Friday night slipped into Saturday morning. It was just Kevin, a game Julianna, Jenni, and Warren, teetering on wobbling legs, forbidding the night to end. Ethan, the ever-present dutiful ward, attempted to stay, but awkwardly noticed that he was the fifth wheel and was the latest to leave.
Walking from the kitchen back to the living room where the rest were, Kevin said, "Let's watch a movie," holding a cardboard box while chewing on a mouthful of cold pizza that tasted like heaven. His words slurred more than he expected—even with the power—prompting another bite.
"Yeah! Good idea!" Warren said loudly from the booze, his face brightening as an idea seeped into his drunken head. "Let's show them that one," he stammered.
Pointing a sagging slice his way, Kevin swallowed hard and said, "We're not watching Hallrats again, dude. If they never saw Cashiers, it won't be as funny."
A lazy smile spread across Warren's lips. "No, man. Not the Skewverse. That one with the guy and the exploding head."
Julianna's nose wrinkled below the brow. "Exploding head? Is it gross?" She was standing near the couch holding a bottle missing half its content, taking small sips to nurse her intoxication.
"Who cares, let's watch!" Jenni said. It was unsurprising that she agreed with him; she and Warren had become simpatico during the night, each appreciating the other's ability to match their drinking prowess.
Kevin raised his pizza over his head in agreement even when a piece of sausage broke loose and rolled beneath his coffee table. "Sure, put it on," he said and flopped on the couch, setting the pizza box atop his lap. Warm air seeped from the worn cushion as it accommodated his weight.
"Found it!" Warren exclaimed, holding up the DVD box for all to see.
"Hey," Julianna said with a slap on Kevin's knee. "You didn't answer me." Her eyes were sincere when she leaned down and whispered, "Is this going to be gross?"
The shrug and smile Kevin replied with seemed to do little to calm her fears.
"What the hell," Warren said, "What kind of movie player is this? This disk won't even fit!" He was kneeling in front of the television, fumbling.
"Oh, for Christ sakes," Jenni sighed. "You're a hot, drunken mess. Here, let me do it." She snatched the disk and slid it onto the waiting tray, pushing it closed.
"Thanks," Warren slurred, breathing through his mouth as Jenni picked him up by the hand and led him around the coffee table.
Julianna took the cushion next to Kevin, laying her purse on the ground, and taking her shoes off to curl her legs beneath her dress, smoothing it down with her hand.
"Is this okay?" she asked, pointing to her legs.
Kevin chewed the garlic buttered crust and swallowed as much as he could. "Have you seen this couch?" he replied through a mouth half full.
She leaned in close enough for him to catch her scent and whispered, "What movie is this again? For real, is it nasty?"
Kevin reached over and grabbed the remote from the coffee table and sat it on top of the pizza box. "It's just the best drunk movie of all time. Riki-Oh. And no, it's not gross. Not really. Cheesier more than anything, but wait," he looked over at her. "You're not squeamish, are you?"
Julianna put her elbow on the back cushion, resting her head on her palm. She peered down at the beer bottle and swished around the meager remnants inside.
"Well, not right now." Her breath smelled like amber when she let out a small hiccup.
"There you go," Kevin said and toasted her bottle with what remained of his pizza slice.
Jenni curled up in the beige recliner on the other side of the couch that croaked as it slowly rocked. Warren sighed as he slid onto the cushion next to Julianna. Kevin offered him the pizza box, but he declined with a hand wave, then he sat it down on the edge of the coffee table. Looking down, he noticed that Warren had sat awkwardly with one leg beneath him so his other knee could touch Julianna's foot.
Kevin chuckled internally because he knew persistent touch was Warren's final stage when making a move. Hand on the back; shoulders touching while leaning on the bar; even a hand on a knee if things were going well—anything that allowed him and his catch to interact. By the end of the movie, he expected that she would probably be asleep in his arms. It was human nature to want to be held and comforted, something that he could hardly empathize with at all. His preference was to not be touched at all if he could avoid it.
All four were enticed as the movie played, laughing at the silly but graphic practical effects of the kung-fu movie set in a dystopian, vicious prison. Watching the movie together for what felt like the hundredth time, Kevin and Warren played off each other, cracking vulgar jokes back and forth that made the two women laugh even more. The frivolity only lasted an hour before fatigue took hold.
Warren was the first to fall. His head tilted awkwardly to the right while his legs splayed out wide in front of him. To his left, Jenni was curled in fetal position on the recliner, her head resting on the armchair, and Warren's sport coat pulled over her shoulders for warmth, eyes fluttering close. It was obvious she was the next to go.
Even given her rookie party status, Julianna had outlasted them both. Kevin watched her face contort when she held back several yawns, but by sheer force of will, she seemed to be forcing herself to stay awake. Then came the scene that had driven her ambition. Nails dipped hard into his shoulder, and beer nearly spilled out of her nose when the random extra in the movie had his head crushed by one of the antagonist's massive hands in a vicious spray of fake blood and gore.
"Oh my God, that did not just happen!" she laughed. The beer in her bloodstream made the scene funnier and her eyes watered as she shook Kevin by the scruff of his shirt. "Rewind it back! I need to see that again!"
"Yeah, play that shit again," Warren murmured, giving the equivalent of a death rattle before he sank further into the couch.
"I told you, I told you," Kevin laughed and let her hands guide his shoulder as he reached for the remote. "Watch; it only gets better the second time."
He could feel the warmth of the grin on her face as the two watched the movie together. The alcohol and sweat did little to dampen her beauty, and instead gave her skin a healthy glow. Every time she spoke or laughed, she fumbled with the piece of hair that kept tickling her eye. Frustrated with her constant head flipping, Kevin swept the lock from her face and wrapped it around her ear. Julianna stood still, looking at him with a knavish grin as he pulled a few strands of hair over it and tucked it under a tuft to hopefully keep it from falling out again.
When he was done, Julianna patted that side of her head. "Well, you're good at that," she said, her eyes twinkling from the television light. "Thanks."
"I have a sister," Kevin said, forcing himself to look away from those soft brown eyes. "But my pleasure."
Julianna stifled another yawn. It was clear that the long, strenuous night had taken a toll, but she at least had her fun. When Warren and Julianna finally got together, Kevin wondered if perhaps he had earned her friendship as a separate entity.
"One can hope, right?" Kevin thought, but the voice was quick to give its opinion.
"You will lose her eventually," the voice said. Kevin began to nod when a floral scent wafted to his nose.
No longer able to hold back the exhaustion, Julianna yawned as she flattened herself a bit on the couch and put her head on his shoulder. A cold sweat chilled Kevin's brow and he could see the tip of her nose looking down. An anxious swig from his beer cooled his throat, as he slowly lifted his arm over the back of the couch.
"Careful," the voice warned. "She is going to be angry with you when she awakens."
"Quiet," Kevin said while holding his breath.
Julianna fell into the nook of his arm with a low moan and settled on his chest. Nervously, he let his arm fall over the goosebumps on her bare arm.
"Holy hell," Kevin thought.
Her soft, rhythmic breathing lifted his arm with every breath. He breathed in the aroma from her hair that was just below his chin, and enjoyed her body warming against his. It felt surreal having the stunning woman in his arm, as if he were dreaming, but he knew he didn't drink that much.
With the click of a button, he switched to regular TV, frantically turned down the volume so the sudden noise wouldn't startle Julianna awake. Looking down, she was still asleep. Watching a rerun, Kevin sat there on the couch, the last one standing, his left side stiff as a statue. Although he tried to concentrate on the screen, he couldn't help but sneak glances of Julianna's face, the perfect eyebrows, cute tiny nose, and succulent lips. Eyes closed, lost in a dream.
"What the hell am I doing?" he thought.
"She will not want your arm there when she wakes up." the voice said.
"Should I take it away?" he wondered.
"Yes." the voice replied quickly.
"But it's not like I made her lay on me."
"You never were very smart" it taunted.
"This can only end bad, right?"
"Agreed." The voice said, but, looking down as her peaceful face, try as he might, Kevin could not bring himself to take his arm away.
The power inside trickled through his skin and down to his arm. It heated the skin that touched hers to keep Julianna warm, She groaned again, sliding her legs in closer, and he kept it around her for the rest of the morning.
Hours later, the sun rose over the mountains. Its rays streamed through the vinyl blinds like shiny gold fingers that landed on Julianna's face. The light worked like an alarm clock, and she began to stir on Kevin's chest. Eyes dried and strained, Kevin had not slept a minute, and quickly his arm went back to the top of the couch. He held his breath as she lifted herself up. Julianna looked around the room, gathering her bearings, then looked at him with pink eyes.
She covered her mouth with the back of her hand when she said, "What time is it?" Her voice was dry as a desert.
Kevin studied her face, waiting to get yelled at for crossing the friend line, then looked up at the clock above them. "About six thirty," he replied.
"Shoot!" Julianna scrambled off the couch. Her legs unfurled beneath her dress and hit the floor. Quickly, she sat up and gathered her purse and shoes. "Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!" She was pulling up the straps of her heels. "I have a paper I was going to edit and submit, and then be at work at nine." She looked up at him. Her hair had fallen over her eyes as she leaned down. "I need to get going. Sorry. I wanted to help you clean up."
"They really did wreck the gaff as Jenni would say," Kevin looked around at the mess his guests had left that was more apparent in the sunlight. "Uhm, it's okay. This is going to take hours. Besides, it's time Warren earns his keep for this place since he's here all the time." He looked back at her. "Will you let me walk you out?"
She smiled through her loose, dark strands, her lips still with a polish of gloss. "Yeah, I don't mind."
The two tip-toed over Warren's outstretched legs. A thin line of drool spilled from the corner of his partly opened mouth, and his fingers were intertwined with Jenni's outstretched hand.
"Typical Ren." Kevin thought with a snicker.
Julianna retrieved her coat from the closet, Kevin his shoes, and he slowly opened the apartment door so not to wake his slumbering guests. A chilly morning air touched their faces. It had rained overnight, which lowered the temperature several degrees. A morning mist hovered over the grass as the sun warmed the water into glistening dew.
"Okay, that woke me up," Julianna said, voice cleared with a throat clear. Shivering, she put the thin jean coat on, but still hugged and rubbed her shoulders. "You're not cold in just that t-shirt?"
Kevin looked down and examined himself. "I don't know. I run hot, remember?"
"That's right," she replied and moved in closer to take advantage of his warmth. Sweaty hands rubbed his legs inside his pants pockets. Somehow Julianna had forgiven his earlier folly of holding her throughout the night, or at least had the decency of not bringing it up. Moving a suitable distance away, he did not want to push his luck further.
Side by side, they slowly descended the staircases that led to the first floor, then walked towards Julianna's car.
"It was fun tonight," he said to break the silence.
"Yeah, I had a good time." She continued her self-hug with one arm, but still held the back of her hand to her mouth as she spoke. "Again, thanks for inviting me. I know I keep saying that, but I honestly don't get invited to things often."
"You?" Kevin replied. "That's surprising. Seems like everyone knows you at work. It takes you an hour just to walk through my floor."
She laughed. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean people want to hang out often. Besides, I have so many responsibilities outside of work. So, I think that's a turn off."
"Well again, glad you could make it." He replied. "You messed up, though, by telling me that you want to hang out, because now I'm going to be inviting you over here more often."
Julianna put her head back and laughed again. "Don't worry, I'm down. I need to finish that movie, anyway." She looked at him with those eyes that had begun to clear. "Just no more Waterfall."
The corner of Kevin's mouth turned up and he replied, "Deal."
They reached a beige Toyota Corolla. Stopping behind the trunk, Kevin wondered if she could see his heart beating through his shirt. Was a hug appropriate, seeing as they were now true friends, or was that too much since Warren claimed first dibs? Would not doing anything at all be an affront to her that would end their friendship? And how hard could those thin arms slap his face if he were to try something else entirely? Julianna shivered in her coat and dress, twisting her foot in the ground and glancing about as he stood like a doofus, contemplating his options.
"Do not even entertain the idea."
"Well, bye," Kevin croaked. He took his hands out of his pockets to give her a hug that was quick as a Mega Speedstra running down the block and back.
"Bye," Julianna replied softly. Her light brown eyes met his. Her full lips parted, and her hand slid down to his forearm as they moved apart.
"You have never had a great idea," the voice said, almost beseeching him. "Fiasco is not just your name; it is your life." It continued, unrelenting. "This is the reality. You are the Fiasco. Do not add making a fool of yourself to the list." Kevin nodded.
For a moment, they did not move until Julianna's hand finally left his arm, and she turned to get into her car. Kevin turned away, chewing his lip as he put his hands back into his pockets and started back to his apartment. He thought about how the voice was never wrong, and how it fed him power and kept him out of any trouble that he couldn't handle. When it first manifested with his powers, he fought against it, disagreeing. As a typical teen, he believed he knew best. Each time had turned into a disaster, where his power would pitch and start when he needed it most from the conflicting emotions his defiance wrought. His failures as Fiasco began with that denial, and so obedience was the clear way to go ever since. He found that it was best to nod and agree, and drink from its miserable wisdom.
"Ah, to hell with this," Kevin said.
He turned on his heel and marched to Julianna. Shiny black hair fell down her back, as she rummaged through her purse for her keys. Kevin gently grabbed her by the elbow. Julianna turned with a surprised whoop as he pulled her in close and leaned in to kiss her. Julianna tried to say something just before their lips met, but quickly gave up and responded in kind, moaning as she wrapped her arms around his neck, cradling the back of his head.
With his eyes closed, Kevin's emotions cascaded inside with a tidal wave rush. She was not the first girl he had ever kissed, but that moment felt vastly divergent from the others. His finger tightened, pulling her in until her breast spread against his chest. The circulation of the morning air cooled his skin, but the softness of her body against his sent a wave of warmth from his navel to sternum. Her curved hips filled his hands, covering every inch with bone and flesh until he moved them to the small of her back, fingers interlocked at the nape, just below the cuff of her jacket. She moaned again, holding him tighter. Even the voice was silent, Julianna's passion quenching its misery, and the world seemed to faded while the two melted into one another.
Before risking losing himself forever, the warmth subsided and Kevin pulled away. Julianna leaned back in his arms, head down but still smiling. She licked her bottom lip, putting a hand on his chest where his crooked F symbol would have been.
"I'm sorry," Kevin huffed, heat from embarrassment flushing his cheeks. "Were you going to say something?"
"Just," she started. Red spread against her cheeks as well, and she rolled her eyes away, smiling. "I was going to say something about my breath."
"Your breath?" Kevin said, surprised. "Well, that's better than what I thought you were going to say."
"And that was?"
Kevin's eyebrow kicked up when he said, "I thought you were going to tell me you weren't drunk anymore!"
The two laughed together.
"Wow," she said, and rubbed a warm palm on his cheek. "I've been waiting for you to do that all night. For weeks now, even. I was beginning to think you didn't like me."
"You've got to be kidding me," Kevin replied.
She looked away. "You'd be surprised," she said.
Her face softened as some memory came to the forefront. His hands pulled her in closer, hoping his warmth would burn the hurt away.
"Well, it seems impossible to me that someone wouldn't like you," he said. She breathed out as he placed a soft peck on her forehead. "You're wonderful, and I'm just an idiot. I guess I just needed the right motivation."
Her right eyebrow raised, and her beautiful smile returned. "So, what was your motivation?"
Kevin thought about the question. It could have been Warren's relentless competitiveness that ignited his testosterone. Or the voice's demeaning negativity. Or, it may just have been Julianna's stunning beauty, and how well they got along all night. Perhaps it was her persistence to break down his walls. It could have been all of those reasons, or none at all.
Kevin grinned at her. "It doesn't matter now," he said softly, then kissed her again.
He had no idea how much time had elapsed, but Julianna groaned and reluctantly pulled away, "I really have to get to work." She softy tapped her hand on his chest.
"I know," Kevin said and put his forehead on hers. "Guess I'm going to have to call you now, huh?"
Julianna shut her eyes and giggled. "You better."
They pecked once, twice, then a third time before she forced herself to separate.
"Okay, okay. I really need to go before I do something bad," she laughed then looked at him with an affection he could feel.
"Bye," she said.
"Bye." He held Julianna's hand until she got into her car. She waved him back with a laugh as he blocked her from closing the door. Once he finally moved to the curb, looking back, Julianna shook her head then kissed her palm, blowing him a kiss.
"So, this is how Peter Parker must have felt meeting MJ," Kevin thought, and waved as he watched her pull away.
He thought his power had flared inside, twitching like a fish gasping for air from the sudden rush of happiness, but it was only the sun peeking through the clouds that warmed his body. Kevin touched his chest and concentrated; he could hardly feel the power there at all—just a small drip of energy shuttering like a pilot light waiting to be ignited. He thought about Warren up in his apartment, and grinned. He had to tell him that he actually kissed Julianna. The Julianna.
"I'll make him call me Tiger," he said with a smirk. But he knew that, even reluctantly, his friend would be happy for him, and it would not be an act. To Warren, and his adherence to survival of the fittest code, Kevin had followed the rules to the game. The best man won. For a moment, Kevin expected a rebuke for even thinking that he was the best man, but the voice was unusually silent, most likely, stunned by the sudden turn of events.
"Nothing to say, prick?" Kevin thought as he made his way to his apartment. There was no response.
He hurried up the steps, pumping his knees, as he finally began to feel the cold.
"No snarky comment? No put down to fuel yourself? After all this time, you're quiet?" He stopped in front of his door. "I'm almost disappointed." He waited.
"Maybe this is a new chapter," he looked around, speaking to the voice as if it were all around him. "Maybe I don't need you anymore."
His fingers touched his chest, but the tips remained cold. An ear-to-ear smile spread on his face as he opened the door and began to walk past the threshold. Then, his body froze. A coldness swept from his heart down to his legs, sapping his arrogant smile.
"Please."
It sounded like a dying voice on the wind. Kevin's mouth tasted dry as cotton. Shivering, the air around him stiffened as a sudden rush of sadness fell upon his shoulders like a snow mound. His knees felt like water and buckled so much that he had to hold himself up by clinging to the edge of the door with both hands.
He did not know the voice even knew that word.
"Please," the voice whispered again, "do not screw this up," then it added sarcastically, "Tiger."