Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

hello ur author here :3

some stuff is not accurate to irl group lore but i try to keep that to a minimum! for example all members of the group live together in austin including grunk.

in this universe both you and larry are in college (i didn't wanna put a specific one so i just put "ut" 💀)

its implied that larrys a transfer but both of you are juniors (specific ages not mentioned)

college au for worldbuilding purposes (idk if thats what that actually means lol) but it's not mentioned much it's just a way to explain why you and larry are in the same place at the same time sometimes, why yall have irregular schedules and what you do during the day (class ew)

i'm going to try my best to not reveal which member of the group is the romantic interest until later ...

and this is as much a wholesome friendship building fic with Larry as it is falling in love with the mystery person :^]

main character/ y/n is gender neutral 👍🏻

also this is my first time writing a fic so please let me know your feedback :))

WEEKLY UPDATES🙏🏻 🙏🏻 🙏🏻 or more often if i get a motivation boost :P

Chapter Text

you met Larry first. well, when you meet one you meet all, but you'd say technically you did see larry first. he was idly sitting by, scrolling along on his phone while a group of boys you assumed were his friends bickered over which - oat milk? - to buy? you don't really remember. you do remember, however, how his face looked, what kind of phone he had and his shoulder-length ravenette hair. he seems cool , you think. you shrug your shoulders and continue shopping.

after this, you see him around your grocery store a lot, but you decide against making small talk as he always seems to be with his friends, you didn't want to bother him.

the first time you two actually interacted with each other, he noticed you first. in the same grocery store, albeit the next aisle over, he tapped you on the shoulder. you looked over, your curious eyes meeting a warm smile and brown eyes.

"hi, sorry - can you reach that for me? it's on the second from the top shelf, and it's kind of in the back, if you don't mind."

don't be a creep y/n you look away after noticing that you'd been blankly staring at his face for a little too long.

reaching for the pasta box, you look over to him again and smile, deciding you'd at least try and make a little conversation. maybe you two could become friends, and you wouldn't be awkwardly stealing glances at him across the store like a weirdo, hoping he would (or maybe hoping he wouldn't) notice that you guys always seemed to cross paths there, which in all honesty, was a lot.

"yo - sorry if this sounds weird but i see you here a lot, did you happen to move here recently?"

you hand him the pasta box, awkwardly shuffling your clothes a little and leaning against your cart.

god y/n why are you so bad at making conversation. who the fuck even asks that. you're making this awkward. first interaction and you're practically asking him for his home address.

to your relief, he smiles, and responds that he just moved in last month. he slides his phone in his pocket, and looks at you, interested.

"yeah, moved in with my friends actually, just down the street. what about you?"

you respond that you'd been here a while for college.

"oh cool, i'm a junior too. i'm majoring in video production actually," he chats a little about what he's studying and you accidentally zone out.

oh god, not the default conversation.

what's your major? me too!! oh cool where are you from? omg let's follow eachother we should totally hang out sometime!!

to be honest, you were kind of bored in this city. you had a couple acquaintances and friend-in-laws, you were even friendly with a good amount of your classmates. however, the people you knew you only hung out with around class times, usually getting food or chatting on the way back to the parking structure.

probably your fault for choosing to live off campus y/n.

yeah, you were bored. at least you had your own bathroom and a cool view. you zone back in after complaining to yourself a bit and find that grocery store guy has asked you a question.

"which college r'you at? i'm at ut, but all my classes are online," he laughs awkwardly. oh really?

"by the way, my name's Larry." hmm, old-fashioned.

"wait, that's sick, i go to ut too! and i'm y/n, it's nice to meet someone who goes to the same school - well, kind of," you joke.

Larry giggles, agreeing, about to ask you something before you're both distracted by the annoying sound of some people arguing down the aisle.

you glance past him to see what looks like four dudes in chef hats wheeling a cart down the aisle. weird. wait - aren't those the friends he's usually with?

"oh, and these are my friends, uh, we're doing like - a group project -"

"-for college," the taller one interjects.

a shorter one with brown hair rolls his eyes, "that's only because the lady was asking us why we were filming! we don't have to lie to every one!"

you laugh at this, drawing attention back to you and Larry.

Larry scratches the back of his neck and fumbles through an explanation.

"uh - well i guess we kind of are doing a group thing, we're making this video of us cooking stuff and i'm gonna edit it and film it for class." uh, okay.

you'll find out later that this wasn't a lie, he did actually use it for class.

noticing the four boys looking at you and Larry quizzically, you introduce yourself.

"oh hey i'm y/n, i just met Larry and we found out we actually go to the same college!"

an older brunette with curls peeking out of his chef hat offers you a warm smile, "nice to meet you y/n -sorry about that, my friends are kind of annoying- and i'm nick"

you smile back and reassure nick that at least his friends are funny, which earns you a laugh. they bicker like siblings.

the tallest one speaks up, you squint at him a little, noticing that his face is completely covered by a mask and pair of dark sunglasses.

"i'm Isaac, the short one is Tanner and this is Yumi, pointing out himself, a brown haired guy with glasses and a dude in a "call me daddy" apron.

“hey, don't forget me, i’m Grunk!" a happy-go-lucky teenager with square glasses sticks his head out from behind Isaac, giggling. 

“hey Grunk, sick fit," you reply. he has cool style - you'll have to ask him where he got those cargos from when you get the chance.

Larry interjects, "well we gotta get back to the house now, but maybe we should hangout sometime if you want?"

you shrug and say yes, rambling something about how it's convenient since you two probably live close to each other.

"oh yeah, do you wanna exchange instas?" aaand default college conversation complete. three for three.

Larry hands you his phone, you exchange instagrams, and you accept his follow request as you continue your grocery quest.

nick waves at you, "have a good one y/n!" and jogs off to yell at his friends to shut the fuck up, there are other people here, i'm not trying to get us kicked out of a store again.

he reminds you of your older brother. you wonder if their house is as chaotic as they are.

Chapter Text

friday, 4:30pm

after finishing your homework and some cleanup around your apartment, you lie down and check your phone. sighing, you lounge in your bed, bored out of your mind. 

you check instagram. close friends story of your classmate celebrating passing calc ii. post from your aunt’s trip to cabo. liking your old coworker’s note of the new keshi song. your neighbor’s story of the sunset. 30+ new messages from the [your major] group chat you don't check anymore. the local tattoo shop advertising 10% off all flash designs.

maybe you should post something, you haven't been active in a while. 

fiddling with the placement of things, you post a cute collage-style story of the sushi rolls you had yesterday. 

not even five minutes later, your phone buzzes. 

> Notification: Instagram

> larrrycroft is requesting to send you a message

oops. you admit, after a busy week you'd almost forgotten about your new friend. unlocking your phone, you hit accept.

> larrrycroft replied to your story

> larrrycroft: omg this looks so good

you like his message and type up a quick response. 

> yourhandle: IT WAS

> yourhandle: im a sushi fein

> larrrycroft liked your message

you remember what he asked you at the grocery store. he messaged first, he probably doesn't wanna seem like too much and ask too, just do it y/n

> yourhandle: yo are you free this weekend btw? we should totally hangout

> yourhandle: no pressure tho ✌🏻

> larrrycroft liked your message 

> larrrycroft: i was about to ask u

> larrrycroft: if u wanted to join us for dinner this sat 

> larrrycroft: we eating hotpot🔥

> larrrycroft: my friends say you seem rlly nice and would love to have u there :)

oh, that's good news.

> yourhandle: ooh i’m down, any special occasion?

> larrrycroft: nah, just wanted to try the place, just opened and it's already super popular

> yourhandle: sounds tasty 

> larrrycroft: grunk was asking literally all last week if you wanted to come hangout w us

> larrrycroft: but i didn't wanna bother you since it was midterms 

> yourhandle: it was i was hanging on by a thread

> yourhandle: that's so nice of him tho he seems so sweet

> larrrycroft liked your message 

> larrrycroft: he is the only tolerable one in the group lmao

> larrrycroft: my friends are super loud i hope you didn't find them annoying

> yourhandle: bro i noticed 😭

> larrrycroft reacted 😹 to your message

> yourhandle: nah it's chill, they seem like fun ppl to be around :P

> larrrycroft: you seem pretty social so i think you'll find them fun fs 

> larrrycroft: but on my baby boy they annoying

> yourhandle: ON MY BABY BOY 🔥 

> larrrycroft reacted 🔥 to your message

> larrrycroft: https://maps.apple.com/?address

> larrrycroft: this is the place

> larrrycroft: d’you wanna meet us there or nick can pick u up if u need?

you think a little. nick seems nice, you're sure he wouldn't mind, but it might be a little awkward. anyway, you didn't mind the ten minute drive.

> yourhandle: it's super close actually

> yourhandle: i can meet u there

> larrrycroft liked your message

guess you have plans for saturday now. you flip your phone over now, plugging it in. 

Chapter Text

your car rumbles a little as you pull into a parking spot. 6:30 on the dot. you'll hang out in your car a little first, it's probably less awkward to go in and meet everyone once they're already inside. applying chapstick, you text larry.

> yourhandle: almost here

> larrrycroft reacted 🤩 to your message

> larrrycroft: we inside already

you like his message and spend a few more minutes scrolling on your phone before finally deciding to head inside.

how come you're nervous? it's just larry and his friends. you shrug it off, your eyes searching the restaurant and finally landing on the back of a familiar head of wavy ravenette hair. 

“yoooo we got y/n!" larry greets you happily.

tanner’s eyes crinkle a little, the first face your eyes land on. a familiar stirring feeling in your stomach makes you stutter a little as you greet them, but you get around to saying hi to everyone.

luckily for you, the conversation starts up easily, and you have no trouble talking with everyone, even if as larry warned you they do seem kind of loud. the topic of conversation eventually turns to you, and as you offer up bits and pieces of information about yourself in exchange for getting to know them too, you have an admission to make. 

you awkwardly scratch the back of your neck. “so, i’ve uh, never had hotpot before.” 

“no way! never?” grunk exclaims, their voice a mix of disbelief and excitement.

“ooh, you’re in for a treat,” tanner grins, leaning forward like a coach about to give you the full rundown. “don’t worry, we’ll show you how it’s done,” he reassures you, his tone warm and encouraging.

“first-timer? that means you get the official hotpot initiation,” isaac’s deep voice cuts through the crowd. 

in the midst of all of this, someone else gasps dramatically, clutching their chest like you’ve just confessed to murdering a family of four. “what? not even once? you’ve been missing out on life!” 

you didn’t see who it was, but that sounded like yumi. of course it would be yumi. 

larry pats you on the shoulder with a laugh. “well, you couldn’t have picked a better group for your first time. these guys are basically hotpot fanatics.”

the collective energy makes you feel both flustered and oddly welcomed, the initial embarrassment fading as an eager tanner leans over to explain the different ingredients and cooking methods you get to use. 

bubbling broths and fresh vegetables cook with the giant plates of meat everyone orders. a lively conversation carries throughout the evening,

by the time you finish your meal, you are left with a warm, fuzzy feeling in your chest. 

as the night comes to an end, tanner brings out a digital camera and turns towards you. you blink at him blankly, until he turns the camera around to face you two and larry and throws up a peace sign. wrapping your arm around larry, you mimic him, and a bright flash captures the moment. 

larry offers to walk you back to your car. normally you would argue, but you're too tired to care. 

sleepy and full, you say your goodbyes, and make your way over to the other end of the lot. 

“i had a lot of fun tonight, thanks for inviting me - your friends were really interesting to talk to.”

"hey no problem. you're welcome to join us anytime, so don't think you're rid of us just yet,” he jokes.

“we should totally hangout more, i’m glad we met." honest, straight to the point.  

“anyway, i should probably let you leave before nick damn near jumps out the window." nick is waiting just outside the restaurant, waving at your dear friend to hurry the hell up and come back so we can leave grunk’s got class tomorrow. 

“okay, i’ll see you later maybe? drive safe!" larry throws up a middle finger to nick, who rolls his eyes. 

"you too, text me when you get home. oh, and tell your friends to send me the pictures they took.”

you quickly lean over and give larry a hug, to his surprise, before rushing him along. he gives you a warm smile, then darts back to nick's car. a chorus of goodbyes exits the windows, and you wave at them before getting into your own car and driving home. 

11:01pm

> larrrycroft: finally got home … the fatasses wanted whataburger 

> yourhandle: what a burger ‼️

> larrrycroft: bro

12:13am

> bigtstreamingservice tagged you in a story

   “big backing on a friday night" 

Chapter Text

10:59am

sunlight slips through your bedroom window, painting a picture over your eyelids so perfectly placed that it wakes you up and instantly blinds you. groaning, you stretch and reach for your phone, checking your notifications from the night before. 

Instagram 12:13am

> bigtstreamingservice tagged you in a story

    “big backing on a friday night”

you let out a genuine laugh and like the message, adding it to your own story with 0.5s you snapped of the three of you.

you shuffle through the handles tagged in the story and follow all of them, hoping you didn't miss anyone. 

Instagram 2:31am

> larrrycroft invited you to the group chat the group chat

the group chat the group chat? your instagram must be tweaking. you open the invitation anyway, and accept.

Instagram 4:06am

> isaacwhy: yo larry was supposed to add you to the gc but he didn't so here's the flicks from last night

> isaacwhy sent 19 images 

oh, that's why. you sigh and save the images to your phone, putting it down and allowing yourself to rot in bed for a few more minutes before finally getting up and getting ready. 

- - -

pattering around your kitchen, you listen to the sound of your neighbors’ footsteps. you check the fridge, noticing you need to do some serious shopping soon. you’ve been surviving on scraps since finals. maybe larry would be down to go with you. speak of the devil, your phone buzzes a second later, but it’s not who you think it is. 

> softwilly: hey y/n :) 

> softwilly: me T and isy are gonna head to costco later today

> softwilly: you mentioned you live close by so do you wanna come with? if it’s convenient for you :P

> yourhandle: sure i actually have a lot of shopping to do lol

later that day, a blue hyundai elantra rumbles outside your apartment. nick waves you over, and you slide into the backseat with tanner and Isaac. why he had the taller ones crammed in the back, you have no idea.

“hey y/n! we're gonna go grab food first if that's okay with you. also grunk is here.” grunk turns around in the passenger seat, offering you a stick of gum which you accept. “y/n what'd you do today?" 

"uhh just did some studying for my classes. y'all?”

“same," grunk quips.

isaac, to his credit, is the one to admit that “me and tanner just woke up.”

nick looks at them weird through the rearview mirror. “no way we're the only productive ones. i was editing the whole day.”

grunk hums in agreement, and you hear him flicking through his playlist.

▷ ၊၊||၊|။||||။၊|။ I Feel It • Leftwing : Kody 

you tune out the rest of the conversation, leaning against the window and trying not to feel too claustrophobic as the car pulls up to a massive costco. why's everything so big in texas?

- - -

“let daddy do the talking.”

tanner leans over and flashes a black membership card. you giggle, running into the store after grunk, stealing the cart from isaac. he practically tosses grunk out of the way, who yells, “DON'T LET MY SACRIFICE BE FOR NOTHING!" 

“i swear to god ! " 

you feel his large hands grab a hold of your arm, but you manage to slip away and hide behind the toilet paper shelves. unfortunately for you, turning the corner results in making direct eye contact with dear isaac.

“hey! wait-" he grabs at your wrists, and wraps an arm under your waist, lifting you up. not used to being picked up, you almost panic - but out of breath, you relax and allow yourself to be carried back to the group. you notice how isaac’s hands linger around your waist a little longer than necessary after he puts you down. you exhale slowly, winded - not from running from him, but from the ghosts of his hands around you. isaac steps beside you, holding a bag of peas he probably doesn’t intend to buy. he glances down at you, his expression softer than before. even though you’re only out of breath, he still asks, “you okay?”

you nod and shove the thought away, focusing instead on the scene in front of you: grunk is now sitting inside the shopping cart while tanner pushes him full speed down the frozen foods aisle.

“do a flip!”

“don’t encourage them.”

grunk, unfortunately for him and fortunately for you, is encouraged. once the cart stops moving, he attempts to do a front flip, managing to catch his shoe on the edge and topple the cart into the nearest refrigerator. 

- - -

as the five of you shuffle towards the checkout aisle - you insist on carrying poor grunk like a fallen soldier - nick, forever the dad of the group, mutters something about being surrounded by children. 

“why did i even agree to this in the first place?”

“...because you’d be bored without us.”

you’ll take mess over boredom any day.

Chapter Text

the two of you spend the day walking together, sometimes parting ways, only to reunite again. after a few hours running errands around campus and grabbing a bite to eat, you’re finding that hanging out with your new friend is becoming less formal and more fun than you expected. somewhere between larry’s inappropriate joke about the dean and your refusal to budge on which coffee place was the best, the energy between you shifted, and everything started to feel comfortable. you noticed how his humor seemed to match yours, and your laughs collided. 

you couldn’t help but notice how larry’s out-of-pocket humor matched your own, creating a back-and-forth as if you'd known each other far longer than just a couple weeks. by the time the afternoon turned into evening, it was as if the inside jokes you’d made and the rhythm of your laughter had truly connected you. 

- - -

after finishing your last class, you find yourselves hanging around waiting for traffic to lighten up so you two can go home. your sharp eyes spot a hot chocolate stand, piquing your friend’s interest as well. it’s a slow evening, most students have already left for winter break. larry takes a sip of his drink, and swirls it around his tongue, something on his mind.

“what's up?" 

“hmm, just thinking. 

what’re you doing for the holidays?" 

"probably just gonna stay in. are you going home?”

“nah, stuck here." 

"lowkey you wanna do something?”

soon enough, you’re making plans of your own. 

"i was thinking the same thing, you wanna stay over this weekend? we can hangout and do whatever. probably go explore downtown and stuff.”

"sounds sick. are your friends okay with it?”

“yeah, of course. they think you’re fun.”

“really??” you say with a little too much enthusiasm, making larry burst out in a laugh so loud it makes the people in front of you turn around. 

when you finally sat on the campus lawn, the cool breeze playing with the edges of your conversation, you realize that there’s something about your friend that makes ordinary things sparkle a little more. 

- - -

friday, 7:09am

grunk’s car gives itself away in the skid of its tires echoing up to your balcony. a knock at your door fully wakes you up, and you greet him with a yawn, receiving a mumbled good morning. he stands there for a second, inhaling the heat of your apartment, before shoving his hands back in his pockets. his hair is a mess of bedhead, it makes you wonder if he even slept at all. 

grunk tosses his head toward the parking lot, where his car - which looks like it’s held together by hopes and dreams - sits idling, occasionally spitting puffs of exhaust into the frosty morning air. you quickly toss your bag into the trunk and slam it shut. 

the moment you slide into the passenger, you notice just how grunk grunk’s car is. first, a trash can with what looks like at least 16 white monsters inside. second, there’s flower plushies and lots of stuffed animals in the backseat (along with what looks like a mini skeleton). is that a strawberry plushie as well? third, it smells fresh and woody, like the air after it rains. grunk proudly points out the air freshener he made himself, an old mini fireball bottle with essential oils inside, tied in a knit pattern around the neck with twine. this distracts you a bit - it looks like vines the way it wraps around the bottle and attaches itself to the rearview mirror. “i put, like cedarwood and rosemary, i think - camden helped me with it.” “i like it, it’s cozy.” you’re not lying. you’re starting to give in to the homey charm of his car.

“is that … a yugioh trading card tapestry?”

he giggles, “of course! blue-eyes-white-dragon,” he reads, tilting his head up. 

the car squeaks to a stop, and you’re loudly side-eyed before you can make an offhand comment about how he probably needs to replace the brake pads. he flicks his phone on and shows you a picture. “you can’t see it now, but i just put like a million stickers on the bumpers,”

Support Local Cryptids

I Brake For Frogs

“keep your eyes on the road, dude. green light.”

the car accelerates and rattles the cup holders, which hold not cups, but a jumble of pens, hair ties and coins. and a singular fraying iphone charger that also isn’t plugged into anything. 

“dude, actually the coolest ride ever.”

“my dad hates it, but i knew you’d get it.”

you offer him a fist bump, which he accepts. “can i get aux?”

“sure.” 

▷ ၊၊||၊|။||||။၊|။ hey there nice to meet ya • ericdoa

as your spotify starts playing, the bass seems to just rattle the car instead of being, well, bass. you try your best to hold in your laughter as grunk diligently avoids eye contact. 

“if you judge me for this, we might have to fight.”

Chapter Text

you turn your head into the passenger side window to hide your laughter. thankfully, grunk doesn’t seem to notice. if he does, which you don’t pick up on, he rolls his eyes and keeps on driving, nodding along to your music. 

“so what’s the plan tonight?”

you raise your eyebrow. “i don’t know, i thought i was supposed to be asking you that?” 

“larry said we might go ice skating, but i’m not sure if we actually will,”

“why’s that?”

“check the weather, dude.”

you unlock your phone and swipe to the weather app, squinting at the screen. “it’s not that bad,” you say. the forecast clearly shows temperatures in the low 50s. 

grunk whips his head around - “wait huh?” - reacting so dramatically to your opinion that it makes you take a closer look.

“oh- oops, nevermind. it’s gonna get down to the 30s tonight, and wind chill makes it like high 20s,” you read out. “nah, no way. we’re staying in.”

“Plan B!” he cheers. 

“what’s Plan B?” just then, grunk’s phone vibrates with a familiar contact name, and you answer the call. 

you notice how almost every single item he owns fits into his aesthetic, down to his cell phone. it’s a semitransparent forest green case covered with doodles, and silver charms dangle from the charging port. 

“yo,” isaac says, his tone casual as you switch it into speaker mode. “y’all on the way yet?”

“yeah, we’re like 20 minutes away.”

isaac’s voice crackles through the speakers. you can almost hear his smile flash through the phone.

“larry’s already there, but nick said he’ll be late. i told him we’d probably just stay in anyway since the weather’s trash.”

“that’s what y/n said, it’s gonna be like 20s or something tonight.”

“yeah, hard pass on the ice skating.” isaac snorts. is it just you or does he sound a little annoyed?

grunk looks a little mischievous, and you glance at him curiously. he whispers to you:

“isaac said he would probably let us drink if we ended up staying in, nick is fine with it, and his brother gets there on time.” 

right on cue, isaac starts complaining about his little brother. 

“anyway, me and my brother just got here- dude let me tell you .”

"i picked up my brother who's also visiting - and he was telling me about how the night before, he bodied like half a bottle of crown."

"which is like 40% alcohol, it's - like, he woke up on the floor.

of my bathroom. in my parents’ house. so."

there’s a long pause where you and grunk start wheezing with laughter and isaac stumbles a little trying to clear his brother’s name after realizing that this is your first impression of him. 

“sounds like someone i would get along with.” isaac lets out a heavy sigh.

“sooo what’s the move if we’re staying in? we tryna drink or?”
he laughs. “fine as long as larry doesn’t get too out of pocket-”

“ like last time, ” they say in unison. you make a mental note to ask larry about that later. 

grunk smirks, raising his eyebrows at you like he knows something you don’t. “and what about your brother? he cool with it?”

there’s another pause, then isaac groans. “he’s always cool with it. dude just shows up, grabs a beer, and acts like he lives here.” isaac trails off and says a quick goodbye as grunk pulls up to their neighborhood, punching in the gate code.

“sounds like someone we-" you cut him off with a flick directly to the forehead.

“ooowwwee….” he grumbles, trailing off as you unbuckle your seatbelt.

“hell yeah, dude.” you take the opportunity to take a good look around at the place you’ll be staying for the next few days or so. it’s a quiet suburban neighborhood, more suited to the likes of young families or retired couples looking for a calm place to live. it is nice though, you passed by a soccer field and a pool on your way to the house. the house itself is somewhat unremarkable, at least on the outside, but the garage door opens and you’re shown a pretty cool car collection. yumi’s famous honda fit you’ve only ever heard about, isaac’s sleek audi, nick’s sporty elantra n and what looks like a red motorized scooter? you assume it’s tanner or larry’s, they’re the only two in the house who’ve yet to get their own cars. you stomp the dirt off of your sneakers and help grunk drag the last of your bags towards the house, and the garage door closes behind you.

the door swings open before grunk can even reach for his keys. larry’s standing there, bouncing slightly on his heels, his energy already at an eleven.

“finallyyyy y/n!” he says, dragging out the word. “I thought you guys were gonna bail and leave me alone with nick’s terrible playlist.”

▷ ၊၊||၊|။||||။၊|။ Super Rich Kids • Frank Ocean 

“first of all, any playlist is better than nick’s unlimited frank ocean. second, it’s freezing out there- cut us some slack.” larry laughs at this, and you’re glad to be back with your friend.

“c’mon, you’ll be staying in my room.”

- - -

you don't yet get a good look at the living room as you're led right past, all the way to up the second floor. 

“sorry- it's a little messy." “so?" he seems to relax a little, and anyway, it's not that messy. and, at least it's a clothes mess and not, like, rotting food or something actually gross. he drags in your suitcase and flops down on the bed, groaning dramatically.

a small cat plushie with a cute little leaf on its head catches your eye, and you’ve got half a mind to go and grab it.

“what's its name?" 

"who- oh! little guy,” larry reaches over you and pulls out a stack of polaroids.

“look, we took hella pictures when i first got him." 

you shuffle through them curiously. among your favorites: tanner playing piano with the little thing, this time sunglasses on and skateboarding, isaac napping and yumi cooking something. it's interesting - you're shown a bit of each boy’s personality as you flip through. shuffling the picture back together, you notice something out of place.

“bro what is yumi cooking?”

"whole lotta nothing." 

“all for the gram?" 

"stove ain't even on." 

“brother." 

you sit there for a bit before you start unpacking, tossing a couple sweatshirts and some clothes to larry who organizes it in an empty dresser drawer. you throw some other random stuff in his direction - skincare, toiletries, towel. it's a nice rhythm - it reminds you of a certain time you went grocery shopping together.

- - -

it's a monday afternoon, way too hot and way too crowded.

“dude the vibes are so ass. it feels like everything is way too bright and they turned the contrast up to like 11."

"it's probably ‘cos we're always here at night. not used to it.”

"let's just get our shit and leave." 

“wanna split? it'll probably be faster." 

"yeah-sure-text-me-the-list” and you're already walking different directions.

1 new message: larry 🦜

“carrots 

paper towels

orange juice

ketchup

summer fruits”

what the fuck are summer fruits? all you can think of is watermelon. are bananas summer fruits?

you shrug, and pick up a basket. ketchup, eggs, paper towels - you grab two of those, some bananas. 

you try to look for larry near the checkout aisles, but give up in about two seconds, there's no way you'd be able to spot him here. you check out and text that you'll meet him back at the car, sliding in and turning the AC on.

a rustling sound alerts you that he's back and put his own items in the back.

“yo how'd you know we needed eggs?" 

“uh, i don't know. i just grabbed some, don't remember why. oh and did you get watermelon?" 

“yeah three of the mini ones. how'd you know that tanner refuses to consume anything but house brand ketchup?" 

"those are my favorite, i wanted to ask you to get me one but i forgot. and didn't, just grabbed it.”

“oh what. i was gonna text you to get those, looks like i didn't need to." 

"dude, we didn't even need to like text which items we were getting and stuff.”

"yo why'd we lowkey lock in?”

“dude. crazy work." 

- - -

as you're swimming your way up out of memory land, someone has just walked through the doorway. 

“yo, i’m aaron. isaac’s brother." you're struck by how identical he looks, and if you didn't already know the correct answer you would've thought that they were twins. curiously, you notice that you haven't seen much of isaac’s hair yet. he's always wearing a cap or a beanie - or in the case of the first time you saw him, a chef hat. 

“sweet, i’m y/n. isaac told me about you already" 

“oh man. what'd he tell you?” aaron has curly dark brown hair, tied up in a man bun. 

"uhhhh crown something floor something?" his teeth flash white, even his sharp canines look like isaac’s. 

aaron laughs, a little embarassed. he chatters a bit with larry, eventually cut short by isaac coming to drag him away to help nick with something. isaac grins as he spots you, wrapping his arm around your shoulders in a quick side hug. they head back downstairs, not before stealing one of your water bottles. 

larry zips your suitcase back up and stashes it in the closet.

“i think we're done," you flop down on the bed.

"yeahhhhh. wanna rest a bit before we have to go talk to everyone?”

"you know me so well." rolling over, you clumsily shove a couple pillows into a comfortable shape, patting your shoulder for your friend to come rest his head. he accepts the offer, and you lift your arm to drape around his narrow shoulders. the sun slips lower, bathing you in warm toasted light through the windows. you breathe in and out slowly, enjoying the fresh cucumber scent of his air freshener. noise and vague conversation from downstairs supplies background noise. looping your other arm over his waist, you turn towards him and rest your head on top of his chin. he nestles into you gratefully.

you let yourself relax in comfortable silence, interrupted only by a deep sigh from your friend. larry has fallen asleep, and soon you will follow.

- - -

you're very rudely awoken by grunk bouncing on the mattress and the unmistakable sound of yumi yelling. 

Chapter Text

larry jolts awake with a grunt, and you almost roll off the bed from the sheer force of grunk’s landing. yumi has his arms over his head and is still yelling - something about everyone taking too goddamn long , and how you’re all supposed to be downstairs now, not cuddled up in a nest of pillows like a couple of hibernating bears. oh yumi.

“five more minutes,” larry groans, voice muffled against your arm. 

“you had plenty of five minutes, get up!” yumi snaps. 

grunk, still bouncing, somehow manages to knee you in the ribs. “dude, we have like, actual plans! get your lazy asses downstairs!”  

you crack one eye open. “grunk, i swear to god-” 

“you swear to god what ?” he grins, shaking the mattress again for good measure. 

larry just sighs and sits up. “fine, fine, we’re coming.” 

yumi huffs, satisfied, and drags grunk out by the collar of his hoodie - “ cool off, yummers ” - before he can jump on you again.  

when the door swings shut behind them, larry slumps back onto the bed. “what do you think the odds are that we can just... not go?”  

“zero,” you say, rolling out of the mess of blankets and stretching. “c’mon, up. before yumi sends someone worse.”  

you grab a hoodie and slip it over your head before stepping out into the hallway, where isaac is waiting at the bottom of the stairs.  

“took you long enough,” he says, but he’s smirking. he’s switched out his usual black cap for a beanie, still keeping his hair mostly hidden. aaron is lounging on the couch, looking at his phone, and gets a sock thrown at him when isaac notices you and larry finally emerging. 

“for what, exactly?” you ask, rubbing your eyes.  

isaac doesn’t respond, but slings an arm around your shoulders and walks with you into the living room.

whatever this is, you get the feeling it’s going to be a long night.

the house is buzzing when you step into the living room. someone’s put on music- not too loud, just enough to blend into the background hum of conversation. yumi is yapping something to nick, who’s standing in the kitchen doorway, juggling a couple clementines in the air like he’s debating throwing them at someone.  

“f i- nally,” yumi announces, dramatically draping himself over the couch like he’s been suffering in your absence. “took you long enough.”  

“he’s so dramatic.”

“yeah, we were sleeping. ”

“duuuuude. who sleeps at 5?” duuuuude.

grunk plops onto the floor, cross-legged, looking up at you. “that’s on you for not setting an alarm.” 

“you literally bounced us awake,” you remind him, running a hand over your ribs.

“yeah, and?” grunk giggles, but you can’t stay mad at grunk.

isaac frees his arm from you, flops onto the couch next to yumi and stretches his arms behind his head. aaron takes a seat on the armrest, stealing one of nick’s clementines in the process. aaron steals a lot. 

“so i was trying to set the TV up, but someone -” yumi shoots a pointed look at grunk, “-kept messing with the HDMI.”  

grunk holds up his hands, grinning. “i was helping?”  

“you were actively making it worse.”  

aaron chuckles, peeling his stolen clementine. “well, is it fixed now?”  

yumi sighs and nods. “yeah. just need to pick a movie.”  this sparks immediate chaos. everyone has an opinion.  

“we should watch a horror movie,” grunk suggests.  

“no,” larry says, flat.  

“horror is good,” isaac agrees, ignoring larry.  

yumi groans. “can we pick something that isn’t going to make half of you complain?”  

“comedy?” nick offers, forever the peacemaker.

“boring,” everyone says in unison.

“something bad but entertaining?” aaron suggests.  

isaac’s perks up. “oh my god, we should watch that one shitty action movie we watched at the old house-”  

“you’re going to have to be way more specific.”  

“the one with the guy-”  

“still not specific.”  

“dude shut up. the one where the car jumps between skyscrapers.”  

“oh fast and furious?”  

“yeah, the most recent one that’s all tarantino about it.”

“okay, so bad action movie it is.”  

nick groans but doesn’t argue.  

isaac gets up to set it up, and you settle onto the couch, wedging yourself between larry and yumi. a soft arm opens for your comfort, and a ravenette head rests itself on your shoulder. the lights dim, the opening credits roll, and you relax into the warmth of your friends around you, the hum of conversation fading into the background.  

halfway through the movie, someone - probably grunk - remembers the drinks.  

“oh, guys,” he says, pushing himself up from the couch. “we still have, like, half a case of soju in the fridge,”  

“and the vodka from last time.”  

you groan, flashbacks from your freshman year party phase somehow hitting your tongue. “we are not touching titos. it’s literally nasty.”  

“yet,” aaron mutters, tossing a clementine peel at you.  

nick disappears into the kitchen, and you hear the fridge door open, bottles clinking together. he comes back with his arms full- soju bottles, a couple of random cans, and a bottle of red wine no one remembers buying.  

“is this the leftover from my soju sunday?” tanner says, reaching for the soju. he twists the cap off with practiced ease and pours half into a cup. 

you take the other half when it’s passed to you, the chilled liquid going down smooth. larry accepts his with a sigh, muttering something about how he was just about to get comfortable.  

grunk, predictably, has already started eyeballing a vodka cran into a plastic cup.  

“dude,” isaac warns.  

“i got it, trust me,” grunk replies, promptly taking a sip and making the worst face imaginable.  

isaac smirks. “see, this is why you don’t eyeball titos.” grunk waves him off, recovering with a muffled gag.  

you, against your better judgement, accept a sip of the cup grunk offers you. you immediately understand why he gagged, and pass the cup along to aaron.

the movie continues, but at this point, it’s mostly background noise. the soju bottles empty faster than expected, and someone - yumi, probably - suggests a drinking game.  

and so the game begins. simple rules, easy to follow, but after a few rounds, the drinks have settled in, and now no one is bothered to care about keeping score. yumi gets up, leaving you with a lack of warmth, but to his credit he returns with two white claw surges for you and larry.

tanner somehow gets hit with three back-to-back penalties, downing his shots like a champ. you and aaron end up in a ridiculous back-and-forth where neither of you can tell what you’re even drinking anymore. larry, despite his earlier complaints, has a white claw in hand, looking warm and a little sleepy but still very much engaged. 

at some point, you stop playing and just relax, soaking in the atmosphere, the laughter, the way everyone is perfectly at ease. a concerningly pale aaron is chilling next to you. 

“dude. dude lock in you look like you’re going to throw up.” “i got it, trust. i’m locked in.” in your opinion, he is not locked in.

the night stretches on, and at some point, someone suggests ordering food- you don’t quite catch whose voice it is. 

“we literally just went grocery shopping,” you remind the general public.  

“yeah, and?” yumi says, scrolling through a delivery app anyway. no one argues. you shove your chin over his shoulder and make him order you noodles.

- - -

“dude, i called dibs on the last ones!” isaac’s voice echoes through the house.

“no, you didn’t,” aaron snaps back. “you were too busy talking about - what was it - the car jump movie?” his tone is exaggerated, mocking. “i definitely called those wings first.”

“you’re imagining things. i literally said i wanted them, and you nodded like an idiot!”

“no way, man,” aaron argues, but his tone is mischevious now, like he’s enjoying the back-and-forth. “those wings are mine. i got the rest of the pizza-”

“aaron, if you eat that, I swear-” isaac’s voice trails off, and the sound of aaron laughing triumphantly fills the house.

you and larry exchange a bemused glance. “man, i’m going to sleep.”

the sounds of two brothers laughing, bantering, and then probably chasing each other around the house continue for a while before nick is forced to intervene. 

someone lets out a disgusting burp directly into your ear, making you flinch dramatically. you whip your head around to make eye contact with grunk, who laughs as he shovels fries into his mouth.

- - -

the room is warm with conversation, everyone laughing and leaning in to share fries, noodles, and the occasional wing, if neither brother is looking. 

larry is in the middle of a long, dramatic retelling of a prank he and grunk pulled off on one of their last to leave vc videos, gesturing wildly with a wing in his hand, when isaac leans into your side, clearly a little tipsy, his words slower than usual.

“man... this is nice,” he says, his voice low and warm.

you look up at him, grinning. “what is?”

“just... all of it,” he gestures vaguely, his hand sweeping around the room. “like... being here, with everyone. it’s, uh, it’s... good.” you nod, then take a slow sip from your cup, your eyes wandering around the room. you look up again and watch him for a moment, noting the way he’s pressing his lips together, like he’s thinking too hard. 

“you good?” you ask, voice softer now.  

he meets your gaze, smile faint but there. “yeah, just... you know. i don’t always know how to say things, but... this? this is good. i like this. a lot.”

for a second, you don’t know how to respond. too much warmth in your chest, too much comfortable silence. so you just nod and reach over to snag a fry from his plate. “i think you’re onto something.”

the night moves on, but in a slower way. the soju runs dry, isaac’s white claw surges get polished off, and even the wine bottle is emptied- though it’s mostly you and aaron who make their way through that one. everyone’s a little more relaxed, maybe even a little sleepy, but no one’s ready to stop yet.  

- - -

eventually, though, it’s clear that things are winding down. yumi yawns and stretches, glancing at his phone. “it’s getting late,” she says, though it sounds more like an observation than a command. “i’m heading up.” and whatever yumi does, nick does.

“i’m with you,” nick says, already making his way to his feet. he stops at the top of the stairs, looking like he’s about to change his mind, before shuffling back down and turning grunk down to sleep on the couch. aaron follows his friend, offering a sassy wave as he plops down.

you and isaac linger for a moment, finishing off the last of the fries. the house is quieter now, only the low hum of the fridge and the occasional creak of the floorboards beneath your feet.

when you go to head up to bed, isaac pauses, looking like he wants to say something.

“you okay?” you ask for the second time.

he tilts his head slightly, a small, lopsided grin forming. “yeah... just... i don’t know. thanks for being here. like, for real.”

you’re turning to face him. “of course, isaac. wouldn’t wanna be anywhere else.”

the light spills from your room, illuminating his face for just a moment, and you see that same quiet appreciation in his eyes. he drops his can into the trash and laces his fingers together, stretching his arms behind him with a soft groan.

“guess i’ll crash, then.” you let out a yawn, cracking your jaw.

“yeah, me too.” you walk up the stairs with isaac, who leaves you with a sigh once he turns towards his room. 

- - -

you quietly open the door, trying not to disturb your friend. fortunately for you, larry’s still on his phone, not yet asleep. you shuffle over to the bathroom, washing your face and trying to gauge how drunk you are by staring at yourself in the mirror for no less than seven straight minutes. sometime during minute three, larry appears to follow suit. he glances over at you, his voice lower now, drowsy. “you gonna sleep?” 

“no shit.” you leave him in the bathroom to shuffle out of your sweats and into softer lounge pants, exchanging your t-shirt for a hoodie. 

he moves to lay down beside you, the mattress creaking under his weight. you pull the covers up, snuggling into the warmth. the room is quiet now, save for the soft sounds of breathing, the occasional shift of blankets. 

you feel the weight of the night settle over you, the buzz of the evening melting away into something peaceful. larry shifts a little closer, until he’s just inches from you, and you both settle into the calm silence, the exhaustion of the day creeping in. you've done so much, it feels like you've been here longer than a day. 

the glow from larry's bedside lamp casts long shadows on the walls as you settle onto your bed. you glance over to him, fast asleep already. for a moment, you just sit there, listening to the faint rustling from the other room as isaac moves around, probably changing or plugging in his phone. maybe it’s the way he looked at you just now, that quiet gratitude in his expression, or the fact that neither of you really wanted to go to bed yet. maybe it’s just the kind of night where everything feels a little heavier, a little more significant. maybe it's the alcohol, dumbass , you tell yourself.

you exhale, rubbing your eyes before flopping back against your pillows. the house feels still again, but your thoughts don’t. a faint knock at your door makes you lift your head. it’s soft, hesitant.

“yeah?” you call out, trying to keep your voice low enough to not wake your slumbering friend.

the door cracks open just enough for isaac to peek in, his silhouette outlined by the dim hallway light. “hey, uh… sorry. you asleep?”

you shake your head, sitting up a little. “nah, why?”

he hesitates, shifting his weight. “just-" he exhales through his nose, glancing down. “forget it. i’ll see you in the morning.” it's not like isaac to act uneasy like this.

something about the way he says it makes you stop him before he can shut the door completely. “isaac.” you shuffle out of bed and meet him in the doorway.

he stops.

you tilt your head. “what’s up with you?”

for a second, it looks like he might brush it off, but then he reaches out to shut the door behind you, retracting his hand to rub the back of his neck. “i don’t know. just felt weird going to bed, i guess.” he huffs out a quiet laugh. “like, tonight’s been-” he gestures vaguely. “i don’t know. nice. it's nice to have you here. like, people. having lots of people over. it's fun.” he stumbles over his words again. suddenly, you aren't so tired anymore .

you nod, understanding what he means without him needing to say it outright. “yeah,” you murmur. “it has.”

isaac exhales, leaning against the wall. his fingers graze lightly side to side along his bracelet, like he’s thinking about something else to say. but instead, he just gives you a small smile. you reassuringly smile back. is he acting weird or are you overthinking it? “okay,” he says, a little softer now. “goodnight, then,” but he doesn't make a move to leave.

“hey isaac?”

“hmm?”

"do you really want to go to bed now ?" 

“shit, not really." 

you glance at the bright screen of your watch- barely past one o’ clock. isaac is still standing there, shifting his weight, fingers trailing absentmindedly over his bracelet.  

“then we don’t,” you say simply.  

he huffs a quiet laugh, tilting his head. “okay, but what’s the alternative? just loiter in the house all night?”  

“we could go outside,” you suggest, and the moment the words leave your mouth, you know he’s considering it.  

his brows lift slightly. “outside? as in... the actual outdoors?” nerd.

“yeah,” you grin. “unless you’re scared of the dark,” you tease.

he scoffs. “ please ,” but he’s already grabbing his hoodie off the railing of the stairs. “fine. you wanna go loiter somewhere else? let’s do it.”  

“you’re the one who didn’t want to go to sleep like a normal person.”
“shut up.”

a few minutes and a few more layers later, you step out into the cool night air. the street is quiet, most of the houses dark, save for the occasional porch light or the faint glow of a tv through a window. isaac pulls his hoodie on, shoving his hands into the pockets as you start walking, sneakers scuffing lightly against the pavement.  

“so,” he says after a few moments of comfortable silence. “couldn’t sleep either?”  

ehh, he’s basically right. you shrug . “wasn’t in the mood to try.”

he hums in acknowledgment, but doesn’t press. instead, he tilts his head back, looking up at the sky. “kinda weird, isn’t it? feels different out here at night.”

“what is?”  

“being awake when the rest of the world isn’t.”  

you follow his gaze, the sky stretching endlessly above you, a deep navy with scattered stars peeking through. it’s the kind of night that feels frozen in time, like nothing exists outside of the person you are and the person you’re with.

“yeah,” you murmur. “i kinda like it.”  

“me too.”  

the two of you walk in silence for a while, the only sounds the occasional rustling of leaves or a distant car passing by. eventually, you reach the neighborhood park - empty, of course. the swings creak slightly in the breeze, casting long shadows under the dim streetlights.  

isaac gestures toward the swings. “c’mon. bet you can’t swing higher than me.”  

you roll your eyes, but a challenge is a challenge. you both take a seat, gripping the chains, feet pushing off against the ground. the air rushes past your face as you swing higher, the world tilting with each arc. for a moment, you feel weightless.  

isaac laughs breathlessly beside you. “okay, okay, i take it back, you’re killing me.”  

“told you,” you giggle, letting your weight still.

the swings slow, and soon you’re both just sitting there, legs idly kicking, the silence stretching between you in a way that feels almost sacred. 

“ever feel like time moves too fast?” isaac asks suddenly.  

you glance at him. he’s staring straight ahead, hands resting loosely around the cool chains.

“yeah,” you say. “all the time.” you laugh internally - no pun intended.

he nods, like that’s the answer he was expecting. then, with a sigh, he leans back, tilting his head toward you. “you think too much, you know that?” 

you smirk. “so do all students. so do you, one could say.”  

he grins. “guess that’s why we’re here at four in the morning.”  

you chuckle, letting your head rest in a tilted-back position. “yeah. guess so.”  

and for a while, neither of you say anything, content in the silence.

the night stretches on, the quiet settling between you and isaac like a shared secret. neither of you are in a hurry to break it. the swings creak softly as you both sway lazily back and forth, your momentum slowing. the park feels like it belongs only to you two, the rest of the world asleep and distant. 

isaac exhales, his breath visible in the cool air. “this was a good idea,” he admits.  

“of course it was.”  

he nudges you lightly with his foot. “don’t get cocky.”  

you both linger there a little longer before the cold finally starts to sink in. you pull your hoodie tighter around yourself. this piques isaac’s interest, and he glances at you. “wanna start heading back?”  

you nod, stretching your legs out before standing. “yeah, probably should. before larry wakes up and thinks i got kidnapped or something.” no texts yet, but it’s not like you should stay out until the sun rises.

isaac snorts. “dude, he’s probably sprawled across the bed taking up all your space by now.”  

“you say that like he doesn’t do that every night.” you’re not looking at him, but you can practically hear his sharp grin. 

isaac snickers, shoving his hands deeper into his hoodie pockets. his breath curls in the cool night air, but your mind drifts elsewhere.  

- - -

the first time larry slept over had been completely unplanned. you’d been up late cramming for an exam together, buried in notes, screens and iced matchas. at some point, larry had stretched out on your bed just to rest his eyes for a quick second , which you actually did believe for all of five minutes before his breathing started to sound suspiciously even.

“larry. larry. lare bear.” you tug on his sweater, trying to wake him as gently as possible.

“hu- i’m awake.”

“i can drive you home if you’re sleepy, c’mon.” you walk to the counter and grab your keys before realizing that your friend isn’t behind you.

“nah nah i’m good. gimme five and i’m up.” you jingle your keys annoyingly in front of his face, but of course he doesn't care.

you’d been too tired to argue, so you left him there and crashed on the other side of the bed. you fully expected to sleep soundly till the morning just from how tired you were, but around 3 you’d woken up groggy and disoriented. only to find him sprawled halfway across you, one leg thrown over yours, an arm flopped over your chest like you were his personal body pillow. 

you’d stared at the ceiling for a moment before muttering, “dude, seriously? i can’t breathe.”  

larry had shifted slightly, still dead asleep, and mumbled something about “ ISO’s too high… grainy as hell ” against the pillow. you’d tried pushing him off gently, but he just groaned, half-conscious, and latched onto you tighter. you still can’t really breathe.

“jesus christ,” you mumbled, giving up and letting your head fall back against the pillow. weirdly enough, he was warm, like a human space heater. and despite your initial protest, you returned to your slumber surprisingly quickly. 

the next morning, you’d woken up to find larry more or less unaware of what had happened. when you’d mentioned it over a breakfast of microwaved leftovers, all he’d done was shrug, taking a bite of his ramen.  

“yeah, my bad,” he’d said, unbothered. “i sleep like that sometimes.” he had just laughed it off awkwardly. “yeah, well, guess you’re comfy.” to be honest, you’re just relieved he doesn’t feel embarrassed about it, and drop the subject.

and, well, after that, it just became a thing. he never seemed to care all that much, and over time, you stopped noticing. 

- - -

you shake your head, snapping back to the present as you and isaac round the corner. the house is coming into view now, dark and quiet.  

isaac glances at you. “what?”  

you blink, realizing you’d been smiling to yourself. “nothing. just remembering something dumb.”  

he huffs a quiet laugh. “figured. you get that look sometimes.” do you really?

you don’t bother asking what he means. instead, you just sigh, rolling your shoulders. “c’mon. let’s get inside before we freeze to death.”  

he snorts. “drama queen.”  

your steps are slow, unhurried. the quiet of the neighborhood remains unchanged- not eerie, just still . peaceful . 

“hey,” isaac says after a moment, voice quieter now. “thanks for staying up with me.”  

you offer him a warm smile, and something else. “anytime. if you ever feel like you’re the only one awake, just text me. you’re probably not.” 

he gives you a small, contented laugh before looking ahead again. neither of you say much else on the walk back, but it doesn’t feel like you need to.  

when you finally reach the house, you slip inside as quietly as possible, careful not to wake anyone. isaac pauses at the top of the stairs, stuffing his hands into his pockets.  

“see you in the morning,” he says.  

you nod. “goodnight, isaac.”  

he watches you until you shut the door before heading to his room, doing the same- easing the door open to find the room dimly lit by the streetlights outside. you hear his door click shut, and this time, the quiet feels a little different. 

larry is, in fact, sprawled out across the bed, one arm dangling off the side, blanket barely covering him. you sigh, shaking your head before nudging him as gently as possible. 

“dude, move over,” you whisper. you love your friend, but he can be annoying sometimes.

he grumbles something unintelligible but shuffles himself over just enough for you to squeeze in. you slide in underneath the blankets, the exhaustion finally catching up to you now that you’re back in the soft bedding.

as your eyes drift shut, you think about the night- about the quiet, about the swings, about the way isaac smiled at you.  

the last thing you hear before sleep takes you is larry mumbling, half-asleep, “you smell like outside.”  

goodnight, isaac.

“goodnight, larry." 

just the two of you now, inhale, exhale. inhaling the familiar scent of fresh cucumber and exhaling all the tension in your body.

you lay there in the quiet dark, with the faint sound of crickets outside the window, soft blankets and pillow enveloping you, the comfort of your friend just a few inches away. the soft, yellow-orange glow of streetlights warming the room. in a silence that feels less like distance and more like something shared, you feel yourself relax - and then everything fades.

Chapter Text

you wake up to warmth pressed against your back, the familiar weight of larry’s arm flung over your waist. his slow, even breathing tickles the side of your neck, and for a moment, you just lie there, eyes half-open, turning your face into the warm morning light filtering through the curtains. the room is quiet except for the occasional creak of the house settling and larry muttering something incoherent in his sleep.

shifting slightly, you try to slip out from under his arm, but his hand instinctively tightens around your side. "mmm... five more minutes," he mumbles, voice thick with drowsiness. he’s always asking for five more minutes. 

"larry, it's literally 12pm." you worry that you might have kept him up, you did come in at 4am after all.

"your point?" he grumbles, turning his face to bury it in the pillow.

sighing, you pry his arm off and shuffle out of bed. he lets out a groan in protest but doesn’t fight you, instead curling up tighter under the blankets. stretching, you rub the sleep from your eyes and shuffle toward your bag, pulling on a hoodie over your t-shirt. the air in the room is chilly, that kind of deep cold that settles in overnight, making you involuntarily shiver as you steal a pair of larry’s fluffy socks. you’re less used to the cold than you;d like to admit.

as you pass by the window, something catches your eye. snow? a fresh layer, soft and untouched, blankets the street outside, clinging to the rooftops and dusting tree branches. you pause, watching as small flakes drift lazily through the air, the world outside looking quiet and still, like a postcard. below, in the yard, grunk is already up and about, bundled in a puffy jacket and beanie, making footprints in the snow. he stands for a moment, contemplating, then suddenly flops backward into it, arms and legs flailing to create a lopsided snow angel.

“grunk!!” you exclaim excitedly, happy that he’s having fun.

he notices you watching from the window and waves enthusiastically. “hey! come play!”

you shake your head, amused at the sheer energy he still has despite yesterday’s late night. you slide open the glass, shocked at just how cold it actually is. 

"pass," you mouth back apologetically. “cold.”

grunk sighs dramatically, then scoops up a handful of snow, packing it into what is clearly a snowball. you narrow your eyes in warning. he grins but thankfully thinks better of it, tossing it up and catching it instead before going back to rolling about in the snow.

giggling, you leave larry still half-asleep in bed and head downstairs, following the smell of something warm and buttery. you guess, correctly, that nick is probably making everyone breakfast. the sound of low conversation hums through the house, mixed with the occasional clatter of dishes. yumi's laughter pricks your ears from the living room, followed by tanner's.

in the kitchen, nick stands at the stove, flipping a pancake with the ease of someone who has clearly done this a hundred times before. a small stack already sits on a plate nearby.

he glances up as you walk in, raising an eyebrow. “well, well, look who finally decided to wake up.”

you rub the back of your neck. “no shot me and larry are the last up.”

“you’re right, it’s isy.”

“classic.”

you roll your eyes and step over to the counter, grabbing a whisk from the bowl of pancake batter. "figured i’d at least be useful," you say, stirring it lazily.

nick smirks. “big words for someone who’s just now joining the land of the living.”

you flick a bit of batter in his direction, and he yelps, dodging at the last second. "hey!"

"should’ve seen that coming."

"you're on thin ice," he warns, flipping another pancake onto the growing stack.

as you work together peacefully in the kitchen, the sound of footsteps comes from the stairs. isaac appears in the doorway, wrapped in a thick blanket. his massive height combined with the fuzzy green blanket hanging off his broad shoulders make him look like some kind of gremlin. so much for your peace. “who’s making food?” he asks, eyes half-lidded with sleep.

“me and,” nick jerks his head toward you, “this loser.”

“you mean the person who only just woke up?” yumi teases.

“first of all, rude,” you say, flipping a pancake with a little too much force, sending it slightly off-target. nick snorts, catching it on a plate. “second of all, at least one of us is helping."

“well, as someone who has been awake since a respectable hour,” yumi says dramatically, dragging himself to the fridge, “i accept your offering of pancakes.”

“this dude wakes up before 11am once and acts like he’s better than everyone.”

tanner and grunk appear next, tanner's hair still sticking up in every direction. "dude, it's like, noon," he says between a yawn. "why does it smell like breakfast?"

"you want some or not?" nick snarks.

"obviously yes." tanner slides into a chair. grunk decides to appear and plops down next to him, still dusted with bits of snow. you briefly abandon your pancake-flipping duties, admittedly stressing nick out a little, to brush as much snow as you can off of him before he gets too damp.

aaron is the last to stumble in, hair a mess, predictably. he squints at the full table, then at the pancakes. "you guys started without me?"

"if you wanted first dibs, you should've woken up on time," you say, handing him a plate anyway.

he grumbles something unintelligible but takes the food. as everyone digs in, the conversation shifts to nothing in particular- movies, plans for the day (which mostly consist of staying inside and avoiding the cold), and yumi loudly defending his stance that he actually is better than everyone for being the first to wake up this morning.

as the snow continues to fall outside, the house is filled with the sound of laughter, the clatter of forks against plates, and the easy warmth of good company. it's not a particularly eventful morning- or afternoon, you should day - but there's something nice about it, about all of you being here together, even if most of you are only half-awake. you understand isaac a little more now. simply, it’s nice to be around your people. 

- - -

“i’m bored, do you wanna do something?”

it had started with a simple question, but it took you two a while to find a decent solution. everyone else was either busy with work or too tired to go out, and with the winter weather limiting your options, the house felt stifling. yumi had buried himself in a pile of blankets on the couch, mumbling something about catching up on a show. grunk had been chronically immersed in minecraft. you’re convinced he was so fixated on mining that he genuinely didn’t hear you. tanner had waved you off with a yawn, claiming he was hibernating until further notice . it was 1pm. you don’t blame him though, he was the last to arrive last night. aaron reported back that nick, his brother and larry were still absorbed in editing their videos for the week. that left you and aaron, both restless, both eyeing the front door, the gateway to your salvation.

"wanna just go for a drive?" aaron had asked, stretching his arms above his head. "get out for a bit?"

it was an easy answer. he grabs the keys to isaac’s sleek audi, spinning them around his finger.

now, the engine hums beneath you as aaron pulls the car out of the driveway, the tires crunching lightly over the thin layer of snow that still lingers on the pavement. outside, the world is a crisp winter gray, the sky stretching endlessly above, soft clouds hanging low like they might break open with more snow at any moment. the roads are mostly clear, save for a few patches of slush, but the air inside the car is warm, the heat turned up just enough to keep the chill from creeping in. you text larry, who's likely still sleeping.

> yourhandle: going 4 drive w aaron

> yourhandle: pancakes downstairs maybe

"where to?" aaron asks, indirectly glancing at you through the reflection of the rearview mirror.

"doesn’t matter," you say, watching as the houses blur past the window. "just want to get out for a bit."

he nods, fingers tapping absently against the steering wheel as he merges onto the main road. the car is quiet except for the soft hum of the radio, some lo-fi song playing in the background, its slow, steady beat blending with the rhythm of the drive. you crack your back and settle into the seat, letting the motion of the car lull you into something almost like relaxation, save for the semi-awkward silence between you and aaron.

"so, you and my brother been friends for a while?" he asks after a while, breaking the silence.

"a couple months i guess," you say, glancing over at him. "met around the time the school year started."

"makes sense. he talks about you sometimes." oh?

"ah, yeah," you raise an eyebrow. "good things, i hope."

he smirks. "eh, mostly. one time he complained a little about how you hadn’t tried hot pot before or something."

“oh, i remember.”

"you like hanging out with everyone?" aaron asks after a pause. "since, y'know, you’re kind of the outsider coming into the group."

"they're chill," you say, watching the road ahead. "grunk especially has made an effort to make me feel welcome. he’s got a good heart. for all his chaos, he means well. like, i don’t think he has a single mean bone in his body."

"yeah, no argument there," aaron agrees. "it’s kinda nice, honestly. makes you wanna protect that energy, y'know?"

"yumi, on the other hand…"

"lord."

"and yet somehow, he’s the most responsible out of all of us. like, he actually does his laundry on time. pays his bills early."

aaron laughs. "he also eats candy for breakfast and you’ve seen his sleep schedule. so, balance, i guess."

"what about tanner?" you ask.

aaron lets out a sharp exhale, a playful smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "he drives me insane, but like, in a sibling kind of way."

he chuckles, shaking his head. "and what about me? what's your impression so far?"

you think for a moment, studying him. "you’re quieter than i expected."

he snorts. "not used to seeing me without my brother around, huh?"

"yeah, pretty much. but you’re easy to talk to. you’re chill."

"likewise," he says, flashing you a small smile before turning his attention back to the road.

as the suburbs gradually give way to the city, open spaces thinning out, buildings growing taller and brighter, you find yourself wondering about the way relationships shift- how people can start out as strangers, become friends, and maybe, if things fall into place, something more. a memory brushes the surface of your mind - something isaac said to you on your walk last night.

- - -

"you ever think about what happens after this?" you ask, voice quieter now.

he tilts his head slightly. "what do you mean?"

"you know. after college, after we all go our separate ways. do you think we’ll still be close?"

he’s quiet for a moment, considering. "i think so," he says finally. "i mean, yeah, life happens, people drift, but… i don’t know, i feel like we’re the kind of people that find our way back to each other."

"you sound pretty sure about that."

he glances at you, a small, knowing smile on his face. "yeah. i am."

- - -

you pull into the parking lot of a busy 7/11, its neon sign flickering faintly against the dull winter sky. aaron stretches as he gets out, his breath curling in the cold air. "need to pee,” he states simply. “want anything from inside?"

"nah, i’m good," you reply, watching as he jogs toward the entrance. 

you lean back in your seat, staring at the frost collecting on the windshield, the world still and quiet outside. moments later, aaron returns with two hot chocolates, handing you one without a word. 

"figured you’d want something warm," he says simply.

"no means no," you joke, but you wrap your hands around the cup anyway. he just rolls his eyes with a smirk, and together, you sit there for a while, warming your hands.

he takes a slow sip, but promptly coughs and chokes on the little too-hot chocolate.

“dude." 

"ready to keep going?" he nods towards the road.

"yeah," you say, before settling back into your seat. "let’s go."

aaron pulls out of the lot, the engine buzzing smoothly as it glides back onto the asphalt, curls of exhaust disappearing into the cold winter air. 

▷ ၊၊||၊|။||||။၊|။ france • Moody. 

- - -

the front door shut behind you and aaron with a soft thud, sealing you inside the warmth of the house. thankfully, someone had adjusted the thermostat, and the temperature was much more palatable compared to this morning. it smelled like pine and whatever had been cooking earlier, something faintly buttery and rich. 

aaron shrugged off his hoodie and tossed it onto a chair before making a beeline for the kitchen. "i’m starving." you two had unknowingly been out for three hours.

"same," you said, following behind him. the kitchen was still warm from earlier, a few stray dishes left in the sink from breakfast. you started pulling things from the fridge, setting them onto the counter while aaron rummaged through the cabinets. isaac, not-so-peacefully interrupted while making a smoothie, raises an eyebrow at you two. 

“did you go smoke without me?”

“what?” you say in unison. 

“nah, just hungry,” aaron replies. “fein.”

"think we have time to actually cook something, or are we just throwing random things on a plate and calling it dinner?" isaac asks, inspecting a half-empty bag of bread. 

you grab a pan, pausing to twirl it in your hand, and turn on the stove. "let’s at least pretend we have our lives together."

isaac smirks but doesn’t argue. he starts to peel carrots with unnecessary flair, occasionally flicking bits in his brother’s direction just to be annoying. you ignored their antics and focused on chopping potatoes.

"you know," aaron said after a beat, "i think i’m actually enjoying this holiday thing."

you remember something isaac mentioned to you offhand. "you? mr. i’ll just stay home ? embracing the festive spirit?" this earns you a sassy eyeroll. 

"yeah. it’s not bad."

the kitchen filled with the sounds of chopping, sizzling butter, and the distant hum of grunk’s christmas music from the living room. isaac dices garlic with surprising precision before tossing it into a pan.

"what are we actually making?" he asked as the garlic started sizzling.

"roast chicken, mashed potatoes, glazed carrots. and whatever yumi and grunk decide to throw in." you’re not a bad cook yourself - your strong dislike of dining hall food had made you into a pretty skilled chef by the end of freshman year.

"yumi’s definitely bringing something that’ll burn a hole in our stomachs."

you laughed. "you should be afraid."

as the butter and garlic hit the heat, the air filled with a rich, warm aroma. the chicken went into the oven, and you leaned against the counter, stretching your arms, rolling your shoulders.

isaac nudges your shoulder. you glanced over. his expression was unreadable, like he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure how. "thanks for this," he said simply. you assume he means the food.

you shrugged. "anytime."

the front door bangs open, and the others flood in, shaking off the cold. yumi took one deep sniff and immediately shoved you aside to put his gravy on the stove, while grunk hovered, declaring the meal already a masterpiece. poor college students, they live off instant ramen. nick steps in - “i got it” - relieving you of your duties and allowing you to go upstairs and change. 

by the time everything actually hit the table, the house was warm, loud, and full. cutlery clinks, enough compliments to warm you and aaron’s hearts for seven lifetimes, and of course plenty of bickering. 

as the plates cleared, larry brought up the christmas fair downtown. 

“- yeah, it runs until 10pm, there’s food stalls and performances and stuff like that.”

“lights?” 

“ lights , dude.”

in a few minutes, nick is hustling everyone to go up and change into something warmer, and grunk comes back with a lovely selection of thrifted scarves for the few of you that grew up in the never-experienced-a-real-winter-before parts of the country. 

“this is pashmina, this is just cotton, this is silk - it looks cool but it won’t actually do anything.”

this group of people moves with the kind of chaotic energy that suggests none of you actually know how to hustle out of the door efficiently. somehow, you and isaac end up at the back of the group as everyone spills outside. 

the cold hit immediately, sharp and bracing. you suck a sharp breath through your teeth - it’s freezing . the street glowed with lights, the scent of roasting chestnuts and cinnamon in the air. someone in the group - probably yumi - is already reading out yelp reviews of different candied apple stands.

isaac shoves his hands into his pockets and smirks. "so, bets on who causes the first scene?"

you laughed, falling in step beside him. "yumi and nick, no contest." 

to your surprise, the cold softens its grip on you as he wraps an arm around your shoulders, pulling you into the warmth of his jacket. you settle into this feeling, 

the night is still ahead of you, buzzing with movement, noise, and the promise of something fun. 

the fair was sprawling, a maze of warm lights and festive energy. stalls lined the streets, each one offering something different - handmade ornaments, steaming cups of cider, oversized pretzels that you’d wear on everything made yumi sport actual heart eyes. the scent of roasted chestnuts and cinnamon swirl in the cold air, mingling with the distant sound of carols sung by a group of schoolchildren in matching scarves. “look! pashmina wool,” grunk points out. 

yumi, predictably, was the first to drag everyone toward a food stall with an intensity that suggested he’d been thinking about it all night. "we’re getting these. no arguments." nick sighs, and pulls out his wallet.

a few minutes later, everyone had their own hot, crispy funnel cake, dusted generously with powdered sugar. yumi, true to form, drowned his in an excessive amount of caramel sauce, while grunk attempted to eat his in one giant, overambitious bite - resulting in a coughing fit and a explosion of sugar into the cold night air. it blended into the snow, dusting the ground beneath your feet. 

“you look like the cinnamon lady.” regrettably, isaac unwraps his arm to eat his funnel cake.

the group wandered deeper into the fair, stopping to watch a fire juggler perform in front of a small crowd. sparks flew in the air as he tossed the burning torches between his hands, the light reflecting in the wide eyes of passersby, including yours. 

isaac nudges your shoulder with his. "you ever actually buy anything from these little vendor stalls, or just look?"

you glanced at a table full of knitted wreaths, running your fingers over the soft wool. "mostly look. but sometimes you find something cool."

he hummed, picking up a small, carved wooden ornament. it’s pretty, painted and sanded to look just like a real apple. "think this is real craftsmanship or i could get it on temu for $1.59?" 

"fifty-fifty shot. but it looks nice. support small businesses."

he smirked and set it back down, moving along with the group. “oh, so you hate small businesses.”

the night stretched on in a haze of small moments - you and tanner getting caught flirting with a vendor for free hot chocolate, yumi aggressively haggling over a ceramic strawberry salt shaker, grunk somehow ending up with a glowing, obnoxiously large christmas hat that flashed different colors.

eventually, you find yourselves at the main event: the christmas light display in the center of the fairgrounds. strings of multicolored lights drape over every tree, looping between wooden booths and stretching into tunnels of soft, glowing color. they remind you of the avatar trees.

you spot grunk wandering through a display, pausing to take photos with elaborate light sculptures. he kept insisting on getting the "perfect angle," while yumi photobombs every attempt with increasingly ridiculous faces. the group moves forward, a loose cluster of laughter and chatter, weaving through the crowd that fills the street. the festival is in full swing - vendors call out from their stalls, children dart between legs clutching glowing toys, and the occasional burst of music spills from a street corner. yumi, true to form, is already leading the charge, his phone in one hand and a half-eaten candied apple in the other. nick trails behind him, pretending to be annoyed but clearly enjoying himself. 

"okay, they’re boring. new bet," isaac says, flashing those famous canines. "how long until someone gets kicked out of the festival?"

before you can think of a reply, a sudden commotion erupts from a nearby stall. a man in a santa hat is shouting, waving his arms as a group of teenagers scatters, clutching stolen ornaments. the crowd parts momentarily, and you catch a glimpse of a glittering reindeer decoration toppling to the ground. poor guy.

“oh.” 

you swallow, the pulse in your throat quickening, and before you can second-guess yourself, it’s your turn to make the decision to close the space between you two. your fingers brush against isaac’s upper arm, your touch deliberate but gentle. looping your arm through his, you feel his breath hitch. 

isaac looks at you, his sharp smile a little wider now, pointing the corners of his mouth. all of a sudden, his teasing’s gone. who’s the confident one now, you think, feeling the warmth of his skin under your fingers.

he doesn’t pull away. instead, he proves you wrong, his voice low and sweet. “guess i’ll have to keep up with you now, huh?” it’s enough to make the air between you two thicken. something that wasn’t there before, only just beginning to surface.

you both fall into step beside each other, walking behind the rest of the group- still a little further back than you should be, but not as distant as before. as their chatter drifts towards you, their voices growing louder with each step, the distance between you and the rest of the group feels almost deliberate, as though neither of you is quite ready to rejoin the noise. you notice in amusement that you can still hear the ornament seller yelling. what are we? wait.

why the fuck would you think that? you barely know the guy. he’s a friend of a friend.

returning to the house, yumi and tanner settle in the living room to watch movies. whatever yumi does, nick does, and whatever tanner does, larry follows. this leaves you and isaac to wander back upstairs.

- - -

the first time you stayed over at larry’s place, it wasn’t planned. you’d stayed up too late talking and playing games. your eyes were heavy, but your minds were still buzzing. the rest of his housemates had already gone to bed at this hour, even isaac. but you hadn’t expected to feel so reluctant to leave just yet. funnily, your friend shared the same feeling - so you ended up staying the night. “so sleep over. we can drive to class together tomorrow.” “okay.”

it wasn’t like you expected any special treatment or anything. larry was the kind of guy who was always casual about everything. he didn’t make a big deal out of things, and he didn’t seem like one to go overboard on hospitality. this was good for you - when someone went too out of their way for you, it made you feel a little awkward. when you offered to just crash on the couch, he laughed, told you there were extra blankets in his room, and led you to the guest room.

but after a couple unproductive hours of shut-eye, when you realized sleep wasn’t coming quite so easily, you found yourself wandering out of the guest room, unable to settle. you quietly made your way down the hall toward the kitchen, considering a glass of water, but instead, you were met with the faint glow of light spilling from larry’s cracked bedroom door.

curious, you paused instead of passed. the sound of soft rustling reached your ears, and then the faint splash of water. you felt like an intruder, but something pulled you toward the door, and before you could stop yourself, you found your hand on the doorknob, slowly pushing it open. plopping onto his bed, you decided to wait for him to 

there, standing in front of his bathroom mirror, was you friend - unaware of your presence. he was dressed down, looking every bit the easy-going guy he was.the way he moved around, slow and deliberate, like he had all the time in the world surprised you - it was rare to see your usually energetic friend so relaxed.

he was applying some kind of cream to his face, his brow furrowed as he carefully massaged it into his skin. his black hair, curled at the ends, fell loosely around his face as he worked the cream in, his brown eyes staring at his reflection. it was such an unguarded moment, so intimate. he wasn’t performing for anyone - it was just larry.

for a moment, you felt like an outsider, almost embarrassed that you might have been interrupting. you shifted your weight nervously, but before you could pull away, larry’s voice broke the silence, calm and teasing.

“dude, come in,” he had said with a warm smile, glancing over his shoulder at you. “it’s not like i’m naked or anything.” 

“sorry. couldn’t sleep.”

larry snickered at your discomfort, continuing his routine. “me neither. that’s why i’m doing my skincare at 4am.”

wandering into the bathroom with him, you had admitted, “i didn’t think you were the type.” you poke around some of the serums and containers, noticing you used the same moisturizer as him.

he shrugged, still focused on his face. “you’d be surprised,” he said, his voice soft. “you just have to take care of yourself, y’know?” the words, simple as they were, stuck with you. it wasn’t just the act itself but the care he put into it - the way he treated himself with the same kind of quiet respect he gave to everything else. he wasn’t loud about it, wasn’t showing off, just taking his time because he knew it mattered. you’d learned something new about your friend that day - seeing a side of him you hadn’t really noticed before. 

“you look like you’re deep in thought,” he teased, his smile widening.

you grinned, leaning against the doorframe, feeling a little more at ease. you didn’t say anything else, because you didn’t need to.

- - -

shuffling off your jacket, you return your scarf to grunk.

“thanks y/n! was it warm?”

“not really but the fit was hard.”

Chapter Text

as you and isaac step into the bedroom, the soft glow of the bedside lamp casts long shadows against the walls. larry’s in the bathroom, the sound of running water and the occasional splash revealing that he’s washing his face. the room still carries residual warmth from the day, and the faint scent of larry’s cologne lingers in the air. you exchange your outside clothes for a comfortable sweat set, settling down in his desk chair to charge and check your phone.

> grunk__ tagged you in a post

> softwilly mentioned you in a story

you piece together some pictures of your own, tagging everyone and uploading it to your instagram with a simple christmas tree emoji for a caption. soon, the familiar noise of slides pattering against the hardwood floors piques your interest.

isaac moves into the room casually, hands tucked into his hoodie pockets as he glances around the room. “yo,” he calls at larry, and earns a waterlogged “mmmmmh” of acknowledgement in return. 

"you gonna go to sleep?" he asks you, cracking his neck and stretching out. not so casual, are you.

“probably later, i’m not tired yet.”

isaac leans against the dresser, the expression in his eyes unreadable. "come watch something with me till you are."

you blink at him. "what?"

"in my room," he clarifies, shifting slightly as if he’s testing your reaction. "i was gonna put on a show. something easy to half-watch before knocking out." 

you hesitate, glancing toward the bathroom door. larry is still occupied, but you figure he won’t mind, so long as you don’t disturb him whenever you return. it’s just a show, and isaac is…what? a friend of a friend ? someone who’s been lingering at the edges of your awareness more and more lately?

"c’ mon ," isaac whines, his voice light but expectant. "it’s either that or you stare at the ceiling until you pass out.”

“fair.”

he grins, a satisfactory flash of his canines, and pushes off the dresser. "cool. let’s go."

you follow him down the hallway, the house quieter now that most people have settled for the night. “ the only sounds are the faint murmur of their movie downstairs and the occasional creak of the floorboards under your feet. isaac’s room is on the opposite end of the hall, slightly neater than you expected but still lived-in. a hoodie is draped over the back of his chair, and a couple of empty water bottles sit on his nightstand. his bed is unmade, the blankets slightly rumpled like he’d been relaxing there not too long ago.

he grabs the remote from his desk and sinks onto his bed, mattress squeaking, motioning for you to join him. "make yourself comfortable."

you hesitate for a second before sitting at the foot of the bed, legs crossed, resting on your elbows. isaac scrolls through hbo, flicking between titles.

"you got any preferences?" he asks. 

you shake your head. "you pick."

he hums, considering, before settling on succession. it’s a show you really have tried your hardest to follow, but that’s hard to do when you only catch every sixth episode or so with your neighbors on fridays. the intro starts playing, its familiar orchestral melody filling the room. your eyes adjust to the grainy sequence, and you zone out for a second or two.

isaac shifts so he’s lying on his side, propping himself up on one elbow. "so, you just gonna sit there stiff as hell the whole time?" 

you roll your eyes. "i didn’t realize there were rules." nevertheless, this brings you back to consciousness and you wriggle upwards, propping a pillow behind your back.

he smirks but doesn’t push it. instead, he turns his attention back to the screen, and gradually, you find yourself relaxing. the show is easy to follow, the kind of thing that doesn’t require much thought. a few minutes pass in comfortable silence before isaac speaks again.

"you don’t talk much, huh?" what?

you look at him funny. "what?"

as the night stretches on, you find yourself easing into the quiet presence beside you. to his credit, isaac doesn’t demand conversation, doesn’t fill the space with fluff. 

by the time half of the episode has passed you by, isaac shifts closer, his warmth pressing lightly against your side. his arm opens towards you, and he envelops you in his warmth like it’s the most natural thing in the world. you don’t protest. after a few minutes have passed, he hooks the other one around the front of your shoulders, and allowing yourself to be pulled, he’s holding you against his chest. his presence is steady, grounding, and you allow yourself to sink into his arms, letting the quiet hum of the tv and the slow, rhythmic rise and fall of his breathing lull you into a perfect sense of peace. friend of a friend? 

you snuggle closer, resting the side of your face against his upper arm. isaac lets out a deep sigh, sounding satisfied. a dark frame immediately after allows you to sneak a glance at his reflection, painted with a goofy smile. by the third episode, your eyes start to grow heavy, but by the time you realize this fact you’re too out of it to do anything but just let it happen. you allow your eyes to slowly close, your breathing evening out.

Chapter Text

you wake up coated in warmth. it’s the first thing you notice - a steady, solid warmth pressed against your back, a slow rise and fall of breath against your shoulder. your back is pressed against isaac’s chest, his heartbeat reverberating through your spine all the way to the tips of your fingers. it threatens to lull you back to sleep, and for a few minutes, you allow yourself to be cradled in a cocoon made up of isaac’s arms, fluffy bedding and a soft mattress.

isaac.

your eyes snap open, heart stuttering as you register the weight of his arms wrapped around your chest, the way your legs are tangled together beneath the sheets. glancing over at him, you notice that he's still asleep, his breathing deep and even, pretty face bathed in the dim morning light filtering through the curtains. 

shit. 

you stay still, trying to recall how you got here. at some point in the night, the lazy drape of his arms must have called you closer to him, causing the both of you to intertwine with each other as you slept, seeking the comfort of soft hands and gentle touches. 

too easy. 

you carefully, slowly, shift beneath his arms, weaseling your way out. he stirs slightly, and you swear you hear him murmuring something incoherent under his breath, but he doesn’t wake up. relief floods through you as you manage to slip out from under the blankets, standing on shaky legs beside the bed. 

the room is still quiet, the tv screen dark now, the only sound isaac’s soft breathing. you hesitate for a second, watching him, a strange tug in your chest making you want to crawl back under the blankets, let yourself sink into that warmth for just a little longer. 

but of course that would make things weird. 

you suck in a quiet breath and move towards the door, stepping into the hallway and quietly closing it behind you. the house is still silent, the early morning hush settling over everything. 6:30am . you make your way back to larry’s room, slipping inside without a sound. 

larry is still asleep, curled up in his own bed, oblivious to your absence. you climb back in, pulling the blankets up and staring at the ceiling for a long moment. your heart is still beating a little too fast, and you’re feeling a little less warm from an isaac no longer curled around you. 

“where’d you go?” larry mumbles. 

“mmm. back to sleep with you.”

you squeeze your eyes shut, refusing to think about what happened any longer in the interest of you actually, you know, getting some decent sleep . 

- - -

you wake up for the second time this morning to the sound of larry practicing his guitar echoing softly around the room. it takes a moment for you to remember where you are, the cozy weight of the blankets and the faint scent of larry’s shampoo grounding you. you stretch lazily before slipping out of bed and making your way to the bathroom.

your friend is still in his pajamas, his hair covering his eyes and stubbornly curling at the ends. he glances over at you, brown eyes warm with amusement. “morning, sleepyhead.”

“morning,” you mumble, rubbing your eyes. “what’s the plan for today?”

nick, who had let himself in at some point, saunters into your line of sight with a shaker cup of purple. “we’re going ornament shopping, remember? we gotta get some good ones for the house.”

larry sets his guitar aside and stretches. “right. you’re in, yeah?” he asks, looking at you.

“obviously,” you mumble through your toothbrush.

an hour and a breakfast later, the three of you head downtown, making your way to the macy’s, which is buzzing with holiday energy. the entrance is decked out with garlands and oversized ornaments, and a towering christmas tree stands proudly in the center of the store, twinkling with golden lights. mariah carey plays through the speakers, blending into the lively chatter of shoppers bustling through aisles.

“this place is a battlefield,” nick mutters as a couple practically sprints past, arms overloaded with shopping bags.

“probably our fault for waiting till the day before to do this shit.”

you wander toward the holiday section, which is a feast for the eyes - shimmering ornaments in every color, shelves stacked with nutcrackers, and walls lined with plush holiday creatures. larry is immediately drawn to the more unique decorations. he holds up a tiny glass guitar ornament, raising a brow at you. “this one’s calling my name.”

“if you don’t buy that right now.”

nick rolls his eyes but grins. “Figures.”

you browse through the collection, occasionally pulling out something outrageous to show the others. nick finds a cat ornament wearing a santa hat and holds it up with a smirk. “this one has tanner’s name written all over it.”

“get it,” you urge. “i want to see his reaction.”

larry, meanwhile, is engrossed in examining a set of tiny animal figurines dressed in holiday sweaters. “this penguin looks kind of judgmental,” he muses, tilting it toward you.

“maybe it’s judging you,” you tease, nudging him playfully.

nick snickers, pointing to a bright pink flamingo ornament wearing sunglasses. “okay, but this one screams isaac.”

“if we don’t get that for him, it’d be a crime.”

a group of kids runs past, nearly toppling a display of decorative snow globes. one of them spins wildly on the glass shelf before nick lunges to steady it. “this store is hazardous,” he mutters, shaking his head.

larry grins. “adds to the adventure.”

as you move through the aisles, something catches your eye - a silver ornament made of sleek, interwoven metal, its intricate design reminding you of a cybersigilism tattoo. you glance around, making sure your friends are occupied, before slipping away - “hey, i’m gonna check out now since the line is short, but take your time” - and make your way to a quieter register, keeping it hidden behind your other purchases. the cashier rings it up, and you stash it in your pocket before rejoining larry and nick. 

“what’d you sneak off for?” nick asks, raising a brow.

“just saw something cool,” you reply smoothly, and larry snickers but doesn’t press further.

halfway through shopping, your phones buzz with a message from tanner. he, isaac, yumi and grunk are out looking for a christmas tree, and they’re not having much luck.

“they want to meet up,” you say, glancing at the text.

“guess we’re helping pick a tree now,” larry says, already heading for the door with his questionable ornament choices.

when you meet up with the others at a tree lot, tanner is seductively leaning against a tree that looks like it’s barely standing upright. “this is the best one,” he declares, arms crossed.

isaac with identically crossed arms shakes his head. “we’re not getting a tree that looks like it survived a hurricane.”

grunk, cheerful as always, waves at you. “good timing! we need opinions.”

isaac runs a hand through his hair, exasperated. “we’ve been here for half an hour, and tanner keeps picking the worst trees.”

“excuse me! i have exquisite taste.”

nick snickers. “yeah, if exquisite taste means picking the saddest trees possible.”

larry squints at a tree near tanner’s choice. “okay, but this one looks like it’s plotting something.”

“it has a mischievous aura.” 

“what does that even mean?”

“finally, someone who understands me.”

nick ends up solving tree shopping by ignoring everyone, picking one that’s full but not too over-the-top, and checking out before anyone even notices he’s slipped away.

by the time you’re done with tree shopping, everyone is starving, so yumi suggests outback steakhouse. it’s the only place that’s still open at this point anyways. no one argues.

at the restaurant, the group settles into a large booth. the air smells like grilled steak and warm bread, making your stomach growl.

“finally,” isaac sighs, stretching his arms over his head. you don’t miss the way he conveniently lets one rest around your shoulders when he relaxes. “i feel like we’ve been running errands all day.”

“dude, we have,” larry says, stealing a piece of the bread as soon as it’s set down. “but at least now we have a respectable tree.”

tanner scoffs. “we could’ve had a tree with personality.”

yumi shakes his head. “your version of ‘personality’ is just ‘falling apart.’”

the table erupts into laughter. as the food arrives, conversations flow easily. tanner tries to convince grunk to try a ridiculously spicy wing, and when he does, his eyes widen in immediate regret. you and larry laugh as grunk chugs his drink, coughing dramatically.

as the night winds down, you all linger at the table, talking and messing around until the restaurant is nearly empty. 

it’s well past closing time when you all shuffle out, still joking around as you make your way to the car. exhaustion starts creeping in as you sink into the passenger seat of nick’s car, the warmth of the heater making your eyelids heavy. you let yourself drift off.

by the time you reach home, you’re barely aware of the car stopping. before you can stir too much, isaac sighs and unbuckles your seatbelt. “come on,” he mutters, effortlessly lifting you up and out. you feel like a kid being carried by your dad again as he brings you inside and gently places you on the couch. he brushes your hair out of your face and pulls a blanket over you, making sure it’s tucked comfortably around your body. it gets cold in the house. 

- - - 

the last thing you remembered was being really tired after enduring what felt like hours of your parents catching up with their friends over dinner. the warmth of the family car always had a way of lulling you to sleep, the vents wrapping you in an invisible blanket as you drifted off.

“y/n? y/n!” your mom calls.

“honey, that’s not going to wake them up.”

well, you could wake up right now, but why would you do that? mom would probably make you help carry the leftovers in, and you’d have to walk all the way back to your bedroom upstairs. no way. you keep your eyes screwed shut, until the firm embrace of your dad’s arms lifts you up, up, and away, dropping you gently into bed. a blanket is tucked around you, a kiss pressed to your forehead.

“goodnight, sweetheart.”

- - -

your friends hang around the living room for a little while, or at least as long as you remember before the soft hum of their conversation and echoes of laughter and footsteps lull you back to sleep. 

- - -

1:29am

you wake up in the living room with only grunk and his poor sleep schedule remaining, the christmas tree now proudly upright and standing in the corner, twinkling with lights and the mismatched collection of ornaments everyone had picked out.

grunk is flipping through a fashion magazine, legs stretched out comfortably on the couch, when you remember something. you clear your throat and dig the ornament out from your pocket. “hey, i got something for you.”

he blinks, setting the magazine aside as he sits up, curiosity painting his face. “for me?”

“yeah.” you toss the bag to him, and he catches it with ease, shaking it lightly before peeking inside. the moment his fingers close around the ornament, his eyes widen.

“no way.” he pulls it out, turning the ornament over in his hands. it’s bold, abstract, and clearly something he would love.

he looks up at you, mouth slightly open in disbelief. “dude. this is sick.”

you grin, leaning back against the arm of the couch. “figured it’d be your vibe.”

“my vibe? this is, like, exactly my style,” he says, still turning it over, admiring every detail. “where did you even find this?”

“spotted it at macy’s while we were shopping. had to sneak off to grab it.”

“ macy’s? no way.”

he shakes his head in amazement before his expression softens, genuine appreciation shining in his eyes. “you really pay attention, huh?”

“well, yeah,” you say, shrugging. “It was hard to miss.”

he lets out a short laugh, but there’s warmth behind it. “seriously, dude. this means a lot.” he gives the ornament one last admiring glance before setting it carefully on the coffee table and, to your surprise, pulling you into a quick, firm hug. “thanks.”

“anytime,” you murmur, caught a little off guard but smiling nonetheless.

as he pulls away, he immediately picks the ornament back up, already scouting the tree for the perfect spot. “this deserves prime placement.”

you watch as he carefully hooks it onto a sturdy branch, stepping back with an approving nod. “perfect,” he declares, hands on his hips.

larry, who had been walking by, pauses to take a look. “okay, that’s actually really cool.”

“right?” grunk grins, then points at you. “courtesy of our resident stealth shopper over here.”

larry raises a brow at you, amused. “sneaky.”

you smirk. “i have my moments.”

the ornament gleams from its place on the tree. back to bed with you.

Chapter Text

you wake up in bed with only vague memories of a huffing and puffing yumi and aaron carrying you up the stairs. you try to figure out if larry’s still sleeping or not as you tiptoe around the room getting ready. on the one hand, he's not moving or reacting to any of the noise from downstairs, on the other hand, you can't tell if you're hallucinating the sound of tiktoks playing under the blanket. his hair is haloing the top of his head, you think he's so pretty. like a real life angel. you decide not to bother him right now. you do, however, move his toothbrush to the very top of the cabinet to annoy him when he decides to get up.

downstairs, isaac is balancing his patience between flipping pancakes and keeping yumi at bay. 

“hey sleepyhead, your plate’s already on the counter.” 

"thanks.” 

the way the strawberries on your pancakes are sliced make them look like little hearts. you can't help but remember how isaac was holding you against his chest, letting that linger in your mind a little too long. 

you check your unread messages.

> yumi: we think you fell asleep so we dragged you up to bed goodnight 

you think? you heart the message.

> larrrycroft: did you move my toothbrush

- - - 

now, it should be your final day at the group house. you were planning to return to your apartment after this weekend, but tanner found out from larry that you’re not actually tied to anything important for the holidays. you're not heading to your parents’ this year or, it looks like, getting any peace and quiet.

“do you wanna stay then?? we can carve pumpkins and stuff! and larry-”

"well it's christmas not halloween t-”

"okay but we can still cook and stuff,”

"okay that's obvious-”

nick cuts in. “well it’s not like you have anywhere else to be, so you’ll stay here!”

“i guess you guys already decided for me-” 

“Y/N IS STAYING???”

you outwardly wince and roll your eyes at an overexcited grunk practically yelling in your ear, but on the inside you’re happy to spend the holidays with your newfound friends. 

"well, i need to go back and get more of my stuff anyway.”

larry offers to drive you, and nick and isaac tag along to help carry stuff. grunk squeezes himself in too, just for fun. 

halfway through the drive, you glance at the rearview and see that the three of them are cramped in the backseat like three peas in a pod if someone put growth hormone in the soil and the pod was also really really small and made of black leather with red stitching. 

“literally nobody asked you guys to-" 

“i wanna see your apartment!!" 

“alright grunk."

you're only going to need like one bag for your clothes and maybe a pair of shoes, but whatever. apartment tour.

“hi, can i have one guest pass please, for unit 432?" 

"here you go, please park in the designated guest area.”

isaac hustles the four of you out and through to your apartment.

- - -

you're glad you cleaned before you left. larry points out his usual corner, "right there is where i usually charge my mac, oh and you can see i left my socks on the couch-”

"dude, eww, take those back with you.” lo and behold, larry's slightly yellowed nike socks perched on the back of your poor couch. how do those even get yellow? if anything, your oldest white socks have only turned grey.

wait. "where's grunk?" 

“bathroom!” he yells from down the hall, voice echoing way too loud for your tiny place. you hear a cabinet open. then another.

“he’s rummaging,” nick sighs. “grunk, stop going through their stuff.”

“i’m not! i’m just looking!”

“wait actually grunk if you want the silver bracelets in the top right cabinet, i don't really like the style anymore,”

"oh no, don't enable him-”

"YAY THANK YOU!!”

“-he’s just curious, it's okay!" nick just stares at you.

larry peeks out from the couch. “you never offer me anything…”

“you're like 5’4 dude you won't fit any of my stuff-" 

“those were bracelets though." 

you ignore him, walking to your closet. 

"i’m packing now, help me and i’ll throw stuff at you i don't want?”

"deal.” 

helping, by larry's definition, means sinking into your bed and watching. you throw a sweatshirt at him. 

isaac snickers under his breath, quiet enough that you barely catch it. when you glance up, he’s leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching you pack with a small, amused look. he smiles that sharp grin of his once he makes eye contact with you. 

“you need help packing?” he asks.

“oh, i’m good. just grabbing clothes.”

“you sure? i can-”

“isaac, dude,” nick interrupts, “if you help, you’ll just fold everything like it’s a macy’s display.”

“some people have standards,” isaac shoots back, edged with a teasing undertone that makes nick roll his eyes.

you bite back a smile, pretending to focus on zipping your bag. he would fold everything perfectly. you can already picture it.

grunk emerges from the bathroom and pops his head in holding your lavender soap. “ohmygosh this stuff smells like a cloud. can i-”

“not that.”

“...okay.” great, now you feel bad. his expression flattens slightly, and he starts to shuffle back to the hallway awkwardly. ohh, his horrible shiny little bright blue eyes…

“no i mean, that's almost out, i’ll order you one for yourself." 

his smile makes up for the $45 you're about to literally have go down the drain. 

larry gets up, stretching. “aight, are we good to go?" 

“yeah.” you sling your bag over your shoulder, take one last look at your apartment, making sure you're not forgetting anything, and lock the door behind you. larry’s already changed into the sweatshirt you gave him. 

down the hall, the group’s already spilling into the elevator, bickering over who gets the front seat.

“dibs!” grunk shouts.

“no shot,” nick says. 

isaac glances at you, “you can take shotgun if you want?”

“what, and leave you with those three?”

“guess we’re both suffering, then.”

you laugh, bumping his shoulder as you step into the elevator. “you make it sound so dramatic.”

“it’s because it is,” he says, "it feels like i have three toddlers.” and when you glance at him, he’s already looking somewhere else, trying not to smile.

nick shoves grunk and a jacket he seems to have stolen from you into the front seat, and the three of you squeeze into the back.

"only three? you have it easy.”

curious, you scroll back in your memory, remembering something nick told you about isaac. “he's like the dad of the group, he always buys everyone food and stuff, makes sure the house is organized and we're on time to places. he's kinda quiet about it though. we don't mention it, neither does he." "that's sweet. he does seem like the type to get shy if someone says it out loud.” "oh, spot on.”

- - -

your haphazardly secured bags did indeed survive the short drive back to the group house. tanner stumbles out of the garage, shrieking about something random he needs to show larry. grunk almost knocks you over shoving his head in between them.

“wow, feels like i never left." 

unbuckling your bags, you're barely able to brush some dust off before isaac grabs the straps right out of your hands.

the two of you, plus two bags, climb back up to larry's room. 

you tick off a mental list. lavender soap, order one 16oz. reply to aaron’s text, done. plug in your chargers, do that later. clear your emails, anytime.

hmm, dinner? oh, right, isaac’s still here. and he's looking straight at you.

Chapter Text

> isaacwhy: has anyone suggested oreos and water yet
“wait no, someone sent that in already.” ew.
> isaacwhy: has anyone suggested oreos and ☐☐☐☐☐| yet
> isaacwhy: has anyone suggested oreos and apple juice| yet
“not gross enough. c’mon.”
> isaacwhy: has anyone suggested oreos and ☐☐☐☐☐ ☐☐☐☐☐| yet
> isaacwhy: has anyone suggested oreos and protein shake| yet
“ewwwww, perfect. send it,” he says, but doesn’t even bother to wait a millisecond for you to tap the screen before he reaches his arm around and presses it for you. 
> yumi: nasty

- - -

oh, it’s all too much for poor you. poor larry too, but he’s used to it and you’re not. 
isaac’s instantly there, pulling your hair back with one hand and awkwardly rubbing your back with the other. “alright, okay, breathe, breathe, no, don’t look at larry, it’ll make it worse.”
you look at larry. larry looks back with crumbles around his mouth. 
“too late,” you croak, tears in your eyes, voice hoarse. 
“smile for the willy vlog!”