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Cleo’s Halloween parties were fun. Grian never said they weren’t. But when it came to their friend group, things were… a bit chaotic. Grian, of course, was a major contributor to the chaos, but even he would say that this year’s party was excessive.
Joel, Martyn, Skizz, and some others were all making a commotion in the center of the room. They were playing Uno, and apparently things were getting very heated.
There was music playing, not synced up, from maybe three different speakers. And with all the voices and shouting, it was loud .
And with the motion, and the lights, and the itchy fake feathers on Grian’s parrot costume…
He needed to leave.
But he and his siblings had gotten a ride with Impulse and Skizz, and the four of them were having so much fun…
Tim was sitting on a couch, laughing with Tango (the two were bright red, and Grian was totally going to tease Timmy about it later). Pearl was sitting on the kitchen counter, eyes fixated on her best friend next to her, clearly not fully focusing on what Gem was saying. Grian knew that, if asked, his twin would say she was only staring at Gem for the joke of the costume, a moth staring at the lights in Gem’s hair, but everyone knew that was a lie.
And Impulse and Skizz, their ride home, were playing Uno. And they were all laughing and enjoying themselves. Grian couldn’t ruin the night for them.
So he had ended up hiding in a side room. He wasn’t entirely sure what room, or how he got there, but he was laying on something soft. Maybe a bed? And it was dark. And a little bit quieter. Not silent. But better.
Light spilled in through the opening door. Grian squinted and let out a small noise of distaste.
“G?” A voice said from the doorway, before closing the door and approaching, “You okay, birdie?”
Grian turned his head slightly towards the voice, but it was hard to see who it was in the dark, and everything was so loud that he couldn’t recognize the voice.
“Hey, it’s okay,” they comforted, “Why are you crying?”
Grian was confused. Was he? He didn’t think he was. But that would explain the wet cheeks and dry throat.
“Is the party too loud?” When they weren’t given a response, they continued, “Okay, I’m gonna be right back and get you some snacks and water, you stay here.”
Grian’s mystery friend went out the door. Grian stayed there, in the dark, and not long later, he heard someone climbing down from the top bunk of the bed. Top bunk? Was it Scar and Bdubs’s room? That must have been Bdubs.
“All this noise,” he complained, “Can a man sleep around here?”
As he approached the door, Grian heard it open, where Bdubs greeted someone on the other side, “Hey Scar.”
Ah. It was his partner.
“Hey Bdubs,” Scar greeted back, “Where are you going?”
“To see if I can get Mom to turn this stupid music down,” he grumbled, “Who plays three different songs at once anyway?”
“Good plan,” Scar said, with all his usual cheer, “I’ll be in here!”
With that, the door closed, and Grian could hear Scar limp closer to the bed before sitting down next to him.
“I brought water! And pita chips,” Scar said, “If you’re not hungry that’s okay.”
Grian rolled over, and looked up at his boyfriend. “I’d take some water,” he croaked.
Scar handed him the bottle, and he sat up to take several greedy gulps before setting it back down.
Without another word, his partner held his arms out to Grian, and he collapsed straight into the man. They sat there for a while like that, and the music outside quieted while they were.
The door opened, and Bdubs came back in. He was approaching the ladder to the top bunk when he paused and casually remarked, “Mom and Dad broke up.”
“ What?! ” Scar jolted upright, still holding onto Grian, “Cleo and Etho broke up?! When?!”
“They were breaking up basically right when I walked out there,” Bdubs explained, climbing up to the top bunk, “I didn’t ask why. I’m too tired for that. It’s past my bedtime, for goodness sake!”
Grian pulled away from Scar. He was good on cuddles for now, and Scar clearly was going to keep prying information from Bdubs, for very understandable reasons. Instead, Grian tuned out their conversation, letting it become background noise, while he turned to the untouched pita chips Scar had brought him.
Oh, did his boyfriend know him well.