PREVIOUSLY:

Garroth got up quickly and left the room, grabbing Travis by the shoulder, "We need to have a little talk. Outside." He dragged Travis outside.

What did this talk have to ensue? Travis didn't know, and he was frankly scared to find out.

****

Travis gupled, "Why did you drag me out here?" He asked, legs shaking slightly.

"I want to talk to you about something." Garroth's brows were furrowed, "You are the most inconsiderate, know-nothing, lowlife I have ever met! You rat Laurance and I out, just to get you and Dante out in the process. Do you think Dante wanted us to know about you two, or at least to know that we knew about you guys all along? And. . . And--"

"Garroth! This is going to be okay, okay? It's all going to blow over soon enough." Travis said, putting a soft hand on his shoulder.

The blonde shrugged the albino's hand off harshly, "Don't touch me. I know what you're trying to do, and it's not going to work!"

"I'm not trying to do anything! I'm just trying to be a good frien--"

In a split second of feeling no pain at all, Travis felt a strong sting spread out across his cheek. Garroth had punched him and now he had a bloody lip and a red cheek. The white haired male looked up at Garroth, his green eyes piercing into the blonde's soul. Garroth had struck a chord with Travis, and he wasn't happy. Travis wasn't calm and collected anymore, he was furious.

Travis whipped his arm out of its resting position and gave Garroth a swift uppercut. The blonde staggered, a large bruise starting to form on his jaw. When Garroth's eyes focused on Travis, he saw a furious glare headed his way. The white haired males face was molded into a look that Garroth had never seen before. It held fury, resentment and a whole host of other emotions Garroth couldn't name.

Before he knew it, Travis was lunging for him once again. He tackled Garroth to the ground, where the two wrestled around in attempt to get the upper hand. It all ended when the front door opened behind, and a faint light shined on them. Travis had Garroth straddled with his fist in the air while Garroth was trying to wiggle out of his grasp when there was a booming voice that stopped them.

"Both of you are children!" Laurance, "Break it up before I break you!" Garroth's dreamboat. . . Wow.

The two males on the ground turned their heads to the brunette looming over them. Garroth gulped, and quickly scrambled out from under Travis, causing the white haired male to stumble slightly and lose his balance. Travis ate the dirt for a moment before scrambling to his feet, standing alongside the tall blonde he'd just been in a quarry with.

"What were you two thinking?" Laurance tugged on the jacket he'd thrown on so that it could cover a bit more of his torso than it already had, "Fighting on the ground? While it's SNOWING? Come inside before it gets any colder out here. We don't need you guys getting hypothermia or frostbite or whatever."

The brunette waved his hand forward, signalling the other two boys to come inside. Travis and Garroth looked at each other guiltily before trudging inside. Travis was in first, subtly cutting Garroth off right before the blonde had walked in. Garroth's brows furrowed, but he didn't say anything just to save the situation from becoming any worse than it already was.

"Travis!" Dante started, noticing his lovers busted lip, "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I didn't start it!" Travis responded.

At those words, Laurance gave Garroth a look before shrugging off his jacket and putting it back on the coat hanger.

"That's so childish. Come on, Trav. Lets get you cleaned up." Dante took the white haired males arm and dragged him away to the kitchen.

The white haired male followed after Dante, a weary look on his face. After those two were gone, Laurance and Garroth made eye contact. The brunette sighed, and took a few steps towards his lover.

"What was that all about?" Laurance asked Garroth with furrowed brows.

"I--"

"You could've gotten hurt! And you did! You shouldn't be fighting with Travis, he could back out of the house and we'd have to pay more rent!"

"Is that all you care about? Your rent, money?! Not telling your girlfriend you've been cheating on her for nearly three months? Or that Travis and I just fought?" Garroth spoke up.

"Lucinda is not what this conversation is about." Laurance responded sharply.

"You shouldn't be lecturing me." Garroth said, "You should be hauling your sorry ass out the door and start apologizing to Lucinda for screwing her over." His brows were now furrowed with his mouth in a straight line

"I wasn't the one who instigated the whole thing!" Laurance exclaimed

"Do you even remember who started it all? I don't!" Garroth replied, "All I know is that, maybe I instigated it. I don't know, but I know that I'm not cheating on my girlfriend for my best friend!"

"What about Cadenza?"

"Cadenza and I ended it off a long time ago! Don't use that against me. Go to Lucinda and either break it off with her, or me. You can't have both, Laurance." The blonde motioned to the door, lips pursing.

"Fine!" Laurance started, "I'll go talk to her. You'll regret letting me go, though. You'll come crawling back when the most TLC--"

"Travis love and care?" The white haired male asked from the kitchen

"NO! When the most TLC you get is from your mom, and your right hand!" And with that, Laurance grabbed his jacket, turned, and stormed out.

Garroth felt a pit form at the bottom of his stomach, a few rocks falling in there and causing him a bit of pain on the way down. The blonde gulped, walking to the kitchen after Laurance slammed the door. He and Travis made eye contact before Garroth broke it to dig into the freezer for an ice pack.

****

Laurance was grumbling stuff under his breath. He wasn't happy as he trudged over to Lucinda's in thirty-degree weather with snow pounding down on him. Eventually, Laurance made it to her front door. He gulped and looked back at his footprints in the snow. On his way back, those footprints would resemble a time where Lucinda wasn't literally about to rip his trachea out of his throat.

With the courage of one shaky breath, Laurance knocked on the door. There was a few seconds where the anticipation was eating at his bones (that could also be the chilling air) before the door opened. The brunette's breath hitched when it did, the door revealing his orange haired, crimson eyed girlfriend.

"Laurance?" Lucinda started, stepping aside so that the brunette could walk in, "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you," Laurance responded, walking in with his hands on his pockets. He didn't make eye contact with her, he just kept walking with his eyes glued to the floor.

"What's going on?" The tone in Lucinda's voice changed as she seated herself and Laurance on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate in her hands.

"I, uh, promise you won't freak out?" Laurance's mouth was surprisingly dry.

"Yeah. I won't get mad. What's on your mind?" Lucinda shuffled slightly. If only she knew what she was in for.

"Uh. . ." Laurance started, palms getting oddly clammy, "I-I. ." His body started to go numb from his feet up, "I've been sleeping with Garroth for a couple months now behind your back?" He got out quickly.

Lucinda blinked, "What?" Her eyes were wide and the grip on her mug was tight (she had white knuckles).

"Garroth. . And I have had a thing since New Years?" The pitch of Laurance's voice went up as his sentence went on

"Laurance!" Her brows furrowed, "I can't believe you!" She stood up, "You know why I broke up with Ivan. He cheated on me! You promised me you wouldn't do that, and you broke your promise! You are one of the worst people I know! Get out, Laurance!"

"Does this mean we're still together?" He asked quickly.

"No! It means we're OVER. Get out!" The redhead pointed to the door, an angry expression on her face.

"Lucinda--"

"No, Laurance. This," she motioned between the two of them with her hand, "is over, and I don't want you in my house any longer."

The brunette stood up with his head hung low, "Are you sure you want to end this?" He paused, "Us?"

"Yes. I'm sure." Lucinda stood her ground, knuckles white and knees buckled.

Laurance sighed heavily, then walked out. His heart was heavy and the pit in the bottom of his stomach was expanding. He was playing with his fingers inside his pockets while he stared at his footprints from earlier filling up with snow.

Those footprints came from a bit more of a simpler time, a time where Lucinda wasn't mad at him, a time where he hadn't just lost both of the people he'd intimately and emotionally invested himself in, a time where things seemed. . . Better, even if they were from just a couple minutes before.

Laurance sighed, eventually coming across his front door. He put his door on the handle, let out a shaky breath, then walked in. His legs were shaky and his ears were ringing as he entered the house that had tension and revealed secrets raging through it. This was the last place he wanted to be at the moment, and he was with the people he didn't want to be with in that moment, but he didn't have anywhere else to go. Lucinda would tell Aphmau everything, then Aphmau would spill it to the rest of her roommates, making them all resent and hate him. Zane hated everyone except Aphmau. Brendan? No one talks to him-- Wait. Brendan! He could go to Brendan!

The only thing is that he wasn't that close with Brendan, but did he really have another choice?

****

Laurance was right. Lucinda was sitting on her bed, legs crossed and eyes watery. She'd turned the picture she had of she and Laurance on her nightstand and dresser on its face, and she'd brought the pictures of them around her house down. In the moment, she wanted to cut Laurance out of her life completely. She didn't want to think about the man who had ripped her heart to shreds, lied to her and cheated on her (with his best friend!). Any human being wouldn't want to think about the person who did that to them.

The redhead brought her phone up to her ear with a shaky hand. A reluctant breath slipped out of her mouth as she tried to dial Aphmau and get the struggles of the current events off her chest and release them.

"Hello?" Aphmau's voice eventually made it over the phone. Yes.

"Aphmau. . ." Lucinda sniffed, "Something just happened."

The small Mexican girls expression dropped, "What happened? Something with Ivan? Or Bigglesworth?"

"No. . . Something with Laurance!"

Aphmau gasped slightly, "What'd he do?"

"He-He slept with Garroth! He's been sleeping with Garroth since New Years, and cheated on me behind my back!" Lucinda wiped her eyes, "He did almost exactly what Ivan did when he promised he wouldn't when we got together!"

"Lucinda. . ." Aphmau's voice was sympathetic, "Do you want me to come over?"

"Yeah. ." Lucinda nodded, wiping her eyes again, "That'd be nice."

"I'll be there in ten with ice cream, okay?"

Lucinda laughed softly, smiling somberly, "Okay. . . I'll see you in a bit, Aphmau."

****

Laurance's lips were pushed together in a scrunched line. He was standing in front of Brendan's door with second thoughts about even showing up there. Why was he there? What was he trying to get out of this spontaneous visit? A pat on the back for pursuing the two things he wanted? A scolding for being an absolute asshole? Laurance didn't know. He rubbed his temples, letting out a short breath before knocking on the front door.

A few moments of Laurance waiting outside awkwardly passed, him anticipating the moment where Brendan would open the door with a warm smile. Instead of getting a chipper, warm-smiling Brendan, he got the exact opposite.

There Brendan was, slippers and a robe on over his clothes. His eyes were tired and his hair was out of place. He was squinting, acting as if he'd just woken up, "You woke me up. What are you doing here, Laurance?"

"I can come back later--"

"I'm already up. Get your ass in here before I close the door and go back to sleep." He stepped out of the way of the door, allowing Laurance some room to waltz in freely.

Laurance nodded at the darker haired male, sauntering inside and not even thinking about all the cold air he was letting into Brendan's warm home.

"Back to what I said before," Brendan started after he'd closed the door behind Laurance, "what are you doing here, bud? You don't usually show up out of the blue like this."

"I know it's random." The brunette sighed, sitting down on the couch in the living room, "But I didn't know where else to go! Remember the New Years party the guys and I threw at my place last year?"

"Yeah," Brendan nodded, "what about it?"

"Well. . . Turns out after that night, Garroth and I started sleeping together." He pursed his lips.

Brendan blinked, "But aren't you with Lucinda?" He asked

Laurance paused, letting the words that had just came out of his mouth really sink in for Brendan, "Not anymore. I just spoke to her about it, and she cut things off."

"Which she should've!" Brendan exclaimed quickly, "You cheated on her for almost three months. It's nearly March, man. If I cheated on Kiki, she'd kill me slowly! With guilt tripping and passive aggressiveness."

"I know, I know! I understand why she did. I was a real dick, but still! Then when Travis called Garroth and I out on it, Garroth challenged Travis about he and Dante having something going on as well! I guess it's not really surprising, but they do! I went back to my place for a few minutes after I talked to Lucinda, but there was so much tension there that I couldn't stand it."

Brendan nodded slowly, "Okay. . . Wait," he paused, "Dante and Travis have something going on behind the scenes?"

"Yes! But you can't tell anyone." Laurance's voice gained a more serious tone, "Travis and Dante will murder me if they find out I told someone."

Brendan ran two fingers across his lips, twisted them then flicked his fingers, "Your secret. . . And their secret, is safe with me. But still. . . I don't understand why you're here."

"I needed someone to talk to. Usually I'd talk to Garroth about stuff like this, but he's too close to the situation! In fact, he IS the situation--"

"Hold up." Brendan interrupted abruptly, "You think Garroth is the problem here?"

"Yeah! He knew I was with Lucinda and still proceeded to sleep with me!"

"But the sex was consensual, right?" Brendan cocked a brow.

"Yeah. . .?" Laurance's voice raised in pitch

"Then Garroth isn't the issue! The issue is you, and that you cheated on your girlfriend and lead Garroth on into thinking you had genuine feelings for him, when really that wasn't the case. I'm not saying Garroth isn't in the wrong at all, because he is. He also knew you were with Lucinda, but you're more the problem then he is."

"I'm not the issue!" Laurance laughed, "I came here to vent, to get stuff off my chest! Not to get lectured about my wrongdoings."

"Yes you are, Laurance! You're too blinded by your own pride and ego to see it though." Brendan scoffed, "It's almost sad. You knew what was at stake when you started sleeping with Garroth, yet you took the risk and kept doing it. You knew that Lucinda would be hurt when she found out, and that she would most definitely find out sooner or later!" He exclaimed, "You're ridiculous, Laurance."

"I'm not ridiculous! Everyone else in this situation is though." The brunette's brows furrowed as he stood up quickly, "I think I'm done here."

"You're gonna wake me up, fight with me, then leave? You are one of the most inconsiderate people I've ever met, Zvhal." Brendan stood up as well, shoulders tense.

Brendan knew how Laurance worked. The brunette got very defensive very fast when he felt even the least bit threatened, and let his pride get in the way of his logic. Laurance had trouble admitting when he was wrong, and that was a flaw that got him into a lot of trouble as his life progressed. The brunette was prone to getting almost too lost in the moment and letting his emotions take over him, or whatever desire is tugging at him right then and there. Laurance was a complicated man in a simple package, that was for sure.

Unfortunately Brendan shared some of those same traits. When challenged or threatened, he got defensive and his words would blow up into something much bigger than he even anticipated or meant for them to.

The two males stared at each other, brows furrowed and scowls strong. Laurance's fists were clenched. Everything was silent and still until the brunette swiftly turned his body towards the front door and started storming towards it.

"Laurance--"

"You've made your point, Brendan." Laurance grumbled, hand hitting the handle of the front door. He turned it and whipped the door open.

Laurance looked back at Brendan, who was standing there with his fingers tugging at his pajama bottoms as a subconscious nervous habit. The brunette noticed, his eyes flickering down to Brendan's fingers then back at his face.

He scoffed, "Pathetic." And with that, Laurance's body turned and he started out the door.

Brendan stood there for a moment before his feet unglued themselves from the floor and he started walking just as quickly as Laurance. He stopped at the doorway, hand on it as he looked over at the brunette who was now out in the harsh, cold blizzard that was hitting MyStreet Street.

"You don't mean that." Brendan said, catching the brunettes attention and causing his head to turn, "You don't mean that I'm pathetic. . . You don't. I know you don't." He continued, almost in a way to console himself. He sounded almost desperate for that reassurance, which Laurance practically thrived off of.

Laurance licked his chapped lips, "Oh, I do." He responded, "I meant every last bit of it."

With that, Laurance turned and walked off. He left Brendan in the doorway with a heavy heart and a cold nose. Brendan's fingers were clung tightly to the doorframe as he watched his old friend walk off. Laurance was losing himself in whatever double life he thought he was living, and that was obvious.

After a moment of watching Laurance go off, Brendan sighed and stepped back inside. He closed the door and let his back hit it once it was securely shut and locked. Brendan let out an exasperated breath once again, letting his body relax out of the tense state it'd been in only a few seconds before. Laurance was gone, and he was alone to nap and relax again. Finally.

****

Garroth was laying on his bed, back on the mattress and chest facing the ceiling. The blonde watched as his chest rose and descended calmly, but that came to an abrupt halt once the door to his room whipped open and slammed against the small doorstop on the wall then went right back to its original place to close.

The blonde whipped his head around quickly, sitting up and scooting back to where his skin made contact with the wall. His eyes were wide and disturbed from the sudden noise.

"What are you in here for?" Garroth asked, eyes focusing on Laurance.

"I've been thinking," Laurance started pacing, but stopped once he got to be directly in front of his now ex-lover, "I messed things up with Lucinda, and I messed them up with you. And I should find someone different! Someone BETTER. What do you think, Gar? Thought I could consult in you." Laurance crossed his arms on his chest with a prideful look painted across his face.

Garroth's body stopped functioning for a moment. Was Laurance really this dense and self consumed? He scooted off his bed and stood in front of the brunette, the two matching in height. Garroth crossed his arms back at Laurance, but quickly unraveled them and placed them on his shoulders. He shook the brunette violently.

"What are you thinking, Laurance?!" He stopped

"I'm thinking about finding someone else?" Laurance responded in almost a questioning tone, as if he wasn't too sure about the whole thing himself.

"No!" Garroth exclaimed, "That's not what you should be thinking about right now! You should be moping around because you just broke two people's hearts in one day!" He proclaimed, breath hitching and eyes widening once he finished his sentence.

Garroth's hands shakily fell off of Laurance's shoulders as a moment of silence passed through the room. The blonde reluctantly stepped away from Laurance, his mouth dry all the sudden.

"I-I didn't mean that." Garroth stammered, "Break two people's hearts? No. That was an accident." He rambled quickly

"It sounded pretty real to me." The brunette finally piped up a moment after Garroth spoke.

"Look. . ." He paused, "That wasn't what I meant for it to be. . . Just. . Go find someone else, okay? Because I can't keep doing this with you, and if you're that desperate to go find someone new, then go ahead."

Laurance's expression dropped, "You're not going to be my wingman?" He asked.

Garroth hit Laurance in the chest, causing the brunette to step back a bit as the other male started walking towards him, "Are you insane?" Garroth questioned with a raised voice, "What in the world makes you think that I would be your wingman after you lead me on and messed with my emotions? No, I'm not going to be your wingman! Those days are over, Laurance! And the days of us are over too."

"I-I don't think you're understanding or completely comprehending what you're saying here, Garroth." Laurance laughed quickly

"I know damn well what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that: No! I won't be your wingman. And that this thing that we've had going on is officially over! I can't keep doing this, Laurance. I don't know how you sleep at night with the guilt coming from the fact that you're cheating on your girlfriend and toying with your best friends emotions."

"I sleep with you at night, that's how--"

"I can barely get through one night without the weighing guilt of knowing I'm setting all of us up for pain! That I'm apart of setting myself up to get hurt in the end, that I'm leading to Lucinda getting hurt, all while you go on as if everything's dandy. When I'm sleeping in bed with you is especially when it's the worst." Garroth took in a breath, rolling his shoulders back, "We're done, Laurance."

"What?" Laurance's pale blue eyes were large

"I said we're done. Now why don't you scamper off and catch up some other unsuspecting victim and tangle them in your web of lies and scams?" Garroth pushed past Laurance and stormed out.

The brunette was slowly becoming furious. He kicked Garroth's wooden bedframe (which hurt like a bitch) and let out a loud growl. He hit his hand on the top of the bedframe as well (which ALSO hurt like a bitch). Laurance stormed out of the room as well, slamming the blondes door behind him.

He heard the front door close, causing his attention to peak. Travis and Dante were out working, so it had to have been Garroth slamming the door. Laurance rushed to the door. He opened it, catching sight of Garroth hastily trying to get into his car as fast as he could.

"Garroth!" Laurance exclaimed, hand reaching out slightly in the blondes direction, "Don't do this. I won't pay your rent this month!"

The blonde's eyes narrowed at Laurance, "This isn't about bribes. This isn't about you paying my rent to keep this a secret, or to keep it going. This is about how sick and twisted you are, and how sick and twisted this situation is." His hand was on the top of the car door, knuckles white from clinging onto it so hard.

"Screw you, Garroth!" Laurance exclaimed furiously.

"Screw you, Laurance!" Garroth got into his car, slammed the car door shut and drove off.

It was over. Everything between Laruance and Garroth was over. No more cuddling, no more spontaneous intimate moments, no more secrets. Everything was out on the table now, and Laurance liked it better when their secrets were still under wraps, but every secret comes out sometime, and it was time for Laurance's to come out.

****

a/n: and that's the finale of secrets!! yay!! what did you guys think of it? what was your favorite part/chapter? make sure to tell me in the comments! thanks for reading! <3 ~Car