"Ugh! You son of a bitch!" Brett seethed as he writhed in pain on the floor, slowly pushing himself to his feet.

Before Brett could get up and continue this fight, Howl scurried out of the bathroom and slammed the door shut. Fisher stepped back and shook out his hand to relieve some of the pain pulsating in his knuckles. Brett had a really hard head and Fisher wasn't exactly used to punching people in the face. Howl, on the other hand, stood in front of Fisher with his eyes still wide and chest heaving as his heart raced. He was shocked to see Fisher defend him like that. Howl could very well handle himself with Brett but, it still made him a bit fuzzy inside to see Fisher stand up for him.

"Are you okay?" Howl whispered as he reached for Fisher's hand. Fisher still scowled but, was lenient to Howl's approach and let him tend to his injured hand.

"I'm fine. That guy's skull is just as thick as it seems, though." Fisher bitterly grumbled. His eyes lingered on Howl for a moment as his scowl turned to a soft frown. "You two were kissing."

"Against my own will. If you didn't notice, I tried to fight back." Howl's pitch black eyes raised to meet Fisher's stare.

Fisher stayed quiet and upset as his gaze dropped to his hand, which was sat gently in Howl's. It took him a moment of thinking before he spoke up again. "I hate that guy."

Howl cracked a smile at Fisher's bitter attitude and rubbed his thumb over Fisher's knuckles as he smiled down at his hand. There was a moment of silence between them, and in the bathroom beside them, where Brett was obviously collecting himself and taking a minute to cool down. It was a good thing that Brett hadn't charged out of the bathroom again. He must've known he needed to cool down by himself right now.

Howl was the first to break the silence with a single chuckle, though, causing Fisher to cock an eyebrow curiously up at him.

"What?" Fisher reluctantly asked. He hadn't yet removed his hand from Howl's grasp, since it was kind of nice to be touched and tended to by him.

"You just called me your boyfriend." Howl finally looked up, a full, beaming, cocky smile lighting up his handsome features. "I thought you didn't like that word."

Fisher furiously blushed and yanked his hand out of Howl's grasp. He could suddenly feel his heart thumping in his chest. "It was a matter of circumstance, Howl! That's not really how I think of you! Or us.."

"How do you think of us, then?" Howl teasingly pushed.

"Ugh! Get away from me.." Fisher grimaced as he turned to flee.

Unfortunately but predictably, Howl followed. "Get away from you? You're the one that came to me, Fish."

"Yeah, well, I was about to tell you that you could be my New Years kiss if you weren't going to be such a prick all night but now, you have Brett cooties all over you so, I'm not so sure I want to be around you anymore." Fisher bitterly explained as he trotted down the steps.

"Yeah, right!" Howl grabbed Fisher's arm once they both reached the bottom and spun him around so they could look each other in the eyes. Fisher hated that he was still smirking like that. "You missed me after storming off, got upset when you saw me with Brett, and now you're trying to hide the fact that you actually do think of me as your boyfriend. Give up the act already, Fisher. I know you too well to be fooled."

Fisher gritted his teeth as he glared at Howl, trying his absolute best not to grab a fistful of his shirt and kiss him. There was an undeniable attraction Fisher had towards Howl that drove him crazy. He imagined Brett probably had a similar feeling as well. As much as someone could hate Howl, they could love his twice as hard. Howl was a strange creature with a weird charm to him that twisted people up so much that it was hard not to feel everything when it came to him. It was hard to just hate him.

"I like you and I want to be with you." Fisher angrily declared, never letting his eyes stray from Howl's, no matter how sweaty his palms were getting. "And I hate you for it."

Howl's cocky smirk broadened and beamed with pure joy at the first half of Fisher's proclamation. The second part didn't bother him so much. He already knew Fisher liked him and he knew Fisher was uncomfortable with it but, he still couldn't deny it. Which meant, this was progress. Fisher was coming face to face with the fact that he grew more and more fond of Howl with everyday that passed. Soon, maybe, Howl would finally get the privilege of popping Fisher's cherry. He had been waiting far too long for that day.

"You're so fucking cute." Howl deeply chuckled.

Howl tried to reach for Fisher's face as he leant in to kiss him but Fisher rejected him by stopping his hand and turning his face away. He was blushing too much and his heart was racing and he was too embarrassed. Not to mention the fact they were in a public place, around other people, or the fact that Howl just had Brett's mouth on his mouth. That was a better excuse to use than his own embarrassment so, Fisher went with that one.

"Don't kiss me. You're still contaminated." Fisher sheepishly muttered.

"If you kiss me, we can replace his germs with yours." Howl used his other, free hand to gently caress Fisher under his jaw and pull in his attention. "Then I'll be all yours again, Fish."

Fisher's face couldn't turn anymore red, even if he tried, which made all his nerves flood to his stomach. Howl was always so cheesy and clingy and made him blush too much. It was so embarrassing. That was one of the things Fisher liked about Howl, though. Howl could be a real pain in the ass and ultimately really selfish but, he was also such a hopeless romantic, that wasn't afraid to admit how much he liked Fisher. It was incredibly flattering.

"You're such a nightmare." Fisher muttered as he checked his surroundings.

There were a few people in the kitchen but they seemed crowded around someone and fully invested in their conversation, which meant they weren't paying attention to anything else in the room. So, Fisher sheepishly hopped up on his toes and quickly gave Howl a peck on the lips before he turned around and escaped. Howl was about to protest and ask for a real kiss before Fisher grabbed his hand and dragged him into the basement. Howl simply chuckled and followed Fisher to the party.

Downstairs, where all the strobe lights and music were, was also a crowd of dancing teenagers. It was an unfinished basement so the floor was concrete, the walls were wooden beams and insulation, and the ceilings were the same. There were still balloons, confetti, party horns, and party hats everywhere, though. There was also a digital countdown on the wall behind the makeshift DJ booth, which was just a computer desk, that was counting down to midnight, New Years, and the beginning of Joseph's official birthday.

Fisher found his friends sat on the floor, against the back wall, and instructed Howl to sit. Reluctantly, Howl obeyed and, to his surprise, Fisher fell right into his lap and made himself comfortable. Howl nearly gasped, even more shocked and excited than when Fisher punched Brett in the face just two minutes ago. Howl couldn't help himself from wrapping his arms around Fisher's waist, pulling him closer against his chest, and smacking a kiss on his cheek.

"Wow.." Lauren chimed as she looked Howl and Fisher over. Both boys turned to her, made curious by her reaction. "You two actually look kinda cute together like this."

"Don't we?" Howl shamelessly joked.

"Oh shut up." Fisher rolled his eyes, although, he poorly disguised the humor in his voice and the smile on his face.

-

After Joseph was gone for awhile, gossiping everyone's ear off, Teddy thought he might be out of the woods for the night. It felt like Teddy had come up with a lie that might actually keep Joseph occupied. So, Teddy relaxed his muscles and lifted his empty solo cup to his nose to smell the liquor that used to be inside. The aftertaste in his mouth wasn't all that and now he was curious. He didn't actually catch what Joseph had mixed together to make his drink but it almost tasted good. Drinkable, even.

Teddy never imagined he would find liquor drinkable.

So, Teddy went for the bottles of liquor in the middle of the kitchen island and began sniffing those, trying to decipher which one had been in his cup. He heard people talk about Hennessy a lot, as if they were bragging that they've drank it so, he wondered if Joseph was partial to it too and would add it to his drink. Just to make sure it was right without ruining his drink, Teddy found a shot glass and decided to try it that way.

Teddy was not an experienced alcohol drinker so, he was a bit optimistic and naive when it came to taking shots. That also meant that he decided to try every liquor on the counter in small shot increments without fully realizing just how much liquor he was consuming. On the bright side, he did find a liquor he liked and poured it into the cup. There was actually a lot in the cup when he was done pouring but, he figured it'd be alright. He was thirsty...

It was a few minutes later when people started to climb the stairs from the party in the basement. Teddy's attention fell into the corner of his eyes as he glanced towards the staircase and his stomach instantly panicked at the sight of Jennie ascending them. Too scared to face her sober, Teddy lifted his cup to his mouth and guzzled down all the liquid left in his cup to, hopefully, soothe his nerves. It wasn't until he dropped his cup to the table that he realized just how much liquor he had been consuming in the last few minutes.

"Zoe has a boyfriend in Los Angelos that none of us know about, except you?" Jennie asked with a bit of fury in her voice as her hands slapped down on the other side of the kitchen island.

Teddy looked up from his empty cup to see Jennie surrounded by a few of her other friends, who were all staring directly at him. Although, there were a lot of glares from Zoe's close friends, Teddy couldn't help but stare right back at Jennie. He felt like he was being hunted by her glare. Like she knew... Despite his nerves, the second Teddy opened his mouth, a loud belch crawled up his throat and escape out his open mouth, causing the girls to recoil in disgust.

Teddy waved his hand in the front of his mouth and gently pounded his chest with his other hand. "Sorry.." He drunkenly muttered.

"Gross." Stacy whispered in disgust as she crossed her arms over her chest, her scowl raking up and down Teddy's body.

"Well?" Jennie aggressively pushed. "Who is it? Someone famous? Someone we'd know? Has she shown you a picture of them together?"

Teddy sighed as he leant back against the kitchen counter behind him and folded his arms over his chest as well. "I don't know anything. Like I told Joseph, all Zoe did was hint at me that she was already taken. She didn't give me a name and I didn't pry."

"Did she say how long they've been together?" Stacy added.

"Nope." Teddy shrugged.

"He's lying. None of this is true." Daniel whispered from behind the girls as he kept his eyes glued to Teddy.

"You have too much faith in your delusion that Zoe actually ever tells us the truth." Jennie scoffed at Daniel before she rounded the kitchen island to stand in front of Teddy, who nervously straightened his posture and took a fearful step away from her. "Do you have feelings for Zoe?"

"No!" Teddy frantically shook his head, accidentally making himself dizzy.

"See. Told you." Jennie proudly smirked as she turned to her friends. "Not everybody is head over heels for her, you know."

Daniel and Chris exchanged disbelieving glances, since they both were head over heels for Zoe, as was everyone else. The girls seemed even more confused since they didn't get the answers they wanted from Teddy. There was no evidence to his claims. The only thing that made them think he might be telling the truth was the fact that he seemed to be close with Zoe. Teddy and Zoe had a secret relationship that nobody really knew the details of, which meant it was possible that Zoe may feel comfortable enough to tell him that type of secret. And, to be fair, nobody could figure Zoe out so, they were clinging to any information they could get.

"Do you think she's with him now?" Stacy asked as she turned to her friends. "It's New Years. I bet they're at a rooftop party with a beautiful view of the ocean and they're gonna kiss under the moon and fireworks.. ugh!  What I would do to be in Los Angelos with a hot, rich dude right now.."

"Fuckin- No! No, no, no! Zoe's not kissing anybody tonight!" Teddy drunkenly slurred, frowning when he realized he may have drank a little too much alcohol.

It was hitting him harder and harder as the seconds rolled over one another. He could feel it catching up to him in an alarming way. Luckily, now that he knew he was a little tipsy, he also knew he had to be careful with what he was saying. Especially, since so many people were staring at him right now.

"I mean.. Zoe's on her way to Japan." Teddy tried to act natural and chill and sober but, he wasn't really fooling anybody. "And her boyfriend isn't with her. And I don't think Japan celebrates New Years.. Right? They have a different one than we do... Don't they?"

"Are you drunk?" Jennie chuckled as she looked Teddy over. "Didn't you just get here?"

"Joseph made me drink." Teddy reached for the counters behind him but, his hand somehow slipped and he fell backwards and towards the floor. Jennie gasped and rushed to Teddy's aid, since she was closest to him, while the others scurried around the kitchen island to try and see him. "And then I drank a little more after he left..."

"Oh my god." Jennie laughed as she knelt beside Teddy and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Are you okay? How drunk are you?"

"I'm fine. I'm not drunk. Maybe tipsy but, not drunk." Teddy mumbled as he tried to fix his very awkward position on the floor, deciding to sit against the cabinets behind him instead of standing up because, he knew he would inevitably fall again.

"Leave it to the mutt to be completely useless." Stacy complained from above Teddy and Jennie. "He's not going to give us any good information when he's drunk."

"Alright. You guys go back downstairs and get more out of Joseph. I'm going to stay here and interrogate this drunkard." Jennie confidently declared.

"Jen, the ball drops in 5 minutes!" Daniel exclaimed as he checked the time on his phone.

"Don't worry! I won't miss it!" Jennie argued as she settled against the cabinets of the kitchen island, her legs lining up parallel with Teddy's as they sat opposite each other.

The others sighed in annoyance but still turned to leave, Stacy lingering just to glare at Teddy. "Be careful, Jen. Nobody wants you getting rabies from getting too close to this mutt."

Teddy burped again, causing Stacy to squeal with disgust and scamper off with her friends. Jennie wasn't anymore amused but she was intrigued. Teddy really didn't give a shit, whether he was drunk or sober, and she didn't quite understand it. Why didn't he care that nobody liked him? How could Zoe be friends with this guy when she seemed to prim and perfect?

"I'm not going to tell you anything." Teddy mumbled as his eyes shifted to Jennie. "There's nothing really to tell, anyways. I don't know anything."

"You know Zoe." Jennie countered, a confident and slightly flirty smirk on her face.

Teddy didn't realize it, mostly because his judgement was currently impaired but, Jennie was up to something. If Teddy was in his right mind, he would be able to tell just by the look in her eyes. Unfortunately, Teddy was on the floor and mumbled like an idiot so, Jennie had the upper hand. She hated Teddy just as much as anyone else at their school but, she also knew Zoe liked him. Which meant Jennie liked him more. Whether it was a romantic interest or not, Jennie was already devising a plan to wedge herself in their relationship.

"I do. I do know Zoe." Teddy lazily nodded as his eyes fell shut. That made him dizzy, though, which made him stop nodding and rest his head back against the cabinet behind him. "I bet I know her way, way, way better than any of you uptight jocks."

Jennie scowled at Teddy for his unfair judgement but, pushed past it. "So, you obviously know she likes you, right?"

Teddy opened a single eye to look at Jennie and study her. "Who said?"

"Come on, Teddy. It's obvious."

Teddy closed his eye again and let his body relax. "I know you think that- like everyone else thinks that- but, Zoe already has a boyfriend so, it's just not true."

"Well.. Do you happen to like her? Despite the fact that she has this secret, alleged  boyfriend?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Teddy growled as his head fell to his knees and his fingers linked across the back of his neck. "I don't like Zoe! I will never like Zoe! I can't be with-"

"Hey, listen.." Jennie chuckled as she scooted closer to Teddy and gently caressed his arm. "I don't like Zoe either. In fact, I think it might be fair to say I hate her. She's a walking nightmare, dancing around the school like she's Christ's first born or whatever the fuck."

"No. No, no, no. I didn't mean it like that." Teddy raised his head to look at Jennie, flinching when he realized how close she was. His eyes were wide but unfocused as he tried to look at her without getting dizzy. "I don't hate Zoe. She's a good, selfless person and-"

Jennie scoffed, effectively cutting Teddy off as he frowned at her. Teddy used to hate Zoe but, now it was different. Now, he hated anybody that would dare say they hate Zoe. Like Jennie. This girl was a spoiled diva that was jealous of all the attention Zoe got and everybody knew it. Even Zoe knew it but, she was too sweet to ever hold it against Jennie or use it to her advantage to spite Jennie. When Jennie was being a brat, Zoe only worked harder to prove she wasn't who Jennie thought she was. The easier route would've been to call her a bitch and steal her boyfriend or something.

Zoe was just better than that. It was in her blood to be better than that. Jennie was the opposite.

"Don't let Zoe brainwash you, Teddy." Jennie whispered to Teddy as she stared directly into his eyes and kept her hand on his skin. "You two don't make any sense together. Just because she wants you doesn't mean she should get to have you. She can't have everything, right? I mean, does she even deserve you?"

It was Teddy's turn to scoff now. "Deserve me? Zoe? I think you have those backwards or upside down or something because, Zoe's an angel and, just like everybody says, I'm... a mutt.. I mean, Zoe has such a huge future and she has so much on her plate and I don't want her to waste her time on me. What if she realizes she's wasting her time with me and she just... leaves? Everyone.. leaves.. It's inevitable."

Jennie was actually surprised to be getting these responses out of Teddy. He claimed he didn't like Zoe but then, he was panicking about her leaving him. Teddy was drunk and accidentally revealing things little by little, like his feelings for Zoe. Stacy was wrong to say Teddy was a useless drunk and Joseph was right to get him to this point. If Teddy felt he wasn't worth Zoe and worried she'd leave, Jennie could only assume he meant that romantically. What she didn't understand was why he was making up a fake boyfriend? Was it a rumor for everyone else or was it something Teddy was convincing himself was true just so he could push down his feelings?

"Teddy.." Jennie quietly continued, ready to bury the blade of her hatred even further into this relationship to see how far she could wedge herself into this. "Think about it. How many times has Zoe made you and Chuck fight? Aren't you a little suspicious as to why she ditched us to sneak off with you? She's just doing it for attention. You're nothing but a stunt to her, Teddy. She's using you. If she actually liked you and cared about you, she would stand up for you every time one of us called you a mutt. And she doesn't do that, Teddy."

The uncomfortable frown on Teddy's features deepened as Jennie's words processed in his head. He didn't like thinking that Zoe was using him as a stunt just for attention. He didn't like thinking about Zoe calling him a mutt, or letting people call him a mutt. It made his stomach stir and flip. He didn't want to be hurt by Zoe. So many of his memories growing up was him being hurt and he had been trying to avoid hurt for a long time. He just didn't want Zoe to hurt him and he was terrified of ever hurting her.

"10! 9! 8! 7!" People started chanting from the basement, causing people in the living room and kitchen to rush downstairs to see the ball drop and score a kiss. Not to mention, it was going to officially be the beginning of Joseph's birthday at midnight.

Teddy and Jennie didn't move a muscle as they continued to stare at each other. Teddy was sick to his stomach, whether that be because of the liquor or the horrible, horrible thoughts that Jennie just put in his head. Jennie, looked a bit coy as she faked a sympathetic smile and gently rubbed her hand over Teddy's bicep. Teddy still wasn't picking up on Jennie's intentions, though. He was too drunk and caught up in his paranoia.

"Forget about Zoe, Teddy." Jennie whispered, her eyes never straying from Teddy's.

"4! 3! 2! 1! Happy New Years!" Everyone in the house yelled before the sound of the neighbors fireworks popped outside.

Before it was too late, Jennie reached for Teddy's face with her free hand and quickly leant in to kiss him. She knew Teddy was just drunk enough to almost fall pray to her tricks. Unfortunately for her, her shocking decision to kiss him was enough to give him a moment of clarity. It was like a wave washed over him and instantly convinced him that everything Jennie was saying and doing was wrong. She was touching him and telling him how horrible Zoe was and was even trying to kiss him. None of it made sense. None of it added up. The liquor just clouded that part of Teddy's brain.

"Wh-What the fuck?" Teddy jerked back as his hand landed on Jennie's mouth before it could touch his own, his eyes wide and a lot more focused now. Jennie's eyes lifted from his mouth to his eyes as she realized her plan was falling through. "Did you just try to kiss me?"

Jennie curled her fingers around Teddy's hand and pulled it off of her mouth so, she could speak clearly. "It's New Years.. Aren't you suppose to kiss someone when the ball drops?"

"You're not suppose to kiss me!" Teddy exclaimed as the wave of clarity that crashed into him settled even deeper into his mind. His limbs instantly started scrambling to get him up and moving as fast as possible. "Oh my god! This is so wrong! On so many levels! Oh god! Ew!"

"Ew?" Jennie gasped from the floor as she watched Teddy stand up.

Once Teddy was good upright, he tried to put all of his thoughts in order before he lost this moment of sobriety. All he could think about was that the fact that Jennie just tried to kiss him after trying to manipulate him into hating Zoe. He knew nothing she was saying was true now, even though he was sick from the very thought of her claims just moments ago. This situation was even worse because Jennie hated Zoe and Zoe hated Jennie. It would be a total dick move if Teddy betrayed Zoe by kissing the one girl in school that hated her more than anyone else did.

Not the mention, Jennie was Kim's younger sister. Teddy had only kissed two women in his life, Kim and Zoe, and there was no way Jennie could be the third. Jennie didn't even know Teddy had made out, and almost slept with, her older sister. Teddy found himself lucky to even be sober enough to stop Jennie before her lips actually touched his, though. Jennie saw Teddy was vulnerable and she pounced without any hesitation. That made her dangerous. She hated Zoe so much that she was willing to attempt to steal Teddy away from Zoe whole he was intoxicated.

"This is so fucked up." Teddy muttered to himself as his hands ran anxiously over his head again and again. "I need to find Howl. We need to leave. Now."

-

Fisher was still in Howl's lap when the ball dropped so, he had to crane his neck a bit uncomfortably to kiss Howl but, it was worth it. The feeling of Howl's tongue piercing in his mouth also made Fisher buzz with excitement. Howl could tell, too, since Fisher wasn't immediately shying away from him. And, if they weren't in the middle of a party, Howl would be crawling on top of Fisher right now. He was even tempted to drop his hand from Fisher's waist to slip it inside his pants. If only...

"We have to go!" Teddy yelled as he fell to his knees in front of Howl and Fisher, trying to ignore all the lights and cheering around him.

Howl begrudgingly separated from Fisher to look up at Teddy. "I'm kind of in the middle of greeting the very promising New Year with my boyfriend, Teddy."

"Jennie tried to kiss me! And I made up some story that Zoe has a secret boyfriend! And I'm kind of drunk right now!"

"Drunk?" Howl's eyes narrowed as he carefully studied Teddy. "Are you sure?"

"No.. I don't know. I've never been drunk before but I feel something and it doesn't feel like sobriety." Teddy nervously laughed, trying to find some humor in this nightmare of a situation. "Can we go? Please!"

"Is Teddy always this panicky or is this the alcohol?" Fisher asked Howl as he looked over his shoulder at him.

"He gets this way sometimes, usually if Zoe has anything to do with it, but.." Howl's words drifted off as his eyes narrowed and he stared intently into Teddy's.

Howl couldn't really focus on Teddy very well with all these lights and music and people cheering and talking so loudly. To get a better look at him, Howl grabbed Teddy's chin and brought him a bit closer. Fisher was a bit surprised by Teddy's close proximity and flinched but, with Teddy this close, he could now smell just how much alcohol he must've been drinking. Howl couldn't smell it but, with Teddy's face in his hand, he could feel him gently swaying and noticed the disconnected look in his eyes.

"He might actually be drunk." Howl laughed.

"Can we go now?" Teddy panicked. "And, can I stay at your house? I don't want to go home with alcohol in my system. Please..? Carmen would kill me."

Howl defeatedly sighed and dropped his hand from Teddy's chin. The second Teddy lost that bit of support, he nearly tipped over sideways. Fisher instinctually reached for Teddy but, he didn't need to since Teddy managed to catch himself. Now, Fisher snorted a few laughs as he realized he might have been a bit tipsy. Teddy was less amused as he forced himself on his feet, grumbling angrily to himself the whole time. Howl and Fisher could tell he was being slow and careful, to make sure he didn't fall, and that made them smile even more. Neither of them had ever seen Drunk Teddy before.

"Want to come over, too? You can sleep between me and Teddy. If you're into that." Howl purred into Fisher's ear, nibbling gently at his earlobe just to tease him.

"Ew!" Fisher groused, trying his best to ignore the tingly feeling dancing over his skin and making him blush. He wasn't sold on the idea of sleeping between Teddy and Howl but, being teased by Howl's touch made him all flustered. "Just go, Howl! Take him home, please."

Howl heartily chuckled and smacked one last kiss on Fisher's cheek before he attempted to stand up, Fisher easily slipping out of his lap to allow his absence. Before Teddy could tip over or have a panic attack, Howl grabbed his shoulders and guided him back towards the stairs so they could leave. They passed Jennie on the way back to the front door but, they both tried to avoid eye contact and hurry through the house before anyone could stop them and ask more questions about Zoe.

"Yet another party we have to escape from.." Howl sighed as he walked down the street with Teddy to find his car. "You know, you're not really good at this whole party thing."

"Yeah. Yepp. I'm well aware." Teddy sighed as he threw the hood of his sweatshirt over his head and continued to follow Howl down the street, trying his best to walk in a straight line. "I hate parties."

"That actually makes sense to me now. It didn't before but, with your track record, it makes perfect sense." Howl teased.

Teddy couldn't make any retort as he stumbled towards the sidewalk and threw up. Howl gasped and rushed to Teddy's side, shocked that Teddy as drunk enough to vomit. He had no idea how much liquor Teddy had consumed but, it was definitely more than he assumed and more than Teddy had ever drank at once. Now, Howl was more determined to get him home and make sure he didn't vomit in his bed since he was sleeping over now.

-

Teddy's favorite part of spending the night at Howl's was just the feeling of having someone next to him. In the morning, Teddy didn't feel all that sick, since he vomited enough the night before so, they both ate cereal in the kitchen, in peace, and then made their way back into Howl's room to relax. They both laid in bed, on their phones, while The Office played quietly in the background from Howl's tv. They didn't really talk, didn't need to, and Teddy really liked that. He wasn't a very talkative person, and even though Howl was, they were both comfortable enough with one another that they didn't feel the need to chat.

They talked all the time anyways so, on this slow morning, it wasn't really necessary.

Howl was busy on his phone texting his friends and checking social media, while Teddy was on his phone and stalking the internet for any news on Zoe. He was worried about her. She still wasn't contacting him and he couldn't find any updates on her. There were only four paparazzi photos of her in an airport from a few hours go. Those were the only kind of photos he could find lately. Was she stuck with her horrible parents? Was she shopping? Hosting at big, expensive parties?

"Did you know Zoe wears glasses?" Teddy asked Howl, his voice a bit hoarse since he hadn't really spoken since he woke up.

"Prescription?" Howl asked as he glanced towards Teddy.

"Yeah." Teddy turned his phone towards Howl and zoomed in on the photo of Zoe at the airport to show off her glasses. He couldn't help but crack a smile. "Doesn't she look like a huge nerd?"

Howl scoffed and shook his head before he returned to his attention to his own phone. "You're so smitten, it's actually hilarious."

"Shut up.." Teddy groaned and pulled his phone back to himself.

Zoe always looked really pretty when she didn't wear make up. Not that Teddy thought she was ugly otherwise but, wearing zero make up with her prescription glasses made her look grown up and sophisticated. Zoe's white turtleneck and denim jeans probably helped portray that look as well. She wasn't wearing a bright pink skirt with glittery make up to look like some kind of teen pop star. Teddy kind of wished she wore simple outfits like this more often around here. The only time he saw her like this was when he spent the day judging suits at her house. She must've only looked like this when she was off-duty as a branded personality, as her mother would probably put it.

"Is this how you spend your downtime?" Howl asked Teddy as he stole a quick glance at Teddy's phone, noticing that he was still looking at the same picture. "Staring at pictures of Zoe?"

"No. I just get curious about where she is and what she's doing sometimes." Teddy mumbled as he nibbled on his bottom lip and narrowed his eyes at the photo, obviously super focused on studying the image he was looking at.

Howl was distracted from his phone for a moment as he stared at the side of Teddy's head. He really couldn't understand Teddy sometimes. The guy was obviously devoted to this girl yet, he swore up and down that he had zero feelings for her. It was so easy for them to be together too. Zoe liked him and followed him around all day and was completely opening herself up to him yet, he still refused. Howl wished he knew what Teddy was scared of or what he was trying to avoid, beyond just feelings. There had to be more that Teddy wasn't saying.

"Oh! It's almost noon!" Teddy blurted as he threw Howl's blankets off of him and climbed out of his bed. "Do you mind driving me home real quick? I don't want to leave Carmen to take care of the kids by herself all day."

Howl easily agreed and climbed out of bed as well. Teddy stripped out of the pajamas Howl let him borrow last night and put his outfit from yesterday back on. Howl only threw on a hoodie before he followed Teddy out of his room. Franky and Aliyah went out to a gay nightclub to celebrate New Years and ended up staying at a casino hotel, since they were also too drunk to drive home so, the apartment was silent and empty as the boys made their way through it. Howl couldn't help but wonder if he could convince Fisher to come over for a few hours before his moms returned- which would likely be in the late afternoon.

"What are you going to do about this whole secret boyfriend thing, by the way?" Howl plainly asked as they started through the snowy streets of Howl's neighborhood.

Teddy kept his attention pointed ahead as he hugged himself to try and keep warm, impatiently waiting for Howl's car to heat up enough to blow hot air at him. "I have no idea. If Zoe comes back, it might be a problem, otherwise, it doesn't really matter to me if everyone figures out it's a lie."

"Wait, what? If Zoe comes back?" Howl frowned, only stealing a glance at Teddy as he tried to keep his eyes on the road. "Did she tell you she might not? I thought she only had a few more days until she came back."

Teddy grew even more uncomfortable as he awkwardly shifted in his seat. "Yeah, she, uhh... She said her mom was really pissed about the viral videos so, she doesn't want Zoe to come back to Ohio. Zoe said she's going to try to come back, I think but, I have a feeling she doesn't have much of a choice."

"Fuck.. That sucks.." Howl solemnly sighed. "I hope she comes back."

The car was silent as Teddy and Howl both stayed stuck in their heads. It took a moment before a lightbulb went off in Howl's head. It made sense to him why Teddy was basically stalking Zoe online now. He must be looking for something that would guarantee Zoe was coming home. Howl didn't know what Teddy could be looking for in those paparazzi photos, though. Maybe he was just internally obsessing over the fact that she wasn't here. Would he still stalk her if she didn't come back at all?

Teddy was frustrated that he even had to look at paparazzi photos of Zoe in the first place. Ever since she came back with Carmen an told him the bad news, she hadn't texted or called even once. That was a very bad sign to Teddy. He had a suspicious that Zoe's mother had confiscated Zoe's phone, which had all her friends contact info because, she wasn't going to come back at all. If that was true, Teddy would be hurt. Zoe couldn't just disappear on him like that after she fought so hard to wedge herself into his life. She had to come back.

"So, you haven't asked Zoe if she's any closer to coming home? She texts you all the time, right?" Howl reluctantly asked, feeling the tension in the air around Teddy grow more and more taut.

Teddy stiffly shook his head, never letting his eyes stray from the road ahead. "Nope. I haven't talked to her in like two weeks, nor has she contacted me."

"Hmm.." Howl pouted. That was a bad sign and gave even more reason to why Teddy would stalk her online. He probably missed her and was going slightly crazy without any line of communication.

Luckily, Teddy's mind was set at ease just a bit when Howl pulled up besides Teddy's apartment buildings. Teddy thanked Howl for the ride and letting him stay the night before he hopped on to the sidewalk and disappeared down and into the alleyway. Teddy would've went straight to Zoe's house but, all his clothes there needed to be washed and he wanted to grab some more since he had been staying there every night. And, even though Teddy had been staying at Zoe's for two weeks with his sister, it still felt like he was walking into his home when he threw open his apartment door.

As Teddy stepped inside and slowly pushed the door shut behind him, his eyes shifted to the living room and he instantly spotted his father laying in his brown, leather Lazy Boy with a bag of chips in his lap. Luckily, he seemed to be asleep. So, Teddy walked through the dark apartment and dipped into his room to start collecting some of his things. He grabbed two old duffle bags from his closet and started throwing things inside, even grabbing a pillow a blanket since he couldn't get used to the superficially fluffed pillows and military pressed sheets in the extra rooms at Zoe's house.

"Officially moving out?" Teddy momentarily froze at the sound of his father's voice behind him before he slowly continued. "You haven't been here in days and, before that, you've been disappearing most nights. Did you find a girlfriend with a family that's willing to take you in or something?"

Teddy rolled his eyes but never turned around to look at his father. "I was staying at a friends and Carmen's still in town so-"

"Still?" Roman interjected. Teddy didn't say anything, which made his father drop his eyes to the floor. "With those little kids too?"

"You mean, her children, dad? Yes." Teddy sighed and began to zip up the filled pockets of his duffle bags.

"She still married that rich fella?" Roman reluctantly asked.

"Unfortunately." Teddy begrudgingly answered.

There was another moment of silence as Teddy grabbed a few miscellaneous things and threw a duffle bag over his shoulder as he picked the other one up in his free hand. When Teddy turned to his father, who was stood in his doorway, he didn't really have anything else to say to him. He wanted to tell his father that he wasn't moving out and abandoning him since that was how his father started spiraling in the first place but, Teddy didn't know how to say it without making it sound like he felt obligated to come back.

"I still don't have a job, you know." Roman quietly said to his son. "Can't pay the rent for this place. Can't go grocery shopping. Only have a few dollars to go back to the bar."

Teddy defeatedly sighed. "I'm not moving out, dad. I'm not going anywhere far, alright? Carmen still has regular checks being sent for rent, I still have my job, still going to school, and I'll eventually be coming back. I can grab you some groceries tomorrow if you want."

Roman shamefully nodded his head and stepped out of the doorway of Teddy's room to let him pass. Teddy took a deep breath and powered forward with his things in hand. Roman didn't like watching his boy walk away with his bags in hand, like he was going to move out and never come back. It made his chest clench and stomach violently stir. His wife died, his daughter disappeared, and now his som was never home anymore. Roman had been feeling alone for years but, if Teddy left, Roman knew his very existence would disappear into complete oblivion. There was no worse feeling than this, which he felt every single day since his wife passed.

"You know," Teddy spoke up once he reached the front door, looking back at his father with a mixture of pity and anger in his eyes. "I'm not going to be here forever and I'm pretty much the only thing you have left. I have to go off to college, somehow, and it's not going to be anywhere near here. I think you should look into getting a job, some friends, and a hobby because, you can't be like this after I'm gone. Carmen and I aren't going to pay your bills if you're just going to waste away in this hole."

Without saying a single word, Roman used two fingers to lazily salute Teddy before he turned to trudge into his bedroom. Teddy stood at the front door and stared at the door of his father's room, both filled with rage and fear. He hated that his father couldn't see passed the bad things that had happened and wallowed everyday in his own internal pain. However, Teddy understood his pain and hoped that his father wouldn't die because of it. Either from some kind of heart attack or his health or suicide. Teddy just wanted his father to be a father but, he refused.

When Teddy was little, Roman seemed like every other dad. He worked a lot but, always made the most of his time with his kids. He was super into baseball and taught Teddy how to swing and hit a ball. Despite Carmen's teenage attitude, he still managed to get through to her and make her laugh when she didn't want to. There was never a moment when Teddy and Carmen questioned their father's love for Eleanor because he always looked so in love. Roman was a really good dad and a really good husband. As soon as Eleanor was diagnosed, though, the world just flipped upside down.

Roman died with his wife. That's what he believed, that's what Carmen believed, and frankly, that's what Teddy believed too. It just hurt Teddy to think that his father cared more about their mother than he cared about him and his sister, his biological children. Teddy just wished Roman would've strived to be an even better father after his wife died to make up for the loss of that parent. The fact that Roman shut down like this proved to Teddy that he didn't care if he saw Teddy go off to college and he didn't care about his grandkids and he didn't care about what was left of his family.

The only person Roman cared about was Eleanor, which was understandable from Teddy's perspective but, Eleanor still left her children in her husbands care and he never stepped up to that challenge. Eleanor would be so upset with Roman for the way he neglected his children after her death and Teddy thought his father would know that and try to be better. The harsh truth was, Roman wasn't the kind of man that would step up to that challenge alone. Even for his kids. Even for his wife. Even for himself.

Teddy vowed a long time ago to never let love destroy him like it destroyed his father. After all this time, Teddy still clung to that promise too. Roman was watching his son grow up right in front of him and yet, he never leant a hand. Carmen ran off to marry a man for his money and Roman never stopped her and reassured her that he could take care of his family, like he was suppose to. He even came face to face with his own grandkids and he didn't even hesitate to run. Teddy wouldn't let his love for one person make him that weak and cowardly.

Not that Teddy had ever found a woman worth risking his own sanity over but, Teddy knew he might eventually find her so, he kept himself guarded and prepared.