Title: Drive Me

Author: Joy/M'Arcy Lee Corgan/Marcelle/whatever you know me as Disclaimer: If I got from this, my name would be Ann M. Martin. it's not, so... not mine.

Pairing: Byron Pike/Jeff Schaefer

Rating: PG

Summary: During a party, the boys learn more about each other... and snack cakes.

Notes: Sequeled by "Falling Apart", prequeled by "Drive Me".

-

In the real world, time had an entirely different meaning. When the boys got back inside the house, they found their friends unable to wait for them. The drugged teenagers were slumped over the furniture like dirty laundry. Haley had her face half-pressed into Adam's lap, drooling on his pant leg.

Byron snuck a peek at Jeff, sliding the food silently onto the table. A hard feat to do, considering all that plastic packaging. He bent down and selected a few candy bars and a Twinkie, then moved off to the hall leading to Haley's bedroom. Perhaps Jeff just imagined the naughty gleam in Byron's eyes.

Jeff gasped involuntarily, thinking, Oh, Lord. What would Haley do if she found us sneaking into her room? A girl's room is strictly off-limits, even in the case of emergencies.

The Pikes must have lived by more communal rules, because Byron really didn't seem to blink at all the stuffed animals and ruffles and the overindulgence in pink that the Braddocks chose to decorate their daughter's bedroom with.

Byron threw himself on the bed, head falling into a plush pillow. There was a soft crunching noise, and Byron lifted his head slowly, reaching under the pillow, only to pull out a large box of comdoms. He raised an eyebrow, and quickly dumped a few squares into his lap, pocketing them without meeting Jeff's eyes.

"So," Jeff started nervously, "What now?"

A pair of soft, dark eyes stared up at him, taunting him, inviting him. "Now... we eat," Byron offered, handing him a plastic-wrapped cupcake. Jeff chose to ignore all the nutritional warnings on the label and opened it, reveling in the soft texture on his tongue.

Jeff swallowed carefully, his attention focused on the way Byron was licking the cream filling out of the Twinkie firmly grasped in his fist. His tongue curled up and around, just like a cat's. Finally, Jeff had to plop down on the pink comforter too, his legs unsteady. Byron grinned at him, a smear of white on his chin.

That made Jeff even more anxious, but he forced himself to chew his next bite of snack cake. Byron attempted to toss the Twinkie wrapper in the trash, using the opportunity to stretch himself over Jeff's lap. He squirmed around, trying to get a better angle on the garbage can while putting Jeff into a very compromising state of mind.

Jeff leaned back into the pillows, pulling Byron to his chest halfway. They lay like that for a few minutes, Jeff listening to his friend's slow breathing. Byron fidgeted, trying to place his arms somewhere comfortable, but not anywhere that might startle. Finally, he decided with rolling onto his side and curling up. Jeff didn't say anything, but he did rub Byron's back reassuringly a bit before encircling him with shaky arms.

Byron whispered, "You're still making me nervous." He closed his eyes and settled down into the embrace.

Jeff laughed, the sound mostly breath. "And you? You have no idea." He tightened his grip.

Bryon went stiff. "What?"

"I mean... I've never..." Jeff was beginning to feel the haze clearing from his mind and he was sure that Byron was sobering up, too. He searched for something that would sound explainable when they were both looking back on it. Then he realized that he didn't care.

Instead, he ran his fingers through Byron's hair, until he felt the dark-haired boy relax under his touch. After that, it was all too easy to drift into sleep.