"Stop kissing him." Todd says, rolling his eyes. "Help me make cupcakes, you ass."
Michael groans, backing away from Calum. "Todd, you already have them in the oven."
"Yes, but I don't want to get them out." Todd says, loosening the tie on his uniform. Michael walks around the kitchen island and gets a tea towel, rolling it up and whipping his brother with it. "Ow, you dick!"
Michael throws the tea towel at them. "Get these fucking things out yourself, you pussy."
Todd pouts, and opens the oven door. Nervous, he wraps the tea towel around his hand, and grabs it out. As soon as he touches the tray, he starts to scream. Michael makes him drop the tray on the stove, and pushes him over towards the sink.
"I was kidding, Michael." He laughs, and Michael doesn't find this funny at all. "It's nice that you care about me, though."
"You're a cockfuck. Go and change into something else."
"You haven't." Todd points out.
"Yeah, but Ashton doesn't care about what I look like."
The younger boy scoffs. "Obviously."
Calum laughs. "Roasted." He says, wrapping an arm around Michael's shoulders. "Okay, we'll all go change. But we have to leave soon."
"Yeah, Mum and Dad are trying to have some 'alone time' to repair their fucked relationship." Michael adds, and Todd winces at how careless he is about it.
They all go change into casual clothes, putting in the group chat that somebody needed to bring pizza. Out of Calum, Todd, Luke and Johnson, Johnson was the only one that replied, saying that he was already at Ashton's, and that they were halfway through one.
Michael looks over to Calum, who's raiding Michael's closet for something to wear, and figures that now a good enough time to talk. "Dove," he says softly. "I'm really proud of you for not drinking."
The Maori's eyebrows make a crease in the middle of his forehead. "I haven't been drinking?"
"Not since two Thursdays ago."
Calum pulls on a flannelette shirt that's too big – even for Michael – and lets out a noise of confusion. "Really?" the bleached blond nods. "Guess I've been too caught up with you."
Michael's heart warms at the statement, but the Maori seems ashamed that he even said it, and dodges the kiss Michael wants to give him, mumbling something about the cupcakes.
The pale boy follows him to the kitchen to see the olive-skinned boy putting the cupcakes in the freezer so they would cool quicker. "Where's your Mum and Dad?" Calum asks.
"In Dad's office."
"As soon as Todd's ready to go, we'll go."
Soon enough, they were all in Calum's Mum's car, an awkward silence setting in. They pull over in front of a nice-looking two-storey house. Todd bites his lips. "Oh my god, I think I'm going to throw up." He says, finally letting go of the façade that he's been trying to play for the past three hours.
"Dude, you'll be fine. It's just a movie, you can't fuck up. She'll love you."
Michael gets out his wallet, and pulls out a fifty, giving it to his little brother. "Pay for everything."
Tentatively, Todd grabs the money. "Thanks, Michael." He says. "Any other advice?"
"Make her laugh, and ask her questions because that shows you're interested." The boy nods, and gets out.
