Double Dare

1

The twins walk toward the school, shoulder to shoulder, as always, Benji with a poptart dangling from his fingers, Beau sanitizing his hands. Their blonde hair shines in the rising sun, crystal blue eyes surveying passersby.

"Beau. She's cute."

"She asked what they do with male chicken eggs last year. I haven't the patience for her."

Benji sighs loudly, crossing his arms. "Well, how about her?" He asks, gesturing lazily at a girl sashaying by.

"No. She's too young. Freshman."

"How can you tell?"

Beau tilts his head in the analytical way that he has, staring after her. "She's trying too hard to be cool. Her backpack is literally sparkling. And, she keeps reminding herself not to cross her arms. Freshman."

Benji shakes his head, jostling his brother with an arm across his shoulders. "C'mon, Beau, it's senior year. Don't you wanna date at least one girl this year?"

Beau shrugs, adjusting the straps of his bag. "No. Not really. It seems too much work. The thought of having to take that much care of someone, anyone, makes me feel nauseated."

"You mean nauseous."

"No, I mean nauseated. Nauseous is used when descri-" Beau's grammatical rant is cut off when a short boy crashes into his side.

"Oh, no! Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to... Um. Sorry." He tugs self consciously at the sleeves of his oversized sweatshirt, a furious blush spreading determinedly over his tan cheeks. Shadowy eyes shift awkwardly around the space, and the boy swipes a hand through his dark brown hair. "Like, yikes. Sorry about that. I just wasn't looking where I was going and... Sorry."

"I... Apology accepted," says Beau, who can't seem to get himself to close his mouth.

Benji, assessing the situation, acts on impulse, as usual. "Say, you're pretty cute," he drawls, putting on his signature heart-melting smirk. "What's your name?"

The boy glances behind himself, seeming nervous, his neck flushing now. "M-me?"

"Yes, you, cutie. What's your name?" Beau rolls his eyes, ready to pull Benji away by the scruff of his neck before he flusters the boy into a sloppy puddle.

"Uh, I'm Danny." He looks up at Beau again. "Sorry, again." Then, he shuffles away, pushing floppy hair away from his forehead, glancing around.

Beau is still mostly frozen in place, as is Benji. "No one's ever just... Walked away from me before," Benji pouts. "Especially after the smirk. No one resists the smirk."

Beau stares after Danny in a similar state, eyes wide, pleasantly surprised. "Well, maybe this one's different."

Benji's lips twist into a sly grin. "I've got to have him." Then, he cuts his eyes to the side. "Unless, of course, you want him."

"Don't be ridiculous." Beau takes off in long strides, trusting his brother to follow. "I'm not gay."

"How do you know? You've never been interested in anybody. Maybe you're a flaming homosexual, just a picky one." Benji swallows the last of his poptart, stretching his arms above his head. "You haven't sanitized your hands. He full on collided with you, and you aren't even bothered."

Beau tenses, looking at his hands, brow furrowed. "I... I guess so. But that doesn't mean anything."

"I'm gonna figure out your deal eventually. Just you wait."

Beau rolls his eyes. "Sure. Good luck with that."

---

Beau wipes his desk down with the one of the sanitary wipes that he keeps in his backpack, tracing the corners, then moving in big blocks over the center. He can feel peering eyes on his back, and ignores them. If people want to stare, let them stare. It isn't any of their business anyways.

A finger taps the edge of Beau's desk; Beau flinches, reaching impulsively to grab another cleaning wipe, before he hears a voice.

"Uh, hey. Sorry again, for running into you."

Beau freezes, head snapping up to look at the boy standing in front of him. Danny. His face is pink, white hoodie swallowing up his thin shoulders. Suddenly the elimination of germs doesn't seem so incredibly urgent, and he nods in greeting. "'s alright. No harm done."

Danny stands there for a while longer, staring at his feet, before blurting, "So, you're a twin, huh?"

Beau nods. "Yes. Benji is my brother." He remembers, now, that he still hasn't wiped the seat, kneeling down to do so.

The boy nods too quickly for a beat too long, then shoves his hands into his hoodie pocket. "Um, what's your next class?"

"French."

"Oh. Well, me too. I was wondering... Could you show me where it is, maybe? You don't have to, I just... Thought I'd ask." Beau looks up at Danny, who has his head ducked down, worn tips of his converse shoes rubbing together.

Beau cocks his head to the side. "You're a freshman? French 4?"

Danny shrugs, a blood rushing to his ears. Beau gets the impression that he blushes a lot. "I skipped some classes. I'm taking mostly junior level stuff, but French is senior." He runs his fingers through his hair, pushing it out of his eyes. Indoors, they look a little closer to green than brown, and Beau feels his breath catch in his throat.

"Yeah. I'll take you." Danny smiles, and Beau nearly falls over from where he's crouching.

"Okay, thanks! I-" Danny glances at something above Beau's head, and his jaw clamps shut. "I'll, uh, see you after class, then." He turns over his shoulder and hurries back to his seat.

Beau looks up to see Benji walking over, looking slightly confused. "Isn't that the cute guy from earlier?"

"Yeah... Not that he's cute. But, Danny, yeah." Beau stands, unzipping his bag carefully. "He has French next and wanted to know if I'd walk him."

Benji smirks, throwing himself carelessly into the desk to Beau's right. "You know what that means, right?' Seeing Beau's confused expression, he leans close, and stage whispers, "He want the d."

Beau flushes, face screwed into a grimace. "That's... Gross. Unsanitary. Not to mention really inaccurate." He pumps a squirt of hand sanitizer into his hands. "He doesn't like me."

Benji rolls his eyes. "Okayyy, whatever you say." The bell rings for first period, and Beau carefully aligns his materials. Benji, annoyed by the silence, blurts, "Do you think I can get him? Like, just for a night?"

Beau tilts his head to the side, thinking, then shakes his head. "No. I doubt it. He doesn't seem the type for one night stands."

"Wanna bet?"

Glancing at Benji, who's bouncing up and down in his seat with excitement, Beau sighs. "No."

"But, whyyy, Beau? C'mon... No harm in it."

Beau shakes his head again. "No. He might get attached; then what?"

"Then I'll date him." Beau gives him a skeptical glance. "No shit. I promise. If he catches feelings, I'll date him."

"I'm still not completely on board with this."

"I'm gonna take that as a yes. If I can get him to sleep with me... You have to do my laundry for a week."

"Benji. I do your laundry anyways."

"Well, you have to put up with me not doing it." Beau leans forward, chin resting in his palms. "And, if I don't... I'll set you up on a date with him."

"No. Shut up." Beau can feel his face turning pink. "You can clean your closet, if you lose."

Benji groans, then nods half-heartedly. "Fine. Deal."

Beau hums, turns to face the front, then turns back. "Don't hurt him."

"I won't, I won't," Benji mutters. "Don't worry about it."

Beau faces front again, cracking his knuckles. Benji leans back in his chair, arms behind his head.

Let the games begin.

A/N: New thing! Woohoo! I'm excited for it.

Vote/ comment if you're excited, too!

xx