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"Are we doing anything for Halloween?" Claire asked, looking up from the mash potatoes she was pushing around on her lunch tray.
"Not hungry?" Simon ignored the question as Maddie piped up to answer it.
"My mom's volunteering for that trunk-or-treat, so I kind of, like, have to go. Normally me and Si spend the whole night binging movies or scaring kids."
"Nope." Claire pushed her tray to him, smirking as he immediately dug into it. "No offense, Maddie, but a trunk-or-treat sounds.."
"Yeah, I know. I wouldn't even be going if it weren't for the whole being dead thing."
"Could always go see a movie," Nicole suggested, handing her phone to Claire. Xavier assumed it was next week's showings.
"The cheerleaders are having a party, but I don't think it'd be any of your styles," Claire said offhandedly, scrolling.
"Yeah, no dice. No offense, Claire." Simon laughed.
"None taken. Even I don't love being surrounded by freshmen, and I'm not a quiet senior with melancholy in his eyes."
"Was that for me or Xavier?"
"Both. You do have a little more anger than melancholy, though."
"I'll tag along if you really want to go." Nicole shrugged.
"Xavier?"
He jumped, as if he hadn't been listening the whole time. "I mean-" He shrugged. "-you know I don't really do parties. And I also don't want to get mobbed."
"Acting like he doesn't want to answer questions isn't really an act," Simon said, laughter laced under it.
"Not to people he knows in person, anyways," Nicole joked.
"He's getting better about it." Simon put his head on the table–sideways, so he could still look at everybody. Minus Xavier, who he was sitting beside.
He seemed oblivious to the eyebrow raise that received from Maddie and Claire, and the way it made Xavier shift in his seat. Normally Maddie was the one saying shit like that.
"If we all want to do different things, we may as well. It's not like we don't hang out enough," he continued.
"I wish we could, though. We were supposed to watch Halloween again." Maddie pouted.
"On Halloween?" Claire asked, smirking.
"Yep."
"If the trunk-or-treat ends before Tasha's party you can totally come, if your mom will let you."
"Ugh, same to you. I do not want to be there with mom and kids all night."
"You up for horror movies?" Simon asked, sitting up to look at Xavier.
"Sure. My house?"
"Duh. Always is."
"The sheriff will be out all night dispelling mischief, anyways." Maddie rolled her eyes. Then, "You don't even like horror movies."
Xavier shrugged. "I'm not anti-horror movie."
Simon took to Xavier's uneaten food while he watched him scroll Instagram.
"Did you not eat breakfast?" Nicole asked.
"He got to school late," Xavier supplied, letting Simon reach past him to steal his coffee.
"You drive him," Maddie pointed out.
Shrug. "I'm not hungry."
"You're worse than we were." She laughed, taking a snack from her bag and tossing it over.
Popcorn. Score.
"Any movies you've been meaning to watch?" Simon asked. It was a few days later, the two of them sitting in Xavier's car after school.
He absently took the bun Simon offered him, vaguely aware it was called pandesal. He stared out at the park, question overtop of his thoughts.
He looked over to Simon, who was still watching intently. "I don't think so."
"What have you seen already?"
"I did like Alien. I think I've seen the first movie from some other series."
"Scream? I think you'd like those."
"Alright." Xavier leaned back, looking at him.
It was never really a question that Simon would stay the night, so even as it neared midnight they didn't have to worry about curfew. But Xavier tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes anyways. Simon's head sat on his shoulder, thick hair puffing onto his neck.
"Tired?" Xavier nudged him.
He whined, pushing himself up and rubbing his face. "We didn't even finish."
"You'll still be here tomorrow."
"I hate pausing in the middle of movies." It was pouty, lacking the lace of disdain Simon usually had, and Xavier had to fight off a laugh.
He stood up and stretched, collecting everything they hadn't eaten so he could pack it up. Some stuff was fine a bit stale, but not cupcakes. Simon watched, unbothered.
He leaned over the back of the couch, tiredly hanging his head over Simon's. "Please don't make me drag you."
He looked up, matching Xavier's gaze. "Could be fun."
"Oh my god." He dipped his head further, sighing. But he couldn't help the amusement that crept into his voice, or the smile tugging at the edge of his lips.
He laughed, shoving Xavier out of his way. "Fine. But I'm bringing this blanket."
"You like my blanket!"
"So?"
"I'm not changing the AC if you get hot." Xavier followed Simon upstairs, grabbing a water bottle first.
"You have thicker skin than I do, you'll be the one getting hot."
Simon stood between his bag and the bed, probably considering whether or not he could be assed to change. Xavier snorted, pulling an old pair of shorts from his brief stint in sports and a tank top out of his dresser.
He felt Simon's eyes on him as he changed, which was ever familiar even when he was fully clothed. He didn't say anything, because he really didn't mind. Not that he was good enough at telling what Simon was thinking to know if he should mind.
Simon was already changed and in bed by the time he turned around. And he couldn't really bring himself to be indignant that boy didn't even pretend he wasn't staring.
Still, he asked, "Seriously?"
To which he got a grin. He ignored the stutter of his heart, the butterflies in his stomach, the breath catching in his throat, and the realization hitting him. He was totally in love with this asshole bastard.
"How do you think the girls' Halloween is going?" He grabbed his phone off his bedside table, opting not to say anything about the thing he was definitely ignoring. His phone had been upstairs charging, and if Simon had his he hadn't been looking at it, so they were devoid of updates on how tonight was going for everybody else.
"Looks like Claire is going to have to find a new costume for next year," Simon commented as Xavier saw the photo himself.
Her face was as close as it ever got to miserable, and red punch poured down her shoulder. It reached her pants, but the stains from those few drops would barely even be noticeable, at least.
'kms.'
It was from four hours ago, and Maddie had messaged back immediately.
'girls night now'
Xavier sat down, skimming past everything else.
'yikes' Simon had finally replied to Claire's ruined shirt. Xavier snorted, meeting a smirk as he looked up to Simon.
He hearted Simon's message. 'that's never coming out, is it?' he added.
"Nope."
He woke up with Simon half on top of him. That, and a barrage of messages from the girls. Both were normal, as in, typical things he woke up to. Given the thing he was still ignoring, though, he considered as he started to actually wake up, he just woke up with Simon on top of him. He choked on his toothpaste. When he was done trying to wash the taste out of his mouth, he spared a glance at the mirror. He was glad his room was always dark, provided just enough light through the window or by the lamps. Simon would probably notice his face was red anyways. But he could hope.
He was snooping through Xavier's drawers when he got back. He'd only stayed over a couple times before, so he hadn't run out of closets to look for skeletons in yet.
"Your dad doesn't go through your stuff, does he?"
"No. Why?"
"You don't even put your condoms and vapes in different drawers."
It was the judgement dripping off his tongue that made Xavier laugh. He threw the old clothes he called pajamas vaguely in the direction of the hamper, blocked from his sight by the closet door. Pulling out one of his favorite pairs of jeans and a good enough shirt, he said, "It's not like I need to. He didn't even search my room when I was accused of murder."
"What is wrong with your dad?"
"No idea."
Simon had begrudgingly changed into actual clothes, and only because he may as well if he needed to put his binder on anyways. Xavier really didn't care to find out what his dad would say about his best friend being a trans guy. He cared even less what his dad would have to say about the fact Simon had stayed over multiple times.
His dad wasn't even home, though. There was a note scrawled on the fridge about how he "needed to pick up a shift and the girls could come over if they wanted."
They'd woken up at eleven, so rather than cook Xavier just threw deli meat and everything else he had for sandwiches on the island.
"Want to call them once we finish the movie?"
"Sure."