Seeing someone in their element was never anything less than mind-blowing and inspiring. Eddie usually didn't go to concerts, but if they were all as electric as that concert was, she could get used to it. Mick and Moxie lit up a stage like they were born on it. Like no other artist could play that venue afterwards because nobody would ever compare to their brilliance. It was in their DNA.

            Axel knew all the words to every song. The entire arena might've been singing along, but Eddie could only hear him beside her. Loud and proud and wonderful. Even when he started taking pictures with his camera, he didn't miss a word.

            By the fourth time Eddie noticed him turning her way, she looked over at him and yelled over the music, "You're not even looking at the stage!"

            Axel pressed his finger on the shutter button. (Maybe Eddie smiled and maybe he took another picture and maybe she didn't stop him.) Placed the lens cap on and let the camera dangle from his neck. "I've seen them before!"

            "How could you look away from this?" Eddie asked. Tearing her eyes from the stage to look at him felt sacrilegious. "It's everything!"

            Axel smiled. Shook his head a little and turned away.

            Eddie put her hand on the opposite side of his chin and turned his head toward her.

            Axel raised his eyebrows. "I'm trying to watch something."

            Eddie gave him a small tap on the cheek with her fingertips for that one. "Bitch."

            It felt wrong that there were other people in that room with them. Because Axel wrapped his arm around Eddie's shoulders and pulled her close and laughed into her hair before he pressed a kiss to the side of her head and let her go again.

            When Eddie stole a glance at him, she elected to ignore the gulp that made his Adam's apple bobble. She turned back to the stage, smiling softly. If he'd been less of a little shit, Eddie might've let him kiss her properly. Wouldn't that have been fun.

            The rest of the show was as mind-blowing as the first part of it. Natural performers who put on one of the greatest shows she'd ever seen. Comparable to when Rush won his belt kind of once in a lifetime event. If she wasn't going to kiss him, the least she could do was lean into him and pretend it didn't matter to her in the slightest.

            Nope.

            Not one bit.

            Oh, dear.

*

Mick King might've thought he was being quiet, but the only person who couldn't hear him was, evidently, the person he was not being subtle about. And, once again, Eddie couldn't really blame him. The small group was about to be joined by the siblings outside the venue.

            He was practically about to pull his sister's arm off. "I thought you were joking when you said you saw Bay Area greasy haired boy, what the f—"

            "He has a name, you know." A bold statement from the woman who probably would've traded Axel for a popsicle.

            "And how do you know what his name is?" Mick looked like he'd rather his pants split every single show for the rest of his life if it meant he didn't have to approach Axel once.

            "Maybe he thinks we're newly minted friends," Moxie said. "Maybe not."

            "Excuse you?"

            "Shut up," Moxie said, and Eddie turned away. Bumped into Axel and tried to ignore the way he immediately tried to hold her there. "They're right there."

            "Hi!" Eddie said. Ignoring. Ignoring. Ignoring. Axel's hand moved off her and Eddie let out a breath. "Amazing show guys, really. Thank you for inviting us. You killed it."

            "Thank you!" Moxie said. "Mick, this is Eddie. Axel. Axel is your Bill Murray."

            "Huh?"

            "Owe you this, my Sigourney," Axel said. He pulled a beer from the back pocket of his jeans. Eddie supposed that's what he was up to when she went to the bathroom. "Thanks for the ticket."

            Mick cleared his throat. Loudly. Took the can from him. "Yeah, um. Thanks for... stopping by."

            "Even better the second time," Axel said. And Mick looked like he wanted to be buried under Burbon Street. "Literally incredible. Way to keep the pants together this time."

            "My sister would've disowned me."

            "Worth it?"

            "Depends on who's watching, I guess," Mick said with a small shrug.

            "Lesbian Bill Murray count for something?" Eddie asked.

            "I want to say yes but it feels kind of wrong to—" Mick started.

            "He doesn't have a carabiner keychain so we know he's only pretending to be a lesbian," Moxie said, notably adjusting the carabiner on her belt loop. "It's fine."

            "Guess we know what he should've gotten for his birthday," Eddie said.

            "Speaking of the birthday boy," Cruella said. She held up a cardboard party hat with a pompom on the top. "We need our ghost hunting gear. Axel, this is yours."

            "I—" Axel went to protest but probably remembered that very woman commanding the attention of the entire bar the night before. He took the hat and put it on, tucking the string under his chin. "Okay. I'm not arguing."

            "I booked us a tour to show us around the French Quarter and... well, the other part is a surprise," Cruella said.

            "Should we be scared?" Eddie asked. Sensing the hint of chaos in her tone.

            "The other one is unsolved so..." Cruella smiled a little. "I'll let you make up your minds when you hear who it's about."

            "Sounds fun," Axel said, cracking open another beer loudly. Worse, it was Bud Light.

            "Are you just going to drink that in the middle of the street?" Eddie asked.

            Axel stared at her. "We're in New Orleans."

            Moxie pulled an entire bottle of champagne out of her crossbody bag resting on her hip. "Exactly."

            Evidently, Eddie had missed that memo. But she wasn't about to drink Axel's piss water.

            Axel held his can out. "Cheers."

            Mick tapped the cans together. Boys. "Cheers."

            It was embarrassing how easily and quickly Axel drained the first can, tossed it into a recycling bin nearby like he was a basketball player, and pulled another can of beer from the pocket of his pants. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and looked at the group. "Does anyone want one to join me?"

            "Don't have to ask me twice," Mick said.

            Eddie didn't know where he was getting them but Axel pulled another out of his pocket and offered it Mick's way. "Do you need another one—"

            Mick and Axel were birds of a feather with the quickness of their drinking and their willingness to drink more. Somehow, also, with their ability to toss a can in a bin when they could've walked over. He took the can from Axel. "Yeah, could use another."

            "Fuckin' alcoholics," Moxie said.

            Cruella and Eddie exchanged a small look—both noting the bottle of champagne in Moxie's hand. Alas, she was a woman—if it was one of the men, they probably would've called out the hypocrisy, Moxie, on the other hand, could live another day. Especially after putting on such an incredible show.

            Axel offered her a can, keys rattling against the edge. "Do you want one—"

            "I'll pass, thanks."

            Axel tucked it back in his pocket. Before he and Mick tapped their cans together and shotgunned their beers. In record time. Axel crushed the can on his forehead like he should've been somewhere with Greek letters and brothers. Tossed that can into the recycling too. And that, ladies and gentleman and anyone in between, was how to prove, once and for all, that sexuality was not a choice.

            "Do you both always finish this fast—" Cruella asked.

            Eddie fought a snort.

            "I do love a Bud Light," Axel said.

            "That's not—" Eddie gave up. Sighed a little. "Okay."

            "I think we're gonna miss our tour if we keep shotgunning the worst beer on the planet," Moxie said.

            "Who's got Molsons—" Axel started. (Mental note for Eddie's lobotomy via Everleigh Meadowlark and a rusty spoon has now been highlighted and underlined. URGENT!!!)

            "Moxie's right," Eddie said, "we should go. Cruella, lead the way."

            "Uber is on its way," Cruella said. "Might want to finish that before you get inside the car."

            "I have more if anyone needs to toss them," Axel said.

            "Where?" Eddie asked.

            "Why?" Moxie asked. The disgust on her face more than evident at even the thought of drinking one of Axel's Bud Lights.

            "It's New Orleans," Axel said.

            "As long as we don't get kicked out of the car," Cruella said, "we're good."

            Axel grinned. "I promise."

*

The house that they pulled up to made Eddie wonder if she should've gotten a tetanus shot before she left for Louisiana. It was like the house hadn't been occupied in decades. They got out of their Uber—a lovely mini van that didn't at all squish Axel between Mick and Eddie in the back row's middle seat nor did it smell like shitty smuggled into a vehicle stale beer—and everyone who wasn't Cruella looked around for their group.

            "I thought you said you booked a tour guide?" Moxie asked. "Nobody is here?"

            "They're running a little late," Cruella said, looking at her phone. "We can probably go inside and wait, though."

            "Why would we wait inside the haunted house?" Mick asked.

            "Axel, do you think you can... I don't know... reach up there?" Cruella pointed to a window. Ignored the front door, who needed one of those?

            "I could..." Axel sized it up. Winced a little. Narrowed one eye. "Maybe get in if I had a boost."

            The bewildered expression on Axel's face was a testament to the fact that he probably didn't think anyone would give him said boost. Cruella and Eddie were more than willing to call his bluff. They both leaned against the side of the house, knitting there fingers together for Axel to use as makeshift steps. He looked like he wanted to argue, but recognized he would lose. Eddie had deadlifted him easily, but getting him high enough to get into a window without help was another thing entirely. Once Axel had above average grip on the window sill, it was up to chance whether he got in. Cruella and Eddie's job was done.

            "Try not to get tetanus!" Eddie called after him.

            "We can see your orange boxers," Mick said.

            "Is that a shadow or a hole—" Moxie made a face at the fact that she'd looked long enough to have that question.

            "It..." Eddie tilted her head a little. "... might be both."

            "Let us know when you—" Cruella was interrupted by a thump that made it sound like Axel fell through three floors. She winced, wrinkled her nose a little at the sound of the impact. The rest of the group all in various stages of ouch body language that would never make up for whatever Axel was feeling. "—get down."

            A loud grunt came from inside the house. "Got down," Axel managed in a strained voice. Like it hurt to do anything, including breathe.

            "Okay, well—" Cruella moved on from her concern relatively quickly. "—If you can... move... we'll be by the—"

            In the midst of Axel's demolition via some kind of cannonball, Moxie had walked over to the front door and tried the knob. "So, yeah," she said, pushing the door open, "this was open the whole time."

            A sympathetic, "... Ouch," was all Eddie could manage.

            Axel was nothing if not conspicuous. When Moxie stumbled back a couple steps from the door as it swung closed, there was no doubt that he had pushed her out of the way. Bold, for someone who Moxie could probably snap the arm of with merely a dirty glance in his general direction.

            After too many seconds, Axel opened the door again. "Welcome to mi casa." His voice was still the slightest bit on edge from his fall into the seventh level of hell before he'd crawled himself back. Eddie tried not to laugh at the flattened party hat on his head that he quickly ripped off. "You may enter."

            "Are you sure—" Moxie started.

            "Boo!"

            What happened next was not for the smart of heart.

            Yes, the yell had scared Eddie. Yes, she'd jumped the slightest bit. And yes, it was funny. But she'd only just reached the top of the stairs when it erupted from the house.

            Mick let out the colourful, "Flying fish on a fucking spatula—"

            At the same time Axel shouted, "What the Jesus H. shit fuck—"

            Axel, on the other hand, was fully in there to experience it. Right beside him. Which subsequently meant that he bolted, Moxie got out of his way, and he jumped at Eddie in a way that could only be described with the word, zoinks. When he leapt, Eddie barely managed to get a hand on he railing and catch him before steadying herself and keeping them upright. Fucking unbelievable.

            "This was everything I could have hoped for," Cruella said. Her laughter ringing through the fog of Axel's wave of Shaggy Rogers.

            "What the hell—" Axel said.

            Eddie let go of him and let him fall to the ground like he was a corpse. Rubbed her forearms from the impact.

            "I mean—" Cruella reigned it in expertly. "Oh my God, who is this man! Must be a ghost!"

            Mick put a hand to his chest when he realized who had scared the living shit out of them. "Bronx, you little shit."

            "I think I got lost on my way to the airport," the man who was supposedly Bronx said. "Fancy running into y'all here."

            "That was—" Axel picked himself up off the ground for the second time that night. Dusted himself off because nobody there was going to help him. "—kind of illegal. Emphasis on the Cruel-ella."

            Moxie side-eyed Eddie and the latter wanted nothing more than to rewrite time and let Axel take them down the stairs to break their necks. "Clever."

            Eddie wasn't an actress. The disgust on her face was more than evident as she curled her lip and wrinkled her nose. "Hi. I'm Eddie." And I would love if you could push me down the stairs.

            "I'm dead inside," Axel said.

            "Don't dead open inside, huh," Bronx said.

            Cruella laughed. "Stop."

            "This jackass would be Bronx Harlow," Mick said. "That... would be Axel."

            (Evidently, Mick was having the same regret in his taste that Eddie was.)

            "The lesbian," Bronx said. Oh, so Axel was famous. No big deal.

            "I do like women," Axel said.

            Mick rolled his eyes and if they made a sound, it would've been loud.

            "I fucking explained this to you—" Eddie said.

            "You can't expect me to remember everything," Axel said. If there were less witnesses, she would've kicked him down the stairs.

            "Was this not discussed just last night—" Moxie asked.

            "... Well." Axel scratched his neck. "Maybe."

            "And they made me go through concussion protocol," Eddie said. "Worried about my memory."

            "How many fingers am I holding up, Ax?" Moxie asked. Not even raising her hand.

            "Um." Axel looked around like he was trying to find the hand in the room with them. He tilted his head a couple times. "I'm guessing four—"

            Eddie didn't know how she felt about the fact that her and Mick had the same disappointed expression on their faces.

            "Wow, he really did hit his head on the way down," Moxie said. "Might as well take him out back and bury him."

            "I'm not the ghost," Axel said. "New York over there is."

            "Who?" Mick asked. Said it like he was ashamed he even had the interest in finding out the answer.

            "New York. The Bronx. Bronx. Ghost. Boo," Axel said. There was something to admire about the confidence to believe he wasn't the issue in the equation.

            Bronx looked offended. "I'm from—"

            Cruella slapped his arm. "He's from New Jersey."

            "How is that any better—" Bronx asked.

            Something sparkled in Axel's eyes. "Are those notes of... Hoboken?"

            "... Hoboken no jokin'?" Bronx said.

            "Much better," Cruella said.

            "Better like cheddar," Axel said.

            At least Moxie asked the question of the hour. "What is going on—"

            "It's a..." Cruella grinned like she had a secret. No shit. "New Jersey thing."

            "Fuckin' go Devils," Axel said.

            "Islanders all the way, man," Mick said.

            "Hawai'i has a hockey team?" Bless Moxie for trying.

            "Close," Axel said. "Good try."

            Moxie made a face at him. "Don't forget to pick that used condom off your pants."

            Axel shrieked. Like a little kid seeing an oversized bug for the first time. Or a wolf spider in their room. Or a roach on the wall. He kicked his leg out and tried to flick it off without touching it. In doing so, nearly touched Eddie with it.

            It wasn't her fault that her first reaction was to slap him for almost touching her with it. If he didn't want it on him when it was already on him, she didn't want it on her when it hadn't touched her in the first place.

            And it was only partially her fault that he tumbled down a couple stairs. She'd caught him the first time. He caught himself that time. In an attempt to meet the group at the top, Axel rushed his way up the stairs. Promptly caught his toe on one and fell once again. Axel was nothing if not determined to keep up the charade that nothing had happened, so he quickly pushed himself back up and got up the other stairs.

            After a large breath out, Axel looked down at his leg—ignored everyone staring at him—and put his hands on his hips like he'd accomplished something. "Well. Got it."

            Without giving him a second thought, Moxie walked inside. "Let's get this over with before one of us loses a leg or something."

            Mick trailed after her quickly. Eddie couldn't quite catch what he said to his sister, but it likely wasn't anything nice pertaining to his choice of men.

            Cruella was much nicer than Eddie, at least she helped dust Axel off from the scum of the stairs. She expertly avoided the spot where the issue had been on his leg. "Gonna need you to keep yourself together for this, okay?"

            "Will do my best." Axel pouted and rubbed his elbow a little bit. Looked like he wanted to go back to hotel and cry in his room. It was night, but Eddie could see the issue—a small cut barely visible enough to sting.

            "You good?"

            "Mhmm."

            "Did you get a cut or something?" Cruella asked. She dug a hand into her purse and pulled out a bandage. "Here you go. Moana to the rescue."

            Axel took it and put it on. Mood drastically improved. Point, Cruella Queen. "Thank you. Moana's cool."

            Cruella smiled. "You're welcome."

            Axel snorted when he laughed. "Well done."

            "Hurry up, Bawstin boy," Moxie called from inside the house.

            "My ass hurts, Moxie—"

            "When did I ask—"

            "I just—" The whine that came from him was something. Dear god. He could've stomped his foot and it would've been identical to the tantrums Indy used to throw when she was a toddler. "I'm on my way."

            "New friends and new places to see," Cruella said.

            "Onward. And... you know, whatever." Axel waved a hand. "After you both."

            "Axe-man," Cruella said, "if you make it out of the house alive, we'll get you a scoop of ice cream with some jimmies on it, alright?"

            "What the f—" Eddie started.

            Axel grinned. "Deal."

            Cruella gave him one last smile before she skipped into the house behind Moxie. Easily fell into stride with her. Stole a glance her way—like there was nobody else in the room.

            Eddie and Axel exchanged looks.

            "So, they've..." The motion Axel made with his hands was not quite right for two cisgender women. Though, if he was using his finger as an actual finger...

            "Axel," Eddie said. She took his hands in hers. Squeezed them lightly. "Just say fucked."

            "That."

            Eddie took another look at them. "Definitely."

            "Nice."

*

"I didn't realize you were being serious about the ice cream," Moxie said.

            How could Cruella have been kidding when Axel looked more alive than he had the entire night?

            "We all deserve a little treat sometimes," Cruella said.

            "Is..." Mick looked over at the case of various ice cream flavours—the front of the store advertised over 50 types of soda and 300 flavours of ice cream. "Olive oil and garlic flavoured ice cream really considered a treat?"

            "Have you never had aglio e olio pasta?" Axel asked.

            "Not in ice cream form—" Eddie said.

            "What kind of pasta, did you say?" Moxie asked. Trying not to laugh at him.

            "Aglio e olio?" Axel walked right into it. Eddie supposed the accent had been with him his entire life, he probably couldn't hear anything different. But, boy, it was bad.

            "Can you try that one more time but without the yodelling?" Mick asked.

            Moxie laughed behind her hand.

            "Aglio e olio, eh?" Axel raised a pointed eyebrow at the Canadian siblings. Where their accents were the least of their problems, Axel's was his biggest, whether he knew it or not.

            Eddie looked away from the trainwreck to consider what flavour ice cream she might want. She frowned at the label in the case. "What the hell is a fluffernutter—"

            Cruella, Bronx, and Axel gasped at her. Hands to their chests. Like she'd just told them she murdered someone in cold blood.

            "Pardon?" Axel asked. Eddie felt like she was starting to get used to the fact that he couldn't pronounce that letter. How mortifying.

            "What letter comes after Q, Mick?" Moxie asked.

            "Ah," Mick answered without missing a beat.

            "How do you not know what a fluffernutter is?" Bronx asked.

            "Well, I said fluffernutter," Eddie said. She was used to Axel, not anyone else. "And it's a made up word."

            "How dare you?" Axel said. Legitimately the angriest he had ever looked in Eddie's direction. He looked less upset when she'd knocked him down the set of stairs and cut his elbow open because of it.

            "It's literally a delicacy," Cruella said. "How are you all this uncultured?"

            Eddie decided to keep her mouth shut about her upbringing when her parents had been around. Somewhere, she had to know what she was saying. Right?

            "Does it have something to do with whatever the hell a jimmy is?" Eddie asked.

            "Are fluffernutters and Jimmy supposed to be the pinnacle of culture?" Moxie asked.

            Axel looked like he was going to be sick if anyone else said anything derogatory. Eddie wanted to point out the fact none of them had explained to her what it was. How was that going to help her learn?

            "Jimmies." Cruella hadn't even gotten that defensive when Eddie asked her an ill-timed question about her life at the bar the night before. She cleared her throat. "I mean... yeah. Jimmies."

            "How have you never had Jimmies?" Axel asked. "Did your parents hate you?"

            There was no way he could've known. But to admit the truth in the middle of an ice cream parlour with a bunch of people she'd known for maybe 24 hours or less was not something Eddie was about to do. She hoped he couldn't see that he'd thrown a dagger into her side, let the glass she'd tried to patch after Giovanni the night before crack a little more when a mention of her parents happened. Damn.

            "Um—" was all Eddie could manage.

            "Top your ice cream off with fuckin' Jimmies and it heals something," Axel continued. Far too lost in his own disbelief to notice that Eddie had stolen a glance at the exit and wondered how far she'd be able to run before someone found her. "What's wrong with you?"

            "That... sounds like a euphemism," Moxie said.

            "I think I've topped off a Jimmy before," Mick said. Loud and proud and with children present nearby.

            "Rainbow or chocolate?" Axel asked. Eddie was going to have to prepare a slideshow on gay history. From Stonewall to RuPaul. If he sat through that, maybe he'd realize Mick had a nice little crush on him—or at the very least, used to. At least Everleigh knew about Stevie. "'Cause the rainbow ones are... incredible."

            "That's not—"

            "We're a rainbow family," Mick said with a cheeky smile.

            "Are we getting cones with Jimmies on them?" Axel pointed to a little plexiglass display with three cones on it. Regular, waffle cone, and waffle cone with sprinkles.

            "Axel," Eddie said. She leaned a little closer to him and stood on her toes, trying to match his eyeline. A poor attempt. Eddie was shorter than Maverick and Axel was taller than Everleigh. Nobody could say she hadn't tried, though. "What part of that stand is a Jimmy?"

            Axel gave her a nasty little bit of stink eye. Leaned down a little to her eye level as he put a hand on her shoulder, pointing at the sprinkles with the other. "You know, this is exhausting."

            "I'll have a scoop of cookie dough in a cup, please," Moxie said. "No Jimmy."

            The employee looked exhausted and Eddie wanted to leave without dessert. Yikes. "Anything for anyone else? There's a line."

            The rest of the group ordered quickly. Made their decisions far faster with the threat of a minimum wage worker's rage on their asses. In a nice little fit of panic, Eddie said, "What he's having," after Axel ordered because her lovely first thought was vanilla and she wasn't going to be the person who ordered that at an ice cream parlour. Axel looked at her and put a hand to his chest, semi-mockingly, as the worker grabbed her order for her. Eddie lightly punched him in the shoulder.

            Axel pretended it hurt—she hoped he was pretending—when Mick looked over his shoulder at him from the register. "Hey, Axel."

            Axel looked over at him. "Yeah?"

            Eddie took her cup from the worker and took a bite. Okay. The fucking fluffernutter was good. Jesus.

            "I double dog dare you to drink that—" Mick pointed to a poster for a hot dog soda.

            "I—"

            Moxie was quick to join her brother in his chaos. "He actually triple dog dares you."

            "I—It's my birthday," Axel said.

            "No, it's not." Eddie got an elbow to the stomach for that one and she couldn't really blame Axel.

            "I bought so many drinks last night—" Axel said.

            "What day was that again?" Eddie said. Because she was a little bitch and something about that seemed to work for her. And Axel. "In numbers, please."

            "And theoretically if you did, you should have because you're a man," Moxie said, "and it's Women's History Month."

            Axel let out a small strangled sort of noise that Eddie somewhat hoped she was the only one who could hear. "Give me the tonic."

            Mick paid because it was quite frankly the least he could do if he was going to make Eddie's... Axel—Eddie's Axel, oh boy—drink that sewage. He opened it and sniffed, because at the end of the day, he was also a man. Disgusting. There was no denying he nearly gagged at the smell of it. "Oh, that's fuckin' foul."

            "I'm not drinking that in here," Axel said. Why he was drinking it at all was beyond her.

            "There is a line," the employee repeated.

            "Take that outside, babe," Cruella said, looking at him like she was considering staying inside to avoid the repercussions of him drinking that.

            If Eddie couldn't save him from himself, she could at least save his ice cream. She took it from his hand. Ignored how disappointing it felt not to simply hold his hand. Ugh. Acting like she was in high school. Embarrassing. Eddie rolled her eyes at herself and licked her scoop of ice cream in disgust.

            The group headed outside, much to Axel's dismay. There was a glimmer of wishing he'd said no shining in his eyes. That he disagreed to drinking what could only be described as water from the depths of hell that burned like a bath in the Styx.

            That was going to be something special for his therapist next appointment they had together. Needed to book a session for himself when Axel was done. Maybe that would be Eddie's birthday present to him: his next therapy session fully paid for. And, frankly, his therapist's next therapy session as well. Throw that in to sweeten the deal.

            "Bottoms up," Mick said, pointedly, once they'd made it around the building. He threw the bottle at Axel, who luckily had more athletic capabilities than one Kingston Maverick, and caught it easily. Maybe the Red Sox could have that one—but maybe they lost again knowing their logo was on his boxers.

            Eddie regretted whatever was churning in her stomach whenever she looked at Axel. Because all that churning became nausea when he immediately opened the soda and drank too much of it in one go. The man could shotgun a beer but couldn't manage more than a quarter of a bottle of hot dog soda—and a quarter was already too much. Eddie bit back a gag at the thought of it.

            Axel, on the other hand, let out one of the most earth-shattering belches that she had ever heard in her life. And she shared a locker room with Rush. And Coach. And Laki liked to come to visit with his shitty teenager friends. So. Needless to say, Eddie was used to belching.

            "'Scuse me. Sorry." Axel looked like he wanted to throw up. Or die. Or both.

            Moxie looked like she wanted to leave. "I have never been so happy to be a lesbian as I am now."

            "I..." Cruella was a saint for trying to be nice about it. "... don't think a Hei Hei bandaid will fix that."

            Axel held the bottle out and the entire group took a step away from him. "Anyone else want to try—"

            Moxie almost threw up her cookie dough ice cream. "I swear to god if you bring that any closer to me—"

            "I can't defend you with this, I'm sorry." Cruella took another step away for good measure. Eddie wished she could do the same.

            "Are you sure you weren't possessed at the haunted house 'cause it smells like something died in your mouth," Bronx said. (The expression on Axel's face said he was the one who had died.)

            "Why would you drink that?" Mick asked. Eddie had to respect his hustle. "Yuck."

            "Does anyone have any gum—"

            Eddie shoved his ice cream into his mouth. Eyed the entire group to not make a single comment about it—no eyebrow raises allowed, either. "Um. Better?"

            "Ice cream is ruined," Axel said. "Jimmies can't fix this. Fluffernutters are dead."

            "Shouldn't have bottomed for the hot dog soda," Moxie said.

            Eddie shoved another bite of ice cream in his mouth for good nature. Axel looked like he wanted to cry.

            "Who—" Axel stopped himself and thought about what he said before he said it. For once. "Why did they make that?"

            "Why did you take such a big sip—" Eddie asked. She wasn't even sure if she wanted her ice cream anymore.

            "Can someone cut my tongue off, please—"

            "Oh, check this out." Mick pointed at the wall of the ice cream shop. "Challenge of the week: finish a bottle of hot dog tonic in five seconds and win a special prize. Axel, man, I quadruple dog dare you to—"

            "He really disappointed you, huh," Moxie said.

            Axel was too busy trying not to throw up to hear anything anyone said after the words hot dog.

            Mick shrugged. "When in New Orleans."

            "Why do I—" Axel pressed a fist to his hand and audibly gagged. Eddie didn't have it in her to decide whether or not something had come up with it.

            "Axel..." Cruella was regretting the words the moment they were leaving her perfect lips. "If you really need me to tap in—"

            He was on the way to handing her the bottle when Moxie, shrilly, said, "You will do no such thing."

            To say Bronx might have become Axel's number one enemy in one night felt like an understatement when he came waltzing back to the group with an employee who looked exhausted by their shit but carried a stopwatch and a hot dog soda because they were being paid to.

            "Who's doing it?" they asked. Wanting to get it over with as soon as possible. It was unimaginable what they'd probably seen on any given night.

            Eddie felt bad about it, but she pointed at Axel. She felt less bad when she realized that the entire group pointed at him too.

            "Fuckin' chowderheads—"

            "Okay, you've got five seconds," the employee said. "Can't spit anything up, can't keep it in your mouth. Ready?"

            "You hear that, buddy?" Mick asked. A very pointed buddy. "Gotta swallow."

            Bronx gave Axel the other bottle and an encouraging thumbs up. Sadist.

            "Um. I—" Axel burped again and Eddie couldn't really blame him for it. "Got it."

            "Alrighty. And three, two, one, go."

            If there was one thing to say about Axel, it was that he was Bostonian. And by all accounts, that seemed to mean that he could chug a drink. Eddie had seen him do it a few times with a bottle of wine. At least wine was desirable.

            To his credit, he rose to a challenge.

            To his detriment, he rose to a challenge.

            And, boy, did he finish that bottle. Drained it, every last drop. Not a dribble down his chin, not an ounce left behind. Fell to his knees afterwards and nearly drowned himself on a cough afterwards, but Axel drank that bottle.

            "Congratulations—" The employee wanted to be anywhere other than there and Eddie wished she had enough money to pay them off so they could quit their job on the spot. "—on your outstanding achievement. I'll be right back with your prize."

            They walked away from the group, Eddie wished for their sake it was never to return but she knew they'd be back too soon. Fucking minimum wage.

            Axel managed to pull himself up, but decided that leaning against Eddie was the only way he was going to stay up. Lucky her.

            "Remind me never to turn 30 again," Axel said.

            There were a lot of things Eddie would do for her friends. Breathe in their hot dog breath was not one of them. She poked him in the face with her finger to turn his head. "I'm so sorry, I need you to breathe the other way."

            "I'm not sorry," Cruella said, unfortunately on the other side of him. "Please breathe in literally any other direction."

            A quick exchanged glance between Eddie and Cruella was a sealed deal for throwing Axel toward Mick. Tag, you're it.

            It looked like he didn't mean to, but Mick caught him despite his best efforts to get out of the way. "I don't want—"

            "Suffer," Eddie said.

            "It is—" Moxie took a step away from her brother. "—your fault."

            "I didn't invite him."

            The employee came back with a small pastry bag. Evidence that they were not welcome back in the ice cream parlour. If anyone had to pee, they were going to have to find a bush nearby and hope for the best. "And here's your prize—our world famous fluffernutter."

            "Oh, a fluffernutter. That's. That's so." Axel pressed a hand to his mouth. Tried his best. "Um. Thank yo—" Tried was the operative word in most aspects when it came to Axel Canterbury. He moved his hand out of the way of his digestive pyrotechnics in time for Mick's shoes to become a victim of circumstance. The slight bit of sidewalk that got hit looked like it was the main target, Axel simply hadn't had the chance to lock in before unloading.

            "Those were Dior," Mick found the audacity to say.

            Moxie looked more than entertained at her brother's circumstance. What else were siblings for, really? "And now they're hot dog water."

*

Eddie had told him the night before that she wasn't going to use it, but Axel seemed to know a little better. For once. She took the spare room key he'd given her and opened his hotel room with it, ducking her head in. No chance to announce her presence before she heard the delightful sound of Axel puking.

            "Axel?" Eddie pushed the bathroom door open gingerly, a small box in her hands.

            "Ed—" The shirtless man crouched in front of the toilet heaved again. Let out a groan when he finished that round. "No offense, I'm not really in the mood for anything tonight."

            Eddie tucked the room key in the pocket of her joggers. "I came to see if you were okay."

            Axel gave her a thumbs up. "I think Mick poisoned me."

            "You did break his heart."

            "Question." He raised a finger as he caught his breath.

            "Oh, joy." Eddie sat down on the floor with him. Leaned against the edge of the bathtub. "Shoot."

            "Break his heart in the way they think I look like a woman," Axel said, "or break his heart in my actually being a man?"

            Eddie laughed. "So you do remember what I told you."

            "When my brain doesn't feel like soup trying to impress people, yeah."

            "You're not trying to impress me?"

            Axel raised an eyebrow. "Don't make me try and count how many times I've seen you naked when I feel this shitty."

            "Would that make you throw up more?" Eddie put a hand on her chest. "I'm flattered."

            Axel leaned his chin on the arm he had draped over the toilet. Eddie elected to not tell him about the amount of germs were on it despite any cleaning it had received. He gave her a small laugh. "I don't think you could make me throw up if you tried."

            "Careful," Eddie said. "That might make me think you care about me. I thought this was strictly sexual."

            "You're the one who came in here all worried, Yamaguchi," Axel said. "Embarrassing."

            "Well, don't want to upset the nearest penis willing to sleep with me."

            Axel laughed. "Real fake lesbian kind of shit."

            "Trans lesbians exist."

            "Very true."

            Eddie laughed. "The answer to your Mick question is that you're unfortunately a man."

            "Unfortunately?"

            Eddie shook her head. "Moxie didn't try to poison you, did she now?"

            "That's true."

            "Can I get you a cup of water or something?"

            "Considering what I've consumed today is beer, ice cream, and... suspicious tonic?"

            Eddie wrinkled her nose. "I was going to offer you my leftover dinner but you're just gonna vomit it up."

            Axel put a fist to his mouth and belched again.

            "Cute," Eddie said.

            Axel ducked his head and waved his hand like he was a conductor bowing at the end of a performance. "I try. But definite no on dinner."

            "That would be why I destroyed most of these before I came here." Eddie shrugged. She opened the box and took out a flat wing, twisting the bones on either side and eating it in one go. Like her sister had taught her. After finishing it, she grinned. Tossed the bones in the garbage can a couple feet away—bucketed them.

            "I thought this was strictly sexual," Axel said, narrowing his eyes. "That was practically a marriage proposal. I'm flattered, Akuma."

            Eddie laughed. "Nothing like a nice, greasy ass chicken wing to get you going. Want me to eat a big ass pulled pork sandwich next? Or maybe a Chicago-style hot dog?"

            Axel groaned loudly. Rolled back onto his knees. Muttered, "Fuck you," into the toilet bowl as he stuck his head back in. Ready for round three. Fancy that.

            "Do you want me to leav—"

            Axel was indisposed.

            Eddie got up and rinsed the hot sauce off her fingers, leaving the leftover wings box on the counter. Dried her hands on a hotel towel before she knelt back beside Axel. She took his hair in her hands gently and cleared it away from his face as he puked.

            Tried to not think too hard about anything else.

            Tried.