That Wasn't So Bad... (Oriel)

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Phen kicked his legs lazily against the side of the stage, resisting the urge to pop out his wings and take a hit. Only the fact that Oriel was there was keeping him from doing it, and he had already made the decision to try to be clean around his... Whatever Oriel was.

Still, it was difficult - the first time going to the drama club had not been what he had expected, and he was still shuddering slightly with a mixture of horror and.... Amusement?

"And here I thought we were just gonna watch movies or some shit," he breathed, staring at the ground below. The auditorium was empty now, save for the two of them. "What the hell was all the improv shit?" He had been scrambling to understand what was going on and not make a fool out of himself; and he didn't think he had been successful, despite the fact that he had kinda sorta a little bit... Enjoyed it, once he understood what was going on.

He smirked as he looked over and nudged Oriel. "I think you're a natural though," he told him.

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While Oriel would have liked to have tried out the club earlier with Phen, first he had to ride out his most definitely deserved sentence of two weeks detention(which was also most definitely worth it) before he could try engaging in after school activities. But of course, just to be a little extra sadistic to his new Not-just-a-toy, Oriel had neglected to mention to Phen that the Drama club did not consist of just sitting around watching movies.

Though he didn't expect what it did consist of.

Loud people. Crazy people. People who liked to rub up against strangers. It didn't take long for them to figure out Oriel needed his personal space(with Phen). After that, though, it wasn't so bad, despite the scowl that Oriel managed to keep up for about 2/3rds of the meeting. He might have actually laughed a few times.

But by the end of it, Oriel was mentally exhausted. "Natural? Where? Which part?" Oriel hadn't been paying attention to how he interacted with the other students. Was there something he missed?

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Phen would have (weakly and pathetically) hit Oriel if he had known the other boy knew it would be more than just what he had hoped and expected. At least he might have been somewhat prepared! Okay, that was a lie, he never would have been prepared for the loudness and energy and craziness that had turned out to be the drama nerds. Phen had nearly sprouted his wings out and doused everyone in the room just to get them to shut up and quiet down.

Which, in all honesty, would probably have just made them louder and crazier.

He had practically clung to Oriel the entire time, and he might have been hyperventilating a bit at being surrounded by so many strangers all at once that seemed to think he and Oriel were awesome and wonderful for checking out the club. Crowds were not his thing, at all. Fortunately, it did get better after a while, and he had managed to find humor in some of the ridiculous stunts some of the students pulled off.

Especially those weirdo gestalt twins. They were kinda creepy how well they acted together.

"Well, more natural than me, at least," Phen smirked, edging his hand over to twist his pinkie around Oriel's. "I was just tryin' not t' have a heart attack the entire time. Although...." A recent memory popped into his head, and his smirk widened. "Did I tell you what happened the other night, with that rich bastard Chester?" He had definitely put his acting skills to use there, though he hadn't had the pressure of a live audience like he had here.

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The only thing Oriel knew about the drama club was that they put on performances every so often, which meant it had something to do with acting. Which meant rehearsing. So he expected them to be doing things like that or something, not these articulation exercises, improv exercises, and "trust" games that Oriel opted out of completely. They were like a bunch of children!

Oriel would deny that he ever had fun until the day he died! ….Or at least until he got more comfortable with those crazy people.

He'd do better next time…..oh, god, there was going to be a next time!

Oriel was busy massaging his forehead when Phoenix took hold of Oriel's pinkie. He curled it around Phen's but did not look up. At least not until Phen mentioned the name of a conceited ginger he vaguely knew and had only met(kinda) once in the most unfortunate circumstances…which did nothing to improve Oriel's opinion of the boy. "No, I think I'd remember something like that?" Oriel was tired, but was trying to be interested underneath his headache. He smirked. "Please tell me you dusted him with his pants down somewhere." And then just leave him, disoriented like that. That would be hilarious.

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Next time? There would be a next time? ... Well, it was something to do, at least, and Phen had been very entertained once he got over the trauma, not that he would admit it. He hadn't had that sort of fun in... In....

Had he ever done something like that? He couldn't remember. Maybe back in elementary school, but even then he had been a somewhat distant, spacey child. He certainly couldn't remember laughing so hard at all the dumb things those drama nerds got into.

"You okay?" he asked with concern, seeing Oriel massaging his forehead. He had a slight headache too, but that, at least, was something he was familiar with, only this time it wasn't caused by dust.

"Ah man, that woulda been great... But no, that wasn't it," he replied, chuckling slightly. "So I snuck outta Hammel the other night and flew over t' the clubs. I mean, I didn't go in or anythin', just wanted t' get outta here and get some space." He smirked, his grip on Oriel's finger tightening a bit. "An' here I see that fuckin' redhead stumblin' outta a bar, alone an' drunk off his ass." He could hardly contain his giggles. "An'... An' he sees me, an he says, like, 'Hey,'pretty lady,' and then I realize he's talkin' t' me, so..." He grinned maliciously. "I just went with it. He ended up gropin' me and promised' t' pay t' get me breast implants 'cause I'm so flat, an' I gave him a hickey before he passed out on me."

He was laughing too much to talk now, so he waited until he had calmed down a bit and took a deep, shivery breath. "He lives in a fuckin' mansion, Oriel," he sighed. "Anyway, he wasn't too happy about it when he woke up the next mornin'. But jeeze, I wish you coulda seen it." He leaned over and rested against Oriel's shoulder, feeling way too happy about... Everything. He shouldn't be happy like this, it wasn't right!

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Yeah, Oriel too hadn't done those sort of shenanigans since....maybe in elementary school……or maybe last week… Or yesterday.

Oriel may not have been a particularly social person but he was an attention whore around anyone who would give it. And this usually resulted in Oriel acting about a quarter of his age anyway, ask anyone who actually knew the boy.

Such as when those twins(he didn't know they were in the drama club) who accosted him with the camera and took over his napping tree.

"Yeah, just tired." He didn't get his afternoon nap today because they had come to do this...this thing.

Oriel listened to Phoenix so gleefully recant his story of his misadventures with the ginger boy and how he had fooled the drunken fool by pretending to be a girl...or rather how he'd been mistaken for a girl and Phen, being Phen, just went with it. "Shiiit," he said with a smile, "You should've been wearing hose, I bet you'd make a pretty good woman." The boy had a pretty enough face for it, and was skinny to boot.

But Oriel could feel his own finger tightening around Phoenix's in a slight worry. "You kissed him?" Oriel's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Ok, it shouldn't have been surprising, this was Phen they were talking about.

But Phoenix seemed to be lost in his own memories in telling the story. Yes, it was hilarious, but... Oriel should have been laughing with him, because it was ridiculous, and if Phen wasn't...whatever he was to Oriel, then maybe he would have been. "You...you stayed overnight? In his house?" Who the fuck cared if he lived in a mansion, you could tell the dude was a pussy rich-kid just by looking at him.

Oriel tightened his finger even more. "Did you sleep with him?" Oriel looked forward with an irritated smile.

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Phen was more like an irritated old man that yelled at any young whippersnapper that got on his lawn (or in his case, his space bubble). It was rare he cracked a smile, let alone laughed, around anyone these days other than Oriel and maybe Kam, and he definitely didn't seek out attention.

He frowned as Oriel said he was tired, leaning over to kiss his temple gently. "We can go sleep soon if ya want," he told his lover, even though it was still fairly early. He wouldn't say no to just some simple cuddling, especially if it meant he could continue to ignore his growing pile of unfinished homework.

But now he was gleefully telling Oriel about his story, and he was glad when the boy seemed entertained by it, though he wasn't laughing quite as much as Phoenix had thought he would. "I guess I don't even need t' be dressed up as a girl t' be mistaken as one," he sighed, though he was still chuckling. "Ya think so, huh?" he smirked. He was of course aware of his somewhat feminine appearance, but he had never really done anything about it. "Maybe I'll have t' do it again sometime, 'cause that shit was hilarious."

Oriel, though, was seeming less amused the more Phen told, and he frowned slightly at the question. "Yeah, a bit. He kinda shoved his tongue down my throat." It had been far from pleasant, but worth it for the laughs, in his opinion.

His brow furrowed as Oriel continued to ask him questions, more out of concern than anything else. What was wrong? It wasn't like he was into Chester in the least - it had all been spur-of-the-moment, rash decisions that he wouldn't like to repeat again. "Well, yeah... His butler offered t' let me stay, so I didn't see why I shouldn't. Prob'ly gonna be the only time in my life I get t' sleep on such a soft bed." He sighed dreamily at the memory.

He felt Oriel's grip tighten, and Phen slipped his hand into his lover's, shaking his head. "Nah, it didn't get t' that." True, he probably would have tried to do it had Chester stayed awake long enough just to make an even bigger idiot out of him, but that hadn't happened. "Are you... I mean, is somethin' wrong?" he mumbled.

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Oriel could easily picture what Phoenix would look like dressed as a girl and it wasn't all that different than how he usually looked, except in a dress with fishnet stockings. And maybe a blonde wig. The lame idea hit him, however, and Oriel went ahead and suggested, "Well, there is Halloween coming up. Could be interesting, you know, if you liked that sort of thing. The whole dressing up thing." Oriel had not once participated in Halloween. He had hung out with friends and pulled off some stunts and pranks with them, but he'd never dressed up.

A drunk person shoving their tongue down someone's throat was nothing to be alarmed about, they were drunk and didn't know what they were doing. Phoenix, on the other hand, was at least cognizant enough to know better…or at least he should have. And Oriel wasn't sure if he was more upset about the fact that there was kissing between them or the fact that Phoenix let the hoity-toity ginger kiss him.

"And what? My bed ain't good enough?" he asked defensively. Oriel closed his eyes, trying to pull himself back. It wasn't going to do either of them any good for Oriel to get so hostile. That didn't mean he wasn't irritated as fuck.

"Nah, it didn't get t' that."

Which meant that if Chester hadn't passed out, Phoenix would have slept with him. There were just so many things wrong with that, Oriel didn't even know where to begin. Aside from the fact that Phoenix would do that with someone who didn't know up from down, there was also the realization that Phen might sleep with someone else on a whim like that….which Oriel was more upset about than anything despite the fact knew he had no right to be upset about because he would probably do the exact same thing given the opportunity and a willing partner.

There shouldn't be a double standard, but….

But nothing! Phoenix belonged to him and Oriel didn't like sharing! That was it!

"No," he lied curtly. "There's absolutely nothing…wrong." Oriel jumped off the stage and took a few steps forward with clenched fists. He couldn't afford to look at Phen right now, at least not until he had a hand on himself, otherwise he'd just make himself upset all over again.

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Phoenix hadn't really ever celebrated Halloween either; his neighborhood growing up hadn't exactly been kid-friendly, let alone hand out treats on the holiday. And his mother had always been too busy to make him a costume or anything. He hadn't picked it up as he grew older. But now that Oriel mentioned it, he smiled slyly. "Would you like that?" he smirked, already imagining what he could do with himself. Hey, maybe he could get that weird make-up chick to even doll him up a bit...

However, the conversation between them had gone on a far different note than Phoenix had planned, and he felt a growing anxiety inside of him as Oriel continued to respond not-so-amusedly to his story. Was it really that bad that he had let the bastard kiss him? He had only done it for laughs - he thought Oriel would understand that.

"What?" he stammered in reply to Oriel's question. "Of... Of course it is. I hated how cold it was." And that was the truth, even if it had been amazingly soft on his aching body. He was thin enough that now that the weather was getting colder, he had a harder time keeping warm at night, which was one of the many reasons he was so happy that Oriel slept with him nearly every night.

His mind flashed back to that night about two years ago, when Rue had abruptly gotten out of his bed and ended their relationship without an explanation. Phen had blamed himself for the longest time, wondering what he could have done differently, how he could have loved Rue more - it still haunted him, especially now that the older boy was back. And now, seeing Oriel get so obviously upset about his behavior, he wondered if he was already starting to push him away.

A jolt of panic ran through his body, and he jumped off the stage after Oriel. He had promised Oriel he wouldn't leave him, but the other boy had made no such promises...

"H-hey," he mumbled, reaching out to grab Oriel's hand. He wasn't looking at him, which only alarmed Phoenix more; Rue hadn't been able to look at him, either. "I... I can't fix it if you don't tell me what you're upset about." Because it was obvious the younger boy was, even if he said he wasn't. And this was definitely a struggle for Phoenix - communication was not his strong suit, and the fact that he hadn't simply let the matter drop and walked away spoke a lot for his growing feelings for Oriel.

"I... I won't do it again, okay? An' I'm sorry if.... If I hurt you. I didn't mean it." He tried to turn Oriel towards him, pressing his lips against the boy's shoulder.

He could only wonder what would happen if Oriel found out about Kam... Would he have to break off his relations with her in order to keep this boy around?

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"I dunno…" Oriel tried to sound nonchalant about it, like he wasn't all that interested. Despite the fact that Oriel was the one who brought it up in the first place. "I mean…we could go, but then all the other girls might get jealous, me giving all my attention to one pretty lady."

Oriel was sure he was just overreacting. But….no, Phoenix was his! Nobody elses! It wasn't fair! Oriel just didn't want anyone else to have what was his. Phoenix was his. Lux was his.

Madison was….

Stupid. Stupid stupid stupid.

But if Phoenix was so easily swayed by other partners, who's to say he wouldn't leave Oriel for someone else? Their relationship, whatever it was, started on a fickle note. What guarantee was there for Phoenix to stay with Oriel?

Oriel didn't know how to voice his fears. He knew he was just being irrational, that there was nothing to be concerned about, that Phoenix had already promised no to leave, but….

Shit. Feelings. What are they?

"You don't….you don't have to do that. I'm fine…" He was not fine.

Oriel nuzzled his head against Phoenix as the boy kissed his shoulder. He was nearly shivering with anxiety. He wanted to hit something but…not Phoenix. Maybe Phoenix. Not him, maybe Chester?

Shit, Oriel didn't even know who he was more upset with. He took a deep breath. Oriel could deal with this, no problem. "I'm just being stupid, don't worry about it."

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Phen snorted softly, running a hand through his hair. "I'm game if you are," he finally replied, wondering where and how they would pay to get costumes (maybe just borrow some stuff from a girl...?). "I wouldn't mind makin' some people jealous," he chuckled, liking the idea of Oriel giving him all that attention in front of everyone. Yeah, he'd do it.

Even though Oriel may have been overreacting, Phen still felt bad, and wanted to make up for the boy's hurt feelings. They had never spoken about what they had expected of the other relationship-wise (it wasn't like they were going to be exclusive or anything... Right? Right?), so now Phen was confused as to what he could do without potentially hurting what they had.

But he had made a promise to Oriel, and as shitty of a person Phoenix was, he didn't break promises. He had had too many other people breaking their own with him for him to do that to someone else.

Urgh, why was this so complicated? What had happened to just being fuck buddies? Feelings were hard...

"No you're not," he replied a bit gruffly. "Stop lyin' t' me, I'm not that dumb." He sighed as Oriel nuzzled against him, snaking an arm around the guy's waist and pulling him closer. Phoenix could feel the tension in Oriel's body; he wished now that he hadn't said anything.

"You are bein' stupid, but I'm still sorry," he grumbled into the boy's hair.

And before he could say anything else, it happened.

A cloud of white dust exploded over the two, completely covering them and making Phoenix cough. "The fuck!"

Giggling could be heard from the direction of the stage, and he looked up to see those little shithead Asian twins grinning at them with an empty bag of.... What? Flour?

"WELCOME TO THE DRAMA CLUB!" they both yelled before disappearing around the curtain.

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Oriel was certainly game for it. Well…maybe. "Ain't there some sort of dance? I dunno." There were sure to be a lot of people there, which Oriel wasn't sure he could handle it, Phen even less. Especially since Phoenix seemed on the verge of freaking out the first 30 minutes of the drama meeting.

But if there was a dance then….was Lux going to go? With someone?

Hmmmmm….

Which was exactly why he knew he had no reason to be upset with Phen…

But Oriel and Lux weren't even like that! …Really…. Or something…. maybe. He didn't know! He just knew….

Lux was the most important!

But Phoenix was important too!

ARG! FEELINGS WHAT ARE THEY!?

"Then I will be fine, dammit!" Oriel snapped back at Phen, his voice raised more than he intended. He just needed some time to work things through, he had no idea what was going on in his head or what he wanted. He just knew that Phoenix was his and he didn't want him to be anyone else's. But…what if that wasn't what Phen wanted? That probably wasn't what Lux wanted either.

"What…." he started hesitantly. "What do you--"

But he couldn't finish because that's when the twins doused the two of them in a cloud of white dust…flour?

Oriel snapped his head up at the twins…what were their names? He didn't care really, some sort of nature-tree-hugging names. In any case, they had completely dissolved the tense air between the two boys. Oriel allowed an exasperated smile to cross his lips along with a laugh in his heart. Or a cackle. And evil one.

"You guy's are so dead!" Oriel hollered out as he jumped back onto the stage and chased after them.

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Phoenix shuddered at the word. "Dance? I dunno about that... Can't we just, I dunno, trick random people around campus?" he asked with a sly smirk. Trick or treat, the trick could be a face full of dust.... Ehh, he wasn't that mean, though. Usually. Maybe. To some people.

He was clueless about Lux, though. The boys really should probably tell each other about the girls in their lives... Mehhh. Phen would have no idea how to tell Oriel about Kam, especially after how he had reacted to him just kissing Chester.

Phoenix chuckled a little as Oriel snapped at him, just squeezing him a bit tighter. "I know, I know," he murmured. "You can abuse me t' your content later, mmkay?" Not that Oriel wouldn't do it anyway... But whatever. Phoenix felt like he owed the guy now; dammit, why did he feel like that? It wasn't like he had cheated on Oriel or anything... They weren't only seeing each other. Although he still didn't know how Oriel felt about that. Phen knew what it was like to just be in a relationship with one person... And as much as it sucked sometimes, it was also nice knowing that you had someone that was yours and yours only.

Mehh....

As Oriel started to speak, Phoenix pulled back a bit, sensing the hesitation in his voice. But before the boy could get out whatever he was going to say (and it sounded important, dammit!), they were drenched in flour and sputtering after those fucking asshole twins.

Fucking fuck all to hell... Phoenix was going to have to bring this up later, because those twins were dead.

Still, he let out a loud snort-laugh at Oriel's evil cackle, scrambling after him onto the stage. But the twins seemed to have disappeared in the auditorium, and no matter how hard Phoenix looked, he couldn't find them; he didn't think Oriel had much luck either. They knew how this room and stage worked a lot better than the boys did, so they knew how best to escape, apparently. "I'm going to kill them the next time I see them," Phoenix panted, collapsing in a chair with a puff of white dust. He was still covered in the fucking stuff, and was not used to that much physical exertion; he felt like his lungs were on fire, and he huffed heavily as he tried to get air back into him.