Man After Midnight (Open.)

[Odion Martins]

March 5, 2014 ~ Approximately at 1:05 AM

Odion’s birthday had never been that special to him, but he was a little bit ticked off that it had never been properly celebrated. Maybe it would actually be special to him if someone actually gave a fuck about him. His parents hadn’t been there after giving him away, and his twin brother hadn’t been there either. As it was, Odion had no idea where Declyn had gone after graduation, and it was probably for the best. They hadn’t gotten along all that well in the first place and after what happened in Ireland, Odion didn’t want anything to do with him.

But there was someone he did miss, someone he wanted everything to do with, but that person didn’t want anything to do with him. Odion seriously doubted that Lani would even remember it was his birthday and even if he did, he was probably loathing over it back at his apartment. Odion did his best to not think about the first time seeing his boyfriend after such a long absence. It could’ve gone a lot worse, but it wasn’t exactly the version of ‘reunited’ Odion wanted. He wasn’t even sure if he should still be calling Lani his boyfriend, because he wanted to, but there were a lot of technicalities involved.

Refusing to mope by himself, Odion decided to make use of his fake ID’s and get himself somewhere he could have some fun. He was officially not a teenager anymore, but not old enough to legally drink. It was a place of limbo that he took pride in ignoring. He had been acquainted to alcohol for a lot longer than most, although he usually kept that in the closet, along with a host of other secrets.

It was his fifth drink into the night and he was requesting music from the DJ now.

“That's an old song.” The DJ said, a grin on her face. She was obviously used to dealing with requests from drunks. But Odion wasn’t drunk, he was merely tipsy and had a long ways to go. “Come on, it’s my birthday!” Odion said happily, a puppy dog look on his face. The DJ giggled and sighed. “Sure thing cutie.” Most of the people here thought he had just turned 21, and he was getting a lot of free congratulatory drinks.

With a manic grin on his face, Odion hurried back to the bar to finish off his current drink so he could get to dancing. As soon as ABBA’s ‘Gimme Gimme Gimme A Man After Midnight’ came blaring through the speakers, Odion squealed in delight and raced to the dance floor. It was after midnight, and he fucking loved this song! Maybe his birthday wouldn’t be so bad after all. Everyone was smiling around him, everyone was happy for him, it was his birthday!

[Lani Hunter]

Lani knew what day it was, he couldn’t forget it. It was like it was burning into his mind like a brand. He laid in bed wondered what he should do, if anything, for Odion. He sat up and stared at the unopened bible on his desk. His power called it to his hands and he ran his hands over the smooth surface before opening it. It opened to the safe and Lani went to open it and hesitated. He’d never actually figured out the combination. He held up the contraption to his ear and heard the slight shifting inside. He pressed his ear into it listening carefully as his fingers moved. It clicked at the first number and Lani looked at it and noted it. He moved it back moving slowly and carefully until it snapped again. He frowned at the seemingly random number and kept going thinking they might make sense of themselves eventually. It snapped open and Lani was left with a combination of numbers that seemed to make no sense. Oh well he couldn’t pause now to think about it.

He placed the book back on his lap and carefully pulled out its contents. He ran his hand over the compass, turning it to read the inscription. He wiped a tear from his eyes and shook his head. Odion hadn’t known how right he had been, because his home, his due north rested with Odion and he was utterly lost without him. He shook his head and placed the compass aside. He pulled out the little travel book that he and Odion had filled, a few pages had Lani’s rough scrawl, others had Odion’s neat handwriting. Lani smiled as he found a few notes that held the emotions he’d tried to shut out. Finally he found the small memory card he’d taken out of his camera after he’d gotten back from Europe. He hadn’t even taken a moment to look at them before he locked them away, they were pictures that no one had seen since they had been taken.

Lani bit his lip and he wanted to remember what it had been like. After a few moments he finally broke down and put it in his computer. Lani found himself smiling. There they were at the airport and there they were during takeoff, Lani grinning at the camera and Odion looking a little sick. Lani laughed to himself, Odion had confiscated the camera after that. Even then their hands had been linked. Lani slammed his computer shut and looked off into the distance his hand resting over his mouth and his eyes wandering into nothingness as his heart hammered in his chest. He didn’t know what to do, his entire being ached for Odion and Lani was digging his heels in. The memories warmed his heart but at the same time the cold chill slithered in from underneath cracking the healing segments and reminding him that he was a terrible liar and if anything Odion deserved better. All the breaking of Lani’s heart had been his own fault.

Odion was here and Lani was desperately yearning for him. Lani could sit here and consider all of the possible explanations but Lani couldn’t forget how he had changed and how he had made himself promises to never hurt again. Now he was wondering how he could have even made those promises, because Odion was here and Lani’s heart was being torn all anew in so many different directions and he didn’t know if he could trust Odion again. He didn’t know if Odion could trust him again. He shook his head and got up to grab something from the kitchen. He nibbled on a cold sandwich, as he was pretty much banned from cooking for a while. The more he paced and carried around a barely touched sandwich as he considered what to do. It was Odion’s birthday and Lani couldn’t fight the fact that he wanted to see him.

It took several hours for Lani to talk himself into getting dressed to go out and another few hours to convince himself walking out the door was a good idea. Once he was out he had to then find Odion. He wasn’t sure that Odion was going out, but if he was Lani figured he would probably be in a bar, at least that was what Lani would have done, and honestly if Odion wasn’t in a bar then Lani could at least drink himself out of his mind. Four bars later Lani finally found something promising. An older song had just started up and Lani saw the flash of red hair through the gloom and his heart stuck in his throat. This should just be easy, just walk over tell Odion ‘Happy birthday’ and offer to buy him a drink. Not so hard. Lani bit his tongue and suddenly his heart filled with panic and he wanted run back out.

The panic made his heart race and he walked forward before he could convince himself otherwise. He stopped a little ways away his heart skipping a beat. What if Odion was having a good time and Lani being here ruined it all? His head swam and he hugged himself wanting to escape back into the shadows, but someone bumped him from behind and he fell forward and his eyes locked briefly with Odion’s as the redhead danced. “Oh shit,” he muttered inaudibly in the loud music then he forced a smile and raised his voice, “Happy birthday Odion!” His voice was filled with forced cheer and he just hoped that Odion didn’t notice.

[Odion Martins]

Naturally Odion was dressed to the nines, especially since it was his birthday and he had decided to go out. It hadn’t been an easy choice, but it was the best choice out of all the options. He knew who he would rather spend his birthday with, but that wasn’t viable at the moment, no matter how much he wished it was. One couldn’t wish something or someone into being. It was still fairly cold outside, so when he stopped by at the mall, he took a nice green shirt before leaving. Jeans were fine, since he would probably be spilling things all over the place and didn’t want to both nabbing more than what looked natural. And no hat tonight – it would either end up lost or stolen, and he was rather fond of his hats, which were currently being housed in the town college in the science lab. At least the test tubes wouldn’t collect any dust on the inside of them now.

Someone who looked like Lani nearly stumbled into him, and in his stupor Odion didn’t stop himself from grinning. It was his birthday, which apparently meant he could do whatever he wanted to do. Besides, this was close enough to what he had originally wanted for his birthday. “Yay!” Odion said, waving his hands about. Yup, it was indeed his birthday. Odion grabbed Lani’s hand swiftly and kissed the top of it before going back to dancing. A silly grin was on his face, and he spun around to the music. Everything was music and dancing. “Hey you,” he said as he came back around to face Lani. “I thought you didn’t like dancing,” he said conversationally. He had all the time in the world, and maybe he could make this night last forever. His power seemed just as subdued as he did.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani took a moment of his secrecy to watch Odion and he smiled at the redhead’s antics. It was nice to see Odion freely dancing about and it really made Lani remember and miss how things used to be. He’d cut that off, things couldn’t be how they were. He looked toward the bar. God, he needed a drink. Confronted with Odion again was hard on his heart but it was just as exciting as it had always been. Lani let out a breath of relief, glad that Odion was glad to see him, or at least drunk enough to not realize that they were fighting. Lani hesitated for a moment, were they actually fighting? He knew he was mad at Odion and he was pretty sure Odion was mad at him in some way as well, but this wasn’t like their old fights. In his distraction Odion grabbed his hand and Lani kicked himself because even all these months later his hand still instinctively curled around Odion’s.

He was more than a little startled and the kiss on the back of his hand seemed to burn rather pleasantly and Lani was so stunned he stood for a moment confused, his hand still hovering in the air before him as his eyes watched Odion dance away from him. Odion was drunk. His hand clenched and dropped to his side. His heart remembered what it had forgotten. Lani swallowed back tears. No things could not be as they were. Lani reminded himself he was not here to ruin Odion’s night. No fighting tonight. Save it for another day, there were too many hurts to be healed in a night but for now Lani could buy Odion a drink or two. And have at least twice that himself. Lani shook his head at Odion. “I don’t. Which is why I’m going to buy you a drink. What do you want?” Lani started then waved a hand, “Scratch that – I’m getting you a shot.”

Lani raised a finger to indicate for Odion to wait here because Lani was going to spend a fair amount of time at the bar, getting himself a drink or two before he braved an interaction with Odion again. As he slithered through the crowd he touched the back of his hand and shivered. Too close. Way too close. His heart screamed in terror as it remembered. He promised he wouldn’t get close again. He couldn’t let Odion get close. He couldn’t. At the bar he downed a shot or two himself before finally just getting a bunch of rum in a glass and a shot for his drunk, Lani didn’t know what to call him. Was he friend or foe? Was he here to punish Lani further for his sins? He shook his head, and drank his rum a bit as he search for Odion in the dancing crowd. It had taken him a while to return and he wasn’t even sure if Odion was still in the same general area, though the dance floor was a good place to look.

[Odion Martins]

If Odion had been in his right mind he may have reacted differently, but Lani knew better than anyone just how goofy Odi could be under the influence. He had picked up on other bad habits while in Europe, but that was a story for another time. If the redhead had a choice, he would make it so that they weren’t arguing or fighting over anything at all. In hindsight, he wasn’t sure why he always had to pick a bone with Lani – things were much better and brighter when they got along and actually enjoyed each other. A lot of that had happened in Europe, but it had also been undone in Europe. Maybe what was left of them couldn’t be salvaged or repaired, but they were still alive, there had to be some way around this problem and Odion wasn’t going to give up. But tonight, he was going to let his guard down and have some fun, because despite Lani’s first impression and subsequent impressions, Odi did know how to have fun.

Odion saw things now as though they were in the best possible light. With Lani before him as he was now, there was no reason why he couldn’t love him. People often went with the flow and did what was natural when they were intoxicated and Odion wasn’t an exception. Odion was currently under the impression that they hadn’t broken up at all. This was just another night. Or maybe it was another broken memory that he was trying to hold on to. Maybe Lani was just a piece of his wishful thinking. Odion giggled and sighed. “It sounds like you need a drink more than me.” He said, pointing between himself and Lani.

Odion wasn’t just going to wait there, honestly, what was Lani thinking? As soon as the blond had his back turned Odion was dancing again. He wasn’t as good as he normally was, but then again it wasn’t that bad for being drunk. It was nice, forgetting about what he knew was something he had to inevitably go through. Every day he spent time drudging through where he last left off of the last seven months. It was still too painful to go back to that fateful day, so he was working backwards instead. Apparently one night stands were okay in his books. They hadn’t meant a thing to him. But he wasn’t thinking about any of that in this moment. His eyes scanned over the crowd only to land on Lani over at the bar. He was Odion’s man after midnight, every night if the ginger had any say in the matter.

Refusing to dance with anyone else, Odion was keeping a rather large personal bubble despite the crowd. He was enjoying the spinning sensation and the pounding in his head, since it was the only thing he could focus on and he liked it that way. Odi somehow managed to notice that Lani was making his way back to the dance area so Odion tried to wiggle to the edge of the crowd. “Wouldn’t want those to spill,” he said, since dancing and holding drinks usually ended badly one way or another. His smile was broader than it had been in a while. “Which one's for me Lani?” Odion still had that same drawl when he said Lani’s name, if anything his accent was more prominent now than it had been before.

“You don’t like dancing,” Odion stated again, looking Lani up and down as though trying to puzzle together why he would be here if he wasn’t here for the music. “Are you here because it’s my birthday?” At this point, everything and anything was because of the fact that it was his birthday. Goddamn it, it was time it was properly celebrated for once! So what if he was being selfish about it.

[Lani Hunter]

He couldn’t dispute that things were better when they were just getting along. Honestly, nothing ever felt right when they were fighting but they’d always been able to repair, until this last time. Lani smiled and shook his head at Odion before slipping away. The redhead did have a point, he did need a drink. He was afraid of who he’d become when he did start drinking. He had a tendency to become a very happy drunk, but his emotions were everywhere and he was very afraid that he might amplify his anger or sadness instead of happiness. At least Odion’s happiness was easy to draw on. He was starting to feel the buzz and it was easier to let loose and relax despite every nerve ending protesting the idea. So maybe this wasn’t the brightest idea the telekinetic had ever had, but hey, he’d gotten drunk with Adrianna and she was an ex. Why should Odion be any different?

The question struck his heart and he knew exactly how and why it was so different. He shook it off and smiled as Odion appeared through the crowd. Honestly with that green shirt and red hair he was at least easy to find. Lani’s heart struggled as the sight of such a smile on Odion’s face warmed it and comforted. A stronger part pulled back and balked. But Lani was a good actor and he kept his smile from fading. The buzz was helping and Lani nodded in agreement, it would be a tragedy if they spilled. His mind wandered, he’d spilled a drink on a rather nice young woman. Lani blinked, it only occurred to him now that Molly had had red hair as well. His mind felt slapped by the epiphany and then again by the idea that such a thing was an epiphany. Well, those drinks were strong. And now he had rum in a cup and he was happy with that. He handed over the shot he had carefully held to not spill a drop, well at least not too many of them.

“Drink up,” Lani said with a little laugh. It was still music to his ears and he wished so dearly that he could just forget. That he could forget all of the work to seal away his heart and that he could just fall in love again with Odion. But Lani wasn’t falling in love again, he was in love. He’d been heartbroken but he’d never fallen out of love with Odion. Lani took fast gulps of his drink wincing a little as it burned on the way down. The way Odion said his name was still like music and Lani drank more to drown away the pain and to let his mind wander. Lani looked disappointed at his cup when all that bumped against his lips was ice. Well, that was fast. Oops. Lani looked at Odion and took a moment to focus on him. He’d wanted to be drunk and well, he was well on his way now.

Lani rolled his eyes dramatically and they landed on Odion after a long moment. “I think we’ve established that,” he drawled back cocking his head at Odion to view him diagonally. And to think Odion thought he was Sherlock. Lani reached up intent on patting Odion on the head when he realized what he was doing and swiftly ran his hand thought his hair. He nodded and laughed as if the question were absurd. Lani hadn’t forgotten the redhead’s birthday. “I wouldn’t miss it,” Lani said over the music and he already knew what he would be doing if Odion weren’t here. He’d probably shut himself away and catalogue all of the things he’d done wrong. Lani’s tongue pressed against his teeth striving to apologize for all he’d done. He bit it off stubbornly and just covered it with a smile. “So happy birthday, Odion!” Lani repeated. He really wanted to give Odion a hug, but he wasn’t that drunk yet, he was still focusing on keeping Odion an arm’s length away. “And ‘cause it’s your birthday, and only ‘cause it’s your birthday,” Lani said and poked Odion in the chest with his finger, “I’mma be here in a… in a dance club, and dance.” Lani was already starting to stumble over his words, he’d meant to say he was on the dance floor.

[Odion Martins]

They hadn’t been able to properly repair because Odion hadn’t been in his right mind. The thread that had bound him to Lani had unravelled and detached itself before Odion truly knew what he was saying and doing. Those were the moments he was working up to dissecting, so that he could understand what he had done. He didn’t know if he could stand doing it, but he was working up to that ultimate goal of ultimate suffering. Joy. Odion didn’t need another drink, he was completely happy with the state of his affairs. Lani was with him, it was his birthday, all was well with the world. It wasn’t that another drink or so would hurt him, he hadn’t been sick from alcohol in a long time. Pushing the limits with his power and mind came with pushing his drinking levels as well. Odion felt both tingly and numb all over.

Back near the dance floor, Odion was looking down at himself with dismay. “Oh my god,” he stated, clutching at his chest and hair. “I look like Christmas! Fucking hell…” Why hadn’t he thought of that before? A moment later he was shrugging, because he didn’t really give a damn. That, or he had forgotten what he said already. Clearly not in the mood for reading emotions, Odion was staring at the drinks in Lani’s hands, and Lani’s hands in general. They were both rough and tender, and Odion couldn’t help but think about how much he loved them. Taking the shot, Odion toasted Lani before drinking the rum in one go. Odion raised the shot glass belated into the air. “Cheers.” The burn of the alcohol could be felt all the way down – it was one of the best feelings in the world. Odion snatched Lani’s glass away from him as soon as the blond was finished, and put the empty glasses on the table. He was determined that no one would be hurt tonight, not on his watch.

“Drink up,” Lani said with a little laugh. It was still music to his ears and he wished so dearly that he could just forget. That he could forget all of the work to seal away his heart and that he could just fall in love again with Odion. But Lani wasn’t falling in love again, he was in love. He’d been heartbroken but he’d never fallen out of love with Odion. Lani took fast gulps of his drink wincing a little as it burned on the way down. The way Odion said his name was still like music and Lani drank more to drown away the pain and to let his mind wander. Lani looked disappointed at his cup when all that bumped against his lips was ice. Well, that was fast. Oops. Lani looked at Odion and took a moment to focus on him. He’d wanted to be drunk and well, he was well on his way now.

“I think we’ve established that.” “Shhhhh,” Odion retorted, his eyebrows furrowing, his pointer finger to his lips. “I’m thinking.” And that took extra time and energy since he was drunk and there was loud music seemingly everywhere. The song he had requested was long over by now and some new song was playing that he didn’t know. Another genuine smile crossed Odion’s face as Lani stated he wouldn’t miss this day, and Odion briefly wondered how Lani had found him. But the thought was lost as quickly as it came and the alcohol entered his brain instead. That reminded him. “I’ve missed you,” he swallowed for no particular reason, “a lot.”

Odion laughed out loud, and for a very long time. “You?” He asked, a clever hand over his mouth in an attempt to stop the giggles. Just a few more. “You’re going to dance?” Well, it certainly would be an interesting birthday present.

[Lani Hunter]

There was a great deal of blame to share, the y hadn’t been able to repair because Odion had gone out of his mind and Lani had run away back to the States. He didn’t understand why Odion would want to go back and remember. Lani couldn’t forget and it was just as painful as it had been so long ago. Lani had gotten good at pushing it out of his mind and moving on, but now that Odion was back it was like it was at the front of his mind. Lani had been dedicated to getting out and pretending everything was fine, eventually he would drink enough and he would believe it. It wasn’t something he liked to do often, but it happened a fair amount. Lani wanted to buy Odion a drink, partially because he also wanted a drink. Lani was disappointed he missed the comment about Odion looking like Christmas, Lani would have had a field day with that.

Lani smiled and raised his drink, despite it having a great deal already taken out of it. He drank a bit as Odion took the shot. Lani blinked in surprise as the last drink he managed to get was ice and extremely watered down rum now and then it was gone and his hand was empty. Well, he guessed he was done with it now anyways, no nervous crunching of ice. At least he wouldn’t give himself away. He laughed a little and found himself watching Odion. Maybe he was getting drunk purely by the fact that he was drinking so fast. That was an often and real problem he was starting to realize. Oh well, often times being drunk was more fun than not. It was getting harder and harder to stand here with Odion and not take him in his arms, to not kiss him and make things the way they’d always been. It would have been harder if he wasn’t drunk, because Odion was fight about one thing. Drinking did put people into a more natural uncontrolled state.

Raising a brow at Odion Lani let his voice taper off. The confused expression he wore broke into a smile and he couldn’t hold back a little chuckle. Odion needing time to think, that was new. He grinned impishly as he waited to hear whatever profound thing Odion decided to say. The music distracted Lani and the lights were all very interesting and he looked back at Odion just taking a moment to watch the thinking time turner. In his mind he imaged what it would be like if he just snapped up Odion now and kissed him. But the fact of the matter was that they were both drunk, and decisions like that should not be made intoxicated. Lani’d long since forgiven Odion, he knew there was mutual blame, but… What Odion said stopped Lani like he’d been doused in cold water. Lani reached out and his fingers tugged at Odion’s sleeves and brushed Odion’s hands and finally he took Odion’s hands in his. “I’ve missed you, too,” Lani replied softly.

He released Odion’s hands, startled out of the moment as Odion started to laugh. His heart raced and he couldn’t remember what was so funny. “What?” He demanded and looked around and felt himself blushing and for a moment he wiped at his mouth afraid there was something on his face or in his teeth. Oh that would be just great, wouldn’t it? Lani blinked at Odion and waved his hands in front of him in a very large gesture of ‘no’. “No, no, no I never said that.” He said in denial. Had he? Why would be agree to that? No, Odion had to have heard him wrong. Adrianna had more than once dragged Lani onto a dance floor, more or less kicking and screaming. He did a little shuffle. That was his extent of dancing. Maybe a little finger pointing action if things got really crazy. “You’re drunk, crazy man,” Lani said as if that was the reason he was hearing such absurd things.

[Odion Martins]

Odion didn’t want to go back to experience all the pain he had missed, but he knew it was the right thing to do. Also, his stubborn streak wouldn’t let him know his own past so well except for a few months. That was simply unacceptable. He had already made a deal with himself that after he rested for a couple weeks, we would begin looking into the past. It was clear he wouldn’t have to try too hard, seeing as he was already beginning to receive unwanted flashbacks during the day, and sometimes in the night. If he was going to go through those memories, he wanted at least some choice in the matter. Odion had always done his fair share of drinking, but it had been very bad in Europe. This made the memories even more convoluted, and it would take some time to look at the memories from a third person point of view, but he knew he could get there. He had done it so many times, he could do it again.

Distracted by a couple walking past them, Odion let himself be distracted. His mind often went to Lani these days, and how he ached for him. He would often imagine their touch, but remembering it and experiencing it all over again were completely different things. Odion didn’t let himself think about all the couplely things they had between them – he simply wasn’t allowed that tonight. He had separated that part of himself by sheer force of will. Lani was here, Odi didn’t want to scare him away. His dark blue eyes were still on the couple now at the bar when Lani’s touch broke his concentration. Surprise was on his face, followed by a warm smile. It was like a first kiss all over again – one simply just did not know how to react. It took another moment, and Odion wasn’t sure if that was due to surprise or drunkenness, but he squeezed Lani’s hands tightly before falling into his fits of laughter.

Watching Lani wipe at his face, Odion could only shake his head while he was laughing, trying to signal to Lani that the humor had nothing to do with his face. It had everything to do with what he said. Or at least, how Odion interpreted it. “It is exactly what you said! I would quote you, but I’m drunk and ain’t nobody got time for that.” Apparently now was the time to quote other, ridiculous things he could remember at a time like this. Odion’s lips turned into a lopsided grin. “True, but also true is that you secretly are here to dance.” Or something, Odion wasn’t a truth detector. Not thinking too clearly, he playfully reached out for Lani’s hand and lifted it up. “Go, spin under my arm!”

[Lani Hunter]

It was against a good reason that Odion had the control over himself that he did, because Lani with that kind of power would be tempted to change something. Odion was a brave soul for forcing himself to look back. Lani wasn’t thinking about the past right now, all he thinking about was the here and now. Odion was here, he was here, his redhead was here and Lani didn’t want him to leave again. The harsh realities floated in his mind and put an insane sort of dipole mode on his emotions and he was oscillating drunkenly between cold anger and hot excitement and happiness. These were happening at random and throwing Lani for a loop. He was just glad his masks had fit back after Odion had left and he’d been able to keep on an air of indifference and been able to pretend like he was fine. At least around people who didn’t know him, Adrianna and Avi could see right through him and then when Odion ambushed him it was like there was no mask at all. Lani shook his head refusing to remember that. His mask of happiness was on now and it wasn’t going to move.

The feel of Odion’s hands in his and it startled him of much his hands had been missing Odion’s. The texture of his hands had changed, they were rougher than he remembered, calloused in places they hadn’t been before. Lani’s brow creased. What had gone on during those seven months? Lani didn’t want to let go and he squeezed Odion’s hands back before he pulled away, afraid of the electricity running through his limbs and heart. Whatever Odion was signaling was not getting through to Lani and he ended up just looking annoyed at Odion and attempting to glare at him until his stopped. But his eyes were also full of humor and his lips had twisted into an impish grin because the more Odion laughed the harder it was for Lani to keep a straight face. Lani shook his head like a dog and burst into laughter. Well if there was one thing that Lani would have never imaged coming out of Odion mouth that was probably it. “I don’t remember that,” Lani said when he finally recovered but it was too late Odion had already gotten the idea stuck in his head.

Lani’s brows migrated toward his hairline. “Oh-ho? Really? Is that it?” He shook his head like a dog making the world get a little more blurry. Lani felt himself pulled and he laughed shaking his head his face getting red. “No, no, no, no! Not gonna happen!” He exclaimed trying to pull his hand back. “You can dance, why don’t you do the spinning?” Lani challenged lifting up Odion’s hand and motioning for him to do something. Lani would do just what he did with Adrianna and stand there and sway. He considered that an improvement, he could keep a beat now, that was about as far as he’d gotten. So he would stand here and he could sway with the beat. But dangerous things happened and he was not going to attempt to spin, in public and probably take out a few people on his way. No, Odion was much more adept at dancing than he was so he would dance and Lani would pretend.

[Odion Martins]

If their relationship had truly been manipulated by time, Lani wouldn’t have even known. He wouldn’t think anything was wrong right now, because the fight and all subsequent events would never have occurred. But Odion wasn’t that evil, and his relationship with Lani was real, and very difficult. If this was all for fun and games, Odion would’ve picked an easier person to taunt and tease. But Lani challenged him and helped him grow into someone who actually cared for people. Well, certain people. In any case, changing time so that these past seven months never occurred was a recipe for disaster, and Odion wasn’t interested in doing more damage than was already done. If Lani could trust anyone, it was Odion.

Uninterested in speaking of the past, Odion was glad for the drunken stupor is mind was currently in. He had been up to many shenanigans when he hadn’t had a conscience. It would be hard getting Lani back into his life without all the gory details of what Odi had been up to. “No, you conveniently forget,” Odion retorted, sounding a little more like himself now. It wasn’t that Odion didn’t want to be near Lani, he was afraid of what he would automatically do if he saw an opportunity for it. They had reached a point where there weren’t any limits, and a hug or a kiss seemed like the most natural thing in the world between them. Now, Odion knew that doing something like that would probably get rewarded with a slap in the face. So he would stick to goofy fun for now; under the rouse of alcohol, nearly any stupid choice could look accidental.

Odion just rolled his eyes and laughed in return. “Fine, since you’re too scared.” The redhead easily spun under Lani’s arms, which seemed longer than he last remembered them being. Either that was something new, or he was truly drunk. They were both still growing, so, it was technically possible. After coming out of the spin, Odion twisted his arm so Lani would have to continue spinning unless he decided to let go. “Spin damn it! It’s not that difficult!” What was the worst that could happen? No one was paying attention to them anyways. A coy smile took over the redhead’s face. “You’re no fun.” Lani would know exactly who had said that last time, and how Odion hadn’t reacted kindly to the comment.

[Lani Hunter]

As painful as it was now, a relationship built on lies and deceit was worse than a relationship that hurt. Right now they were both hurt and even if going back and wiping it all away seemed like the better plan, none of it would be real and the hurt would be doubled, perhaps even unsalvageable if it did happen. Odion and Lani had made the decision to not bypass the hard parts the moment when Odion offered to make it so they never met and Lani denied them both the luxury. It was that moment in time when they both decided that taking the easy way out was not how they were going to do things. It was the unspoken promise that they had made to each other, but Lani thought that neither of them were prepared for things to go as wrong as they did.

Lani smiled impishly before his grin turned innocent. This was starting to feel more familiar and it was easy to fall into their old games and even now as Odion was challenging him he merely shrugged in response. He wasn’t going to tell Odion he was wrong, nor was he going to deny the claim because what he said and what he thought he said at the moment after that drink might be extremely different thing. He did have an acute sense of what was too close and he was trying to keep his distance even now. He wanted to protect his heart from the pain of their breakup and as much as being here now spoke opposite that, he couldn’t stay away from Odion. He was in a pickle and his alcohol influenced mind was digressing quickly. He had a problem. He wanted to be with Odion, but he didn’t want his heart exposed again. He laughed and stuck his tongue out but Odion was already spinning and probably didn’t see.

Laughing with Odion it was easy to admire Odion in his mirth as the redhead danced. Lani stayed as he was and let out a little ‘woah’ as Odion twisted his arm then. Lani laughed at the sound of Odion’s joking frustration. The momentum awkwardly turned Lani away from Odion and he blinked in confusion as he looked away from Odion his arm half twisted behind his back. He turned back after a thought going in the only logical direction his arm would turn at the moment. “Jerk,” he said as he faced Odion again a sense of fondness in the term as he smiled at Odion. His jaw dropped and he shook his head at Odion. “I’m no fun?” Now it was Lani’s turn to burst into incontrollable laughter. He wrapped his arms around his torso as if he were striving to hold his insides in as he laughed. “Oh man, Odion you are very drunk.” He said when he recovered reached up and patted Odion’s head now as if he were patting a child on the head.

He removed his hand quickly when he realized what he was doing and how he was breaking his own rules for closeness. He sobered quickly and coughed. “I’m gonna get another drink,” Lani said abruptly. He turned away and then back, “Want anything?” He added subtly taking a step back, at least as far as the pressing crowd would let him. He was starting to think this was a bad idea. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Come out and celebrate with Odion. Odion was if anything at least special to Lani and Lani wanted Odion to know that. He wasn’t sure what he was doing anymore, or what he wanted anymore.

[Odion Martins]

It was hard to describe exactly what Odion had gone through the moment Caroline managed to find his new number. But it was like he had always told her, “If you want to find someone badly enough, you will.” She had a lot of her older brother in her, and was constantly under the pretext of doing the right thing for the people she loved around her. Odion could honestly say he loved her like a little sister. It wasn’t she who had done anything wrong, so when the text message hit, it was like waking up from a daze. His head immediately started to ache and he wondered where he was. He wondered where Lani went. He remembered only bits and pieces, and with a profound sense of loss, he asked Caroline what had happened. He was surprised by the date on his phone. Odion had always been the one to play tricks with time, but now that seemed to be reversed.

It was easier now to see their silly games in a fond light. Lani liked to have an air of mystery about him, and Odion wasn’t hell bent on cracking that mystery tonight. He let out a dramatic sigh, Odion wondered what Lani was going to do with his arm twisted behind his back. But Lani didn’t seem of the mind to let go, and he finally spun. Odi’s eyebrows went up and now he was the one shrugging. “May I point out, you’re dancing.” It was a comment that would probably be enough to scare Lani away, but Odion didn’t think he would stay away for too long. They seemed to be dancing on eggshells, but in Odi’s mind they were at least together. A smirk returned to Odion’s face. “Well I didn’t come here to stay sober. That’s just depressing.” That wasn’t another quality Odion couldn’t seem to shut off when he had too much liquor in him: vocal honesty.

Odion’s face scrunched up as Lani patted him on the head. He wasn’t sure why, maybe he thought Lani was going to hit him or something? But Lani seemed surprised at himself and was off to fetch more drinks. Odion watched Lani step back, and he himself didn’t move. Things were spinning around pleasantly. “Yup.” But he didn’t say what he wanted, he was too busy staring at Lani, since he hadn’t been able to for over half a year. He was going to throw in a quip about how Lani was trying to get him drunk, but hell, he already was, and it wasn’t Lani’s doing. Odion was too focused on the moment to be thinking about anything else anymore. “Need any cash?”

[Lani Hunter]

It was an experience that Lani had yet to encounter. He trusted Caroline with things he thought she could handle, but she had turned the tides on him. It was a hard thing for Lani to see his sister growing up. She was already independent of not only their parents but him as well. He’d gone from being a protective older brother to being much more like friends with his little sister. Though the protective older brother wasn’t going away ever. If he found out that Caroline had hunted Odion down Lani honestly be sure whether to be angry or impressed. Probably a mix of both. Lani thought he was finally over the shock and disbelief that Odion was back and that meant a whole new array of issues to work through. He put those on hold to come out tonight, because it was Odion’s birthday, it was a night to be celebrated.

“I…” Lani started a retort and it got stuck in his throat and Lani fell silent. He couldn’t fight against that, but it was a sore spot. Unwilling, or perhaps unwitting dancing, did this mean they were dancing together? Lani swallowed, but they weren’t together. The action and the feel of Odion’s hair brought that down like a hammer. And the look on Odion’s face made Lani retract his hand like he’d been burned. Lani’s mind created all sorts of crazy scenarios. Odion thought he was gonna hit him? Was that a look of rejection? Had Lani done what he had initially set out to do when Odion showed up? Had Lani finally pushed him away? The idea didn’t give Lani any happiness and he made a quick escape. He nodded and turned to leave, shaking his head at the question. He actually had more cash now than when he had walked into the bar. Drunk people were easy.

Lani melted into the crowd and had half a mind to leave. This had been a bad idea, he thought as he swayed toward the bar. He glanced back, would Odion even notice if he left? Then, did Lani even want to leave? It was a horrible feeling when head and heart disagreed so viciously with each other. Well, he might call it an early night, but not yet. He didn’t want to walk out on Odion again, not like he’d gotten on that plane. God, he was such an idiot. He just wanted to bang his head on the bar when he got there. Thankfully he refrained but when he caught the bartender and ordered two drinks he didn’t even know what he’d ordered, something dark and liquor dominated. He didn’t want to say that feinting happiness was the hardest thing he’d ever done, but it was right up there. As he waited the man next to him started up a conversation. The mask came back easily and Lani was joking about something about the weather with this guy.

When the two drinks came the man asked who the other one was for. Lani stumbled over an answer before he ended up saying, “My… just friend.” Lani was all sorts of articulate today. The man looked skeptical and more than a little amused as Lani gave him a nod and smile and turned back to the dance floor. Maybe if he lurked by a table Odion would be content to dance and let Lani stand. He started sipping at his drink and propped himself up against one of the higher tables and held out the drink in Odion’s general direction, indicating he was not moving.

[Odion Martins]

It was usually those who were most curious about the world who ended up growing up the fastest. Some of these people had to be curious by force; in order to survive, they need to know how things worked. Others chose to go looking for the way things worked, and how to make those around them tick. Odion was one world while Lani was the other; Caroline seemed to be learning from the best of these two worlds. Odion could watch Caroline growing up without much heartache, as in the end she would make her own decisions just like everyone else. All he knew, was that no matter what happened to her, he would be there by her side, even if he had to fight to be there. He owed the youngest Hunter as much as he owed the oldest sibling.

Odion wasn’t going to press the issue too much, mostly because he was happy, and less because he knew better. There was nothing wrong with dancing, it was perhaps his most beloved activity. Odion was hard on the outside, but there was something innocent about the things he most enjoyed in this world: dancing and stuffed animals just to name a couple. Odi hasn’t meant to flinch, honestly, and the look of apology on his face was a testament to that. He hadn’t meant to, but for some reason his body was more prepared for sting than anything else – he just hoped Lani would understand. The world had not been kind to a little boy named Sebastian O’Callahan. The question about the money was just small talk, Odion didn’t know what else to say. It was hard to figure out the right words when he was struggling with the past, and drunk in the present.

Odion wiped both hands down his face, blinking hard against the pounding in his ears. It had been the right decision to come out tonight, and Lani was here. What did that mean? He sighed and his shoulders slumped in an exaggerated manner. There would be no clear thinking here, there really wasn’t any point in trying. So instead he just danced with the crowd, not with anyone in particular. It was easy not to feel lonely when you had a lot of people around you, and you weren’t stealing from them, and you were under the impression that they were all here to celebrate your birthday with you. Odi was sweaty and warm, partially from the alcohol and partially from the dancing. It may also have had something to do with Lani, but all Odion knew was that he needed to stop dancing and find Lani again. Unless it had all been in his head.

Spotting Lani at the bar, Odion made his way in that general direction. He didn’t stand as tall as he usually did, but he wasn’t stumbling either. In other words, he was a fantastic actor. At least, he was in his mind. Lani moved away from someone and automatically Odion was sending the other man ‘the look’. With both hands on the tall table, Odion smirked over in Lani’s direction. “You should watch yourself,” he said in pleasant warning, “I think someone’s finding you attractive.” Odion was glaring at the other man and took a sip from his drink in what he hoped was a menacing manner. Odi slipped into the closest chair at the table and watched as the drink cupped between both hands didn’t stop spinning. He looked up and seemed surprised Lani was there, and Odi was smiling all over again. “I’m glad my birthday’s being properly celebrated.” Already the other man in the bar was forgotten.