Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Going from band in the morning to English class in the afternoon felt a torture to Pete. He dragged his feet, taking his time out in the crowded hallways so he could maybe, just maybe, spend less time with Mikey McMillin. As he entered the room, he noticed Mikey’s seat was empty. Part of him wondered where he was and whether or not he was okay, but the spiteful part of him hoped Mikey was skipping so he wouldn’t have to see him.

As the teacher started droning on about Shakespeare, Pete was jotting “notes” down in his notebook, but really they were more like unrelated poetry passages. He looked up when the door opened, and cursed himself internally when he made eye contact with Mikey. Mikey slid into his chair, letting his backpack hit the floor with a soft thud.

“Where were you?” Pete whispered to him.

“None of your business.” Mikey hissed back, leaning back in his chair.

Pete felt his heart drop when he noticed a small, purple bruise on Mikey’s neck, one that he wasn’t even trying to hide. Pete hissed in a breath, looking back down to his notebook. 

“And so, I encourage you all to start on your projects sooner rather than later. Copies of your Shakespeare plays are organized up here at the front, and the outline for the project can be located here on the front table. Any questions?”

A tense silence hung in the room as students looked at each other, not wanting to speak.

“No? Alright. Have at them.”

Many students got up to pick up their books, and Pete decided to hang back, waiting for the crowd to disperse. He looked back over at Mikey, who was texting.

“Are you going up? Or am I?” Pete hesitantly asked.

“You go.” Mikey muttered, obviously more absorbed in what was happening on his phone than in reality.

Pete rolled his eyes, finally getting up to go grab two copies of Romeo and Juliet, and two copies of the project outline, and brought them back to Mikey. He began thumbing through the pages as he sat back down, scrunching his nose at the Shakespearian text.

“Why do they talk so stupidly?” Pete muttered to himself.

“Fuck if I know.” Mikey, surprisingly, responded, “This whole thing is stupid.”

Pete scoffed, thinking to himself, ‘Of course you think it’s stupid. You’re too good for Romeo and Juliet, and you’re too good for me.’

As Pete began reading the play, he found lots of ideas swirling around in his mind. This was way different than the 1996 Leonardo DiCaprio movie, but he recognized many of the beats. Pete wouldn’t admit this to anyone, but he enjoyed English class. He liked reading, he liked writing, and he even enjoyed some literary analysis when it wasn’t mind-numbingly boring. 

He looked back at Mikey, “Dude, at least, like, pretend to read it. Are you just gonna sit on your phone all class?”

Mikey rolled his eyes, putting his phone down briefly to open the book, placing it spine down on the desk, and looked back at Pete, “Happy now?”

“You’re gonna be so useless in this project.”

Mikey shrugged, “Probably.”

Pete groaned, placing his head in his hands. ‘Fucking Mikey McMillin…’ 

~

Frank and Mikey sat beneath the bleachers at the school field, passing a joint back and forth between the two of them like it was gold. Mikey didn’t dare ask where Frank had gotten the weed; he knew well enough that he had probably met some sketchy guy in an alley for it. They sat with their legs stretched out in front of them, leaning back on their arms for extra support. It was Frank who broke the silence first.

“Things seemed really fuckin’ weird between you and Pete in band the other day. What happened? Weren’t you basically living in his house over the summer?” He asked as Mikey’s face flushed bright red.

“They seemed fuckin’ weird because they are.” Mikey admitted, gaze focused on the grass as he ripped it out in handfuls. “Yeah, we had a thing over summer but we’re done now. And for the record, I wasn’t basically living there, you can ask Illi about that.”

“Illi is the one who told me, dumbass.” Frank retorted as he kicked at Mikey’s foot gently. “Why’d it end?”

“Pete started talking about us like we were a thing, y’know? Talking about the future and all that shit and it really freaked me out. So I ran.”

“Shit.” Frank was quiet for a while before he spoke up again, “He’s a loser anyway so it’s not a big loss.”

Mikey let out a small laugh, “Did I tell you that the week we ended he sent me like 20 texts?”

“Jesus, I can only imagine how he’d be if you went exclusive.” Frank laughed back.

Silence eventually fell over the pair again as they shared the joint. It didn’t take very long for them to burn through it and Frank snubbed what was left out on the ground beside him. Frank reflected on how nice it was that he and Mikey could just sit in silence without the need to fill space with empty conversation. Both were content to rip grass out by the fistful and occasionally bump shoulders or feet together.

“Have you gotten over my sister yet?” Mikey asked suddenly, turning to look at Frank.

Frank flushed and suddenly the grass became extremely interesting. 

“Yeah, I’ve got my eyes on a few chicks now,” He spoke with the most confidence he could muster. In reality, most of that statement was not true. Frank was mostly over his feelings for Illi after getting publicly humiliated by her, but there were still some times he wished they could be more than just friends. 

“Yeah? Who?”

“Some of the cheerleaders.” Frank offered.

“Sweet.” 

The silence stretched long again before Frank spoke.

“You wanna come over and watch TV on Saturday?” 

“I can’t, I have a date.” Mikey replied quickly, a wide grin on his face.

“Is she hot?” Frank asked and it was his turn to turn and look at his friend, watching him closely.

“Oh yeah. I was at work and she gave me her number. We’ve been texting since just before school started.” He held up his phone as if to prove a point.

“If it doesn’t work out with you, send her to me.” Frank joked, “Or if you find out she has a sister. That would rule.”

“I can’t promise anything. I’m not really looking for a girlfriend right now so we’ll see if she’s cool about that.”

“Eesh, good luck with that, dude.”

Mikey reached over to smack Frank on the arm, “It’ll be great.”

“Suuure.” Frank said sarcastically, grinding the remains of the joint into the ground to extinguish it.

“I usually have pretty good luck with things-“ Mikey started but then paused, eyebrows furrowed in thought, “maybe it’s changed though. I got paired up with Pete for a stupid English project and got the worst possible Shakespeare play to do together.” 

“What, like Romeo and Juliet?”

Mikey solemnly nodded his head.

“Well shit. Am I going to get to say a eulogy at your funeral when you die from awkward Pete exposure?”

“Don’t even joke about it, Frank.”

~

Pete always dreaded waking up for school, but since he got forcibly assigned to sit next to his sort of ex, it was getting even harder. His one solace was that he got to see Patrick every day. He got to see him in band, and on non-band days, he saw him in creative writing class. 

Him and Patrick were laid on the floor of Patrick’s room, staring up at the ceiling as a Nat King Cole record played softly. Pete was always thankful when Patrick and his mom let him stay over, because he felt like he was actually part of a family instead of just being alone. 

“So… how’s Romeo?” Patrick finally spoke. 

“Shut up. I can’t believe I got assigned Romeo and Juliet with fucking Mikey McMillin. Is my life a cartoon?? It might as well be.”

“Who’s Romeo and who’s Juliet??” Patrick asked, very genuinely. 

“Well, we haven’t decided.” Pete sighed, “It’s hard to get anything done because he just sits there on his phone texting whatever girl he’s into.”

“That’s frustrating.” Patrick scrunched his nose, “There’s so much you could do with it.”

“What would you do?” Pete had taken a plushie from Patrick’s bed, a little blue teddy bear, and was petting it softly as he spoke to the ceiling. 

“I’d do a modern re-enactment. Like with skateboards and water guns.” Patrick chuckled at the thought of it, “And nobody dies, but they block each other on MySpace.”

“Trick, that’s so stupid.” Pete managed between laughs, “I kinda love it.”

“Stupid but you kinda love it?? That’s, like, my whole thing.” Patrick reached over to punch Pete’s side. 

“Can I steal that?? Please?” Pete reached over to tickle Patrick. 

“No! What if I need it for a project next year??” Patrick was laughing loudly as Pete tickled him. 

“Give it to me, Trick!!” Pete crawled over to him, straddling the other boy’s leg to keep him still to continue to assault him with tickles. 

“No!! Pete! Stop!” Patrick was howling with laughter. 

“C’mon! You know you wanna let your best friend Pete have that idea.” Pete leaned over Patrick, smirking at him. 

“Fine! Just stop tickling me!” Patrick grabbed Pete’s hands, holding them tightly. 

“Boys! Dinner’s ready.” Patrick’s mom called up to them. 

“Saved by your mom.” Pete grinned, bringing Patrick’s hand to his lips, giving it a quick kiss. This had Patrick blushing red, covering his face as Pete got off of him. “It’s so easy to make you blush, Trick.”

“Shut up!” Patrick flipped him off. 

The boys headed downstairs to the kitchen to meet with Patrick’s mom for dinner. It was just the three of them, making for a quiet dinner. 

“I’m glad you could join us, Pete.” She smiled as he came down, following Patrick as he went to wash his hands. 

“Thanks for having me.” Pete smiled at her. 

“You’re always welcome here.” She placed her hand on his shoulder. 

He followed the Stumps as they made their way to the table with their plates of spaghetti, sitting next to Patrick like he always did. 

“So, how was your day at school, boys?” She asked, and Pete looked over at Patrick, prompting him to respond. 

“It was good. I mean, I had gym first thing so that sucked, but we had band today.” Patrick spoke with his mouth full, “Mr. Maven has me playing like 3 instruments.”

“You do like playing different instruments.” She nodded, “What are you playing?”

“Alto and tenor sax, and trumpet.” 

“And what about you, Pete?”

He swallowed down his food before speaking, “I’m mostly playing tuba now. It’s kinda fun.”

“It’s so cool! He makes so much sound come out of that thing! He’s so loud!” Patrick gushed, and Pete elbowed him. 

“And how was your day, Pete?”

“Better now.” He flashed a grin, before spinning more spaghetti onto his fork, “I have a stupid english project on Romeo and Juliet.”

“Pete’s gonna do a modern re-enactment of Romeo and Juliet with skateboards and water guns.” Patrick snickered, earning a swift kick from Pete under the table. 

“That sounds like fun, Tricky, you should help him with that.”

“Yeah, Tricky, you should.” Pete grinned at him. 

“Maybe I will.” He smiled over at Pete, but his eyes said ‘Don’t call me Tricky ever again.’

After they finished with dinner, the two went for a walk down to the corner store to get a little treat, making their way to a park. They sat together under a tree, a slight September breeze blowing between them. Pete always felt content next to Patrick, and today was no exception. 

Chapter Text

“Have you ever been to the symphony?” Ray asked Illi one day as they laid on Ray’s floor, just the two of them, listening to music as they stared up at the ceiling. 

“Last time would’ve been on a band field trip.” Illi hummed, “I think it was Beethoven 5?”

“Would you wanna go again?” He turned to her, “I have two tickets to go see Symphonie Fantastique this Friday.”

“How’d you get a hold of those? I’d love to.” Illi smiled back at him.

“The youth orchestra has a program where you can get tickets to see the real orchestra. It’s, like, some sort of partner program.” Ray explained, fighting every urge in his body to grab her hand, “I think it would be fun if we went together.”

“I like Symphonie Fantastique.” Her wide sparkling eyes met his, “I can’t think of anyone I’d rather go with.”

Ray grinned at her. “It’s a plan then.”

~

Illi’s phone rang and she practically jumped up from her desk to go grab it off her bed, scattering papers and miscellaneous sketches onto the floor. 

“What’s up Ray?” She asked, sitting back down in her desk chair and reaching down to pick some of her sketches up, tucking them back into her sketchbook.

“Hey, I’ve.. uh.. I’ve got a question for you…” Ray spoke in a very nervous voice through the phone, “Don’t feel pressure if you don’t want to, but I was wondering if you would want to make our trip to the symphony into, like, a real date. Like in a more than friends way. Again, you don’t need to feel pressured to say yes and I totally understand if you don’t-“

”I’d love to, Ray-!” Illi interrupted quickly. In all honesty, she had been wondering if he would ask her out for a few weeks, ever since she had told him about getting into youth orchestra and the hug he had given her.

“Really?” He let out what sounded like a sigh of relief, “Wow.. phew. I was kinda worried you would say no.”

“Why would I say no?” She chuckled, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

“I- I don’t know. I just- Y’know…” He spluttered, “And.. I’d like to take you out for dinner before the show.. if you would be interested..?”

“That sounds great, but I have one condition… Can we get really dressed up? Like nice and fancy?”

“Of course we can. I have my orchestra tux I can wear.” 

“That’ll be perfect.” She said and then paused, a smile clear in her voice, “I’m really excited for this, Ray.”

“Me too.” He sounded like he was smiling too, “I can’t wait. I’ll see you tomorrow in class.”

~

Illi stood in front of the mirror attached to the back of her bedroom door and examined her outfit. She had chosen to wear the black dress she had found at the thrift store with Mikey just before school started. As she looked at herself, checking her makeup and hair, she was grateful that her brother was at work and not there to make fun of her for the way she was obsessing over her appearance.

She paced around the kitchen and front room until the glow of headlights swept through the windows as Ray’s car pulled into the driveway. She slipped on her flats and grabbed the little purse that she had borrowed from her mother, checking to make sure she had her phone, keys, wallet, and lipgloss, as the doorbell rang.

Her mom opened the door and greeted Ray, making a comment about how he looked handsome before calling for Illi.

She stepped out from behind her mom with a shy smile and a wave, “Hi Ray.”

“Hi Illi. You um- you look beautiful.” He stammered as he looked at her. Ray realized that he had never really seen Illi in a dress before. Sure, she wore skirts pretty often, but seeing her in a dress was somehow different, especially knowing that she was wearing it for a date with him.

“And you look… really good.” She felt her cheeks turn bright red.  

“You two are just adorable.” Illi’s mom cooed, “Can I take a picture? Please?”

“Uhh, no, mom, we’re gonna be late!” Illi laughed nervously, stepping out of the front door, “We can take pictures another time!”

“Alright, sweetie, have fun!” She called after them. 

“Bye Mrs. McMillin!” Ray called out as Illi grabbed his arm, dragging them to his car. 

Ray quickly stepped ahead of her, reaching for the passenger car door handle before she could reach it, opening the door for her. 

“Oh Toro, you’re such a gentleman.” She couldn’t hide her smile. 

He shut the door after she sat, walking around to the driver’s side. As he started the car, the familiar sounds of The Smashing Pumpkins filled the space. 

“Did you put on Siamese Dream just for me?” She teased. 

“Maybe I did. Just for you.” 

~

“I feel like we’re overdressed.” Ray laughed as they sat across from each other in a booth. 

“I think everyone here is underdressed.” Illi cradled her face in her hands, leaning forward on her elbows, “They don’t understand. This is a very formal occasion.”

“I feel like I should’ve picked something fancier.” He sighed, looking over at her, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, I love this place.” She looked around at the familiar walls lined with local nature pictures, “It’s so nostalgic.”

“It really is. Do you remember coming here for Mikey’s 10th birthday?” Ray began to chuckle a bit at the memory. 

“Oh yeah! We went to the jungle gym first.. and then we came here, and I guess it was all too much for him.” Illi laughed as she recalled it, having to stop and recompose herself, “And the poor boy.. he threw up all over the floor.”

“It was so gross! All over the floor.” Ray laughed, running a hand through his curly hair. 

“I felt so bad for the waitress who had to come clean it up, but she was so nice about it.”

“What a nice, yucky memory before we eat.” He sighed, smiling up at her, “I remember being happy I was next to you and not Mikey.”

“I felt bad for you too! You’re so squeamish.” She poked at him from across the table, “You nearly threw up too.”

“I can’t help it! It was gross.” He poked her in return. 

The pair were interrupted when the server came with their burgers and milkshakes, setting them down in front of them.

~

As the two found their seats in the concert hall, Illi was nearly buzzing with excitement, reading over the program they were sharing. 

“Can you believe it? There’s 4 bassoons!”

“And yet, only 2 clarinets.” Ray pointed at the program. 

She bumped their shoulders together as they read through the program notes together, pointing out other strange instrumentation choices, giggling to each other. 

As the lights dimmed, the conductor walked out onto the stage, sharing a few words on the program before starting the show. 

The opening piece was something Illi hadn’t heard before, and in all honesty, she thought it was kind of strange. She bounced her leg, trying to keep herself awake. She felt Ray’s arm brush up against hers, their fingers gently touching. 

He leaned his head close to hers, his curls tickling the sides of her face as he whispered, “So you’re finding this one weird too, right?”

“It’s so weird.” She murmured back, face buried in his curls, “I don’t think I get it.”

“Nobody does. I think they’re lying about it.” He chuckled, letting his pinky rest over hers. 

She flushed red at the contact, looking down at their hands. She was suddenly very thankful to her earlier self for repainting her nails with a fresh coat of black. She turned her hand over, palm up, an open invitation to him. 

He placed his hand on hers, gently intertwining their fingers, beaming up at her. She smiled back, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. She definitely wasn’t feeling tired now; The sensation of holding Ray’s hand had her buzzing with electricity. 

As they continued to watch, Ray gently rubbed his thumb along the soft skin of her hand, heart pounding in his chest from pure excitement. He had wanted to hold Illi’s hand for so long. Now that he was, it felt more like a dream than reality. 

The second piece was less abstract than the first, featuring a singer: a woman in a beautiful floor length red gown who sang in an operatic style. 

“She’s beautiful.” Illi whispered in his ear, leaning further into him. 

He turned to look at her, already red before he said anything, “She’s not as beautiful as you.”

Illi squeezed his hand, and Ray noticed he had caused a blush to overcome her face too. They stared at each other for a moment, the world disappearing around them. 

The intermission arrived, and they both stood to stretch their legs, Illi leaving to go to the bathroom. Ray stretched, watching the musicians mill about on the stage, setting up for Symphonie Fantastique. Adding two bassoons was a strange choice, along with adding a ton of string players. He didn’t usually pay the string players a lot of mind but he noticed the contrabass and cello sections had doubled in size. 

When Illi came back, Ray asked if she wanted anything from the concession counter, and she shook her head. They sat back down, chatting for a bit before the lights dimmed again, signalling the beginning of Symphonie Fantastique. 

As the piece began with the soft woodwinds, Ray felt Illi’s arm against his. She eventually slipped her arm between his arm and his side, reaching for his hand. He happily interlocked their fingers again, squeezing her hand gently. 

The piece held both of their attentions much more than the first two, Illi’s eyes lighting up any time the bassoons could be heard, squeezing Ray’s hand as if to say, ‘Look! My instrument!!’

As movement IV approached, she turned to him in excitement. He looked back, smiling as he watched her twinkling eyes following the bassoonists every move. As they played through the excerpt she played for the youth orchestra audition, she leaned in and whispered to him. 

“I know how to play this!” 

“You do. And you played it so well.” He whispered back, “Maybe we can ask Mr. Maven if we can do it in band.”

She squeezed his hand, nodding wordlessly. Towards the end of the movement, between the chaos, there was a beautiful clarinet solo that sang out from the orchestra. As the piece built up again, she whispered to him. 

“That’s you.”

He smiled, leaning his head against hers, giving her hand a small squeeze. 

~

“That was so cool!!” Illi gushed as Ray drove them home, “The bassoons sounded so good!”

“It was really beautiful, wasn’t it?” He smiled as he kept his eyes on the road. 

“It was.” She leaned back in her car seat, “Thanks for inviting me, Ray.”

“Of course. You were the perfect person to ask.” He said, still smiling, “And.. I was looking for a reason to ask you on a date.”

“I think it was a perfect first date.” She spoke as he pulled into her driveway, “I got to dress up, we got to see a beautiful orchestra show and I got to spend the evening with you.”

She went to open her door, but he stopped her, getting out of his seat and running to the other side, holding the door open for her. 

“Thank you, Toro.” She grinned at him. 

“Of course, anything for you.” He beamed back, extending his hand to her, which she excitedly took. 

He walked Illi to her front door, and they both stared at each other for a moment, both still smiling. He let go of her hand, instead bringing his hand to gently cup her face, running his thumb along her cheek. 

He leaned down, quickly pressing their lips together before pulling away, face bright red. 

“Goodnight, Illi, I’ll see you tomorrow at orchestra.” He let go of her, giving her a small wave. 

“Goodnight, Ray!” She managed to squeak in response, quickly slipping through her front door. 

She slipped her flats off, heart pounding as she realized she had just had her first kiss with Ray Toro. That was actually her first kiss ever. She brought a thumb to her lips and stared at herself in the mirror by the front door. 

“Shit, I didn’t kiss him back!” She muttered to herself, immediately flinging the door open, running out into the stone path to the driveway in her bare feet.

“Ray! Wait!” She called after him, and he paused, his hand on the door handle of his car. 

“Everything okay?” He asked worriedly. 

She ran up to him, throwing her arms over his shoulders, slamming their lips together again, their teeth clanking together. He grabbed her waist to steady her, kissing her back with as much passion as he could muster with how shocked he was. 

She pulled away, “I almost forgot to kiss you back.”

“It- I wasn’t expecting it, but this was much appreciated.” He chuckled, bringing a hand up to her face again. 

They shared another sweet kiss, both of their faces hot and blushing. He pulled away, and she let go of him, heading back towards her front door. 

“Bye Ray! I’ll see you tomorrow!” She waved to him, and he watched as she disappeared behind the front door as it closed behind her.

Chapter Text

“Happy Birthday, Frankenstein!” Frank’s mom cheered as Frank blew out the candles on his cake.

Frank didn’t always love that his birthday coincided with Halloween, but he was getting more and more used to it as he was getting older. His mom did make the effort to not get a halloween themed cake this year, which made it a bit better.

“Whatcha wish for?” Illi leaned across the table to peer at him.

“I’m not telling!” Frank laughed.

“Seriously? Not even a hint?” She asked again, giving him a look with big, wet puppy dog eyes.

“Nuh-uh.” He rolled his eyes, picking a little glob of icing up on his finger and smearing it onto Illi’s arm.

Ever the dramatic, she mimed being brutally injured by the small amount of icing. The table filled with laughter and eager chatter as the cake was sliced and passed around.

After they had eaten the cake, the four friends crowded into Frank’s bathroom, each of them preparing their costume for Pete’s halloween party happening in just an hour. 

“Mikey! Come here,” Illi called to her brother, “I need your help getting even blood distribution!”

Both Illi and Frank were covering themselves in fake blood for entirely different costumes. Frank was going for a zombie look, with ripped clothes and greenish skin, while Illi was dressing up as Carrie. 

As Illi was preoccupied by planning out every detail of her costume, she didn’t see Ray until he was fully dressed up. When she looked up, she took in his outfit: a dark blue button-up shirt with fringe along the front, decorated with swirls, a large dark brown hat and matching chaps, and a pair of scuffed up cowboy boots.

“Jeez, Ray, when did you become country?” Frank smirked, flicking Ray’s hat.

Ray pouted, “I told you I was going as a cowboy. You didn’t believe me?”

“I didn’t think you were gonna go all out like this.” Frank teased.

“Whoa, dude, sick hat.” Mikey nodded, looking over at his sister, “... Illi?”

Illi nearly had to pick her jaw up off the floor, closing her mouth and swallowing hard, nodding her head, “Never better!”

Mikey smirked, smacking his sister, “Get a grip.”

“Shut up!” She hit him back, an audible smack ringing out between them. He held his arm, pouting at her. “Wait, Mikey, where’s your costume?”

“I’m wearing it.” Mikey shrugged.

“Your regular clothes?” She tilted her head at him.

“No, no, you don’t get it. I’m Peter Parker."

She sighed, rolling her head back, “You’re so stupid.”

“You’d think Mikey wouldn’t want anything to do with anyone named Peter…” Frank laughed, earning a well-deserved smack, “Hey! Don’t hit me! I’m the birthday boy!”

“Dude, let’s go already. We’re already gonna be late.” Ray grumbled, adjusting his hat.

“You can’t rush perfection, Raymond.” Frank rolled his eyes.

~

Indeed, perfection could not be rushed, as it took them another 30 minutes to finally leave Frank’s house. As the four of them stepped outside, Illi and Frank all but broke into a sprint down the driveway to be the first person to get to Ray’s car and reserve the passenger seat. Mikey and Ray trailed behind, keeping their casual pace.

Somehow Frank had managed to beat Illi there, which she blamed on the shoes she was wearing, and was standing eagerly at the door.  He tugged on the handle impatiently as he waited for Ray to unlock it. 

“Frank, get in the back seat.” Ray called, spinning his keys around his finger.

“What!? Why? I beat Illi here and I’m the birthday boy-“ He started, staring his friend down. 

“You’ve got short little legs, you’ll fit perfectly into the back.” 

“Shut up, no I don’t! Who sits shotgun then? There’s no way you’re fitting three of us back here.” 

“Illi can sit up there.” Ray said softly and Illi grinned at him widely. It was a bit unsettling, especially since she was covered in fake blood for her costume.

“Illi always sits up there,” Frank whined but conceded by letting the door handle slip from his grasp, “It’s not fair. I think you just want her to sit there because she’s your girlfriend.”

“We’re actually not-“ Illi started, but stopped abruptly when Ray spoke at the same time.

“Yeah dude, that’s kind of how that works. Backseat or you can walk, it’s up to you.”

Frank grumbled about it but took his usual spot behind the driver’s seat. He pushed his knees into the back of the seat as much as he could to brother Ray, who simply scooted his seat a bit further back to reduce Frank’s leg space. 

“Seriously!?”

“I’ve got long legs.”

~

Finally the group arrived at Pete’s place, Ray swiftly parking his car in the driveway. The group stumbled out, excited to get inside. As they approached the door, Mikey opened it, almost on instinct. They all paused, staring at him.

“I… had a feeling it would be unlocked.”

Illi stared at him, “Wait. I don’t think you’re supposed to be here.”

“Well… I’m here now…” Mikey shrugged, pushing through, “Nobody make a big deal out of it… I’ll just sneak in.”

The four of them entered, taking in the sights of Pete’s house. It was much different than the 4th of July party - the entire house was full of halloween decorations: garlands, streamers, pumpkins, skeletons… You name it, Pete’s house had it.

As they stepped into the living room, they were able to make out the other boys’ costumes. Pete was in a gorilla suit with the head off, holding it under his arm like a bag, Patrick was in a cartoony banana suit, Joe had a sheet covering him with two big holes for eyes, and Andy was a vampire.

“Oh come on. You consider that a vampire?” Illi approached him, “That’s insulting to vampires.”

“Oh pfft, says who?” Andy rolled his eyes at her. His costume was essentially just his regular clothes with the addition of cheap plastic vampire teeth and a tiny smudge of fake blood on his cheek.

“Says me!” She scoffed, “It’s insulting to me. And not just to me but to vampire culture as a whole.”

“Vampire culture?”

“Yes, vampire culture. Get with the program, Andy.” Illi said, rolling her eyes at him.

“Frank! Happy Birthday dude!” Pete called from across the room, running up to the boy and giving him a side hug, “How’re you doing, dude?”

“Uh. Fine?” Frank let out a chuckle, “Where’s the punch?”

“In the kitchen. Get drinkin’, birthday boy.”

Frank swiftly made his way to the kitchen, Mikey sneaking in with him. Illi made herself comfy on the couch across from Andy and Joe, still debating vampires and vampire culture. Ray appeared, handing Illi a Dr. Pepper and he sat down next to her.

She smiled at him, “You get me.”

He tipped his hat, “Anything for the lady.”

She smacked him lightly on the arm before resting her head on his shoulder. 

“Shut up…” she grinned.

“Well, it’s true.” He glanced over, catching her cheeks flushing under the layers of fake blood.

“So, let me try to guess these costumes…” Pete stood before them, pointing at Ray, “You’re a cowboy. Any particular cowboy?”

“Nope. Just your average generic cowboy.”

“Cool. And you’re Carrie?” He pointed at Illi.

“Yes I am!” She grinned, “See? I knew people would know who I was.”

“Never doubted you, Illi.” Ray chuckled.

“I like the blood. It looks scarily real. I wouldn’t put it past you to get real blood.”

“I tried to but the butcher shop wouldn’t sell me any after I told them what it was for. This is really just chocolate syrup that’s been dyed red.”

Ray raised his eyebrows at that and tried to control his thoughts about how her cherry Coke lipgloss would taste mixed with the chocolate syrup blood if he tried to kiss her. ‘Stop being weird, Toro. Control yourself.’ He mentally scolded himself.

“Only you would go around asking to buy blood, McMillin.” Pete laughed.

“I’ll say it again, vampire culture is very important to me. It’s crucial to have a backup supply of pig’s blood.”

“Watch out, Toro, you might become her first victim.” Pete smirked, “Help yourself to food and drinks. Pizza’s on the way.”

‘I hope I get to be her first victim…’ He thought to himself, shaking his head, ‘Jeez, Toro, get a grip!’

“You okay?” Illi asked, laying her hand on his arm.

“Yep, all good.” Ray smiled back at her.

~

As partygoers got drunker and drunker and the night got colder, someone brought up the classic party game: truth or dare.

“Do we have to?” Illi rolled her eyes.

“I mean, you don’t have to.” Patrick shrugged, “But it’s more fun if everyone does it. I know I don’t want to, but Pete would have my head if I didn’t play.”

“C’mon, Trick, you know it’s fun.” Pete laid his head on Patrick’s shoulder, nuzzling into his neck.

Patrick blushed, sitting down on the floor, Pete joining him. Soon the whole party had gathered on the floor, minus Illi and Ray, who were sitting together on the couch. 

“So? Who’s going first?” Patrick called out.

“You can start, Patrick. Truth or dare?” Joe pointed the question back at him.

“Ugh. Truth.” Patrick sighed, placing his head in his hand. 

“If you were to wake up as a girl, what’s the first thing you’d do?”

Patrick paused, genuinely pondering the question, “Uh. Probably look at myself in the mirror?”

“Oh c’mon, Patrick.”

“What??? I’m not gonna be naked. I’m just gonna look at myself in the mirror. And then probably call Pete.”

“We know why he’s calling Pete.” Joe not so subtly whispered to Andy.

“Shut up!” Patrick smacked Joe’s arm, “Ugh. Andy? Truth or dare?”

“Uh… Truth?” 

“Who is the most attractive person in the room?” Patrick asked hesitantly.

“Joe. Next question.” Andy turned to Joe, and they high fived.

“This sucks.” Pete rolled his eyes, “You guys are boring.”

“Fine! Pete, truth or dare?” Andy glared over at Pete.

“Dare!” Pete grinned.

“I dare you to go play seven minutes in heaven with Patrick in the shoe closet!” Andy pointed towards the foyer where the shoe closet was.

Pete laughed loudly, grabbing Patrick’s wrist, “C’mon, Trick, let’s show them.”

“Oh my god, Pete, no!” Patrick was fully red in the face, “Absolutely not.”

“It’s only 7 minutes, you’ll be fine.” Pete swiftly opened the closet, “Get your timers ready, idiots.”

“Ready.” Joe held up his wrist, waiting for them to close the doors before he started his watch timer. 

Patrick squeezed himself into the surprisingly spacious closet, clambering over pairs of expensive shoes he knew Pete’s parents would kill over if he scuffed them. Pete slipped in after him, trying his best to close the doors. 

Andy came up and shut them in, calling out to Joe, “Start the timer!” 

Pete watched Patrick’s eyes in the dark, “Hey, handsome.”

“Shut up!” Patrick crossed his arms, unable to move much in any direction. 

Pete leaned forward, and Patrick could smell the alcohol on his breath, “So.. am I waiting for you…?”

“Shut up! No!” Patrick’s face was bright red. 

“C’mon, Trick.” Pete rested his hand on Patrick’s face, posting his voice to a whisper, “We at least have to be kissing when they open the doors. It’ll satisfy whatever weird thing they’ve got going on about us.”

“It’s only gonna make it worse!” Patrick whispered back. 

“Just one kiss?” Pete smirked. 

“Ugh. Jesus. If it’ll make you shut up.” Patrick sighed.

He grabbed the front of Pete’s shirt, pulling them together, giving Pete a quick peck on the lips. 

“That’s it?”

“That’s it. Nothing more. This is the second time I’ve kissed you when we’re drunk. I don’t wanna make this a habit.”

“C’mon.. it can be more fun than that.” Pete pressed a sloppy kiss to Patrick’s cheek. 

“No, no. We- we can’t.” Patrick stumbled. 

“How’s it going in there, lover boys??” Joe called out to them. 

“Fucking awesome!” Pete called back, turning back to Patrick and whispering, “What’s going on, Trick?”

“N-nothing, Pete, don’t worry about it.”

“I’m not hearing any moaning!” Joe teased, banging on the closet door. 

“I want out of here.” Patrick sighed, looking up at Pete. 

“C’mon, tell me what’s wrong.”

Patrick knew he couldn’t. He couldn’t tell Pete what was really going on in his mind. 

“Do you not want to kiss me?” Pete gave him big puppy dog eyes. 

“Ugh, fine, just don’t make it weird.”

Pete slammed his lips into Patrick’s, his hand cradling the other’s face. Patrick let out a noise of surprise, melting quickly into the kiss. 

‘I don’t know if I wish I was less drunk or more.’ Patrick thought to himself, ‘I wish he was less drunk.’

Pete was pressing sloppy kisses along Patrick’s cheeks, and Patrick closed his eyes, fighting the urge to kiss him back. His drunken state made his willpower weak, and he grabbed Pete’s chin, forcing their lips together. 

“Whoa, Trick~” Pete murmured against his lips, “I like when you take control.”

“Shut up.” He grumbled. 

Their making out was only conflicting Patrick’s thoughts more. On the one hand, kissing Pete made him incredibly uncomfortable- Pete is his best friend, and best friends aren't supposed to do this… But on the other hand, Patrick was really enjoying it- like- more than he wanted to admit. 

‘I didn’t think I would like kissing guys.’ Patrick thought to himself as Pete ran his hands down Patrick’s sides, ‘I’ve only ever found girls attractive. Well. Except for Pete. Pete is objectively hot, though. It doesn’t mean anything to him anyways.’ 

“You two better be decent!” Joe called out, “I’m opening the door.”

As the door opened, the partygoers witnessed Pete practically in Patrick’s lap, their hair messy and their lips wet and swollen. 

“Hell yeah!” Andy and Joe high-fived.

“Moved on quick from Mikey, huh?” Frank smirked, speaking with a noticeable slur. 

Patrick sighed at the comment, knowing he would have to deal with the repercussions of Mikey’s name being brought up later. 

Pete got up, offering Patrick a hand to get up onto his feet. Their hands stayed clasped for a moment longer than usual as Pete looked over at Patrick, giving his hand a little squeeze. 

“Thanks, Trick.” He muttered, barely audible, before he headed back into the group, letting go of his hand.

Chapter Text

Listening to the chaos happening in the other room, Illi was grateful that she and Ray had elected to hang out on the couch together instead. It was much more peaceful and stopped her from having to answer any of the more uncomfortable questions that could come up. As she sipped from her third Dr. Pepper of the night, she let her other hand rest on the couch beside her. She quietly hoped that Ray would take the bait and hold her hand.

Ray glanced down at her hand, wondering if she was trying to have them hold hands. He waited for a few moments before he slipped his hand into hers and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“Are you having a good time so far?” He asked her, his thumb rubbing small circles onto the back of her hand.

She nodded, then added, “Definitely better than last time, I haven’t even been yelled at yet.” It was said as a joke, but the smile accompanying it didn’t quite meet her eyes.

Ray reached his arm around her shoulder, giving her a half hug. Illi was grateful that the fake blood smeared across her face helped cover up her blush. As he started to pull his arm back, Illi said softly, “You can stay there if you want.” 

“Oh, alright.” He squeaked in response, leaving his arm there.

They stayed like that and over the course of a few minutes, Illi had scooted increasingly closer to Ray. She rested her head on his shoulder and eventually reached up to steal his hat from his head, setting it on her own with a grin. 

She was silent for a while longer before she spoke. “Hey, Ray? Can I kiss you?” Illi asked, watching him with wide eyes.

“Y-yeah you sure can, Illi.” Ray stammered as his cheeks flushed red. ‘You don’t even need to ask that, the answer is always yes.’ He thought, though he wouldn’t admit that to Illi anytime soon.

Illi took Ray’s hat off her head as she leaned closer, holding it up to block their faces so the others wouldn’t see. As their lips met, Ray no longer needed to wonder what the mix of her cherry Coke lipgloss and chocolate syrup would taste like - it was delightful. The sweetest part of it all wasn’t the lipgloss or the chocolate, but the way that Illi’s soft lips felt against his and the way that they pulled back into a smile against his.

He brought a gentle hand to her face, cradling it with care as he deepened the kiss. His calloused thumb brushed over her sticky cheek, chuckling against her lips as he pulled away. 

“I forgot your face was sticky.” He removed his hand, looking down at it, “Sorry, your fake blood is all smeared.”

“That’s okay.” She grinned at him. 

“And now my hand is sticky.” He spread out his fingers, noticing how the syrupy fake blood had made them tacky.

“Here, let me help you with that.” She grabbed his hand, bringing it up to her lips. 

She did something that Ray was not expecting and decided to lick all the way up his hand, from the base of his palm up to his fingertips. Her eyes twinkled mischievously, beaming at him. His heart pounded in his chest as he watched her lick her lips. 

‘Jesus Christ she’s gonna give me a heart attack.’ Ray’s mind was racing, ‘Why was that so hot?? Why did she do that?? Does she think that’s hot??’

“Oh- uh- sorry. That was weird.” Illi muttered mostly to herself. 

“No- I mean- it just caught me off guard, that’s all.” He stammered, “I- I’m gonna go wash my hands. I’ll be back!” 

He stumbled his way to the bathroom, leaving Illi to sit alone on the couch, holding his cowboy hat in her hands. She felt her cheeks burning, staring down at the hat. 

‘Why did I do that?’ She thought to herself, ‘That was weird. Oh my god, he probably hates me.’

As she waited for him to come back, she watched the flickering of a fake candle, hoping a hole would appear beneath her and swallow her up.

Ray reappeared after a few minutes, cheeks still dusted pink and face damp as he returned to sitting next to her. 

“Hi-“

“I’m sorry. Please don’t hate me.” She cut him off. 

“Why would I hate you?” He quirked a brow, “I really like you, Illi.”

“Because that was weird and I-“

“Illi- Illi listen- do you want to be boyfriend and girlfriend? Like officially? I know I mentioned it in the car but I never really asked you. Please don’t feel like you have to say yes if you don’t want to yet but um, I’d really like it if you did.” Ray rambled, looking anywhere but her eyes.

“Are.. are you sure?” She spoke softly, “Me?”

“Of course I’m sure, Illi, I lo-“ He stopped himself, “I really like you, and I would love to be your boyfriend.”

“But- but I’m not- Ray. You could have any girl you wanted, and you’re choosing me?” She blinked up at him, eyes wet with unspilled tears, “Why?”

“Because you’re you, Illi. I only want you.”

He leaned forward to press their lips together again, slowly and softly, and he made sure not to touch her face. 

“So.. boyfriend and girlfriend?” He asked, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips. 

She laughed, placing her hand on his arm, “Yeah. Boyfriend and girlfriend.”

~

Frank stumbled his way into Pete’s basement, looking for a quiet place to sit and get away from the loud party. Someone had started karaoke upstairs, and he didn’t particularly feel like listening to a drunken rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody. 

He was drawn to the glow of a TV  like a moth to a flame, and was surprised to find Mikey sitting on the beat-up couch with a video game controller in his hands.

“Mikey?” Frank blinked, taking in the scene in front of him. 

“Frank! What’s up?” Mikey slurred, “Check it out- he’s got Tony Hawk’s Underground 2.”

“Holy shit. What the fuck is Tony Hawk Underground 2?” Frank sat down next to Mikey, “That’s awesome, dude.”

“Dude. You- like- you just.. skateboard. It’s so cool.” Mikey handed the control to Frank, “Try it out.”

Frank took the controller, which was warm from Mikey’s clammy hands, and started playing. He wasn’t very good, his combo scores were super low, but watching Tony Hawk doing tricks on his screen was really fun. 

“And look! The training area is New Jersey. I fuckin’ love Jersey, man.” Mikey wrapped his arm around Frank’s shoulders.

Frank let himself melt into Mikey’s hug, barely aware of his surroundings as the TV hypnotized him. 

The sound of the basement door opening caused Frank to look behind him, blinking to see if he could make out who it was. 

“Mikey?” Pete’s voice cracked, and Mikey turned around, a huge grin on his face. 

“Hiiii!” Mikey giggled, “You have Tony Hawk!”

Pete simply stared back, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, “How did you get in my house?”

“The door?” Mikey’s voice was dripping with sarcasm, “Obviously.”

“No, Mikey, you’re not supposed to be here.” Pete sighed, “You- you weren’t invited!”

“But I’m here now!” Mikey turned back to the TV, “Wanna play with us?”

Pete sighed, watched the two as they went back to playing, Frank sitting so close to Mikey that he might as well be in his lap. He closed the door behind him and immediately looked for Patrick, who was in the middle of singing an Aretha Franklin song for karaoke.

He waited impatiently for him to finish his song before he grabbed Patrick’s wrist, leading him upstairs. 

“What’s wrong?” Patrick asked, “Pete, you’re concerning me.”

“Mikey’s here!” Pete exclaimed, “He’s in the basement! Playing on my console! What the fuck!”

Patrick frowned, holding his arms open for Pete, and he quickly took the opportunity to hug Patrick, taking in his scent. 

“I’m sorry, Pete.” Patrick sighed, “I didn’t know he was here either- I would’ve said something.”

“I know…” Pete mumbled into Patrick’s shoulder, fighting back tears, “I hate him.”

Patrick rubbed soothing circles along Pete’s back, “I know.. I know you do.”

“I can’t escape him at school, I can’t escape him at my party, what am I supposed to do?” Pete cried in frustration.

“We can just stay up here if you want.” Patrick squeezed Pete a little tighter, “We can call it a night and just go to sleep.”

“No… You should go enjoy yourself.” Pete let go, stumbling over to his bed and flopped down face first, “Just leave me here to die.”

“You’re so dramatic.” Patrick chuckled, flopping down next to him, “I’ll lay with you until you feel better.” 

~

“Hey, Pete!” Joe called out as Pete sulked against the wall, watching everyone have their drunken fun, “I just remembered you said you had fireworks.”

“Yeah, I have some in the garage, why?” Pete raised his brows at the other boy. 

“Dude, let’s light them in the backyard!” Joe grinned, “C’mon!” 

“Wouldn’t you rather save them for when it’s just us?” Pete asked

“Nah it’s Halloween dude! Let’s get to it!”

“Only if everyone is in.”

“Deal.”

A few minutes later, Joe had managed to wrangle the rest of the group and ferry them out into the backyard. Pete begrudgingly went to the garden shed to grab the box of fireworks and a lighter.

“Pete, this seems stupid and dangerous.” Patrick grumbled next to him.

“Since when have I been known to do things that aren’t stupid and dangerous?” Pete chuckled half-heartedly, “It’s just what I do.”

“C’mon! Don’t be a party pooper, Patrick!” Joe punched Patrick’s shoulder, causing the other to grab his shoulder in fake injury.

“I’m not! I’m just realistic!”

“We don’t want your realism, Stump!” Joe stuck his tongue out at him.

As they started lighting the fireworks, Pete’s gloom was lifted slightly as he temporarily forgot about his ex-situationship in his basement, enjoying the thrill of the loud bangs and sparkling lights. Patrick stayed away, but Frank, Joe, Andy, and Pete were in a small circle, laughing and daring each other to set off bigger and bigger fireworks.

“Dude, I dare you to see how long you can hold that firework until it goes off.” Joe pointed at Frank, who was too drunk to realize how stupid that was.

“Hell yeah!” Frank held it up to his crotch, pretending that it was his dick, “It’s fuckin’ huge, man!”

The boys all laughed as Pete lit the wick, Frank pointing it at each of them, giggling wildly. Patrick watched through his fingers, hoping that at least one of them would come to their senses. As he watched the wick get smaller and smaller, and that the firework was aimed at Pete, he jumped into action, running up to Frank and shoving him into the pool. The crowd ofteenagers exploded into a mess of shouting, whining, and laughing as Patrick pushed more of them into the pool until it was just him and Pete staring at each other.

“Trick, don’t do it.” Pete glared at him, “I straightened my hair today and I don’t wanna get it wet.”

“Too bad!” Patrick tackled Pete, sending them both flying into the chilly water of the pool.

The cool October night air chilled both of them to the bone as they surfaced, Patrick laughing. Pete looked upset for a moment, but smiled as he and Patrick made eye contact.

“You’re such a dick, Trick.”

“I know.” Patrick grinned at him, “I just didn’t want you getting hurt.”

“So you ruined my hair and got me soaking wet instead?”

“Exactly.” Patrick reached up and ruffled Pete’s messy, wet hair, to which Pete smacked his arm away.

“Let’s get out.” Pete reached over and messed up Patrick’s hair in return, “And no more fireworks.”

“Dude! You should jump into the pool from the balcony again!” Joe was prompting Frank loudly.

“No! Absolutely not!” Patrick called back, “I don’t even know how you managed to do it during the summer. That’s just asking to become a Frank pancake.”

“Dude, that rhymes.” Joe laughed, “Frank pancake.”

Frank seemed entirely too drunk to process any of what was happening, just smiling and laughing along. Eventually the teens dragged themselves out of the pool, sopping wet and chilled to the bone, wrapping themselves in towels before entering the house again.