Wavelengths

Bowling

Exam week was in full swing and Grizzy was surviving on spite and caffeine.

He sat back on the couch of his living room, huffing irritated as his eyes swam with swirls of black and white letters he'd been trying to cram into his head through a sleep deprived headache. He needed more coffee.

He got up, moving to the kitchen slowly as he yawned and fumbled for the coffee maker they rarely used. Why use it when it was quicker to stop and pick up a stupidly priced coffee on campus?

A knock came at the door, snapping him out of his haze as he watched the stream pour into the coffee pot. He frowned, looking at the coffee a second before sighing and moving to answer.

He paused as he opened the door, raising an eyebrow. "Uh, hey Puffer," he said surprised and the other man gave a sheepish grin. They hadn't had a proper conversation alone in two weeks, and Grizzy wasn't ever going to admit it, but he missed him.

"Hi, you busy?" Puffer asked awkwardly and Grizzy shook his head, stepping aside. The coffee maker beeped and he brightened, hurrying off to the kitchen.

"I'm making coffee, want some?" He called and Puffer groaned. "Oh fuck yeah, John threw out our coffee maker last night because Pezzy made 7 pots in less than 3 hours, he and Matt have been through the fucking roof. Pezzy doesn't even like coffee!" He complained and Grizzy laughed, grabbing two cups and filling them.

"Creamers are in the fridge, help yourself," he said as he handed Puffer the cup, grabbing his own additions and mixing them in quickly.

They leaned against the counters, drinking their much needed caffeine quietly. "So, did you need something? It's, uhm, been a while since you've just shown up," Grizzy asked hesitantly, Puffer not looking up as he stared at his cup.

"I just, wanted to check in. I know I fucked up with the situation involving your, friend, and I feel bad about it. Missed your presence, you know? You're more tolerable than my brothers," he said, taking a shot at humor but the nerves in his voice made it fall a bit flat.

"I get it, you know. About Percy. I've talked with Pezzy and Droid, and I know there's history there. I just," Grizzy said haltingly, struggling a bit to put words to his thoughts.

"I just- I know you're hiding something. Something that could put everything together. Because I'm trying to see it, trying to see how you all think Percy is a danger. But I can't. Dudes strong, sure, but he's a major nerd, in a good way you know? We like all the same things, conversation is easy, he wants to be a vet so, I just, don't know," he couldn't stop the flow of words, a hint of pleading in his tone that maybe Puffer would finally say something.

Puffer had been his closest friend out of the group, though he was pretty close to Pezzy too. They'd hung out a lot, at home and at school. Puffer had been the one Grizzy went to for struggles, for insecurities, for everything. It'd been a whirlwind of a friendship the last 8 months, and these last few weeks had been hell.

Puffer just looked at him a moment, indecision clear on his face. "One week. Give us one week and we'll tell you everything, okay? And- and if the others don't agree, I don't give a fuck. I'll tell you everything, just- after exams okay? You need to be able to focus, and this is a huge thing," he whispered, looking away finally.

Grizzy sighed, nodding. "One week. I've- I've been careful, I promise. He asks about you guys a lot, I don't tell him anything outside of anything that's already public knowledge. Like, your guys' majors. Anything else, I don't tell him," he said and Puffer nodded, jaw tense.

He took a deep breath and drained his cup, setting it down. "I need a break from studying though. Want to do something?" He asked and Grizzy blinked, hesitating barely a heartbeat before nodding. He needed a break too.