Chapter Text
Exam season had made everyone a little miserable.
Not in any particularly dramatic way. It was more that everyone seemed to be permanently tired, permanently busy, and increasingly incapable of having a conversation without someone mentioning an exam and another crying over it (usually lando).
George noticed it first.
He was sitting at the kitchen table with his laptop open, a textbook beside him and several stacks of flashcards spread out in front of him.
Alex was sitting across from him, scrolling through his phone, long given up on getting anything higher than a B on his veterinary exam.
Neither of them had spoken for several minutes.
Eventually Alex looked up.
“Georgie, How much work do you have left?”
George looked down at the stack of papers.
“Enough.”he sighed
“That bad?”
“I’ve been looking at the same question for fifteen minutes.”
Alex smiled slightly.
“You should take a break my love.”
“I can’t.”
“You can, you’ve been on that question for ages.”
George didn’t look up.
“I’m thinking.” he muttered
“You’ve been thinking for about twenty minutes.”
“I’ll get it.”
Alex watched him for another few seconds.
“George.”
“What?”
“Take a break.”
George finally looked up.
“I can’t. I seriously need to finish this lex.”
“You’ve been saying that since 2 hours ago.”
“I have a lot to do”
“You’re not getting anything done.”
“I am.” George frowned.
Alex just stared at him with his eyebrow raised. Questioning whether the sleep deprivation was finally getting to his boyfriend after numerous all nighters.
George quickly looked back at the screen.
“I’m nearly done.” he mumbled.
Alex leaned back in his chair, studying him.
“Why don’t you just leave it for tonight?”
“Because then I’ll have to do it tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
“And I still have everything else.”
“Yes.”
George sighed.
“You’re not helping.”
“I am actually, i’m trying to save you from collapsing of exhaustion in the middle of our living room. We’ve all been working for weeks. We can spare one evening.” he said through yawns.
George was quiet.
Alex continued, a little more gently this time.
“We could get everyone over. Watch something. Cook dinner. Just… do something that isn’t school for a few hours.”
George looked at him.
“When?”
“This weekend.”
George thought about it for a moment.
“That could actually be nice.” he said, slowly lowering the lid of his laptop.
“Exactly.” Alex insisted. Slowly realising his plan to get his bf from spiralling was working.
George nodded, considering how burnt out he was these few days, this could actually be a good idea.
“We could cook together, watch a movie… , chill with everyone..” George said slowly, thinking of what to do.
Alex smiled, He walked over to George and draped his arms over his shoulders, loosely clasping his hands together as his head was resting on his shoulders.
“I think that’s the most appealing thing you’ve said all week.” he said softly.
Slowly George picked up his phone.
“What day?”
“Saturday?”
George opened their group chat.
And before he could type anything, Alex angled his head to face the screen.
“Don’t make it sound like an invitation to a formal event.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
“You were.”
George rolled his eyes playfully and started typing.
⸻
The usual suspects
Mr organised:
Movie night at ours on Saturday?
Mr organised:
Thought it might be nice to do something after this week.
Albono:
and by “something” he means make everyone cook dinner for him
Mr organised:
That’s not what I said.
Albono:
you were thinking it
Mr Organised:
Anyways. Dinner + movie. Everyone free? 👍
⸻
At Max and Charles’ place, the mood was soft.
Charles was lying on the bed, half underneath the duvet, while Max sat beside him with his laptop open.
“So if the airflow separates here,” Max said, pointing at something on the screen, “you lose downforce because the pressure distribution changes.”
Charles nodded.
“Right.”he mumbled sleepily
“And then if you change the angle of the wing—”
Charles nodded again.
Max looked at him.
“Charlie, are you listening?” he questioned softly
“Mhm.”
“What did I just say then?”
Charles paused.
“That…uh..the air does something.”
Max stared at him.
Charles smiled.
“I am listening.” he said, reaching for max’s hand, snuggling closer for comfort.
Max shook his head and went back to the screen. unable to hide the grin and chuckle threatening to spread across his face.
Suddenly, Charles’ phone buzzed.
Slowly, he let go and reached over to the nightstand where his phone was plugged in. Tilting his phone just enough to see the message on the screen.
“George wants to do a movie night.” Charles said, as he yawned.
Max slowly leaned over and wrapped his arms around Charles waist, his thumb rubbing gentle circles over his side.
“Saturday?” he said, looking at the screen.
“Yeah.”
“That sounds good schatje.”
Charles typed back.
⸻
Le clerk:
we’re free, saturday works
Maximus:
what are we watching?
Albono:
we haven’t decided anything yet
Mr organised:
We haven’t even decided what we’re cooking.
Landito:
wait
Landito:
MOVIE NIGHT???
⸻
Lando had apparently been doing absolutely nothing useful.
He had been lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, obviously avoiding the work he had promised himself he would finish that afternoon.
When George’s message came through he had to take a double take, it had him sitting upright almost immediately, legs swinging excitedly off the bed.
“OSCAR!!” he shouted
There was no answer.
“Oscar?”
“Yeah?” a voice called out from the living room.
Lando grabbed his phone and looked through the messages again.
“George is having a movie night.” his excitement clearly evident from his tone of voice.
From the other room, Oscar called back, “Okay?”
“OKAY? It’s a movie night!”
Oscar appeared in the doorway with his laptop still open, and glasses propped neatly on his head.
“Yeah, I can hear.” he replied.
Lando rolled his eyes and turned the phone toward him anyway.
“Look.”
Oscar read the messages.
“Saturday?”
“Yes.”
“I’m free.”
“Great!, so i’ll message George right now.”
Oscar looked at him with a confused expression. a memory clearly flashing through his mind.
“What?”
“Don’t you have a report to finish tomorrow ?”
“Yeah.. but that can wait osc! if I need help i’ll just get either George or you to do it for me!” he giggled
Oscar just shook his head in disbelief as a small laugh slipped from his lips.
Lando grinned and dropped back onto the bed.
“I’m not doing homework on Saturday.” he stated.
“You weren’t doing it today either.”
“That’s different.”
“How?”
“I’ve decided to be productive tomorrow.”
Oscar gave him a look.
“You say that every day lan.”
Lando ignored him and opened the group chat.
⸻
Landito:
i’m in and osc is too!
Pastry:
yep 👍
Landito:
wgat movie tho
Mr organised:
That’s what we’re deciding.
Landito:
I have suggestions.
Albono:
how in the world did lando spell suggestions?
Le clerk:
I think it’s oscar.
Landito:
And you would be correct. I’m typing for Lando because he’s too stoked to type apparently.
Maximus:
sounds about right
Mr organised:
What kind of suggestions?
Landito:
‘Good ones’ apparently.
Maximus:
That doesn’t answer the question.
Landito:
i’ll make a lits
Pastry:
Please don’t make a list*
Le clerk:
Oh you’re back lando! Hi!
Landito:
HI charles! and too late i alrd made a list
Mr organised:
Oh dear.
Albono:
lmfao, georgie just face palmed for the fifth time tdy.
Maximus:
real.
⸻
Oscar sighed and dropped back into his side of the bed next to lando, his laptop now on his nightstand. Periodically he would glance at the mess covering his desk. His engineering assignment was still open on his laptop, half-finished and completely ignored.
He had been trying to convince himself that he could get it done before the evening, but the group chat had been steadily filling with messages about the event. Judging by the amount of arguing going on, there was probably no chance of him getting any work done anyway.
He stared at his laptop for another few seconds before closing the tab.
Thermodynamics could wait.
Lando, apparently, could not.
The moment Oscar leaned back against the headrest of the bed, Lando launched himself across the bed, his whole body draped over Oscar’s legs.
“I have the movie list,” he announced, still laying down.
Oscar laughed. “Of course you do.” Slowly pressing a kiss to the side of Landos mouth, making him giggle.
“And I have some really good ones.” Lando added.
“How many?”
Lando hesitated.
“…Fourteen.”
Oscar stared at him. With the patience of a man who was deeply in love with an idiot.
“I narrowed it down!” Lando clarified.
Oscar shook his head slowly, amused , as Lando shuffled closer and unlocked his phone.
“Right,” Lando said, pulling up the list. “Listen to this one first—”
He sighed again, though this time there was a small smile on his face.
⸻
Mr organised:
Okay. First thing: what does everyone want to eat?
Albono:
something easy since we’re going to be making it
Landito:
piza
Mr organised:
We’re cooking. You remember that right?
Landito:
piza can be cookedd
Mr organised:
Not ordering it.
Landito:
i know
Le clerk:
Pasta?
Maximus:
Pasta sounds good.
Albono:
pasta it is
Mr organised:
Good. We’ll figure out what kind later.
Landito:
I want to mke dessertt
Maximus:
You said that last time.
Landito:
and?
Pastry:
You forgot the sugar.
Landito:
mynor issue
Mr organised:
You’re not making dessert alone.
Le clerk: you might burn it and yourself
Albono:
lando ily but you cant be trusted within 3 inches of the hob.
Pastry:
I can supervise him.
Landito:
wow. is it buly lando day or smth?
Maximus:
that’s everyday
Landito:
wow. so you all hte me 😔
Maximus:
yes
Albono:
👀
Pastry:
Woah there, @Leclerk control your man.
Mr organised:
👀
Le clerk:
Max! be nice
Albono:
i’m crying omd
Le clerk:
anyways i’ll help lando with the desert.
Mr organised:
That’s probably safer.
Landito:
tenk u charles
Pastry:
This is either going to go really well, or really shit.
Mr organised:
For my sanity, I hope it’s the former.
⸻
George smiled at the screen.
It was nice.
Nothing complicated. No plans that required booking anything or organising anything perfectly. Just six people sitting in different places, deciding what they wanted to do on a Saturday night.
Alex noticed it and glanced over.
“What’s up?” he asked.
George turned his phone around. The grin still evident on his face.
“They’re actually agreeing on things for once.”he added.
Alex read through the messages.
“Give it time.” he quipped.
George chuckled. Pressing a kiss to his jaw.
“Maybe-“
His phone buzzed again.
⸻
Landito:
movie sujestions incomin
Mr organised:
Please keep it to three.
Landito:
why
Mr organised:
Because otherwise we’ll spend three hours deciding.
Landito:
that’s part of the fun!
Maximus:
No, it isn’t.
Le clerk:
It kind of is.
Albono:
yeah, it is fun👍
Pastry:
No.
Albono:
Charles and Lando are the only people here who understands me.☹️
Mr organised:
Fine. Three movies.
Landito:
four
Mr organised:
Three.
Landito:
three and a half
Mr organised:
Lando.
Landito:
George.
Pastry:
Lando.
Landito:
fine.
Mr organised:
kill me now.
⸻
There was a short pause.
Then:
Landito:
actually wait
Landito:
I have five
Mr organised :
I’m muting this chat.
Albono:
don’t you dare
Maximus:
Let him send them
Le clerk:
I want to see the options too.
Pastry:
You guys encourage him way too much.
⸻
George looked at the messages, then at the unfinished work on his laptop.
He closed the chat for a moment.
1..2..3….7...10.
He lasted approximately ten seconds before opening it again.
Saturday was still several days away, but already, for the first time that week, everyone seemed to have something to look forward to.
And perhaps that was the point.
No exams. No deadlines. No studying.
Just dinner, a movie, and a house full of friends.
The actual logistics could wait until tomorrow.
For now, they had a plan.
Somewhat.