Idiots in Love

"If Sam kills us, I'm going to spend my afterlife reminding you that this was your fault."

"Cool," Quil said, "I wouldn't mind having company while being a ghost."

Embry chuckled and scrubbed his hand down his face. When he opened his eyes, his best friend had shucked off his shorts and tucked them into a fork in the nearest tree. Quil winked before phasing into his chocolate brown wolf.

The flecks of green in his brown eyes always shone brighter as the wolf. Quil stared at Embry momentarily before nudging his chest with his wet snout.

"Fine!" Embry huffed in fake annoyance, before following Quil's lead into disaster.

~~I i l~~

2 Hours Later

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR GODDAMN MINDS? You were seen, by not one, not two, but FIVE humans." Sam holds up a hand, ; his fingers splayed out as if they couldn't count that high.

The boys had their eyes trained on the ground, their necks bared submissively to their furious (and rightfully so) alpha. They stood close enough that Embry could feel the heat radiating from Quil. He could get through the scolding, yelling, and punishment, if Quil was by his side.

This was not the first time they had been in trouble together. Being supernaturally strong and quiet definitely had its advantages, especially when executing an epic prank. Embry's favorite was still when they had lifted Mrs. Gunthry's car and put it on the roof of the amenities block. The school had to hire a crane to get it down.

What? She had said something about Embry's mom, and Quil decided she needed to pay for it.

"They barely saw us," Quil said, brushing it off.

"They caught you on camera, Quil!" Sam stood towering in front of them, anger rolling off him in waves. "Mid-phase."

Yeah, it wasn't their finest moment.

"Well, I couldn't open the cooler with my paws."

"QUIL!" Sam grew angrier by the second, and joking would not save Quil this time. Embry placed his hand on his friend's wrist in warning, hoping the movement went unseen.

It was not.

Sam glanced down before meeting Embry's gaze. "I'm surprised by you, Embry. I thought you were smarter than this."

Guilt pooled in his stomach. He hated letting people down, and in all honesty, he knew this was a bad idea from the beginning, but he would follow Quil anywhere. He lo … he was his best friend.

Sensing Embry's stress, Quil squeezed his hand. The tension slowly drained from Embry. "We're sorry," he said.

"Oh, you're gonna be. You two are a pain in my arse. With Emily due in a few months, I can't deal with this shit!" Sam took a deep breath and stepped back. He raised his head and set his jaw.

"You two are banned from each other for the next six months."

"What?" both Quil and Embry said in unison, glancing at each other.

"You can't do this," Quil said next.

"I can, and I just did. I will schedule you on different patrols. Jacob will monitor you at school. When we have pack functions, you will remain on opposite sides of the group. You will not speak to each other for the next six months," he said, lacing the last sentence with his alpha tenor. The order wrapped itself around Embry's tongue, making it hard to swallow. "Do I make myself clear?"

The boys stood still in complete silence. The weight of Sam's words sat heavily on his chest, making it hard for him to breathe. U until he felt another gentle, reassuring squeeze in his hand.

"DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"

"Yes, Alpha."

~~I i l~~

Six months (minus one hour) later

"So, you gonna tell him?" Leah asked with no preamble as she sat down on the beach next to Embry.

He turned to her and cocked an eyebrow. It was a silent question. Who what? But honestly, he didn't care if she understood or not.

She did. "Quil. That you imprinted on him?"

Embry's heart skipped a beat. He tried his best to cool his features, but not before Leah saw the shock flicker across his face. She smirked. Embry picked up a pebble from the sand and threw it out into the ocean without justifying her with an answer.

They sat in silence for a few minutes as he threw more stones, hoping she dropped the subject. Embry was never that lucky.

"At first, I thought you just missed each other, which is understandable. You've been friends since you were toddlers. But then you started to act like a junkie jonesing for a fix."

Embry flinched and clenched his left fist tightly, digging the nails into his palm. They stung as they pierced the skin, and the familiar pain filled his mind, giving him something else to focus on. The skin healed quickly, and he repeated the action in a way that had become a habit. Outwardly, he gave no response to her observations.

"You became withdrawn and almost completely silent. Even your thoughts were blank. Quil became an angry pain in everyone's ass." Embry smiled at that. "The only time you returned to a fragment of your old self was after he touched you."

Embry turned at this to look at Leah. He was surprised she had seen that.

"Not as smooth as you thought you were, hey?" She chuckled. "He would walk past you and run his hand down your arm or across your back. The tremors in your body would stop. It was painful to watch."

Embry rolled his eyes. Geez, sorry, it was so painful for you.

"You should have told Sam."

Embry laughed and shook his head. It wouldn't have changed anything.

"He of all people would understand about keeping imprints apart. And, he doesn't care about... you know..." He turned and stared at her skeptically. "He doesn't. None of us do." Leah sighed. "For whatever it is worth. And now that I made it weird, I'm going to make my exit." She patted him on the shoulder before standing and joining the group around the bonfire.

Time was nearly up. The nervous anticipation, excitement, and terror of what was next swirled unhappily in his stomach. He had missed Quil so damn much that his body physically ached.

Slowly, Embry stood up and brushed the sand off his pants. Quil was sitting by himself further down the beach, away from the rest of their pack. Each had isolated in their own way.

Without consciously deciding to, Embry walked over and stood behind him. The knot of the Alpha order loosened its grip on his tongue until, at last, it lifted. There was a moment of silence as they listened to the waves crash on the pebbly shore.

"Hey," Embry said, his voice rough, like he hadn't spoken in days.

"Six months," Quil said. "You had six months to come up with something to say, and you decided on, hey?"

Embry sat on the sand next to his best friend and bumped into his shoulder. "You're such a jerk."

"Yep," Quil said, still avoiding eye contact.

"Well, what did you come up with, or had you previously decided to insult me the first time we spoke?"

Quil chuckled. "No, quite the opposite, actually. Guess jerk-mode is harder to leave behind than I thought. I... ah, I wanted to say sorry," he said, finally lifting his eyes to meet Embry's.

"I-I don't blame you. We did it together."

"Yeah, but we both know it was my idea."

Embry smiled back at him. He wasn't going to admit it, but his silence spoke volumes.

"Why did you?" Quil asked. "Follow me, even though you knew it was a bad idea?"

Embry had to look away from the intensity in his eyes.

"I'd follow you anywhere," Embry admitted.

"You're an idiot."

"Yeah, I guess. But, so are you."

"We could be co-presidents of Club Idiot," Quil joked.

Embry started laughing, and Quil eventually joined in. The laughter felt good, light, and natural for the first time in half a year.

With the weight lifted, it became easier to breathe. Embry laid back on the cold sand and looked up at the stars. He didn't need more than this. Just time with his best friend, his other half.

After just listening to the waves on the rocks for a while, Quil turned, leaning down on one elbow facing him. He took a deep breath and licked his lips before worrying his bottom one between his teeth.

"What is it?" Embry asked, knowing he wanted to say something.

"When you said you'd follow me anywhere… Is that... um, because you have to?"

His heart raced in his chest, hoping that Quil was not implying what Embry thought he was. "What?" Embry asked, feigning ignorance.

"Do you have to be anything I want you to be?" Quil asked,

His breath hitched in his throat, and Embry couldn't answer. Suddenly, Quil's fingers were lightly tracing an invisible pattern on his forearm. "A brother?" Quil continued past his elbow toward his shoulder. "A friend?" Embry closed his eyes, unable to do anything but concentrate on the tingling sensation being etched into his skin.

Eventually, Quil's fingers moved across the top of his shoulder and traced his collarbone. "Or a lover," he whispered, causing Embry's eyes to snap open.

He grabbed Quil's hand to stop its movements. "Quil..." He swallowed hard. "I don't... expect anything from you. I'm happy just being your friend. You're my best friend. I don't need more."

Quil adjusted the hand Embry was holding so he could lace their fingers together.

"What if that is what I want?" Quil whispered.

"Are you sure you're not just doing it out of guilt?" Embry asked, uncertainty radiating from him. "I don't want anything to change if it means I'll eventually lose you. I can't do this..." his voice hitched as his anxiety grew. "I can't lose you again."

Quil looked into his eyes and could see the decision had been made already. He slowly shook his head in response to Embry's uncertainty.

"Just... shut up and kiss me," Quil whispered, leaning closer.

Embry's fear disappeared as he closed the gap between them and pressed his lips softly to Quil's. It was sweet, simple, and everything he had dreamed of.

Quil pulled back with a smirk. "Is that all you got, Call?"

Embry chuckled and quickly gave Quil's shoulder a hard shove, sending him onto his back. Embry followed after him, straddling his hips between his knees and placing his hands on either side of his face.

Immediately, he captured Quil's lips with his own, devouring him, drinking in everything he could. He felt Quil's hands on his hips. One settled on his lower back while the other ran a hot trail up his spine and wound into his hair.

This kiss was the opposite of their first. It was all tongue and teeth, fire and heat, filling Embry's soul with everything it had been drained of for six months.

When they finally parted, Quil chuckled. "You know they're all watching us, right?"

Embry smiled back at him, feeling the eyes of the pack trained on them but not caring.

He leaned in, kissing Quil again, before trailing his lips down his jaw towards his ear. "Let's give them a show then."

Embry felt the rumble of laughter in Quil's chest as he left a trail of kisses. Mid-chest, he lifted his gaze to the bonfire further up the beach. He caught Sam's wide eyes and winked. His usual proud smirk had disappeared as if the realization that the trouble this pair was going toould cause him was only just starting.

By the time Embry's mouth had reached Quil's belly- button, the pack were was frantically packing up and putting the fire out. When they had the beach to themselves, Embry laid back down next to Quil, both in fits of laughter.