It felt like I was doing something I wasn't supposed to do. Something my parents strongly forbid. But I had no parents. I had been on my own for a long time; a true adult with his own responsibilities. So why did it feel like I was breaking the rules? It was scary, and perhaps that was the only reason it felt so wrong. I was throwing myself into unknown territory with no clear map for my future. Anything could happen.

And that excited me.

The ride from my little invisible town in Wisconsin to California would take a day and a half without stopping to rest. That was why we decided to take turns driving. Dorian wouldn't need to stop and waste money at a motel and we could get there sooner and start planning what to do with my fucking life.

An hour into the drive it finally started to hit me. It was like an out-of-body experience. I was sitting quietly, feeling the wind on my face, hearing the rustling of the bag tucked between my legs, when I had a Raven Baxter moment.

"Where am I going to sleep? How am I going to get a job? How will I afford food? How will I pay bills in such an expensive state?" The more I went on, the louder I got, until I was screaming in panic. Dorian screamed back, but a high-pitched girly scream. "WHY ARE YOU SCREAMING?"

"THE THOUGHT OF RESPONSIBILITIES!" He was gripping the steering wheel like he was trying to choke it, and his eyes were all big and animated.

"WELL, YEAH!" I screamed back. "YOU'RE PRACTICALLY KIDNAPPING ME."

"IT'S NOT KIDNAPPING, HOW DARE YOU! TAKE THAT BACK!"

"NO!"

"I WILL DRIVE THIS CAR INTO A LAKE, DON'T TRY ME!"

"DORIAN! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DO THIS?!"

"BY TRUSTING ME!"

"LAST TIME I TRUSTED YOU WITH SOMETHING THIS BIG I ENDED UP IN A COMA FOR A WEEK!"

"OH, PLEASE! YOU'RE ACTING LIKE YOU WERE IN A COMA FOR TWELVE YEARS, IT WAS ONLY A FEW DAYS!"

"Dorian," I said calmly, bringing my tone down back to normal levels. "This is my life we're talking about. We do a lot of stupid shit, but me moving away at the last second . . . it doesn't seem very smart, does it?"

He pursed his lips at me. "We're not known for being smart, Lucian."

I sighed. "Please . . ."

"I'm not turning this car around," he argued, shaking his head, but safely keeping his eyes on the road. "I know you're scared, but I would never do something bad to you. There's a building right in front of where I'll be working. I know they're hiring, a friend mentioned it at one point. I will help you get a job there, all you'll do is move things. As long as you aren't incredibly weak, you'll be fine. And of course, you will sleep with me, on my bed, together forever."

"Are your roommates even going to allow that? What if they don't?"

"They will." He looked over reassuringly. "You will be my responsibility. And I trust you."

"Are we seriously fucking doing this?" I said, clenching my fists into stressful balls.

"YES, WE FUCKING ARE!" he screamed happily and turned the radio on.

The first ten hours went by rather quickly. We talked a lot about the adventures we were going to create in our new home. We were like little boys excited to try the new playground, going over the imaginative scenarios we were going to act out with our invisible swords and armor. A lot of it was mostly about the beaches. I'd never seen the ocean. I'd never even been to the lakes back in Wisconsin. I was looking forward to that tan, hopefully, if my skin could even do that. I might just catch on fire like a vampire.

We only stopped at gas stations to refill the tank and our stomachs. A few times we were tempted to go sightseeing and had to remind ourselves this was not a road trip. We were moving to a new state, and now that I was coming along, the sooner we got there, the better.

Night fell over our heads and filled the sky with bright stars. It was my turn to drive and let Dorian rest. The night time was where I lived; I worked during the night, I stayed up during the night, everything I did revolved around the pale moon floating in the sky.

Maybe I was a vampire.

It was quite creepy driving at night. I was surrounded by large empty fields with no animals in sight. Even the grass looked lifeless and grey, but that could be due to the lack of light. Every now and then I'd come across trucks, heightening my fear of being kidnapped by a serial killer like in horror movies, and their headlights would blind me through the rear-view mirror. Besides that, I was able to drive us in one piece till the morning came.

When Dorian woke up, he made me stop at another gas station to brush our teeth in a suspicious public bathroom with broken mirrors and faded graffiti on the walls. Dorian had the whitest teeth and would rather drink tap water than miss brushing his teeth once.

When it was his turn to drive, I dozed off in the passenger side for a few hours, but not too many. I found it difficult sleeping with the sun blaring in my face and the annoying bag on my lap. I started to miss my bed. My comfortable bed, where I could snuggle up in my cool blankets and be away from the sun.

Yep. I was a vampire.

The couple of hours were good enough for me. I let Dorian listen to music while I rested my eyes, but didn't fall asleep. Eventually the sun began to slowly descend.

"HEY!" Dorian yelled abruptly, causing me to jump in my seat.

"Whudafug?"

"Look!" He pointed ahead. "A dive bar. Wanna check it out? My ass is sore and if I spend another hour in this car I'm actually going to drive us into the closest cliff."

I yawned and stretched my arms. "Sure, why not?"

"Fuck YES!"

"Wait, I'm wearing sweatpants," I muttered as I stared down at my clothes. I was wearing the exact same thing I left in; black sweatpants, a black shirt with NASA written on it, and a stylish black jacket. And probably black briefs too.

I liked black.

"So? You look great," Dorian reassured. "A little dead in the eyes, but the outfit looks cool. Makes you look mysterious. Like you're about to rob a bank."

I took it as a compliment. Besides, he didn't give me a chance to change when we left.

You couldn't miss the dive bar even if you tried to close your eyes; bright flashing neon signs hung around the entrance. It had motorcycles lined up on one side and the other side had trucks occupying every parking spot. The lit up signs seemed to be working, the place was nicely packed.

Dorian parked us close to the motorcycles, but far enough to not block them or be near enough to cause trouble.

Frankly, I was tired of bars. I could live without visiting another one for a while. But we needed a refill on our drinks since we ran out of water. Dorian could drink if he wanted, but I couldn't since it would be my turn to drive soon.

"This is cool," Dorian said as he got out of the car first.

"If you say so," I said.

"If you say so," he mimicked stupidly.

I stared at him from across the car like I was ready to climb it and slap him. He snorted at my reaction and locked up the car. We walked together to the bar, passing by people who looked too young to be drinking. Then again sometimes I looked like I was still in high school. Could just be a popular spot for everyone.

When we walked in, we were immediately hit by the stench of cigarettes and beer. There was so much smoke rising to the ceiling that it was a surprise I could even breathe properly. For the most part the bar seemed clean and organized. The floor was made out of shiny wood, the walls were dark and adorned with pictures of customers, and there were busy pool tables in the back. The only thing that was out of place was a single mask hanging on a wall. A creepy silver mask with horns like the devil.

"Let's sit by the counter," Dorian said.

Most of the stools by the counter were empty, at least the ones closest to the cash register. We sat there and looked up at the tall wall of alcohol options.

A beautiful girl showed up behind the counter. She had a silver septum piercing hovering over a welcoming smile. Her hair was naturally red and wavy and she was wearing an apron.

"Hiya, boys! What can I get ya?" she said. Before either of us could answer, her smile faded as she looked over our shoulders. "WALTER! GET DOWN FROM THE POOL TABLE! DO NOT MAKE ME COME OVER THERE OLD MAN!"

"FUCK YOU, BITCH!" the old man replied.

She gasped loudly and ripped off her apron, throwing it at the floor as she abandoned her post. Walter was an extremely old man and he was indeed on the pool table, disrupting a group of friends who were in the middle of a game.

"Sorry about that, what can I get you both?"

Dorian and I turned our heads away from the mess that was happening in the back to face a new bartender, this one a male. He was . . . pretty cute. His skin looked unbelievably smooth and warm. He was looking at us both with this intense look in his eyes, in a way seductive, like we were delicious food.

Dorian sighed, completely unbothered by the attractive bartender leaning over the counter. "I'm gonna use the bathroom." Dorian got up and left me all alone, the nerve.

"Are you even old enough to drink?" the bartender asked me.

Like I said, I looked like a high schooler sometimes.

I reached into my back pocket to fetch my wallet, but then realized I wasn't even trying to drink alcohol.

"Uh, I'm old enough, but I can't drink any alcohol."

"Water? Coke? A juice box?"

I chuckled at the obvious joke. He smiled back and I kind of shivered.

Suddenly, a stranger took the stool next to me and sat down with hunched shoulders.

"Hey, Cedric," the bartender said, scooting over to be in front of the stranger named Cedric. "The usual?"

"Yeah," Cedric said, his voice so low it was almost a whisper.

The bartender made him a drink, and at the same time gave me a glass of coke with a straw in it. I was baffled by how someone who looked my age could make me feel five years old.

"I'll be back in a second," the bartender said, talking to Cedric. They clearly knew each other.

I grabbed my drink and put the straw between my lips. My eyes wandered around, searching for my best-friend who had left me alone in an alien place. If he was taking selfies in the bathroom, I was going to literally kill him. My eyes slowly went back to Cedric, who was shifting uncomfortably as he downed his drink in one go. Cedric was a man, way older than I was, in his thirties I guessed. He had a dark stubble, his hair was slicked back nicely, and his eyes were super green.

He noticed I was staring.

His head turned slowly towards me.

"What the fuck are you staring at?" he said harshly.

"I, um, uh, I—your shirt looks like mine," I said quickly, definitely not saving my ass, but the excuse was dumb enough that it could work.

Cedric looked down and slightly peeled back his leather jacket.

"They don't look anything alike," he said, annoyed that he had to open his jacket to check.

"Sorry."

"Aren't you a little young to be in a bar?" he asked, his eyes glued to the television on the wall.

I blinked. "I'm fucking twenty-one."

"Happy birthday," he muttered.

"There's facial hair on my face."

He glanced at me and actually squinted his eyes. "Where?"

"You're right," I said, preparing to get hit in the face, "there are more wrinkles on your forehead than hairs on my face."

His mouth moved and eyes stayed squinting. He didn't say anything, but he pointed at me with the hand holding the empty glass. The way he pointed said a thousand words.

"Are you new to town?" he asked.

"No, why?"

"We don't get new faces."

"Just passing by."

"Where are you headed?"

"Cali."

His eyebrows raised. "Ah."

"What?"

"I live in Cali."

"You do? Why are you all the way out here?"

"Work," he said simply.

I wasn't gonna lie to myself, Cedric was hot. I wasn't used to thinking that for someone way older than me. There were no good looking older men where I came from. And all of the guys my age were all assholes, so I was rarely attracted to anyone anyway—regardless of age. Chance had been the only one I could admit being attracted to. Cedric and the bartender were crazy attractive. It made me think of the possibilities I'd have once I was in California, a place that had the complete opposite of what my town had. California had SO many types of guys. You could never run out.

There was Dorian too, but I couldn't think of him like that. He was cute, but it felt wrong saying it. I thought of him as my brother. And who the hell would date their own brother? Even a step brother.

"It's my first time going there," I admitted.

"Visiting a friend?" he asked, his attention was back on me, those emerald eyes gazing into mine.

"No, I'm moving there, with my best-friend."

He laughed loudly. "Good luck."

"Why is that funny?"

"Nothing. Maybe I'll run into you."

"Maybe."

"I live in San Francisco," he said, popping a cigarette into his mouth, which he left unlit.

"I think I'll be close to that." I was unsure, to be honest. I had Dorian's new address somewhere, but I didn't think it was going to be my new address now too.

"I guess that explains why you're wearing pajamas at a bar," he said, a smug look on his face. "Moving day must be stressful."

"Why are you looking at my pants?"

"I'm not."

"That's pretty gay," I joked. "Are you gay?"

He looked around suspiciously. "No?"

It was a joke, but now I wasn't convinced. That was the worst acting I had ever seen in my life. I knew boundaries, so I wasn't going to push it further. I hated when people didn't respect my business.

"Why? Are you?"

He was talking extra quietly now. I went along with it, for his sake.

"Yeah, I am. But I was only joking with you, I wasn't trying to hit on you or anything like that."

"That's fine," he said, stretching his arms over his head. "I'm into big fat pussies anyway."

"Seriously, Cedric?" The girl bartender heard him.

"Sorry! Sorry!" He dropped his arms and my eyes were immediately drawn them. His arms were big and strong under all that leather. I had to take another sip of my drink before my mouth went dry from all the saliva I was swallowing.

"Can't say I feel the same," I muttered.

"Yeah, 2019 is great for . . . you guys."

The male bartender was back, saving Cedric from having to be more awkward. He refilled Cedric's drink.

"Thanks, Don."

"Stop calling me that," he told Cedric.

"Sorry, Donovan."

"Where's your friend?" Donovan asked me.

"Bathroom."

It seemed like he wanted to ask more, but got interrupted by his phone. He fished it out of his pockets and looked at the screen. He disappeared with a worried look on his face.

"I fucking hate sports," Cedric said, taking out the cigarette from his mouth. He was staring at the television again. There was something about football on. I couldn't care less either.

"Why did you do that?" I pointed at the cigarette.

"Oh, I'm trying to quit. Sometimes I think I can fool my brain to believe I'm smoking if I just keep it in my mouth. It's working, I think."

"You don't seem too confident."

"My brain isn't that smart."

I laughed because he wasn't joking, which was funnier.

Even though Cedric was nice to talk to, I was starting to get worried. I texted Dorian to make sure he was okay. He could be on the phone having an important conversation. The thought of it being about me made me nervous. Like what if I had to drive my ass back because they wouldn't accept me?

There was a loud bang heard outside that made everyone's heads turn. Cedric stood up almost instantly. I took another sip of my drink.

Another loud bang and everyone who was outside screamed and started running inside. The last person who came in tripped and fell. He yelped when he hit the ground and then it hit me. Those were gunshots. Oh fuck. And that guy got hit.

"LEO!" Another guy screamed as he grabbed the other one and pulled him away from the door. His eyes were open wide, alarmed by the blood on his hands.

"What the fuck is going on?" Donovan demanded as he stomped towards the front of the bar.

"I think . . . they're Lords," Cedric told him.

Donovan didn't seem fond of that name. His face went red with anger. He ran to the back of the bar and disappeared for a second.

The windows around the bar shattered as bullets flew inside. Cedric grabbed me and tackled me to the ground, covering my body. It happened faster than my brain could register. One second I was on the stool, the next I was on the floor being shielded from bullets. What the fuck was going on? Cedric's face was only a few inches from mine. He was looking at me with no clear expression, almost like his mind went blank and protecting me was the only thing he wanted to do. From the corner of my eyes I saw a gun in his hand.

"THIS IS DEVILIAN TERRITORY!" I heard Donovan shouting. He was back at the front, but I couldn't see him because of Cedric. I was honestly afraid of looking away. "YOU HAVE FIVE SECONDS TO LEAVE! IF YOU WANT TO STAY, I WILL GLADLY FUCKING KILL YOU!"

Wow. This was a serious bar, wasn't it?

The one who got shot was mumbling on the floor. I felt bad for him. His friend was close to him, also protecting him from any further bullets. But they stopped when Donovan went outside.

"Leo, you're gonna be okay." The dark haired guy was awfully close to him. Maybe they weren't friends.

"Like a good neighbor, state farm is there," Leo sang.

The guy laughed, but it was kinda tragic since he was sobbing.

"That's not for leg injuries," he said.

"Leg? Oh, thank god." Leo seemed oddly relieved about that. "I thought I got shot in my ass."

"What? Why would you think that?"

"It kinda hurts like when you first put it in me, remember?"

Okay, so not friends.

A whole minute passed before everyone got up. Donovan was still outside, possibly keeping guard and making sure whoever shot at us wasn't going to return. Cedric helped me up and I wasn't sure what to say. What do you say to someone who just risked his life to save yours? Surely there had to be something more than just a 'thank you'.

The dark-haired guy was now on the phone, hopefully calling an ambulance. That was when I remembered Dorian. I turned around to make a run for it, but Dorian was already walking out of the bathroom, with his hands up.

"Dude," he said nervously. "Is it cause I'm black?"

I ran to him and hugged him, happy that he was okay. "You're okay."

"So it's not because I'm black?" he asked, slowly dropping his hands.

"I don't know what just happened," I replied.

"Can we get out of here, please?" he said through his teeth as to not sound offensive towards the others. He should just be honest and say this place was a crazy-fest.

"Yeah, before those people come back." I grabbed my wallet and dropped a twenty on the counter next to my drink. It was a lot more for just a coke, but as a former bartender, I knew how happy it made me to see a twenty just for a cheap ass drink.

We stepped outside and found Donovan talking to Cedric. Dorian didn't get to talk to either of them so he kept walking to the car, but I wanted to stop and say goodbye.

Cedric saw me and walked away from Donovan.

"You okay?" he asked me.

"I guess? I don't know what just happened."

"As long as you're okay." He didn't explain what had happened, even when it was clear that he knew.

"Thanks for protecting me," I said.

"You're welcome."

"LUCIAN GET YOUR PRIVILEGED ASS OVER HERE! WE ARE LEAVING NOW!" Dorian screamed from inside the car.

"Maybe I'll run into you in Cali?"

"Yeah, maybe."

I was trying to give him hints, but he wasn't taking them. Could I have read him wrong? Was he really straight? Either way, I walked away after giving him an awkward smile.

"So there I was," Dorian began when I jumped into the car, "my dick out, next to the bathroom stalls, when all of the sudden I start hearing—"

His story disappeared somewhere in the back of my mind. I looked at the side mirrors, watching Cedric. At one point while we were driving away, he looked back.

____________________________

[Author's Message]: Oof! What a chapter. I apologize for taking so long to upload. I promise I was working on it the entire time, but I kept running into walls. I think the chapters where I introduce the bois are gonna be hard on me, this one especially because it was a crossover with Step Brothers. So the ones who saw the character page will soon know why so many of them had "???" on their occupation. Lmao. That was not cause I was lazy and didn't give them a job >:( I wanted to keep it a secret so it wouldn't spoil. ANYWAY. What did you guys think of Cedric? Excited to meet the next boi? hehehe.

(PS. You can imagine the characters however your mind decides. You don't have to go off the cast I gave. The only character that is true to the actor is Lucian, because Nick Robinson inspired the character first, the rest don't need actors.)