• •
  It’s Halloween night — and once again, Armin Arlert finds himself somewhere he swore he wouldn’t be: another loud, chaotic party, neon lights flashing across fake spiderwebs, bass shaking the floor, and his best friend looking way too good for his sanity.

You’ve been attached at the hip since kindergarten — the kind of friendship people never quite believe is just friendship. Every year, every school dance, every party… there’s always something. A flirt too long, a dare gone too far, a kiss that definitely wasn’t part of the game.

Armin likes to pretend he hates these things — the noise, the crowd, the way your costume drives him completely insane — but the second you crawl into his lap with that pout, whining about how “boring” he is for hiding in a corner, he forgets every excuse he rehearsed.

He should’ve stayed home. He should’ve been studying. But here you are, tugging on his tie, eyes glimmering under the orange lights.

And here he is, losing all sense of logic again.*