Warm hoodies on cold nights (and all the stars in your eyes)

Chapter 14

"You ready?" Wilbur asks Schlatt, bouncing on his toes. "Minx is taking Niki, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," Schlatt nods.

Wilbur had received the text some days ago.

Can't wait to see the fencing with you lot and Minx and Niki!

He'd quickly made some inferences about the conditions Schlatt had been allowed to go with, and today was the day. They were heading down several hours early so Techno could go get ready, but Phil had offered to take Schlatt, since he lived closer to them than to Minx, and Minx was taking Niki.

"Baggsy the front," Tommy yells as soon as Phil pulls the car out of the garage.

"No," Techno groans dramatically. Or at least, as dramatically as monotone gets. "I'm gonna be stuck with these two."

"Hah," Tommy shrieks, already scrambling to get in the front, though the car hasn't even stopped moving yet.

"I'm sittin' in the middle," Techno drawls. "I don't wanna be stuck next to you two together."

"What the fuck, Techno?" Wilbur mutters, rolling his eyes.

"Honestly," Schlatt interjects. "Would it be better sitting next to us, or inbetween us?"

Techno frowns, considering, then shrugs. "Depends," he says simply. "There's two trips, we can find out."

"Ugh," Wilbur grumbles, as Techno sits himself firmly in the middle. "Please tell me you at least have sweets."

"Nope," Techno says. "I'm on a strict swordfighting diet."

"I saw you eating a fucking plate of brownies this morning, Tech," Wilbur says, rolling his eyes. "Where are the fucking sweets?"

"I have them," Tommy shouts smugly from the front.

"Car voices," Phil interjects, looking both ways before carefully pulling out of the driveway.

"Phil, Schlatt doesn't know car voices," Techno says. "He's never been on a super long road trip with us."

"Well then, explain it," Phil sighs. "Tommy, get you hand away from the fucking radio. I am not having another trip with shake it off on repeat. Fuck no."

"What? Why?" Tommy wails, but does as he's told and sulkily turns away while Wilbur, Techno and Schlatt laugh at him.

"Car voices means we have to be quiet so Phil can drive," Techno explains in an overexaggerated whisper. "It's like – like inside voices but a different word so it feels more special. And that tricks Tommy into listening because he's easy to manipulate like that."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not," Tommy insists.

"Are too," Wilbur says.

"Car. Fucking. Voices," Phil says impatiently.

"Am not," Tommy whispers.

"You just listened to Phil," Wilbur points out. "The second he said car voices. See? Point proven."

"No, it's not," Tommy sulks, pulling a huge bag of sweets from the glove compartment.

"Tommy," Wilbur says softly, leaning over to stick his face between the door and the headrest. "Tommy, dearest, my wonderful brother, my absolute favourite-"

"Fuck off, they're mine," Tommy snorts indignantly, and Wilbur sits back with a sigh.

"Can I have some?" Schlatt asks. "Please?"