Ghirahim waited for Link, knowing that he should escort him to where he and his friends spent every lunch together, the two spending most of their free time together, hooking up soon after the first day they had been together.
His class before the break had been boring as ever, and he had spent most of the period trying to focusing farther away from the voices in his head, and more on the lesson, but with his condition, it was difficult in some classes than others. Sometimes he just didn't get a moment to himself.
Ghirahim saw Link's head bob into view and he almost ran right into the pale teen. "Right on time." He announced, letting a smile cross his lips, inwardly snarling at the voices, telling them soon he was going to be unable to hear them, and the relief that always came with drinking himself drunk was something he loved to escape to. He grasped Link's arm and led him to the dumpsters, grinning when they arrived.
"Voila!" He announced, pulling him behind him as he walked over to his friends.
They aren't really your friends. They only act like they like you because they pity you, you sad son of a bitch. The voices chanted religiously inside his head, and he snarled mentally, and the voices fell silent. A shape caught his eye and his grip on Link's sleeve loosened a touch. A blank eyed and black skinned figure grinned at him tauntingly and Ghirahim's lips stretched tight, wanting to scream at it to get the hell out of here. But it was fine, the thing would leave him soon enough.
His friends were perched on the tops of the trashcans, cigarettes already lit and caught between Ardaia's lips, the red head grinning mischievously at Link. He cheered and clinked his wine glass with his boyfriend's, smirking at him, before really looking over Link.
"This is the new guy you were talking about, then?" Ardaia's speech was slurred already, and he brushed some crimson hairs from his face. Ghirahim had to wonder how much wine they had already. Save some for me… A part of him cried.
"Indeed, Ardaia." Ghirahim smiled up at him, pulling Link along a little more. The boy looked between the three older teens, panic clear on his face. Ghirahim frowned internally. He hadn't meant for the boy to be this uncomfortable, but a part of him giggled gleefully.
Friends… I don't have very many.
Why is that? Why is it directed at me, that statement? Are you blaming me, boy? You have nobody to blame but yourself.
It's not true! You're the one who constantly makes me so… unnerved! Fuck off for once and let me have some peace of mind! Help me!
"This is Rynae," Ardaia guestured to the other sitting not too far away from him. "And like Ghirahim said, I'm called Ardaia. What might your name be?" He questioned the newcomer to their little group.
"Um, Link." His voice was timid and quiet.
Rynae grinned and Ardaia gave a bark of laughter. "Link, simple and sweet, eh?"
"Oh, this one's pretty simple, all right." Ghirahim replied, his tone smooth, giving nothing that his friends would suspect away. Most of the time, he only showed what was going on his head when everything was quickly becoming too much for him. He glanced at Link, his pretty face pointed in a glare at him.
"A spark of defiance, I like it." Ardaia laughed again, clapping at the expression Link wore on his face.
Link crossed his arms and stepped away from Ghirahim, eyes widened, looking like a cornered animal about to bite.
Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.
"I think our newcomer should be entreated to some rosé wine," Rynae suggested after a shake of his head, Ghirahim looking up and smiled at his friend. He gave a delighted laugh, tilting his head a fraction to the side.
"Of course." He agreed, Link shaking his head at the statements.
"I'm not drinking wine, Ghirahim." Link's voice was firm and blunt and the tone of I'm not putting up with your shit today, leave me alone. But Ghirahim wasn't going to let him have his way.
He turned and Ghirahim reached out and quickly snatched the hood of his sweater and pulled him back. Link looked at him pleadingly.
"I don't want to drink it, Ghirahim; you can't make me." He snapped, his eyes flashing.
"Oh, I can. And unless you want to discover what will happen if you don't drink it, you'll do so happily." Ghirahim replied coolly, his voice smooth and promising.
Link winced at the threat that he murmured to the younger teen. His friends were also silenced, their eyes trained on the other teen. After a moment, Link slowly nodded and Ghirahim grinned. He grabbed Link's arm and led him over, a firm grip on his arm that promised that the boy wasn't going to be leaving anytime soon.
The pale sixteen year old lept up onto the dumpster beside Rynae, putting the voice out of his mind for the moment. He gestured to Link to do the same as he did, his friend looking at him and grinning.
"A short one, go on and help him up, Ghirahim, it's the least you can do." Rynae added at the blank stare Link was giving the group of three. Ghirahim sighed and rolled his eyes, leaning over and offering a hand to the short teen.
He grudgingly took it and Ghirahim hauled him up beside him, plopping him between Rynae and himself, their legs dangling over the edge of the dumpster.
"Sacre bleu." Ghirahim grinned at Link.
Ardaia reached behind him and produced a bottle full of some of Ghirahim's favourite wine. (Most wine was his favourite, but that was another story.) A wine glass was quickly offered to Link via Rynae almost fluidly and as if they had practised this (they had, with each other, passing around wine glasses to each other was something the three practised often, daily if you must.)
Ghirahim plucked it from his hands, passing it to Ardaia, who filled the glass half-full with the wine. Link took it back, staring into the glass at the alchohol, and part of Ghirahim cried out for the wine.
If Link doesn't drink that, I am going to. He thought, but quickly restrained himself. Link's eyes were squeezed shut and he took a swig of it, hoping to get it down as quickly as possible, and Ghirahim cried out mentally. You don't gulp it no no no no no no no, he thought, slightly appalled by his actions and also was taunted by it, sooner or later, that hate would turn into a need and Link would gladly come to them to drink more, as they would become his little secret, wasting away with the need for wine. Becoming a drunk. Like Ghirahim was at times when he needed it the most.
"What do you think?" Rynae's question broke through the dense fog of thoughts that constantly jumbled Ghirahim's mind, his broken, broken mind. He looked up at them.
"It's weird." Link muttered, and Ghirahim draped an arm across his shoulders, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Wine is an acquired taste." Ghirahim smiled. "There's still some left, go ahead and finish it." He told the other teenager firmly.
He shook his head and Ghirahim placed his hand on Link's, tilting the glass to his lips and Link drank the remainder of the wine reluctantly, making a bitter looking face afterwards, and Ghirahim remembered his first glass. The face he was making was not too far from what Ghirahim had done. In fact, he threw up after his first sip. Link was much better than he had been.
"You like it?" Ardaia asked, rummaging around in the small stash of wines he had with him in his rucksack, producing a bottle of a crimson wine and grinning up at Link.
"Syrah." He announced as he clambered onto the dumpster and opened the bottle, refilling glasses. "You'll like this one, Link."
Rynae sat up straight and patted Link's back, "Wine's nicer than it seems at first." He informed him. "I'm sure that you'll eventually come to like it." The younger teen nodded and Ghirahim passed him the glass.
"Try this one. I promise you'll enjoy it." Ghirahim murmured, pressing it into his hand, and Link took it, tilting it and staring at his reflection in the glass, pondering something. He sighed and took a sip, slowly draining the glass of wine.
Much better, Link. Ghirahim thought. He didn't move his arm, still keeping it slung around his shoulders.
After a few minutes, Rynae spoke up. "Link? You want a cigarette?"
Ghirahim snapped himself out of a small daze he had placed himself in, giving in to listen a little to the voice in his head. "Light him one." He ordered. Rynae pulled out a pack of cigarettes, tugging one out and lighting it up, passing it to Link.
He fumbled, and the cigarette tumbled to the ground from his hands. Link's tipsy. Oh, such a lightweight. Remember when you were a lightweight? Drinking yourself drunk after school whenever you had the chance, fleeing the house…
Ghirahim sighed, Rynae hopping off and stamping out the cigarette to prevent it from starting a fire. He sighed, lighting a second and passing it to Ghirahim, and he took it between two gloved fingers, turning to Link.
"Please…" His voice was weak. "Please don't…"
Ghirahim hushed him. "Shh… Just one, Link. Just one, that's all." He placed the tobacco product at Link's lips and he looked about to cry, and he was as he took the cigarette, taking a large puff.
It wasn't a surprise he gagged and started coughing. He hacked and wheezed before suddenly lurching over and brought up what was in his stomach and the smell hit Ghirahim's nose in a matter of seconds, and his hands were on Link's back and forearms to brace him, rubbing his back, in a matter of seconds. Link was sitting upright, and Ghirahim felt so sorry.
Bad boy, you did it again. The voice teased. Rynae wiped sweat away from Link's forehead, Ardaia packing away the wine quickly. Ghirahim's hand rubbed circles between Link's shoulder blades, remembering when he was in Link's position, exactly what he was doing, but he had been much worse.
"Ghirahim, I'm going to go and get something to clean him up. Be back in a few." Rynae hopped off the bin and fled the scene to go get some cloths to clean up the newest victim of their chocking peer pressure. Oh, how Ghirahim hated how he made decisions sometimes, but he couldn't help it…
He hated how his mind worked.
He hated himself.
"What are we going to tell his teachers?" Ardaia asked quietly, staring across at Ghirahim.
"The truth." Ghirahim replied. "He got sick."
Link swiveled his head around to snap a glare at Ghirahim. "Don't ever make me do that again, don't make me smoke another cigarette and I don't want wine!" His voice wanted it to be a demand but it came out a plea, and Link weakly shoved himself away from Ghirahim.
Ghirahim folded his hands neatly in front of himself, staring intently at Link. "Link, it was your first time, you just-"
"I said I don't." Link cut him off with a snapped reply. There was a sloppy attempt that he made on pushing himself off the dumpster, hitting the ground too hard, and he lurched forward, and Ghirahim had his arms around Link's midsection, tugging him back so his chest was snug against Link's back.
"Link." Ghirahim had his mouth at Link's ear, serenading him with harsh whispers. "If you tell anyone about what happened here, I can guarantee there will be trouble. I want you back here tommorow at the same time, and inevitably, you will start liking this."
Rynae arrived back at that moment, his hands full of tissue and wipes, and he started to clean up Link's face carefully, a worried expression on his features.
Ghirahim hated everything and he wanted everything to go curl up and die.
He wanted to curl up and die.