After Duke had finally calmed down about us being the same age (technically he’s two weeks younger, which I found kinda funny) we made our way up to my apartment. “Why’s the door unlocked?” Duke asked, concerned, when I swung it open.

“Because I was only going out for ten minutes to buy cigarettes,” I explained, my tone probably coming off a bit accusatory. I was about to invite him inside but I suddenly remembered that I didn’t have any clean mugs so I couldn’t be polite and offer him a drink. “Wait there, I won’t be long,” I instructed before shutting the door on him and scrambling to the sink to wash up. I also put the kettle on.

By the time the tap water finally started running hot enough to wash with, Duke strolled in.

“What are you doing?” he asked. “Weren’t you going to pack your clothes?”

“I told you to wait outside!” I scolded. He folded his arms. That was the first time he looked at me angrily.

“And why should I do that?” He sounded mean. If he hadn’t taken that tone and given me that look, I would have just sighed and passively let him in anyway, but it made me feel uneasy so I told him the truth.

“I can’t entertain guests without offering them a drink, but all the cups are dirty, so I need to wash them before I can invite you in. Can you wait outside until I’m ready?” I explained quietly. I’d spoken with my eyes cast to the floor, but I peeked up at him after I’d finished.

He was covering his mouth with his hand so I figured he must be blushing again. “Okay,” he agreed, his voice cracking.

Once he left, I realised how tense I must have been when all the muscles I didn't know were clenched suddenly relaxed.

I opened the door for him after I finished washing up and saw that Frank was standing next to him. “You can both come in, if you want,” I said after remembering I’d boiled enough water for three people. Frank looked at Duke, who nodded his head slightly, and then they walked in. “Would you like any tea or coffee?” I asked, giving Duke an accommodating look. He averted his eyes shyly.

All three of us had coffee.

I didn’t have a suitcase, but I also didn’t own a whole lot, so I just started putting stuff into a large backpack.

“You live alone?” Duke asked, walking around behind me.

“Well, yeah.” I thought that there shouldn’t be anything shocking about that. “What, were you expecting to meet my parents?” He hummed thoughtfully. That might have very well been the case, considering he thought I was sixteen that whole time.

“Or a partner... ” he clarified, hesitantly meeting my eyes.

“Oh,” was all I said to that. I didn’t have a partner at the time, and I hadn’t had one for about a year, but I thought that if I said that to him then he would ask me about my previous partners and I didn’t feel like getting into it.

“Is there… a partner I should know about?” I looked at him but didn’t say anything. I wonder what sort of face I was making, since he seemed to retreat. “Am I overstepping?” Because he looked worried, I figured I would comfort him.

“No, it’s fine,” I assured, giving him a little pat on the shoulder because I couldn’t reach his head. “There’s no one.”

He might have tried to be discreet about it, but I absolutely caught him clenching his fist victoriously.

I snatched my hand away before he could hold it and continued packing up while he continued his questioning.

“How long have you lived here?” he asked.

I noticed I still had three bottles of various spirits left since my drinking was cut short the night before, so I put those in my backpack before answering.

“A few years.”

“Did you live alone before moving here?”

“No.” I felt like he would ask if I lived with a partner so I quickly elaborated. “I lived with my parents.”

“Are they still in touch?”

“Not really.”

“Is there a reason why-?” I put a finger on his lips to quiet him. That startled him so much he froze right up.

“I need a smoke,” I told him flatly, then started walking towards the door. I looked back at him since he hadn’t moved and asked, “you coming?” 

He gasped. “Oh! Yeah! Yes, definitely!” he said excitedly and bounded after me.

All the apartments from my floor up had a small balcony, and so that’s where I usually smoked. I opened the double doors that lead to it and looked at Frank, who had been quietly sitting on a chair nursing his coffee this whole time.

“Frank?” I called to get his attention. “Smoke?” He nodded and got to his feet.

The balcony was definitely too small for three people, especially when two of them were over six feet tall and had broad shoulders. I regretted asking Frank, but it was the polite thing to do so I had to. Duke’s solution to the space problem was to stand behind me, with one arm around my chest to keep me squeezed in.

“Does it not bother you when he does that?” Frank asked me. I thought about it.

“Not much.”

“Are you just acting passive because you’re afraid he’ll kill you otherwise?” I let out a dry chuckle at how he could ask that so casually in front of Duke.

“Mark!” Duke snapped. “Don’t scare him like that!” I decided not to tell him that I wasn’t scared, and instead addressed the other thing.

“Is your name Mark?” I asked Frank. “Should I not have been calling you Frank?” For the sake of being polite, I needed to refer to people properly whenever possible. Also, as someone who legally changed his name and needed to correct people for many years about what to call me, it felt only right to check how he wanted to be addressed. After a brief pause, Frank smiled.

“Yeah, my real name's Mark, short for Marquess. Frank is just a nickname. Either is fine, so call me whatever you want.”

“Everyone’s called him Frank since he was a kid, cause he speaks so frankly,” Duke explained to me, sounding a bit bratty.

“Did you know each other as kids, then?” I asked, more out of obligation than curiosity.

“Yeah. I’m his older brother,” Frank said. I had no response to that. I started taking out my cigarettes after I made a hum of acknowledgement so he knew I’d heard him. 

They were still a mess. I rummaged amongst them to find one that hadn’t snapped. Frank was watching me, and offered one of his when he saw the state mine were in.

“Oh. No, thank-you, I’m okay,” I declined him anxiously. Turning down things that are offered to me is an unfortunate habit of mine. It might have been better if I’d just accepted it, because after I said that, Duke was holding his own lit cigarette to my lips. I couldn’t decline that even if I tried, what with his hand over my mouth.

I inhaled.