[ i love music way too much yikes // song is by modern baseball

warnings: should be just language and mentions of alcohol

concept: based vaguely on the song. lewis meets a guy at a get together and has a hard time actually articulating his thoughts.

this is like a mega au tbh

stay safe,
lew. ]

——————

"It'll be fun! You need to get out, an' I already asked Chase, she asked Ronnie, and Ronnie asked his cousin, and it's okay if you come with us!" Bailey pleaded, a bright grin on his face. "Please, Lewis?"

"I dunno, B..." Lewis frowned, curling up further underneath his blanket.

"When was the last time you left the house?" Bailey asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lewis shrugged. "Uh... I went into the garden yesterday?"

"Not what I meant. It's been a month since your fiancé left you, dude. You've went out like, once? When I made you take me to Build-A-Bear, right?"

Both of them stared at the bag from the store, just sitting on the kitchen counter where Bailey had left it.

"... Point taken. I just don't feel like it, man."

"Lewis. As a friend and someone who looks up to you a lot, it hurts to see you like this. If you agree to come, I'll... get Chase to come over and we'll stay with you for like, a week? I dunno, we'll both be there to hug you and make you feel a little bit better." Bailey started out sounding so confident, but it faded into an uncertain murmur.

The older man sighed loudly, but nodded. "If it'll make you happy."

Bailey grinned and launched himself at his friend, wrapping him up in an almost smothering hug. He pecked him on the cheek and forehead multiple times, until Lewis was laughing loudly.

Laughing wasn't a common occurrence for him anymore. His fiancé, a man he'd known since he was fourteen, called off the engagement a month ago and dumped Lewis for no reason, at least, not one he was willing to share.

Bailey was laughing because Lewis was, and it was nice to see both of them in a somewhat good mood.

Lewis wrapped his arms around the younger man, and Bailey took that as an invitation to nuzzle his face into Lewis' neck. The kid liked cuddling a lot, and used almost any excuse he could to get close to his friends like this. It was sort of endearing.

The two of them ended up falling asleep, the weight of the younger man on top of him was more comforting than he realized.

The reason Lewis woke up was a camera flash and a low laugh, followed by a bag being dropped against the hardwood floor. "Dudes... this is hella cute and hella gay."

"Hey, Chase," Lewis mumbled, stretching as much as he could without disturbing Bailey. There was a crick in his neck from sleeping on the damn couch, but he couldn't complain too much, honestly.

"Looks like you had a nice nap," she commented, pulling off her gloves. "B probably needed to sleep anyway. He told me we're gonna stay over here for at least a few days. Right?"

"Right. And I'm gonna go to that thing with you guys. He said you asked your friend or whatever and got the okay."

"Yeah. Ronnie's chill with it. Let me know if Ezra's too much of a dick to you. I can't do anything about it but, still." She carefully pushed some of Bailey's hair out of his face, then did the same to Lewis, who attempted to swat her hand away, but the smile on his lips told her that he wasn't annoyed.

"I appreciate you guys. A lot."

————

Lewis followed Chase and Bailey up the stairs, the familiar weight of the flowers in his hands serving as a small comfort.

Chase had spent a ridiculous amount of time fixing his hair, and she and Bailey made sure his outfit was perfect. It was more Bailey than Chase, because let's face it. Chase is a fashionista's nightmare. So is Bailey, but only when he's dressing himself.

Lewis just didn't know why he was being dragged along, and why these people agreed to having their party crashed by a near stranger. He'd met Ronnie and Ezra a few times, as well as Ronnie's cousin Harry, but still.

Chase knocked on the apartment door, her normal smirk on her lips as she looked back at Lewis and Bailey. "Don't be nervous, guys. It'll be fine, I-"

She was cut off by the door opening. "Yo, it's Ronnie!" She said cheerfully, surging forward to give a quick hug to her friend. "We brought Lewis so he'd stop moping around his house. He's nervous, so don't overwhelm him?"

"Chase, you're the most overwhelming one here and he seems to be fine with you," Ronnie told her, rolling his eyes as he briefly returned the hug.

"Point taken, my guy. Anyway, Lewis, this is Ronnie, easily the prettiest guy at any given time. Ronnie, this is Lewis. Flower expert and music lover?"

"I wouldn't call myself an expert," Lewis murmured, shifting the vase of flowers so he could offer Ronnie his hand. "We've met before, but only briefly."

Ronnie nodded, but instead of shaking Lewis' hand, he reached out and carefully took the flowers. "These are gorgeous, Harry's going to love them."

With that, he walked away. Since his hands were empty, Lewis shoved them in his jacket pockets, fidgeting a bit. Chase had disappeared elsewhere, but Bailey remained by his side, linking their arms together.

"I like Ronnie's cousin's boyfriend," Bailey commented, leaning against the older man. "He's handsome and nice and a really good singer."

Lewis hummed, but after a moment, he asked, "When can we go home?"

"We just got here!"

He frowned, took a deep breath, and started to tell the younger man, "I don't feel that good-"

"Bailey's right, the party hasn't even started yet."

That voice was new. Lewis blushed, shrugging as he took his hands out of his pockets. Immediately, he went to mess with his ring finger, purely out of habit, but the ring wasn't there anymore. "I'm only here because Bailey and Chase wouldn't take no for an answer."

"You're telling me you didn't want to come hang out with some of the coolest people in the country?" The guy asked, sounding amused as he walked closer.

"He's just sad, Logan. The guy he was gonna marry left him," Bailey informed him, despite the glare Lewis sent his way.

"You weren't left at the altar, were you?" The guy, Logan, asked curiously.

Lewis shook his head, but didn't say a word. He loved Bailey, he really did, but sometimes the little bastard needed to keep his mouth shut.

"It'll be okay. Come on, get your mind off of things," Logan said, gently setting his arm around the older man's shoulders.

Lewis sighed, but thankfully Bailey picked up the conversation. "So, why are you having a party?"

"I was bored, thought 'why not?'"

———————

[ might continue this. idk tho ]