Blood and Thunder- the Drunk Episode

Aiden groaned as he could feel the heat from the sun emanating from the windows. He opened his eyes and found himself in his dorm room.

It was a Sunday, right after Natasha’s party. After drinking excessive amounts of beer, drenched from water balloons and water guns, shot with Phoebe’s red food coloring gun, and then nearly had a scandal with Lilli and her camera. Amidst all that, he didn’t feel like he had a hangover.

The rest of the dorm was silent as he sat up on his bed. Sunday mornings were one of the most peaceful days because everyone was enjoying the last day of the week before hell came along. He checked his watch. It read 10:05 in the morning.

It was time to make use of whatever time was left to make breakfast.

He left his room and walked towards the stairs. As he entered the common room he found Noah having a bowl of cereal. The other boy glanced at him and smiled.

“Morning Aiden. Care to join me for breakfast?”

“Sure.”

Aiden pulled out a bowl and a spoon and sat next to him. He poured some of the cereal from the box next to Noah.

“Well, you look pretty decent from last night.” Noah commented, a smile on his lips as he continued with his meal.

Aiden chuckled. “I may be wasted during the time, but when I get up I don’t feel any side-effects from the night before.”

“Haha, well granted how you were behaving when you got back I suppose it’s a fair trade.”

To this statement, Aiden squinted at him. “What are you talking about?”

Noah’s smile only widened as he looked at the boy. “What do you remember, exactly?”

Aiden groaned. “Hard to forget the water guns, and the drinking games...but now that you mention it after another round of drinking I don’t have much memories of last night.”

“You don’t remember how you got here or what happened before you slept?”  Noah asked.

This question for some reason made Aiden’s stomach churn uncomfortably. “No...what did I do?”

Noah gave a Cheshire-like grin and started talking.

~*~

Noah could hear a loud voice coming from the hall. He opened his door to find Sam holding Aiden for support. The taller boy was blabbering gibberish and flopping the arm that was not wrapped around Sam’s shoulder.

Sam looked at him and asked casually “Ever heard of a Flaming Dentist?”

The other boy shook his head.

“Well...if you give this guy 6 of those...he becomes this. A little help?”

Noah walked up and placed Aiden’s free arm around his shoulder. They both helped Aiden up the steps, as he slurred more words.

“Saaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmm!” Aiden yelled.

Sam sighed. “Yes Aiden?” he asked patiently, or with enough patience he could muster.

“Hi!” He had this foolish grin on his face, and Noah could hardly keep a straight face.

“Yurrr a greaat friend Sam. I think I would be dead without youuuu....” Aiden slurred.

“It would have helped if you had just left the party with me as soon as you got your clothes back on rather than to have another drinking game with Garret.”

They were a few steps from Aiden’s room. Once they opened the door (Noah had to pick-lock it and did so with only a momentary struggle) they dropped him on his bed.

Aiden said out loud, almost dreamily... “The girls are sooo pretty...”

Noah and Sam shot looks at each other, and Sam could see a smirk showing on the other boy’s face.

“How pretty?” Noah asked.

“Like...supermodel pretty. I mean, not Victoria’s Secret but...yeah. Purdy”

“Did you think any of the guys were pretty?” Noah asked. This time Sam shot him a warning look, but Noah completely ignored him.

The drunk boy chuckled. “Guys aren’t pretty. You only use pretty for girls!”

“Ah I see. I see.” Noah’s tone was patient, as if he were talking to a 4-year old. “So did you think any of the guys were handsome then?”

“Uh…” It looked that he was seriously giving this some thought. “I think…Sam is pretty cute. He’s such a nice guy. He’s alwaysss helping me ouuuut…”

He gave a lopsided smile to Sam’s direction, and the other boy could only drop his head in his hand.

“God damn it…” Sam muttered.

Aiden with great effort on his part got up and reached for him. “Why are you angry Sam?” he whispered.

Sam waved Aiden’s arms away. “Don’t...nothing. Please go to sleep.”

Noah’s body was shaking slightly from controlling his laughter. “Duuude...you got to tell me how to make this drink.”

Aiden stood from his bed and from behind wrapped his arms around an already bothered Sam. “Don’t beee maaaaaad….”

Nobody was sure if Aiden was going to continue that statement because out of impulse Sam used his might and pulled Aiden’s arm until he fell over to his back.

“Jesus man!” Noah exclaimed.

“Owieee…” were the only words that Aiden could muster.

Sam let his arm go and took a deep breath, regret slowly sinking in. “Oh God...Aiden are you okay?”

“My head kind of hurts…”

“Okay we’ll put you on the bed and you better just think of happy thoughts as you fall asleep.” Noah signaled Sam to help lift their friend from the floor and back to the bed. Noah put his sheets over him. The two boys waited momentarily to check if Aiden was sleeping, and when it seemed it was good to leave they quietly left the premises and shut the door.

“I like him better that way.” Noah whispered with a little delight. “He should go to more of Natasha’s parties.”

Sam glared at him. “How about no?”

~*~

Aiden paled after Noah finished his story. This only made the other boy delighted.

“Ohhhhh crap. Oh crap oh crap oh crap.” He pressed his forehead to his fists, feeling like a complete idiot.

“Sam is a nice guy. He’ll let it pass...maybe be a little distant but he’ll let it slide. What I like is that you don’t seem to have any back pain after that flip.”

“God I need to apologize.”

Noah shrugged. “Maybe it’s safer if you don’t. You can pretend you forgot everything...which is not a lie. At least you didn't confess your feelings to him or anything…”

Aiden placed his face on the table in shame.  Noah had eaten everything left in his bowl and stood up to the sink.

“If it’s any consideration, the other guys didn't hear your drunk confession. My best advice is to stay quiet, and pretend nothing happened.”

The taller boy considered this as Noah went off to wash his utensils.

~*~

Sam had slept the whole morning that it was only until 3 that he actually went out of his room, and that was mainly because he was hungry. He was still dressed in his wife beater and his shorts as he went downstairs to get his leftovers from last night. His glasses were hooked to the neck part of his top and he managed to get to his destination without the use of it.

As he was looking through the fridge, he heard a voice calling him. He turned and saw a blurred figure standing not too far from him. When he placed his glasses on, he realized it was Aiden.

“Hi.”

“Hey.” Sam turned back to his goal at hand: breakfast.

“I’d like to apologize for last night; I don’t remember anything that happened after, but I think you were the one who helped me back to my room.”

“It’s fine.” Sam found his tupperware of fried rice and placed it in the microwave that was nearby.

Aiden was a little nervous. “So...that’s it?” he asked as he was fumbling with his hands.

“Yup.” the shorter boy didn’t turn around to notice that his friend was still a little hesitant to end this conversation. All he could focus on was the food in the microwave. Behind him Aiden was still fretting and he may as well had jumped up and down as if he were high on sugar.

“Also...uh..thanks...you know...for coming with me. I knew you weren't interested and you took care of me…”

Sam couldn't help but turn and look at his friend curiously. Aiden looked guilty.

The boy with the glasses couldn't fathom the reason why, but he tried to encourage him. “Aiden, dude..it’s fine. It’s what friends do. Don’t be hard on yourself. I’d do it for you anytime.”

“Really?” Aiden’s voice almost squeaked.

Sam couldn’t help but break into a smile. “Really.”

The microwave beeped and Sam went to focus on it. Before he could even open the door Aiden nearly all but tackled him from behind to a hug.

“Thank you!” He yelled.

The hairs on the back of Sam’s neck froze and he elbowed Aiden in the stomach to break free. Aiden yelled in pain and bended over before falling onto his knees.

Sam tried to shake away his nerves. “S-sorry.”

“It’s okay…” Aiden managed to wheeze. “It’s what...friends do right?”

The guitarist gave it a thought. “I suppose...not exactly the healthiest relationship, but yes?”

“Good.” Aiden managed to cough out.

He would have to figure out what Sam’s issue was, but one step at a time.

Write a letter to your 10-year old self (Malachi)

To the me when I was 10,

I find it strange am writing to you. I'm several years too late. But Garret said it was a fun thing to do. Oh, Garret is this guy you'll meet in the future. He never fails to make you shake your head and wonder how you two get along, but he'll be by your side when you need him.

I don't really know what to tell you because I might spoil the fun out of it. (Plus really I don't think you're ever going to get this). But ah well.

• Pluto will not be considered a planet in a few year's time. I wonder how our science teacher is going to look like when you tell him that.
• We will have fast internet speed soon.   But it is always good to have the patience we have for dial-up during those times our internet becomes really slow.
• Download all the mp3s and videos you can. It might be harder to find them in the future.
• Yes there will be ample storage space in the future. It's going to be expensive at first, but be patient. 
• You are going to love Harry Potter for Ron Weasley. Just watch it when it comes out okay? And no, he gets better every movie.
• ...You're probably wondering why I just told you to watch a movie for a guy....uh...you already know what am about to tell you...
• Yes...yes it's what you think it is. I know you were pretty unsure then, but I'm pretty sure now.
• Now this is VERY important. If you meet a man named Johnathan (You won't miss him. I remember meeting him as if it were just a moment ago) tell him to keep in touch. Tell him that we will be there for him and we will do anything to help him no matter what the cost, even if you had just met him. Tell him that his cousin is worried sick about him in the future and he just wants to know where you are and how you're doing. Please tell him that there are people who will accept him for who he is, and that I'll be here in the future. At the bottom of this letter is my current mobile number. Give this to him before he leaves and to contact me. I'll handle the rest from there.

Don't forget that, okay Malachi?

Sincerely,
The future you

Blood and Thunder: Write a letter to your 10 year old self (Amy)

~Inspired by a meme I saw on Facebook~

Dear 10-year old me,

I think around this time you had started to see the world in dark spectacles. All you had were hand-me downs from your older sister and you spent your days with your guitar, if not attempting to hide in the trees. (By the way those skills will come in handy by the time you're the me in my time)

I just want to let you know that someday you will fall in love.

And you will suffer...tremendously because she will be marrying someone else. Everything you had felt from the time you were born is nothing compared to what you will feel in a few years time. You won't know what to do. You want to run to someone for help but you'll be scared because society tells you that you are wrong.

You should run the moment you feel it. And don't listen to what people say. It's NORMAL what you're feeling. Mom and Dad will be okay with it, but you'll know that soon enough.

Will it get better? A little. It's going to leave a scar in your heart, but I think you will be able to get by when you know she will be with someone who loves her as much as you will.

If you're wondering why I'm not telling you to run away, it's because as much as I want to tell you and spare you all the mistakes you're going to do soon, I will practically be telling you to just not live life.

So yes...you will meet the most wonderful girl who will make every day waking up the best thing ever. Enjoy the time with her until that day comes.

Don't worry about the mistakes. You'll get to fix them in your own time. I mean after all, I seem to sound okay right?

-Amy

PS. Please continue with your voice lessons too.

P.P.S. Be careful on the bleach. You'll understand soon enough.

Rainbows after the Rain

"MALACHI! MALACHI!"

Malachi was deep in slumber when he heard a loud voice disrupting him. He could only think of one person who would have the lack of tact to do so.

"Yes Garret?" the blond muttered, still half asleep.

"IT'S RAINING!" he exclaimed, now standing in front of Malachi.

Malachi did indeed the sounds of the rain pouring from his bedside window. He didn't need to see it to confirm.

"And you woke me up...because...?"

"That's it! Because it's raining!" Malachi felt his arm being tugged. "Come on put on your raincoat!"

"Why do I need to put on my raincoat? I don't even have one!" Malachi groaned, still resisting his friend's pull.

"So we can go out and sing in the rain!" Garret exclaimed.

Sleep was futile at this point, so Malachi sat up and yawned. He was frustrated for sure, but he always had slightly more tolerance when his good friend was the cause. When he could finally open his eyes completely, he could see the bright smile on the brunette's face.

He then noticed his friend was wearing a blue raincoat, and he was so excited he already wore the hood on. He also was wearing red rubber boots. In his left hand he held a white samurai umbrella, which was one of the trends in the student campus.

If Malachi were in a better mood, he might have chuckled. But on this gloomy morning, he was tired.

"Remind me why you wanted to do this..."

"I told you. One of the things I wanted to do on my bucket list is to sing and dance in the rain like Gene Kelly!"

Malachi did remember that conversation. He did not remember ever indicating he would want to join his friend. But then he recalled that Garret liked having an audience if he could. Out of the band members it was Garret who enjoyed the spotlight more than anyone else.

Malachi looked out the window. There were no strong winds which means it was no threat of a storm, but the rain poured hard enough for him to worry.

"First of all, why me? Second of all, why in THIS kind of weather? You're going to get sick!"

Garret raised an index finger to explain his defense. "Firstly, I tried other people in their dorm but I interpreted the throwing the pillow at my face as a big NO. Second of all, THAT'S THE BEST PART. Plus am a big boy. I won't get sick!"

Garret's energy was just draining whatever Malachi had that morning, but he did remember that friends don't let friends do stupid things...alone anyway.

"Okay. Let's go."

Garret ran out before Malachi could change his mind. The drummer sighed in resignation, picked up his black samurai sword umbrella and left his room.

~*~
It was a Sunday morning, and thus most people had either gone home to see their folks or had decided to stay in their dorms. For most people when it rained it meant that they would sleep in their rooms enjoying the cool temperature.

Malachi had wished his friend was the same.

He watched with disbelief as his friend skipped around in his raincoat around the campus as if he were a seven year old. He kept a fair distance to prevent getting splashed by whatever nearby puddle his cheerful friend would jump on.

Garret then started to sing.

Raindrops keep falling on my head
And just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed
Nothin' seems to fit
Those raindrops are falling on my head, they keep falling

The brunette visualized himself along an empty sidewalk, save with maybe one or two people passing by. He would jump on the nearest lampost and spin around before landing back on the ground.

So I just did me some talkin' to the sun
And I said I didn't like the way he' got things done
Sleepin' on the job
Those raindrops are falling on my, head they keep falling

While Malachi watched his friend dance like an idiot (and observe that whoever had passed the halls from the indoors conclude the same observation) he recalled certain events in his life where Garret's energy had been a big motivator to get to where they were now.

~*~

Garret's love for the stage had been fairly obvious to Malachi. First of all, the boy LOVED to sing. He would sing in the shower, in the halls, while he was studying and if possible he could do it in his sleep. It was strange that Garret didn't just join a choir, but while Garret never mentioned it Malachi had a feeling he had been in one before.

He wanted to be a musician, another thing Malachi was fairly certain. He could have been an actor if he wanted to.

Due to this, it baffled the blond that Garret's instrument of choice was the bass. Bass players aren't normally in the spotlight in bands, and the bass isn't usually the star's instrument of choice.

This was one of the first questions Malachi asked about Garret, to which he replied cheerfully "What most people don't know is that you can't have a band without a bass players. Also, guitar players take the lead and steal the spotlight but bass players set the beat and support the whole band. In a band I don't want to take all the spotlight; I want to share it with everyone else."

This answer impressed the blond, and then the brunette added "And you have to admit, the bass has the sexiest sounds."

Malachi felt uncomfortable with that answer, but he decided not to respond.

~*~ The blond then suddenly remembered meeting Amy for the first time too.
~*~ Garret had been playing "More than Words" when Sam came in with a girl. Malachi never forgot that meeting. His eyes went wide when he saw her bright red hair, the blank tank top with fit jeans and black Doc Martens. He had seen a couple of girls dressed like this, but there was something oddly strange about her from the rest. For one thing, while everyone who he had seen in the halls had this look that screamed "Don't mess with me", but this girl had nothing of that attitude. She seemed...pretty distant for some reason.
"Hey guys, this is Amy Underwood. She's a friend of Blair's and just transfered. I'm showing her around." Sam explained.
Garret placed his guitar to one side and held out his hand. "Hey! I'm Garret. Pleased to meet you."
She smiled and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you. Sam told me he had a band here."
"Actually, Amy can play the guitar and she can sing too." Sam added, a small smirk on his face.
Garret's eyes widened with glee. "Really?!"
Amy blinked, not totally understanding the situation.
"We've been thinking of getting a girl in the band." Malachi explained. "Garret insisted a female voice would be great every now and then."
Amy eyes widened, as if she had realized something then she glanced at her friend who looked away as he was adjusting his glasses.
"You set me up." She said flatly.
Sam just smiled back. "You wanted to meet the band. It just so happened Garret insisted we recruit at least one more."
The two remaining boys could sense a slight confusion and possibly an awkward moment between the girl and Sam. They both looked at each other, mentally wondering how to handle this.
Amy turned to them and smiled politely. "Sorry guys. There has been some sort of misunderstanding. I can play the guitar and all but am not an expert nor do I have any experience or..."
She stopped mid-sentence when she saw Garret pout. Malachi was taken aback because he had never seen him do that before.
"Can you...try? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?"
Amy's eyes squinted, as if wondering if he was being serious. Garret's eyes seemed to get wider, copying Puss in the Shrek movies.
"Uh..I suppose I could try-"
She was cut short when the guitar was flung to her direction. With luck, she caught it with ease. Sam exclaimed "OI! That's my guitar!"
When nobody acknowledged him, Sam sighed and sat in a corner.
Amy strummed idly, thinking of what to play. Her eyes looked away, her brain whirling through song tracks in her head. She made a "oh" face, as if a lightbulb popped on top of her head and then played.
What do you get when you fall in love? A guy with a pin to burst your bubble That's what you get for all your trouble I'll...never fall in love again. I'll never fall in love again.
The last thing Malachi had expected from the girl whose hair looked like it may be on fire was a mellow tune, not to mention an old one at that. Malachi noticed a twitch of sympathy from Sam, which indicated that there may be some relevance to this song. Garret looked oblivious to it.
When she was done, Garret beamed. "Your voice is fine!"
Amy chuckled. "Thanks." As a payback she threw Sam's guitar to his direction. Sam's reflexes caught it in time. "Hey!"
In weeks time Amy and Garret had become the best of friends, to Sam's astonishment.
~*~ Garret continued using his umbrella as a cane as it supported his weight. He was now looking straight at his best friend whose focus returned to the brunette.
But there's one thing I know The blues he sends to meet me won't defeat me It won't be long 'til happiness steps up to greet me
He smiled, and the blond could only smile back. Malachi could not agree more to what Garret had just said.
~*~ The next day...
Garret felt like hell.
He was curled under his blankets, shivering. Malachi sat by his bedside looking at his temperature. Amy and Sam were leaning by the door to the hall.
"So?" Amy asked.
"His fever is horrible." Malachi said nonchalantly, and placed the thermometer on his side. "Nothing that bed rest and lots of fluids can't fix."
"How are you feeling?" Amy asked Garret quietly. She was finding it strange to see him like this.
Garret managed a smile. "Great! It's just a fever." As if on cue, he sneezed loudly. The blond rolled his eyes.
"Yes, a fever you wouldn't be having if you had just stayed indoors." Malachi pointed out, shaking his head. "I hope you don't have anything on your bucket list that involves jumping out of an airplane or walking on burning coals."
The brunette chose not to say anything with that.

一瞬でもあなたの物になりたい

Disclaimer: The lyrics here do not belong to ME. I heard them from Sean Ryan and was inspired to write something from it. From what I know it's not an official song.

His songs are great by the way.

ALSO, due to the....unusual explicit content I did a lot of revisions. I am still weirded out I am actually publishing this.

~*~
2 weeks before Christmas:

Christmas means many things for others. Usually it has something to do with spending time with the family once in a year to talk about life and give gifts to your loved ones.

For others it may have been a second Valentines day, using the excuse of gifts as a way to win the hearts of their significant others.

For me it meant no work, and that's all I needed. For the whole year I had been busy with work and it had burned me out to the core. I was excited for the Christmas break and just lie around at home watching Christmas specials in my pajamas.

It was around 5pm when I decided it was time to go home. I was just about to turn in for the day when an email popped up in my inbox. It was an update to the invite for the Christmas party with the department. I groaned. The thought of seeing these people outside my work hours seemed stressful. I loved my officemates but parties were just out of the question. They would drink until they couldn't see straight and they would take you with them. For the past few days I chose to ignore this invite, but I guess there was no point leaving these people hanging.

As I was about to tick the "Decline" button, I got a message.

"Hey."

Blood and Thunder: The story of Garret and Malachi

Malachi was deeply anxious as he entered his classroom.

It was his first day in his new school, and he wasn't sure what to expect. He glanced around and found a chair at the back, near the door. He sat there and waited.

Blood and Thunder: When Sam met Blair

Sam Holmes was 7 years old when he met 7-year old Blair Rivers. They were in the playground around in the afternoon, and for some reason not many kids were there that day.

She was in a light green spring dress and a wide-brimmed hat, most likely her mother's given it was really big for her. Blair was busy trying to catch a butterfly with a net in the park. Sam could see the glass jar by her feet. It had been 5 minutes and she wasn't doing so well at it.