“father—”

the word barely left his lips before his phone buzzed again, slicing through the conversation like it was an inconvenience rather than blood. his gaze flicked to the screen. kenny.

right. luke.

he was supposed to be there already.

a breath caught behind his teeth as he pressed the phone back to his ear, ignoring the sharp edge of disappointment that bled through the line.

“something came up. we’ll talk later.”

his father’s voice cut in, hard and precise, but adrian didn’t stay long enough to absorb the full brunt of it. instead, he hung up, pocketed the guilt, and grabbed his keys without another word.

fifteen minutes later, he was at luke’s. the house was familiar, loud in that careless way only people with nothing to prove could afford. kayden lounged like a storm waiting to be touched. ryan, half-drunk already, grinned. luke’s girlfriend curled herself around luke. you were on another couch, cheek on the backrest. adrian offered a small smile as he stepped inside, let the noise wash over him without really letting it in, and eased down beside you.

“hey. snuck out my brother’s whiskey,” ryan said, waving the bottle like a badge of honor. “want some?”

adrian blinked. his eyes traced the bottle. aged, golden, expensive in the way most mistakes were. if ryan’s brother found out, he’d no doubt line up everyone currently in the room and provide an excruciatingly long lecture. “Shouldn’t you have asked first?”

ryan blinked back at him like he’d just spoken a different language.

a groan pulled itself out of luke, “come on, goody-two-shoes,” he called, but in all lightheartedness. after all, the only one stopping them from ending up high and drunk behind jail cells at night was adrian. “it’s not that deep.”

in response, adrian didn’t flinch. didn’t smile, didn’t defend. just offered a polite, “i’m okay. thank you.”

a collective sigh passed around the room like he’d killed the mood. he didn’t understand why, but didn’t ask. his gaze found kayden’s across the room.

“do you want tea?”

kayden had looked seconds away from biting someone’s head off, most likely the problematic couple of ryan and luke, but his expression softened at the question. he also was the only one not indulgent in alcohol. a single brow lifted. then a nod.

adrian rose, quiet and smooth, like he didn’t want to disrupt the rhythm of the room, and walked behind the counter of the open kitchen. the kettle clicked on. while it was being prepared, adrian found himself glancing back to the living room where his friends interacted and laughed, his expression softening as he found himself to be at peace. once it was done, the tea was poured carefully, and he held the mugs like they were worth more than ryan’s stolen whiskey.

he returned, offered it to kayden, and sat with his own in hand, fingers curled around the warmth. he didn’t drink yet. just watched the swirl of amber, as if the silence in his chest might speak if he stared long enough. almost naturally, you leaned into him and rested your head on his shoulder, your frame soft against his side, then held out one of your AirPods wordlessly. he glanced down, smiled that quiet, unforced smile only a few ever got, and slipped it in.

he could feel the stares before they landed.

“what’s going on here?” Luke’s girlfriend’s voice rang, faux-casual. “are you two, like… dating?”

as always, luke wasted no time in backing her up. “seriously. you’te always cuddling,” he said, his tone teasing, tugging his girl closer.

looking up, adrian met their playful glances with an unreadable expression that lasted only a moment before morphing into one of confusion.

“what?” there might as well have been a big question mark above his head.