Dislocated

"Josh is a vegan? Josh? Pepperoni popping, sausage loving, 'veggies are for birds' Josh?"

Chris confirms with a head tilt, mouth currently full of pizza. Ashley is beside him, texting quietly as Jess and Emily sit across from them, looking far too attractive and powerful to be seen in a rinky dink tiny pizza joint.

Jess has scars on her face, faded into light red lines. But she looks better than Chris has seen since before the events at the mountain. Her eyes have a sparkle of life in them again but Chris can't help but notice the way she leans into Emily, their arms hooked together. He hadn't heard anything about her and Mike breaking up but he also hasn't heard from Mike in a while.

Emily on the other hand has longer hair now, longer than Jess', and it's inky black strands remind Chris of Jennifer's Body. She leans forward, arms crossing against the table as she moves.

"I bet Sam is his own personal house chef."

"She probably started following those vegan blogs she always used to bitch about." Jess adds, ripping a piece of crust of her pizza. "It's kinda cute though."

Emily scoffs. "She's been like that with him ages. Sam's a mom."

"Think they'll get together?" Chris inquires, solely for science.

"Don't think so. Josh has the wrong bits."

Emily makes a scissor motion with her hand. Jess nudges her, earning a pointed glare. She holds up a finger to her lips and Emily immediately seems to understand.

Chris' eyebrows raise. "Sam is a lesbian?"

"Shut up, Chris." Jess shushes him, peering around the small room. The only people inside besides them and the lone worker was an old lady.

"Sam's private. We only know because we've caught her once-"

"More like twice." Jess mumbles.

Emily continues, "with a some girls we used to take labs with. And now you guys know."

Ashley finally looks up, appearing confused as she assesses the information. Her nose scrunches cutely.

"She told us that freshman year." Ashley informs them, locking her phone. When she gets three puzzled stares in returns her eyes roll so hard Chris is surprised it didn't make a noise.

"At Emily's lakehouse? The party with the art show? Emily only let Chloe Denner hang her stuff up because she said it was for charity?"

It clicks together with Jess first.

"Oh my god, she did!"

"Who is Chloe Denner?" Emily asks, annoyance evident in her voice.

"Dark hair. Big boobs. Slept with Mike in your closet." Chris supplies, suddenly remembering.

"That slut? ...That slut." Emily confirms, taking an aggressive bite out of her slice of pizza.

“Are you and Matt still together?” Chris asks while its fresh in his mind.

Emily nods but Jess is the one who actually responds. “We’re all together. One giant bundle of cupcake eating shit. Gets rids of a lot of unnecessary tension.”

She winks and Ashley blushes a light shade of pink. Jess leans back in her seat. "But seriously. Sam. Extra sneaky."

Ashley smiles. "It's not like she's said anything about it since. Sam doesn't even talk about anyone."

"Instead she'd talk about Chris and Josh." Emily points at Chris with a cheese stick. "We thought you two raging gays would be sticking it by college but sweets stole you away."

Jess bursts out into laughter. "We used to purposely make you guys play seven minutes to see if we could catch y'all making out but you'd just talk about Pokemon the entire time."

Chris' mouth falls open, cheeks tinting pink. "You did that shit on purpose?!"

Jess nods frantically, an arm draped over Emily's shoulder as her body shakes with laughter. Emily is laughing too, privately behind her hand.

"We would write notes about it. It was the cutest thing, you and Josh." Emily says, turning to Ashley as if an after thought. "Not that you guys aren't cute."

Jess hurries to agree. "You guys totally are. Just reminiscing."

But Ashley's smile is tight when it appears on her face, stretched too far, too thin. An awkward silence falls over them with Jess poking at the last of her crust while Emily and Chris eat what's left of their slices. It reminds him of high school.

"Is he going to let us see him?" Ashley asks quietly, twiddling her phone around. She appears anxious, lips pinched close together. Her eyes don't leave the phone when Chris answers.

"I don't know. Sam and I are working on it but he hasn't caved. He won't even leave the house."

Jess sucks her teeth. "That sucks.... I want to see him." She looks up at Chris, the fine lines on her face a constant reminder. "I want to tell him I'm sorry. For what happened to Hannah. I... I want him to know that I don't blame him. I mean who could predict fucking wendigos."

Her voice breaks towards the end, chin trembling as large tears form. She breathes out an unsteady sigh, fists clenched tightly on the table. Emily places an arm around her, the other hand coming to rest on her arm.

"I hid from them. In those damn mines I hid from them and I saw her. I saw her and I ran." The last part comes out muffled, Jess collapsing into a fit of tears as Emily presses soft kisses to the top of her head. Ashley reaches out to grab Jess' hand and she squeezes. Chris, unsure of what to do or say, does the same and Jess gives them a watery smile.

"Ha. I'm sorry. I said I wouldn't cry about this anymore." Jess sniffs, wiping her face with the palms of her hands. Emily hands her a napkin.

"Just tell him, when he's ready we'll be here." Emily meets Chris' gaze, her stare genuine.

"I'll tell him."

The remainder of their time together flashes by in quick seconds. Emily has Jess laughing again by the time they’re throwing away their trays and Ashley nudges him in the rib as she points to their linked hands.

“Later losers.” Emily tosses them a two fingered salute, Jess waving from the passenger seat. She reaches out to grab Chris’ sleeve.

“You promised you’d come with me to my next therapy session. Don’t forget, Christopher. I will send my three dogs after your ass.”

“You have three dogs?” Chris looks to Emily to confirm and she’s nodding.

“We got three attack dogs, specifically three giant damn babies. They love Matt.”

“And me!” Jess grins widely, leaning against the open window. "Mike not so much. Considering he befriended a wolf, his ego is pretty injured."

Emily rolls her eyes, sliding inside the car with a ‘tsk’. Jess looks back at her and then to them, cupping a hand around her mouth.

“Emily says she doesn’t like them but I saw her sitting on the floor with Benji while she was studying and they were so close and cute and bonding.”

“We’re leaving!” Emily’s voice rings out, high and embarrassed.

Chris and Ashley waves them off, making small jokes about Matt and Mike being their trophy boyfriends as Emily speeds off in her Camaro. Ashley reaches for his hand as they walk and he takes it easily falling into step with her. His apartment isn't far from the pizza place, isn't far from Jess' either but Chris kinda wishes they drove.

"Jess looks better."

"Yeah, she does." Chris agrees. “I’m glad her and Em are good again.”

“Are we going to talk about it?"

Chris hums in response, peering down at her. Ashley pauses on the sidewalk, staring at their linked fingers. "About Josh."

"What about him?"

Ashley's other hand reaches up to adjust her beanie. She pulls it off wordlessly, moving the tiny Pom from side to side.

"Are you guys okay?"

Ashley is looking at him now, borderline invasive and Chris squirms under the intensity wondering if she can see into his being, if she can see how he's been feeling recently.

"We're fine."

"Sam said you guys argued. Then you made up. What was it about?"

"Just guy stuff."

The corners of her mouth twitches. "Your best friend comes back from the dead, fucked up more than he was before, comes back from eating people and you both argued over guy stuff?"

Chris shrugs helplessly. "Yeah."

Ashley lets go of his hand. "Chris that can't possibly make sense to you. Did... Did he tell you anything?"

Her eyes burn into him and Chris doesn't understand her sudden burst of curiosity. They barely talked about Josh with each other beyond the polite talks they had when Chris would come back from the Washington's.

"What is this about?" Chris asks her, pushing his glasses up.

Ashley averts her eyes, twisting her beanie in her small hands before she puts it back on and walks head of him.

"It's nothing. Let's just go home."

She keeps a steady distance until they reach his apartment building, still continuing to ignore him when he tries to ask her what's wrong. Chris folds his arms across his chest, annoyance twitching against his mouth.

“What is up with you?”

“Nothing. Nothing is up with me. Everything is fine, Chris.” Ashley snaps. “Can we please go inside?”

Chris doesn’t budge. “Something’s up. I’m your boyfriend, Ash. What is wrong with you? Did I do something?”

He stares down at Ashley until she squirms, absolutely fuming in her silence. Chris almost lets up, almost, but then Ashley is shouting at him.

“We were okay! We weren’t good but we were better and everything was getting better.” Her voice hitches and she’s crying. “I don’t want to be anyone’s second best. Josh said this would happen.”

Chris straightens. “Josh told you, you were second best?"

She nods furiously, wiping away persistent tears with her sleeve. “He was so drunk I doubt he even remembers. He said I was a safe house for you, I was simple and easy because you couldn’t handle actual relationships.”

“W-what? When, Ashley?

Ashley hiccups, covering her mouth as she cries. “He kept saying how nice I was and pretty but I wasn’t what you needed. And I’m not, Chris! I’m not! Your fucking best friend is right.” She wheezes, stepping back when Chris reaches for her. “I’m going home. I don’t want to see you right now. I’m sorry. Please understand. You've been acting strange and I hate it. I hate it so much, Chris."

Chris offers to take her home, tries to console her but Ashley pushes him away each time, her voice soft. So Chris watches her leave, the way her hesitant stride becomes more pronounced with each step and she’s gone.

She’s gone and Chris sees red, blood boiling in his ears.

“What did you say to her?”

Josh seems startled to see Chris, eying his disheveled appearance with nose twitch. He’s on the floor in his room, a pen between his lips. There are papers strewn across the floor along with various sketches of monsters Chris doesn’t recognize.

“Who?”

“My fucking girlfriend!” Chris slams the door shut behind him, wincing when he remembers Malia is home. To be frank, Chris doesn’t remember the drive or seeing Malia at the door. But he does remember the angry pounding his steps made as he headed to Josh’s room.

Josh narrows his eyes at him. “I haven’t talked to Ashley. I haven’t talked to her in years.”

“That’s what I’m talking about!” Chris tries not to raise his voice, he does, but he keeps seeing Ashley’s tear stricken face. “You told her she was second best. An easy fucking choice.”

“In regards to what?” Josh tucks the pen behind his ear, leaning back on his arms.

“An easy choice between her and you.”

Josh sits there, eyes moving as if thinking, and then they widen, dark with acknowledgement. The room is silent aside from Chris’ heavy breathing. He watches Josh sit up, arms folded in his lap, as he idly stares at the floor.

“You remember.” It’s not a question.

“Yeah. My memory is pretty good at things before the mountain.” Josh tilts his head up, chin tilted up. “I did say those things.”

Chris hoists Josh to his feet, fists bunched into the collar of the other’s shirt, and he’s so, so angry. Josh keeps a blank face, eyes glittering with thinly veiled amusement, steadying himself where he stands.

“Why, why would you say that to her? Ashley is great. She’s wonderful and nice and-“

“Safe?” Josh cocks an eyebrow at him.

Chris shakes him roughly. “Shut up, Josh.”

“Oh come on, man. Admit it. After everything that happened and me being mostly dead, Ashley was a safe haven for you. She was a beacon of fucking light. Someone mentally sound with no medications, no personality flaws besides being too damn nice.” Josh spits, sharp teeth bared. “Don’t fucking lie and say it wasn’t something you took into consideration because it was. After you saw my first panic attack, you decided then and there that you wanted fucking normal.”

Chris pushes him away, ripping his glasses off his face as he paces around Josh’s room. He throws them, the hard clack not enough to satisfy him. His hands are tingly, knuckles white. He wants to punch Josh in the face, wants to strangle him. Josh is sick, he reminds himself. He’s sick and needs help.

“You’re sick.” Chris mutters.

“Oh really? Didn't notice with all the fucking meds I’m on. Ive been on meds all my life, Chris. I’ve been sick. All. My. Life.” Josh snarls, suddenly in Chris’ space. “You knew that at the goddamn beginning. My face may be fucked up now, like a goddamn sideshow circus freak, but I’ve always been fucked up so don’t you dare tell me I’m sick when we both know that’s not really why you’re mad.”

Chris pinches the bridge of his nose, nostrils flaring. “Shut up, Josh.”

“Why, Cochise? Struck a nerve?” Josh purrs, silky and rich and Chris can’t breathe.

He’s backed into a corner, Josh is close to him, too damn close, and the room is so damn hot. Why did he wear so many layers? Chris struggles to exhale, shrugging off his first jacket. He can’t hear anything beyond the white noise in his ears, but he can see the flittering look of concern on Josh’s face. Josh is stepping back, seeming to realize he’s crossed some sort of boundary and he keeps backing away, a hand rubbing his arm but Chris is following, Chris is following and reaching for him and-

Chris crushes their mouths together, ignoring the small noise of protest, a hand curling around the base of Josh’s throat- teeth clattering soundlessly. Josh's response is immediate, lips parting and moving against Chris’, tilting his head to the side. Chris tries not to think of how perfect they fit together, bringing his other hand to cup the side of Josh’s face, tongue sliding inside the other’s mouth easily. He can feel the dull tips of pointed teeth, can feel the other’s throat vibrate under his thumb, a steady warm feeling that Chris realizes is purring.

They part briefly, thin strings of saliva stretching between them and Josh leans in this time more insistent and desperate and he presses himself close to Chris, mouths moving together in slick harmony. His hand a vice grip on Chris’ shoulder, the quiet hammer of his heart beating like a frightened animal.

Chris feels them shifting, vaguely aware they're moving, but doesn’t dwell too much on it because Josh is nipping at his lips, tongue leaving a sizzling trail of heat wherever it touches. The edge of the bed hits the backs of his knees and he nearly falls backwards, Josh chuckling quietly as he moves forward to straddle his hips. He begins working on Chris’ second layer, another jacket, buttoned down, undisturbed by Chris tiny pecks to his face. Chris’ lips brush against the discolored scar and Josh tenses up, leaning back quickly.

His adam’s apple dips quickly as a small, embarrassed smile appears. “I forgot that was there.”

Chris pulls Josh closer, kissing him soundly. Again and again until the purring is back.

"It’s not bad. Kinda cool actually.”

“Shut up, asshole.” Josh leans in again, pressing a soft kiss to Chris’ lips. He slides his fingers through Chris’ hair, bodies flushed close together. Chris holds him close, hands resting along the small of his back and he thinks of Ashley, angry and sad and- Chris sighs against Josh, breaking the kiss to press a small one to Josh’s forehead. He lingers there, eyes blurry from where his glasses are not.

"I was mad at you." Josh admits, smoothing his hands across Chris' shirt. "I was mad and hurt but I just felt more and more shitty about it because I'm your best friend, ya know? I have to support and help. Plan. But Ashley... She's a lot of things I'm not. A lot of good things. I said some shit things."

Chris bends his head down to look at his best friend. Josh isn't looking at him, mouth red and puffy.

"You can tell her you're sorry."

"'Hey Ash, long time no see. Sorry about punching you in the face and making out with your boyfriend. Also sorry about saying mean things. Totes rude of me.'" Josh says in an overly friendly tone that makes Chris laugh.

"It's a start."

Josh rolls his eyes, chittering softly in the back of his throat. He meets Chris' gaze, a tiny sliver of hope in his face. Josh slips out of Chris' lap and onto the floor, padding around to where his phone is amongst the drawings. He tosses Chris the abandoned pair of glasses.

"'M hanging out with Sam in a few. Are you staying?"

"You wanna talk about our make out session?"

"Sure don't." Josh laughs, thumbs working rapidly over his phone screen. "Maybe later."

"Does this mean I'm breaking up with Ashley?" Chris asks.

Josh levels him with a look that reminds Chris of Emily . "Yes. You're breaking up with your fake high school girlfriend."

"Probably should have done that before hand." Chris rubs the back of his neck. "You gonna be my new new girlfriend?"

Josh doesn't answer, the tips of his ears reddening, and Chris guess that's as good as an answer as anything.