Bad Habit

seventeen

"So, if your full name is Theodore, why can't I call you Theo?"

"Because that's a bitch-ass name."

"Bitch-ass? Jesus Christ, never would I have expected those words to come out of your mouth."

"What's wrong with Moss? I like that people call me that."

"It doesn't feel personal at all," Finny mumbled as the pair walked down the somewhat crowded street towards Moss' favorite ice cream shop. "It's like I'm just any old chump calling you by your last name."

"I like when you call me Moss," he replied with a coy smile, making Finny howl with laughter, "it's better than when anyone calls me Teddy."

"Remember when I called you cheeky? Yeah, well, you are," Finny chuckled, nudging Moss' arm. "Oh, hey, by the way, I've been meaning to ask you about this. When your coach was talking to me, he referred to you as Teddy like three or four times. Why can he call you that and I can't?" Moss froze and squeezed his right hand into a fist before loosening it again. He brought his thumb up to his mouth and bit down on it nervously. 

"Yeah, he's a family friend," Moss shrugged, "I've known him since I was little and that's what he's always called me." Finny nodded in understanding and ducked to dodge someone coming towards him, lightly bumping into Moss in the process. Moss felt himself blush a bit at the contact. 

"And so here's another juicy question," Finny started, pointing a finger in the air. Moss grew nervous; he couldn't handle all the questions. "You know, since we are supposedly dating, which one of us would top and which would bottom?" Moss nearly choked to death on his own spit at the question. Holy shit, he thought to himself.

Finny laughed at Moss' outwardly appalled reaction and shoved his hands into his pocket, waiting for an answer and not understanding how uncomfortable such a question made Moss feel. Moss looked around and made sure no one heard and no one was around before he decided to answer. "That's fucked up, Finny, who thinks of a question like that just out of the blue?" Finny shrugged dramatically and began to laugh again. 

"It's just something I've been thinking about," he said extremely sarcastically, "like seriously, who would take what position?" Moss closed and rubbed his eyes while shaking his head. He really did not want to answer, but feared Finny wouldn't let it go. 

"Let me make this clear, and you'll have your answer," Moss mumbled quietly, looking around once more to make sure no one would hear him. "I'm not bottoming for anyone. Don't care who it is." Finny let out a shriek at this confession. Moss began to panic and laugh while smacking Finny to get him to shut up. They were about to turn onto a busier street in the city and Moss didn't want anyone hearing what they were discussing. 

"Not for anyone?" Finny asked. "Are you serious? I guess we can't date then." Moss felt his stomach twist. 

"You won't bottom either?" Moss asked, surprising himself. Finny looked up at him and smirked before shaking his head. 

"For the most part, no," he laughed. "I suppose it depends, though. If I had someone like. . . Someone like Jake Gyllenhaal ask to top then I would. And honestly, I'd probably bottom for you." Once again, Moss felt his stomach erupt and contort with butterflies and soft feelings. They were talking about such a vulgar subject that Finny surely mentioned for the sole purpose of joking around and making Moss uncomfortable, and while he was succeeding in that, he was also succeeding in making Moss' heart flutter and palms sweat. He was making Moss feel jittery and hopeful, even. 

"Great, that's totally something I want to hear," Moss said sarcastically, when in reality he meant it. "Just know that I will never bottom for you."