The trip was long. Made longer by all of the breakzones Gior avoided, refusing to risk even a little bit of damage to his car riding along broken roads. Gior and Elena had once again taken the front, Ian and Juliet the middle, and Lucius had followed Corbin into the very back. They could hear the sound of everything they'd packed rattling around in the trunk.

"Where have you been?" Lucius asked Corbin. He'd almost said the wrong thing. Almost asked, "when you leave, where do you go?"  Corbin would have hated it. It would've made his soul retreat behind the cage in his heart. It was a sensitive topic; they'd agreed upon an unspoken rule of never talking about it. "Ever been to Vice?"

"No," Corbin said. "I never go that far."

"Oh." It was an answer as much as it wasn't. Lucius didn't really think there was much point in prodding further. Corbin only ever said just as much as he wanted to.

Corbin raised a curious eyebrow at him. "Have you?"

"Uh, once. With Gior. But it was just a day trip."

"That's when I realized how much you can't hold your drink," Gior said, raising his voice a little to be better heard over the hum of the air conditioner. "You were such  a mess."

"It wasn't that bad," Lucius protested.

"Nah, I believe it," Ian chipped in. Like a prick. "Remember that time we played drinking games and you threw up all over the board?"

"And my shirt!" Elena said. "I was pissed. I almost fought you, to be honest, but Juliet held me back."

Juliet giggled at the mention, turning in her seat to look at him fondly. Lucius smiled back at her, unable to help himself. She just had one of those faces. One of the best smiles he'd ever seen, too. 

"That was a long night," she said, voice soft. "I felt kinda bad for you, actually. It looked... painful."

"I hope it was painful!" Elena said, suddenly loud. It was as if just the memory was bringing out a fresh kind of anger. Knowing her, it probably was. "I loved that shirt, you know? I fucking burned it."

"Dramatic," Lucius said. "You could've just washed it. Don't blame that on me."

"The memory would've ruined it. I can't imagine just hanging it back up in my closet as if I didn't know you'd defiled it."

"There was also the time you got drunk and so hot you stripped damn near naked," Ian said. "And then decided to wander around outside for some reason and got lost. And we had to look for you past midnight."

"Okay, okay, whatever," Lucius said, but he was laughing. Good memories, all of them. Despite how embarrassing some of it was. Or, yeah, painful. "That doesn't really prove anything, anyway. That doesn't mean I'm bad at holding my drink. That just means I drank way too much."

"Bullshit," Gior called. "I've counted for you a few times. Just two or three drinks make you lose your mind, sometimes."

"And you're a touchy drunk, too," Corbin muttered. 

"Ha!" Ian said. "Hilarious. Nah, that's just with you, Corbin. He really can't help himself—"

"Ian, you know we don't talk about that," Gior said. Lucius swore he could see a smirk on his face in the rearview mirror. "Patience. Give them time to figure it out."

"Fuck's that supposed to mean?" Corbin asked before Lucius could even get the chance to ask something similar.

"There's no timer, but figure it out in this lifetime, alright?"

"That's not an answer."

"Mhm. That's the point."

"Have you ever kissed anyone before, Lucius?" Elena asked. "I've been wondering, actually."

Lucius very studiously did not look to his left. Even in his peripheral, he could see the way Corbin had shifted. The way he was staring at him. Waiting. For the truth? He'd hate that, wouldn't he?

They’d kissed, sure, but not like... that. And that's what Elena was asking, wasn't it? She wasn't asking if he'd kissed his friend one or two times as practice, but if he'd actually done the real thing. Kissed someone just because he liked the feel of their lips and the caress of their heartbeat against his own. 

Corbin... he hadn't even wanted to kiss, really. He wouldn't want him to mention it, he was sure. 

"Uh, no," Lucius said. "Haven't had the opportunity, really."

"Why not?" Elena asked. "Girls like you. You're pretty."

He felt his face collecting heat. Her mood was like whiplash, sometimes. 

"Thanks," he said. "But uh... I'm not that good with casual, you know? When I get around to that, I'd want it to be with someone I'm actually dating. Matters more, you know?"

His traitorous eyes shot to Corbin at his own words. Needing to see his reaction. Needing to confirm that he was saying all of the right things.

Corbin wasn't looking at him. He was staring out the window, seemingly tuned out of the conversation completely. That was probably good.

"So I guess I don't even have to ask if you're a virgin, then," Elena sighed. "What're you planning to do at Vice, then? Get drunk and throw up all over some poor girl again?"

"Vice isn't just some freaky sex den you know," Lucius pointed out. "There's plenty to do. What are you planning to do?"

Elena shrugged, twisting around in her seat to give him a smug look. "Depends on who I meet there. I packed condoms so I'm very prepared."

Oh. Well that was a thought. Lucius put his hands against his face as if he could take the heat out of his cheeks and absorb them into his palms. He glanced over at Corbin again, thinking.

What was he planning to do? He didn't generally dance. Didn't drink a lot. Didn't seem to be interested in dating or even just messing around.

Was he a virgin? Lucius realized he'd never asked, but he'd always assumed he was. He was so closed off, most times. Even in his best mood, he'd always been careful. He treated people as if they were traps waiting to clamp down on him if he dared get too close. He couldn't imagine him kissing someone, let alone having sex with them.

Scratch that. He didn't want to imagine. The very thought was like a swirling plague in his stomach.

"You're shameless, Ellie," he finally found the voice to say, and she laughed.

"Always. So are you, usually, but I guess—"

"Do any of you ever shut up?" Corbin grit out. Lucius only then noticed the hand he was leaning against was balled up, his bones straining against his skin in all of his fingers. He was tense. Irritable, clearly. "A car full of walking headaches."

"Wanna walk instead?" Gior asked. 

"I want you all to—"

"He's just joking!" Lucius said quickly even though he clearly wasn't. He reached for Corbin's wrist and, shockingly, he let him. Even if he did end up sending him a dirty look for either the contact or the words. "But hey, look at the mountains! I've always wanted to climb them, but I heard its dangerous. And not because of the animals."

"Untamed?" Ian asked. "Mm. Maybe, but I think that's mostly just rumor."

"The untamed are all over, aren't they? Isn't that the point?"

The direction of conversation successfully altered, Lucius let himself go silent. Still watching Corbin and willing some of the tension in his body to bleed out of him. The ride was too long to be uncomfortable, and the way he was holding himself, his back would almost certainly be bent completely out of shape by the time they arrived.

He didn't let go of his wrist even when his hand grew sweaty. 

Corbin never asked him to.

"I'm rooming with Corby," Lucius called immediately once they had arrived at the hotel. 

At a first glance, it was relatively mundane looking. They were just on the outskirts of where he knew the party resided. The part of Vice territory that looked deceptively normal until all the bright lights and sirens dragged you further in. Gior had chosen it, thinking it the best place to unwind. 

"I got Julie," Elena called, and that only left Gior with Ian.

Gior got their room keys and handed all of them off. Lucius passed it to Corbin who raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.

"Check out the room," Lucius said. "Make sure everything looks alright. I'll get the bags."

Corbin didn't move for two beats. Then he nodded and started for the stairs.

"Please don't fight with him," Gior said to him. "Kiss his ass if you have to, but I am not switching rooms with you. We'd end up killing each other."

The words were a pang in his heart. He wondered, sometimes, how honest Gior was being about how he felt about Corbin. If he actually cared about him or just tolerated him for Lucius's sake. Worse yet, if he secretly hated him and just refused to say it.

"He doesn't mean anything by it," Lucius said. Even he could hear how dejected he sounded and fought to correct his tone into something more neutral. "He's just still in recovery—"

"I know," Gior said, patting him affectionately on the cheek. "I know. Don't make that face. He's still a bastard, though. Just because I tolerate it less than you do doesn't mean I don't know. If he wasn't a friend, I'd be a lot meaner. He wouldn't even be here, actually, so relax."

Lucius could've been embarrassed at how easily it seemed Gior had read his mind. He wasn't. All he could feel was relief.

"You think he's getting better?" Gior asked.

"Definitely," Lucius nodded. "You don't?"

"I do. I just think you'd know better than I would. Take care of him, alright?" He stepped away, turning. "Let's go get the bags."