above all (m×m) ✔

11) swimming in the ocean

"You know I'm now good at giving speeches." Steven claimed, holding his champagne glass while letting his gaze take in the smiling faces of his friends. "And that I absolutely hate the sound of my own voice.."

"Bullshit." Eli called him out, a wide, dimpled grin on his lips. He was leaning against Benjamin on one of the ottomans, the sea breeze ruffling his light brown hair. Miles, who sat cross-legged on Benjamin's other side, let out a huff of laughter.

"Well, okay, I love the sound of my own voice." Steven admitted, a picture of modesty as per usual. His gaze wandered to Brandon, who was leaning against the railing. He had wrapped his arms tightly around his waist, but a warm smile danced on his lips. "So, you are probably wondering why I invited you here with such a short notice.."

A chorus of whoops and 'yeahs' ushered Steven to get to the point already. He gazed at his friends, thinking back to the conversation he had had that morning with one of his managers, Delilah Rogers. She was known for turning fledging models into big names on the runway. She was, in fact, the one who had seen potential in Steven and offered him a spot in the agency. 

"A while back I was in a shoot for 4teen, you know that teenage fashion brand, and the photographer took a liking to me." Steven was practically beaming, the glass in his hand shaking from all the excitement he could hardly contain. "And so, he recommended me to some big names in the industry, and.. Drum rolls, please." Steven halted, until Eli started a beat by tapping his hands against the table. "I was asked to model for Vanity Fair. The Vanity Freaking Fair."

"What?" Dam-Bi shrieked, jumping up from the ottoman she had been sitting on with Shirley. Her eyes, lined with eye-liner and sparkly, bubble gum pink eyeshadow, widened. "Vanity Fair? Are you kidding me?"

"I'm serious, I swear to God." Steven emphasized, managing to set down his glass only a millisecond before his friends rushed to him in a chaotic group hug. Only Ash, who was known to not partake in such fool's errands, Mike, Brenda's boyfriend, and Brandon didn't join the hug or the deafeningly loud cheering.

"You're gonna be so famous." Eli's voice carried over the cheers, joyful and disbelieving. His hazel eyes were wide with wonder as his body got squeezed tighter into Steven's by the force of everyone's arms. They started jumping and twirling around, overjoyed by Steven's news.

And yet, it was nothing compared to the long, much more composed hug Brandon gave him once the chaos had calmed to a cheerful festivity. The cheers were nothing compared to the simple words Brandon whispered into his ear: "I'm so, so happy for you."

"Thank you, my friend." Steven whispered right back, surprised by how hoarsely the words came out. He didn't, in fact, sound at all like he was thanking a friend. But then again, whenever he called Brandon that way, in his mind he still used his original wording: my love.

It took Steven all his self-control to not bring their lips together, to not let his body reach to the closeness of Brandon's body or the earthy scent of him. But Brandon needed more time, and Steven was determined to keep his promise, so he had to pull away from the hug much sooner than he would have wanted to.

"Come on, let's get this party started." Steven decided, taking Brandon's hand and dragging him to the others. 

Brody let out a wolf whistle when he noticed their joined hands, and for a second or two Steven was ready to tell him off. Brandon didn't like being the center of attention, and it wouldn't have been the first time he rushed off the room after that happened. Shirley sent an assessing glance at her twin as well, but didn't have to intervene as Brandon just smiled it off and sat down next to her.

"I didn't know modeling pays this well." Dam-Bi marveled, gesturing at their surroundings. "I mean, everyone always talks about its glamor and stuff, but I didn't think it actually meant champagne on a private yacht."