[story] one day

[ib_archive]

author: nan hart (hartfully)
email: nanthimus [at] gmail.com

artist: TP (huntersandkings)



It was the heat that first disturbed Sebastian from his sleep; the overbearing weight pressed down on him like a blanket, even in the mid-morning hours. The fingers drumming on his shoulder didn’t register until moments later and Bastian rolled over, rubbing his eyes.

"Russ?" The word was little more than a croak as he focused on his unexpected bedmate.

"Hey there, handsome." The flirt was expected - it would have been weirder if Russ didn’t make a comment like that - but Bastian’s eyes widened as Russ leaned closer, eyes darker and voice far more intimate. "Last night was fantastic. I had no idea you were so limber."

Letting the words sink in for a moment, Bastian shot up and stared down at Russ, who matched his panic with a smirk.

"What happened?" he asked, voice going embarrassingly high-pitched and Russ pouted.

"You don’t remember?" He sat up with Bastian and tugged him closer. "S’okay. I’m always up for a repeat performance."

Bastian stared at him for a moment before rolling his eyes and grabbing a pillow, hitting Russ on the shoulder with it. "You’ve got to stop doing that shit," he said, standing up and picking up the nearest shirt he could see. Pulling it on, he pushed his hair out of his face. "At least stop doing it before I get some caffeine in my system."

Russ laughed. "But that’s the only time you fall for it," he said, leaning back against Bastian’s pillows, arms folded behind his head comfortably.

"Whatever. How’d you get in?"

"Your mom." Bastian’s mother worked as a nurse at the only hospital in town. She worked third shift, so Bastian rarely got to see her. "She says hi, by the way."

"She needs to be more careful, letting sexual deviants like you in," Bastian said, grinning and Russ laughed.

"Your mom loves me," he protested.

"She just doesn’t know you." It was a weak counter. Grace had nearly raised Russ alongside Bastian, as his own parents were rarely home.

"Yeah, okay," Russ said, getting up from the bed. He stood just a few inches taller than Bastian. "She already gave me her blessings," he said, voice husky, and Bastian shook his head.

"You’re crazy," he said. "So where are we meeting the others?" 'The others' being Xander, C.C, and Junebug - the five were best friends.

"Where else?" Russ said as they walked down the narrow staircase leading to the kitchen and living room. "At the lounge." The lounge - Mama Mia Lounge and Café - was one of the more popular hangouts in town and was owned by Junebug’s uncle. It was usually packed with teenagers and since school was out for the summer, it would be nearly unbearable in there.

"Xander’s going to want to bolt as soon as we get there," Bastian said, reaching the bottom of the stairs and taking the sharp turn towards the kitchen. "He hates crowds."

"Poor guy," Russ said, sympathy absent in the words as he followed behind Bastian, hands shoved deep in his pockets despite the heat that threatened to overtake the meager air conditioning in the house.

"Your concern is noted," Bastian said, casting a glance over his shoulder as he pushed through the swing door and walked into the kitchen, intent on grabbing an apple before heading out. Before he got to the fruit, he paused.

"Did Mom cook before she went to bed?" he asked and Russ walked over to the microwave, pressing the release button and catching the small door as it swung open.

"Nope," he said, pulling out a plate stacked high with pancakes. "I did." He set them on the table and took half, setting them on a separate plate and sliding it towards Bastian. "Eat up, we’re going to be late."

Bastian blinked, brow furrowing. "You made pancakes?" he repeated, though he sat down. "Uh, why?"

"Uh, because I wanted to," Russ replied. "You going to eat or what?"

As if on autopilot, Bastian picked up a fork. Sticking it in the butter and smearing some on the stack of pancakes, he smothered them in syrup and took a big bite. "Ummm, they’re good," he said around the mouthful.

Russ rolled his eyes. "It’s hard to screw up pancakes." Despite the words, a pleased little smile formed over his full lips as he watched Bastian eat.





"You made him pancakes?" C.C’s stare was incredulous as she sat opposite Russ in one of the lounge’s many booths.

"Yep," Russ said, one long arm stretched across the back of his seat, a comfortable smirk on his face. "I told you I was going to start my campaign of seduction this summer."

"Yeah, but," C.C shrugged, one brow arched high, "that doesn’t say seduction so much as hopelessly romantic."

"Wait a minute," Xander interrupted from his place beside C.C. "You mean all this time you’ve been serious about, you know," his face darkened slightly, "all the stuff you say about Bastian?"

"Why?" Russ asked, eyes going half-lidded. "You jealous?"

"W-wha-no!" Xander’s face reddened so quickly it looked painful and he shook his head frantically. "No but-"

"But what?" C.C asked, eyes narrowing as she rounded on him. "You got a problem with them going out?"

"Of course not," Xander said, rubbing the back of his head. "But I just, uhm, never expected Russ to be serious about it. I mean, he kind of fools around a lot. Uh, no offense," he added, shooting an apologetic glance at Russ.

Russ shrugged. "It’s true," he said. "But Bastian’s different." Before he could add anything, Bastian and Junebug showed up, arms full of drinks and snack foods.

"Why is it," Bastian said as they set the drinks down with a clatter, "that there are five of us but only two go to get the food?"

Junebug slid into the seat beside Xander, a faint smile on her face. "We know they appreciate us," she murmured, snagging her drink and stabbing the straw through the lid.

"I doubt that," Bastian said, sitting down beside Russ.

"Well, we appreciate Junebug," C.C teased, grabbing one of the small paper boxes of nachos. "We appreciate her not complaining."

Bastian shrugged. "Yeah, I’m going to remember that," he said with a grin, pointing at her, drink in hand. "You can get your own stuff next time!"

"Maybe I will," she shot back.

"I’ll help you next time," Russ threw in, grinning up at him. "Be happy to!"

Brow furrowed, Bastian took a sip from his drink. "Okay," he said, reaching in his pocket and pulling out a five. "Go get me some chocolate, okay? I want something I can take to the beach."

"I got it," Russ said and stood, ignoring the money. He grinned down at Bastian. "Be right back."

As soon as he left, Bastian transferred his stare to the other three. "He’s acting weird. You guys know anything about this?"

"He’s as he always is." Junebug’s expression was serene as she gently stirred her straw through her soda slowly. "Maybe your eyes are opening finally."

Bastian raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, that wasn’t really helpful at all but thanks anyway, Junie." He turned to C.C and Xander. "Okay you guys, spill."

C.C rolled her eyes. "I already told you," she said around a mouth full of nachos. "Remember?"

Bastian shook his head. "Yeah, I remember you saying something about Russ actually meaning all the flirting he does to me, which is ridiculous because he flirts with everyone the same way-"

"Yeah, except that he only means it when he does it to you," C.C said, running a hand through her reddish-brown hair. "C’mon, he still hangs out with you even though his flirting doesn’t work. What’s that say about him?"

"That his flirting is habit only and doesn’t really mean anything when directed towards me?" Bastian said, voice raising slightly in frustration. "Serious, C.C, this is getting old." He bit the inside of his cheek and glanced around the room, eyes lighting on a tall, dark haired girl standing on the far side. "Hey, isn’t that Sam? Samantha Gibbons?"

C.C turned, eyes narrowing as she looked at the other girl. "Yeah, that’s her alright," she said, lip curling. "Miss Perfect herself."

"Yeah." Bastian smiled suddenly. "Look, I’ll prove it to you," he said, setting down his drink sharply and getting up.

"What are you doing?" C.C asked.

"We both know Russ has had a hard-on for her for ages," Bastian said. "I’m setting them up."

"You’re what?!" C.C shook her head. "No way, Bastian, stop-"

"I’ll be right back," he said, leaving their table and heading for Sam.

"Oh, great," C.C said, slumping down in her seat, hands over her cheeks. She sat for a moment before turning to Xander and Junebug. "Thanks for the help, guys!" she hissed.

"What did you want me to say?" Xander asked, spreading his hands out defensively.

"This will end well," Junebug murmured, eyes on her drink.

"Whatever," C.C said as Russ walked back up, holding several chocolate bars.

"Where’d Bastian go?" he asked, hazel eyes narrowed as he looked around.

"He’s over there," C.C motioned to where Bastian and Sam stood. "Trying to set you up with Samantha Gibbons."

Russ blinked, one brow raising as he glanced between Bastian and C.C. "He’s setting me up with a girl?" He shook his head and grinned. "Jeez. He should know by know that I don’t need help getting dates."

"He’s trying to prove C.C wrong," Xander said and winced when C.C jabbed her elbow in his ribs.

"What?" Shaking his head, Russ glared at C.C. "You told him?"

"Of course I did!" She waved one hand in the air nonchalantly. "You two are complete idiots when it comes to this. You think you can win everyone over by manipulation - which is what you’re doing, just in a nice way - while he doubts anyone could ever like him as more than a friend. So I helped out."

"Yeah, but..." Whatever Russ was going to say faded away as Bastian showed up, Sam in tow.

"Hey guys," he said brightly. "This is Sam. Sam, everybody; everybody, Sam."

"Hi," Sam said, voice throaty and eyes only for Russ. "So, Russell, Bastian told me that you want to go out sometime?"

Russ glanced at Bastian before looking at her. "Yeah," he said, shrugging slightly, immediately going into smooth guy mode. "I’ve noticed you around school."

"Sam’s going to the mall," Bastian cut in.

"Yeah." She tossed long dark hair over her shoulder - a practiced move. "You want to come?" One eyebrow arched and a wicked grin formed over her painted lips. "It’ll be fun."

"Sure he does." Bastian picked up his drink. "We’re going to the beach. You guys have fun!"

"Wai-" But Russ wasn’t able to get the word out before Sam linked her arm through his.

"Let’s go," she said, nearly dragging him along. Russ glanced over his shoulder at Bastian, eyes dark, before turning and tugging Sam into the curve of his body as they walked out of the lounge.

Bastian watched them go, feeling mildly disappointed, before turning to C.C. "See?" he said. "He went with her."

C.C sighed explosively. "You practically forced him to go! He didn’t really want to go!"

"Then why’d he grab her like that?" Bastian asked before shaking his head. "C’mon, let’s go to the beach."

"Wait." C.C tossed the chocolate bars to him. "What you sent him off to get."

Bastian looked down at the bars, brow furrowed. "They’re all my favorites." He looked up to see C.C staring at him knowingly, before shoving the chocolate into the pockets of his overly baggy jean shorts.

"C’mon. Let’s go to the beach."





The beach they preferred was only accessible by climbing over a jagged, rocky stretch of land. Because of this, it was considered a safety hazard and most people avoided it. It was the perfect place for them.

Bastian watched C.C and Junebug drag Xander out into the water, laughing at his struggles.

"Come on, Xander!" he yelled, hands cupped on either side of his mouth. "You can put up a better fight than that!"

"I don’t see you helping!" Xander yelled back, picking up Junebug and throwing her into the water.

"Ah, I’m staying out of this one." Bastian shook his head. "Sorry, man!" He turned and sighed, rubbing the back of his head. He really wanted to surf but he’d left his board at home. Stupid!

And, well. Bastian stared out at the ocean. He was beginning to regret forcing Russ into that date. Busy berating himself and watching the excellent waves, Bastian was completely unprepared for the heavy hand that fell on his shoulder, its heat nearly scalding.

"Wha-Russ!" He took a deep breath, eyes wide. "You scared me half to death!" He paused for a moment before asking, "What, uh, what are you doing here? What happen to Sam?"



Russ shook his head. "We got to the mall but I decided to bail. She told me that I was missing out on the best girl I’d ever have a chance with."

"Ouch," Bastian said, wincing.

"Yeah. But she really got pissed when I told her that I had better things to be doing than her."

Snorting at Russ’s choice of words, Bastian asked, "What the hell could be more important than the girl you’ve been slobbering over for more than a year?"

Russ didn’t say anything for a moment. He just locked eyes with Bastian, a slow grin stretching over his lips. Bastian stared back for a moment before looking away, eyes squinting as he stared out over the horizon.

"Oh." Bastian’s utterance was soft before he flashed a quick grin at Russ. "C’mon, the others are waiting for us out there."

"Hey," Russ said, catching hold of Bastian’s elbow and pulling him closer. "Do me a favor? Don’t set me up with any girls, okay?"

Bastian stared up at him for a moment before smiling. "Yeah, sure. I promise."



the end

Comments

[thanatophilia.livejournal.com]

I am cuted unto death ~&hearts

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

This is a really nice, fun story. I had a great time reading it.

The art is also great. The characters' faces are so expressive.

Thanks to both of you!