{A/N: This starts off a bit smutty so skip all the italics if you'd like..}

There was a fogginess to the feeling of kissing Zoe and touching Zoe. When Teddy reached to caress her face and pul her closer to kiss her, there was something distant to the feeling. That didn't hold Teddy back, though. He simply grabbed her face with both of his hands and kissed her harder. Even the cute little moans she made were hard to hear. Teddy could surely feel the erection in his jeans grow harder though, causing a hand to fall to her ass and pull her closer so the neediest parts of their bodies could brush through all their clothes. She moaned into his mouth at the slightest contact and he hungrily swallowed the sound.

Zoe quickly reached blindly for his shirt, pulling it easily over his head. They stayed separated as Zoe reached for her own shirt and pulled it easily over her own head. Teddy watched and marveled at every inch of her skin that she revealed to him. She was so slim and pale, not a single flaw over her porcelain skin. Even her bra drove him crazy. It was white with little pink flowers on it, holding her little breast just high enough give them a perfectly round shape. Teddy wanted to put his mouth on her skin as soon as possible.

Zoe simply giggled when he did as he pleased, kissing over her chest as he held her waist close to him. The sound of her sweet, innocent giggles filled his ear and flooded his entire body with so much warmth. Teddy smiled against Zoe's skin as he covered every inch of her with chaste kisses. He kissed the top of her breasts, across her collarbones, and up her neck. Zoe smelt so good. She smelt like sweet flowers that had been dipped in sugar. Everything about her had him falling into an endless pit of lust.

"You're so beautiful." Teddy moaned, his hands anxiously exploring Zoe's skin. He pulled her closer when his hands were on his ass again, causing her hips to grind harder into his. The slightest gasp that escaped her made him even hungrier. "Fuck, Zoe. You're so perfect."

"I want you, Teddy." Zoe moaned as her fingers curled around the back of his neck as he continued to litter her skin in cherished kisses. "Please, take me, Teddy. Please. I want you."

Teddy stood and gripped Zoe's thighs to keep her in place as he turned and laid her down on the bed they were sitting at the edge of. Teddy got comfortable atop the little blonde and slammed his lips against hers. Zoe moaned and clawed at his back to pull him closer. Teddy kissed Zoe deeper as he ground his hips into hers, forcing her into the mattress. Zoe pathetically whined at the wonderful feeling of Teddy's clothed erection brushing against her like that.

Teddy couldn't help himself from sliding his hand down between their bodies and lifting her skirt to lay it on her stomach so he could rub Zoe through her soft panties. Zoe moaned against his mouth and arched into him, her hips grinding up and into his hand. Teddy smiled against her delicious lips and nibbled on her bottom one to tease her. Zoe raised her hips into Teddy's hand again, obviously searching for more.

Teddy slide his fingers up her slit through her panties, up her abdomen, and traced his fingers under her skirt with a devilish grin on his face. He couldn't wait to fuck her with that pretty little skirt wrapped around her waist. There was something incredibly naughty to him about the idea of fucking her while she wore something everybody always saw her in. Everyone may have gotten the pleasure of seeing Zoe in her pretty little skirts but, Teddy was the only one that got to fuck her while she wore it.

"What do you want, baby girl?" Teddy purred against Zoe's lips as he resisted the urge to grind his needy, throbbing member into Zoe again.

"You." Zoe whispered

"No.." Teddy pulled away and grabbed Zoe's chin between his fingers, forcing her to look up at him. She was completely under his spell, unable to say a single word until he allowed it. Teddy smiled at the sight of Zoe this submissive, yielding to his every touch and command. "Tell me what you want me to do to you. Be a good girl, Zoe, and give me details."

Zoe panted, her eyes hooded and tempting, luscious lips parted. "I want you to keep rubbing my clit and move my panties aside so you can finger-fuck my brains out. I want your mouth on my tits and I'll return the favor by sucking you off until you cum against the back of my throat."

"Good girl. You're such a good, good girl, Zoe." Teddy praised before he pulled her into another deep kiss, their tongues wildly tangling in each other's mouths. "I'm gonna fuck you so hard, baby girl, you won't even be able to walk."

"Yes, please." Zoe breathlessly begged.

The sound of some kind of excruciating fire alarm went off in Teddy's head, effectively ruining the moment and, suddenly, his eyes popped open. It took a few blinks before Teddy realized he wasn't with Zoe and they definitely weren't about to fuck. Instead, he was laid in bed with his morning alarm blaring over and over again from his phone. Teddy loudly groaned and rolled over in bed at that realization, flinching when his raging hard-on brushed against his pants and his mattress.

Teddy hid his head under his pillow as he let his alarm ring over and over again. His erection was throbbing just as painfully as his obnoxious alarm was ringing. If his dick could make noise, that fire alarm would be the perfect reaction to it getting hard from a sex dream about Zoe. Unfortunately, this wasn't the first time he had woken up like this. It just got more and more graphic with every dream. He was slowly being tortured.

"Teddy! Shut that fucking thing off!" Teddy's father yelled and slammed his fist twice on his door as he passed by it.

Teddy let out a long, exhausted sigh as he reached blindly for his phone and shut his alarm off. If only it was that easy to shut off a boner. Now, he was just sat in silence, loathing himself and his bodies physical reaction to a dream that lewd. Teddy didn't understand why it always had to be Zoe. He almost slept with Kim. That was the closest he had gotten with any girl. Why couldn't his brain form a dream about an experience he actually lived before? He had never touched Zoe like that or talked to her like that. He had never even heard her talk or moan like that before.

How was his brain torturing him with fantasies so far out of his own imagination?

It didn't help that Teddy had Zoe haunting him even when he wasn't busy dreaming about her. He had two photos of her on his dresser, which only reminded him of how many he had on his phone. Teddy was already half dressed when he spotted the photos but couldn't help but lower to the edge of his bed as he hung his head in his hands. He loathed himself so much. More and more by the second. This was becoming some kind of subconscious obsession and he didn't know how to control it.

The haunting continued as Teddy's phone chimed and he stole a glance to see Zoe's name pop up. She was texting him good morning with a big smiley face emoji and the one with stars as it's eyes. Teddy groaned once more and tipped over sideways, away from his phone.

Why was this happening to him? Teddy was suppose to be stronger than his hormonal urges. He wasn't suppose to develop these sorts of feelings. Teddy could guarantee the perverts in their school were having similar dreams and he hated being lumped into that crowd. Zoe didn't deserve shit like this. She was a sweet, innocent girl. She didn't deserve for his brain to consider her some kind of sexually stimulating toy. It wasn't even like Teddy was doing it on purpose and he felt horrible about it.

-

"Good morning~" Howl sang into his phone when he finally got an answer.

Fisher groaned, propping himself up in his bed to rub his eyes. He squinted as he looked up at his window, shocked by the amount of light not shining into his room. "Oh my god, Howl. Do you know how early it is?"

"I do know how early it is. That's why I haven't knocked on your door. I don't know who's inside that I could potentially wake up so, you better come outside." Howl playfully warned as his eyes darted from window to window.

Fisher perked up, trying his best to refuse the idea repeating itself in his head. Was Howl outside his house? At this hour? On a weekend? Fisher couldn't help himself from getting out of bed and standing on his toes to look out his window. Howl flashed his pearly whites when he spotted Fisher in a second story window. Fisher instantly ducked, falling into the fetal position beside his bed. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to say. He wondered if anybody in the house was up and if they had seen the stranger standing idly outside their house.

"Come on, Fish. Don't make me honk." Howl teased.

"Please, don't." Fisher pushed himself up and hurried to his closet to find clothes. "Get out of here, Howl. I can't leave the house this early."

"Should I wait here for a few more hours?"

"No!" Fisher winced at the volume of his own voice. He cursed under his breath and forced a sweatshirt over his head. "Howl, it's fucking freezing outside. Go home."

"Come with me. We'll have breakfast."

Fisher groaned once more and threw his phone on his bed to hop into his jeans. Howl waited as he watched Fisher's figure dance through his bedroom window. It was hard to make him out but Howl could see his arm extend as he tried to shove it through a sweatshirt hole. Fisher grabbed his phone again and wedged it between his ear and his shoulder as he grabbed his beanie and threw it over his messy hair.

"I don't want to have breakfast with you. Go home." Fisher pushed.

"You know, the longer it takes you to comply, the longer I have to stay out here and freeze to death. I don't even have gloves, Fish. I'm gonna lose a finger." Howl arrogantly continued.

Fisher fumbled into some socks as he grabbed his wallet and keys. "Fine, you prick. Give me a minute." And then, he hung up.

Fisher tried to be as quiet as he could as he opened his bedroom door and stepped into the hallway. His footsteps were quiet since had had socks and was being careful but, the floor boards would only allow him so much lenience. Luckily, Fisher managed to get all the way down the stairs without making a single sound. Unfortunately, when he made it downstairs, he spotted his brother sat in the living room on his phone with a bowl of cereal in his lap.

"Where the fuck are you going this early in the morning?" Wyatt frowned at his little brother as he noticed he was fully dressed. "It's barely seven in the morning, Fishsticks."

Fisher awkwardly shrugged and headed towards the kitchen. "I'm just hungry... Why are you up so early?"

"I just got done FaceTiming Tamara." Wyatt got up from the couch and carried his bowl to the kitchen with him.

Fisher grabbed an orange from the bowl of fruit in the middle of their kitchen island and began to causally peel it. Wyatt remained on the other side of the island as he carefully examined Fisher. He didn't even look like he was awake yet but he was fully dressed to leave the house. Wyatt would've believed Fisher just snuck back into the house if he hadn't just come down from his room. Fisher was never this suspicious. He was stubborn and spiteful but, he sucked at lying.

"Where are you going?" Wyatt pushed, his eyes narrowed into intimidating slits.

Fisher chewed on a slice of his orange as he stared at the other slices. Howl was standing out in the cold. He had to come up with a believable lie, and quick. Wyatt was tough, though. He was usually more of a troublemaker than Fisher so, he could see between the lines of bullshit. There was no way Fisher was going to pull this off. He just had to get out the door without his parents waking up and Wyatt following him out.

"How's Tamara? Happy to be halfway across the world from you?" Fisher smirked at his older brother.

Wyatt reflected Fisher's smirk but made it ten times as threatening. "If you think you can get out of spilling your little secret, you're stupider than I ever thought you were. Now, spit it out."

Fisher was silent for a second but, was growing more and more anxious to leave. Howl could lose a finger out there, it was so cold. Besides, if Wyatt held him up to chat for too long, their parents would eventually hear them. He just wanted to leave.

"Out. Just out." Fisher shrugged and threw his orange peel away, keeping the rest in his hand, as he walked towards the front door. "Will you cover for me or not?"

"Not." Wyatt scoffed.

Fisher paused while putting on his shoes at the door and stared aghast at Wyatt. "Come on! I've covered for your dumb bullshit a million times!"

"Yeah, and I told you where I was going every time. I don't want to cover for someone who's keeping secrets from me."

"I said, I'm going out. What more is there?"

"Who with?"

"A friend."

"Girlfriend?"

"No!"

"An actual friend?"

"Yes.."

Wyatt's eyes narrowed again as he pushed off the kitchen island to corner Fisher at the door. Fisher looked back at the door and prayed Wyatt wouldn't be able to make out Howl through the decorative window in the door. Wyatt wasn't paying attention to that, though, as he towered over his little brother and glared at him.

"It's too early for weed, Fish."

"I'm not going to smoke."

"I know your friends smoke. You have dumb, cocky friends."

"You smoke!"

"I'm dumb and cocky." Wyatt shrugged. "How are you getting there?"

"Where?"

"Wherever you're going. You don't drive."

Fisher's expression awkwardly contorted as he realized he didn't have an answer for that. Wyatt's eyebrow cocked with intrigue as he realized he had stumped his little brother. Wyatt could only assume his friends were picking him up but, Fisher didn't want to give anything about Howl away to his brother. Were they already here? Wyatt wondered. Is that why Fisher was hurrying to leave?

Fisher tried not to let Wyatt think about that for too long when he noticed his eyes start to drift to the window in the front door. "I'm taking my bike!" Fisher panicked.

Wyatt's eyes flickered back down to Fisher and he simply scoffed. "You're such a bad liar, Fish. I wish you would attempt to sneak out more often."

Wyatt disregarded Fisher as he sidestepped him and went to the window beside the front door. To his surprise, a tall, dark-skinned guy was standing in front of their house and smoking a cigarette. Wyatt's cocky demeanor faltered as he examined the guy. He was all the way in the street and the sun was hardly up so it was hard to see but, there were definitely bandages on his face. And, when he looked up from staring at his feet, his eyes looked murderous.

"Who the fuck is that?" Wyatt reached blindly for the doorknob with his eyes on the window before he pried himself away from it to put on his shoes.

"Wait, wait, wait! Okay, okay, okay! I'll tell you!" Fisher quietly panicked as he grabbed his brother's arm.

Wyatt's expression shifted from cocky and amused to stern and worried. "Fisher, there better not be a fucking drug dealer outside our house. I'll kick your ass and so will dad."

"No! He's not a drug dealer!" Fisher groaned and frustratedly ran his hands down his face. "Listen, Wy, he's just a friend of mine. We're just gonna go have breakfast and I'll be right back."

"You're gonna go have breakfast?" Wyatt's frown deepened. "Is that code for a drug transactions? Will there be others? Are you going alone?"

Fisher froze, his mouth hung open, as his eyes shifted between the window and his brother. "I don't... want to say... And, I really have to go so, don't follow me out or I'll rat on you for sneaking out last weekend."

Wyatt's mouth fell agape in shock as Fisher threw open the front door. "I'm an adult, Fish! You can't rat me out!"

Fisher grinned as he turned back to Wyatt. "I can sure try and find out."

"Oh, you little-"

Fisher cut his brother off by quietly shutting the door and hurrying down the driveway to get to Howl. Fisher knew his brother was looking through the window so his main goal was to get in Howl's car and leave as soon as possible. Unfortunately, Howl didn't know Wyatt was watching and he was stood in the way of the passenger door.

"Fuck, Fish. That took you ten years." Howl said as Fisher carefully leaped over patches of ice in his driveway. Howl took one last drag of his cigarette and flicked it aside.

"Sorry. Let's go." Fisher finally landed in front of Howl, his eyes going wide when they met Howl's face up close for the first time. "Holy fuck! What happened to your face, Howl?"

"What's in your hands?" Howl chuckled, the sound deep and lost in his hollow chest.

Fisher looked down and held his hand up. He forgot he still had half of his peeled orange. Fisher broke off a slice and gestured it to Howl, completely forgetting about his brother, the cold weather, or the origin of his sudden injuries.

"Want one?" Fisher offered.

Howl smirked and leant down to capture the orange slice between his lips before Fisher could pull away. He successfully sucked on Fisher's finger as he slurped up the orange slice, causing Fisher's entire face to flush with a deep red color. Howl proudly smiled as he watched Fisher's pale complexion change colors so easily. He was always so bashful when Howl did stuff like that. It was one of the reasons Howl liked him so much.

When Fisher heard the familiar sound of his front door sliding open against the pavement, Fisher froze and his eyes widened. Wyatt. Was Wyatt still watching them? Had this parents woken up after he shut the door and had spotted Howl doing that? Why did Howl even do that? They were still in front of his house, basically out in public. Wyatt was totally going to find out now..

"Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Fisher quietly cursed as he hid his face in his free hand. Howl's eyes shifted from the unfamiliar male coming down the driveway to the little one panicking in front of him.

"Is that your brother?" Howl asked. He didn't know Fisher had a brother.

"Yes, and he.. doesn't know so.. Will you behave, Howl? Please?" Fisher pleaded a bit more pathetically than Howl expected.

"Doesn't know that your gay?" Fisher flinched at that question and Howl's expression turned a bit colder. It wasn't a curse word.

"Please, Howl.." Fisher whined.

"Fine. I'll behave."

"Wyatt." Was the first thing Fisher's older brother said as he approached Howl and Fisher. He flashed a nondescript smile at Howl as he jutted his hand out to the stranger. "Fisher's older brother."

Howl pushed off his car to stand upright and appear somewhat formal as he shook Wyatt's hand. "Howl. Nice to meet you."

Wyatt's eyes briefly glanced down at Fisher as his little brother refused to make eye contact with him. Wyatt didn't know exactly how he was going approach this situation but, his legs were moving before his thoughts were. Fisher was his little brother. He had to look out for him. He just didn't expect to be looking out for him in a situation like this. After all, Howl eating an orange out of his hand like that looked almost intimidate in a way that Wyatt didn't know how to handle.

"Howl. Cool name." Wyatt stared dead at Howl as he slowly nodded. "Is that code for something?"

"Wyatt!" Fisher scolded, his jaw clenched as he glared at his brother. He didn't think to tell his brother to behave like he did with Howl because he didn't think he would be coming out here but, if he'd known, they both would've been properly lectured on their people skills.

"So, you're just friends going out for breakfast? Mind if I come?" Wyatt tested the waters, his eyes bouncing between Howl and Fisher.

Fisher instantly looked up at Howl, taken aback by his brothers request. When Fisher noticed Howl smile and open his mouth, Fisher slapped his hands over Howl's face to prevent him from answering incorrectly. "No. You can't come. You're not dressed and you already ate."

"It'll take me two minutes to change, Fisher. I'll just run inside and-"

"Yes! Good idea. Run inside and change and we'll wait right here." Fisher anxiously pressed his older brother, not-so-slyly planning to ditch while Wyatt was busy.

Wyatt's eyes narrowed at his little brother as he easily deciphered Fisher's sudden change in motivation. He felt insulted and even more curious. It was obvious this wasn't a friend of Fisher's and Wyatt wanted to get to the bottom of it. Unfortunately, Wyatt was getting cold and Fisher was growing more and more desperate to leave. Fisher wanted this exchange to be over immediately, before Howl said something shameless and embarrassing or Wyatt cracked the code of this situation.

"Maybe, you should come inside, Howl." Wyatt smiled at Howl, their eyes meeting at the same height and with the same built up tension. "We'll make breakfast."

"Sounds like fun to me." Howl smirked.

"Dear god, no! Please, Howl, get in the car! Go, go, go!" Fisher tossed the rest of his orange into the snow in his yard and desperately shoved Howl to move, not even noticing when he pressed his hand into Howl's ribs and caused him to wince.

Howl finally complied as he gripped his ribcage and trudged around the car to get to the drivers seat. Wyatt carefully watched Howl, not feeling any better about the fact that the guy had more injuries beneath his clothes. He didn't care what Howl got into but he didn't want Fisher being dragged into it. Fisher was the good brother. He was the youngest. Wyatt couldn't help but feel overly protective of him in this very moment.

"Wait a minute! I'm not done with you!" Wyatt grabbed the sleeve of Fisher's sweatshirt and pulled him away from the car when he attempted to get in. Wyatt locked eyes with his little brother, his expression more serious than Fisher had ever seen. "I'll trust that this is really just a breakfast date and let it go but, Fisher, I swear to god, if you're getting into some shit somewhere-"

"I'm not! Relax!" Fisher yanked his arm away from his brother but kept their eyes locked. "I'll explain later. Maybe.. Just cover me, alright?"

Wyatt straightened out his tall posture and looked over the car to Howl. Howl flashed a simple smirk, waved once, and pulled his door open. Fisher and Wyatt's eyes met one last time as Fisher silently promised that everything was alright and Wyatt reassured Fisher that he wouldn't say anything to their parents. Fisher hurried to get in the car and buckle up, begging Howl to drive before Wyatt stopped them again.

"Don't ignore my texts, Fisher! I'll cut your balls off!" Wyatt warned as he leant towards Fisher's window.

Fisher hid his face and held up a thumbs up to his brother as Howl finally drove off and saved them from that horrid exchange. When they were finally down the block, Fisher let out a relieved sigh and doubled over. It was hard to breathe there for a minute. And his heart was racing. He didn't expect Howl and Wyatt to ever meet, mostly because he didn't expect Howl to ever show up at his house like he did this morning.

"Your brother seems nice." Howl smirked, keeping his eyes on the road. "Do you guys get along?"

Fisher buried his head even further in his lap as he groaned. When he popped up again, he fixed the beanie atop his head and shot a glare at the side of Howl's face. "What the hell happened to you?"

"What?" Howl chuckled

"Your face, Howl! Why does your face look like that? That only happens after you're with Brett, right?" Fisher nearly yelled.

Fisher had never actually known why Howl showed up injured all the time. He used to make excuses or jokes to try and throw Fisher off the subject. But, after Howl told him about his relationship with Brett, Fisher could only assume Howl got beat up like this after he slept with Brett. And, if Howl did actually sleep with Brett recently, that definitely wouldn't make Fisher happy.

"It was Brett." Howl confirmed. Fisher slumped into his seat and frowned as he stared out his window. "But, I didn't sleep with him, if that's what you're thinking."

Fisher's eyes shifted to Howl but he didn't turn so he couldn't actually see him. The most he could see was his knee because he was too scared to actually look at him. "Are you being serious or are you making fun of me?" He kept his voice low, stern, and hopeful.

"I'm being serious. I told you, I'm done with him." Howl said.

Fisher turned now, his eyebrows angrily furrowed. "You've never said that! Why do you keep doing that? Who are you talking to that you think I know these things? You never apologized, you never said you were done with Brett, you actually said the complete opposite the last time we spoke."

Howl's face contorted with confusion as he stared at the road. Who was he talking to? "Teddy.. I told Teddy.."

"Well, thanks for letting me know.." Fisher grumbled and shifted in his seat to stare out the window again.

A big part of him still didn't believe Howl. Brett only beat him when he tried to hit on him. That's what Howl said, himself. If Howl wasn't hitting on him, why would Brett hit him? Fisher couldn't help but answer that himself. He believed some of Howl's excuses in the past. Like the time Brett punched him in gym when the teacher assigned them to stretch together. Howl would probably be a little too cocky and get hit. They weren't having sex in that scenario.

Hopefully, Howl was telling the truth.

"That's why I'm taking you on a celebratory breakfast date." Howl smiled as he glanced at Fisher. "Because you're all mine now."

"What?" Fisher blushed and stared wide eyed at Howl. "I'm not yours, Howl. I never agreed to that."

"Fine. Let's celebrate because I'm all yours." Howl hit a stop light and turned to Fisher that same charming smirk that always made his heart thump in his chest.

Howl reached for Fisher's hand and raised it to his lips, his eyes never straying from Fisher's as he kissed his knuckles. Fisher's face warmed even more, nearly melting his face off. He reflexively yanked his hand away and hid it in his lap as his expression flickered between angry and embarrassed. Howl rarely turned Fisher this red and treated it like a trophy every time he did. He couldn't help but stare and smile, his face just as charming with bruises and bandages as it was without.

"I hate when you do that.." Fisher shyly muttered, his body attempting to retreat into an invisible shell.

"Do what?" The hint of a laugh in Howl's voice did nothing to calm Fisher's racing heartbeat.

"Treat me like a girl."

Howl laughed through his noise and shook his head. "I'm not treating you like a girl, Fisher. I'm cherishing you."

Fisher groaned and curled into the fetal position in his seat as his hands clapped over his ears. "God, Howl! How do you say such embarrassing shit like that?"

"How can I not when your face gets all red and adorable like that?" Howl laughed and grabbed Fisher's arm to pull him closer. Fisher didn't get the chance to escape before Howl planted a kiss on his hand where he would've hit his temple if Fisher wasn't hiding. "There's nobody else, Fisher. It's just me and you. Can't I cherish you now?"

Fisher furiously blushed as his body tensed. He almost smiled. He was almost giddy. But, he was too shy to show how happy he was in front of Howl. Besides, Fisher could only be happy for so long before he was reminded of Jonah. He had been texting him a lot since the party. They talked almost all day, everyday. Fisher didn't know how he'd handle that situation if Howl actually wanted to be with him now.

It wasn't just Fisher and Howl. Not yet anyways. Even Howl knew that. There was somebody else. They both still had loose ends they needed to cut before that fantasy could come true.

Howl and Fisher were both suddenly distracted by Howl's phone ringing in his pocket. He pulled it out and answered it after seeing who was calling. Fisher peered curiously at Howl's dashboard to see his radio displaying Teddy's name. Howl handed his phone to Fisher when the red light turned green so he could focus. Fisher reluctantly unraveled and attempted to get comfort again, now that Howl had his attention on something else.

"You're up early, Morgan. What's up?" Howl asked.

"So are you. What are you doing?" Teddy replied, his voice echoing through the car.

"Fisher and I are going on a breakfast date." Howl smirked as he glanced at Fisher.

"It's not a date, you creep." Fisher snapped.

"Oh, good morning, Fish." Teddy chuckled at the sudden sound of Fisher's voice coming through the phone. They must have him on speaker phone. "Howl managed to kidnap you this early in the morning?"

"You know him. He always gets what he wants." Fisher spoke with vinegar on his tongue as he rolled his eyes.

"We all know you love me, Fish. You can be as bitter as you'd like but-"

"I do not! You know I can't stand you! You're-"

"Shut up, Fish. Teddy called for a reason. Let the man talk." Howl smirked and Fisher scowled at the side of his head as he drove.

"No, I only called to see if you could take my mind off of things. Your bickering is helping." Teddy softly smiled.

"Why don't you come with us, then? I can't hear anything but this pricks voice when he's around, I wouldn't be surprised if he's like that to everyone." Fisher offered.

"Fish!" Howl gasped. "You can't invite people to join on our date! That's not how dates work."

"We can double date and pick up Zoe, too." Fisher pointed out.

All three of them were quiet as that thought rolled through their heads. Howl, Fisher, Teddy, and Zoe. All on a group date together. That had never crossed any of their minds before, ever, but now that it had, the offer sparked different emotions in everyone.

Howl was intrigued by that thought. He liked tricking Teddy and Zoe into hanging out because he knew how much they secretly liked each other. Fisher liked that idea more and more as he realized he could stick to Zoe and Teddy to avoid unnecessary intimacy with Howl. Teddy, however, couldn't think of a worse fate. He never wanted to go on a date with Zoe, especially not today, and didn't want to experience that awful situation with Howl, of all people.

All three of them knew Zoe would be excited, though. Of course, she would. She was Zoe. She was excited by everything.

"No. I'm not going anywhere with Zoe. You guys have fun on your date." Teddy sighed and was about to hang up before Howl chimed up.

"Hold on, hold on!" Howl anxiously shifted in his seat. "You sound miserable, Teddy so, just this one, I'll let you come with Fisher and I to breakfast. It's the weekend, which means Zoe probably disappeared anyways."

Teddy sighed and stared at his feet as he considered the offer. He had to do something today to keep his mind off of Zoe. He could go into work, even though it was his day off but, he enjoyed his days off where he could relax and worry about nothing at all. Today wasn't a day where he had nothing to worry about, though. Not with that dream repeating over and over again in his head. He was going to go crazy if he didn't stop thinking about it.

"Alright. I'll come with. I'd hate to leave Fisher alone with you for too long." Teddy teased.

"Thank you!" Fisher shouted to whatever device in the car was listening.

"Whatever. Hurry up. We're on our way." Fisher hung up and gestured Howl's phone back to him before he smiled and stole a glance at Fisher. "Call Zoe for me and invite her to breakfast."

"What? But, Teddy's coming and he doesn't want to go out with her." Fisher countered.

"Yeah, genius, you know that's not true. Teddy wants to go out with Zoe just as much as you want to go out with me."

"I don't want to go out with you, Howl. You're just so twisted in the head that you don't get it."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"So, why did I see you getting dressed so quickly when you were telling me to leave you alone? Weren't you excited to see me?" Howl cocked an eyebrow at Fisher as he turned to him. Fisher blushed as his eyes instantly fell to his lap. Howl's smirk broadened as he slapped a hand on Fisher's head. "Call Zoe."

Fisher groaned and moved his head out from under Howl's hand before he began dialing Zoe's number. The phone rang twice through the call before Zoe picked up.

"Good morning, Handsome!" Zoe cheerfully answered the phone.

"Good morning, Princess~" Howl sang. "I have an offer this morning that you're not going to be able to refuse."

"Ooh! Really? What do you have for me, Howl?"

"Fisher, Teddy, you, and me, breakfast date right now." Howl smirked as Zoe went silent for a few solid seconds.

"A breakfast date? Like... a double date sort of thing..?" Zoe cautiously questioned.

"You know it, babe. Right now. You in?"

Zoe was silent again but, on the other end of the phone, a smile was spreading across her face. "I'm in."

"That's my girl! Hurry up and get ready, Zo. We're on our way." Howl took his phone from Fisher and hung up. Howl caught Fisher staring with an unreadable expression on his face and cocked an eyebrow. "What?"

"What exactly is Teddy and Zoe's relationship?" Fisher hesitantly asked.

"They're almost there. Neither of them would probably admit it but, they've got the hots for each other." Howl shamelessly smiled. "Those kids, though.. I see something really good happening between them and I just want to help it along, you know."

"You're trying to get them together? Teddy and Zoe? But, she's so nice and bubbly and he's so... I mean, Teddy's fine. I've never had a problem with him but... They're so different." Fisher frowned.

"I know. That's what makes them so perfect for each other. He's the Ying to her Yang. Her Zoe Yang." Howl grinned wildly at his pun, which made Fisher snort a laugh and shake his head. Howl wasn't funny but the fact that he thought he was funny- was funny.

When Howl was parked on the opposite side of the road from Teddy's house, a few feet back from Zoe's gate, he texted both of them to let them know that him and Fisher were waiting outside. Teddy was the first one out but didn't make it halfway across the street before he spotted Zoe sauntering down her driveway. His eyes landed on Howl's car, his eyes locking with Howl's, before his jaw clenched and he turned on his heels.

Howl was quick to hop out of his car and chase Teddy across the street. He barely caught him in front of his apartment as Zoe opened her gate and closed it behind her. Fisher flashed Zoe an awkward smile as she approached the car, both of them waving at each other. Fisher's eyes quickly glanced towards Teddy's apartment where him and Howl had disappeared before Zoe threw the door open.

"Good morning, Fisher." Zoe happily greeted as she hopped into the backseat. "Where's Howl and Teddy?"

Fisher nibbled on his bottom lip as his eyes stayed glued on Teddy's apartment. "Uh.. I don't think he's ready yet so, Howl went to grab him."

"Oh." Zoe also turned her attention to Teddy's apartment. She couldn't see anything.

Zoe was nervous to go on a double date with Teddy but, excited, nonetheless. She kept wondering if she'd hold his hand this time, like on his birthday. That was almost like a date. And, the more they went out together like this, the more comfortable he'd be with her and the closer they would get. That's how Zoe saw it, at least. She wanted to be close with Teddy and go on dates with Teddy and hold his hand. His hand was so big and warm and comfy, just like he was.

"This is kind of fun, isn't it?" Zoe tilted her head as she looked at Fisher, who cocked an eyebrow back at her. "Sneaking off in the morning with our boys. Going on dates together."

Fisher scoffed. From the way he just saw Teddy bolt the second he saw Zoe, Fisher couldn't help but wonder where Zoe was developing the illusion that Teddy was her boy. She sounded like Howl. Probably because he was the mastermind behind their odd relationship. Fisher and Howl weren't an item and neither were Teddy and Zoe, but half of those people didn't know that. Still, Zoe was too sweet and innocent for even Fisher to ruin it for her. It wasn't like she was hurting anyone, after all.

"Yeah. It's... alright.." Fisher shrugged.

"Teddy! Hold on, hold on, hold on!" Howl hurried down the stairs into the alleyway to grab Teddy arm before he could reach for his door.

Teddy turned to Howl and flashed him an evil glare before he saw all the bruises and bandages on his face. "What the hell, Howl? You fucked Brett after you talked my ear off all week that you only wanted Fisher?"

"I didn't fuck him!" Howl defended. "And that's neither here nor there because, right now, you need to get in the car."

"No fucking way! I'm not going anywhere with her!"

"Come on! Listen to me, listen to me!" Howl pulled Teddy away from his front door and clapped his hands in front of him. "You said you wanted something that'd take your mind off of things. Zoe can do that. She'll keep your mind off things."

"Getting my mind off Zoe is exactly what I meant, Howl! It's her! She's the one in the head! It's always her!" Teddy hollered, unable to control his anger as Zoe ran through his head over and over.

Howl tried to fight a smile at that confession. He loved hearing stuff like this from Teddy. It's exactly why he was trying so hard for Teddy to admit he was in love with her. Why else would he be this flustered over Zoe's very existence?

"Okay.. I hear you, Teddy.." Howl spoke gently and quietly. "Did she hurt you or something? Did you two fight? Why can't you come with us?"

Teddy sighed and he ran his hand over his head as his eyes darted around the alleyway they were stood in. He was visibly anxious. His eyes landed and locked on Howl's as his jaw flexed. "If I tell you, are you going to say some stupid shit? Because, if you do, I'll add another bruise to that collection you're starting and go back inside."

"I won't say a single stupid thing, Teddy. I promise." Howl smiled.

Teddy sighed once more, the physical reaction to stress even more dramatic than the last time he sighed. "Every time I spend more than, like, three fucking hours with that girl, she becomes all I can think about. The amount of times I've woken up from dreams where we're... you know.." Howl was even more intrigued as he perked up a bit more. "It's frustrating as shit, Howl. I don't want to be around her. I don't want to think about her. I don't want to fucking want her! Even talking about it, I feel like my mouth is going to fall out of my fucking face!"

Howl tried his very best to hold back the grin itching at the back of his teeth but eventually failed and even chuckled. "I hear you, Teddy, I do. But, I don't think you're going to get over all that shit by avoiding her. You can't avoid her. You've tried and she gets you every time. I say, you be around her every single day until you're eventually desensitized to her charm. I mean, hypothetically, if you do that, you'll just start seeing her as your sister."

"I can't be around her every single day! Are you fucking insane? I'll lose my mind, Howl!" Teddy exclaimed in shock and outrage at Howl's inability to understand what he was saying.

"No, I know, but listen to me for a second. If you keep running from her and only spending an hour a day with her, eventually, you're going to start treasuring that hour and clinging to it and clinging to her. The less of something that you have, the more you cherish it, right? Why not do the complete opposite with Zoe?" Howl suggested with a smile deep within his devilish soul but, his visible expression relaxed.

Teddy squinted at Howl, obviously suspicious of his intentions with this idea of his. His arms folded across his chest as he stared Howl down. "Are you doing this to fuck with me, Howl?"

Howl dramatically threw his arms out. "I'm trying to help you, Teddy! You spent all week listening to me talk about Fisher so, to make it up to you, I'm trying to solve your Zoe problem. That's what we're suppose to do for each other, Teddy."

Teddy only grew even more suspicious as he carefully studied Howl. He didn't trust him. Howl was always doing something sneaky behind someone's back. He had ulterior motives in everything he did and he wasn't scared to get his hands dirty. That worried Teddy. However, because him and Howl had been growing closer as friends, he wondered if the guy was actually being genuine. He liked the idea of being desensitized to Zoe much better than any other plan he could come up with, anyways.

Teddy eventually sighed and ran his hands down his face. "Fine.. But," Teddy's finger raised to point sternly at Howl. "If this backfires, your throat is the first one on my list to be slit."

"You know, Teddy, I prefer to be choked but-" Howl shamelessly chimed before Teddy scoffed and pushed him aside.

Teddy hopped up the stairs and crossed the street, too nervous to even lift his gaze towards the blonde he knew was sitting in the car with Fisher. Zoe perked up when she saw Teddy approaching and started fixing her hair and adjusting her bra to make sure everything looked properly fluffed. Teddy slid into the car just as Howl did, their car doors slamming one after the other. Teddy's eyes first found Zoe's legs, which weren't covered by jeans, like he hoped.

Zoe was wearing a skirt again, which only reminded him of that dream and the way he had lifted it to sit on her flat stomach so he could fuck her without stripping her. Like some kind of animal. Teddy rubbed his hands in his lap as his eyes finally met Zoe's big, accentuated, sparkling ones.

"Good morning." Zoe sweetly whispered.

Teddy simply nodded once at her, his eyes stealing a quick glimpse at her skirt, before he looked out his window. His guts were already painfully twisting as he tried to fight the arousal seeping into his groin. It was just Zoe. She wasn't sexy. She was hardly even cute. As if Teddy could convince himself of that. Even that made him roll his eyes. He wasn't blind, just stubborn. Zoe may be cute but she wasn't sexy or attractive. She was just Zoe.

This was going to be a miserable day, Teddy could tell. He had been around the girl for all of twenty seconds and he was already trying to convince himself that he didn't like her. It would take a lot of mental training to start looking at Zoe like he would look at Carmen, instead of hearing her moans echo in his ears every time he looked at her. But, it had to be done. It didn't seem Zoe was going anywhere anytime soon so, it was better to do something about this connection they had before it got out of control.

-

{ There's going to be a tad bit more filler until the Christmas chapter because I don't want to jump cut over too much time before the fun stuff starts happening again. This book is meant to be a slow burn and I adore these characters so much that I want to show you and live through every single day of their lives, even if it's boring so, please bare with me until the story starts to shift a bit.

I am very, very excited for the Christmas chapter, though, so please look forward to that. I hope you love my babies as much as I do and, if you're not in love, I hope you're at least enjoying the journey so far. And happy thanksgiving!❤️❤️❤️ }