Battle Scars [BxB]

E I G H T E E N

I still hadn't gone back to school and Christmas break had officially begun. It meant that I wouldn't be returning to Wolfpine until after the new year, so I still had a couple of weeks to prepare myself.

On a particularly icy day, Lila picked me up in her shiny red car with Tommy seated in the passenger seat, his legs propped up on the dashboard. We drove to Daya's chatting away as I fiddled with my jacket. Mercy had invited me shopping with her and Milo the day before and after my brother fell sick at the last minute, we decided we'd still go together. I bought a ton of new clothes under the Christmas sales and discovered a whole new style.

My fashion sense was always awkward and uncomfortable, looking like hand-me-downs from forgotten cousins. Now, it had a vintage spin, looking almost retro and trendy. It wasn't majorly out there, but I felt more comfortable, more confident.

Today, I was wearing high waisted faded blue jeans, rolled up at the bottom to reveal turquoise old school vans and Luca's old leather jacket. A thick belt snaked around my waist, black with a silver buckle. When I wore Luca's jacket before, it always looked sad and mournful, like I was trying to pathetically preserve his memory. When I wore it now, it actually looked good. Intentionally good.

And then there was the lilac hair, still messy and unkempt, just like always.

Lila commented on my outfit the whole way there, mentioning how awesome my new hair was as her eyes continuously strayed from the road. "Why can't you dye your hair like that, babe?"

Tommy rolled his eyes, "Sorry I don't meet your standards."

She giggled, leaning over to place a hand on his thigh for the rest of the drive. When we pulled up at Daya's house, Lila gasped. "Holy shit, the chick you used to date lives here?" She exclaimed in exasperation. "Why the fuck did you leave her for me?"

We all chuckled as we exited the car and headed up the cobbled pathway. I'd only been here once last summer with Luca and my reaction had been identical to Lila's. Her house was tall and grand with big windows and doors accompanied by marbles staircases.

Once she opened the door, we were greeted with big hugs. She was kind and welcoming towards Lila, slightly cold and reserved towards Tommy and exceptionally inviting towards me. Once we had broken from the tight hug, she pulled back and scanned me up and down as she held me at arms length. "Wow, Ted, I love your hair."

Once we had finished saying our hellos, we walked through to the living room, where Phoenix was sat with who I could only assume to be Grey. Phoenix hopped up and gave me a huge hug, before Grey did the same. They looked different in person. Grey was shorter than I'd expected, their dark blue hair tousled while piercings punctured their ears and nose.

We all chatted for a bit and I couldn't help but noticing an almost unspoken agreement about not mentioning my time in hospital. I wondered whether they'd discussed it before I arrived, but either way, I found myself grateful.

Lila and Daya were giggling about something in the corner while Lila scrolled through her phone, presumably showing her boyfriend's ex embarrassing photos of him. While Tommy acquainted himself with Grey, I shuffled closer to Phoenix. He smiled before glancing around cautiously and lowering his voice, "I'm really happy for you, Ted."

I smiled lightly, "Th-Thanks. Like...seriously, thanks. If it wasn't for you, I-I'd never have even considered going to hospital. You probably saved my life, Phoenix."

He nudged me playfully, "You did all the work."

As much as I wanted to stress how grateful I was, I didn't have the energy to continue the conversation. It wasn't a topic I was particularly fond of talking about, and if it was avoidable, then I'd definitely take a different route. "Are you glad to be back home?"

"I'm glad to have a break to be honest." He said tiredly. "Uni is hard work."

"W-What about Grey? What do they study?"

"A ton of biochemical shit and inorganic chemistry. I don't really know; the course has a weirdly long and confusing name." He waved it off. "But Grey's smart. Like, insanely smart."

I chuckled slightly, "T-Tommy seems to like them." I mused, glancing across the room to see the pair break out in laughter.

"Yeah, plus, the sex is great." He added, making my face heat up involuntarily. "I swear I barely even knew how to kiss someone before Grey. And now it's like...I'm actually good at it."

I slapped him lightly, stifling a giggle, "M-Must be great to be able to touch someone whenever you want, huh?"

"Oh, yeah, it's amazing. One time, they jerked me off under the table while..." Phoenix trailed off once he realised what lay behind my words, quickly twisting the sentence around, "Oh." He muttered. "Well, don't worry, Luca gets back tomorrow, right? You two won't be able to keep your hands off of each other. I bet you'll have the best sex of your-"

"Phoenix." I groaned from embarrassment.

"What?" He asked defensively, trying to hide his amuses grin. "It's true. And I know how desperate Luca gets when he hasn't-"

"Okay, okay." I said loudly, trying to cut him off. "I-I'd rather hear about y-your sex life than talk about mine." I practically begged, wishing for any way out of this conversation, even if that meant discussing what Phoenix got up to in bed.

He smirked wickedly, "It's pretty adventurous."

I rose a questioning brow, "How so?"

He shrugged, "You know...like...handcuffs and shit."

For some reason, my entire face started glowing bright red, my eyes widening slightly. "W-Wow, Phoenix." I laughed.

Before we could finish the conversation (thankfully), Tommy plopped down on the sofa next to me as Grey nestled beside Phoenix, intertwining their fingers. I'd talked with Grey for a few moments earlier, but had yet to spend any real time with them. It made me wonder what they were like. "What're you guys talking about?" Tommy asked.

"Nothing." I interjected before Phoenix could make the conversation any awkwarder.

"I seriously love your hair, dude." Grey chipped in, their pale eyes scanning my appearance. It was now a shade of pastel lilac with strips of darker purple highlights. It was new and exciting and though it scared me, it also excited me.

"Th-Thanks." I smiled, "I like yours, too."

The rest of the day was fun and relaxed. Everyone was catching up and chatting, the mood remaining light and cheerful throughout. The only glimmer of uncomfortable shyness came when Daya offered me a can of beer. Once I declined, I was asked why I didn't drink. I flushed and mumbled an honest excuse about alcohol interfering with my meds. But aside from that, the afternoon was perfect.

The sky darkened and evening approached. Everyone got a little too drunk and the night ended with me holding Daya's hair back as she threw up into the toilet.

But I didn't care. Because tomorrow, I get to see my boyfriend.