Ch.1 - âokay, youâre prettyâ
(surprise, bitch! bet you thought youâd seen the last of me :)Â iâm not even in this fandom any more, but i do so hate to leave unfinished business lying around... and i had 30k of perfectly good fic with like three chapters left to complete, so. here we are. me, posting yogfic, in the year of our lord 2022. god help us all. )
(also, three notes before we start: 1- this will update every sunday until itâs done (iâve got 11 chapters planned). 2- yes this chapter is similar to the oneshot i originally posted, but itâs lightly edited and significantly extended, so i donât feel bad reposting it. 3- this is the funniest thing i have ever done.)
Art credit for banner.
[ao3]
âWhat ifâ yâknowâŚâ Thereâs a pause where Parvis struggles for words. He heaves a sigh when he canât quite find them, and turns his face a little further into the comforting warmth of Willâs thigh instead. âVampires.â
âVampires?â asks Will, exhaustedly.
Itâs gone four in the morning, the sun just beginning to rise over the horizon, and heâs sat on a bench in a park with his best friend draped over him and a stranger leant against him because they all decided it would be a good idea to watch the sun rise. Heâs really not drunk enough to be able to justify this to himself â to be able to justify any of this evening to himself â but here he is.
Because of Parvis. Story of his damn life.
Parvis is sprawled out across Willâs knees, head in Willâs lap. The rest of him is draped across the bench theyâre sat on, his legs hanging off the end at an angle that doesnât look particularly comfortable but apparently works for him. Or, at least, heâs not complaining about it â though considering the amount of alcohol in his system at this point, that doesnât really count for much.
Someone apparently called Kirin is on his other side, perched on the small sliver of bench not taken up by Parvisâ sprawl and Willâs tired hunch. Heâs got an arm around Willâs shoulders, leaning against him and doing what feels like his best to crush him. The manâs a good foot taller than him, probably more, broad shouldered and heavy and very definitely not doing anything to keep himself even remotely upright. His cheekâs resting against the top of Willâs head, beard a barely-felt scratch against Willâs temple, and Willâs not entirely sure heâs actually still awake.
Part of Will is honoured that he apparently makes such a good pillow. The rest of him is rather more concerned about the way the arm trapped between the two of them is going numb.
Willâs not actually entirely sure who Kirin is, if heâs being honest. Heâs seen him around the place once or twice, recognises his face â but an impressively drunk Parvis had dragged him over to where Will had been sat in some unfamiliar bar at a little before midnight, introduced him as my new favourite person ever, and that had been it. Parvis had dragged them both around for the rest of the evening and Kirin had followed, an arm around Parvisâ shoulder and a bemused smile on his face at Parvisâ exuberance and enthusiasm.
All in all, heâs been the easier of the two to deal with, even taking the lack of feeling in Willâs arm into account.
âVampires,â repeats Parvis, and tries to dig his teeth into Willâs jeans-covered thigh by way of clarification. He fails, mostly ends up drooling a bit, and Will sighs.
âI will push you onto the floor,â he says â but itâs mostly an empty threat, one hand coming up to card through the mussed and slightly sweaty tangle of Parvisâ hair.
Parvis giggles, wrinkles up his nose, and doesnât seem too bothered by the prospect. âWhat ifâ what if Iâm a vampire, Will?â he says. Thankfully, he doesnât try and bite anyone again. âIâve got teeth. I could be a vampire. Iâd be a good vampire.â
Thereâs a momentâs pause where Will considers dealing with all the problems in that sentence â starting with why do you want to be a vampire and ending with Iâm not sure having teeth is the primary requirement there â and then just gives up. He strokes a thumb through Parvisâ hair, feels the way Kirinâs breath stirs his hair with every exhale, watches the sky fade from black to blue, and breathes.
âHe talks a lot, doesnât he?â
Kirinâs voice is thick with sleepiness, lips only an inch from Willâs ear, and Will canât help huffing out an amused noise. âHe really, really does,â he says, and canât help but smile when Kirin chuckles.
After a long moment, Kirin shifts a little, so Willâs arm is no longer trapped between the two of them. On the bright side, that means itâs no longer going numb. On the less bright side, that means the pins and needles can begin as the blood returns to it. It also means heâs leant even more against Willâs side, leaving Willâs arm nowhere to really go other than around Kirinâs shoulder â but Willâs sort of okay with that.
Apparently bored by the lack of attention being paid to him, Parvis makes a noise somewhere between a growl and a distressed kitten, and begins his inefficient attempt to chew through Willâs jeans again. Thereâs an unpleasant wet patch forming against Willâs outer thigh thatâs entirely the fault of Parvisâ mouth, but Parvis doesnât seem to notice.
âStop that,â says Will, and flicks Parvisâ nose. He sighs again when Parvis tries to chew on his fingers instead. âYouâre terrible.â
âPretty,â adds Kirin, voice little more than a murmur. Willâs not sure whether heâs referring to Parvis, the sunrise, or whatever heâs seeing behind his own half-closed eyelids â heâs still not entirely sure if Kirin is awake, or just sleeping with his eyes partially open and sleep-talking at convenient moments â but he hums in agreement nonetheless.
âOkay, youâre pretty, your face is a work of artâŚâ sings Parvis, delighted and out of tune, giggling. He rolls over onto his back so heâs staring at Willâs face, at the slowly-purpling sky beyond that and the faint scattering of stars laced through it.
âArenât you in a band?â asks Will, absently carding fingers through the short hair at the nape of Kirinâs neck out of sheer force of habit. âHow are you tone deaf and still in a band?â
Parvis giggles harder, but somehow manages to get the rest of the words out through his laughter. âYour smile could light up New York City after dark.â He reaches up vague, questing fingers over his head. Somehow, they manage to find Kirinâs face to poke at his mouth. Kirin sighs, chuckles a little, and Parvis grins wider at the rush of warm air over his fingertips. âOkay, youâre cover-boy pretty, stamped with a beauty markâŚâ
His fingers dance over Willâs cheeks, tracing out his freckles â one, two, three, too many to count â and Will feels his cheeks heat up, knows heâs probably gone bright red.
âYouâre terrible,â repeats Will, though thereâs no heat to the words, just tired affection. He threads his fingers a little higher up through Kirinâs hair to run careful nails over his scalp, and sighs at the way Kirin curls into him. The weightâs almost comforting, now, the warmth of the two people pressed up against him enough to stave off the shivers of the early-morning cold.
âI definitely need both your numbers,â says Parvis sleepily, ignoring Will completely as per usual and yawning widely. The sunâs rising, which seems like the perfect time to start thinking about sleep.
Kirin hums quietly, tilts his head a little more until his lips are pressed against Willâs temple, which does nothing to help the slowly fading blush across Willâs face. âIâm not actually sure I know where my phone is,â he admits, patting vaguely at his pockets with one hand before giving up almost immediately. âAh well. Itâll turn up. Probably. Everythingâs fine.â
Will laughs, flushes again when he feels the way Kirinâs lips curve into a smile against his skin at the noise. âParvis, you already have my number.â
Parvis blinks up at him, grins wide and slightly sappy. One of Kirinâs hands settles on his head, and Parvis leans into it â into the way Kirinâs fingers link with Willâs against the tangle of his hair, the heat of their hands sinking into his scalp. âOh, yeah,â he says, softly, and reaches up to touch two fingers to the corners of Willâs mouth. âI do.â
And then he promptly falls asleep, mouth open and drooling against Willâs leg.
Itâs around the point that Parvis starts to snore, barely three minutes later, that Will decides they really need to get back to their student accommodation. âWake up,â he says, tapping Parvisâ shoulder. âYou need a bed, and Iâm not dragging you to one.â
When that doesnât work, Will jams two fingers into Parvisâ ribs, and then grabs him around the waist to prevent him from rolling off the bench with his flailing. âUp!â he growls, detaching himself from Kirin and standing up to haul at Parvisâ upper body, ignoring the groaning noises the action produces that are somewhat reminiscent of the undead. âI swear to god, ParvisâŚâ
Kirin watches the performance with something between amusement and confusion, before getting to his own feet and stretching expansively â something Willâs very grateful for. Despite his height, Parvis is scrawny enough Will can just about manhandle him. Judging by Kirinâs broad shoulders and solid torso, Will wouldnât be able to do the same with him.
It takes a considerable amount of hauling and supporting and cajoling to get Parvis on his feet, and he only manages to stay on them by wrapping arms around Willâs shoulders and leaning heavily against him. This close, his breath smells of cheap alcohol and something sweet, probably the coke heâd been mixing with whatever he was drinking, and Will wrinkles his nose in distaste. âYouâre disgusting,â he informs Parvis, wrapping a reluctant arm around his waist to stabilise him.
âAnd youâre pretty,â retorts Parvis, swaying forward until their noses nearly touch, giggling at how red Will turns â whether from embarrassment or annoyance, he doesnât know and doesnât really care. âPretty, pretty Willy StrifeyâŚâ
âThatâs not an insult, Parvis,â mutters Will, pushing his face away and trying to ignore Kirinâs poorly-muffled laughter.
As if suddenly reminded of Kirinâs continued existence, Parvis perks up a little, prodding Willâs shoulders with the fingers of the arm thrown over it. âOh, yeah! Whatâs happening to him?â he asks, hanging off of Willâs neck and waving a hand in the vague direction of Kirin.
For a brief second, Will is annoyed â apparently, heâs now responsible for the strange man that Parvis picked up, purely because heâs the most sober, which doesnât really seem fair. But Kirinâs spinning in circles, peering at the skyline in a mystified and distinctly non-sober fashion, so itâs a fair enough question.
Will sighs, and turns to face Kirin, Parvis swaying like a counterweight against his hip. âWhereâre you staying?â he asks, and Kirin shrugs.
âIâm kind of lost,â he says, apologetically â as though it remotely bothers Will whether heâs lost or not. He doesnât sound too concerned, though. âIâm sure Iâll get home fine, though. My flatâs probably somewhereâŚâ He spins in another circle and staggers, before staring up at the stars, frowning. âItâs fine.â
Will sighs, and wishes he were drunk enough to be okay with leaving Kirin to wander the streets in the early hours of the morning. âItâs not fine,â he says, exhaustedly, and grabs Kirinâs wrist to tug him along behind them. âYouâre coming with us. Come on.â
He pretends not to notice the large, slightly dopey grin that spreads across Kirinâs face, and very carefully doesnât wonder whether heâs just been played.
The walk back is, thankfully, largely uneventful. Parvis has trouble staying on his feet and staying awake, but Kirinâs steady enough to help Will hold him up. Between the two of them, he manages to walk most of the way, his cheerful singing slowly quieting down to an out-of-tune hum.
Kirin gives him a piggy-back for the rest of the short trip, draped drunk and sprawling and still humming to himself over the width of Kirinâs shoulders. Itâs an effort for Will not to stare, reluctantly amazed at the way Kirin bears Parvisâ weight so effortlessly, despite the very distinctly crooked line his footsteps make across the pavement.
The student housing flat block isnât too far, a ten minute walk from the bar theyâd been in, which itself was a five minute walk from the park theyâd all ended up in. The walk back takes them over twenty, thanks mostly to Parvisâ shambling gait at first, and then to his weight slowing Kirin down, but they do all eventually make it in one piece.
Opening the door to the building, and then the door to the flat Will and Parvis share with Xephos and Lalna, and then the door to Willâs room, is something of an adventure. For a heart-stopping moment outside the building itself, Will thinks heâs actually lost his keys â but then he finds them in Parvisâ pocket, and from there itâs just a case of remembering which key is for which door, and then remembering exactly how keys work.
He realises, as he fumbles his attempt to put the key in the lock for the fourth time, that he may be drunker than heâd thought.
When they all finally fall into Willâs room â literally, falling through the doorway when the door suddenly opens with them all leaning against it â Parvis is asleep again on Kirinâs back, and neither Kirin nor Will are particularly awake. While Will shucks off his coat and scarf, carefully toeing off his boots, Kirin heads straight for the bed, taking Parvis with him.
By the time Willâs kicked his shoes off, moving both Kirin and Parvisâ shoes out the way of the door so they wonât all trip over them in the morning, his bed has already been stolen.
Kirinâs taking up most of it, sprawling expansively across the mattress, eyes already closed. Tucked under his arm and pressed against his ribcage is Parvis, a ball of too-long limbs somehow wedged between his side and the wall.
Will sighs. He can always go and sleep in Parvisâ bed, provided heâs forgotten to lock the door to his room as he usually does â and if that fails, he can brave waking Xephos up to try and beg the blow-up mattress off of him. Not that he particularly relishes the thought of waking the other student up at whatâs rapidly approaching five in the morning.
Standing there, running a hand through his hair in faint exasperation, he jumps when Kirinâs hand curls around his wrist. It tugs him insistently towards the bed, only holds on tighter when he tries to pull his arm away. âNo,â says Kirin, plaintively. Will tries to extract his wrist again, fails to pry the bands of iron that are Kirinâs fingers away from his wrist. âNo, please, donât do that. Please.â
He tugs again â and Will, exhausted and still a little, perhaps a lot, drunk and so very done with all of this, lets himself tumble onto the bed. Onto Kirinâs chest.
âBetter,â murmurs Kirin, sounding inordinately pleased with himself, rearranging an unhelpfully ragdoll Will into a more comfortable position. He ends up with his head tucked under Kirinâs chin, curled mostly on the other manâs chest, legs tangled with Parvisâ. One of Kirinâs arms is thrown over his shoulders. âMuch better.â
Will wants to argue, to point out that this really isnât better at all. Thereâs far too many of them in a single bed. Theyâre going to overheat horrifically in the tiny room, someoneâs going to fall off the mattress, and theyâre all going to wake up in the morning with aches from being contorted into strange positions.
But Kirinâs a solid warmth beneath him, a slow rise-fall of expanding and contracting ribs, every exhale stirring Willâs hair. He has to admit to himself, before sleep takes advantage of the alcohol and exhaustion to drag him down into unconsciousness, that Kirin might just be right.


















