Happy Single's Awareness Day (Cam)

[Declyn O'Callahan]

As of a month or so ago, Dec wouldn't have really thought he'd be sitting at a bar drinking himself silly on Valentine's Day. He figured he'd be out with his boyfriend, spending a nice date together and finishing it off with a heated night filled with passion. Ha, boy was he wrong. So wrong in fact that it caused him to drink more because he was thoroughly frustrated with the way things were turning out for him. He had been having absolutely no luck in the department of moving onto someone else since the whole situation happened.

Hell, he hadn't even seen Cameron since the day they ended it.

And maybe it was better that way. Maybe that's how things were supposed to play out. Maybe Cam just wasn't allowed to be a part of his life anymore. It had been plaguing his thoughts for weeks now and the more he dwelt on it the more he drank. First it started out with beer because back in Ireland he'd drink Irish lager more often than anything else, not to mention he couldn't hold his liquor very well. But since the night he'd spent with Leon, well his new thing was vodka and whiskey. Now, he hadn't gone overboard, not yet but it was only a matter of time before he reached his limit.

Dec alternated between a shot and a few beers and on his fourth beer, the hallucinations started swirling around him. His head spun, but he was used to it now. As long as they didn't start talking to him, things would be okay. He set his beer down and leaned forward on the bar, giving a sigh. Tonight would be a long night for this single boy.

[Cameron Osiris]

Cam was at one bar or another more often than not as of late. The people he had been trying to become friends with were few and far between and the ones he had tried to keep had fled, more or less. It was the same old song and dance. Same shit different pile. He tried to put himself into school, flings, and his adrenaline rushes but nothing could fill him and he was starting to think that he was too young to have a mid life crisis.

Walking into his bar of choice, Cam was surprised at how easily someone could be let in if they smiled and flirted just the right way. That, and he was dressed to impress and look older. A nice and casual suit jack was over a t-shirt, his hair perfect as usual. No one messed with the hair. It felt exciting to get ready for the unknown, for all the possibilities.

The night had just begun for him with his first drink in his hand, an odd but delicious combination of vodka and mountain dew.

Cam hadn't noticed Declyn right away because there was someone in between them, but as soon as that someone moved, Cam's heart caught in his throat. Only hesitating for a second, he moved into the vacant seat next to Dec. "Hey you," he said, taking a sip of his drink real suave like, "Happy V-Day."

[Declyn O'Callahan]

The bartender eyed Declyn as the boy's eyes wandered aimlessly around the place. The illusions were dancing around him and his eyes followed. The difference between these hallucinations and his usual ones were that they didn't take a solid distinct shape. They were swirls and spirals, stars, honestly it was tripping him out. All of the colors he was seeing, it was crazy.

As he glanced over his shoulder, he saw something, or rather someone familiar, but he figured it was nothing. So he turned back and took another drink. While he stared down at the bubbles in his beer, someone took the seat beside him and he frowned. The last thing he needed was someone trying to pick him up. Wasn't it obvious that he would rather drink alone? But the voice was one he hadn't forgotten and it kept him from snapping like he'd been about to.

Instead, his shoulders tensed and he clenched his teeth against the spasm of aching that rocked through him. Glancing over, his thoughts had been confirmed. Cameron.

Just looking at him was horrible. It brought back memories and images from before and he knew he couldn't have him. Cam wasn't his anymore. And the way he acted so calmly, well Dec wouldn't have been surprised if Cam's life was better now. "Aye, y'too." Gosh he sounded terrible. Dec often refrained from talking while he was drunk because his English typically got worse and his words were slurred together.

[Cameron Osiris]

Cam was only calm because he liked keeping up appearances. His life had turned into a total train wreck and he had all intentions of losing himself again tonight. Especially tonight, when pretty much everyone was paired off with somebody else. It was the easiest day to feel alone, and Cameron hated feeling that way.

This time, though, Dec was just drunk before Cam was, and the blond was only calm because he just arrived. He was sober, alert, and surprised to find Declyn here at all. Even more surprised to find him living up to his Irish stereotype.

“You’re hammered already?” Cam asked, a combination of amused and sad. He really had missed Dec, in so many ways, but he wasn’t going to bother saying anything because Dec wouldn’t believe him. “I’m surprised you’re still single,” Cam added, just another sound bite while he called the bartender over and paid for another round of drinks between him and his ex. What a terrible word for someone you loved.

Cam toasted his glass against Dec’s, making himself comfy. “To getting all the bitches!”

[Declyn O'Callahan]

Lonely was putting how Declyn felt on this particular day nicely. More like miserable, hating life and ready to go back to Ireland. Of course he wouldn’t though. He didn’t want to go back to Kocher and restart the year because that would put him farther behind on his power. Not to mention, he wasn’t too keen on the idea of leaving Odion here because the guy got abandoned more times than not. Still, one days like this he wished he could just leave.

Stereotypes were meant to be lived up to as far as Dec was concerned. He was drunk in a bar, and Cam slept around. Everyone was living up to their stereotypes. Why shouldn’t they?

“Aye, mate. I am. I started a bit early today,” Dec said with a laugh as he took yet another drink. There wasn’t enough alcohol in the world to drown out the loneliness though and he knew it, but he was going to try his hardest to numb the pain as much as possible. Cameron’s next statement was like a smack in the face, though Dec didn’t react to it very quickly. Once he put together a sentence he thought was fitting, he finally spoke. “Well after th’last failed attempt, I’ve decided t’give up on the whole dating scene.”

Cam toasted, clinking the glasses together, but Dec paid no attention to what he was toasting to. As long as he was drinking, he was going to be totally zoned out. “Aye!” He tipped back the glass and set it bottom’s up.

[Cameron Osiris]

Cameron wished he could still be there for Dec like how he used to be, but he knew Declyn wouldn’t allow it. He understood, and yet, he wouldn’t be able to express that, console Dec like how he wanted to. It was hard to love more than one person at the same time.

Well at least those watching might be enjoying themselves, at least someone was...

“Sounds like where I wanna be,” he said, chuckling as well and sighing. Cam put the drink to his lips, but didn’t take a sip. What Dec said really cut to Cam’s core, and he set the drink down again. “I’m gonna pretend like you don’t mean that,” he said, because Dec was a nice, beautiful man, and he was only saying these things because he was drunk. But Declyn was right, he was a failure. Maybe all was well in the world, because Declyn hated him and that made sense.

Watching Declyn and the state he was in, Cam felt compelled to reach out for the man’s hand, touching it. He smiled slightly – he’d missed him. “I’m so sorry Dec...”

[Declyn O'Callahan]

Declyn didn't react to Cam's comment. He merely took another swig and stared straight ahead, the hallucinations blurring together and giving him a headache. As if hallucinating wasn't bad enough, but while drunk...worst thing ever. Talk about motion sickness. He turned away and instead looked down at his hands. No swirling, no weird colors or shapes. This he could handle.

It wasn't until Cam spoke again that Declyn realized that he still had someone keeping him company. Someone who was living and not a figment of his imagination. He shrugged, "Y'can pretend all ye want, but s'the truth." Cam could stay in denial, but it wouldn't make the situation any less bleak. Declyn had given up. He was convinced that no one would take any interest in him whether it be girl or boy. His own brother practically hated him, he had very few friends and the friends he did have didn't much care either way if he had someone or not.

Cam reached out for his hand and Declyn flinched, his shoulders tensing. He may have been drunk, but he had enough sense to know that if he let Cameron touch him or offer him any comfort things would end badly for them both and he'd regret it. Loving Cameron was hurting him enough as it was, but to have him and not be able to call Cameron his, it would just be that much more unbearable.

"Why? What've ye gotta be sorry for?" The tone was supposed to be sarcastic, but in his drunken Irish drawl, it didn't come off that way.

[Cameron Osiris]

At least Declyn wasn’t thinking Cameron was a side effect of his power. That was what had helped them form a closer relationship together, something Cam didn’t regret but knew Declyn probably did. Nobody deserved to be cheated on and Cam loathed himself for being someone he didn’t like. He had never cheated on anyone before, and that could mean only one thing: Chester was the only exception.

“Just because I’m a failure doesn’t mean dating is,” he said. Just because someone ended up having a broken heart didn’t mean they were always going to be broken. Cameron himself was trying to believe that. He had failed Dec and he had failed himself. The irony was that other people were still willing to sleep around with him, like it didn’t matter if he was a cheater or not. Shouldn’t it matter?

Retracting his hand, Cameron felt bad for the physical contact. It just felt natural, like it always had. “You’re not the only one who’s hurting Dec,” Cam said, not catching onto the sarcasm and just trying to explain himself, “I still care about you...” He didn’t dare admit he still loved him, Declyn wouldn’t believe him anyways.

“That’s why I came here,” Cam said, his drink finished and on the counter now. “To get over it.” Because life would continue with or without him, and he wasn’t about to pass up on life. Cam placed his hand on Dec’s shoulder, giving him a careful look. “You’re a good man Declyn, you deserve the best.” And it wasn’t Cam, king of layups and flirting. He forced a smile before pushing himself away and into the dancing crowd of couples. Declyn didn’t need to be harassed by him.

[Declyn O'Callahan]

Declyn laughed harshly, at least Cam was willing to admit it. Dec didn't agree though. He didn't agree that dating wasn't a failure. Dating was just an excuse to get to know someone new and in the end it mainly just led to sex and a broken heart. That was what happened to him. That was what happened to a lot of people. It was a rare occurrence that through dating you found someone different that was worth the time and effort.

"You weren't hurting when you messed this up were you? Don't say you care when you didn't even think about me while it happened," He said in his drunken slur. It was harsh, but Dec wasn't thinking clearly in order to stop himself from saying it. If he'd been sober, those words never would have passed his lips. He just didn't have the coherency to make him feel bad now.

Shrugging off the blonde's hand, he chugged the rest of his beer and slammed it down on the table. Turning back to look at Cam, he lost him in the crowd and frowned. After the bartender set down his next beer, Declyn took a drink and set it back down, heading towards the crowd, whether to find Cam or not, he didn't know.

[Cameron Osiris]

Dating was what you made of it. If all either party wanted was to have sex, then that was what it was. It wasn’t like Cameron had started to date Dec for the exclusive purpose of having sex, though that had been icing on the cake. But no, that wasn’t the reason why, otherwise he would’ve kept doing what he had been doing before. It did happened to a lot of people, but if Cam could take his actions back, he would.

Clenching his jaw, Cameron just turned his head to look away. Dec was wrong, but he was also right. Cam had immediately hurt after his actions were over, and wished he hadn’t been capable of hurting someone that way. But Dec was right in that Cameron hadn’t been thinking of Declyn while he kissed Chester – he wasn’t that twisted. Maybe if Declyn hadn’t been hallucinating then, and wasn’t drunk now, this relationship wouldn’t have been as honest as it was. Maybe they were better off going their separate ways.

Off in the crowd, Cameron was finishing off his drink. It didn’t take long for a girl to have her hands all over his chest, and Cam pushed the contact away. It wasn’t what he wanted, or rather, who he wanted. He was incapable of being with just one person, so maybe he shouldn’t be with anyone. Maybe he should try suffering a little, especially after seeing Dec tonight. He felt terrible. He was still in love with the Irishman, and wondered when he’d get the chance to talk to him again.

“What’s wrong sweetheart?” It was the girl he had shoved away before. He hadn’t noticed that Declyn was in the vicinity. “What happened to your jaw?” She asked, touching his face more than it needed to be, obviously looking for an excuse to do so. “That’s what happens when you cheat on your boyfriend, his angry brother comes to punch you,” he said loudly over the music, his hand around her smaller wrist, trying to keep her at a comfortable distance. She was obviously intoxicated, and he wasn’t in the mood.