6 Months

Prolouge

Everyone loves a party. Specs loved them the most.

Romeo would catch him laughing and dancing with their friends, seeing who could drink the most or last the longest in a challenge they weren't dumb enough to complete while sober. There weren't party games you'd expect—unless one knew exactly how unruly and careless Romeo, Specs, and their friends were—but it was always a party.

Similar to most parties, particularly the ones Race and Spot threw, Specs always found himself having the most fun. He was dancing and getting drunk out of this world, often coping with a stressful work week, having the time of his life; imagining the greatest time to be alive.

He chuckled as he took a small sip of his drink, unsure what exactly was in it. Race was making drinks tonight, and there was no telling what was in it between the absinthe he'd always kept and the beer stocked refrigerator. Specs did know he was going to take it slow tonight, however. He was planning to barely get buzzed, under orders of Romeo, and have enough fun to cure him of the headache his work tended to be.

Work was one reason he needed to destress—he'd found himself feeling weaker these days, barely at the ripe age of thirty. He'd take longer to stand up, wobbling around as he got on his feet. He swore he coughed up blood one day, but promised himself he just coughed too hard. He'd been working harder than usual, wanting to save up for an unplanned vacation, and it surely had taken a toll on his body for the worse. Romeo was worried though, and to stop the complaints he'd usually get, Specs took it easy at this party tonight.

"Having fun?" Specs turned to find his best friend, Mush—or Nick, as was more professional—standing next to him, a light flush on his cheeks. Specs chuckled, looking back at the crowd to find both of their boyfriends.

"Yeah", he assured, pushing his glasses onto his nose. "You know how it is."

Mush hummed, downing the rest of his cup. He groaned and shook his head, looking back at the cup in confusion and licking his lips. "The fuck does Race put in this shit?"

Specs laughed at him, mostly finding humor in the way he slurred his words. He wondered if this is what he was like when he was drunk, and he noted to ask Davey later. "Probably something that gets you to have fun way to quickly."

Mush laughed with him, nodding in agreement. Race was usually never in charge of the booze, his drink mixing methods proving to be a little more unorthodox than the average drinker, but he managed to weasel his way into the liquor cabinet, and everyone was too drunk to care about what was being put in their cups.

Specs watched Mush walk away and join the others as they danced poorly to the music, everyone drunkenly dancing to the beat pounding the floor rather than the music itself. He snickered at them, taking another small sip of his cocktail. He leaned the back of his head on the wall, closing his eyes as he let the music flow through him.

Whatever Race put in his cup was too strong, and not exactly as easy-going as he hoped. He could feel himself slipping away, as if he was right in front of his body, and slipping out of his fingers.

"Hey." His eyes shot open, blinking himself back to consciousness. He shook his head and looked down to smile at his boyfriend, face flushed. "How's it goin', handsome?"

Specs smiled—no matter how much of a flirt and worry-wart Romeo was, he did know how to have a good time. Every problem he seemed to have would break away when he was presented with the opportunity to party, much like most twenty-something year olds his age

Specs chuckled as he placed his arms on the shorter's shoulders, partly holding himself up and mostly enjoying his boyfriend's company. Romeo looked up with a strong smile, placing his hands on Specs' waist. Specs assumed they would start dancing right here, much before Romeo stood on his toes to kiss him, and the taller chuckled into it.