The Halloween party had been a blur, Beau over did it with the drinking and had no clue how he got home.  Heck, most of the night was fuzzy and he could only recollected different parts spread throughout the night.  Whatever happened, he figured Alex or Daniel would at least catch him up and he only hoped he did not make a complete fool of himself.

At the kitchen table, Beau reached for a large slice of the cheesy pizza using his hands instead of a fork and knife to eat it With pizza filling his mouth, he looked up when Alex asked about things.  Placing his index finger up to symbol one moment, he chewed the piece before washing it down with his Coke.  “Things are well I suppose.”  He chuckled at the hangover bit and shook his head.  “Ugh, I do not know what even happened and my head was pounding the next morning.  I got so caught up in the night that I drank way too much.  Please tell me, I didn’t do anything embarrassing.”

Yikes. Alex had figured Beau didn’t remember every second of the party, but to not recollect at all some of the things he had done.... Alex couldn’t help but grin at the picture of his gentlemanly friend with greasy pizza stuffed in his mouth. “That’s good,” Alex said. “You really don’t remember much?” He shook his head, feigning exasperation. “I don’t think I took any videos, which is probably for the best. I wasn’t completely sober, but I remember enough. Main thing is the specific use of male pronouns when talking about one of your weird past hook-ups. Honestly, the fact that you were talking about someone you had a one-night stand with was more surprising than anything else. At least tell me you remember meeting Adriana. I don’t think either her or Dan will be too happy if you’ve forgotten. I’m sure you made quite the impression on Adriana, though.” All in all, Alex wasn’t that surprised, or upset, to learn that Beau was gay. Anyone who was careful in their use of non-gendered pronouns when talking about someone they were dating wasn’t straight from Alex’s previous experiences. He didn’t know why Beau hadn’t told him, but Alex knew it was a personal thing and Alex wasn’t going to take it personally.

They sat at the kitchen table eating the pizza they had gotten. Alex had teased Beau about being too fancy for commoners’ pizza, but to his surprise Beau seemed to have a weakness for it. He wiped his hands on a napkin and took a sip of the soft drink he had treated himself to for rare occasions only. “So,” he began, looking at his friend. “How are things in Beau’s land? Hangover not too bad after the party at JBs?” @beau-mccallum​

dxn-bolton‌:

Daniel watched Cassandra go to his brother and suddenly felt guilty, he should be watching his brother. He was putting at risk a family like the Wilsons, one that had been so good with him, and instead of him being the one of putting in risk his life for his brother, it was Cass the one doing it, a girl that deserved all the happiness in the words, a friend, his best friend, and someone’s little sister. It was silly to feel guilty for something he didn’t have control over, but he was feeling that way at the moment. The blonde just nodded at Alex’s words, he wanted to pay them, he wanted to just repay Cass for everything, slowly his head bent to see his feet not sure how to deal with it and just whisper to himself “ I’m sorry”. @cassandraxwilson​ @alexwilsxn​

As soon as she heard those soft spoken words from Dan, Cass pulled back from Alex enough to grab Dan’s arm and pull him into a group hug. “Shut up, Danno. You haven’t got a thing to be sorry for,” she assured him, her voice thick with emotion and making her southern twang more pronounced. “It’s not your fault, and it’s not your fault either,” she added, giving Alex a squeeze as she held both men close to her much smaller frame. “I’m the one who chose to go out there on my own, and if Cas’s life was at stake, I’d do it all over again, okay?” Probably the last thing the men wanted to hear, but it was true. She hadn’t thought of much of anything besides worry for Cassidy once she got an inkling of what was going on. “But… if it does happen again, or anything like it, I will do my best to get a hold of one of you guys, okay? I love you and appreciate you lookin’ out for me.” @alexwilsxn​ @dxn-bolton​

Cass roped Dan into their group hug. It was a little awkward, but Alex was happy to let Cass do what she wanted. Her words weren’t what he wanted to hear exactly, but at least she was telling the truth. Alex wasn’t going to ask any more of her. It was just the way she was. He squeezed his sister back and smiled at her and Dan. Alex hoped Dan would be able to process all of the information, and wouldn’t be too adamant about paying Cassandra back. Most of all he hoped Cassidy would be able to sit still for more than a week without getting into trouble, but that was a lot to ask for. “Well, I guess that’s all I can ask for from you. I love you, too. And I’m glad you appreciate it because I doubt either of us are gonna stop lookin’ out for or worryin’ about you,” he said, giving her a small grin. Hopefully this would mean the worst of it was over. @dxn-bolton​ @cassandraxwilson​

“Glad you are able to find some amusement in my humility Mr. Alex,” Beau playfully stated wishing he was not the type to easily fluster.  At the mention of a reckless youth, Beau started to inquire about the man’s younger years curious as to what Alex found reckless.  Listening to the man as he debated whether one more bourbon would alter his ability to drive home or if he should play it safe.  “Smoke a joint?  Certainly a rebel,” he chuckled.  “Though curious as to why you remained on the sidelines?  When Alex mentioned him getting into trouble he shook his head.  “I suppose it depends on your definition of trouble.  My parents were extremely lenient in my teen years,” he explained. “After a football game, we often times found a field, barn, whatever and would drink most of the night.  I guess in many ways it was expected of us since our parents did it before us.  Small town and all.  Really just drinking and when I played baseball I did dip.  Other than that not sure I was that wild.  Just your usual teen boy rowdiness.”  Beau’s blue eyes wandered down towards the bottle of bourbon and the glass beside it and sighed knowing he better not knowing it was getting late.  “I probably should be heading out soon.  At least we have the fishing trip planned.”

"Awh, don’t worry, I was just teasin’. I’d rather you be easily flustered then have no filter at all.” Ability to get easily flustered was not as likely to get one in trouble, that was for sure. Alex laughed at Beau’s comment. “Shut up,” he said, shaking his head and grinning. At the other man’s question, Alex only shrugged. “Never really got into the hard stuff like some people did. I kind of dedicated myself to making sure nothing too bad happened, either. Things could get pretty rough. I didn’t go to parties all that often anyway.” Alex didn’t want to lie to Beau, but he wasn’t going to go into details unless Beau asked. It wasn’t something one brought up in casual conversation. All in all, though, things could’ve been a lot worse in Alex’s younger years. “Such a stereotype. Though I am kinda surprised you stooped so low as to chew dip when you’re smoking a pipe as an adult,” he teased. “Glad to know that you weren’t out going to raves and crazy sex parties.” It was almost pitch black out, the porch lights being the only source of lights at that hour. “Yeah, that’s good. You gonna be alright gettin’ home?”

Red quickly spread across Beau’s cheeks at the compliment from Alex, to the point even his ears were flaming red.  The only downside of the whole subject was the fact Alex clarified he was not into men.  A damn shame for the gay community, Beau thought to himself.  “Wow,” he managed still trying to calm down from the kind words from his friend.  “Very kind of you to say and I suppose you are not too bad on the eyes either.”  A sudden interest peaked when the other man mentioned being young and reckless.  Definitely had to be some interesting stories.  “You were once young and reckless?  Do share Mr. Alex, I am curious as to the young man you used to be.”  Right now, Beau was thrilled about Halloween night. A night where he got to be someone other than himself, a night where Nathan and him might be completely open with their friends and just a night where he could enjoy himself among friends sharing a few drinks.  “Let’s hope not,” he responded with a smile.  It was hard to imagine any of them being at odds with another.  All three of them tended to be level headed as far as Beau could tell.  

“You make it too damn easy, Beau,” Alex laughed, seeing the other man’s face go red at the compliment. He didn’t think he had ever met someone so easily flustered. Beau made it too tempting not to do so. “Thanks for the compliment, though.” His friend had picked up on Alex’s ‘young and reckless’ slip, not that Alex minded. It was the first time that Alex had really had any friends that hadn’t known him when he was much younger, and it didn’t occur to him that they didn’t know about his older days. “Yeah, don’t get too excited. It was more like ‘young and boring,’ since I would usually just smoke a joint and watch on the sidelines as everyone else was actually reckless. I’m sure you got into tons of trouble, though.” Alex had always managed to be the most responsible of his friends, trying to make sure nobody got seriously hurt while they partied. Once again, it seemed impossible to imagine Beau being anyone besides the man before Alex. Then again, it was possible that Beau was some sort of reformed bad boy. Now that would be an interesting story. Alex nodded and gave Beau a small smile. He disliked to think about the one way that he could ever see something coming between him and Dan. It still felt surreal in many ways that Cassidy and Dan were brothers, and Alex didn’t want Cassidy to cause a rift between him and Dan. Cassidy had already affected Cassandra in so many ways.

Emilia was too busy in her thoughts, biting on the skin around her thumb as she thought. The only word she had heard was backup and she immediately crossed her brows in confusion. “Backup? Meaning my backup guy? Wow, Alex…I don’t know about that.” Emilia said, laughing to herself a little, knowing that he was kidding but it did sound a little different from her end.

Confused, Alex raised his eyebrows. “Um, alright. If you’re implying something besides what I said, you’re gonna have to tell me what it is, because I’m clueless,” he admitted. Perhaps it was some sort of slang that he didn’t know. “Are you even listening to anything I’m saying? Because if not I can just leave my phone on and go back to sleep,” he teased.

“Look like Harrison Ford, be a brilliant professor and adventurer.  Yes, I would love it!”  Beau gave a hesitant glance about it being just for fun.  If he was going to put money into a costume, he sure as heck was going to dress to impress.  And even dress to attract a certain someone in his life, because Alex made an excellent point when it came to the sexy costume part.  “Very kind of you to say.  I agree, a costume could spice things up which is always nice. Just have to find the right one.” A few ideas ran through his mind about what he could be, but of course his thoughts wandered off to what Nathan might be dressing up as.  “If it has been a few years for you then this should be a lot of fun.”  Beau mentioned with a smile.  It was the same for Beau, it usually took a friend to nudge him to do a Halloween party.  But this year he was making an effort of being more outgoing and surrounding himself with friends more.  “Glad to hear, it would have been rather awkward for me with you and Dan being at odds over a silly invitation,” he joked. Right now was one of Beau’s favorite part of the day where he got to unwind and enjoy a nice glass of something strong.  It was even better enjoying it outside with a friend on a perfect evening like this.  “Indeed.”  He simply responded. 

“I hate to break it to you, but there are plenty of people out there that would say you’re just as a attractive, if not more, than Harrison Ford. Guys might not be my thing, but I’m not blind. And you’re already a brilliant professor, so adventurer is the only thing you would need to add,” Alex teased. He knew that humility was something the other man kept in mind at all times, but surely Beau knew that he wasn’t exactly an eyesore. Either way, Alex was curious about whatever costume he ended up choosing. Hopefully Alex would know the person Beau was so smitten with by the time the party came around and Alex would be able to see the couple in their costumes together. “Exactly,” Alex laughed at Beau’s reply. They had never talked about sex like this before, not that Alex minded. It seemed impossible to think of Beau getting dressed up and seducing someone. “Hopefully. I guess we’ll see if it’s as much fun as it was when I was still young and reckless.” It was only a half-joke. Considering who might be there and what might go down, Alex would probably not even drink so he could keep an eye on things. At least he would know most everyone now, versus the storm when he had been forced to meet so many other people. He smiled slightly. “I’m sure we’ll find something more entertaining to fight about at some point.” Alex hoped they wouldn’t, but with Cassidy and Cass, he couldn’t be completely sure. Only time would tell.

“Perhaps it is because I embodied the character Indiana Jones,” Beau joked.  “Thank you, I hope you are right that I can pull him off.”  There was no argument from Beau, all the Halloween parties he attended were filled with alcohol and many provocative costumes. “Trust me Mr. Alex, I have no trepidation when it comes to my skills of seduction with or without a costume.” Usually, Beau tended to be shy when it came to the discussion of seducing or anything sexual with people. However, after a few glasses of bourbon running through his system and feeling comfortable around his friend. He felt more relaxed with the subject. At the man’s question, Beau nodded. Even though Alex was cursed being heterosexual the blonde had to admit the man was good looking and would be a gay’s wet dream as a firefighter.  Not that he would actually voice it.  “I mean yeah, you have the physique and as you said it is a time for booze and sexy costumes.”  Beau shook his head, “c’mon, I am sure Dan is getting around with invites.  I just happened to have dinner with him last weekend when he mentioned it.”  With the crisp night air, the sounds of the crickets chirping and the shine of the stars filling the night sky.  It nearly felt like home as the two rested on the porch.  “It certainly is nice.”

“I’m sure that’s exactly what you would love to think,” Alex teased. “I’m sure you will, but even if you can’t most people will be too drunk to even care an hour or two in. It’s just for fun.” It sounded like there was only one person whose opinion mattered anyway. Alex raised his eyebrows and laughed. He had never heard Beau talk about sex like that, but he supposed that the whiskey had lowered his inhibitions. “Atta boy. Not that I was questioning your seduction skills, I’m sure they’re unparalleled. Only sayin’ the costume adds a little something extra to the mix.” Alex was only human, and he had always enjoyed whenever his girlfriends had dressed up in something sexy for Halloween. It was a fantastic excuse to dress up in something that would otherwise be seen as weird. Alex chuckled at the thought of wearing a sexy firefighter costume. He might go for it if Cassidy liked the idea. Not that he had any better ideas on what he should actually go for. He would just wait until he could talk to her about it. ‘Well, I’m glad I at least have the physique for it. Honestly, it’s been quite a few years since Halloween has really entailed booze and sexy costumes for me, but if I actually have a party to go to I guess I’ll have to choose something sooner or later.” Alex leaned back in his seat. “Aw, I’m just teasing. I’m not gonna lose sleep over Dan not getting around to it yet.” They were both busy people, and Alex wasn’t going to fault Dan for not making it his first priority. Night had finally come, and Alex was glad he had worn his jacket outside as the air cooled down further. “Yeah. Appreciating the little things in life, I guess,” he said, giving Beau a small smile.

Some weed in high school and college, and underage drinking if that counts, but nothing harder or more interesting than that.

Emilia couldn’t help but sigh a little. He was right, but there was also a small portion in her that maybe wanted to give him a second chance. Though this was too fucked up and even if she did forgive him she knew she wasn’t going to be able to forget. “Yeah, you’re right…” She said, shrugging her shoulders. “He’s been texting me a little but I’ve been ignoring the messages. Not entirely sure what to say other than to bitch him out but…I feel like that’s just a waste of oxygen.”

In the end, Alex had never even met the guy Emilia was talking about, and he didn’t know anything about their relationship except what Emilia told him. He of all people knew that feelings weren’t exactly a switch you could turn on and off no matter what you knew was best from a logical standpoint. “Hey, it’s your life. Kinda weird that he just left but is still texting you, but I’ve never been if either of y’all’s shoes so I guess I can’t say what I would do. If you need backup, though, I’m your guy. If nothing else it would be entertaining to see you whoop his ass.”