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It was nearly midnight when Zanka arrived at August’s New Year's Eve party. He had been flip-flopping on going, but Riyo and Rudo eventually dragged him along. Riyo even convinced him to be lightly dusted in her sparkly powder. It wasn’t visible unless he was in the right lighting, but it did complement his earrings nicely.
It was too cold to mingle outside, but there were a few stragglers hanging around the house. Inside smells like weed and alcohol, as any college party does.
The trio made their way to the kitchen and grabbed cups full of punch before going to mingle. Zanka side-eyed Rudo because the kid was still underage, but Riyo swore she’d look after him.
“Hey, hey!” A boisterous voice echoed around them. “Look who’s here, it's Mr. Bad Attitude! I didn’t think you were into parties!” Zanka turned around, startled and slightly uneasy, avoiding a what the fuck stare from Riyo. After their incident in the chemistry lab, Zanka and Jabber had been flirting consistently, but they hadn’t had the opportunity to spend any time together beyond that day.
Upon seeing Jabber, Zanka’s mouth ran dry. The guy had some of his hair tied up and was in a white, cropped tank top, which would be fine, really, except for the fact that he was also wearing an absurd amount of jewelry and an oversized purple jacket that was falling off his shoulders. Zanka had only ever seen hints of his collarbones, but now he had a front row seat to all the lean muscles Jabber had hidden away. He was knocked out of his thoughts by a sharp jab to his side from Riyo. “Ow!”
“Hey Zanka, buddy, do you wanna introduce me to your friend there?” She was wearing a devilish smirk; she’s always been able to read Zanka like an open book.
“O-oh, right, Riyo, this is-”
“Name’s Jabber,” finished the other, sauntering over to Zanka and throwing an arm around his shoulders. “We lab partners ya see, but Zan-zan over here is a hard guy to track down outta class,” Jabber only had two inches on him, but the power he held over Zanka in this moment was embarrassing. “Caught youuuu,” Jabber sang with a wicked smirk. Zanka had forgotten about how many piercings this guy had, but they all looked like they belonged. The ones that Zanka’s eyes kept falling back to were the angel fangs and septum.
“Yeah,” Zanka released the breath that had been caught in his throat, and finally tore his eyes away from Jabber’s face to look at Riyo. “I was stuck with his ass all semester.”
“C’mon, don’t pretend like we ain't have fun together!” Jabber pulled Zanka from side to side, and Zanka struggled to keep his balance. “Riyo, was it? Nice ta meet cha!” Jabber enthusiastically extended his free hand in Riyo’s direction. Zanka finally noticed the very strong smell of weed coming from the other. He was so thrown off his rhythm at first that he didn’t register it at all.
“Oh, believe me, it’s a pleasure,” Riyo grinned and shook his hand. Rudo had been silent the whole time, eyes scanning between the three of them. Zanka prayed he didn’t say something stupid; he wasn’t the brightest guy. Attempting to ease his nerves, Zanka took a big swig of his drink, trying to down the whole thing. Damn, this punch was strong.
“Y’all mind if I steal him for a bit?” Zanka sputtered, nearly choking on his last gulp, and whipped his head, shocked by the other’s boldness. Sure, they’ve had decent back-and-forth banter in the lab, but that was in a controlled space where Zanka felt confident. He most certainly did not feel confident right now, but he still bristled at the comment.
“What do you mean steal me–”
“Sure!” Riyo piqued up. “See you later, Zan-zan,” she said slyly, winking at him.
“Hey, wait–!” Zanka tried, but she was already pulling Rudo away by his wrist, the other asking more questions and sounding more confused than Zanka felt.
“Soooo,” Jabber crooned in his ear. Zanka couldn’t suppress a shiver. He was so close, and his arm was still heavy on Zanka’s shoulder. Half of Jabber’s locs were tied up, so the natural barrier that Jabber surrounds himself with was thinner. Zanka caught his eye again and noticed that Jabber, too, had adorned himself with glitter, mainly as eyeliner and tiny gold flecks. Fuck.
“Where you been hiding bro? Been wanting to hang for a while now.” God, the way he talked made Zanka weak in the knees. “Don’t tell me you’ve been avoiding me.”
Zanka needed to get a grip; this was getting out of hand. It didn’t help that the alcohol started to take effect, his head becoming fuzzy. “Of course not, but some of us have dual majors and can’t afford to slack off.”
“Mmm,” Jabber hummed and leaned in closer. His sharp gaze seemed to pierce straight through to Zanka’s core. “Sure, but that’s only half the reason… ain’t it?” Jabber chuckled. Damn, he clocked Zanka.
“Fine, yeah, I was also worried you’d distract me. Happy?” Alcohol sure loosened his lips, and he felt a twinge of embarrassment.
“Distract you in what kinda way?” Jabber’s voice suddenly became very low, and Zanka felt like prey.
“You know what kind of way,” Zanka mumbled, his eyes dipping down to Jabber’s angel fangs again.
“Heh, yeah I suppose I do, don’t I?” Jabber snickered, his gaze turning into something dangerous for a moment. But as soon as Zanka saw it, Jabber leaned back and broke the spell. The searing light from the overhead fixture suddenly overtook Zanka’s vision. He didn’t realize how close Jabber had actually been, and had to blink to focus.
“Follow me,” Jabber said gleefully, not giving Zanka time before he started pulling him towards the back door. Zanka only had a turtleneck compression shirt on, had dropped his jacket by the door, and tried to resist but Jabber’s grip on his wrist was firm and unrelenting. Guy was on a mission.
Zanka was assaulted with cold air the second they stepped outside, and was once again being dragged away. The drastic temperature change, combined with the alcohol, made him dizzy, and he swayed a bit on his feet. He began shivering, much to his displeasure.
“August and I go way back, so I know all them good spots these normies ain’t gonna bother us at.” Jabber glanced back at Zanka with half-lidded eyes and a smirk. “You trust me?”
“I shouldn’t.”
“I’ll take that as a yes!” Jabber led him to the side of the house that was nearly overgrown by weeds and bushes. “We would smoke out ‘ere sometimes when we was tryin’ to hide from Eishia… she disapproves.” Even though he was cold, Zanka felt his heart stir at the anecdote. He didn’t know too much about Jabber, but realized he wanted to learn more.
“There it is! Man, for a second, I was scared he threw it out.” Zanka peered over Jabber’s shoulder and saw a beat-up ladder.
“Oh hell no, I’m not climbing that!” Zanka exclaims.
“Hah?? You scared or something?”
“No! Everyone knows alcohol and ladders don’t mix!” Zanka hissed, starting to get irritated from the winter air.
“Here, you go up first, and I’ll stay down here to catch ya if you fall,” Jabber says easily, like he wasn’t also inebriated.
“Are you serious?”
“Duh.”
Zanka stared at Jabber for a moment, trying to decide if he really was about to do this.
“Well-well what if you fall?”
“Aww, Zan-zan, are you worried about me?” Jabber cooed, tilting his head to the side. Zanka, flustered, stomped over to the ladder.
“Course not, you freaking asshole,” he grumbled to himself as he started to ascend it. Of course, Jabber’s knowing laugh reverberated behind him. The ladder actually wasn’t too tall; it brought him to the overhang from the front of the house. Luckily, the roof wasn’t too steep, but he was still shaky on his feet.
Quickly, too quickly, Jabber appeared behind him, and Zanka briefly wondered how he was so quiet when he was wearing so many chains. Zanka tried not to jump when Jabber’s fingers interlaced with his own. Jabber’s skin was so warm against Zanka’s.
Carefully, Jabber guided him along the roof and stopped next to the chimney, leaning his back against it. Zanka was properly freezing by now, teeth clenched together to prevent clattering. As much as this interaction intrigued him, he was very irritated. He hated being cold. As if reading his thoughts, Jabber pulled Zanka towards him, released his hand, and enveloped him in his large coat. Zanka gasped out in relief, pressing closer into the warmth. Which, of course, meant pressing closer to Jabber. Their fronts were aligned and fit together like puzzle pieces.
They were silent for a few moments; they hadn’t been this close since the emergency shower in the chemistry lab. Zanka didn’t know where to put his hands, so they remained awkwardly at his sides.
Jabber grinned at him. “Having a good New Year's Eve so far?”
“Well, you know, I was until a psycho dragged me onto a roof.”
“Hmm… Can’t have that, guess I’ll have to go tell this psycho off then, won’t I?” Jabber was so enchanting, his silver piercings and body glitter glistening in the moonlight. His body was so, so warm, and even though he stank like weed, Zanka found he didn’t mind it.
“You better,” Zanka chuckled.
“TEN!”
The countdown had begun.
“NINE!” Zanka’s heart started racing, yet his fingers twitched, itching to hold something.
“EIGHT!”
“SEVEN!” Jabber smiled that god damn stupid smile.
“SIX!”
“FIVE!” Jabber’s fingers, still holding his jacket around Zanka to keep him warm, traced teasing lines down Zanka’s back and looked at him with barely concealed desire.
“FOUR!”
“THREE!” Zanka decided fuck it, and wrapped his arms around Jabber’s waist, slipping underneath his crop top. Zanka nearly melted at the additional heat that had been previously concealed. Jabber jerked against him at the feeling of cold hands against his bare skin, but Zanka didn’t pull his hands away.
“TWO!”
“You’re so beautiful,” Jabber whispered.
“ONE!”
Zanka pressed his lips up against Jabber’s, whose mouth was a scorching, blissful oasis.
“HAPPY NEW YEAR!!” Fireworks popped off in the background, and a myriad of colors painted their peripheral vision. Zanka didn’t dare pull away, just pressed Jabber harder into the brick siding of the chimney while his fingers explored the landscape that was Jabber’s midsection.
Jabber tasted like weed, but Zanka didn’t care. He had been thinking about this since they had gotten drenched together in their classroom, and he didn’t want to waste a second. Jabber kept making these small, tiny sounds that Zanka would kill to hear again. Luckily, it seems he wouldn’t have to, as the other man tightened his hold around Zanka’s torso and squeezed him harder into his chest, obviously enjoying himself.
Their mouths molded together in perfect harmony, open and hot; Zanka had never experienced a better kiss and was giddy from the attention. He didn’t anticipate this happening when he woke up this morning, but he damn sure was not complaining. He’d have to thank Riyo later; then again, she may not need the ego boost.
Zanka pulled away reluctantly, gasping for air. The chilly breeze stung in his lungs, having been previously spoiled with such a fiery act of passion.
Jabber was also breathing heavily, and Zanka was happy to know he wasn’t the only one who was so massively affected.
“Do ya…” Jabber trailed off, his fingers fluttering over the back of Zanka’s neck. “Do ya have any goals for the new year?”
“Hopefully more of this,” Zanka whispered, and once again latched his lips onto Jabber’s. Jabber let out a laugh, which was a song that Zanka wanted to memorize.
In nearly freezing temperatures atop the roof of a friend’s house, wrapped up with a new companion, Zanka figured this was the first time he should really follow through on his New Year's resolution.