Takehiko's breath was cut short when he finally recognised the blond man. Underneath the smeared makeup and the shiny zombie contact lenses, it was none other than Ayaka's friend, Ocean. A shiver trailed every single vertebra of Takehiko's spine. A strange yet familiar feeling spread throughout his chest. Jealousy. Unconsciously he longed to be in their position. Arms tightly wrapped around his waist, his lips intertwined with someone else's. His tongue entangled with someone else's. The electricity travelled from his loudly beating heart to every single one of his extremities.

And then the redhead's eyes met his. A lustful half-smile was flashed in return.

He had been seen.

He hastily dried up the contents of his cup and tried to escape. He made for the second floor, then the third. Every single room was occupied, even the bathrooms. In his panic and utmost embarrassment, he found the stairway to the attic. He climbed upwards and discovered a small bedroom on the very top of the house. He rested his back against a cold wooden wardrobe, closed his eyes and tried to redirect his mind away from the intense awakening of his body. He gulped and entirely sunk instead in the wicked thoughts that were monopolising his brain. The remaining traces of imaginary acts.

Teeth biting his lips.

Fingers slithering across his back.

Bodies moving together in harmony.

Shimmering green eyes watching him in the dark.

Takehiko jolted and gasped for air. What was that? he thought. But before managing to bring himself around, he heard fast steps and chatter under his feet. Panic-stricken, he hid in the wardrobe and watched carefully between the thick slits.

The couple he previously noticed, Ocean and the redhead were now in the room, kissing and giggling in a drunken state. The redhead pushed Ocean on the single bed by the corner and climbed on top.

Takehiko gulped. He wished he could teleport back in his own room but at the same time, he couldn't take his eyes away. He kept on watching.

The redhead took his shirt off and let Ocean caress his sides as he was licking his lips, chuckling. He took the blond's hands and pushed them at the top of the bed. Then he made his way down Ocean's body, pulled the man's leggings downwards and turned his attention to Ocean's half-nakedness. Without any hesitation, he took in his hands Ocean's soft member with a quest to make it hard as a rock. Rubbing it and sucking it with his mouth, while Ocean was paying close attention and slowly swaying his body to the rhythm of his partner.

Takehiko couldn’t stop staring at Ocean’s face. He watched as the sexual pleasure was rising, every single one of Ocean’s moans penetrating Takehiko’s body, inch by inch. He stuck his eye closer to the slit and tried to suppress his breath. He wanted to see more. He wanted to hear more. It was, however, a mission impossible without being discovered.

And like that, it was over. Ocean covered his mouth and shut his eyes tight as his body was twitching. The fingers of his other hand that were previously tagging locks of red hair were now soft, relaxed. The redhead moved back and wiped the white opaque liquid from his lips. He whispered in Ocean's ear while seductively rubbing his body against the other's. Ocean remained silent for a second but soon whispered back. The redhead jerked his body away and asked a question in what Takehiko perceived as Dutch, with quite a wheedling tone in his voice.

"Nee," Ocean protested calmly.

The redhead spat on the floor. "Pleur op, kut!" he said loudly, picked up his shirt and left, banging his feet on the stairs.

Ocean, seemingly relieved, pulled his leggings back on and sat up. He exhaled softly, a few locks of his dry rye hair fell on his now almost grey and black painted face. He brought his legs on his chest, closed his eyes and, with his face buried between his thighs, he remained still.

After waiting for a long moment, both for the room tension and for his own body to calm down a notch, Takehiko decided to emerge from the wardrobe, hoping Ocean would be fast asleep. Unfortunately for Takehiko, hearing the boy's footsteps, Ocean swiftly pushed his head up.

"Where the fuck did you come from?"

The man's white lenses with a small black circle in the middle pierced with their glare Takehiko's scared dark hazelnut eyes.

"T-t-the wardrobe."

"What were you doing in there? Were you watching? How much did you see?"

"I uhh-" Takehiko muttered and looked away fully flustered.

"Ah feckin hell I don't care, I feel like shite, everything's spinning," Ocean said and rested his head against the cold wall. His body was still restless after what happened only a few moments ago.

"Is that why your friend left?" Takehiko asked and sat at the foot of the bed, beside Ocean.

"Friend? He's no friend of mine that bastard feckboy. He wanted to go bareback, idiot piece of meat. Nay, he didn't want any blowjob, he just wanted to fuck. Which normally wouldn't be a problem, of course. However, the idiot me has no condom, I mean who the hell doesn't bring condoms on a Halloween night? Stupid, idiot-"

"And?" Takehiko interrupted Ocean's self-blaming monologue.

"Aaand he didn't want to bother asking someone else. Sex rule number one, never get down to business without protection, no matter who they are, no matter how drunk ye are. Ye hear me?"

Takehiko was having a lot of trouble understanding the alcohol-infused mumblings of his Irish friend, but since he was slightly getting the gist, he nodded vigorously. "I thought you were a ladies man."

Ocean chuckled. "Ah, here, listen. Like they say here, I’m comfortable in every kind of market. Don't tell Aya, though. She'll be shocked."

"I-I won't."

For a moment both fell silent. For some peculiar reason, Takehiko felt comfortable in this sort of silence. He knew Ocean was struggling with his drunkenness. He didn’t want to make it worse, but he didn’t want to leave either. Besides, it would either be this or the mayhem waiting downstairs and every time Takehiko would choose this. Familiar, comfortable silence.

“Has Aya ever told you how we met?” Ocean spoke up, interrupting the teen’s thoughts.

“No.”

"I keep thinking about the first day you and I met. You told me that she's never mentioned me-”

“Hey,” Takehiko chimed in, “She might’ve, I don’t quite pay attention when she speaks for hours!”

Ocean laughed. “I can relate. But honestly, I got sad for a moment at that point. No worries, I got over it the next. Come to think about it, we’re not really friends, like. Not in a conventional way at least. I think she only pities me so.”

Takehiko raised his eyebrows to this response. "Pities you?"

"Aye. I'm terrible at taking care of the wee me and she makes up for it. I swear sometimes though, she ought to mind her own business... Anyway… I've been like this for quite a long time now, nothing new. Drinking, smoking, sleeping around... But last year, it was a living nightmare. Every single day I was getting drunk, always high... Not a day went by without having someone in me bed or me being in someone else's bed. And one day, I overdid it. I almost died, I swear I did. I got back from yet another debauchery, so plastered I couldn't open me door. I threw me guts up and passed out next to it. Aya, who at that point I knew by face only, saw me, helped me get in me flat, cleaned me face and put me to sleep. She even stayed by my side the whole night. A stranger, who I had never said hi no matter how many times our paths had crossed, with no obligation whatsoever. Honestly, she's too pure for this world."

Takehiko smiled weakly listening to Ocean's story. "Now she's watching over you, yeah?"

Ocean, ostensibly ignoring the boy's words, reached for his pocket and got out a cigarette box and a lighter. He lit one, took a deep breath and exhaled through his nose, a thin cloud of smoke coming out. Takehiko observed as the orange bum of the thin cancerous stick was touching Ocean’s plump, almost purple lips. The way they were sucking on to the cigarette, the way they were blowing the smoke, or parting narrowly to let the white cloud escape in circles. He gulped and licked his lips as he inhaled the very same air Ocean was.

"No one's watching me right now," said Ocean, distracting Takehiko's trance. "Except for a wee kid on a stranger’s bed."

"I'm not a wee kid," Takehiko protested.

"Aren’t you now?" said Ocean and laughed, flicking his cigarette, its ashes sprinkling on the ground. “You liked what you saw earlier?”

“W-what? I… uhh, I didn’t-”

“Don’t be shy, I know you saw.”

Takehiko felt his cheeks burning up. His curiosity was about to get him killed. “I didn’t do it on purpose, I swear. I was hiding.”

“That’s not what I asked you.”

Takehiko bit his lip. Ocean’s drunk eyes were looking at him with great interest. “I uhh… I don’t know…”

“You like men?”

“I don’t know,” Takehiko quickly repeated. “I don’t know what I like.”

“Have you ever kissed anyone?”

“No-” Takehiko began to say, but before he finished his sentence, Ocean’s lips were pressed against his. It was so sudden and so short he didn’t even have the chance of closing his eyes. Mint, cranberries and vodka, smoke and a hint of vanilla gushed in his mouth but before he had the chance of savouring it, it was gone.

“Now you have,” Ocean said and chuckled. “I seriously love your costume. You look deadly with makeup on."

"Th- thanks," said Takehiko, blushing to the long-awaited compliment. In his bewilderment, he didn’t know what else to say. He touched his lips. His heart was beating fast.

"Right, now. Tell me then," Ocean continued, "why were you here hiding all alone? Haven’t you made any friends yet?"

"I tried getting drunk... And yet."

Ocean hummed. "Have you met the hostess?"

"I saw her briefly when Aya and I walked in. She couldn't bother interacting with me."

"Typical Rose. I'll introduce you to her. Jolly lass, crazy pink hair. Or is it blue now? Anyhow. She’s Swedish if that’s telling you anything. Never take anything from her unless I’m around, okay? No drinks, no smokes, nothing! Shall we?"

Ocean grabbed Takehiko’s hand and dragged him out of the room and down the stairs. Right by the fireplace there she was, sucking faces with another.

“Rose,” Ocean said loudly and slightly pushed the pink-haired girl. Then nodded to her company.

“Well smack my ass and call me Courtney,” said Rose and laughed hysterically. “Fucking Kurt Cobain and sweet Tommy Lee came to bless our house, ain’t that right Tyler?”

“A’ight,” said Tyler next to her.

“I was going for Nikki Sixx actually,” Takehiko spoke up, regretting his action the very same second.

“Who’s the skid row, Ocean? Your new boyfriend?” Rose asked, cocking her head towards Takehiko’s direction.

“Ah, no. Remember Ayaka Yamada?” Ocean said.

“Who? That library chic?”

“That’s the one. It’s her brother, Takehiko.”

“Takehiko?” said Rose and turned to Takehiko, offering her hand. “Sugar, I’m Rose. I hope you’re enjoying yourself.”

“Yes, it’s great,” Takehiko replied and shook it. And with an effort to impress her with the single Swedish word he knew, he added, “Tack!”

“So, Rose,” Ocean interrupted the banter, “Takehiko here is extremely shy and has been drinking shitty Lemmies all night. Would you be so kind and show him where the good booze is?”

“Only because it’s your company, dear,” said Rose and pushed Takehiko to follow her. And that was the last bit he could remember from that night before finding himself on his sister’s couch the following afternoon, with several numbers and names written along his arms.