"So why were you such a dick to me again?" Colin asked Peter who was beginning to wish he had stayed back at the apartment.

They had been sitting there for a while-- God knows how long. Peter didn't have a phone so he had no idea what the time was. Colin too, had left his phone on charge so they both just sat on the bench, looking at the handful of people who pass by every once in a while. It got really boring real quick and Colin had decided to initiate a conversation.

"Ugh, dude, I don't really want to talk about that now," Peter mumbled with a groan. He wished he could hold his face in his hands and ultimately bury it in his lap but his hands were currently in Colin's sleeve.

"Then when?"

"Never?" Peter swung his feet to and fro, his shoes scraping the cement floor every oscillation.

"Not an option, unless you maybe want to go live with Ivy again."

The dark haired boy's eyes, which were beginning to fall closed, opened as wide as saucers as soon as the words left Colin's pouted lips. "Alright, I'll say it," he replied in a rush. "I was having the shittiest day, you know. Kayla was being unreasonable, Ivy was nagging. I had to sit still for pictures I had no desire to take. I was just tense and you making that shit-eating grin didn't help."

"Still doesn't certify you to be a jerk." Colin huffed out a breath. "And point of correction, my grin is sexy. S-e-x-y."

Peter noticed that when Colin had pronounced the "x", it had come with a whistling sound. He concluded that it was because of the chip in one of Colin's front teeth. Peter wanted to ask about it and faced Colin but seeing those brown eyes meet his gaze when he turned, created a turmoil in the pit of his stomach. He felt his stomach coil even more when Colin asked him what was wrong with him. The way you look at me, that's what's wrong with me.

Instead Peter said, "Nothing. Just wondering who lied to you," in a voice that sounded to hoarse in his own ears. Maybe it's the cold.

"It's probably the entirety of the people I have photographed. Or maybe it's how your face goes red when I grin that's lying to me, Peter Chu." Another self-satisfied look adorned Colin's face when Peter remained speechless.

He stared at the trees whose branches were swaying in time with the periodic passing of the cool wind. It was really dark now and if not for the presence of the high-powered lights mounted at vantage points in the skatepark, the place would have been shrouded in a thick blanket of black. There was no moon out tonight, so even the little glow it brought was not to be seen.

"Peter Chu. Pe-teh-chu. Peterchu," Colin murmured to himself. "Pe-terchu- "

"Dude, what are you doing?"

"Your name reminds me of something but I can't quite put my finger on- " Colin cut himself off, face clouding in concentration before it breaks into a smile. "-hey, I got it. Pikachu. That's what your name sounds like?"

"Pikachu, as in the Pokemon?"

"No, as in the priest- of course the Pokemon," Colin made a gesture to throw his hands up and Peter's hands went up with his in the process. "You're just like the little furball. Cute yet full of thunder."

"Is that supposed to be a... compliment?" Peter was surprised-- for lack of a better word. Colin had called him cute. It was not a big deal and it wasn't supposed to be one. Lot's of people had told him he was cute so why had it feel different when Colin said it. Why had it sounded better?

"It's whatever you want it to be, Pikachu," Colin answered with a smirk, tilting his head to the side.

°

"Oh look, Prince Charming's found himself another pauper already," Kiara commented, looking down at the two. "Think we should wake them up?" Her hand was almost touching Colin's shoulder when Josh yanked it back.

Colin's friends had arrived to find him cozied up with a skinny boy whose face was buried in his neck. As far as they could tell, they had never seen the Asian-looking boy before and Colin had never mentioned him either. So, it was surprising to find the guy's hands lost in Colin's hoodie, and Colin's body practically acting as a barrier around him.

"Hey, watch it." Kiara snarled at him, flexing her wrist. She had gotten a tattoo of her favourite quote earlier that day and Josh had accidentally hit her already aching wrist when he pulled her hand away. She slowly lifted the wrap around her wrist which had reddened, and looked at the words etched onto her skin in black ink: We're all mad here. The Cheshire cat's wide grin was placed right under the quote and she unconsciously smile, covering the writing and patting down the wrap.

"Sorry, babe," Josh took her hand and rubbed it for a second while giving her an embarrassed smile. "I just have a better idea." He turned his attention to the boys who were lost in a blissful sleep as he kicked his skateboard to Kiara and hiked up his jeans.

Josh motioned to Andy and the others to get back as he crouched on one side of the bench and cleared his throat. He threw Kiara a wink, making her shake her head despite the small smile on her face.

"Verizon!"

The desired effect Josh wanted, he got. He just didn't expect to be smacked in the face and almost knocked over by Colin's hand when he suddenly jerked up and out of his sleep.

"God, wake up... wake up, there are cops-" Colin mumbled. He wanted to wipe away sleep from his heavy eyelids before he made a run for it but found out his hand was still holding onto Peter's. He separated their interlaced fingers and Peter's eyes shot open almost mechanically.

"We have to-" Colin was tugging on Peter's semi-awake form when a hand squeezed his shoulder and told him to calm down.

"It's just us," Andy said with a scratch of his stubble chin. He manuvered the board he was passing around between his feet and bent to pick up Josh who was laying on the floor, hand covering his nose. He was bleeding. "And this dumbass right here who thought it'd be funny to scare you."

Josh stood at his full height, which towered over each of the others gathered around the bench, and asked around for a tissue or handkerchief. Anything to help, really. Kiara handed him one and he tried to thank her with a kiss.

"Ew, clean up the blood first, it's freaking me out."

Once the initial drama calmed, Colin asked about his skateboard. From the looks of things and how curt his question was posed, his friends could tell he was irritated about something. Either he was still hung up about them leaving him behind or he was mad about them being late.

"Ruben. He's at the bowls," Andy provided. He sat down on one end of the bench and took off his sneakers, slipping on the roller skates he was carrying with him.

"Come on," Colin said to Peter. He stood up from the bench and held Peter's hand a little too harshly, making him yelp in pain.

"Who's your friend?" One of them asked as Colin walked away with Peter in tow. He couldn't care less about who had asked, the answer he provided would have been the same for each of them.

"Same person I was helping when you guys left me behind. What's it to you?"

"Sheesh. Sorry, man, I just- " It was Josh-- he had asked. But he didn't get to finish his sentence because his girlfriend interrupted.

"Oh, I remember him now!" Kiara said with a giggle that cut through the otherwise quiet night, she wiggled in her new seat-- Josh's lap. "The guy you thought was a crackhead."

Colin ignored their remarks, moving in quick strides to get his skateboard so he could go home and get some real, uninterrupted sleep. Kiara had started to play music on her phone and was beginning to whip her short dark hair along with the beat.

"Who thought I was a crackhead?" Peter asked in a voice so small Colin thought he'd imagined it.

He swallowed, not knowing what to say. It was easier to pretend he hadn't heard anything at all.

They got to the bowls-- where the ground hollowed into groves that made it possible for various moves to be executed-- and Colin was handed his skateboard without any question by Ruben.

He inspected it for any scratches or dents, and satisfied that there weren't any, proceeded to walk with Peter to their shared apartment with the skateboard tucked under his armpit.

After a couple of feet, Colin realised Peter was lagging behind. He waited for his roommate to catch up and they trudged along again. It happened again-- when Colin had to stop in front of the closed Pizzarea, under the big neon sign that said: Keep calm and eat at Marcy's, and wait for Peter. And again-- when Peter slowed down to blow air on his chilling fingers and rub his arms to warm himself up.

Colin walked back to Peter and slipped off his hoodie, handing it to him. "Put this on..."

"But then you'll be cold," Peter protested.

Colin rolled his eyes and groaned out loud. "Just shut up and put it on."

The clothing slipped over Peter's hair and smoothed out. It shrouded his entire frame and he looked like he was drowning in a big blue blob but at least he wasn't shivering anymore.

Colin placed his skateboard on the ground and looked up at Peter who had somehow managed to look less awake than ever.

"Can you skateboard?"

"No, I don't think so..." Peter yawned.

Colin let him step on the board anyway, and he held onto Peter as they made their way home. It was much faster with Peter not walking sluggishly and him not having to stop moving every few seconds.

As soon as Colin unlocked the door to the apartment, Peter stumbled to one of the couches and fell face first, falling asleep in a matter of minutes.

"God, he must have been really tired if he can't even walk to his room," Colin said to himself, slowly lowering his body into another couch. He fell face first.

A U T H O R ' S  N O T E

Don't forget to vote.

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Don't forget to vomment! (Such a cringe word, ugh)

Easter egg: well I'm not sure this qualifies as an Easter egg but the reason Peter's name is the way it is is because it rhymes with Pikachu and my refined(hardly) sense of humour thought it'd be great to have Colin make jokes/give nicknames to Peter because of his name :,)