A Summer Fling (Aris x Reader AU)

52) Fireball Traditions

I can't feel my anything. From my head to my toes, I'm absolutely frozen. The towel somehow did next to nothing which is fantastic. I love that so much.

"You know what would keep us warm?"Thomas questioned, wrapping his towel tighter around him.

"A fire."
"A bed."
"A heater."

"The correct answer is,"he grinned maniacally, reaching into his bag. If this was a stranger my assumption would be I'm getting shot or flashed, and I can't even tell which option is worse. Because it's Thomas though, it's going to be something more horrific.

Unfortunately, I was right when he pulled out a bottle of Fireball and quite loudly cheered, "alcohol!".

The other two were unphased, like this was just a normal thing to do. To be fair, I guess it is for most people our age. I just never got that memo. Turns out, struggling with social cues means you miss out on a lot.

That doesn't take away from the facts. Terrible idea. This is a terrible idea.

"In the middle it goes,"Teresa ordered, moving back an inch. Y/N did the same before sitting on her knees, looking a bit too comfortable.

"Or we could pass it to the guest of honor,"he suggested, holding it out to me.

"That's not tradition, Tom,"she pointed out. For the logical one, she sure is going along with this pretty easily.

"What if I wanted to be the one to take his drunk virginity?"

"Hey!"I snapped. Suddenly, I was no longer cold as my entire body burned. I don't even know what did the trick. The words themselves, the good kid assumption, or the fact that it's true.

"It's okay, buddy. I'll talk you through it,"Y/N grinned, roughly running her hands through my hair. When I shot her a look, she smiled wider.

"Let the games begin,"he announced, placing it in the middle of the circle. When I moved back like the rest of them, staring at the concerningly full bottle, I felt her arm press against mine. It was subtle, barely noticeable at all, yet it did something to my heart I couldn't explain. I'm almost completely sure it was to get me to go along with it easier, and I'm pretty sure it was working.

Reaching out, he calmly spun it around. It glistened under the moonlight, clanking slightly on the old wood. I watched it go around, deciding the fate we would all have at the end.

It went scarily slower, the end almost near. I didn't dare look away as if that would give me some sort of control over it. I can't decide if it would be worse to be first or last. Either way, I don't doubt they'd be paying attention.

Right as I crossed my fingers it would skip me forever, it landed on me. Quickly blinking, I waited for it to change positions.

Somehow that didn't work. It was still there.

"This is completely irresponsible,"I pointed out.

"Well, yeah. That's the point."

What a supportive lover I have. Good to see she's on my side.

I hesitantly reached out, wrapping my hand around the bottle. It was chilly, not quite relieving the cold but not helping either. The liquid inside was clear, something that could be mistaken for pure.

Untwisting the red cap, I stared at it for another minute, searching for some reason not to. There are plenty. It's a bad idea to be drunk by water, I don't want to know what it's like to be hungover, and I'm still overly emotional.

But I trust them with that more than anyone else. Was that smart? Probably not but neither is this.

It burned the second I put it to my lips. It smelled like chemicals and bad decisions, an overwhelming scent that made me a little nauseous. When I ignored that, daring to drink it as quickly as possibly before I backed out, regret already filled my stomach. I don't think the side effect of being drunk has anything to do with throwing up. I think it's just the fact that this is the worst thing that's ever been in my mouth.