You win some, lose some, and wreck some.

brady turned to look closer at his friend as he examined his eye. “what the hell happened to you? you look like shit.” he let out a chuckle as he shook his head, downing his own shot. “you know i’m gonna hold you to that.” he gestured to the bartender for another round. “oh, really now? come on, wally. who’s the lucky guy? i can keep a secret… sometimes.”

wally smiled, raising his hand to order a tray of six shots. “you remember that girl whose boyfriend i fucked that really homophobic. well, i gave her the chance to leave me alone after pestering me..and she decided to run her mouth so i told everyone about the soccer player she was fucking behind his back.” wally ran his hand through his hair. “and when i said that, he punched me in the eye. alex, the jock who i was hooking up with in high school held me back.” wally shook his head. “good try, brady.” he lifted a second shot, quickly drinking it. “you’re not getting this one out of me.”

“if you’ve ever met these people and i know you have, you know that’s true. they love to talk about each other and make themselves feel superior. i wouldn’t listen to a thing they say. it will just make your life miserable. you don’t need that.” he nodded, keeping the smile on his face. their banter and conversations always made him feel better when things were going wrong. things weren’t bad now but it still made him feel better. and he hoped wally was feeling better after his altercation. “it will come to them. i know it. it always comes full circle when you mess with someone else spitefully.” 

he tore his eyes away from wally, glancing at another thing in the hallway. it had been too long since he had a conversation like this and with someone from his past that it made him feel a certain way. they weren’t talking about work or sex or anything special. just life and how it had come to them. “i was just making sure there were no bones injured. as i said, you’re probably going to live but you might want to get checked out in case there was a chance of a concussion. that’s not a fun thing.” alex had gotten at least one during his football days. it took a minute to heal and messed him up in other ways. “that might take longer than you want but if you throw out all the bad and think about the good, you’ll get there.” alex half smiled, his hands finding the way back to his pockets as he didn’t know what else to do with them. “are you sure you even know how to fight after such a while? i’m sure the motions would still be there but maybe it was for the best you weren’t pushed any further.” 

“you’re welcome. she’s really not worth all the anger. she’s just a stuck up woman trying to ruin lives.” he shook his head. “as i said, you might need to sit down and regroup for a bit. that’s why going to the room might be the best idea.” alex glanced at the card in wally’s hand. “he really thought it was a good idea for you to get a room after this party? i mean, you’re an adult but it seems a little high school. getting a room after a big dance or something.” he nodded. “i’ll make sure the rest of the night is enjoyable for you, no worries.” he stepped away from the wall and behind wally, waiting at the elevator bank. he moved into the small box and kept his eyes on wally. he was pretty okay with this night going in the direction it was. alex glanced into one of the walls, baring his teeth to get whatever was in there, out. “do i? where? i haven’t eaten much this evening.” he shook his head. “are you just messing with me?” 

“i need you to be the voice in my head because i think my life would be a lot better.” he agreed, raising his flask to that statement. wally drank almost the last bit of the contents of the flask, handing it to alex to finish. “there, saved the rest of it for you.” overall wally wasn’t thinking too much about what happened, and the bad that was in his mind seemed to be filtering out.

“whatever you say, tinez.” wally winked, flicking his head in a motion like he was showing himself off to the jock. “i appreciate it though, it’s good to have someone concerned like that..it’s been a while. wally breathed. he did have friends in new york, but they were all just as messed up as him and were only concerned with themselves. he couldn’t talk though as he became the same way, the city only brought out the worst in him. “darn, i’m gonna live a little longer.” he teased, bringing out his dark humor. “yes, i can fight. it’ll all come back to me.”

“well, my dad thinks i’m in high school as you’re aware so are you surprised?” wally commented, fiddling with the card that was in his hand. “and i appreciate making sure i get back but you’re staying as you forgot. and yeah i’m leaving with the jock that’s the end of every...teen movie?” he didn’t know where he was going with that joke but he tried his absolute best with it. “my expectations are already high, please spare me before my other eye gets knocked out.” wally flicked alex in the chest from in front of him. “i guess you’ll never know.” the elevator arrived to the top floor, and wally began walking to the room his father had bought for him. once they got to the door, he opened it, but stopped alex at the door. “sorry, there’s a rule.” he unbuttoned the top part of his shirt. “you already should know by the context clues. see, i paid attention in english class.”

“Woah. What happened to you?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at the dark mark surrounding his eye. “I guess you could say that,” she said with a soft laugh. “What are you up to these days?”

brady had been wandering around the conference room for quite some time as he quietly took in the scene around him. it was fairly obvious as he scanned across the room that just about every females, and even some males, eyes were on him. he took a sip of his drink as he tried to hide his smirk with the glass. he loved the affect he had on these women. even after ten years, with most of them married and having families of their own, they were still ready to lay down for him at a moment’s notice. he had even been approached by a few of them earlier in the night, the flashy wedding bands of some catching his eye as they spoke. one had offered to go blow him in the bathroom as her husband stood across the room, downing shot after shot at the bar. brady chuckled at the thought before making his way over to the bar himself, gesturing to the bartender for two shots of tequila before sliding one of the shot glasses over to the person standing beside him. “you look like you could use one of these. to reunions.” he toasted before downing his drink. “y’know, i think we’re gonna need a lot more of these if we want to make it through this thing unscathed.”

wally didn’t need to put any more ice on his eye for the night, and brady would definitely be able to see the black eye. he could already see the man was making his mark, looking across the room and definitely looking to score whatever he was looking to score. he knew the man would be coming over to see him, and smiled wider when he saw the shots of tequila. “always.” he toasted, and downed the shot. “please, i’ll even buy a round. i already want to go home but i...got a hotel room and plan on hanging with someone.” wally didn’t want to mention the person, so he chose to leave it open. “and don’t ask about it, b. not saying anything.”

“i wouldn’t get in trouble here but if word got back to my chief, i’d probably be suspended for a few days or something. i don’t want that. i actually enjoy my job.” alex wasn’t sure the day would come when he actually wanted to go back to work. the weekend had been too long and he was yearning for some sort of adventure or risk. that’s what saving lives was all about to him. he shook his head, catching another glance at wally’s face. “one day these people will realize that keeping to yourself is better than throwing out everyone’s laundry. it’s all about karma. it’ll come back to bite them in the ass one of these days. hopefully worse than it’s making you feel.” 

alex kept his eyes on wally’s face a few moments too long. the skin was red and there was a bit of swelling but nothing that wasn’t manageable for the other male. he didn’t have anything on him from work so he couldn’t look at it properly but from what he could see, wally would live. he laughed a little, taking his hand back and resting it on his waist. “no, i can’t. that’s actually not how it works in the real world. we live with the bumps and bruises and move on.” he shrugged. “maybe it doesn’t have to be your life anymore.” glancing away, he laughed out loud again. “that’s really something to imagine. hulking out might be more fitting. you probably would have done it if i hadn’t pulled you away.” he frowned a little at wally’s pain but he knew he could handle it. 

“that’s probably wise. you can cut people with words worse than anyone i know. maybe even ruin a few lives. i’m sure their lives aren’t the best right now.” he half smiled once more, shaking his head and listening intently. “the smile that makes you do what? get weak at the knees?” his head shook as he stood up straight again. all the leaning was doing things to his back. “that’s always an option. getting away from this party seems like a better idea. there are too many people in that room. i was starting to get claustrophobic. i can handle chaos but it was a bit much.” he nodded, thinking about the options that could happen in the room. “i’m up for anything. surprise.” he said with a quick smile before nodding towards another direction. 

“and knowing people here they’d probably run their fucking mouths. ughh, there are people i just want to punch because of it. also, hearing you talk about your job always make me smile.” wally didn’t look at alex when he said that because he knew another stupid grin would be on his face, which is why he tried keeping a serious demeanor when he said it but knew there was a small slip of a smile that he tried to contain with a breath. “karma? i’ll give that sort of thinking a second go if you really think i should.”

wally noticed alex had staring for a while, which is why he got kind of nervous but he figured there was a reason he wasn’t aware of. “you look at my eye for this long is making me think i might go blind.” he laughed. “i wish that blinking wasn’t a fucking necessity because it stings.” wally cried out, biting at his lip to bring the pain somewhere else.  “fantasy worlds are so fun thoooooughhhh.” he said, but knowing that were truth to alex’s words. “i’ll change at some point..i just need to figure out what the fuck is always bothering me.” there were always moments when wally would slip out and say things that were bothering him without realizing, and alex was so easy to speak to it usually happened with him. “i haven’t been in an actual fight in a long time so imagine how fucked up he would have been.”

“thank you. i take that as a compliment. good, i honestly hope their family quits speaking to mine anyway. her parents suck.” wally stated. “sorry alex, i have no idea what i just said. i think the eye pain is getting to my brain.” he tried gearing the subject away from what he was on the verge of saying earlier , something he was best in. he pulled the keycard out of his pocket, flashing it so alex could see. “well i have some good news, the hotel room was my dad’s idea.” wally stood up, walking towards the elevator to get the hell out of this place. “glad you agree, i think i had more than enough fun but now you have to put your money where your mouth is.” he stepped into the elevator once it arrived, leaning back against one side as he took another drink from his flask. “probably a bad time to mention this, but you have something in your teeth.” wally burst out laughing before being hit with a groan of pain. “i deserved that..”

“it’s been ten years… i’m neutral on you. you hurt me in high school, but we’re way beyond that, yeah?” archie sighed softly, looking over at wally. so much had happened since high school that it was hard for archie to hold on to any grudges. that didn’t mean he didn’t remember how wally had hurt him, but what use was being angry? “what’ve you been up to since then?”

“i know..” wally looked the other direction, still guilty about the time when he was in the closet. honestly, it was a simple time because it wasn’t a big reason he wasn’t disappointing his parents. “i’d like to move on but i know for a fact that moving on from something is hard. but, you’ve always been different.” wally sighed, kicking his feet back against the third bleacher as he was tall enough to do so. “i’ve been in new york, i was going to school there but due to some problems i had to drop out but now i’m a bartender at a large bar. i know you’re doing great things right now.”

“i could have knocked him on his ass so you would have double won but i don’t need someone coming after me for assault today.” he half smiled at wally, sighing to himself. he didn’t think the entire fight was good for wally, either. he seemed to be going through something with his family as he said the other day. the fight could have made everything worse and he hated that for the other male but it was done. “apparently she does. no one needed to know your business. that was a rough time in your life and pretty personal. she had no right.” he leaned against the locker once more, already tired of playing the part. 

alex held out his arm as wally moved about. he didn’t want the other man falling on his face as could definitely happen. “let me look at your eye.” alex could see the damage plain as day and it didn’t look pretty. there was definitely going to be a lot of bruising and the swelling was already showing. he stepped closer, moving the ice out of the way. “you shouldn’t need any stitches but you should keep icing it. it’ll help calm the skin.” he nodded. he wasn’t aware he would be using his job tonight, either. he was off the clock for long the weekend but he was itching to get back home and to work. it had already been too long for him in this town. “probably but it shouldn’t have been. it was a cruel thing to do.” 

his head shook as the alcohol went down his throat from the flask. he didn’t need much more than that. alex wasn’t much of a drinker anymore and when he did drink, he could get really drunk and fast. “i guess that’s a good thing, right? just what you need with the bunch inside.” he glanced up, smiling at wally before glancing back into the room where the party was still going on. “thank you.” he tried to look down, hiding the blushing on his cheeks. “it was uneventful to say the least. this was the most exciting part thus far.” 

“i also don’t want you potentially getting in trouble because of me. you don’t need that over you.” wally would have beat himself up for years if alex risked himself like that, as that’s one life he didn’t want to ruin because of a moment where he should have just walked away. he felt obligated to speak to his parents about what happened, but he didn’t want to get into that thinking right now. “well, she’s going to have to deal with years of lying acting like she was this princess. i hope their marriage isn’t ruined but at least that’s something that’ll fuck them both up for a while.” wally didn’t see the walk out, but he knew that it would make them both regret both of their actions.

wally had completely forgot about the male’s medical experience, and gladly let him look at his eye. there was a lot of pain, but considering he’s torn an acl and fallen several times - it was something he’d quickly get over. there was another comforting wave that alex just brought, and the usual male that wanted to act out and raise hell was way too tame. wally put the ice back over his eye, “you can’t use that magic to heal this automatically?” he joked, trying to bring light to the situation. wally shook his head. “that’s just my life unfortunately, alex.” he sighed, clearly so used to his life being a mess he’d just learned to laugh, no matter how messed up it seemed to be to others. “but i usually don’t have someone as great as you keeping me from going godzilla...so..this isn’t all that bad. and fuck the both of them honestly.” wally pressed the ice farther onto the mark, groaning out in pain but pushing through.

“yeah, people won’t say shit to my face - they knew better then and they know better now.” wally wasn’t one to just air out someone’s dirty laundry often, but people knew he was the best at getting information out of people. “there’s that smile that manages to-” he cut himself off, pressing too deep into his eye just to cause some pain because he realized he was saying too much. “fuck..didn’t mean to do that.” he lied, forgetting that alex tended to make him say what was on his mind. “don’t mention it....and..” wally tilted his head, giving alex a toothy grin. “we still have that room. we don’t have to hook up if you don’t want..i don’t mind just laying down and watching whatever shitty DVD we can rent. i’m still up for our original plan as well. i just want to get the fuck out of here.”

veronica hadn’t seen anything as she had just walked into the venue to try and be fashionably late as that is what her 15 year old cousin says is the new thing right now. she usually never listened to anyone younger than her about trends as the trends of today were all pretty stupid and dangerous, but new year, new you, right?

“i have no idea what you’re talking about, i just needed a place to sit.” setting down her louis vuitton purse, veronica sat down beside the male and noticed him as the guy from yesterday that was in a screaming match with his parents. “what the hell happened to your eye?” she asked in a calming but annoyed voice, a motherly instinct that she had picked up whenever someone messed with someone she cared about.

wally was glad that she had no idea, meaning that was one less person that wasn’t aware of his issues. he raised a glass in her honor and quickly took another drink, it was a new year after all and another year he was going to end it on an awful note. there had been a smile on his face as he looked at the television above him before bringing his attention back to the girl.

“got punched in the eye. a girl from my past decided to bring up old shit after i tried to be a good person and ignore her. then i said that her boyfriend had a mediocre dick game and that her and i both knew because i slept with him in high school. that’s when she decided to tell everyone very personal information about me..and that’s when it old everyone she cheated on her boyfriend in high school and then i got punched in the face.” wally didn’t want to go into specifics on what she said. “just know that i didn’t want to air out her business like that but she said some very personal stuff about me that i thought my parents kept a secret.”

archie coughed slightly, looking over at wally, “are you smoking pot right now? jesus christ, wally. put that shit out.” he shook his head, “i wasn’t still pissed until you came over here smoking pot. jesus christ. we’re at a high school for gods sake. some things never change, i guess.”

wally was going to give him a wave of his hand, but considering he was in the wrong with their past relationship he was going to let it go. he quickly put it out, discarding it in a paper bag that he brought. “not at all, unfortunately. i’m still a loser.” he shrugged, leaning back against the bleacher while looking at the man. “can we start over? come on, archie. i’m legitimately not looking to make you not like me more than you probably do.”

walking into the party, alex had no idea this was going to be his life tonight. he was a stockier guy so breaking up fights wasn’t unknown to him but the party was supposed to be the opposite of that. he was expecting it a bit as wally told him the other day that there was unfinished business with himself and the other cheerleader. the fist fighting wasn’t necessary and alex had to hold himself back and remember who he was now before he threw a punch and ruined things that he built for himself. he didn’t need his chief at the station to know about what happened when he went home. 

giving the couple one final look, alex moved behind wally towards the hallway. he could tell the other male was on the brink of exploding but he wanted to make sure he was okay, as well. he wasn’t aware of all that information that was shared with the group but he wasn’t surprised, either. he had heard the rumors and decided not to jump to conclusions. it was out there in the open now and alex nodded, leaning against one of the lockers next to him. “you’re welcome. you don’t have to thank me, though. they’re idiots.” 

“i heard it from all the way across the room. she wasn’t quiet about spreading your secrets. not that it was any of her business.” his head shook, reaching out to touch wally’s arm. “the party isn’t all that it was cracked up to be. i can stay out here and make sure you don’t fall over. that seemed like a pretty nasty hit. you should probably be sitting right now.” he glanced at the ground before half smiling. “we all have our shit we deal with every single day. yours is just out in the open now.” he exhaled, shoving his hands in his pockets. “we expected it, though. growing up isn’t easy and life kind of falls apart. it’s how we handle it that makes us better people.” giving wally a look, he held his hand out for the flask. he needed a stronger drink than he had earlier. “you’re welcome.” 

“he got a good shot out of me. but on the bright side, i think i won.” wally felt like him doing the good thing of leaving her alone would help, but it fell to shambles like everything else. he laughed at the entire situation, as it was really the only thing he could do. the pain from his eye really didn’t hit until all the adrenaline had passed, and it was a sharp pain he hadn’t felt before. the man really dug his knuckles enough to probably make wally feel pain for a little bit. at least alex was here, making this entire thing a lot easier and one of the few people who he could be calmed down by because he knew alex really was on his side. “i really don’t think she knew i knew that. i know i can run my mouth but i don’t like ruining people’s lives like that but she and him both had it coming.”

wally smiled when his arms was touched, it did provide more soothing comfort. the tired blue eyes of his were soon greeted by a small amount of water, as he was reminded of a time when he was really at his lowest. the smile was genuine and still on his face, and he used the sleeve of his jacket to wipe them away but carefully due to his eye. the adrenaline had fully gone away, and wally was drunk so he didn’t realize he was wobbling a little. “yeah, you’re right about this one.” wally pulled the nearest hotel chair, resting his elbow on his knee to keep the ice to his eye. “honestly, it was bound to happen. if my parents told one person it was probably considered a small rumor and now it’s just out in the open. it could be worse...probably?” wally chuckled.

he took alex’s words with another smile, nodding his head in agreement. “well, more than likely i’ll probably get some sympathy points out of this. maybe more respect.you’re quite the philosopher.” he teased, nudging alex with his arm. he handed alex the flask with his free hand, taking another giant sip before handing it to him. “you look good, by the way.  how was your night up until this point?”

alex was used to being in tight and awkward situations, especially with his job. he saved people from the weirdest accidents and often times risked his own life to save theirs. tonight he felt like he was smashed into a can of sardines and everyone around him knew the person he was ten years ago, not now. he had experienced so much over those years, sadness, loss and ambition to name a few. in redmond, he was the golden boy with the strong arm but to him, he wasn’t anything close to that title. he was just a guy trying to have his best life and most likely failing miserably at it. 

he was on his second drink of the night when he heard the commotion on the other side of the room. he hadn’t heard much about it from anyone around but he had a feeling it was someone he knew. sometimes his old friends would get themselves into arguments that weren’t even worth it and after hanging out with wally the other day, he had a feeling it was him. as he got closer, his assumptions became more true. sure, the girl deserved what he was saying but wally didn’t have any reason to get hit by her husband. alex moved through the crowd, placing his current drink on a table as he stepped in to grab the loud male’s shirt, pulling him back. he shook his head at wally’s protests and glanced at the couple before himself. 

“here’s what’s going to happen, you’re going to walk away and live out the rest of your pathetic lives and we’re going to get some ice for his eye. all this bullshit is unnecessary. there’s no reason to talk shit about someone else and their struggles to make yourself feel better.” he shook his head, letting his hand fall from wally’s shirt as he kept his glance on the couple. “this is a party. we’re here to celebrate the new year and seeing each other again. fight it out another time.” 

wally wanted to say more words, but realized that he didn’t need any more eyes on him. this felt like high school all over again, and once again he managed to have all eyes on him and get people talking about this. his parents were going to flip, and here he was worried about his parents when he was 2 years away from being 30. wally truthfully had no idea she knew that much about him, and was on his parents side that they probably were ranting to a friend and they felt the need to tell her daughter who had no business knowing.

wally took several deep breaths, choosing to not act out more than he had and risk getting removed and having more things for people to say. he walked towards the hallway, already having his flask in hand. everything in him was telling him to cry but he managed to avoid it due to the anger that was fueling inside of him. “alex...thank you.” wally said, spotting an ice machine that an employee was kindly getting for him. he was going to try and change this situation by laughing, as he’d become an expert at laughing through the pain.

“leave it to me to be the first one to kick off the drama when i tried avoiding the bitch the entire time and even gave her multiple chances to back off.” he gritted his teeth, leaning against the wall as he pressed the ice against his eye. “you can go back in there, i really don’t want you to miss the party. i think you breaking that up helped because i was about 10 seconds away from fucking that guy up. he’s an accountant now so i know i would have won.” alex made the situation easier and comforted wally in a way. “and..sorry you had to hear about that hospital thing but now i guess everyone knows.” wally took a giant drink from his flask, and he was soon laughing because this tended to be a common thing for him.  “no seriously..” wally put his hand on alex’s shoulder. “thank you.”

Honey had just gotten back into town earlier that day, visiting her foster family first before heading to her hotel room. When the party rolled around, she headed to it and entered, unsure of who to speak to first. When she was in town she rarely saw people she went to school with and mostly hung out with her family. Tonight, however, she was determined to not be Honey, the award winning musician, but Honey, the awkward goofy girl people here knew her as. Plenty of former classmates recognized her and a few didn’t, but it wasn’t until she spotted a familiar face that she stopped to speak. “Hey! Long time no see, hows it going?”

the hotel staff member gave him ice to put over his eye. there was some decent swelling but thankfully the man didn’t hit him too hard. there’d be a mark for a few days but that was most of it. wally had the ice over his eye, sitting at the bar that was still in the conference room but located towards the back. he was already pretty drunk but decided that he deserved a double shot of vodka. “why does this shit happen to me all the time when i try to be a decent person.” his hand held the ice pack over his eyes as he ran his hands through his hair. he didn’t realize a person had been standing behind him. “listen, if you want to laugh feel free but give me like 10 minutes.”

everything was going perfectly fine until the cheerleader from high school, angelica lawrence approached with her husband - who wally had slept with in high school. she was extremely homobhobic, and wally was convinced that he wasn’t just ‘bisexual’ and was just stuck with her. he rolled his eyes, even giving the woman a chance to back away but she followed him to the food stand. he tried to be civil, but she was being a smartass and had managed to insult wally for the life he was living and how she was well aware of his ‘alcohol problem’ as she was a friend of the family. he once again let it go, stuffing his mouth with food, but she only kept talking. she really hit a nerve when she brought him needing to spend several months in a hospital because of a real bad bender that resulted in him going to rehab.

“you know what, angelica. i was going to give you a second chance and ignore you, but you really had to bring that up? i was going to avoid talking about how shitty your routine is but now i think i’ll settle for the fact that we’ve both had the same dick in our mouths and it was just as SHITTY as the routi-” wally hadn’t managed to get the last word out before he felt a strong hit to his eye. it managed to knock him backwards to the point that he nearly lost his balance and knocked a few things off the table. he was going to rush forward until he felt a strong grab that pretty much made him unable to go much further. “please fucking let go of me because i’m going to fuck this dude up...i know you fucking heard what he said. i legitimately ignored the both of them until she decided to act like a total CUNT like she is. just because she’s friends with my family she thinks she can insult me over some shit that HAPPENED years ago. i wasn’t going to tell everyone that she was fucking a soccer player behind his back for YEARS but if we are playing this game we are going there.”

the woman was flustered, and he was aware that her husband had no idea because she started walking away. wally had already managed to cause a scene and he hadn’t even been there longer than an hour.

@mcrtinczs

it has been a whirlwind of a month for archie. after spending the beginning of it playing various games around the country, he had been able to make it back to his hometown just in time for christmas with his parents and his high school reunion. he had barely been back in his hometown since last christmas: after going to the superbowl with philly, he had to make a decision: resign with them or go to the rams. his love for california won, so he signed with the rams. needless to say, archie was in need of some quiet time back in redmond. as much as he enjoyed his life, he had always (strangely) missed hudson high, so… his first stop back? the football field. how could he not? it was where it all started. he found himself sitting on the familiar bleachers, shoving his gloved hands in the pockets of his coat. hearing someone coming towards him, he smiled, “couldn’t stay away either?”

wally had decided to go to his old high school, as his parents managed to piss him off with talks of him moving back to this town. he decided that weed and alcohol were the best mix, not really caring about the fact that he was in public because his dad would inevitable bail him out like always. these were the best walks for him, as walks had always managed to clear his mind and at least help him out. the high school was the most soothing place for him considering the great memories that he had. he had a joint in his hand, clearly smoking it out in the open and not realizing there was a person standing there. “unfortunately my parents pissed me off so i came here. it’s been 10 years so we spoke to one another. is it a smart idea considering i feel like there’s a chance you’re still pissed off at me?”

“one of my favorites? that’s saying a lot about yourself but i won’t hurt your feelings. you’re one of the few i don’t mind seeing, at least.” he couldn’t hide his smile, not with all the compliments and flirting going on between them. wally made him feel special. it didn’t happen too often. sure, he laughed but it was never more than just a chuckle sometimes. he was too serious for his own good right now. “someone is definitely going to kick his ass and i can’t say i’d stop them. maybe he deserves it, you know? keep his dick in his pants for once and stop breaking hearts.” he didn’t have any room to judge. he wasn’t the best at keeping himself contained when he was younger. he wasn’t brady, though. alex bit his lip, keeping an eye on wally. he knew a little about his life but he never pressed. it wasn’t that kind of thing between them. “you’re more than you think. trust me.” he nodded and reached across the table to grab one of the beers. he needed something to relax his nerves. wally was helping but it wasn’t quite enough. “no judgement. i feel the same way. any time someone asks something in that manner. especially about my family.” again something he wasn’t going to touch but he was still thinking about it. he laughed a little, taking a long sip before placing the bottle on the table. “i call it a gift. i know how to keep you on your toes, apparently.” he lifted his arms in victory, happy that he was getting a trophy but also to show off his biceps again. a little more teasing wouldn’t hurt. “a lot of fun. i can definitely promise that. don’t you worry, pierce.” he laughed, lifting the bottle to his lips again. it felt nice going down his throat. his ears perked up a bit as wally spoke once more. family wasn’t off limits but they didn’t discuss it often. “i live in seattle so we won’t be too far away if that happens. maybe it’s for the best, you know? being so far away can cause some issues.” he shrugged. he didn’t really know what he was talking about. his head shook and eyes rolled as he watched wally grab the pen on the table. he would humor the other male and took it from him, sighing his name with ease and sliding it back across the table. “i’m not saying you might want to get that framed but one day it could be worth something.” 

“i’ll take it. you’re one of the few people i know whose opinions i...-” wally coughed the word ‘care’ to muffle it before continuing to speak “ to hear so that matters.” he took a drink of the beer, he grew to take big sips as casual drinking has never been a thing of his because he drank to get a buzz. maybe the fact that it was alex he toned it down slightly because he enjoyed hanging with him and getting drunk wouldn’t help the moment. wally grinned at the talk of brady. “i’ll definitely help him out but i’ll first record it, let them get a punch in, and then i’ll help.” he raised his drink to that, as brady would more than likely do the exact same thing. “you have just given yourself permission for me to text you when i get drunk and sad, i’m going to need this exact same energy because my new york friends are just as fucked up as me.” wally would tell the fun stories, and he laughed at the mention of his friends. he had moved onto the second bottle, glad that he could keep a smile on his face the entire time while they were talking. alex had always made him laugh and felt genuinely good about himself, like maybe he wasn’t a total piece of shit. “you’re setting my expectations high here, tinez. i’m expecting to remember this experience enough to be hung up on it.” wally said. “the men of new york have not been all that great. they have the style, the charm, but lack the...i can’t describe it but i’m just fucking bored.” he sighed with the bottle still in his teeth. wally had also been eating his food at the same time and had managed to eat the last fry. “i’m holding you to that. if i have to come back to this town i’m going to be miserable, and you do make me happy to be around so i’ll be visiting. i’ll pay too..don’t want you think i’m mooching off you. just let me know what i need to do.” money was never a problem, and his parents cutting him off was a big deal because wally wasn’t going to be able to survive with his spending habits and mental issues. wally took the napkin and folded it into his wallet. “i really will keep this. i know it comes from the heart.” wally put his wallet up to alex’s heart before putting it back in his pocket. “so, what kind of room should we get. i was thinking top floor, one bedroom, large shower, far away from the elevator.”