Work Text:
“Dude, come on. Show me already.”
“Alex, it doesn’t exactly, fit , dude.”
Alex laughed “Oh, now you definitely have to come out and show me.”
Zach cringed at his reflection in the mirror. He twisted his body around, picking at the tight fabric hugging his body a little too closely. He suddenly regretted letting Alex talk him into coming with him to the halloween store. And he was especially regretting allowing Alex to talk him into squeezing into this costume.
“Dude, I can literally hear the fabric ripping,” Zach complained.
“Well, you better shut the hell up and just show me, ’cuz if you break it you buy it.”
Zach sighed loudly, whispering a ‘ fuck ’ under his breath. He turned and slowly opened the door to the dressing room. Once the door swung open, he saw Alex, lounging lazily in a chair, sit straight up. His blue eyes shot so wide Zach thought they might burst out of his head. A smile crept onto his face. He was utterly speechless, silently taking in the sight of his best friend before him.
“Don’t you dare fucking laugh!” Zach scolded.
“I’m not, I swear!” Alex insisted. His eyes continued to scan up and down Zach’s body. Zach started to blush, feeling overexposed. He was one skin tight layer of sheer fabric away from being practically naked in front of Alex. He started to turn back towards the dressing room.
“No Zach, wait,” Alex said. He gaped at Zach for a moment. “I just can’t believe how good it looks on you. You have to wear this to the party.”
“As much as I’m actually liking the feeling of this skirt, there’s no way I’m wearing this shit to a party. And anyways, I don’t think a Wonder Woman costume was made to fit a 6’3” dude like me.”
Alex rolled his eyes and dramatically spun around in a huff. He absentmindedly picked up a fake knife from a nearby rack and twirled the tip around his index finger. Zach couldn’t stop staring at him, completely forgetting the discomfort he was feeling not a moment ago. How fucking desperate was he that his best friend holding a plastic knife was getting him going? He coughed, snapping himself out of it. Better not to get a boner in this tight ass skirt in the middle of the Halloween store.
“Well, you know, if you’re so adamant on having matching costumes, you could be Wonder Woman and I could be Superman or something.”
“Oh no, no,” Alex teased, inching closer to Zach, swiping the fake knife along the top of Zach’s exposed knee. “I don’t have the legs for it.”
“Okay, number one, you totally have the legs for it, and number two, is this really the time for hot banter?”
Alex cocked his head to the side. “When would you prefer we have hot banter then, Zach? If not in front of these plastic skeletons and clown masks? I don’t think the atmosphere could get anymore sexy.”
Zach chuckled. “You’re so right. There’s something about that half rotted witch over there that’s getting me really excited.”
Alex scoffed. “Well maybe you should take her to the party instead of…”
Zach opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was an awkward laugh. Zach felt bad, but he didn’t really feel like tagging along with Alex and Charlie to the party. Despite Alex already having a date, he seemed to be rubbed the wrong way by the fact that Chloe Rice asked if Zach wanted to go with her to the party at the beginning of October. What was Zach supposed to do? Say no and try not to throw up in his drink all night at the sight of Alex and Charlie together? A couple months ago, Zach really wouldn’t mind Charlie being there. But lately, his age really started to show, and he became increasingly more clingy to Alex, following him around all the time like a starstruck puppy.
Zach became aware of the silence that fell upon the two boys. “What’s your beef with Chloe anyways, man. At least she’s actually in our grade and doesn’t drool over me whenever I walk by.”
Alex groaned. “Thank you, Zach, for reminding me about my stalker-like boyfriend that practically watches me sleep.”
“Wait, he watches you sleep? Should I call the police?” Zach joked, relieved that the tension between them had finally dissipated.
“No, but it seems like it’s getting to that. I don’t even know how he’s even allowed into a senior party.”
Again with the awkward laugh from Zach. You would think that a guy who finds his boyfriend just as annoying as his best friend does, he would break up with him. But for a reason Zach can’t fathom, Alex stayed with the sophomore. Zach used to think it was because Alex didn’t want to hurt Charlie’s feelings. Charlie might seem like a sensitive guy, but Zach knew he would probably get over it eventually. Zach also thought that it might have been because of him. Maybe Alex still had a crush on Zach, and being with Charlie would save him from getting hurt again. Zach knew Alex wasn’t that selfish. He wouldn’t do that to Charlie, or anyone. And besides, it wasn’t like if Alex kissed Zach again now that Zach would push him away. In his head, Zach just chalked that up to being a ‘good friend’, like when Alex kissed him on the rooftop and Zach didn’t pull away. Hoping Alex still had a crush on him was somewhat wishful thinking on Zach’s part, but Zach would never admit that to himself.
“Anyways, since you’re rejecting all of my costume suggestions, do you have any ideas Dempsey?” Alex called from outside the dressing room.
“Well, since you’re going with Charlie, why don’t you do a couple’s costume with him instead of complaining that I can’t fit into a medium in womens.” It came out more condescending than Zach meant to, but Alex didn’t seem to notice.
“Charlie’s costume ideas were boring. He wanted to be stupid shit like salt and pepper or bacon and eggs. I thought you would have some better ideas, but turns out you’re a prude that hates Halloween.”
Zach slammed the dressing room door open. “Fuck you, man. I love Halloween. And we are going to stay here until we find the perfect fucking costumes, because there is no way that I’m showing up to that party dressed like Jim from the fucking Office.”
“I like the enthusiasm, Dempsey,” Alex said. “But are you sure you won’t wear a skirt? Even for me?”
If Zach wasn’t such a himbo, maybe he would see that this was beyond hot banter, and Alex was clearly flirting with him. But alas, Zach laughed it off once again and pretended like he didn’t have a secret crush on Alex. Apparently Zach didn’t even know he had a crush on his best friend, even though it was so glaringly obvious.
“I don’t think the world is ready for these Wonder Woman thighs, Standall,” Zach joked, slapping his clothed upper leg.
“Shut the fuck up,” Alex laughed. “And come on, we have to find a costume today or I’m not going to the party.”
“You know, if we really can’t find anything, we can just throw on a mask.”
Alex clutched his heart in mock hurt. “How dare you, Dempsey! This is Halloween we’re talking about. We are not half-assing this. We are finding the perfect costumes, even if it kills me.”
Zach rolled his eyes as he watched Alex turn and start furiously rifling through the racks, smirking to himself. “Not if I kill you first,” Zach whispered under his breath.
“I heard that, and I’d like to see you try, Dempsey.”