A/N: Guys, I don't even know. I really have no excuse. And it was supposed to be Felix/Jake, but, uh, the characters hijacked my story? (Plus, it's not edited other than for minor spelling mistakes) Written for the cottoncandy bingo (prompt: honesty).
"You think this is gonna work?" Jake knits his brows, his arms crossed. Of course he'd be the skeptic. Figures.
"Doesn't matter, dude! It'll be awesome if it does work!" Sam says, waiting expectantly for him to finally start, looking like an excited puppy. Also figures.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Andy worries his lower lip and knits his brows like Jake, only that Andy's more worried than skeptic. So far, everyone's reacting like Felix has expected. It's not what he has hoped for, but at least they're not completely against his idea. And he can always count on Sam to be on board with all kinds of shit.
"Yeah, it'll work. And it's way more interesting than normal Truth or Dare. Trust me, this'll be fun," Felix says, partly because he is pretty sure — as in, maybe ninety percent sure — that this'll really work, and partly just to be contrary. It's just a little simple spell. What can possibly go wrong? They can undo it in that case anyway. Having all elements gathered does come in handy.
"Come on, guys, this is an awesome idea!" Oscar says, grinning at them all.
Of course Felix can also count on Oscar to support him. Nothing like little brothers who look up to you. They'll do anything to your advantage. Felix shoots a tiny smile Oscar's way, just because. He knows everyone adores Oscar. He's kind of like his ace.
Felix, Oscar and Jake are crouching on Felix's bed, Oscar with his legs crossed under him on Felix's right side while Jake, to Felix's left, lets his legs dangle from the edge. Sam's splayed out on the floor carpet, resting back on his hands, and Andy is straddling a chair, his arms crossed on the backrest. Summer break has just started and they have decided to randomly hang out. Too bad the girls have decided to meet on the same day and go on a shopping spree. They'd have added some thrill to this.
Jake finally shrugs his shoulders and exchanges a glance with Andy. They do that wordless communication thing they have perfected again. It's a little creepy, to Felix's mind, but no one ever asks him. Plus, he doesn't really want to know. All that matters is that Andy smiles and shrugs too, which Felix is just going to take as confirmation.
"Great," he says, picks up the spell book in front of him and casts the spell.
The room's silent and still for a few seconds.
"Did it work?" Andy asks, looking around.
In truth, Felix doesn't know. But he sure as hell isn't going to admit that now. "I don't know," he says, and hey! That's not what he has wanted to say. "Doesn't feel like something changed. But you never know with spells."
"True," Jake says, then adds, "Last time we didn't notice anything at first, either."
"Last time was a total disaster and please let's not talk about that," Andy pipes up. Felix nods enthusiastically in agreement. He definitely doesn't want to be reminded too much about the horror that has been them acting like lunatics. Naked. In public. He shudders.
"Well, let's test it, then?" Sam suggests, rubbing his hands together like some gold digger. He fixes Jake with a grin, and Felix can see how Jake's trying to hide the small dread he's feeling. It's funny when it's not you who's about to be asked something embarrassing.
"Have you ever farted in public, Jake?" Sam asks, still grinning from ear to ear. And really? Felix should have expected a question like that.
"Yeah, I have," Jake replies, then looks a little shocked. "Uhm... I didn't want to say that. But... yeah." He looks at Felix now. "I think the spell's working just fine."
"Cool," Oscar says, face lighting up, "Let's play then!"
Sam is the one who grabs the bottle (which is nearest to him anyway) with a toothy grin. "I got the bottle, so I start!"
"But you already asked a question," Andy says, adjusting his glasses, abandoning the chair and scrambling down on the floor across from Sam. Felix sort of agrees, but then again, they'll all have their turns eventually. He's surprised that he doesn't really mind.
"It was a test question! That doesn't count!"
"Let's just start already!" Oscar says impatiently, bouncing up and down on the bed beside Felix, which makes Felix bob a little.
Andy visibly deflates and shrugs, making a sweeping gesture for Sam to go on. Good thing Andy gives in. Oscar can be pressing sometimes. Although the bouncing is a bit unusual. Felix pushes himself a little closer and leisurely drapes an arm around Oscar, who leans into it, but his eyes stay focused on the bottle in Sam's hands.
Sam wordlessly spins the bottle and, Felix swears, he holds his breath in anticipation who it'll point to. They all watch as the bottle becomes slower and topples a little to the side, but it finally stops and is pointing... somewhere to Andy's left.
"So, uh, do we have rules? Is it me?" Andy asks, eying the bottle a tiny little bit insecurely. Then he looks up, his gaze landing on Jake first, then moving over Felix to Sam. He quirks a brow in inquiry.
"It's on, mate," Sam says gleefully and Andy sighs and throws his head back in defeat. "Truth or Dare? Hah, I bet you're gonna pick truth! That'd be so you."
Felix can't help but snicker at that, and he's not the only one who thinks it's totally true. Oscar and Jake are both grinning widely. Andy is not so amused, though. He actually huffs and crosses his arms in front of his chest.
"Unfair, all of you! You're practically forcing me to choose Dare!" he says with a pout, and it's so hilarious on him that Felix laughs. He nods at Andy, though. All of it's true.
"So, what's it gonna be?" Sam asks again, eyes glinting mischievously.
Andy looks at each of them for a few seconds before he groans. "Alright, I pick Dare," he says and glares at Sam. Definitely not amused. But very entertaining for the rest of them. Especially Sam, it seems, whose grin becomes just shy of splitting his face in half.
"I'll make sure you'll never live this down! So," Sam says, glancing at Jake with that still mischievous grin, and Jake's eyes go comically wide, probably in realization of what's about to come out of Sam's mouth. Felix has an inkling that it's going to be something he doesn't really want to see. Or maybe he does. Maybe he's a voyeur, after all.
"Kiss Jake! On the lips!"
Everyone groans and rolls their eyes. Well, everyone meaning Felix and Oscar, because Jake's still sporting that big-eyed stare and Andy is gaping at Sam, who's still grinning from ear to ear.
"Well," Andy says at length and pauses for a bit to look at Jake, who looks back, "could be worse?"
Sam outright laughs when Andy stands, brushes imaginative dust off his pants and walks over to Jake. He looks awkward, standing above Jake, but he seems weirdly okay with that task. The freak. Well, Felix can't say he isn't a freak, too. Because it's weirdly fascinating.
Jake gets to his feet, apparently feeling a little awkward too, looking so far up at Andy. Or maybe they did that wordless communication thing again, which is really puke-worthy. Fascinating, but still puke-worthy. And then Andy quickly dives in, gives Jake a brief peck on the lips and leans back again. Well, if that's not totally disappointing, Felix doesn't know what is. He doesn't even know what he has been so excited for. Weird.
"The fuck, mate? That wasn't a kiss. Do it properly!" Sam immediately complains, arm flailing, and Felix agrees. Kind of.
"What? You said I should kiss him! I did! You never gave any specifics, so that's all I'm gonna do!" Andy retorts and crosses his arms again. "Though it wasn't that bad." His eyes widen suddenly and he looks at Jake again. "Was it?"
"Nah, man. We're cool," Jake says, scratching at the back of his head. He smiles at Andy, though.
"That's lame," Oscar pipes up, "really lame. Come one, Andy. If it wasn't that bad, do it properly!"
Okay, Felix hasn't known his brother could be a voyeur, too. "Yeah, do it properly!" Felix adds in, too. Just for good measure. And because he wants to see it for some weird-ass reason. Maybe he should do it himself?
But then Jake rolls his eyes, grabs Andy's neck and pulls him in. Their noses bump briefly against each other but then Jake tilts his head and they're... well, they're kissing. Close-mouthed, but still. It's a longer kiss than that peck from before and Sam's cat-calling. Kind of nice. Felix realizes he's licking his own lips. And weirdly (he's using that word a lot), so does Sam. Felix wonders if he really wants to know what's going on.
And, wow, Jake and Andy are French-kissing now, all with little gasps and guttural groans and hands in their faces and hair. It's pretty heady. And vomit-worthy. But still fascinating. Although Sam is making disgusted sounds from down on the floor and scrunching up his face.
"Uh, guys?" Oscar asks and clears his throat. He looks at Felix, who suddenly realizes he's actually cuddling his brother. "Do you think you messed up the spell again?"
Jake and Andy finally let go of each other's faces with a loud smacking sound, which really sounds rather obscene. They look at each other for a moment before moving their attention to Felix, too.
"Uh... No, actually, I'm pretty sure it's working. Maybe, uh, it's just, you know... that we're all a little more honest than we usually are? Like, bodily honest or something?" Felix is looking at Oscar, who's still in his arms and not at all looking like he wants to leave. Then he looks over at Jake and Andy, who are now both blushing. Figures. The implications of that aren't easy to digest, he guesses.
"You two are really no surprise, though," he says after a round of silence. To his surprise, Sam is laughing. Freely and openly, mirth coming from his mouth. It looks hilarious, actually. "What?"
"You know, we are kind of like a freak family!" Sam says, still laughing. "Family of freaks. Especially you two!" He points at Jake and Andy, who blush even harder.
"You mean that?" Oscar asks, sounding younger than he is. Felix can see how Oscar would like that. A little makeshift freak family. That's pretty accurate, if he's honest.
"Mate, spell? I can't lie."
"Plus," Jake finally dares to speak, "he doesn't really lie either way."
"Hey!"
"It's true, you always wear your heart on your sleeve," Andy agrees, now grinning too. Sam just blinks at him for a moment.
"You're right. I kind of am." Then Sam's smiling toothily again, and it's kind of pretty, the sight. When Sam looks at Felix in surprise, he realizes he might have said that out loud.
"What? It is. You have nice white teeth."
Everyone starts laughing, even Oscar, and they both land in a heap on the bed. They probably should reverse the spell if they don't want to run around being blunt to everyone's faces.
"A day of revelations!" Sam says, jumping on the bed on top of Felix and Oscar, who both kind of screech. It's a manly screech. The laughter doesn't end, and Felix swears he can hear distinct kissing noises coming from Jake and Andy again, those freaks.
But they are. Like a family, that is. A little makeshift family, and of course they all have their own families back home, but still. It's kinda nice. And, even at the risk of sounding horribly corny, it does feel warm and comfy. And all it has taken is a little game of magical Truth or Dare.
It's been Felix's idea. Hah. He's always known he's awesome.
