"Slow down man," Nanami raised an eyebrow at the black-haired boy next to him. The blonde reached out to snatch the bottle out of his hand, but Toji drunkenly moved it away, holding it close to his chest like it was his precious baby.
Toji ignored his comment, taking the last swig of the vodka. He ignored the burning sensation of the liquid pouring down his throat. Toji didn't care, all he could see was the tight grip of Levi's hands on Lola's hips, the way her body seemed to perfectly mold into his as he gently pulled her closer, the way the corner of her lips pulled into a smile, etching back a laugh at something the man had said to her, the way her eyes gleamed as she stared at Levi- a look she never gave him.
Toji scoffed, forcing himself to tear his gaze away from the girl. His eyes caught a reflection of a half-open bottle, reaching for something to drown out his wandering thoughts of Levi and Lola dancing. He was unsuccessful as Avery had seemed to already have the idea of taking it.
His expression hardened, staring at the blonde girl, who held the bottle behind her back, with disgust. Something inside of him broke, a desperation seeping through his veins to get that bottle. He needed something, anything, everything to stop him from thinking.
"Toji, you need to stop," Avery yelled over the music. Toji wasn't in the mood for a lecture right now.
Without thinking, Toji drunkenly raised his right hand, getting ready to slap the girls face. Avery instantly ducked down, Nanami reacted quickly, grabbing Toji's wrist firmly with a maddened expression.
Toji felt himself sober a bit, his eyes widening and he felt his movements falter as he stepped back- realization dawned on him. Avery was on the floor, staring at the man with a shocked expression.
"You stupid prick," Nanami threatened, he was ready to kill the man if he had to.
Toji yanked free from Nanami's suffocating grip on his wrist, knowing it was going to create a mark later. Nanami bent down to Avery's level, his cold expression dissolving into a softer and cautious one. Avery just gave him a small smile, taking his hand to help herself up. The traumatic look on her face churned into an apologetic and helpless look.
He went to apologize quickly. He had always been careful around the happy girl. He knew she had a terrible childhood and family situation, but he never knew anything more than that. Still, she stood in front of him, giving him a smile as if nothing had ever happened. He couldn't help but wonder if it was all a mask- her sarcastic and enthusiastic personality, shielding the true misery of what was happening in the shadows.
"Avery I'm so-" He was cut off by Avery placing a warm hand on his empty one.
She shook her head, motioning his attention towards the dance floor, where Lola and Levi weren't seen.
"Go talk to her," Toji turned back around to face the girl, a softer expression on his face. "She went to the balcony."
Toji sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. He took the bottle, storming off to where the girl he loved was standing.
Opening the doors gently, he didn't seem to care about the goosebumps appearing on his bare arms. All he could seemingly do was make his way towards the brunette who seemed to have all of her attention on the nightfall in the sky, she looked peaceful. His hands itched to wrap his body around hers, providing some warmth but he refrained.
Throughout the years, he hated Levi with a passion. He was the source of Lola's pain and suffering. When the two had their first sleepover, Toji quickly came to realize the recurring nightmares that Lola would mention kept her awake every night, were always about Levi- and Toji ever since had been there to comfort her as she jolted awake in a pool of sweat.
