Social Norms (Synacky)

Chapter Forty-Five

He didn’t take Zacky out to dinner on Monday.

He cancelled once, because Justin invited him over again, so they pushed it back to Wednesday. Zacky didn’t seem to mind.

Brian had become fascinated with this drug. He had learned so much about Justin when they were high, laughing and yammering to each other, and they always did something fun and crazy. Very quickly he had become a pro at lining up strips of the powder, snorting it quick and efficiently, then holding on for the ride.

Brian had booked them a reservation at some fancy place, because he knew Zacky would be thrilled. It was Huntington’s finest in French cuisine. Brian didn’t even know France was known for their cuisine, except for strudels. Were those French?

He wore a smart suit, yes, this restaurant had a dress code, and picked up Zacky at promptly 6:00. Zacky had taken out his snakebites and septum, combed and gelled his hair nicely, and was wearing a tux, complete with an adorable bowtie.

“You look ravishing, Zacky.” Brian grinned and Zacky blushed as he slipped into the car.

“I don’t know if ‘ravishing’ is quite the right word…” he trailed off, and Brian kissed his cheek.

“You look beautiful.” he said sincerely, “The most handsome guy to ever walk the earth.”

Zacky pressed his hands over his cheeks to cover his blush, but Brian caught the small smile.

The host at the restaurant directed them to their table when they arrived, and Brian gaped at the fancy ambiance the place had. All talk was hushed and civilized, there were candles on the white tablecloths, and waiters wore white gloves and had a flower in their lapel.

“Hello, gentleman.” Their waiter greeted them as he handed them each a menu. “My name is Claude, I will be your server tonight. May I start you off with drinks?”

Brian was expecting some sort of reaction from their waiter when he ordered Dr. Pepper. Fancy French people were mean and full of snobbery, right? So he was surprised when the man just smiled and took down what they wanted, before leaving to let them decide on their meal.

And everything was in French.

Of course it would be in French, this was a French restaurant. Brian frowned at the list of choices, whispering to Zacky, “Can you understand this?”

“Not a word.” Zacky replied. He reached a tentative hand across the table, and Brian smiled, taking his hand.

“So when can I meet your parents?” Brian asked, rubbing his thumb along the back of Zacky’s hand gently. “I want them to know that I’m not as bad as… the others.”

He saw dejection and disappointment at the mention of his parents visibly in Zacky’s body language. His shoulders slumped and his face got sad. “I don’t know… It may be a while. They’re really, really uncomfortable with what we’re doing…”

“I want them to get comfortable.” Brian said, “I want to kiss up to them and make them love me so that you’re not so stressed about it.”

Zacky sighed, eyes falling down to the menu before him. “Soon.” He replied, “Before school starts again.”

Brian smiled, and their waiter came back again bearing their drinks. “Do you gentlemen know what you’ll be having?” he asked them.

They each chose something random off the menu, and their waiter took it down. Before he left to put in their order, he told them, “Pardon my personal remark, but I do enjoy seeing young lovers in our restaurant. I hope everything goes well for you both.”

It took Brian by surprise. He smiled at the waiter and replied, “Thank you.”

And it felt good. It was good to be in a public place with Zacky, together as a couple, and to have people not only notice it, but accept and embrace it. It made him feel somewhat closer to Zacky, like they were even more official.

Their meal arrived, and they dug in like pigs. Or growing boys. Same difference. They could only be fancy to a certain extent.

Brian still wasn’t sure what he had ordered, something to do with scallops, but it was fucking delicious and he wolfed down the small portion, scraping his plate clean with his fork.

After they paid for their meal, they walked hand in hand down a tourist strip. Hardly any stars were out in the Orange County smog, but Brian pointed out a couple constellations he could remember, and Zacky grinned, leaning his head on Brian’s shoulder.

“Can we get ice cream?” he asked, and Brian grinned, nodding.

They bought their cones, Brian had mint chocolate chip, Zacky had vanilla, and walked down to the beach, leaving their shoes and socks on the seawall.

“Vanilla is probably the last flavor I’d expect you to have.” Brian mused as they dug their toes into the sand. “It’s pretty much the most plain, basic flavor.”

“I like it.” Zacky replied, “Nothing to get stuck in my teeth, a flavor that’s really innocent. It reminds me of clouds.”

“If you got some sort of sherbet it could remind you of sunsets.” Brian said, and Zacky chuckled.

“I don’t like sherbet.” He replied, “It’s frozen smoothie trying to disguise itself as ice cream. Besides, the texture is weird. I like my ice cream like I like my boyfriends.” He smirked at Brian before saying, “Smooth, pale, and incredibly sweet.”

“Excuse me, I worked very hard for this tan.” Brian pouted, “It just doesn’t look like it in the moonlight.” Zacky laughed, kissing Brian softly. He scooped some of his ice cream into his hand, and smeared it across Brain’s cheek.

“There!” he laughed, and Brian’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

Zacky’s tongue traced across his cheek, collecting the melting dessert on his tongue, and that tongue then went straight to his mouth.

Brian’s ice cream dropped to the sand, but he didn’t care. He gripped his hands in Zacky’s hair, and they kissed in their tuxes under the moon on the beach. It was magic.

It was, as the French would say, ‘une soirée inoubliable.’

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Quick note : I know you all will probably not want to bother looking that up, but those French words translated mean “An unforgettable evening.” Okay, just wanted to clear that up so you all weren’t confused. And no, I don’t speak French, although I do think it is a beautiful language.

-foREVerADeathbat