brooks & hale ✔️

hale

the gif is irrelevant to the story beyond the fact isak + even are literal goals - if you guys haven't watched SKAM, go do it now!!! right now!!!!! it's amazing i swear

dedicated to MillyValerie cause she's kinda cool ;)

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ten ;
h a l e

HALE STARED GLUMLY INTO the glass of coke clutched in his hand and gave it a swirl. There was nothing much to see in the glass beyond fizzy brown liquid, but it was better than looking out across the dance floor at everyone else actually enjoying themselves. This was pathetic. He was sitting in a club, with alcohol readily available and plenty of hot girls he could get off with, and all he was doing was sitting at the bar sulking.

Since when had he become so self-pitying? He used to love going out. He loved getting outrageously drunk without worrying about consequences, and dance where he could just become part of the crowd, and meet new people he probably wouldn't even remember the next day. The only one stopping himself from having fun was himself, and he couldn't even figure out why. He just wasn't in the mood and he was never not in the mood. It was a strange experience, and not one he liked.

His friends were certainly in the mood. Alec and Dylan had found their respective affairs for the night within ten minutes of arriving, and had disappeared to do god knows what with them. Elliot had spent the whole evening pining after Kara like a lovesick puppy, vying for her attention with any tricks he could think up. They were currently chatting at the bar and things seemed to be going well for him.

The others had all dispersed onto the dance floor. There was Oli, doing little more than swaying while Elsie and Coralie danced with him, pulling him into their wild dance moves. Hale scanned the crowded dance floor for Will, who'd last been seen attempting the worm, but he'd disappeared too. Probably doing something crazy elsewhere in the club that would make a great story later.

He downed the coke like it was a vodka and slammed the glass down. He could have fun tonight, sure he could. Fake it 'til you make it. He was good at pretending, right? "Hey," he said, nodding to the bartender. "Can I have a drink please?"

"What kind?"

"Something alcoholic," Hale said with a shrug. "Surprise me."

The guy didn't even ask for proof of age, simply smiled and started mixing liquids with expert skill that must have come with years of practise. Impressed, Hale wondered whether he should just ditch a-levels and start working at a bar. It had to be more interesting than formulas and equations, not to mention he wouldn't have to read anything other than labels on bottles. He was considering asking the bartender about it when an arm slung across his shoulder.

"Hale, my man," Will said, with a wide grin. He smelt like alcohol and sounded as chipper as ever. "What you been up to?"

"Nothing much." Hale took the drink the bartender slid his way with a thanks, and paused to empty the contents of the glass. The drunker he was, the easier it would be to fake it 'til he made it. "Having fun, shortstuff?"

Will was too drunk to care about the nickname he usually complained wildly and at great length about. "Hell yeah. Did ya see me doing the worm? Did ya? Yeah, that was me," he said proudly, pounding his skinny chest like he was some kind of buff King Kong. "May have chipped my tooth doing it when I smashed my face on the floor, but it was definitely worth it. Definitely."