C o l e

"We've been friends for so long it just doesn't make sense!" Harvey's constant rambling felt more like background noise as I continued to be in a daze, my cheeks hotter than ever.

The white ceiling above me had become blurry but interesting. Blurry and doubling at that, and I could only continue to think about how I ended up here.

~ a few hours earlier ~

Today was our first day off in a while and instead of spending it doing whatever, Harvey had come to drag me away under the pretense of 'hanging out'.

"When was the last time we had a day off?" Harvey, who had managed to whisk me out of the condo, continued to rant about time off as he led me back to his place.

I couldn't answer his question as I couldn't really remember our last day off either. The elevator let out a 'ding' as we reached our designated floor and Harvey continued his rant while we walked.

"You don't know, right? It's because it's been nothing but back to back bullshit for the past 4 months. We need some relaxation!" Harvey said.

Once making it into the apartment room, I watched Harvey head to the kitchen.

"And we're gonna get it in the rawest form" I heard him say which had me pursing my lips in suspicion.

"Please tell me you're not talking about drugs" I said and Harvey came back with two bottles of something.

"Alcohol" he finished as he slammed the bottles down on the coffee table.

I looked at the bottle that was on the table, not exactly feeling all too sure about this. Despite being past the age restriction, I've never had alcohol before and never have wanted to try it since I've seen what it does to people.

"Where is Jamie?" I asked in an attempt to move off this topic but my question only seem to put Harvey in a foul mood as he frowned.

"Don't know, don't care" was all he said before going back into the kitchen.

"Did something happen...?" I asked when Harvey came back with two glasses.

"Of course not. Why would you think something happened?" He asked but I just let the question become rhetorical since it seemed like a touchy subject at the moment and I didn't want to build on it.

"Don't worry, we won't drink too much. Just a little" Harvey said and had I known he was lying, I probably wouldn't have agreed.

But I did.

We were only a few drinks in and I was beginning to feel heat on my cheeks as well as the rest of my body. Harvey didn't seem deterred yet and that's when the questions started coming.

"Uh...so like, about you and Eros" Harvey started and I raised a brow.

"It's kind of hard not to see that you guys like each other so I just have to ask. Are you guys together?" Harvey asked and I didn't hesitate to nod my head, not really seeing a reason to lie.

"Yeah..." I said and Harvey gained a surprised look on his face.

"Oh wow, for real? I thought I was wrong this entire time! How long?" He asked and I shrugged.

"Almost a month?" I said and the surprise from before was replaced with offense.

"And you guys never bothered to mention it?" Harvey said.

"Eros says a surprise is good every once in a while" I replied before looking at Harvey. He seemed like he wanted to ask something so I spoke in hopes of coaxing it out of him.

"Why do you ask?" I said.

"Well...wait, I need another" Harvey poured some more alcohol into his cup and took a sip before clearing his throat.

"Okay. Jamie told me somethings and I...don't exactly get it. He asked me how I felt about him, not as his best friend, but as a man. I just told him what I thought but I don't think he liked the answer..." Harvey explained and everything started to make sense now.

Well as much sense as I could make of it, the alcohol was sort of beginning to mess with my head.

"But what else was I supposed to say? We've been friends for so long, it's hard to think of him as anything else" Harvey said and this time, I could see that he was frustrated simply over the fact that he couldn't understand what Jamie was feeling.

And it made me feel bad because i wasn't even sure what to say to that, it's not as if I was someone with lots of experience on these kinds of things.

"Sorry I can't give any advice...I don't know much either" I said and Harvey shook his head.

"It's fine, I'm over it" he said before downing his glass.

'You don't look it' I thought to myself and that was pretty much my last coherent.

~ present ~

"He said I was clueless just because I wasn't understanding his stupid feelings. What about my feelings? How does he think I feel after being told something like that?" Harvey's whining broke me out of my trance like state and I looked over to him.

His face was also a little red from the alcohol but I had to try and focus hard before his figure separated itself into two.

"He's the one who's stupid..." Harvey grumbled. I had completely forgotten what we were even talking about so I found myself confused at his words.

"What were you even..." I took a moment to pause as I was hit with the sudden urge to hiccup.

"...arguing about?" I finished. Harvey tried to pour himself more alcohol but the bottle was only pouring out air.

Pouring out air? I don't know if that made sense at all but I'll just go with it.

"It's not coming out" I pointed out, completely forgetting the question I had asked and Harvey nodded.

"It's dead" he said before dropping it onto the carpet.

Something started rumbling under me and I looked at the ground in confusion.

"I think there's an earthquake" I said and Harvey just looked at me in a daze.

"Earthquake?" He question and I nodded as the rumbling only continued. I hadn't even realized that rumbling was accompanied by a sort of jingle and eventually it stopped.

But then I felt it again and I stood up shakily.

"It's your phone" Harvey said as he pointed at my pocket. The phone's illuminated screen could be seen through the fabric and I let out a small 'oh'.

"I'll get it" Harvey said before taking my phone out of my pocket and I just sat back down. I had started to feel a bit dizzy from standing up.

"Hey, love, what do you want for- what the? Harvey?" The familiar voice flowing from the phone had me perking up a bit.

That voice...I want to hear it more.

"Whaddya wan' shithead" Harvey slurred and it went quiet for a moment.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that to me. Where is Cole?" The voice asked and my heart thumped at the sound of my name falling from their lips. It's Eros...yeah, my Eros. I wanted to see him but my body felt heavy.

I didn't really feel like moving at the moment.

"Dunno, in his clothes?" Harvey mumbled, dropping my phone onto the ground as he laid himself next to it.

"Are you drunk?" Eros asked.

"I know you are but what...I forgot what I was gonna say" Harvey's sentence was accompanied by a hiccup and a sort of laugh.

"Okay, I don't know why you're piss drunk at 2 in the afternoon but I'll just let Jamie deal with you" at the mentioning of the man's name who got us into this predicament, Harvey let out a groan.

"Don't say his name!" Harvey exclaimed, sitting up and taking the phone in his hands to throw a glare at Eros.

"Jamie, Jamie, Jamie" Eros chanted the man's name like a mantra and my head started pounding because of it.

"Ahhhh, shut up!" Harvey yelled as he shook the phone in his hands.

"I'm going to keep saying his name until you tell me where Cole is" Eros said and Harvey nodded.

"Okaaaaayyy, he's on the phone" Harvey said.

"Excuse me?" Eros asked and Harvey let out a 'whoops'.

"Oh sorry, that's me" he said before shoving the phone in my face.

"Cole?" When Eros said my name, I looked at his face on the screen.

"Eros...?" I muttered as I let my hand touch his face but I wasn't actually touching him which made me frown.

I wanted to see the real him...not this tiny box knockoff version.

"Not you too, goodness. Harvey, stay on the phone or just put it down somewhere. I'll be over in a few" Eros said and Harvey turned the phone back to himself.

"Yes bo-" Harvey stopped talking as the phone went black. We both looked at it in confusion.

"It's broken" Harvey said and I tilted my head

"It is...?" I drawled and he nodded.

"Yeah, it's not turning on" he said as he tapped the screen as proof.

"Oh no, that's bad" I said absentmindedly.

"I want more" Harvey said before getting up and heading to the kitchen.

"I'll take a nap" I mumbled before resting my head on the couch cushion. The position wasn't very comfy since I was seated on the floor with my top half slumped over the couch seat but I couldn't be bothered to change my position as I let sleep take me.

———

——

-

E r o s

I didn't even bother to knock once reaching the condo, I just punched the pin in and opened the door.

The first thing that caught my attention was the two huge and empty bottles of alcohol, one sitting on the table and the other on the floor. It looks like Harvey tried to open another one but failed as he had simply passed out on the ground while the new bottle laid with him. Cole was also off to the side, slumped over the couch with his arms cradling his head.

I could believe that this was Harvey's doing but I'm just the taddest bit upset that he dragged Cole into whatever mess he was trying to get himself into. Why did he get to see Cole drunk before me?

Frowning, I just looked at the two in front of me. I can't believe neither of them have thrown up yet with how much alcohol they've consumed.

"Cole?" I called as I knelt next to him and I lightly touched his shoulder to see if he was awake.

Cole jolted a bit and his cloudy eyes looked over to me. He stared at me for a bit, eyes squinted as he leaned forward a bit and I could smell the alcohol from where I was which wasn't good.

A smile came across his face and it was as if I was handling a different person as Cole reached out and wrapped his arms around my neck, making me lean down from his weight.

"Mm...missed you" Cole grumbled and I tried to pull away but he had a pretty tight grip on me.

"I missed you too so let's get up and out of here" I said and Cole finally let go. Sighing in relief, I looked to my side and noticed Harvey still on the ground.

Shit, I can't leave him like that.

"Stay right here for a few minutes" I said and Cole just nodded.

I had to lift Harvey up and put him on the couch so that he at least was on something somewhat comfortable. After putting the bottle away and making sure the place was at least accident-proof just in case Harvey woke up and Jamie still wasn't here, I made my way back over to Cole who was staring at nothing.

When I came into his line of vision, he perked up a bit.

"Come on, we're going home" I said as I picked Cole up.

"Is he...okay?" Cole mumbled and I assumed he was talking about Harvey.

"He's gonna be alright" I said as I walked out and closed the door behind us.

The entire way home, Cole was quiet and naturally, I wouldn't have a problem with that since quiet was his usual nature but he did stare at me the whole way home. And I mean the entire way, even up until we got inside the condo.

I don't know if he was just out of it but I was glad when we finally got home and I put him down on the bed.

"I'll go get you some water" I said but Cole stopped me before I could even turn around, a pout on his lips and a look in his eye that I prayed wasn't what I thought it was.

Of all the types of drunks there were, horny is the last type I'd associate with Cole but it seems he continues to surprise me every single day.

"...don't go" Cole's glazed over eyes looked at me with a searing heat that left my pants feeling tighter than a straight jacket.

I internally began to internally panick when Cole sat up on his knees and began unbuttoning my shirt. I've said this before but I think the gods just have a funny way of testing my sanity.

"Cole, as much as I hate to say it, let's leave the shirt on okay?" I said as I guided his hands away from the buttons. It seems that he figured since mine won't come off, his has to as his hands flew to the hem of his shirt.

"Cole" I said to get his attention but Cole didn't even seem to be listening as he began to take off his shirt, leaving that sinful body of his on display.

Holy mother of pearl, this man was a walking thirst trap. The way his toned muscles flexed as he removed his shirt was enough to make me forget my reasoning. Why does he have to be so perfect? I bet he didn't even realize how beautiful he was and yet here I am, ogling him like some pervert on the block.

Fuck, I'm forgetting the problem at hand.

"Cole, you're drunk. Please lie down" I said while looking away in an attempt of (futile) resistance.

"Mm...not drunk" He said but the flushed look on his face was enough to tell me that he was completely out of it, and I couldn't very well be comfortable doing anything to him when he was like this.

"C'mon now, Cole. I'll give you whatever you want when you're sober, so please be a good boy and cooperate with me here" I said and that seemed to reach some kind of part of him as he backed down a bit.

"Thank you. Now I'm going to go get you some water and you are going to wait here for me. Got it?" I said and Cole nodded with his eyes focused on my every word as they spilled from my lips.

I walked away but looked back just to make sure Cole was staying put, and he surely was as he sat with his hands in his lap.

Thank god. I think I'm the one that needs the water after all of that.

I was also going to need to ask Jamie somethings because Harvey hardly ever got drunk like that and that means he's trying to forget something he doesn't want to deal with.

I think it's time for an intervention...