After Touya's performance during the first challenge, the rest of the group were now apprehensive as ever at what was on the bottom of all the cups.
And unluckily for Ochako, she was next to spin the bottle. Her eyes were glued to it as it spun and spun before finally landing on a clear liquid. When she threw it back, she didn't make the face of someone who had just had to drink down neat tequila or vodka.
"Huh. Water!" She said in surprise.
And when Kaminari and Touya cast each other a knowing look, Callie knew the challenge on the bottom must compensate for the lack of liquor in the cup.
As Ochako's eyes scanned the text, her pink lips turned down a frown and she hummed anxiously.
"What does it say?" Mina asked, grinning curiously.
"Ohh..." Ochako groaned, "I have to chug a beer. I hate beer."
And said beer had already been thrust under her nose by a smirking Kaminari. "Bottoms up!"
The pink cheeked girl stared hard at the beverage as if it were a challenging opponent before cracking open the top and heaving a determined breath. Callie had never seen someone look so apprehensive about drinking a beer before.
During her time living with the boys, she had seen them chug beers casually at the dinner table after a particularly long or stressful day. Sam was surprisingly the best at it, closely followed by Touya. Russ would always grumble about calories and metabolism...
"Some time today, please!" Touya called as Ochako continued to stall.
With another pouting look at the large can of beer in her hand, Ochako pushed her hair back behind her ears and placed the beverage to her lips. Tilting her head back, she began to drink.
It was a pitiful performance to say the least, one that dragged on for 5 minutes. Most of it dribbled down her chin and onto her top. Mina giggled at her side while Kirishima and Bakugo shook their heads.
"Someone get the girl a napkin..." Touya sighed, as Ochako paused to splutter.
"The bubbles went up my nose!" She moaned, drawing a hand across her mouth as she continued to cough.
In the end, the group let her give up after reaching half way. They'd be here all night otherwise. The rest of the can was donated to Kirishima, who drank it in less that two seconds.
Eager to carry on the game, Kaminari told Shinso that it was his turn to spin the bottle. After drinking his peach schnapps, he turned the cup upside down and sighed at the fact he had to swap clothes with the next person the bottle landed on. That person turned out to be Camie.
Unsurprisingly, Camie continued to look sexy even when wearing Shinso's cargo pants and t-shirt. She had tied the latter item of clothing like a crop top and cuffed the pants.
Shinso, on the contrary, did little justice for Camie's outfit. He jokingly mumbled about how he didn't have enough chest to fill out the, now sagging, halter neck. He did however look surprisingly good in her skin-tight leggings. The 6 inch heels however, did cause him some issues as he wobbled back to join the circle. He toppled sideways part way but luckily Sam was there to catch him.
"Don't you dare break my shoes, fam!" Camie warned, waving a finger.
The next challenge was for Russ. However, it wasn't really a challenge. Rather, a simple question of kiss, marry, fuck.
"We want your answers for both the girls and boys!" Camie told him, her hands on her hips and his brows wiggling.
Russ was frowning.
Callie couldn't help but smile at his perplexed expression. Despite being one of the most classically handsome and polite men she'd ever met, he never used it to his advantage. Rather, he was almost prudish. Touya even teased him about it on occasion. She knew this sort of question would make the younger Gaster brother rather embarrassed.
Sighing, he cast his flitting eyes around the circle of faces.
"Well..." he began. "Callie, you're exempt."
Callie chuckled while Sam rolled his eyes.
"So I guess I'd kiss, erm, Mina..."
Mina cooed happily, swatting him on the arm playfully.
"I'd marry Ochako..."
The pink cheeked girl smiled and turned her face away. Deku seemed to pretend he hadn't heard and was staring intently at the liquid in his cup.
"And I'd erm..." He hesitated and blinked bashfully.
"Fuck?" Touya finished for him, while he and Sam smirked.
"Yeah. Erm. Camie...I guess."
Callie nudged Touya and cast him a glare when she heard him mutter, "wouldn't we all," under his breath.
The girl in question leant over and kissed Russ' blushing cheeks. "Aw! Thanks, bae!"
Clearing his throat as she pulled away, Russ turned to Jirou and added, "Jirou, you can get a hug." And the dark haired girl laughed lightly as he wrapped his arms around her.
"And for the guys?" Mina reminded him, grinning mischievously.
Russ grimaced. "Seriously?"
"It's only fair!" She chimed.
None of the boys looked convinced. But, after sighing heavily, Russ replied with a grumbling tone.
"Okay then...I'd kiss Kirishima, marry Sero..."
The two guys in question snorted a laugh.
"And urgh..." He scrunched up his nose as he considered his options.
"You'd fuck me, Russ. Let's face it." Touya smirked.
And the younger Gaster brother simply shrugged a shoulder and nodded half-heartedly. "Yeah sure. Why not."
Callie laughed quietly as Sam made a sound of disgust next to her. "What is even going on anymore?" He grumbled. "I'm far too sober for this."
Luckily, the next few rounds went by quickly.
Deku was up next and after his challenge was to kiss the person to his left, he had blushed so hard he was almost the same colour as the liquid he had just consumed.
Ochako looked equally bashful as everyone wolf-whistled and cheered around them. The kiss itself had been pretty underwhelming in terms of build-up and theatrics. But Callie found the swift press of the lips cute nonetheless. They didn't look at each other for ages afterwards.
"If you need someone to show you how it's done, just come find me later..." Touya teased, leaning towards Ochako.
She pouted sheepishly as Mina threw her arms around her in a protective embrace. "Get away from her, you pest!"
"Ahh! Mina! Don't be jealous!" He grinned, winking an eye.
She responded with a twitch of her own and a theatrical retch.
Touya blinked, "bit much..." He grumbled, as she continued to make gagging sounds.
The game continued until every cup was empty. Mina had to eat a whole chilli and didn't even shed a tear, Kaminari had to let the girls shave his legs and spent the rest of the party parading them around proudly, Sero had to do 50 push-ups but only managed 39, Camie had to spend the rest of the game sat on Russ' knee (which he found particularity awkward after what he had said during his turn), Callie had to remove her top and was thankful she wore her best bralette that evening, Sam had to confess his feelings to his crush and made the girls sigh happily and the guys whoop loudly when he turned to Callie and reeled off an unconventional declaration of love in the form of a freestyle rap;
Tall glass of water with a hint of matcha,
If you're lookin' for a hubby then girl, I gotcha.
Ain't nobody gonna love ya more than this boy from N.Y.C
With my top grades in science, I'll give you that perfect chemistry
Come on down to Snowdin, apartment number 6,
And I'll free up my timetable so we can have a little kiss
Pretty history major, why you keep looking at the past, huh?
Coz the future looks better when I make you Mrs Gaster.
Callie shook her laughing head at the broad grin he threw her. And when he cockily jerked his head in an invitation to kiss him, she did so happily to the sound of wolf-whistles and giggles.
The last person to spin the bottle was Bakugo. He drank down the orange liquid that turned out to be juice and begrudgingly checked the bottom of the glass. When his eyes raised to the person opposite him, he sneered.
"Well? What's it say?" And Camie snatched the glass from him to check the text beneath it.
She, along with the rest of the circle, laughed at the revelation that he had to enter a compliment battle with the the person opposite him, which turned out to be a wide-eyed Deku.
"What? Too difficult for ya?" Kaminari taunted, when Bakugo looked on the verge of refusing. But the challenging tone in Kaminari's voice made him unable to back down.
"Fine." He snarled. "Deku isn't as stupid as he looks."
Deku frowned at the backhanded compliment. Kirishima's bemused shrug informed him that it qualified.
"Well..." Deku uttered, "Kacchan has cool hair."
The blond grimaced. "Your hair could be worse."
"You're super strong."
"You're somewhat tolerable."
"Your eyes are kinda nice."
Another grimace. Sam spluttered a laugh. Bakugo shot him a glare.
"You're not the worst player on the baseball team."
Kirishima frowned. "Wait, then who do you think is?"
"That's not the game, dumb hair."
This uncomfortable exchange went on for another 5 awkward minutes before Deku was lulled into a fearful silence by the same eyes he had previously complimented.
Callie found it amusing the two young men found it so difficult to praise each other. Sam, Russ and Touya almost always complimented each other. Most of the time it was to tease and on occasion it was probably sarcastic, but sometimes it was hard to tell.
As the drinking game came to an end, the party members broke off into smaller groups. Mina and Camie were dancing around the coffee table while Jirou and Kaminari laughingly watched them from their perch on the back of the couch. Callie wondered if she was the only one who noticed they were holding hands. At least, she did until she and Shinso locked eyes and he smirked knowingly at her with a nod in his blond friend's direction.
"Bout time..." she mouthed to him across the room. He nodded quietly in response, a sleeping Mr Kitten curled up on his lap. He was no longer wearing Camie's clothes, as the two of them had changed back into their original outfits after Shinso almost broke his ankle on the tiled floor in the kitchen.
It seemed Kaminari and Jirou weren't the only couple who had finally made some headway. After having to kiss each other during the drinking game, Ochako and Deku were now seemingly joined at the hip. Kirishima and Sero were both smirking and nodding over their drinks as they watched the blossoming couple sidle up together by the same bookshelf Touya had kissed a girl against during the first party of the year. And when it looked like Deku and Ochako were about to repeat the scene, Bakugo's loud voice completely ruined the moment. "Get a damn room, nerds!"
"Preferably not mine, please!" Added Sam. And Touya chuckled at his side.
It seemed like the right time to do it.
As Russ, Sam and Touya stood in the kitchen drinking beers and laughing loudly, Callie quietly fussed behind them. When she spun back to face them, she was holding the cake she had baked earlier that day while Touya was out buying cigarettes. The candles danced merrily in front of her smiling face as she approached her three roommates.
"Surprise!" She called, causing Touya and the brothers to turn and face her.
"For me?" The dark haired man asked, his smile lopsided and the little flames reflecting prettily in his light eyes.
"Sure is!" She replied, placing it on the counter top.
"It ain't my birthday!" He declared, placing a hand to his chest theatrically.
Callie clicked her tongue through a smile. "Touya..."
He responded with a low chuckle and the drape of an affectionate arm. "You shouldn't have." He uttered warmly, pulling her against him and planting a kiss at her temple.
In that instant, Callie felt the sting of tears in her eyes. She fought them back as she told him what the flavour was, using the information as a distraction for the bittersweet emotions building in the pit of her stomach. "It's champagne and strawberries!"
Touya blew out the candles then laughed. "Now you got me feeling like you baked this cake for yourself."
As she sliced it up into portions and handed it to each of the guys, Sam was the only one who hadn't said a word. He ate quietly, his eyes barely coming up from the plate.
"Right, Sam?" Russ asked, after having told Callie how tasty the cake was.
"Hm?" The older sibling responded, finally raising his head.
Callie eyed him carefully. It was strange seeing him so subdued. The brightness in his eyes seemed to have been lost partway through the evening. She knew what was going through his mind without the intrusion of having to ask him; he was going to miss his best friend...
"Aw, Samuel!" Touya barked, "you gonna cry, babe?" And he curled an arm around his neck in, what only could be described as, a 'loving' headlock.
Sam gagged slightly, his glasses knocking askew and his hands unable to aid him in his escape as he continued to hold onto his portion of cake.
"Don't look so blue, Gaster!" Touya called, still squeezing his friend's neck with little mercy. Funnily enough, the gesture was making Sam look more blue by the second.
"You gonna miss me, huh? Gonna miss your best buddy, Touya?"
Callie and Russ watched them both with affectionate smiles; Sam's struggling, 5f6 body in the grips of Touya's lanky, 6f4 frame.
"Groffmeasshole," choked Sam, his unfinished piece of cake threateningly to slip of the edge of his plate.
"What was that?" Touya asked, his voice patronisingly high, "you love me?"
"Leggoyoulankybast-"
"Aw! I love you too!"
And Sam gasped as Touya relinquished his hold on him. He rubbed his neck with one hand as the other set his plate down onto the work surface. At least now he was smiling.
"Oh, boys..." Callie cooed, and she stepped forwards to wrap her arms around them both before they could see the tears in her eyes fall. Warmth met her back as Russ joined the hug too.
She smelt the familiar scent of peppermint, cigarette smoke and expensive cologne; Sam's gum, Touya's jacket and Russ' skin. How she'd miss this peculiar cocktail of smells.
Who'd have thought she'd miss the smell of cigarettes- she hated the damn things. But as she turned her head from Sam's soft face to Touya's hard chest, she found herself wishing it would stick around a little longer.
Once the housemates finally broke from their group hug, Callie's cheeks were wet with tears. Russ put an arm around her slumped shoulders while she wiped her eyes with the napkin Touya handed her.
"Don't cry, Callie." He smiled, tapping the underside of her chin. "You gotta stay chipper and look after Sam for me."
And he punched the guy in question's arm.
"Then again..." Touya mused, "he'll probably fare better without me around getting him into trouble."
Sam smiled sadly. "Yeah...maybe."
And Callie knew just how much he was hurting as she took his hand and gave it a squeeze.
The rest of the night passed by relatively tamely in comparison to their last few parties. After a few group pics and more group hugs, the only people left by 2am were the four roommates.
"Well..." Touya declared quietly, "I guess we should call it a night, huh?"
"I suppose so." Callie yawned, standing up from the sofa. "Let's get some sleep. And I'll make pancakes in the morning for us all."
Sam took her hand and she pulled him to his feet. Russ was stretching out his limbs next to them.
"Sounds good," Touya smiled.
He bent his knees as Callie approached him so that she could kiss his cheek without having to tip-toe. And as Sam passed, Touya yanked him by the arm and planted a sloppy kiss on his face. The shorter friend responded with a quiet curse and a wipe of his cheek.
"Sweet dreams, you two!" Touya chuckled, before turning to Russ and shaking his hand before embracing him. "And you too, big guy!"
And after all bidding him goodnight in return, everyone retired to their rooms and a strange quiet washed over the apartment.
When Callie awoke the next day, the smell of rain greeted her through her open window; the perfect morning for staying in and making pancakes. Sam was still snoozing quietly beside her, his hair sticking out at odd ends and his cheek squished up against his draping arm. Kissing him lightly on the nose, she slipped soundlessly out of bed and crept into the kitchen. As she passed their rooms, it appeared both Russ and Touya were also still asleep. She made sure not to make too much noise as she prepped the pancakes and set the breakfast bar up with fresh juice and coffee. Once everything was ready to go, she called to the boys as she placed the steaming stack of pancakes on the work surface.
Russ was the first to enter, dressed in his stripped pyjama bottoms and looking rather fresh. Sam followed shortly after, yawning loudly and wearing nothing but his boxers and his slippers.
"Can someone go and wake, Touya please?" Callie asked as she poured Sam his coffee; black, bitter, the way he liked it.
Russ nodded and headed back to the hallway, Mr Kitten fussing at his feet as he went.
She heard him call out Touya's name, heard him knock twice on the door. And when she heard him open it and sigh heavily, she felt her stomach drop.
The three housemates peered into Sam's old bedroom, the room that they had given to Touya after offering to let him stay while his wounds healed. The bed had been stripped and the sheets folded neatly aside, the lava lamp had been left on and was glowing quietly in the corner. Beneath it was an envelope. Russ was the one to cross the room and retrieve it. As he opened it, he perched on the end of the bed while Sam and Callie came to join him. Inside was a letter and two sets of keys. Russ cleared his throat and read aloud;
For Sam, Russ and Callie,
Nobody likes goodbyes, right? So I thought I'd spare us all the heartache. Doing it this way just seemed like the better option.
I'll try and keep this letter short and sweet. Don't want your breakfast to get cold or whatever.
I want you all to know how much I appreciate everything you've done for me.
Sam. Honestly, without you, I'd have split a long time ago. Your lame-ass jokes and stupid grin always kept me coming into class. Well, almost always. Thanks for all your hard work, patience and friendship. Without it, I never would have achieved this diploma (that I'll most likely never use). But hey, it's literally the only thing I've ever accomplished, so yeah. Thanks. I love you, and can't wait to crack another cold one with you at Grillby's as soon as I get back. Oh, and keep on top of that bar tab of yours.
Russ. I don't know how you manage to do it, but you're literally everything I wanted to be growing up. You're a true gent and despite all my teasing, I respect you for that. Never change. Keep up all your hard work, you're gonna go far. And when you do, the beers are on you.
And last but not least, Callie. A true lady. Who'd have thought they still existed? Then again, it's not as if they'd come near me, so there's that. Anyway, I hope you always find something to keep smiling about. Your smile has gotten me through a lot these past few months. Make sure you take care of Samuel for me. I know you will. Kindness and care-giving is just in your nature. It's baffling, really. When we see each other again, we can drink champagne and eat cake; Hell, maybe we can even paint each other's nails.
So, my three amigos, this is farewell for now. Stay happy and healthy and I'll be seeing you all again before you know it.
Touya.
P.S I've left you my set of keys to the apartment as well as the keys to the penthouse. Feel free to use it when ever you want. Just keep Kaminari away from my pole...
After setting the letter down in his lap, Russ gave a small sigh. As tears rolled down her face, Callie titled her head to rest it against his slumped shoulders. Sam was staring blankly at the door, his eyes unfocused and glassy.
"Well..." he eventually muttered, "breakfast is getting cold."
Smoke cut through the crisp, morning air as it drifted freely from the lips of its former captor. The cigarette it bore from balanced delicately between long fingers; the owner of which stared idly out at the world as he waited at the platform.
It was the day after the end of term and, like always, he hadn't prepared a single thing. The only thing he'd planned in advance was a ticket out of town, of which bore the name;
Touya Todoroki.
Unlike his best friends, Touya lacked reason for sticking around. Russ had his blossoming baseball career, and Sam and Callie had each other. He already looked forward to seeing his favourite roommates again. His lips pulled another drag on his cigarette as the corners turned up in an affectionate smile. Man, he was gonna miss those guys.
Through the smoke he blew into the space before his eyes, he saw his train approaching. He flicked away the unfinished cigarette and hitched his bag onto his shoulder.
Adventure awaits...
Meanwhile, elsewhere, pancakes were being eaten as laughter rang out over the sound of a vinyl record player.
.
.
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The End
Stay tuned for an EPILOGUE