Under The Mistletoe

3. Two Consenting Adults

16th December

Keith

"I can't go to that party. Can I? I can't. Can I? Ugh. Could somebody kill me, please?" I ask and bang my head against the table at a bar where I'm meeting my friends for some pre-gaming and a confidence boost before heading to the school-organized Christmas thing, although my presence there hangs in the balance right now.

"Sure you can, buddy." Lance claps me on the back, but I ignore him and rest my forehead on the sturdy wooden surface. Could I turn into a permanent fixture here if I try hard enough? Embrace my inner tree. Become one with the table. That sounds like the adult solution, right?

"I've decided to live here," I say, but to my surprise, my friends don't cheer my new life path.

"Sure, Coran will be thrilled. Just the other day, he mentioned he needs a busboy," Hunk says.

"Dude, are you serious? Keith? Handling dishes? That's a horror movie in the making."

"I hate you both," I mumble into the wood.

"But do you hate us equally, or do you hate one of us less?" Lance asks.

"Hunk a little less," I say without raising my head. Yeah, I'm definitely onto something with this whole fusing with the furniture thing.

"Dick," Lance says, but Hunk—my new favorite—pats my arm.

"Chin up, buddy. Since I'm your new bestie, I'm gonna help you, but first, you gotta raise your head. Can you raise your head for me, Keith?"

"I guess." I straighten myself to repay my friend's concerned gaze. "Happy?"

"Ecstatic. Now, why can't you go to the school party?"

"Because Shiro will be there, and I don't have the guts to face him."

"Why?"

"Because, once again, I made a complete ass of myself."

"Wait, what do you mean, again?" Lance asks. "I thought you avoided him like the plague since day one."

"Not like the plague. I avoided him... like the super-hot coworker I have a crush on, okay?"

"That's not a thing. And don't change the subject. What happened?"

"Last Thursday, he waited for me after class to make sure I'd come to the party."

"That dick. Should we kick his ass?"

"You could try, but I'm pretty sure he could crush you like a soda can. In one hand. Both of you at once. He's the most ripped physics teacher I've ever met. Seriously, it goes against nature."

"Yeah, yeah, we get it. He invited you to a party. He's cut. Where is the problem exactly? I don't see it."

"I kissed him. Sort of. No, not sort of. I really went for it. Fucking rammed my tongue down his throat. But in my defense, we were standing under the mistletoe, and I thought... but I was wrong, and he looked horrified afterward and said we shouldn't have done it. Guess I'm lucky he didn't press harassment charges."

"But you saw him on Friday, cleared the air, and now everything's golden?"

"Haven't seen him since. I've been doing all my work in the school library."

"Ah, the mature way of handling problems," Lance smirks while Hunk buries his face in his hands.

"Okay, this will need a bit of liquid courage," Hunk says, and flags down a server to order a round of shots. She drops by in a moment and sets three glasses filled with red liquid on the table.