The girls don't try to be quiet as they repeatedly ring the doorbell. Lux giggles echoe in the hallway and Rory tells her to be fucking quiet, causing the other girl to errupt in more giggles. They were drunk, Lux more so than her friend, said friend having to keep her arm wrapped around Lux to keep her from falling over or bolting off.

Rory knew when her friend was drunk because the pink haired girl became more and more childish. Giggling over everything, talking a mile a minute, random bursts of energy. While it was cute, she could only take so much of being out with her in public like this. Which is why Rory scooped up her friend and brought them here.

The door swings open and an irritated Zane appears. His eyes narrow as his hisses at them, "Stop being so fucking loud! Why are y'all even here?"

Lux immediately runs into his arms, locking him in her embrace. His face is still scrunched up, but he accepts Lux's hug, placing his hands on her shoulders. Lux melts in his touch and nuzzles her head against his chest.

Zane looks at Rory and his face morphs into one of question. Rory shakes her head at his hanging question, are yall faded on a Tuesday night?, more powerfully than she meant and the motion makes her sway. She stumbles into the doorway, having to hold onto the door frame for support.

She giggles at herself before fully entering the house and Zane cocks an eyebrow, "Oh y'all drunk, drunk. Wow, why didn't I get an invite?"

"Sorry, girls night! How about a drink now to make up for it?" Lux says, pulling away from Zane. She bats her eyes innocently as she stares at him.

"You guys just wanted my free alcohol" Zane says in mock hurt.

"Cocktails are like $15 now! I have to break the bank to get something fruity now?" Lux whines.

"Well sorry to inform you that I only have mister Tito's here." Lux is already stumbling into the kitchen and pulling out the shot glasses.

"Pour 'em up, you gotta catch up to us!" She fumbles with unscrewing the alcohol bottle and giggles at herself. Rory pries the bottle from her hands and easily opens it and pours three shots.

"Is this a bad idea?" Zane asks, picking up his shot. He chooses the glass shape like a minion, his prized possession.

"Oh, Absolutely," Rory confirms. She raises her glass and the other two follow suit,"To those who are dead." They clink their glasses on the counter before throwing back the shots.

Later, when Lux is sleeping soundly curled up against Rory's side, and Zane is resting his head in her lap, Rory feels warm. She runs her fingers through his curly hair, watching the dark locks slip between her fingers. His eyes are closed, welcoming Rory's touch.

The three had stopped drinking hours ago and had settled for watching a movie. Lux fell asleep almost instantly, but Rory watched it until the end. At least she thinks she did, not being able to recall how it ended.

She isn't sure if Zane was actually awake or not, but she is comfortable sitting in silence. While she isn't as drunk as she was earlier, everything is still warm and a film clouds her senses, allowing her this moment of a calm mind.

"How are things going with your dad?" Rory asks after a little while.

"Still a piece of shit," He replies immediately, not even opening his eyes. Rory is slightly surprised that he is still awake. Even though she asked the question, she didn't think she would get a response. Beside them, Lux's hair tickles Rory's skin as her body rises and falls with her breaths, still fast asleep.

Rory continues her ministrations with Zane's hair as he lets out a frustrated sigh. She can feel his thoughts, practically hear them, all spilling over each other and all jumbled up. She tries to smooth them out with her fingers as she says,

"You can't ignore him forever."

"I'm not going back to that house, Rory." It's supposed to be stern, but his voice quivers and it sounds more like he's trying to convince himself.

Rory's heart aches for her friend. She knows sometimes there are things that are beyond fixing, that no matter how much you try to stick the pieces back together, it will never be the same. At some point, you have to accept something new.

"Didn't say you had too. You come live with me." Zane snorts and Rory snacks him lightly on the nose, causing him to laugh. Rory fights a smile and motions for him to be quiet with Lux trying to sleep.

"C'mon, I'll be your new dad."

Rory tries to keep a straight face but Zane makes a disgusted noise that has them both covering their mouths and trying to stifle their giggles.

Zane is looking up at Rory as he watches her, mirroring her expression. They are both grinning and probably looking like idiots as their eye contact causes them to erupt into more giggles.

He tries to remember the last time he saw his friend smile this much. Way too long for his liking. It seems like these days he can only get a laugh or smile when they're under any type of influence. The thought brings a wave of sadness, enough to bring Zane down from his glee as he closes his eyes and returns to his resting state.

Her hand has moved from his head to his arm, where she rubs small, smoothing circles.
Another thing Zane has learned about his friend over the years is that sober Rory isn't very touchy. Drunk Rory always seems to be touching someone. Zane has concluded that she is most relaxed when she is under some type of influence.

He's aware of his friend's rather heavy usage, but it's not like he was any better. Zane wouldn't dare speak on Rory's habits, he just wished she didn't have to resort to her influences to be herself.

"Ror?" Zane asks, eyes still closed. Rory hums to indicate that she's listening. "I miss you."

"I'm right here, Zane," Rory mutters.

"It wasn't your fault," He continues, making Rory pause for a second before continuing her circles. She knows exactly what he's referring to, but doesn't want to think about it. Not now, when everything is so peaceful. She can't find any words to convey this, so she hums instead.

"Do you know that?" Zanes presses, hoping for a more solid answer, and she hums again. Not wanting to push any further, Zane will have to accept that for now.

They fall into silence again and after a while Zane's snores fill the room. If Rory were sober, she would question her friend's words, she would deflect and tell him that he doesn't know what he's talking about and to stay out of her business. She would run, because that's what she does, and what she's always done.

In order to steel herself, she has to become cold. She has to be bristling and freezing touches and piercing icicles. She has to keep everyone out.

She's been cold for so long, she's used to it. But,
here, now, sandwiched in between her two closest friends, one drooling on her shoulder and the other snoring louder than her thoughts, Rory feels nothing but warmth.

Soon, she will have to face the days she's been dreading so today, she lets the warmth carry her off into the night.