sugar, oh honey

Finn was enjoying the peace and quiet. The inside of the house was an absolute disaster – like something out of a college movie or something. He didn’t want to be the first one picking things up off of the floor and starting the clean up brigade. Something told him that if he went inside, though, and people realized he was awake? That was exactly what would happen. When Angus came out to the porch, though, Finn turned his head to greet him. “Not so loud, moron,” he joked. “Why do you think I came out here? If nobody knows where I am, they can’t make me start. – There should be a few cups left, but… you’re gonna have to bring me the sugar on your way back out, or else they’re not yours.”

          angus  hums  softly ,  shaking  his  head .  “ you  don’t  have  anything  to  worry  about --  barely  anyone’s  even  awake .  nobody’s  cleaning ...  yet  at  least . ”  he  didn’t  think  they’d  even  start  until  late  afternoon .  maybe .  angus  stretches  his  legs  out  in  front  of  him ,  hands  propped  behind  him .  least  it  was  a  beautiful  day  out .  “ yeah ,  i  can  do  that .  s’probably  easier  if  i  just  take  your  mug  and  add  it  for  you  though .  unless  you’re  someone  that’s  gotta  add  your  own  sugar ?? ”  he’s  not  quite  ready  to  get  up  just  yet  though ,  especially  when  there  was  no  guarantee  the  male  wouldn’t  have  to  brew  more .  “ last  night’s  pretty  foggy ...  i  don’t  even  really  remember  how  i  made  it  up  to  my  room  last  night . ”  he  chuckles  softly ,  looking  over  at  finn .  “ well  i  mean ,  least  there’s  no  one  passed  out  on  the  lawn .  think  that  means  it  was  a  successful  party ... ”

“speed dating is the only kind i do, my guy. i’m basically an expert. i think i’ll pass on your little club, but thanks for the invite.”silas laughed, dropping his fist back onto his lap. “seriously, though, don’t worry about it. you’re a hottie, if you need me to be your wingman, i’ll totally hook you up. you’re too young to be going to that kind of shit, unless you’re into milfs.” 

          “ i  said  nothing  about  a  club . ”  angus  scowls .  “ that  makes  it  sound  even  more  pathetic ... ”  there’s  a  sigh  to  follow .  he  truly  doubts  silas  has  actually  set  foot  in  a  speed  dating  event .  angus  assumes  he  just  means  the  whole  idea  of  speed  dating . “ oh  no ,  no ,  no .  i’m  not  saying  i  need  a  wingman ,  i’m  honestly  good .  100%  good .  jesus ,  i  really  don’t  think  there  would  be  milfs  at  a  university  student  organized  speed  dating  thing --  but  enough ,  forget  i  asked  about  it ,  forget  it  all .  we  need  another  round ...  d’you  want  another ?? ”  

“i mean… food?” aaron says sleepily, even as the very word sends their stomach into a fit of grumbling. “gus, babe, this is college. we’re supposed to spend every night partying. and every day, if we can swing it.” more realistically, aaron knew the more often they found themself on the scene of a party, the more product they could move. but they hadn’t had a good lazy day with gus in a while, so maybe a break from the grind was feasible. “okay, but you owe me a trip to the strip club next week,” they told him, unrolling into a full-body stretch that had their joints cracking. grinning, aaron reached out to fit a hand around the chair gus had found himself on, spinning it lazily. “lunch? i heard one of those surprise food trucks should be showing up on campus today, we could go find it.”

          a  grin  spreads  widely  across  angus’  face ,  lifting  a  hand  up  to  point  at  aaron .  “ now  you’re  talking !! ”  there  was  nothing  he  wanted  more  right  now  than  a  burger  and  fries .  “ yeah ,  yeah  i  know .  m’fucking  in  delta  psi ,  aaron . ”  even  on  his  third  year ,  angus  sometimes  doesn’t  think  he’s  cut  out  for  it .  while  he’s  always  the  first  to  offer  up  the  incredible  idea  of  staying  in  for  the  night ,  it  never  took  much  to  convince  him  to  tag  along .  the  fomo  was  real .  “ not  really  sure  how  the  strip  club  is  going  to  get  this  urge  to  go  dancing  out  of  ya ,  but  sure ,  it’s  a  date .  i’ll  even  get  you  a  private  dance . ” the  male’s  long  legs  don’t  quite  allow  for  the  chair  to  spin  all  the  way  around ,  so  he  helps  out  to  face  them  again .  “ fuck ,  yes !!  let’s  go .  get  your  ass  up  and  let’s  go . ”  angus  is  up  once  he  says  it ,  hands  clapping  together .  “c’mon  the  longer  you  lay  there  the  shittier  you’ll  feel ,  let’s  go !! ”

Finn sat on the porch of the Delta house, a cup of coffee in hand. He wasn’t sure if he was quite awake yet. The sun was up, and he’d heard stirring from his brothers, likely trying to get the house in order… but he still felt groggy and like he was half stuck in a dream-like state. He went to take a sip of his coffee, only to realize he hadn’t even put sugar in it yet. “Well, that’s a bummer,” he mumbled to himself, staring down at the cup with disappointment. “This’ll be nasty.” 

@bustarters

          it  had  taken  quite  a  bit  of  convincing  to  get  himself  up  and  out  of  bed .  the  stillness  of  the  delta  psi  house  was  enough  to  keep  him  burrowed  underneath  his  blankets ,  curtains  pulled  shut .  he  knew  that  the  house  would  burst  with  liveness  soon  enough ,  and  gus  really  wanted  to  relish  in  the  quiet .  there  was  no  falling  back  asleep  though ,  the  visuals  of  how  the  house  and  yard  probably  looked  like  haunting  him .  those  visuals  quickly  became  reality ,  gus  padding  down  the  large  staircase ,  only  met  with  solo  cups  and  crushed  up  cans .  fuck .  pulling  the  front  door  open ,  he  sighs  --  fresh  air  hitting  his  clammy  skin .  “ gooood  morning ,  beautiful . ”  angus  murmurs  with  the  utmost  enthusiasm  that  he  can  manage  being  horribly  hungover  as  he  steps  out  onto  the  porch .  “ this  house  is  a  fucking  mess ...  i  shouldn’t  have  gotten  out  of  bed ... ”  finally  he  settles  down  beside  finn ,  eyes  flickering  over  to  them .  “ please  tell  me  there’s  more  coffee  made  inside ?? ”  he  asks ,  nodding  to  the  mug .

lucas already had his coffee, and was probably on his third cup by now. he tended to toss coffee back like it was water, or how delta psi guys tossed back vodka. “no shit, we all need some more caffeine.” he took a sip from his mug, only to find that he was out, again. he added, “and a refill, too, please,” when angus was giving his order, and was sure to smile at the waiter before he left. “a little bit,” he allowed, looking back down at his empty cup. “i, uh, i drank too much. again. i need to buy, like, a sharpie, so i can tally up the drinks on my arm.” really, what lucas needed was a spine and the ability to overcome peer pressure, but you couldn’t get that at walmart for a dollar. “what about you? i heard about that, uh, the dog.” he swallowed. “from that omni person.” 

          “ that’s  only  gonna  work  if  you  have  the  same  alcohol  percentage  the  entire  night .  3  solo  cups  of  the  jungle  juice  is  way  different  than  3  solo cups  of  beer  from  the  keg . ”  angus  shakes  his  head  gently ,  lips  pursing .  that  juice  was  strong  this  year .  he’s  pretty  sure  everyone  drank  to  much .  least  he  hadn’t  ended  up  doing  anything  too  embarrassing  at  the  party --  that  was  a  big  win .  “ ahhh ...  that  omni  person ...  well  they  were  right  about  the  dog .  can  you  believe  the  girls  were  actually  trying  to  make  the  poor  thing  smoke ??  not  sure  if  omni  is  very  reliable  about  anything  else  though ... ”  he  adds  on ,  eyes  connecting  with  lucas’ .  “ can’t  take  everything  they  say  too  seriously ,  y’know ?? ”

@bustarters·

nate woke up hungover from the night before which wasn’t much of a surprise to him. he walked to the fridge searching for a gateraid, and let out a sigh when he couldn’t find any. he pulled out his phone, and then decide that walking to the nearest store would be the easiest option. he looked down on his phone, and then felt his body collide into someone else’s. “shit, sorry about that.”

          angus  definitely  isn’t  paying  much  attention  to  those  around  him ,  though  in  his  defence ,  he’s  stationed  out  of  the  way ,  having  a  drag  on  a  cigarette .  the  male  isn’t  a  regular ,  he’s  switched  over  to  his  vape  for  the  most  part ,  but  sometimes  he  buys  a  pack  and  while  it  was  only  a few  weeks  into  school ,  the  stress  was  building  and  gus  wanted  something  to  take  off  the  edge .  as  the  body  knocks  into  him ,  he  whirls  around  surprised  to  see  nate .  “ whoa ...  dude ,  are  you  good ?? ”  

“shut up, really? there’s rarely anyone there ever. if i ever catch people there, it’s usually suspicious. like, i’ve definitely interrupted some weird makeouts or whatever. at least, i’m telling myself they were just making out,” eiley rambled with the same giggle in her tone.  she was nervous, but she couldn’t pinpoint exactly why as there was no reason to be. her eyes scanned her surroundings again before letting her gaze fall on angus again, a soft smile remaining on her lips. “that’s so nice. oh, cleo! the cutest dog to ever exist. oh, man, i know how much you missed surfing. isn’t, like, impossible to surf on the east coast or something?” eiley’s question was dripped in curiosity as she gave her full attention to angus, no longer lazily drawing on her outline. “my summer was pretty relaxing, as well. i went on a couple of roadtrips with a few friends, but i think the best part was being with laney every day. i never notice how much i’m actually missing when i’m at school until i’m home for break. which also makes coming back even harder, but, ya know, becoming a doctor is kind of a now-or-never sort of thing.” eiley’s expression subtly showed how surprised she was to find herself easily being able to just vent to him. “was that too much?” she inquired with a scrunched nose, squinted eyes, and a tilted head – on the verge of a full cringe at herself.

          he  laughs  probably  a  little  too  loud  for  a  library --  definitely  notices  a  few  dirty  glances  in  his  direction ,  and  he  lifts  his  elbow  to  cover  his  mouth  some  ( not  that  it  really  makes  a  difference ) .  “ god ,  you  know  i  always  thought  i  just  had  my  mind  in  the  gutter ,  but  it  really  does  seem  like  the  ones  ‘ studying ’  back  there  are  really  doin’  way  more  than  that . ”  angus  feels  himself  relax  into  his  chair  more ,  fingertips  starting  to  flip  through  his  textbook ,  though  he  makes  no  attempt  to  start  actually  reading  it .  “ ugh  --  i  swear ...  senior  year  i’m  moving  her  over  here .  the  guys  will  just  have  to  get  used  to  her .  uhh ,  the  waves  aren’t  as  good ,  yeah ...  like  i  guess  there  are  some  specific  spots  that  are  good ,  but  i’ve  never  actually  tried  so ... ”  angus  shrugs .  his  features  soften  some ,  nodding  as  she  talks  about  her  baby ,  laney .  angus’  heart  broke  when  he  had  to  leave  his  fucking  dog  behind ,  it  really  couldn’t  compare  to  what  eiley  had  to  have  been  feeling  being  back  at  beaumont .   he  shakes  his  head  immediately  following  her  question ,  hand  waving  a  bit .  “ no ,  no !!  it  wasn’t  --  like ,  trying  to  get  into  med  school  is  enough  stress ...  i  can’t  even  imagine  how  fucking  hard  it  must  be  to  be  away  from  laney ...  while  trying  to  get  into  med  school  too ...  fuck ,  like  this  year  is  going  to  be  a  lot ...  i’m  supposed  to  take  my  mcat  by  the  end  of  this  year  so  i  can  start  applying  for  med  school  in  the  fall  next  year ...  and  then  i  need  to  find  somewhere  to  volunteer  too ... ”  angus  shakes  his  head ,  finally  a  moment  to  take  a  breath .  it  was  really  nice  to  talk  to  someone  else  that  would  understand  the  pressures  of  urgency  pre  med  came  with .  he  smiles  sheepishly  at  her ,  fingers  combing  through  his  curls .  “ sorry ,  you  probably  don’t  wanna  think  about  all  that  shit  on top  of  everything ... ”

holding onto his skateboard , ryan walked down the aisle of full-price section of vinyls . so far , he hadn’t found anything . stopping in front of the “ S ” section , he flipped through the different vinyls with his free hand when he heard angus’ voice approach him . lifting his head , he shook his head . “ not yet , ” he said and laughed as he tightened the grip on the board . “ what about you ? found 𝒶𝓃𝓎𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 interestin’ yet ? ” ryan was thinking of his dad when he would go and look at vinyls - it was something that they used to do back in salt lake so this definitely felt like a blast from the past . 

          angus’  gaze  flickers  amongst  the  vinyls  in  front  of  them ,  taking  a  quick  moment  to  look  through  them .  if  ryan  had  no  luck  in  this  section ,  he  doubts  he’ll  find  anything  either .  he  shrugs ,  finally  looking  over  at  him .  “ nah ,  not  really ...  i  dunno  why ,  but  all  i  come  across  are  old  80′s  pop ,  which  obviously  is  sick ,  but  just ...  you  know  not  what  i’m  looking  for . ”  he  chuckles , shuffling  further  down  the  aisle  to  continue  to  browse  for  a  moment .  “ i  feel  like  maybe  we’d  have  better  luck  down  the  street ,  at  melodia records ??  have  you  been  there  before ?? ”

“oh, i can give it to you, but it won’t be straight, bro.” silas held his fist out, waiting for angus to bump his own against it. “who the fuck even goes by samantha? like, no nickname, nothing? not even sam or sammy? what the fuck, dude.” silas shook his head slowly, taking another sip of what was very clearly not his first drink of the day. “that’s fucked up. don’t listen to her.” 

          angus  rolls  his  eyes ,  chuckling  quietly  and  shaking  his  head .  an  obligatory  fist  bump  against  the  other’s  quickly  follows .  he  reaches  for  his  face  now ,  slowly  sliding  the  palm  of  his  hand  along  his  jawline .  “ apparently  she  does ... ”  he  sighs ,  shrugging .  “ she  literally  felt  sorry  for  me ,  like  what  the  hell  kind  of  energy  am  i  givin’  off ?? ”  angus  sips  on  his  drink .  “ i  have  the  info ,  by  the  way ,  the  speed  dating  shit ...  so  if  you  want  it ,  you  know  where  to  find  it . ”  

“if the gift isn’t weed, you know where the door is,” comes the muffled reply. buried under the rumpled sheets of aaron’s bed, and several days’ worth of discarded clothing, rests a lumpy mass that could convincingly be a body. the mass wiggles, poking a socked foot before aaron’s ruddy face appears at the end of the bed. conveniently, they appear just in time to take a baggie to the face, and aaron winces, yawning deeply. “you got it, man.” they crack their knuckles lazily, picking the baggie up from where it landed on the littered bedroom floor and flicking it. “i told youuuu, gus. where’s your brain, dude, are we dancing or what?”

          “ can’t  believe  you  would  refuse  any  and  all  other  gifts  from  me ... ”  angus  stands  at  the  foot  of  aaron’s  bed ,  lifting  his  own  foot  to  kick  at  aaron’s  peeking  out  from  his  blankets .  he  doesn’t  expect  aaron  to  fling  them self  out  of  their  bed  right  away .  hell ,  they  were  still  yawning  from  only  just  waking  up .  angus  couldn’t  blame  them  though ,  for  he  too  would  be  laying  in  bed  if  he  hadn’t  forced  himself  to  get  up .  as  he  wanders  around  their  room ,  his  head  shakes ,  eyes  flickering  over  to  them  and  narrowing .  he  continues , “ that’s  really  cold . ”  finally  angus  settles  down  at  their  desk ,  moving  the  chair  to  face  aaron ,  a  long  sigh  following .  “ and  i  told  you !  you  had  your  chance  last  night .  come  on ,  you  don’t  actually  want  to  go  out  do  you ?? ”  

drina: this dress has to be the worst thing i’ve ever seen in my entire life. drina: it needs to be perfect, and this is the farthest thing. drina: i don’t need the whole world to think i’m mumsy.

( @bustarters· }

          “ alright  – ”  angus  settles  his  bottle  of  beer  down  on  the  table ,  slouching  back  into  the  couch  some .  “ you’ve  gotta  give  it  to  me  straight . ”  as  he  speaks  his  fingertips  tap  against  the  tabletop  deliberately  as  if  it’s  going  to  help  in  gaining  silas’  entire  attention .  his  brows  begin  to  furrow .  “ do  i  scream  sad  and  lonely  to  you ?? ”  his  head  tilts ,  offended  by  himself  for  even  posing  the  question .  it  should  be  ridiculous  to  even  ask ,  for  he  knows  he  doesn’t .  “ because samantha from my neuroscience  lecture  offered  to  sign  me  up  for  this  speed  dating  thing  going  on  on campus .  said  a  friend  of  hers  was  participating  and  it  was  a  great  way  to  meet  people . ”  he  couldn’t  lie ,  the  entire  exchange  had  bewildered  him .  “ wait ...  you  know ,  maybe  i  don’t  need  you  answering  that .. ”

                    " i  come  bearing  gifts . ”  the  announcement  is  made  upon  his  arrival ,  stopping  at  the  doorway  of  aaron’s  room .  he  pulls  out  a  small  bag ,  waving  it  back  and  forth  at  them .  it  still  seems  incredibly  weird  to  the  male  that  something  completely  legal  back  at  home ,  was  illegal  on  the  other  side  of  the  country .  weird .  angus  holds  it  out  a  bit ,  waiting  to  grab  the  other’s  attention  before  he  throws  it  at  them .   surely  it  was  unnecessary  to  toss  it  when  he  could  easily  have  taken  a  few  step  closer .  that’s  exactly  what  he  does  now ,  stepping  further  inside .  “ except ,  it’s  not  a  gift ...  --  could  be  a  trade ... ”  angus  purses  his  lips ,  shrugging  some .  “ so ,  what’s  up ??  what  are  we  doin’  tonight ?? ”

          skateboard  tucked  underneath  his  arm ,  angus  flips  through  the  dollar  bin .  gus  pulls  one  of  the  vinyls  from  the  bin ,  turning  it  over  some .  he  squints ,  trying  to  locate  where  the  freakin’  artist  and  album  name  is .  a  sigh  falls  from  his  lips  and  he  ditches  it ,  palm  sliding  over  his  face .  the  male  is  reluctant  to  float  over  to  the  vintage  full  price  section .  he  has  absolutely  no  self  control  and  will  tap  his  credit  card  without  blinking  an  eye .  “ you  findin’  anything  good ?? ”  angus  asks  ryan ,  slowly  coming  round  the  corner  to  find  him . 

          “ so ...  do  you  know  how  to  do  any  of  these  dances ?? ”  he  poses  the  question ,  thumb  scrolling  up  through  the  app  only  to  have  another  tik  tok  dance  play  on  his  phone .  he  swears  he  hit  the  heart  for  ONE  and  now  his  entire  app  is  showing  them  to  him .  for  the  most  part  they’re  all  quite  catchy  and  the  dancer  always  looked  like  they  were  having  fun  in  their  tik  toks .  he  personally  can  do  one ,  mainly  because  some  girls  at  the  blacklight  party  taught  it  to  him .  “ did  you  see  the  one  i  was  in ??  can’t  remember  who  actually  posted  it ,  but  i  am  pretty  good  in  it .  fuck ,  do  i  even  follow  you  on  tik  tok ??  i  only  just  got  it  over  the  summer  ... ”