Awful pop music blasted Hugo's ears and for what was probably the fiftieth time that night, he cringed at the sound of it. But he wasn't going to say a word, it was Stefan's party after all. He also had no idea where the birthday boy was.

He arrived at Stefan's parent's home an hour ago, pushing through the swarm of people to try and find a clear patch. He'd bought his own drinks so that he wouldn't have to worry about pushing through the crowd to get at the drinks Stefan had supplied. He'd been able to catch a glimpse of Renee chatting with a couple of her friends. She'd waved him over, but he'd shook his head. She didn't pressure him, she seemed to understand that it was bad enough being at the party.

She'd disappeared after that and he hadn't seen her since. Someone lit a bonfire not too long ago and he stood nearby it, but away from the group of men that had come running at the first chance of warmth. He didn't know any of them except Tomas, who gave him a drunken wave and a big smile. It wasn't even seven.

He sighed and sipped at his cider, watching people talk to each other with big smiles and loud laughs. He wanted to be a part of that, somewhere deep down, he longed for it. But he couldn't, not on his own. Maybe he should have accepted Renee's invitation. Maybe then he wouldn't be feeling bored and down. If only he could find Stefan.

It had only been an hour, he couldn't leave yet. He had to at least say hello to Renee and wish Stefan a happy birthday. He couldn't leave without saying. Or he could text them, he doubted they would mind that much. They understood that he couldn't handle social situations that well. And there were so many people.

He jumped when a face appeared in front of his, a big grin pulling at their lips. "Hey," Tomas said, "Renee sent Stefan and I a message to bring you to her if we find you."

Hugo frowned in confusion. "Why?" he asked.

"I dunno. She just wants to check on you, I think," Tomas replied with a shrug, "She said she was in the lounge room, come on."

The lounge room, which was inside the house, which was filled with what looked like hundreds of Stefan's family and friends. "Can't she come out here?" he asked, never taking his eyes away from the house.

Tomas followed his gaze and then looked back to him. "I don't know, man," he slurred, "All I know is that she wants to see you and I want another drink." He gestured for him to follow, stumbling towards the house with drunken laughter. With a deep breath, Hugo followed along behind him, pushing through the chatting and dancing people. He caught snippets of conversation and hints of European accents.

There weren't as many people inside the house, but it was still enough to make him nervous. Not once did he spot Stefan. He had no idea where the other man was, probably off talking to his other, more important friends. All the people at the party he had known far longer than he had known Hugo. It made sense that he wouldn't come to find him.

Renee sat on the couch in the lounge room with a couple of girls, grinning slyly at one of them. Tomas said something to him that he couldn't hear over all the noise and turned to leave. Hugo was tempted to follow him. Obviously, Renee was busy with the girl, he shouldn't interrupt her. Maybe she forgot she wanted to see him?

Then she locked eyes with him and stood from the couch with an excited cheer. "There you are!" she cried, stumbling over the legs of one of the girls on the floor. Her drink sloshed, some of it spilling on the floor with a wet slap. "I was wondering where you'd gotten to."

"This is the first time I've moved," he replied, frowning at her.

"Oh... Well, come sit!" She grabbed his wrist and forced him down on the couch next to her.

He squirmed uncomfortably under the gaze of her friends. "Where's Stefan?" he asked Renee.

She shrugged at him and sipped at her drink. "No idea, probably off somewhere talking to people," she answered. "Haven't you seen him yet?" He shook his head and she frowned in concern. "He'll show up eventually, I'm sure."

But Hugo wasn't so sure and as more time passed, he became less and less sure. Sometimes he thought he could see the man in the crowd but when he tried to get a closer look, he'd either get too anxious or the man would disappear. Instead, he spent most of his time with Renee, who replaced the bottle in his hand every time it emptied.

He probably shouldn't have had so much, but what else was there to do. It was his first experience with a party, and no one was talking to him. Renee was attempting to flirt with the girl he'd seen earlier and Stefan was gone. Tomas was outside somewhere but he and Hugo weren’t close enough for Hugo to spend any extended amount of time with him.

He laughed along with things that weren't even funny. Renee introduced him to some of Stefan's family, including his parents, but he wouldn't be able to remember their names and faces even if he was sober. He didn't know how much he drank but it didn't matter. He wasn't going to do anything stupid, even when drunk, he was too anxious to do anything more than sit on the couch and occasionally talk to Renee.

"Hey, I need the loo, I'll be right back," Renee said to him at one point, cheeks red and a big grin on her face. He nodded to her and let out a faint hum. The couch was far too warm and comfortable for his own good and he could feel himself drifting off. He checked the time on his phone. Three hours, and not a glimpse of Stefan.

He stood, not wanting to fall asleep in the middle of a party. Who knew what people would do to him if they had the opportunity. With a quiet sigh, he downed the last of the bottle in his hands and placed it on the crowded kitchen bench. Luckily for him, no one paid any attention to him.

Seconds turned into minutes as he waited by the couch for Renee's return. By the time half an hour had passed, he knew Renee had gotten distracted by something and wasn't coming back. Hell, maybe she'd seen Stefan. He still had no idea what she had wanted him for.

He sighed again, anger welling in him as he collapsed on the couch with a huff. He ran a hand through his hair and tried to ignore his feelings. He was drunk, that was all. He wouldn't have been so angry if he hadn't had so much to drink. But the drunk part of his mind wasn't going to listen to logic. Stefan had wanted him there, so why didn't he even try to talk to him?

The answer was obvious. He didn't actually like him. Stefan only faked being friends with him because he felt bad for him. That was what people usually felt when they saw him, pity. He didn't care for him, it was all fake so that Stefan could feel a little better about himself. Be nice to the mute boy and people will think you're a good person.

He should have seen it sooner. Renee might make dumb decisions when it came to his anxiety, but at least she liked him. She must have forced Stefan to be nice to him after their first meeting. They hadn't gotten along then, so why had it changed? Because Renee wanted it to. Stefan didn't even like him as a friend and there Hugo was, falling for him like a complete idiot.

People began to move into the house when someone yelled something about food, but Hugo wasn't hungry. He stayed attached to his seat on the couch even as people crowded the space around him. The usual anxiety bloomed in his stomach, but he was too drunk to move. His brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them as the sounds of conversation blasted his ears.

Then he saw him. Stefan stood by the kitchen bench, talking and laughing with a group of his friends. He didn't look as drunk as Hugo felt, but there was a red tinge to his cheeks. A huge grin splitting his lips, Hugo stood and waved to the other man, his thoughts from earlier disappearing in an instant. If only he could yell, but if he did, would he even be heard over the music?

But his waving seemed to work, Stefan locked eyes with him, the same grin on his face and Hugo stepped towards him. Then those eyes looked away, back to those he was talking to, without even a hint of recognition that Hugo was there. Hugo's smile dropped and a sick feeling bloomed in his stomach. The thoughts returned and he turned away from the man he had so quickly fallen for.

With shaky hands, he grabbed his phone from his pocket and sent a text to his father laden with spelling mistakes. He needed to be picked up, needed to go home before he did something he regretted.

He moved for what he assumed was the front door when his father texted him back. Renee stood in the hallway, talking to a different girl from before. She gasped excitedly when she saw him, but the smile dropped from her face a second later. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I'm going home," he replied and pushed past her. Her fingers grazed his arm, but she didn't try to stop him. Cool night air battered his face as he left the home and made it out to the curb. He didn't mind waiting in the dark and the cold for his father. If anyone came along, he would go back inside.

The party was a long way away from his home, but it didn't matter. His father didn't mind picking him up. But not even ten minutes into waiting, sitting silently on the curb, the tears began to stream down his face. He was so stupid. How could he be that stupid? Stefan obviously didn't even want to be friends with him, he shouldn't have ever shown up to the dumb party. It'd been a bad idea.

He didn't know how long he sat there crying, completely zoned out. He jumped out of his skin when someone sat down next to him. "I should have expected you to be an emotional drunk," Stefan said, a hint of laughter in his voice. Hugo said nothing, kept his hands pressed tight against his body. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Leave me alone," Hugo snapped, not looking at him.

"Why? What'd I do?" Stefan asked, confused.

But he should know. He's the one who's been faking their friendship and making Hugo fall for him. "You don't even like me."

"What? Of course, I do. Where'd you get that idea from?"

Now, Hugo looked at him, face contorted in rage. "I've been here for hours. Hours! And I don't even know where you've been. Renee ditched me and there are people everywhere. I don't know why you invited me, but I know you don't like me! I never should have told about my mother, why would you even care?"

He stood and backed away from him then, trying to put as much distance between them as possible. Stefan stared up at him in confusion. "Hugo, how much did you drink?" he asked. "I had no idea you were even here. If I'd known, I would have come to find you."

"You knew I was here. Renee asked you and Tomas to find me."

"I thought that meant when you arrived. She didn't say you were already here. God, Hugo, we're way too drunk for this. You are way too drunk for this," Stefan said in a quiet voice, running a hand through his hair. "Come back inside."

His father took the perfect opportunity to turn the corner and pull up nearby. "No! I'm leaving!" Hugo's hands moved furiously as he backed towards his father's car. "Don't talk to me anymore. Leave me alone!" He jumped in the front seat of the car and slammed the door behind him.

"Are you alright?" his father asked.

Hugo shook his head. "Just go." Even as the car turned around, Hugo couldn't stop staring at Stefan standing by the curb, a betrayed look on his face.

His father tried to question him about what was going on, but all he told him as that he wasn't going to a party ever again. His father said something snippy, but he wasn't in the mood to deal with him. He sent himself to bed with tears in his eyes and a bottle of water on his bedside table.

He didn't wake up until almost midday the next day when his phone buzzed loudly. He groaned, head pounding and mouth completely dry, and grabbed for it. He blanched at the words on his phone screen, realising then that he ruined Stefan's birthday with his childish drunken ramblings.

Stefan: Hey Hugo, I don't know if you're awake yet. But I'm really sorry about whatever I did yesterday. I didn't mean to upset you. Text me when you get this