-Mason-

"Wait up!" I called out while trailing after Eric and Bennett, hastily drying myself with the towel that Eric had handed me earlier. Then, I tossed it around my shoulders, sighing under my breath. One moment we were languidly swimming about while chatting about how lame the campus cafeteria was, and the next I was completely alone in the pool.

I figured something was wrong the moment Eric hauled Bennett out of the pool while beckoning me towards the side exit, heading in the opposite direction of the locker room. I quirked an eyebrow up at Bennett, who sheepishly shrugged in response while being voluntarily pulled along by the arm.

I caught a brief glance of the sign over the door before walking through myself, my eyes widening with concern as I realized we were heading towards the saunas. And just like that, my soul nearly departed my body.

There was simply no way in hell.

If Eric thought he could willingly coerce me into a situation where I'd be forced to ogle at Bennett's sweaty body, he had another thing coming! The mere idea of it had me weak in the knees. Because, quite honestly, there was no way I wouldn't find a particularly disastrous way of embarrassing myself. And right when I'd just finished digging myself out of a hole...

"I think I'd rather call it a day," I called out apprehensively, taking a few cautious steps back before noticing Bennett was looking back at me rather expectantly, seemingly just as conflicted. He was flashing me this cute pout as well, which felt like a direct stab to the heart. "It's been a long day."

Eric, however, didn't skip a beat.

"No worries, Mason! But you're still coming along, right Bennett?" My traitorous friend asked nonchalantly, the jerk's pleased smirk being insinuative enough to serve as a warning. Except, of course, Bennett didn't seem to catch onto that little fact at all. He just nodded along, far too naive for his own good.

"You don't have to... if you don't want to," I pointed out through gritted teeth, earning me an incredulous scoff from Eric.

"I—I know. I've actually never used them, though," Bennett reasoned under his breath, which was somehow enough of a confirmation for Eric to continue dragging him down the hallway. And Bennett just let him.

I stood there, unsure of how to proceed with my sanity intact. I'd kind of been counting on Bennett backing out as well, so it kind of took me by surprise when his face scrunched up with determination at the last second. What the hell was that about?

I darted my eyes between the exit and their backs, struggling to determine whether I wanted to preserve my peace of mind or my dignity the most. I wouldn't be able to save both, but hopefully at least one of them would be spared when all was said and done.

"Are you sure you don't want to join us?" Eric called out once more over his shoulder, brazenly leaning forward and wrapping his arm around Bennett, playfully pulling him closer. "It'll be fun!"

He was baiting me, evidently.

"I—I have heard good things," Bennett contributed quietly, his face somewhat flushed. "Mason..."

"Yeah, c'mon Mason!" My ex-friend smirked back at me, motioning me forward, but not bothering to wait for an answer. I contemplated tackling him to the ground, yet he was far too close to Bennett to not get the kid accidentally caught in the cross-fire. If anything, it almost felt like he was using Bennett as a make-shift shield.

The goddamn coward.

So, I quietly followed after them, begrudgingly caving in, lest Bennett flash me another adorable pout and wreck my soul. How could I say no to him?

Besides, it wasn't as if the sight of Bennett sweating and panting in a sweltering room could physically kill me. At least, not in the way I was debating drowning Eric the moment we made it out of here.

-Eric-

I snickered upon hearing Mason's approaching footsteps, certain that he'd follow along the second I got Bennett involved. Perhaps it should've irked me that my own best friend didn't trust my intentions... but then again.

Eventually, I let go of Bennett, comfortable that he'd come along even without the metaphorical collar and leash. I grabbed the wooden door from the closest sauna room and opened it, sighing contentedly as heat seeped from within the wooden room.

I slowly stepped inside the modest, dimly lit box of a room, sighing as the hot air enveloped me; it was actually pleasantly comfortable inside, my body relaxing at the sheer warmth. How could Mason willingly pass this up?

"See? Not bad," I assured Bennett while settling down on the lower bench, stretching out my limbs before melting back against the wall. I watched as Bennett messed with the thermostat before stepping inside, his body relaxing as well.

"I did get a bit of training for how the saunas work, but I've never actually been in here," Bennett explained while settling down beside me, yawning into his hand. "S'warm and cozy."

Mason didn't say anything aside from grumbling under his breath, shutting the door closed with a bit more force than necessary. I just gave the grouch an unimpressed grimace, to which he rudely flipped me off.

Whatever. He'd thank me eventually.

All around, the sauna was composed of dark wooden tiles and a few neatly rowed benches. It was rather calming in here, reminding me of the kind of cabin Mason's parents would take us to during winter break when we were younger.

I noticed Bennett's eyes drifting every so often, subtly checking out Mason's chest. It was endearing, even if I also felt a spark of annoyance at their stubbornly evasive behavior; and it was particularly frustrating when the longing in their fleeting expressions was so unintentionally blunt. I hardly knew the kid, and I could already read him like an open book.

If only one of them took even a single second to consider the possibility of the other being interested, I wouldn't have had to drag myself here by bus. Because Bennett was timidly pining and Mason was—well, he was also usually pining; although, right now he was far too busy glaring daggers at me to notice much of anything, which was just... so inconveniently like him.

I was slowly running out of patience, but I'd crawl if I had to.

I removed the towel that I'd thrown over my shoulder, hastily flinging it at Mason's head before stretching once more, releasing a loud yawn. I was utterly wiped out, but I refused to back out now. We'd already come this far.

Mason huffed under his breath while yanking it off his head, throwing my own towel back at me. And then he hurled his own as well for good measure, which was exactly what I was hoping for.

"Nice view, huh?" I whispered to Bennett teasingly once I'd successfully forced Mason to show off his pecs.

Bennett ducked a bit, widening his eyes in realization. "Uh... no?"

I chuckled at that. Bennett could fool someone as oblivious as Mason, but I wasn't so easily convinced. Yet, figuring out how to smoothly force them to confront their feelings was a different matter altogether. I'd initially considered forcing a love triangle to spark some jealousy, but odds were that Bennett would back off instead of stepping up to the challenge.

Hm...

Perhaps continued interactions might help, but even that felt like a drastic leap of faith when it came to these dorks.

"Devon's throwing a party next week," I blurted out, much to Mason's introverted disinterest.

Mason shrugged. "And?"

Alright, so it was up to me, then.

I turned to Bennett, determinedly meeting his gaze. "You should join us, Bennett! Doesn't a party sound fun?"

Bennett's froze in place, his eyebrows furrowing in bewilderment. He glanced around as if there was anyone else that I could've been talking to, cowering back like a trapped wild animal avidly searching for an escape route.

Mason looked like he wanted to intervene as well, but he settled for indignantly glowering at me. Hell, he was likely hoping Bennett would reject the offer on his own, which was where I came in.

"But I don't know him."

I scoffed. "Neither do half the people that'll show up."

"But—"

"Mason wants you to go too, right Mason?" I tried, shamelessly putting my bestie on the spot. Because if there was one thing that I had an inexhaustible supply of, it was the audacity.

"I didn't even know Devon was back in town," Mason grumbled before noticing Bennett's skittish disposition; the kid's expectant brown eyes kept restlessly darting between us, hopeful for permission. And I knew, just like Mason knew, that there was no way in hell he was saying no to those puppy dog eyes.

"Well, he is! And Bennett would love to go have fun. Isn't that right, Bennett?" I pressed, finally seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.

"Uh... right?"

Mason cleared his throat, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck while looking over at Bennett. "Oh. I—I mean... if you want to go, that's cool?"

"If you want to go with us," I corrected, shooting Mason a dirty look. "Right Mason?"

Mason just sighed in defeat. "Right."

"See? He said it's cool," I continued, nudging Bennett enthusiastically. "So, what do you say?"

Bennett frowned. "Do I need to bring a present?"

I bit down on the side of my knuckle, stifling a laugh before squeezing Bennett by the shoulders, shaking him a bit for good measure. "You're so adorable, kid."

"Is that a no?"

Mason just grumbled to himself, wearily rubbing at his temples. I'd definitely placed a large target on my back by doing this, but it was a bit too late to worry about that now! Well, unless Mason was planning to uninvite the kid himself. But even he wouldn't be dense enough to do something that cruel... right?

"Not that kind of party. Just make sure to eat beforehand if you plan to drink. We don't need you blacking out," I mentioned off-handedly. "I say this from experience."

Bennett just quietly nodded his head, flashing me a weak smile. "Thanks, Eric."

"Don't sweat it," I replied before patting the back wall of the sauna, which caused Mason to groan out in annoyance.

"Eric, please."

"It was funny!" I defended before realizing that my job was, more or less, done. Bennett was getting a bit distracted sneaking glances at Mason, so I took that as my cue to leave. "Huh, I'm actually feeling a bit claustrophobic in here, guys," I lied through my teeth, grinning cheekily as Mason's glower knowingly intensified. "Be right back, guys."

And then I bolted out of the sauna before either one of them could stop me or follow me. Bennett did try to get up, but by then I was already closing the door shut behind me. He sat back down, peering at me nervously through the door's circular window. Oh, what a poor, lost puppy.

"You can't run forever, Eric!" Mason threatened from the other side, his voice mostly muffled by the door.

And with that, it was now out of my hands.

---

A/N: Thank you for reading. Also, I adore Eric. To read more from him, check out Friction!