Magnum Opus

"What are you doing out the car-- I can handle this, I've got it all sorted. Well, Tyrone and I have it sorted," grimaced Felix once hearing the car door slam shut and spotting Cain scurry out. He didn't want to admit that he hadn't a clue what he was doing, hence the sudden turn to the bonnet, where he randomly tapped things with the spanner in his hand in the hope it made him look a little less... clueless.

"I mean... we'll be fine, y'know? We'll head off in the morning to find someone who can help, but tonight we could just sleep in the car, it's not a huge problem, right? I can cuddle with you, Cain, keep you warm~" He grinned devilishly, while glancing towards Tyrone. "Unless you're gonna get jealous and want me cuddling you as well. I got two arms, I could cuddle you too, Tyrone. I won't let my best friend go cold~"
 
"Oh, shut the fuck up. I don't need to be cuddled, I'm not a pining child, Felix," Tyrone replied as he leaned against the aging car with a huff, all of his father's attempts to teach him how to fix a car falling out instantly the moment he left the car. Glancing up, the white snow illuminated the outside just enough to see the beetroot cheeks of the twin, his expression slowly turning to a frown.

"This is... fine. Gabe is having a panic attack over this, I just - I want us all to be safe. This was my idea anyway, so if one of us ends up a human popsicle, I'd feel terrible," Cain eventually whispered as he buried further into his coat, shivering.
 
"It is fine, that's right. Let's not have a fucking freak out. Perhaps a car will drive past and, I dunno, help us out? Or we'll just get some rest and get this sorted in the morning. It ain't a nightmare scenario, we'll be... fine. Besides, we ain't that far from where that cult's based, right? That's at least satisfying, yeah? To know we don't have to spend another day cramped in this rusty old car," he laughed, attempting to at lease ease the mood up a little once seeing Tyrone's frown, that of which he chose not to mention. Frankly, the mood swings were irritating him, but, to save arguing with him, he just let it slide.
 
"Yeah, we'll be fine," reassured Tyrone before pushing off the car and offering Cain a light pat on the back, offering an attempt of a comforting smile. Sliding back into the front seat, he knew better than to assume Felix wouldn't immediately take up the opportunity to get as close to Cain, who he assumed would do the same to his brother. If he had to be the odd one out, he accepted it. Of course he'd much rather be cuddling with Gabe at the least.

Meanwhile, though, Cain was far too giddy to really be upset. He had never been this flirtatious with someone before and now the fact that Felix was proposing to sleep so closely, he was flustered enough to become dizzy and giggle in excitement as he wandered to the back seat once again.
 
Noticing his brother head back to the car with a bashful, slightly reddened Felix trailing behind him, Gabriel shifted up from his blankets and smiled gratefully. Being stuck with Tyrone had once been seen as an opportunity to get closer to him. Now, he just felt awkward and wanted to avoid him at all costs, so seeing the other two sit back in the car at least alleviated the awkwardness he felt a little.

"...So we're just gonna sleep like this tonight? That's-- it's fine! Maybe... Maybe I can go out later and stargaze a little? I like doing that, I always snuck out when I was a kid to go watch the stars and my Mom would go crazy with me, b-but I... I think it's relatively safe here."
 
"Gabriel, no," Cain replied almost instantly, his flustered haze fading almost instantly. Tugging his wool scarf to cover his face, his stern tone was still audible through his muffled words. "We really shouldn't leave the car, not alone. That - I mean, what if a bear came along? Just... I know it's hard, but please stay in the car, just until morning? If you want to stargaze, at least stargaze with me," he pleaded as he slid into the car, scooting over to the middle so he could have both Gabe on one side and Felix on the other... along with a proper view of Tyrone who - despite having no signal - was instead focusing on some stupid app he had downloaded just for the trip.

"It's cold as hell, anyway," Tyrone eventually murmured as he bit his lip, his eyes locked on the screen. "Being out there for more than five minutes could get you real sick, kid. I know you apparently hate me now, but that doesn't mean you have to risk your health because you aren't comfortable being in here with me."
 
"I don't... hate you. I don't hate anyone, besides maybe my father a-and that cult, so I couldn't hate you, I-I just... I dunno... I'm not gonna pester you anymore, that's all. You don't like it when I do that, you clearly don't want me doing it, so... so I won't. I can just... draw and sketch a-and listen to music and... and I can see the stars from the window, s-sort of--"

"That's sad. Like, fuck, you can talk, Gabriel. We're not fucking-- we're not gonna bite your head off or anything," grunted Felix in return, albeit without any real tone of caring. On one hand, he genuinely didn't care much about Gabriel, as horrible as that might be to admit. On the other, he just... didn't really understand how sensitive he was and how awkward he felt sat in a car with two boys he thought hated him-- and, given Felix's attitude, he was hardly far wrong.
 
"Can we all just stop it?" Pleaded Cain as he wrapped his blanket tightly around himself, his cheeks reddening in frustration. Never being one for confrontation, it was fair to say that the whole thing was a bit over stimulating, causing the older twin to cover his ears with his hands as he sank further down into the blankets. "I haven't gotten sleep in nearly a week, can I have this one thing?"
 
"I want to go star-gazing, I just want to sit on the bonnet o-of the car and do something fun, and I can't even do that! I'm not gonna, like, stray into the woods, Cain. How... How stupid do you think I am?" He groaned, trying to keep his tone chirpy and light, but that failed the second he realised he'd metaphorically shot himself in the foot because he had once wandered into the woods and stayed there all night, cold and scared out of his mind. Granted, he'd been tempted to do so by a group of bullies who thought it would be fun to pretend to be his friend only to have him there, alone and confused, but he'd still naively done it.

"...I'm older than I was before. I'm not... going in the woods, Cain, you need to trust me to... to sit out on the car, it's... not a big deal."
 
"I don't think you're stupid, I think you're naive," Cain corrected as he grew visibly uncomfortable, his already small form growing smaller as he shifted. "We're in the same state, only a few miles away from the very people who did those horrible things to mom. I... I-I already thought I lost you when I let you walk home alone, I don't want to lose you again. I don't know what I'd do if that happened, Gabriel."
 
Pouting just a little at the 'naive' comment, he sunk back into his own blankets with the only reply being a faint 'hmm'. He didn't want to get into a whole argument with his brother, not now they seemed to have their friendship back on track again, so the only real option he had was to let it go-- even if he didn't want to stay stuck in the car while his brother cuddled up to Felix, and he had to not just sit by himself, but deal with the fact he was in the company of Tyrone--and it just made him feel beyond awkward.

"...It's going to rain anyway so it's best I stay in here," he mumbled quietly, frowning to himself the moment he glanced to his side to see that Felix had -unsubtly- shifted in a little to cuddle with Cain. He was extremely glad his brother was getting on and forming some sort of relationship, of course he was-- but he wasn't going to lie and say he wasn't jealous. He had been the one who constantly obsessed about getting a relationship; he often developed crushes quickly and fantasised everything, while he assumed Cain didn't really care that much, yet he was the one with the cute boyfriend. It hurt, of course it did-- but he wasn't petty enough to hate the fact it was happening. Beyond everything else, he was happy for him.
 
Shooting a glance to Felix quickly, a small part of him immediately panicked. To be this close to Felix, his former bully? Sure, he knew that, that Felix was behind him but the thought was always there. Stiffly staring ahead, he had to wait to really get comfortable to the close proximity all the while resting his head on his brother's shoulder. A week of barely any sleep was a big reason that, when he actually did get comfortable, he fell asleep instantly.

"Cute scene back there, huh?" Tyrone murmured quietly as he eased the seat back to at least try and help himself go to sleep as well. "I'd offer you to come up here but I know you won't."
 
"Obviously I'm not going to do that, no. I'm not really interested in being y-your friend anymore, Tyrone, I... I'd rather not talk to you. I've always tried to be your friend and be nice and you've always messed with my mind and treated this like a fun g-game. It's not funny, it hurts my feelings, and I'd rather n-not... do that again and be made the butt of your jokes, s-so... so no, i'm fine here, thank you," responded Gabriel quickly, fiddling with his headphones in an attempt to stop Tyrone awkwardly talking to him-- but he quickly gave up on that when realising his old MP3 player had run out of charge, right when he typically needed it the most.
 
"... I'd sit outside the car and watch the stars with you, if you wanted. We wouldn't have to talk or anything," he offered in a whisper as he stared out the window, his body tensing. "... I'm sorry about the restaurant. I just... I got a text and I saw one from my mom. I know you and your brother are really close to your mother, and I was close to mine. My father can go rot in hell for all I care but... I miss her, you know?"

Sniffling, he quickly wiped his face on his sleeve to hide his tears as he tugged his beanie down. "It's whatever, though. I just... I dunno, seeing her last text fucked me up, I guess."
 
It was relatively easy to get Gabriel out of a stubborn grudge he was determined to hold. However stern he seemed about defending himself and not going straight back to Tyrone, the other's tearful expression and the tightness in his voice almost immediately won him back around. He could never continue to be angry at someone who was upset, no matter who they were or what he felt they'd done to him.

Scrambling into the front seat of the car, he offered a quiet smile in an attempt to at least show he had good intentions by approaching. "Hey, it's... look, I... I've never lost anyone but I... my family's pretty messed up too. Look at us, w-we're hunting down a cult that... forced my mother into a situation to produce me and my brother, it's hardly normal, s-so... so... uh... look, you can talk to me! I'm a real good listener."
 
"I'm not going to vent to you, you've got enough issues on your own," he murmured quietly as he closed his eyes, covering them with his arm. "I just don't want you to think I hate you, Gabe. Just... all I want right now is a good smoke and sleep, maybe have some of my mom's Mac'n'cheese. You would've loved it, you know? She put ricotta and paprika and... it was delicious. I can't cook."

This caused the man to laugh quietly in response to himself, though it soon caused him to choke up a tad. "It's whatever, Seriously."
 
"...Do you want to come sit outside on the bonnet with me? You can smoke there and I can look at the stars and-- and we can just sit in silence if you want? I don't hate you, I just--I like you so much that I expect... some dumb fairytale, I guess. I assumed you liked me and then it hurt to see Cain getting close to Felix and you keeping a distance-- but I'm dumb. Honestly, I... I get carried away, it's not your fault at all. We're friends, that's all, and that's fine! I like having friends other than my brother," he encouraged, offering another grin in his direction, after briefly glancing back at his brother.

"They're a cute couple though, assuming Felix... doesn't hurt him. He said he's not gonna bully us anymore but lots of guys have said that in the past-- I trust him though, a little. And you, too! I... I think you're sweet and you were never that mean to me. I mean, it hurt when you called me names and punched me, b-but you were still one of the... nicer ones."
 
"... I'm sorry," he murmured, though - unsurprisingly - he immediately chose to defend himself. "I'm just saying, you're an easy target. You're small, you're well-off, you're strange... can you honestly be all that surprised? From what I've heard, this has happened before, right? If it helps, I used to be bullied, too."

As he spoke, Tyrone eventually decided to quietly open the door to the beaten up car, hopping onto the hood without a real care as the cold wind picked up a tad. Glancing back, expecting the other to follow, he pulled out a blunt he had hidden in his coat pocket.

"Wanna know what would be good? Hot cocoa," he murmured admittedly as he lit up, inhaling hard.
 
He could accept the fact he was small, and it was obvious that, while his mother wasn't fabulously rich, she had enough to be comfortable with and not have to worry too much. Strange,however... he didn't remotely like that comment. If he wasn't so desperate to put things back on the right track, he'd have defended himself about it. As it went, he was going to be mature, let it go and accept the apology instead.

"When you said you were going to smoke, I... assumed you meant a cigarette," he began with a crinkle in his nose at the smell, scooting himself up besides the other while wrapped and bundled in blankets to protect himself from the cold, midnight breeze. "...Doesn't it, like, mess your brain up? I... I dunno. I'm not telling you what to do! I just-- I think I'd probably choke to death if I tried it, I'm so awkward like that."
 
"I'm not telling you to try it," he reminded quietly as he took in another puff, exhaling hard as he watched the moon emerge from the cloudy sky. "It helps me sleep. If it fucked me up so bad, I wouldn't be doing that good at school, right? Not to toot my own horn but I'm the smartest kid on the sports teams. I know everyone thinks I'm just some dumb jock but you can't just get a scholarship on pure strength anyway."

With a groan, he chose to lean against the car fully as he shivered a tad, though refused the blanket nonetheless. Opening an eye just enough to take in Gabriel, he offered a shrug, seemingly indifferent.
 
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