I DON'T MEAN TO BUT I LOVE YOU

fifteen.

Gabe is about to open his mouth to say something else slick to Jarstin, but then there's the sound of the police sirens, and Gabe's heart drops into his stomach as fear and paranoia immediately set in.

Oh, shit. He's going to go back to jail.

He hides close behind Jarstin as one of them passes, trying to play it cool, but it's obvious he's on something. The way Gabe is acting, though, he's gonna make them assume he's the one on heroin instead of just marijuana.

In a quick montage of images and moments, Gabe nearly predicts what his future would hold if he were caught high and drunk. Handcuffs, a jail cell, an orange jumpsuit, community service, and returning back to that same small town hell that he felt suffocated in all of his life. Gabe would be trapped in a prison like no other—his hometown, held hostage from the rest of the world, and always having to live with the weight of guilt and shame that his parents would inevitably bring down on him. That's why he stands closely behind Jarstin, silently praying that none of the cops come their way, because the last thing he wants to do is watch this life that he's built for himself outside of that town come crashing down around him in a fiery blaze.

Jarstin watches the passing by officer, hand subtly herding Gabe behind him as the man seems to breeze right past the both of them in favor of backing up his partner against the obviously bigger threat: Starfox. Finding out the reason for their search really makes him turn up his nose, Heroin? Seriously? This is a block party not a fucking rave—fuck that orange justice shit, we swag surf over here. Jarstin leans into Gabe, whispering out of the corner of his mouth. "It must be one of them Iotas, you know them niggas is weird."

Gabe gives a small chuckle at Jarstin's words, it's slightly comforting to hear him make a joke, but his own paranoia grows as he watches all of the cops around them. There's so many of them, and it seems like they just keep multiplying. The Kappa's gaze floats over to Starfox and AJ, the latter of who is trying so hard not to look like he wants to shrink into a shell and disappear. He tries hard to adopt the same professional, non-threatening stance that Starfox has, but his mimicry is obvious. Regardless, he keeps his eyes trained on the officers before them, another arriving because, of course, they weren't going to let each other stand up to two black men. They don't even know the definition of fear—what AJ feels right now is damn near palpable, it wrenches around his heart like a snake wrapping around its prey, and fight or flight mode starts to kick in as he watches the officers' hands to make sure neither of them are reaching for their gun.

Heroin?

AJ's eyes stay trained on Starfox, refusing to look anywhere else, and he swallows thickly and slowly steps down off the stage next to Starfox. Cops scare AJ. Especially white cops. He's not about to let Starfox talk to him alone, he's going down there with him, because just like Starfox protects him, AJ is going to protect Starfox. He refrains from reaching for his hand, or touching his back, or standing too close, he's trying not to appear childlike and clingy.

He tries his hardest to put his normal AJ armor back on, but it just sort of half hangs off of him.

"I can assure you, sir, none of us are using heroin." AJ says. His hands are still shaking, and his knees are locked, and he still feels like he wants to scream and cry at the same time, but he's trying to pull it together. "You sure you at the right place? We just some college kids having a good time. That's all."

AJ cuts his eyes up at Starfox for a moment before looking back at the cop.

AJ doesn't need to reach for his hand, or touch his back, or stand too close. Starfox feels him there, presence sturdy and unwavering—even if he's feeling a little broken. AJ's presence is all his body craves for—it's all his body ever craves. It doesn't matter if AJ is wearing his 'armor' or not, he'll love him regardless, and he'll be that armor until AJ's stable enough to rebuild it. I am strong enough to lift not one, but both of us. AJ doesn't have to do anything because Starfox does it instead. He takes the necessary steps to stand right next to his best friend, their shoulders brushing lightly.