Tipsy Turvy

The air was crisp and cool, the night sky dark. Voices and laughter drifted with the light wind towards the bridge over the creek, just away from the party. Freddie's connection with the railing he sat upon, long legs dangling below him, was tenuous at best. When he turned suddenly to face Teddy, he wobbled precariously, almost falling. His eyes were wide and bright in his dark face and when he talked he almost shouted.

"New years kiss!" was his sudden cry.

Teddy, seated beside him, shot him a questioning look. "What?" he asked.

Freddie's voice was all anxiety. "I don't have one!"

Teddy laughed. "It's one minute to midnight!"

Freddie bit down on his lip, a movement Teddy couldn't help but catch. "Shit." He glanced side to side, eyes wide and panicked. "What do I do?"

Having also drunk a fair amount himself, Teddy threw his hands up into the air more expressively that he usually would have. "I don't know..." he replied, furrowing his brow as if seriously thinking on the matter. A goofy smile spread across his features. "Find someone?" he suggested. Freddie looked at him with much more exasperation and urgency than the situation really did require and it was, like many things are when you're just a little tipsy, absolutely hilarious.

"But who?" Fred asked, as if there were no hope. "There's no one here-" he broke off, expression altering suddenly and dramatically. His eyes were right on Teddy and a smile crept slowly and cheekily across his face.

"Why are you..." began Teddy, before stopping mid-sentence as realisation struck him and his eyes widened and he shook his head back and forth.

"Please, Teddy!" he begged, "Don't make me start the year off lonely!"

Teddy gave him a look. "You seriously want to kiss me?" He wasn't sure how that made him feel.

Freddie shrugged. "Well, I about think I'm drunk enough."

"Umm..."

With big brown puppy dog eyes and desperation in his voice, Fred shook Teddy's arm. "Please, I'm begging you. I'd get down on my knees but I doubt I'm coordinated enough right now to ever get back up!"

Teddy sighed dramatically. "Fine," he said, leaning in.

"Not now," said Freddie, aghast. "Midnight!"

Teddy pulled away, disgruntled. "Sorry."

They sat in a slightly awkward silence until the countdown began, a minute or so later.

Their eyes met and this time Teddy was too uncertain to make a move but it didn't matter because Freddie was leaning in and he was gripping Teddy by the back of his bright turquoise hair and he was pressing his lips against Teddy's and then they were kissing. Not for the first time, Freddie found himself wavering, but he only nearly fell, as Teddy grabbed a hold of him and pulled him tightly to his chest, never breaking the kiss.

Eventually the need for oxygen overcame whatever this was and they broke apart, breathing somewhat heavily and staring into one another's eyes until Freddie broke the silence. "Bloody Hell. That was alright, wasn't it?"

Teddy gave a choked kind of laugh and ran his hand nervously through his rapidly colour changing hair. "Um, want to go back to the party?" he suggested, somewhat awkwardly.

Eyes right on his, Freddie shook his head. "Not really, to be honest."

Teddy relaxed into a smile. "Neither."