They stepped out of their building, walking toward the curb hand in hand. The air smelled like city lights and clean pavement.

Théodore leaned against his car in a charcoal grey shirt that hugged his arms, jumpsuit tied around his waist again. His neck tattoos peeked above the collar, and his dreads were freshly retied, laid back with a bandana. His bike helmet sat in the passenger seat of the car.

Remi stopped mid-step. "Holy shit."

Ash looked at him. "You okay?"

Remi whispered, "He's sexy as fuck. I mean-look at him."

Ash rolled his eyes. "I see. Stop drooling."

Théodore spotted them and walked over with a small grin, eyes scanning over them slowly like he was taking mental screenshots.

"Damn, y'all cleaned up real good," he said, gaze lingering a little longer on Remi.

Remi's cheeks flushed pink, and he giggled. "Thank you, Teddy."

Ash, much smoother, smirked and replied, "You don't look bad yourself."

Théodore chuckled. "Appreciate it, man."

Remi tilted his head. "You got here quick."

Teddy shrugged. "I know this area. Been here a few times. Cool rooftops, nice views. Pretty sure I've seen a few fire sunsets from around here."

Then he looked right at Remi. "Though I gotta say, nothing I've seen here looks as good as you do right now."

Remi clutched his chest dramatically. "Stop, you're so cheesy."

Ash rolled his eyes. "He really is."

Théodore winked. "And proud of it."

Remi cheesed back. "You keep that energy all night, Teddy."

Ash sighed. "God, help me."

They laughed. Théodore opened the car door, holding it for them like a gentleman. As Remi slid in, Ash looked at Théodore out of the corner of his eye.

This was gonna be a night.

And it had only just started.

8:43 PM- East Atlanta

They had no idea where they were going.

Ash had asked twice-once subtly, once straight-up-but Théodore just grinned and said, "You'll see."

Now they were parked in an open field surrounded by other cars, fairy lights in the distance, a huge projector screen set up with trailers already rolling. The air was cool, filled with popcorn smells and the faint sound of car radios synced to the screen audio.

Remi blinked in awe. "Oh my God, is this a drive-in?"

Théodore turned off the engine and smirked. "Yup."

"You're kidding," Ash said, staring around. "I didn't even know this existed here."

"Y'all never been to one?" Théodore asked, stepping out and heading to the trunk.

"Never," Remi grinned, bouncing slightly in place. "This is so cool!"

Ash crossed his arms, hiding his excitement. "It's alright."

Theo popped open the trunk. "Alright, he says." He pulled out two thick, soft blankets and a bag of snacks that could feed a whole movie theater. "I stocked up-popcorn, sour strips, those little pretzel bites... I wasn't sure what y'all liked, so I went full chaos mode."

Remi gasped. "You're already my favorite."

Ash took one of the blankets, eyeing the setup. "Where are we sitting?"

Théodore opened the car doors wide and moved the seats back. "Right here. Cozy zone activated."

They settled in. Remi plopped in the middle with one blanket over his legs and another covering their laps. Theo's arm draped across the seat casually, his fingers just barely brushing Ash's shoulder. The movie began-some kind of late-night indie flick with warm tones and subtle humor.

Remi leaned his head on Theo's shoulder like it was the most normal thing ever and reached for Ash's hand, grabbing it gently and interlocking their fingers.

Ash stiffened for a second, caught between chewing his pretzel bites and processing that. He didn't look over-just stared ahead and chewed harder.

He wasn't mad. Just... flustered. Maybe.

Theo didn't say anything either, but his hand stayed where it was. Not too bold. Not too shy. Just there. Ash could feel the edge of his fingers grazing the top of his shoulder-warm, confident, and annoyingly nice-feeling.

Remi just smiled, smug as hell.

The film played on, but they talked quietly. Whisper-laughing. Stealing candy from each other's laps.

Ash tried to hide the fact that he laughed when Remi accidentally dropped a gummy worm on Theo's lap and tried to retrieve it without looking suspicious.

Theo turned to them. "So when did y'all meet?"

Remi perked up. "Oh, the origin story? Let's go."

Ash sighed, a little fond grin pulling on his lips. "You're gonna make it dramatic, aren't you?"

"Duh," Remi said. "It was my birthday."

"Oh?" Theo asked, clearly intrigued.

"My 21st," Remi continued, voice softer now. "I was working that day at this skincare store in Brooklyn-big-ass place, smelled like herbs and expensive water. I hated working on my birthday, but I needed the shift."

Theo smiled. "That sucks."

Remi nodded. "Exactly. Anyway, I was on my fifth 'hi-do-you-need-help' of the hour when this grumpy, tall, gorgeous dude stomped in looking like the world offended him."

Ash groaned, hiding his face behind his hand. "I had a breakout."

"He had a crisis," Remi said dramatically. "A lil' angry pimple moment on his jaw. And he was hunting down a solution like it stole his wallet."

Theo laughed under his breath.

"So I helped him," Remi said, smiling at the memory. "Walked him through products, told him what worked for my cousin's skin type. He was quiet but cute, and I remember thinking, 'Why is he so hot and upset over a zit?' It made me laugh."

Ash added, "I didn't even notice he was flirting."

Remi leaned closer to Ash. "I flirted the whole time. The whole time."

Theo chuckled. "What happened next?"

Ash replied, "I came back two days later. Told him it worked."

Remi beamed. "And then Mr. Emotionally Constipated asked for my number."

Ash rolled his eyes. "And you made it so hard to get."

"You were blushing," Remi smirked. "I had to milk it."

Theo just shook his head, clearly loving the story. "That's cute as hell. Y'all are like... disgustingly adorable."

Remi grinned. "Thank you, thank you."

The movie started slowing down, so they played 21 Questions. Classic.

Theo asked first. "Favorite childhood snack?"

"Fruit Gushers," Remi said instantly.

Ash answered, "Dino nuggets."

Remi gasped. "Wow. Sexy."

Theo smirked. "Y'all are weird. Mine was frozen waffles."

Another question. "Celebrity crush?"

"Zendaya," Ash said.

"Henry Cavill," Remi added.

Theo tilted his head. "Y'all aiming high, huh?"

They laughed, kept going. From "What's your dream vacation?" to "Most embarrassing memory?" to "Have you ever cried during a movie?" (Ash denied it. Remi exposed him immediately.)

"Wait," Remi said, turning to face Theo more fully. "How'd you learn to fix cars and bikes? Like, did you go to school for it or...?"

Theo's expression shifted slightly, becoming softer. He was quiet for a moment, fingers absently tracing the edge of the blanket. "My mom taught me."

"Your mom?" Ash asked, genuine curiosity in his voice.

"Yeah." Theo's voice got quieter, more thoughtful. "She was a mechanic before she had me. Only woman in the shop, and she was better than all of them. Used to take me to work sometimes when I was little-sit me on a crate and let me hand her tools."

Remi watched him carefully, sensing something deeper.

"She'd always say, 'Baby, you gotta know how things work if you wanna fix what's broken.' Not just about cars, you know? About everything." Theo smiled, but it was distant, nostalgic. "She'd let me get my hands dirty, teach me the names of every part. Made it feel like magic."

"She sounds amazing," Remi said softly.

"She was." Theo's jaw tightened slightly. "Cancer took her when I was fifteen. But every time I'm under a hood, I hear her voice telling me to check the obvious stuff first, or reminding me that patience fixes more problems than force ever will."

The air in the car went quiet except for the distant sound of the movie. Ash felt something twist in his chest-not pity, but recognition. Loss. Understanding.

"That's why you wouldn't let us pay," Ash said quietly. "For the car."

Theo shrugged, looking a little embarrassed. "She always said to help people when you can. Especially when they're not expecting it."

Remi reached over and squeezed Theo's hand briefly. "She raised you right."

Theo looked down at where Remi's hand had been, then back up at both of them. "Thanks."

The moment hung between them-heavier now, but not uncomfortable. More real.

Eventually, Theo asked, "What's something you're afraid of?"

Remi paused. "Not feeling like I'm enough, I guess."

Ash gently squeezed his hand.

Theo's answer? "Falling for people who don't want me."

The air went quiet for a second. Not heavy, just honest.

Remi looked up at him and softly said, "That's real."

But then he tilted his head, studying Theo's face in the flickering light from the screen. "What makes you think we don't want you?"

The question hung in the air like a challenge. Ash felt his breath catch, suddenly hyperaware of Theo's fingers still brushing his shoulder, of the way Remi was looking between them both.

Theo met Remi's gaze, then looked at Ash. "I mean... y'all are together. I'm just-"

"Just what?" Ash found himself asking, his voice rougher than intended.

"Just the guy who fixed your car and asked you out on a whim," Theo finished, but there was uncertainty in his voice now.

Remi shifted closer, the blanket rustling. "Theo."

"Yeah?"

"We said yes."

The simple statement carried weight. All three of them felt it.

Ash cleared his throat. "And you're not just anything. You're..." He struggled for words, not used to being this direct about feelings. "You're here. With us. Because we want you here."

Theo's eyes moved between them both, searching. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Remi confirmed, his voice warm and certain.

The projector flickered on their faces, and for a moment, it felt like they weren't in a car anymore-but in a little capsule of possibility, tucked away from everything else.

Midnight - The Movie Ends

Remi stretched, groaning playfully. "My back hurts from being cute all night."

Ash yawned. "That's a personal problem."

Theo smiled at both of them. "This was fun."

"It was more than fun," Remi said, nudging Ash. "We needed this."

Ash looked at Theo and nodded. "Yeah. We really did."

As they packed up the blankets and snacks, there was an unspoken understanding that something had shifted. The careful distance they'd all been maintaining had closed just a little bit more.

"So," Theo said as he closed the trunk, "What happens now?"

Remi and Ash exchanged a look-one of those wordless conversations that couples have.

"Now," Remi said, grinning, "you take us home. And maybe... we figure out what comes next."

Theo's smile was slow and genuine. "I can work with that."