kill for some Chili," Skinny mumbled, and Harry laughed. 

"Seriously, Skinny?" he asked, laughing harder when Skinny gave him a weird look. "Chili in July? How are you supposed to enjoy that?"

"I have Chili in the summer all the time!"

"What is wrong with you?" Hoob asked, putting a hand over his chest. Skinny rolled his eyes at the duo.

They continued bickering over Chili and other foods you shouldn't eat in the summer when Harry heard a sound. Pausing his movements, he turned around in confusion. It was the snap of a twig, but it wasn't far away. 

"What'd you hear, Harry?" Hoob asked, tilting his head to an angle. 

Another twig snapped, this time coming from the other side. Harry turned his head around, searching the area for movement. "Who's there?" he called out, looking around. All he could see was rows and rows of trees. 

Out of nowhere, a low grumble echoed across. The hairs on the back of Harry's neck stood up, and he felt his blood run cold. More twigs snapped, and the low growls grew louder. Turning to face his friends, Harry noticed Hoob had turned pale, and Skinny looked like he wanted to faint. 

"Is that...?" Skinny started, but he never got to finish. A roar scared Harry enough to start sprinting.

He could hear Skinny and Hoob running after him, but he didn't dare to look back. Fear ran through Harry as he dodged roots and stones. He wasn't sure where he was going, he just needed to get out of there. He wasn't even sure if the bear was still chasing them.

Harry could hear three combined screams—Hoob's, Skinny's, and his. Hoob's sounded like a very long "aghhh", and Skinny's was high-pitched. His seemed the most normal of the three, but it was the loudest. 

Somehow, Harry manages to break past the tree line. By some miracle, their picnic spot was up ahead. Sprinting towards his friends, he began screaming to get their attention. 

"GUYS! BEAR! THERE'S A BEAR IN THE WOODS, WE NEED TO LEAVE!"

Hoob and Skinny trailed after him, yelling out their own concerns. By the time the three of them made it to the picnic tables, they were out of breath and unable to speak properly. 

Harry leaned against Lip, breathing heavily. He turned back to the forest, feeling fear jolt in him. It was quiet, and everyone seemed to be staring at them in confusion. Harry couldn't blame them, but at the same time, he wished they'd start packing up to escape. Harry didn't know much about bears, but he had a feeling this one wasn't friendly.

By the time he managed to get ahold of himself, Harry realized something. The bear wasn't chasing after them, and his friends were laughing.

"What? What's so funny?" Hoobler asked, throwing his hands up in confusion.

Out of all his friends, Harry realized Web was laughing the hardest. Staring at the other man, he noticed the brunette leaning against his boyfriend for support. "Holy shit, Hoob. Van-Klinken is going to love this video!"

"Web, what the fuck are you talking about?!"

The two began play fighting, but Harry blocked them out. Squinting at the trees, he noticed two people emerge.

Fucking Malarkey and Luz. Harry should've known those assholes would pull a trick like that. 

"You guys suck!" Hoob exclaimed, finally letting Web go. The writer panted heavily, leaning against his boyfriend for help.

Once Mal and Luz returned, everyone made their way over to the picnic tables. Their lunch was already set, wrapped with tinfoil and aluminum paper. It wasn't anything extravagant—just sandwiches and burgers, mainly. Someone packed fruit salad, and there were cookies on the side.

Squeezing between Nix and Speirs, Harry reached for his plate, which consisted of a burger, some fruit salad, and five cookies. If Kitty had seen his meal, she would've killed him. She was always on his ass about eating handfuls of sugar with no break.

Biting into the burger, Harry talked with his friends. The conversation of the bear incident was still on their minds, and Harry was forced to listen to his friends make fun of him.

It was exactly how he wanted to spend his lunch.

"Damn Harry, can't believe they tricked you into thinking a bear was there!" Nix laughed, and Harry felt like throwing a stick at him.

So he did. 

Which resulted in Nix chasing after him with a larger stick.

                                                                                                           [...]

The large glistening archway greeted them with open arms. People and animals of all kinds passed by, each engrossed in their own little word. The shops and restaurants along the streets were overfilled with locals and tourists. The sun blazed down on everyone, giving their skin pretty glows. St. Louis wasn't any different from other big cities Harry had visited, but it was magical in its own way.

Trailing after his friends, Harry wiped the sweat off his brows. He liked the summer, but he hated the heat. It clung to his skin and made his hair feel sticky. The winters got easier to deal with after he went to college, but the summers didn't. Pennsylvania winters were a nightmare, but Georgia summers were hell.

"Is anybody else hot?" he asked, moving his shirt back and forth to create air. Taking a look around, he noticed some of his friends sweating. Tab was pressing a water bottle to his neck, Buck looked like he wanted to pass out, and Roe was wiping the sweat off his neck. 

"I am! Why the fuck is Missouri so hot?" Guarnere grumbled, and Babe nodded in response.

"Well, Missouri usually experiences extreme temperatures. July is typically the hottest month of the year for St. Louis, or for Missouri in general. Also, since St. Louis is made up of asphalt and concrete, it traps all the heat. That's why most cities experience heatwaves so often—the heat gets trapped with no way of escaping," Webster explained, as most people rolled their eyes, especially Lieb, who made a scene of teasing his boyfriend.

"Sure teach useful stuff at Harvard," Hoob joked, earning a glare from his best friend. Nobody in their right mind could understand why Web dropped out of Harvard, but the man never gave a proper reason. Harry always assumed it was something personal.

"Shut up, Hoob," Web groaned, smacking his friend lightly.

Harry grinned, finding the banter amusing. Even though Web's random facts could get annoying, Harry typically appreciated them. In truth, half the stuff he learned came from Webster. 

Their little group walked down the streets, taking in what St. Louis had to offer. Tourists and locals packed the streets—if you were a tourist, you watched everything in awe; if you were a local, you attempted to get to your destination without bumping into anyone.

They stopped near a busy intersection. They all huddled around Dick, waiting for a plan to be formed. 

"I know some of us want to go shopping, but others want to go exploring," Dick huffed. "So, we can split up here and do what we please. We're eating dinner at Red Kitchen and Bar, so let's try to get there in the next two hours. We want to be in Concord by 7:30, so the sooner we get to dinner, the better."

Everyone nodded, calculating what they wanted to do. Harry needed to find an anniversary gift for Kitty and a gift for Malarkey, whose birthday was a week away. He knew the other guys needed to find gifts too, but he wasn't sure when they were looking.

They all stated their plans (most of which consisted of exploring) before splitting off to do their own thing.

Harry followed Lip, Speirs, Dick, and Nixon. They made their way down the streets, taking in everything they saw. Harry knew that Dick was looking for a bookstore, while Speirs wanted to find a record shop. 

"Harry, what are you getting Kitty?" Lip asked, sliding next to him.

Harry answered with no hesitation, "Well, it's more than just one thing. The first half is an engraved memory box. The top has the number of years we've been dating, and the bottom shows 'x amount of days, x amount of hours,' etc. The cover has our names and the day we started dating." He pulled out his phone, swiping through his images to show Lip. "Anyways, the inside is filled with stuff she likes and photos of us. The second part of the gift is a wind-up music box that plays 'Can't Help Falling In Love.' She's been wanting it for a while."

Nixon made an awe sound with his mouth. "Damn, Harry, who knew."

"What? That I can be so sentimental?" Harry bit, grinning at the man.

Nix shrugged, slapping the back of his head lightly. The two played bickered for a couple of minutes before Dick pulled them apart with a scowl. 

They made their way to a little street with a series of shops. At one end there was a small bookstore, and two shops down, a record shop. Along the street was a cozy cafe, a thrift shop, and a vibrant antique store. It wasn't much, but Harry found it cute.

Dick dragged Nixon towards the bookstore, while Speirs and Lip made their way to the record shop. Harry watched both couples leave before walking into the antique store.

The door chimed as Harry walked in. He looked around, analyzing everything. The shop wasn't much—large displays filled with objects lined the walls, and desks stood in the middle of the room. The store had warm lighting, and it smelled like tea. Behind the counter was an old man with a fuzzy beard. It reminded Harry of what Bull would look like in a few decades.

"Hello, son!" The old man chirped, making his way over to Harry.

Harry grinned at him and nodded in response. "Hello, sir. I have a question—do you happen to sell engraved wind-up music boxes?"

"Yes, we do!" he exclaimed, motioning for Harry to follow him.

The old man led Harry toward the back, where a display full of wind-up boxes lay. There was one of every kind—small, large, engraved, old, new, and more. This would've been Kitty's happy place, and for a moment, Harry pictured her with him.

Harry searched through the shelves, carefully examining each box. He took his time, noting the details of every box. He needed it to be perfect—Kitty had wanted the box since last June. ("Oh Harry! Isn't this gift so cute?" "What the fuck is that?" "A wind-up box with the lyrics of the song engraved on the top! I NEED it!")

"Is there a specific one you're looking for?" The older man—Eddie, at least that was the name he gave Harry—asked.

Harry pulled out his phone and showed Eddie the photo. "This one. My girlfriend's been wanting it since last year. It's our anniversary in a couple of weeks, but I'm on a road trip with some friends, so I decided to try and find the box now."

Eddie nodded, smiling gently as he made his way to another display. Grabbing a box from the back, Eddie turned around and handed it to Harry. Examining the box, Harry grinned. 

It was the infamous 'Can't Help Falling in Love' box that plagued Kitty's dreams.

Thanking Eddie, Harry paid and wished him a good day. Exiting the store, Harry dodged an excited couple running inside. They looked younger than him—maybe 16 or 17. The girl had a gleam in her eyes, while her boyfriend stared lovingly at her. They were holding hands, fingers tightly interlocked. It reminded Harry of him and Kitty when they first started going on dates. Had nearly a year and a half passed by so quickly?

As he began walking towards the bookstore, Harry felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Grabbing it, he noticed the caller was Guarnere. 

"Hello-" Harry started, before being cut off.

"Where the fuck are ya?!"

“Uhm…. How am I supposed to know?” Harry asked, and he could practically see the eye roll Bill made.

”Look at the fuckin’ street signs, ya blockhead.”

Looking up, Harry squinted at the sign in the distance. “I'm on the corner of Lynch St. and Lemp Ave. Where are you?"

Harry heard arguing in the background, and Bill's voice sounded distant for a moment. "We're on Lafayette Ave. Wait there; we'll come pick ya up."

"What the fuck? Where are we going?"

Bill sighed before answering, "Ta buy Mal a present."

He hung up a second later, and Harry sighed. While he waited, he texted Kitty. 

The wait didn't last long, and soon Guarnere's car pulled up. Harry opened the door and stepped inside, noticing Guarnere and Buck in the front, with Heffron, Luz, Perco, and Eugene in the back. There was an empty spot by Perco and Luz since the back was occupied by Heffron and Eugene.

They drove to the mall, blasting music and having a sing-along the whole ride. Gene even pulled out his digital camera to film the whole thing.

They arrived at the mall in no time. Finding parking was tricky, but Bill managed to snag a spot in the corner of the lot. Stepping out into the bright sunlight, Harry squinted. The mall was huge—specifically, it was large in both width and length. They'd managed to park behind Macy's. 

"Alright, where we goin' first?" Babe asked, leaning against his boyfriend.

"Depends on what we're getting him. Everyone has something in mind?" Buck asked, and everybody nodded.

Harry was getting him a Lego Star Wars ship (Imperial Star Destroyer) and a shirt. Mal was a huge Star Wars and Lego nerd—it was perfect.

They entered the mall, feeling the cold air hit them immediately—a stark contrast to the heat outside. Walking through the crowded mall, Harry looked around for the Lego store. 

"Okay, wait, let's split up," Eugene suggested. 

Everyone partnered up with the people shopping for similar gifts: Perco and Luz, Heffron and Gene, and Buck, Guarnere, and Harry. They all went their separate ways, searching for the stores they needed to find.

After aimlessly walking around the mall, Buck spotted the Lego store. The three of them ran over, ignoring the dirty looks passersby gave them. 

The store was bright yellow, with shelves of Lego sets lining the walls. Display tables (made from fake Lego bricks) stood in the middle of the room. The front desk was near the back, with two bored-looking teenagers behind the counter. Most of the people in the store were little kids, dragging their families to each station.

"Where's the Star Wars section?" Harry asked, craning his neck to peer toward the back. Buck shrugged and took the initiative to look around. Harry and Bill followed suit.

They browsed through each section of the store until they came upon the Star Wars section. A display full of every Lego Star Wars set imaginable stood before them. They each grabbed a different set, examining them to make sure it was the right one. 

Following Buck and Guarnere to the counter, Harry dug out his wallet from his jeans. His friends paid first, and he took the time to look around. Even just standing by the counter brought a wave of nostalgia for Harry's childhood.

He quickly paid, and the three of them left, grinning. They had purchased the first half of their gifts; now they just needed to find a clothing store, which, frankly, wasn't too hard to find in a mall.

"So, did ya manage to find Kitty's gift?" Bill asked as they rode the escalator. 

Harry nodded before responding, "Yeah! Not gonna lie, I'm surprised they had it."

The three of them continued talking as they walked through the crowded area. Checking his phone, Harry realized they had just over an hour to get to the restaurant.

They stumbled into a random store and began looking around. Harry browsed through the clothes, picking up random shirts to examine them. He didn't have a set theme, but he knew Mal liked shirts with funny phrases on them. 

After a few minutes of looking, Harry found the perfect shirt. It was a black t-shirt with the words 'I have ABS-olutely no idea what I'm doing' printed across the front. It was perfect.

Harry made his way to the front desk, ignoring the look the cashier gave him. Once he finished paying, he flopped onto a chair by the front. While he waited for his friends, he scrolled on his phone.

Guarnere showed up minutes later with a mischievous look on his face. He had two articles of clothing in his hands, but Harry couldn't make out what they were.

"What'd you get Mal?" Bill asked.

Harry grabbed the shirt from the bag, unraveling it for Bill to see. The Philly man laughed, clutching his stomach until he calmed down. Once he could breathe normally, he showed Harry what he'd gotten—a green Eagles jersey (Mal hated the Eagles) and a brown Coors hoodie.

"An Eagles jersey, really? You trying to get killed?" Harry asked teasingly.

Bill shrugged, cracking that infamous Guarnere grin. "It's payback for the time that fucker bought me Falcons tickets! Besides, the hoodie is the real gift."

Harry hummed, turning his attention back to his phone. While he waited for Bill to pay, he updated Kitty on everything. She responded in kind—she was visiting family and had gone out shopping with her mother. Harry smiled at the haul she sent, hearting each mirror selfie she'd taken while trying on outfits. Harry missed Kitty and her joyous energy.

He didn't notice Bill had returned until he heard a teasing whistle in his ear. Looking up, Harry grinned sheepishly. 

"Missing Kitty Cat?" Bill asked knowingly.

Harry nodded and Bill sighed. Harry had a feeling the other man missed Frannie as much as he missed Kitty.

"Yeah... I miss Fran, too. If she was 'ere, she'd be complainin' "that I drag my damn leg 'round too much an' I'm gonna ruin the metal." An' she ain't wrong, though it ain't my fault this goddamn prosthetic is so heavy!"

Harry squeezed his shoulder sympathetically. "At least you can sit for now."

Bill nodded, smiling appreciatively at him. They spent the rest of their wait discussing various topics. 

After a while, Buck appeared. He had a shirt and a pair of pants in his arms. From what Harry could see, the shirt was grey, and the pants were green and Snoopy-themed. 

"Well, well, well... look what the cat dragged in. Glad you could finally fuckin' join us, Buck!" Guarnere called out, and Harry laughed when Buck flipped them off.

They both stood up, waiting by the door for Buck. When the blonde was done paying, he half-jogged towards them with a sheepish look on his face. "Don't give me those looks! It's hard shopping for Mal!"

"Aren't you his best friend?" Harry asked. Buck turned a bright pink, and Harry laughed harder.

They each compared gifts; Buck had gotten a Princess Bride shirt and Snoopy pants (Mal liked themed pajamas). Once they were done, the three exited the door and searched for their friends. They had time left, but they still had to exit the mall and drive to the restaurant. The sooner they could leave, the better.

While Harry and Bucked talked, Bill took the initiative to call Babe.

"Heffron, stop makin' out with Gene an' get your scrawny-ass to the second floor."

Training his ears, Harry picked up on a distant voice arguing in the background. By the way Bill rolled his eyes, Harry had a feeling it was Babe speaking.

"Are you serious?!" Bill argued, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We came 'ere for fuckin' gifts, Babe! Not for you to get some food from a restaurant that, by the way, hates your kind! It ain't homophobic if it's true! No, you're pissin' me off. I don't wanna talk to you no more. Fuck you an' your bloodline."

Harry raised an eyebrow, sharing an amused look with Buck. Babe and Bill were truly best friends; their hatred for each other was unmatched.

"Where are they?" Buck asked, and Bill looked ready to punch him for even asking.

"Babe's fatass wanted food, so they're at the food court."

The three of them found an escalator and descended towards the third floor. Sure enough, Babe and Gene were by the Chick-fil-A. Bill was the first to reach them, and Harry noticed he immediately pulled Babe into a playful noogie. 

By the time Harry and Buck arrived, Babe was fighting back. Harry shot Gene an amused look. The Cajun sighed, opting to ask what they had gotten instead of punching his boyfriend and his best friend. Buck and Harry showed off their gifts, and Gene did the same—he'd gotten Malarkey cologne (Bleu De Chanel) and a Visa gift card, while Babe had gotten him an Amazon gift card and two Funko Pops (Sonic the Hedgehog and Mango from SNL).

By then, Babe and Bill had gone from trying to rip each other's heads off to acting civil. It reminded Harry of how he would act with Nixon.

"Anyone know where Luz or Perco are?" Buck asked, his grin turning into a frown when they all shrugged.

While they roamed the mall in search of them, Harry talked with Eugene. They discussed what they thought everybody had gotten or would be getting Mal. While they were walking, Buck's phone began to vibrate.

"Hello?" he asked, his confusion quickly turning into a deep scowl.

They all crowded around Buck in confusion. The blonde threw his head back, groaning as he rubbed his forehead. He nodded at whatever the person on the other end said and agreed to meet them outside. A moment later, he hung up and sighed.

"Who was it, Buck?" Bill asked, genuine concern laced in his words. 

"It was Luz. He and Perco got in trouble with the mall cops."

Harry tried to hold back his laugh, but upon seeing Bill wheeze against Babe, he let it out. Even Gene cracked a smile, hissing and slapping Babe when he started to snort. The only one who looked annoyed was Buck, who had already begun his descent downstairs.

As they made their way outside, they shared their ideas on what they thought had happened. Harry felt that they'd destroyed something, but Babe's answer—that they were throwing spitballs at passersby—was the winner.

Buck led them out the same way they came, and, lo and behold, there stood Perco and Luz with two mall cops. Perco was glaring daggers at Luz, while the other man looked satisfied.

Harry took one look at the scene and laughed. Buck spoke with the officers, shooting glares at Perco and Luz. The rest of them crowded around the two friends.

"What the fuck did you do?" Babe asked, pulling out his phone to record.

"This asshole-" Perco started, pausing to glare at Luz, "I'm not an asshole!" "-pantsed me in front of everyone! And I may or may not have chased him around the mall and ended up crashing into some pretzel stand."

Harry began to wheeze, doubling over in laughter. Beside him, Babe and Bill clutched each other for support. The only normal one was Gene, though even he was chuckling.

While Bill teased Perco, Harry grabbed Gene's digital camera. Before the Cajun could stop him, Harry snapped a photo of the scene. Perco was flipping off the camera, Luz was grinning and holding up the peace sign, Bill was bent over laughing, Babe was hiding his face in his hands, Gene looked at the camera in amusement, and Buck was glaring at them.

Harry handed the camera back to Gene, posing when the man took a photo of him. As he tried to calm down, Harry felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

Opening it, he realized Dick was calling. He accepted the call with a smirk, looking right at Luz. "Hey, Dick, what's up?"

"Where are you and who are you with?"

"At the mall with Luz, Buck, Perco, Babe, Bill, and Gene. We were shopping for gifts and such. We're about to head to the restaurant, though."

Dick hummed before responding, "Okay, hurry up."

"We'll try," Harry shrugged. He sparred a glance at Buck, noting that he was finishing his chat with the officers. "Can't make no promises, though."

"What does that mean?" Dick asked, suspicion laced in his voice.

Harry glanced at Luz, smirking at the other man. "Well... we got into a bit of an accident."

"Harry..."

"Let's just say Luz pantsed Perco and the mall cops got called on them."

Luz glared at Harry, mouthing threats his way. Harry snickered, swallowing to hold back his laugh. The other end had gone quiet, and Harry knew Dick was seconds away from strangling someone (hopefully Nixon).

"Okay... you know what, I'm not dealing with that. Better warn Luz, though. Toye doesn't look too happy."

Harry tried to hold back his laugh, but a moment later, Luz's phone rang. After bidding Dick goodbye, he winked at the floppy-haired man who had threatened to shoot him.

"Hi, baby..."

"George Luz, WHAT the fuck did you do?" Toye yelled, his voice loud and clear (Luz's phone was on speakerphone).

Taking a photo of Luz's face, Harry bent over laughing. Luz was going to kill him, but it'd been worth it.

                                                                                                           [...]

Opening the door, Harry stepped out of the restaurant. The air felt crisp against his skin, a nice breeze brushing past. His friends followed, filling the quiet area with their loud conversations. Their next stop was Concord, where they'd check in and explore. 

Everyone got into their respective cars, and they all pulled out of the parking lot. 

Rolling the windows down, Harry let the breeze hit his face. Music drifted in and out of the car—Nix had connected his Bluetooth, and their road trip playlist was playing. The energy of the car was electric, and Harry couldn't help but grin. At that moment, he felt like anything was possible.

Turning to face his friends, he joined in on their karaoke session. Nix was the main one singing, though Lip had drunk enough to feel comfortable singing, too.

The entire drive from St. Louis to Concord was spent like that. Harry screamed his lungs out, speaking in gibberish when he wasn't sure of the lyrics. He filmed most of it, making sure to capture Nix's horrible singing. Dick and Speirs looked done with them, but Harry couldn't care less. 

"ME NOT WORKING HARD? YEAH, RIGHT, PICTURE THAT WITH A KODAK!" Nix screamed, pausing to clear his throat.

Lip filled in for him, grinning as he sang. "And, better yet, go to Times Square, take a picture of me with a Kodak!"

"TOOK MY LIFE FROM NEGATIVE TO POSITIVE! AND I JUST WANT Y'ALL TO KNOW THAT!" Harry shrieked, wheezing at how awful he sounded.

"AND TONIGHT LET'S ENJOY LIFE—PITBULL, NAYER, NE-YO, TELL US RIGHT!" they all sang, their voices louder than the actual song.

The rest of the song consisted of mainly Harry, Nix, and Lip singing, but eventually, Harry noticed Speirs and Dick humming along. It was a win-win in his books, and he allowed himself to enjoy the moment. It wasn't often that they all got together to sing in a car with the windows down and the city ahead of them, lit up.

"GIVE ME EVERYTHING TONIGHTT!" they all yelled, their voices unharmonized. But it was okay because they were having fun.

When the song ended, Harry rested his head against the window ledge. He let the cool air hit his face, calming him down from his high. Parties with alcohol were fun, but nothing could compete with the feeling of being drunk on excitement.

They pulled up to their hotel shortly after. It wasn't very tall—only three floors, with an exterior of gray and beige brick. The front had a long canopy with warm lighting, and the entryway doors were black, matching the windows. It looked nice.

Dick circled around before locating an open spot. Stepping out of the car, Harry breathed in the fresh air.

"Damn, Nix, you stink so bad that breathing in fresh air feels like my own personal savior!" Harry teased, shrieking as Nix tried pouncing on him.

"Can you guys go one minute without fighting?" Lip commented, dragging his luggage from the trunk.

Harry stuck his tongue out at the man. Lip sighed, murmuring insults under his breath. Harry grinned, darting past Speirs to grab his bag. 

They met up with the rest of their friends at the front and piled into the lobby, where cold air blew at them. Despite the sun beginning to set, the heat lingered. Sweat dripped down his back as Harry plopped onto a couch.

Bull and Webster sat next to him, and the three were engulfed in a conversation. The rest of their friends scattered across the lobby, except for the ones at the check-in desk.

"I say pineapples do belong on pizza," Harry claimed, laughing at the look Webster gave him.

"Harry, don't be daft. Pinneaple belongs on anything but pizza. Actually, pineapple belongs nowhere—they're gross," Web argued, sighing at the chuckle Bull let out.

"Why do think that Webster?" Bull asked.

"Why do I think that? Oh, you're in for a treat!" Webster exclaimed, beginning to formulate the perfect debate in his head. "For starters, the pineapple juices don't mix well with pizza grease. The taste isn't enjoyable whatsoever! Also, fruit on pizza sounds funky. Like fruit pairs well with other sweet things... not with pizza."

Harry hummed, taking in his words. He'd continue to have pineapple on pizza, even if Web thinks they don't pair well. "Well, I disagree. Fruits aren't made just to accompany other sweet foods. No, fruits can go on greasy food if it pleases!"

He continued to talk to Bull and Web about pizza. The conversation had reached the point of debating whether anchovies on pizza were better than olives when Harry felt a tap on his back. Tilting his head up, he met Dick's gaze. 

"What?"

"You can go check in."

Harry nodded, excusing himself from his friends. He dragged his bag towards the front, smiling at the tired woman. Her hair was tied back, with loose strands falling over her face. Her nails were long and pointy, reminding Harry of Kitty's nails. It seemed like everything reminded him of Kitty.

"Hi, welcome to Fairfield Inn & Suites. May I have your name?"

"Hello. It's Harry Welsh."

The woman nodded, typing into her computer. "Okayy, it says you bought a standard room for one person. You're set to arrive on July 24 at 7:45 p.m. Is that all correct?"

Harry nodded, reaching down to grab his wallet. He knew hotels well enough to know that they required ID. 

"Mhm... ID, please," she requested. Harry handed her his ID and watched as she inspected it. A few minutes later, she returned his ID and entered the information into her computer. 

The rest of the check-in process went smoothly. He was handed his key card and a list of activities taking place the next day. Harry half-heartedly listened, too engrossed in wanting to get upstairs and call Kitty.

He returned to his friends and flopped into an armchair. He continued talking with Webster and Bull until everyone had their room key. Lifting himself from the chair, Harry grabbed his bag and sighed. He was tired—he wanted Kitty.

Harry reluctantly followed his friends to the elevator. Half of them were discussing exploring the area, but Harry wasn't up for it. He voted not to go and was placed into a separate elevator with everyone who agreed to skip it.

Leaning against the elevator walls, Harry shut his eyes. He felt it move slowly upward, pausing at the third floor. Webster, Liebgott, Babe, Eugene, Grant, and Talbert got out. The elevator continued up another floor before stopping. Harry lifted himself off the wall, staggering into the hall. Lip, Speirs, Dick, and Nix followed behind.

"What rooms are you guys in?" Lip asked. 

"Uhh.. 402," Dick answered.

Harry stared at his key, squinting at the numbers. 404. "I've got room 404."

"Ron and I have 405."

Harry nodded, trudging down the hall towards his room. He bid goodbye to his friends before pulling out his key card and pushing the door open. The room wasn't anything crazy—the walls were a cream color, and the floor had a quirky carpet pattern. Upon entering, a shelf to the left held a coffee machine and a microwave. Further in, a mini-fridge sat to the right, next to a desk. A TV hung above the desk. The bed stood opposite, a king-size with fluffy pillows. Small nightstands flanked each side. A large window was on the wall opposite the door, and the bathroom door was right next to the shelf. 

Harry walked in and immediately dropped his duffle on the floor. He crouched down, rummaging through it to find a change of clothes and hygiene products. He carried them to the bathroom, setting them down on the counter. The bathroom had mostly white walls, except for the blue wall opposite the door, and tiled floors. There was a small sink with a mirror hanging above it, and a toilet next to it. Across from the toilet was the shower.

Leaning on the counter, Harry splashed water on his face. Part of him wanted to jump into the shower right away, but he also craved some snacks first.

Retreating to the bed, he plugged his phone into the charger and grabbed his wallet. After picking up the key card, Harry left the room and made his way down the hall. He pressed the elevator button, waiting impatiently for it to arrive. When the doors opened, he stepped inside and waited to go down.

Once he reached the lobby, Harry quickly made his way to the vending machines. He stared at the options for a few minutes before settling on Doritos, Sour Patch Kids, and two granola bars. He also grabbed a Pepsi.

With the snacks in hand, Harry returned to his room and dumped everything on the bed. He then made his way to the bathroom, wanting to freshen up before calling Kitty, as he felt disgusting.

His shower lasted a good twenty minutes. When Harry stepped out, he threw on his pajamas—a random shirt he'd stolen from his older brother and basketball shorts—and played around with his hair. He sprayed water on his face again before exiting the bathroom.

Flopping onto the comfortable bed, Harry grabbed his phone and dialed Kitty. While waiting for her to pick up, he organized his snacks on one side and his leftovers from dinner on the other.

A few seconds later, Harry heard the voice he'd been missing. "Hi, baby."

"Hey, my love. How is my favorite girl doing?" Harry asked, peering over at his phone.

Kitty had positioned her phone on her kitchen counter. Her hair was styled in two pigtails, with a few loose strands falling around her face. Her makeup was completely off, and she was wearing a face mask. She had on one of Harry's hoodies and her favorite boxer shorts. Harry noticed her glasses resting on the counter. Just seeing her lifted his mood.

"Good! Yeah, today's been good," Kitty giggled, crouching down to grab a pot. "I need to tell you about it though. It was nothing crazy but-"

Leaning back into the pillows, Harry closed his eyes and smiled.

He missed this—he missed her.