Awkward. So very awkward.
The scene could only be described as thus: Aeleus was standing in the hallway, spaghetti sauce splashed across the side of his face, leaving a rather gruesome looking stain on his shirt, holding what might be, quite possibly, the world's most delicious plate of chicken marsala ever to be made by a college student. Xaldin was yelling from the kitchen about Rudol being allergic to mushrooms and how they were the 'bane of his fucking existence anyway' as he was picking pasta from his hair and tromping into the hallway after him. Ienzo was poised next to the doorway, holding it open by the handle with a grin on his face that told Aeleus that everything was going according to plan right down to the dumbfounded look on his companion's face as he locked eyes with their newest dinner guests.
Lumaria was old news at this point. He looked fabulous enough to shit rainbows, but that was nothing short of normal. Ienzo had warned him that 'Marly' was coming this time around, and he was bringing his significant other (another man, of course. No one would ever dare to get the pink-haired extraordinaire's sexuality confused). There he was, standing in the doorway like the Goddamn ghost of Christmas past, complete with death-scythe and morose expression.
It was Even.
Those poison green eyes could glare daggers, and he was utilizing that ability to it's absolute fullest. The large man did some very quick deducing, shooting Ienzo with a pleading glance as he was answered with a self-satisfied smirk. Oh, he was enjoying this immensely. Ever since Aeleus had refused to get too much into his romantic past with his current partner, the other young man had been adamant about digging it up, of knowing all of his secrets, asking questions at odd, unprovoked times, trying to force answers out of him when he was least expecting it. Of course, it never fooled Aeleus; he was far too clever of a 'bro' as Ienzo termed it, but his luck could only last so long against sheer resourcefulness.
Even shifted his weight in the threshold. "It's been quite a while, Aeleus." He commented, his tone flat and unreadable. His answer was a subtle nod and an accommodating gesture.
"Come on in." He affirmed. Lumaria quirked his delicate pink brow as though to ask for an explanation straight off the bat, but Aeleus shook his head soundly. Even, having seen the entire proceedings frowned and stepped in with a huff, the purposeful clack of his shoes against the hardwood floors making him seem far older than he actually was. Typical Even, always out to impress and make up for the confidence he so clearly lacked within himself.
"Go ahead, Aeleus, keep refusing to speak your mind. I'm sure everything will still turn out for the best." He snipped, taking the plate from his hands and moving forward, past him, still speaking along the way. "You look absolutely atrocious with all that sauce on you. It's like you were attacked by an enraged hobo with a switch blade." He heard the fellow football roommate holler from the other room. "Oh, Dilan is here as well. That explains it."
Dilan groaned from the kitchen doorway. "It sounds like that tight-ass Even is here and-" He began but quickly snapped his mutton-chopped mouth shut with an expression midway between shock, anger, rage and apprehension. "Who invited your ex?" He asked Aeleus, his tone changing from threatening to commiserating in a fraction of a second. They were bros after all. Ienzo glanced between them knowingly, having been through this a multitude of times before.
They had cooked dinner, or perhaps, fought over who was going to be cooking dinner. Most 'bros' would have been happy with take out, contented with fast food, ecstatic by the mention of burritos and burgers, but this was no normal bromance. These two men were the finest specimens of football playing menfolk to be found on this side of the country. Being as such (brawny and exquisitely built), they both managed to eat a great deal (and by a great deal, one could safely assume that they ate enough to feed a small village for the better part of a month). Being that they needed to stay so well fueled, both had to be rather schooled in what to feed one's self and how to make it.
Ienzo was not much of a gourmet but damn, those men could cook. Neither could clean. Neither knew how to do laundry, or the finer points of working a dishwasher. Neither had (undoubtedly) finished their psychology paper, but they were absolutely flawless in the kitchen. The problem was, two cooks in the kitchen was always one too many. They could never manage to work together, but what both of them came up with was always 'better than sex' good. After then were done with their 'bro-arguments' on whether or not rosemary or oregano went better on chicken, they would be back to finishing each other's sentences. Ienzo could pretend that was the reason why he was so annoyed with Aeleus, his remarkable bromance, but no, that simply was not it.
...How dare he keep secrets. Past relationships were simply not acceptable. He would learn his lesson, surely.
But Aeleus looked absolutely mortified as Even made his way into the fraternity home, setting down the finished plate on the kitchen counter. "I do not know what sort of misunderstanding this is, but surely you did not want me here." Even commented coldly, pushing his pale blond hair behind his ear with a note of arrogance. For a twenty two year old, he certainly could fool anyone into thinking he was eighty.
"No, you can stay, Even." Aeleus offered with a tentative, yet confused smile, wondering what exactly was going on.
"Don't lie, Aeleus. You don't really want that." Even hissed, fixing him with a cold glare. "You're entertaining guests of another variety these days, or so I hear." He gestured vaguely to Ienzo. Even apparently had been even less aware of where he was going or what to expect. He shot a look at Lumaria that could freeze mercury.
"That's not what I meant." He replied lamely.
"You two seem to know each other." Ienzo prompted innocently, entering after Even and casting an innocent glance around the room, crystalline blue eyes vacant of malicious intent. Lumaria walked fluidly in after him, keeping deadly silent. Of course he would not have known that they had been involved in the past, or that since Aeleus was unwilling to talk about the falling out, it would be torturously fun to force him to. Of course the beautiful Lumaria could never be curious for much the same reasons and in on any scheme in dragging Even along to dinner.
They would never venture into this territory wittingly, right?
"Of course we knew each other." Even growled at Ienzo, never one to sport a filter, and never one to back down from a fight when agitated or 'disrespected' as he saw it. Aeleus groaned in response, seeing the trap, knowing it was a trap, and knowing that Even was about to catapult himself into it fully. The answer was quite clear from Ienzo now: if Aeleus would not relent, Ienzo would get his answers by any other means and make sure to do it in the most painful way possible.
"Really? How so?" Ienzo prompted, taking a bite of the dish before him, chewing indulgently with wide attentive eyes fixed on Even.
"He took my virginity." Even answered too quickly, clearly trying to cover whatever reaction may have come with that fact. Since the young scientist was looking away, he did not see Dilan's jaw drop, Ienzo's eyes widen, Lumaria's attention snap to Aeleus with a wicked ferocity or how the man in question's color drained in heartbeat of a moment. "It does not worry me in the slightest, but I would rather not stay where I am not welco-"
"That's how you remember me?" Aeleus was not one to interrupt, but he was also not one to turn gray and look horrified at the slightest prompting of the past.
"Yes." Even answered rather evenly, still not meeting the other man's eyes, hair draped unconvincingly over his face. "And don't worry, I'm leaving now."
"You don't remember how you tutored me in biology? How I helped you in the labs between football and soccer practice? How we went out for drinks every Wednesday because you said that you didn't like the crowds during the weekends? How you-" He paused, wondering for a moment if he should even be speaking these old memories aloud, but really, what was the point in hiding it anymore? Apparently Ienzo would be more than happy to butcher his past at the slightest suggestion. "How you thought I really did have a brain that went along with all my 'brawn'?"
Even crossed his arms uncomfortably, his head still solidly turned away. "You left." He justified in a small voice, everyone else in the room seemingly forgotten.
"You told me to!" It was a rare occurrence that Aeleus ever raised his voice, that he showed emotion beyond being playfully insulted, or slightly bashful, but he was clearly upset. Ienzo's dropped his fork with a clatter, looking on in dismay. This was clearly straying from his master scheme. He cast a worried glance to Lumaria.
Even seemed to take a moment to gulp dryly as he shifted his weight form one well defined hip to the other. He turned finally to look at the other man, hoping beyond hope that the tears that rimmed the bottom of his eyes were not as noticeable as they felt. "I'm not fool enough to think I'm special to you! You think I didn't notice how you were the 'sports champion' golden boy? You helped everyone! You liked everyone! I'm not an idiot, Aeleus; I know what happens when someone 'gets what they want' and so I was not going to sit around and pretend like I was something I certainly was not-"
"I loved you so damn much! You broke me." Aeleus answered before he could hear any more. These misconceptions, these misunderstandings, these assumptions were making him sick.
With a hiccup of a sob, Even shuddered and tried to hide his face beyond a curtain of pin-straight hair. Damned if he didn't look ten years younger and infinitely more scared and hurt than he would ever be willing to admit to later. It would be debatable on whether or not he would even admit to having had this conversation at all. In a strained and nigh unintelligible voice, he snapped something that sounded like 'Get out of my way!' and ran for the door, shoving Lumaria aside and dodging around Aeleus in one swift motion and a blur of pale hair, brilliantly shining green eyes and fluttering lab coats. Lumaria shot the large man a look of anger tinged with an obvious threat, as though this was obviously still his fault (somehow), and followed after.
Aeleus groaned and expletive, looking ashen and exhausted. He sank on to the couch and held his head in his hand as though he had just magically summoned a migraine out of nowhere. "You happy, Ienzo?" He looked up at the young man, still next to the plate on the counter, dropped cutlery by his side, eyes wide, and for the first time since he had met the man before him, dumbfounded and silent.
Dilan (who everyone had forgot about until now) cleared his throat uncomfortably. The proceedings were far from being a surprise to him; he had seen the story happen firsthand. He gestured for Ienzo to make like a tree and get the fuck out. Ienzo, still rather shellshocked, obeyed for the first (and last) time in the history of forever.
"Hey, Ael?" Dilan prompted. Aeleus didn't respond. Apparently, his shoes were really interesting today because he refused to look up. "Ael, you were right." He started, just a touch awkwardly. "Rosemary tasted pretty damn good. I'm gonna use it from now on."
"Thanks." Dilan could hear him smile, even if he did still sound like someone had still just murdered a orphanage full of kittens in front of him. Still, that was more than good enough for now. He went to clean up the kitchen.