“C’mon, Fred! Try it!” one of the many people around Fred hollered over the blaring music.

Fred looked down at the line of eight jelly shots in front of him, trying to ignore the girl dressed up as a bad version of Wonder Woman that was rubbing his shoulder and sometimes reaching inside his plaid shirt to feel his chest. She was beautiful, and was probably interesting to talk to, he just wasn't in the mood.

He sighed, once again wondering why he was even attending another costume party in the surrounding forest. It wasn't like they didn't have one last year, and every year before that, so he didn't really see what was so original or exciting about it. Maybe if they had different themes like outer space or under the sea, he wouldn't be thinking he wasn't at some other teenage party to show some kind of childish defiance.

Either that, or he was overthinking it, a bad habit of his really.

“I guess I'll give it a…shot,” he said with a grin, getting mock looks of exasperation and some laughter as well which quickly turned to excited hollers of yes, yes, yes, as he downed the eight jelly shots in record time.

He stood up from the bar stool, hands up in the air in victory as people smacked his back and chanted his name. He had to admit, he did love it when others did that. It was an awesome name, but not as awesome as the person that had it.

He slowly slunk away from the bar and moved to the edge of the gathering with a cold beer in hand, leaning against a tree and just enjoying the sight of drunk people making drunk mistakes and others enjoying their youth.

I sound like an old man, he thought with a laugh, taking a quick swing of his drink as his eyes looked around the place.

Without meaning to and without warning, his mind went back to the library, seeing Jean, and he hated that. The guy looked the same, in his large clothes and looking like he hadn't slept, showered or eaten in days. The human definitely smelled like he hadn't showered in days.

When Fred had found out about the Winstons truly just being a bunch of pranksters that scared people, not killed them, Fred came to the possibility that the whole outing was just Jean trying to get rid of Fred. The guy had said that he had never had friends before and that he didn't want any, so Fred's presence may or may not have made him uncomfortable.

He could've just said something. I'm a reasonable guy…But he doesn't know that because he doesn't want to! Well fuck him. No…Wait…It could be something else? Ah fuck. Why am I thinking so hard about this?

He knew why, if he was going to be honest with himself. He had never actually been in a situation where someone he had interacted with didn't want him around, even with his compulsive use of pick-up lines and puns. It was one of the reasons why he had avoided Jean as well, even though he had figured out the truth a whole week before.

He didn't know how to get to the guy, how to make Jean more at ease with him, how to make the human actually want to be around him when ghosts and the unknown weren't involved.

Catching his scent in the library had made Fred hesitate going inside, but his late essay was his deciding factor, pushing him inside to get those books and the next thing he knew, he was confronting Jean who looked more than a little bit uncomfortable.

Fred cluck his tongue, mechanically taking a few gulps of his drink, not really tasting it as his mind went further in, acknowledging other parts about him that he didn't usually give attention to.

His homesickness was one of them. He was missing the smell of cow shit in the morning, the strangers that gave him smiles when he was just walking up to town or the glorious smell of the fish and chips shops back in Drogheda, County Louth.

He missed the shouts in the morning from his mam, telling him to get his smelly ass outta bed or his da complaining about some soccer match. Shouts that Martin O'Neill better be whipping those lads into shape for the next game. "Ireland was meant for number one," da always said. Then gran would remind him that he's only half-Irish and he shouldn't forget his Ghanaian half and then there'd be groans and laughs and Fred would be trying to fight his brothers for the plate of rashers.

A smile was on his face without him even realizing it. The voices and sounds and other thoughts faded as he remembered home, their smiles, their jabs and their warmth.

Oh how he missed them. He could just imagine his twin brother, Tucker, coming home after a long day at the mechanics shop, rubbing grease all over everyone he hugged, and boy was he hugger. Little Elias telling him to fuck off and mam swatting him with a kitchen towel for fucking swearing in her fucking living room. Da cooking his famous homemade pizza, gran telling him he was doing it wrong and the rest of the family causing a good bit of disturbance for the neighbors.

I should definitely go home for Christmas, he thought, looking down at the empty bottle he didn't remember drinking.

“Want another?”

He blinked up to see a girl in front of him, her Harley Quinn costume making Fred sigh in his head while giving her a smile on the outside. The amount of Harleys he had seen that night alone was enough to make the Joker become sane.

Although, the Harley Quinn in front of him, despite the messy make-up and the wig, was oddly familiar. Under her perfume and body odor, her scent was making his brain work overtime as he tried to recall where he had seen the chubby girl with beautiful brown eyes.

“Thanks,” he said, taking the offered beer from her hand.

“Not enjoying the party, huh?” she asked with a soft laugh, her voice slightly low and melodious.

Fred shrugged. “It's alright. Just have a lot to think about is all. Fred,” he said as he offered his free hand for a handshake.

“Janet,” she said, shaking his own before taking a swing of her own drink.

“Wanna share some of those thoughts with a total stranger, or are all those on the hush hush?” she asked, words a bit slurred as she playfully bumped his arm with her shoulder.

He laughed and thought she was amusing, either that or had way too much to drink.

“Nah. Personal issues.”

She rose an eyebrow. “Hopefully not girl issues or me coming over here was a waste of time.”

Bold. Interesting.

“Hey. Could be boy issues too. Don't assume my sexuality,” he said with a wink, surprised when she laughed lightly at that.

He knew people were more accepting than when he was younger, in the west anyway, but it still took him by surprise when he met people that didn't get so shocked by it.

Just like humans to complicate things, he thought with another sigh.

“My bad. So…boy issues then?”

“It's nothing. Just nothing,” he said, voice getting quiet as his smile fell, not really wanting to talk anymore.

“Here,” she bent down and out her drink in the forest floor before standing up straight and grasping his hand, pulling him to follow her. “Follow me for a walk. Might help with those thoughts o’ yours.”

Fred thought on that, not sure how a walk could stop him from thinking when it usually made him think more, then shrugged and followed her.

It's worth a…shot.

Same pun twice in a row? I really am feeling like shit.