Work Text:
"Oh c'mon," Ryland whined, tugging on Colt's shirt sleeve as he leaned on his brother's shoulder, towering over him as he sat at a desk. "It'll be fun. Everyone is going to be there!"
"I doubt that," Colt rolled his eyes, shoving Ryland off of him and onto the bed nearby. "Besides, I have to get this project done. I'll fail the class if I don't and I really don't want to put up with this bitch again next semester."
"Please!" Ryland begged. ""I'll help you with it tomorrow! It's super easy, I already finished mine last week. Please…"
Letting out a deep sigh, Colt weighed his options. He could either finish his project later and go with Ry to the party - one that Marissa, his girlfriend, had been telling him about all week - or he could stay and make sure he aced his final, the thing he needed to pass the class and not have to retake it.
Ryland was going to go either way and it was bound to be rampant with drugs and alcohol, as Chad's parties always were. Colt knew how his brother liked to let loose, it'd be better if he went for everyone involved, especially if Colt didn't want to pick Ryland up from the county jail again tomorrow.
"Fine," Colt reluctantly agreed as Ryland pumped his fist into the air with a drawn out 'yesss', "but you have to leave when I tell you to and no going overboard. I'm not calling Court for bail money again. He nearly strangled us both last time."
"Deal!"
God, Colt thought to himself. What did I just agree to?
~~~
"Ready to go?" Colt asked, pulling on his dark jacket as he looked over at Ry. "There's no fucking way you're wearing that."
He'd cleaned up for the party, something casual and comfortable that was bound to get Marissa's attention. Ryland on the other hand, had decided to dress the dumbest way possible.
"I am fucking wearing this," Ryland shot back, brushing off his shirt, a gag gift from Colt and Court that never made it's way out of the dorm room most times, only getting worn on the occasion that there were no other clean clothes and always under a jacket.
It was a plain black shirt with white writing that read 'I respect women so much that I never have sex with them'. Colt and Court had gotten it for Ry as a gift after he came out as aromantic and asexual, something for them to laugh about and remind Ryland that he was loved regardless.
"Ry, for the love of fuck," Colt began, cradling his head in his hands. "Please, pick something else to wear."
"Nope," Ryland adamantly disagreed. "It was a gift and it'll make sure I don't get hit on tonight."
"By girls!"
"You intimidate all of the guys, so there! Both bases covered!"
"I fucking can't with you," Colt sighed out, resigning himself to his fate and his twin brother.
"Feelings mutual. C'mon, we're gonna be late," Ryland remarked with a smirk, grabbing Colt's hand and dragging him out of the dorm and down the street while Colt texted Marissa that they were on their way.
Excitement built in Ryland's chest as he got closer to the frat house, the thumping base beating in his chest in rhythm with his heart. It had been a few months since his last party, needing to buckle down for his senior year for his biology degree, but now he could finally let loose. He was going to make the most of it.
Colt, on the other hand, was feeling a mix of excitement and nerves, slightly worried about Ryland. He loved his brother, but he had a tendency to go big or go home for these things and he never went home. God, how Colt wished sometimes he would just go home.
Stepping into the house, Ryland quickly split off from Colt, stepping into the kitchen and grabbing a beer, drinking it quickly as he grabbed a second and moved deeper into the house, likely looking for the suppliers he knew, the kids on campus that knew where to find the best 'enhancements' for parties that Ry indulged in occasionally: pills and weed.
Nothing dangerous or addictive, just something to take the edge off or to make the night a little more fun. Colt never saw the appeal in it, but Ryland used them to help relax and break out of his shell a bit more than usual.
Colt always kept a running list of who was distributing. If anything ever went wrong, they'd be sure to face his and Court's wrath.
"Hey there handsome," Marissa purred, leaning on Colt and giving his a soft kiss as she wrapped her arms around him. "Where's your other half?"
"Probably getting high as a kite already," Colt mused, rolling his eyes. "I told him to take it easy tonight."
"Oh relax, Colt. He's a big boy, he can handle himself."
"That's what I'm worried about," Colt admitted with a nervous chuckle.
Last time Ryland had gone to a party without Colt, it had ended with him getting arrested with an assault charge. Some guy had gotten too handsy with one of Ryland's friends, a shy girl Colt didn't know the name of, and when Ry told him to back off, the guy decided to size Ryland up. It didn't end well for him.
Colt, and Court by proxy, had been pissed getting that call, but at least Ryland knew how to throw a punch. The bastard ended up needing stitches in the hospital and also got arrested for assault. The most Ryland had was a bruise from letting the guy swing first.
"Just breathe, baby," Marissa remarked. "Grab a drink and just have a good night with me, okay?"
Fuck it.
"Okay," Colt agreed, letting out a deep breath and grabbing punch for him and Marissa, leading her to the dance floor and holding her close, losing himself in the music, but Ryland was always in the back of his head.
~~~
Sitting outside, Ryland nursed his 6th(? Maybe 7th? 8th?) drink of the night as he breathed out smoke from his blunt, letting the cold air wrap his warm body in its embrace.
He'd quickly lost Colt to Marissa, which was fine, so he'd taken to hanging out in the back of the party, smoking weed and popping a few pills while he drank. This had been exactly what he needed, relaxing completely in the sensations around him and the music that pressed itself out of the walls of the house.
It was well past 2 in the morning now, the stars out bright as Ryland quizzed himself on them, letting himself bask in their soft light from above.
"Hey there sexy," a clearly male voice remarked. "Anyone sitting here?"
"Yes," Ry snapped, taking another hit of his blunt, waning to be left alone. "Now fuck off."
"No need to be like that," the man said, sitting down anyway. "Name's Chad. I take it you're enjoying my party?"
"I've seen better."
"But you're having a good time?" The man, Chad, pressed, wrapping an arm around Ryland's shoulder.
"Fuck off," Ryland said again, pushing Chad off of him as he stood up, staggering slightly from the booze and drugs. "I came here to have fun, not get harassed by some prick."
"That's no way to talk to someone, especially not someone this hot. How about we get out of here? I can show you a much better time than this party," Chad offered, clearly not getting the hint.
"Apparently you're fucking stupid since you aren't understanding me, so let me try and speak moron to you. Sorry if I'm not fluent," Ryland spat, his eyes searching for someone to come and stand by him. "I said fuck off. I'm not interested."
"But I am," Chad whispered, grabbing Ryland faster than he could react, holding him close to his chest, the sour smell of beer permeating off of him as Ryland's heart hammered in his chest.
"Hey! Get the fuck off of him!"
Using the distraction, Ry pushed Chad off of him and stumbled to the stairs where Colt grabbed his arm and held him up.
"You good?" He asked, worry lacing his voice as his eyes scanned his brother, looking for any sign that Ryland was hurt.
"I'm okay," Ryland mumbled, glaring daggers at Chad. "This fucker just thought that me being alone was an invitation."
"Oh," Chad huffed out, his face burning red, "don't act like you weren't interested. I've heard all about you, I just figured you might want to be fixed. Not wanting women is fine, so take this opportunity, why don't you."
Colt froze immediately as Ryland stiffened like he'd been shot.
"The hell did you just say to him?" Colt asked, his voice low and seething, waiting for this asshole to give him a reason, just one more reason, to swing.
"I said that if you're brother wants to be fixed, I can show him a good time. Get all that robotic nonsense out and make him more normal," Chad reiterated, smirking the whole time as Ryland threw his blunt down to the ground, snuffing it out as he set his drink on the railing, curling his hands into fists.
"That's what I thought you said," Colt confirmed with a small nod.
~~~
"Are you two fucking kidding me?!?" Court's voice rang out from the other side of the cell. "Fucking again Ryland?!"
"Sorry Court," the two muttered out, leaning on one another as tired yawns escaped their mouths.
"No! Sorry doesn't cut it! You two can't go and get into fights just because someone pisses you off. Fuck, I thought I taught you better than this! What's the first rule of getting in a fight?"
"Don't get caught," Ryland murmured.
"We couldn't run before the cops came," Colt explained, an arm wrapped tightly around Ryland. "We kinda got a bit too into it."
"Ya think?!?" Court shouted at them, ignoring how the cop eyed them as he berated them. "The guy is gonna be in the hospital for the next week to heal from what you two did! Not including the broken arm and nose!"
"Fucker deserved it," Ryland sighed out, his head resting on Colt's shoulder, still high and drunk, barely aware of where he was. "Told me I was broken. Look who's broken now?" He giggled out, not noticing how Court's anger fizzled out towards his younger siblings.
"He said you were broken?" Court asked, his voice low with rage bubbling just below the surface.
"Yeah," Colt filled in, squeezing Ryland closer to him as he spoke. "Bastard said he could fix Ry. So, he got what he was asking for."
"Damn right he did," Court agreed, proud of his brothers for looking out for each other. "C'mon you two, let's get you out of here and get you home."
Opening up the door, Court embraced both of his siblings, wrapping an arm around each of them as he basically carried Ryland out to the car, too drunk, high, and tired to really be completely aware of the situation.
"Can you two promise me something?" Court asked, driving off with his two younger brothers in the backseat, Ryland fast asleep already, leaning on Colt who was holding him tight. "Next time, give me a call so I can make a house call for the fuckers, okay? At least I know how to not get caught."