deeply self indulgent senior year fabuddy durdawn buddy character study outsider pov drabble under the cut whatâs up
Fabian watches Buddy down aâis that real beer? Yeah, it must be, itâs sticky golden-amber mead dripping down his chin on either side of where the cup meets his lipsâ
The cleric tosses the drained cup to the side, steadying himself in a fighterâs stance as he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. If Fabian were paying close enough attentionâand he isnât, shut up, Kristenâheâd be able to see the burning coals in Buddyâs hazy eyes, the slight uptick on the side of his mouth as he scans the crowd. âHey, Durden!â he yells suddenly, and with an almost cartoonish efficiency, the crowd parts to reveal the poor kid in the middle of a massive fantasy bong rip. Fabianâs eyes flick back to Buddy, and for a second, he thinks he sees a true, genuine grin of mirthâbut he must imagine it, because before he can blink, his pretty pink lips turn up into a sneer.
âCâmon, Durden!â Buddyâs insisting, crackles of red light circling his fingertips as he steps closer. Fabian feels his hand go to his cutlass, on him even now. âYou think Iâonât know what you been sayinâ âbout me behind my back? You got someâin tâsay, say it to my face.â But despite the threat of magic Fabian can nearly see thrumming under Buddyâs skin, it doesnât go beyond that; his words hang in the air, crystallizing like honey.
Fabian means to keep watching, to determine if Buddyâs going to start some real shit or if itâs all posturing, but suddenly Gorgug appears from nowhereâsurprisingly quiet for someone so tallâand touches his shoulder. âAdaineâs having a vision. I think itâs important.â Fabian nods, eyes still glued to Buddy as he prowls towards Max. âFabian!â
Fabian finds them later in his basement, exchanging heated barbs between wet, open-mouthed kisses. Buddyâs in Maxâs lap, lavender hands running up under the hem of Buddyâs soft-looking tee and squeezing, scratching, grabbing the freckled flesh beneath, and theyâre both moaningâlouder than appropriate, practically performing for the rest of the stoners still taking up every square inch of Fabianâs basement, but theyâre both clearly too intoxicated to care.
âAlright! Partyâs over!â Fabian announces, just a touch too loud to be casual. There are groans of displeasure, but most only need one warning to start their slow ascent to the rest of the manor. Buddy and Max, however, do not.
Theyâre not even listening. Buddyâs moved down to Maxâs neck, sucking dark purple bruises that should blend but instead only bloom on his skin, and Max is going for Buddyâs jeans, and Fabian knows that if he sees any more of the clericâs body that heâs going to actually lose his mindâ
Buddy does look up, then, blue eyes glazed over with liquor and lust. âOh, but, Mr. Seacaster,â he drawls, vowels long and honey-thick, âwe were jusâ gettinâ started.â Fabian feels an insistent pulse between his legs, and immediately knows that this canât be allowed to stand. This is his house, and he is the master of it, and he cannot and will not let some haughty Highcourt human playacting at being a rebel ruin his reputation of Maximum Legend.
âDonât make me drag you out myself,â he warns, and he thanks Captain Seacaster below that Buddyâs level of inebriation means he doesnât notice the frayed edges around his words.
âAlright, alright. Goddamn, weâre goinâ,â he mutters, clambering off of Maxâs lap; Fabianâs momentarily surprised at his curse, before getting the distinct feeling thereâs one god in particular Buddyâs trying to damn.
Durden, to his credit, looks faded to the stars, sluggish and pliant with gorgonfern without the confidence or adrenaline of bad baby milk to back it up. He just grins dopily at Fabian, giving him a two-fingered salute as Buddy drags him up the stairs and pushes him past the host. âGreat party, man!â he calls behind himself.
Buddy, though, lingers. Fabianâs got a couple inches on him, and he spends his sweet time dragging his eyes up each one. âYou gotta be quickerân that next time, Mr. Seacaster, if you wanna claim your prize.â His words are slightly slurred, but the gleam in his glazed eyes and the uptick of his lips shows the challenge for exactly what it is. âYâall have a good night, now.â And he slips past Fabian, after Max, leaving the faint scent of campfire smoke and popcorn in his wake.
Fabian doesnât mean to. He tells himself itâs just to make sure he doesnât find them in another dark corner of the ship fifteen minutes from now. But he watches Buddy until he leaves, smoke and butter and something metallic on his tongue, and makes a mental note to have the Hangman bar Max Durden from the next party he throws.