Party Crashers Fic Compilation

It's really You (Eevee/Brent)

CW: Death

I started writing this on a whim because I was thinking about something (this fic is very loosely inspired by a manga I've been an active reader of. Loose inspiration means in this case that I was thinking about something that would happen before the main plot of the manga happened.) This turned out way way longer than I was expecting. I think this is the longest oneshot I've ever written. (Not exaggerating here too. I'm writing notes before I post this at probably 5 am and then clock out. We hit 10K+ words. What the. Although quantity =\ quality as they say).

Because of the loose inspiration I feel like this fic is probably flimsier than usual. I hope I was able to convey events and feelings ok. I'm not sure if dynamics are written well here, I'm going to be honest. Or rather, I'm not sure if they're meant for this.

Thank you for reading.

Brent closes his eyes, leaning his back onto the trunk of a tree. He's finally spared from the glare of the blazing sun thanks to the tree's refuge. The leaves above him rustle slightly as a gentle breeze passes by, leaving a tingling coolness that feels refreshing after a few hours of sweating profusely during an outdoor hike. A sigh of relief escapes Brent's lips, releasing a bit of tension and fatigue that had unknowingly been building up in his chest. He hears a surprised yelp from Vernias in the distance, but he doesn't budge. He assures himself that it's not urgent, mostly because Nick and Sophist were supposed to be with him.

Something wet and cold is placed onto Brent's hand, and he flinches because of the sudden sensation. His eyes snap open to find Sophist standing in front of him. Brent catches a tiny flash of a smile but ignores it, noticing the water bottle in Sophist's left hand. Brent looks down at his own water bottle now in his right hand, opens the cap, and takes a swig. He instantly relishes the water cooling his parched throat.

"Holy shit, thank you Eevee," Brent tells Sophist after a few more chugs. "Lifesaver. Wow I really needed that."

"No problem, dude," Sophist replies, waving his free hand casually before popping the cap off and taking a sip himself. "We're lucky that I thought of bringing the cooler last minute. Don't know what we'd do without it, huh." He pats the cooler he's set down on the grass by his feet and then sits down against it. He's faced towards the nearby lake, and Brent looks over at the two figures running around and splashing water at each other that has caught Sophist's attention.

"Wait, did Nick and Vernias fall into the lake?" Brent asks after squinting a little harder. Sophist chuckles as he continues to watch the two chase each other around.

"I might have pushed them," Sophist begins to explain, and Brent can hear the smirk in his voice clear as day. "Well actually, I only pushed Nick in, and then Vernias tried to catch him from falling. He failed that spectacularly, and then I left before they could get mad at me. Honestly, they seem to be having fun though."

Brent laughs and shakes his head as he decides that his legs are too tired and sits down. He shouldn't even be surprised at this point in regards to Sophist's antics. Who is Sophist without his spontaneity, his stubborn will to choose the illogical, his tendency for chaos? Even though those traits were more of a hassle at times, it's something that stands out to Brent. Perhaps a little more so than Vernias's gentle kindness and Nick's shining ego, because there is something fun and exhilarating about Sophist. Fun and exhilarating like when his chest hurts from doubling over and laughing too hard that you start running out of breath.

What the hell is he thinking about? The monologue in his head is ridiculous and incoherent, and Brent places the cool water bottle to his forehead. Maybe the sweltering heat's combusted all the nerves in his brain. Maybe Sophist's occasional habit of rambling has started to rub off on his brain.