"I could tell from the other side of the room that you need another shot," Ronnie said, clasping Thomas by the shoulders and all but pushing him toward the bar. "Tequila?"

"I think I've had enough..." Thomas slurred.

"Oh, come on, one more shot won't kill you! If anything, it might help you get laid!" Ronnie went on, slapping Thomas' back. "Those girls over there are dying for some Heissmann dick".

"Ron, you know me. I won't sleep with some girl, while drunk on my birthday in a bathroom stall," Thomas replied.

"Nobody said anything about a bathroom stall. You can take her back to your place," Ronnie said handing Thomas a shot of Tequila and downing one himself. Thomas shook it off and laughed with his friend.

"I think I'm just going to go home and sleep it off..."

"You can't go home already! It's only three," Ronnie whined. Thomas looked around at the almost empty bar.

"We had practice this morning. I'm exhausted. I had fun, but I really just wanna sleep," Thomas said.

"Okay then..." Ronnie drawled, looking rather sad about it.

Thomas dragged himself out of the bar and he rested against a wall as he waited for a cab. His vision would blur every so often, but he had gotten worse before, so he wasn't worried.

"Leaving already?" a voice called to his right and he turned and saw Frank move closer. Frank blew out smoke and threw the cigarette butt on the sidewalk. "Want me to join?" Thomas pulled back at that.

"I told you Frank... not anymore..." Frank flicked his tongue. 

"I was hoping you had said that while being shitfaced. You were really serious?"

"I was and I am. I don't want you anymore," Thomas said, sniffling his nose and taking a deep breath to clear his mind.

"Because you found someone else?" Frank asked, despite knowing the answer. Thomas nodded. Thomas's cab stopped before them and Frank grabbed him by the arm, leaning in a bit. "I hope you're happy with him, Heissmann," he said and smiled bitterly.

Thomas smiled back and without saying anything to him, he got in the cab. He said the address and spaced out throughout the whole cab ride back home. Dean had been at the party and so had Matias, but Matias had left early, saying something about drunk soccer players not being his kind of crowd. Dean had stayed, mostly keeping Ronnie away from Thomas. Ronnie was not one of Dean's favorite people. There hadn't been like an actual incident in which they had a falling out, but Dean had made it pretty clear that he didn't like Ronnie. Thomas couldn't exactly blame him. Ronnie could be offensive without realizing it.

He paid the cab driver and dragged himself to the elevator, almost falling asleep on the way up, and then dragged himself again to his apartment. He thought he was dreaming when he opened the door and saw light.

"Hey," Mark said to him, wearing only his boxers.

Thomas was left looking at him, appreciating him, with a buzzed smile on his face. He still wasn't entirely sure he was awake. He couldn't be awake, right?

"You came," he said, almost out of breath.

"Of course, I came," Mark replied and walked up to Thomas. "It's not the same day, but happy birthday Thomas". Mark leaned down and kissed Thomas, almost flinching back from the intense alcohol taste. He had figured that Thomas would be drinking, but not this much.

"I love you. And I want you, but I'm just so tired. Can we just sleep tonight?" Thomas whispered as soon as he pulled away.

"Whatever you want," Mark replied.

A few minutes later, Mark was lying in bed, waiting for Thomas to come out of the bathroom and cuddle with him. Thomas had his boxers on and one of his oversized shirts and he pulled down the sleeves as he got under the covers and snuggled close to Mark.

"I still don't believe it, you know," Thomas muttered, voice hoarse and weak. "I still think this is all a dream. That you are not here with me. That you never said you loved me. That you never came back in my life. I'm terrified that I will wake up one day and you won't be here. I'm terrified, Mark". A sob came and he buried his face in Mark's bare chest.

"You don't have to be. I'm here. I'm with you. I love you. And I will always be here for you," Mark replied, hugging Thomas tighter and keeping him like that until both were asleep.

***

"Mark, meet Kenzie," Thomas said, a bright smile on his face, as he walked in his apartment with his new puppy in his arms.

"Oh my god!" Mark exclaimed, practically running up to him and taking ahold of the little creature. Thomas laughed and closed the door behind him. "Hello, Kenzie," Mark cooed and gave her a good scratch under the chin. "My god, Thomas she's so precious," he whined as Kenzie yapped in his arms and thrashed about.

Mark let her down and both he and Thomas watched as she went around the apartment, sniffling and getting to know the new environment. Before leaving to get her, Thomas had put out her water and food bowl by the kitchen entry and her soft bed on the wall next to the sectional couch. Despite being a puppy, she easily could jump up on the couch and settling down she looked up at Thomas and Mark and softly barked.

Thomas went and sat next to her, not stopping her from climbing on him and licking his cheeks. He laughed warmly and just ran his hands through her dark gray fur. Mark took out a new memory card from his camera bag and replaced the one that was already in the device. Then he pointed the camera at Thomas and Kenzie, both still preoccupied with each other to even glance at him and took a couple of pictures.

Without turning off his camera he went and sat down next to Thomas and when Kenzie noticed him and decided to focus her attention on him. He didn't hesitate to snap a few pictures of her. He stopped though when she shoved her nose against the lens, making him laugh out loud.

"She's not much of a model, huh?" Mark asked Thomas while petting her.

"She's just not used to it yet. With you around she will get so photogenic," Thomas replied, inching closer to Mark.

"Will she?" Mark asked, leaning forward and kissing Thomas.

The broke off the kiss because Mark's phone went off. Kenzie moved around since she had been sitting on Mark's lap and he had to stand up, but she didn't go far as she settled on Thomas. Mark's phone had been on the dining table and he managed to get it before it stopped ringing. Once he saw the caller ID he took in a deep breath and moved a bit further away.

"Hello," he answered in a low tone. Thomas shed a curious look at him, wondering who he was talking to. "You are?" Thomas scratched Kenzie's ear, not taking his eyes away from Mark. "In two hours? Yeah, okay. I can meet up..." Mark said and hung up. Suddenly, he looked rather exhausted.

"Who was that?" Thomas asked, looking down at Kenzie and petting the white fur that covered her front paws.

"That was Sam. She is flying back from Paris. She's in Seattle right now and once she arrives, she wants to meet up," Mark said. His sinister tone made Thomas frown and look up at him again.

"Yeah, you said you two drifted apart..."

"Yeah... I think it's about time I told you what happened".