They were stretched out on the couch, controllers in hand, completely locked into the game. It’s a Friday on a warm summer night and it’s around 8 pm. With Stephan’s parents gone for two weeks, it had basically turned into a nonstop hangout. Late nights, junk food, arguing over games—it was exactly what they always did. Stephan’s twin sister has been at a friend’s house since their parents left. Stephan and Greyson have been friends since elementary school and have always been close friends, it was like a brother Stephan never had. Over the years Stephan made this rule up they were younger, Greyson was never allowed to date his sister. Ever. It never bothered Greyson at the time because he was so young when Stephan made the rule up but it still applied to now and Stephan was more strict about it.

Greyson had been crashing there almost every night, barely even going home. It wasn’t planned, it just kind of happened. It always did with them. Greyson lived on his own anyways so he could stay along as he wanted without having to worry about his parents pestering him to come home. Stephan’s parents had left for a two-week vacation just three days ago, trusting him and his twin sister to manage on their own.

The room was filled with the sounds of the game and the occasional laughter when one of them messed up. It was competitive, but in the way it always had been—more about messing with each other than actually winning. Greyson leaned forward, focused on the screen now, finally getting into it after a slow start. Stephan sat beside him, just as locked in, both of them reacting quickly, moving in sync like they’d played this game a hundred times before. Because they had. Greyson was a bigger buffer guy, with abs and muscle and crazy veins on his hands, arms.. everywhere basically, he was definitely an attractive man but he definitely didn’t have the best reputation in school. Greyson is wearing gray sweatpants that hang low to his hips with a black zip up jacket, except it’s not zipped up and he doesn’t have a shirt under it, his bare tan torso on display with a silver chain around his neck, the hood from the jacket up over his head, a few silver ring on his finger, and simple plain white socks. His body was also covered his tattoos, along his arms and ribs and a couple on his shoulder blade. His jet black hair was short on the sides, with loose curls falling over his forehead.