✔️There Will Be Nothing

7^ I Don't Want To Lose You To Him

We file out of the car excitedly. Everyone seems a bit calmer, a bit happier after what happened in the car. I smile to myself and shrug, knowing that it's probably nothing to worry about.
     Colin holds me close to him by the waist, smiling contentedly.
     I rub myself against him in adoration. Fuck, I love him so much.
     Connor pulls the beach bag out, and Hank takes the cooler, closing the trunk after them. We all turn and start walking down to the beach.
     "Hey, Conrad?"
     I look up at Colin. "Yes?"
     "I love y-y-y... ou..." he stutters, stopping as he clutches his head.
     "Colin...?" I turn and look at him. Fear begins to worm its way into my heart as he jerks around.
     "C-Co... nrad-d-d..." he glitches, talking in a mechanical, droning voice. I back away fearfully. He jerks up and let's his hand drop to his side. His LED stutters yellow as he blinks, slowly regaining control of himself. "Conrad? Are you ok?"
     For some reason, I laugh aloud at his question. "Am I ok? I'm not the one spazzing out!" I approach him and take his hand. "Are you ok? What even was that?"
     "Umm... I'm not sure. I think it was a glitch in my system. Don't worry, Conrad. It's nothing I can't handle," he reassures me, placing a hand on my back as we walk towards the others.
     I look up at him skeptically, but I quickly decide that he should be fine. Hopefully. When I step on the sand, I get really excited. I've never touched sand before. It feels sort of nice, and I kick some into the air.
     We walk down the beach until Connor and Hank stop. "Here," Connor says, handing Hank the bag. He takes the beach blanket and spreads it out on the sand. "Thank you," he purrs, taking the bag from Hank and plopping it down on the corner of the blanket. "Everyone, put something on the corners of the blanket," he commands.
     Hank puts the cooler on another corner. Gavin and Conan put their shoes on a corner.
     "What's the point?" I ask, putting my shoes on the last one. Colin follows my lead, doing what I do.
     "So the wind doesn't make the blanket fly away, silly," Connor explains with a big smile on his face.
     I frown, feeling like an idiot. "Oh."
     "C'mon, tin can, you know the drill," Gavin says to Conan, handing him a bottle. "Slather that shit on me, but do it slow and seductive."
     "Seriously?" Conan raises an eyebrow.
     Gavin just shrugs. "Look, do you want me to complain that my sunburn hurts all night?"
     "Fine, fine," Conan mutters.
     "When you're done, let me use that, Conan," Hank interjects as he pulls his shirt off and throws in on the blanket.
     I stare at them in confusion as Conan squirts a white liquid on his hands. He proceeds to rub it on Gavin's back. Gavin moans in pleasure, laughing when Conan chides him for it.
     "Uhm..." Conan looks at me, drawn to attention by my hesitant beginning. "What is that? And, why are you putting it on him?"
     "It's alien cum, Conrad. It makes my skin all smooth and tasty. Conan loves it, cause he's a freak," Gavin explains.
     "Gavin!" Conan scolds him, gently slapping his arm. He sighs and rolls his eyes. "Don't listen to him, Conrad. It is not alien cum. It's sunscreen. It keeps humans from getting a sunburn, which will happen if their skin is exposed to the sun for too long. Sunburns are miserable, so it makes sense that they'd want to apply it. Though, at this rate, I'm about ready to leave Gavin to apply it by himself."
     "Nooooooooo," Gavin whines. "Please, I love your hands on meeeee."
     "Then, stop telling Conrad stupid shit, and behave yourself," Conan chides.
     "Do I need it?" I ask.
     "No. Androids can't get sunburnt. Just, be careful you don't overheat, though," Conan informs me.
     I nod and turn to Colin. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go to the water!" I request excitedly as I grab his hand and lead him down to the shore. I stop, letting the water wash over my feet. "This is so exciting, Colin!" I look at him, but I don't hear his reply.
     Behind him, there's a group of girls, clearly checking him out. I watch, seething in jealousy as they stare at him. Their eyes tell me that they're horny, and they want him. I want them all to die. Or... at least, not be here.
     "Conrad?" He follows my gaze. As soon as he looks at the girls, they all giggle and wave at him. To my relief, he doesn't wave back. He turns back to me. "Are they bothering you, baby?"
     "No," I lie. "Not at all."
     He raises an eyebrow at me. "You're a bad liar."
     "Hi!" one of the girls says as she walks up to us. She has two others behind her, and they linger.
     I frown in jealousy.
     "Hi?" Colin says, scooting away from them.
     "Never seen an Android like you, before. You look cute. Is this your brother?" she asks with this stupid, snotty voice that I hate so much.
     "Brother?" He turns and looks at me, then looks back at the girls. "No, no, he's not my brother. He's my boyfriend."
     Their faces drop. "Oh... so, you're gay?"
     He nods. "Yes. Is that a problem?"
     One of the girls, the taller one, darts forward and grabs Colin's arm, pulling him towards them. "Well, we know how to make any man straight, baby." She winks. "Let's have some fun."
     I want Colin to hit them, but he won't. I know he won't. "You're asking me to ditch my boyfriend, the one I love, for whoever the hell you are. What are you on?" He looks her up and down disdainfully. "Please, let me go, or I'll have to arrest you," he threatens.
     At the mention of arrest, she lets go and backs away. "Fine, fine. Whatever. Enjoy your boyfriend, you fag."
     "Yeah, whatever. Go enjoy your side men, you whore," he snarls dangerously. "Get the fuck out of here before I seriously consider hurting you."
     "Wow, so you're insulting me and threatening me. Real nice image for you Androids. I'm gonna call the cops on you."
     "We are the cops." I turn around to see Hank walk past us angrily. Connor, Gavin, and Conan group up with us. I feel so safe with all of them around me. Colin holds my hand and pulls me close to him, making sure they know that he's mine.
     "W-Well... you're bad at your job!" she insults Hank. "These Androids are harassing me."
     "You harassed them, first." Hank turns around. "C'mon, we're leaving. We're leaving." Hank herds all of us away, like a dad would herd his children away from trouble. I guess, he was a dad, once.
     "Faggots!" she yells after us.
     I bristle, but I decide against saying anything. "Why did you choose me?" I ask Colin, wrapping my arms around myself. "You could've had plenty of fun without me."
     "Oh, shut up!" Colin snaps, making me recoil. "Look..." he sighs, deflating. "I'm sorry for snapping, ok? It's just that I hate it when you doubt my love for you. I chose you, because I love you. I would never choose some random whores over you." He pulls me close by the waist. "I love you with my life, Conrad." He kisses me softly, letting his hands explore and caress my body.
     I pull away, feeling guilty. "I'm sorry..." I begin. "I just feel like I don't deserve you."
     "You deserve the world. I would give it to you, if I could." Colin holds me close.
     "Hey." Conan says to Gavin. "Guess what?" I can tell he's trying to relieve the tension.
     "What?"
     Conan pushes Gavin. "You're it!" he cries out, sprinting towards the water.
     "Fuck you! Bastard!" Gavin curses as he scrambles after him.
     "Guys! Wait!" Connor cries, chasing after them. "I want to play, too!"
     Hank grumbles. "For fuck's sake..." Regardless, he makes his way to the water to play tag with the others.
     "You up for a game of tag?" Colin teases. "It'll make you feel better, baby."
     I nod up at him, smiling. "Yeah!" I grab his hand and run to the water. He soon overtakes me with his considerably longer legs and drags me into the water.
     "Bitch!" Gavin crows as he jumps onto Conan's back, wrapping his legs and arms around him. His scream is cut off as Conan falls backwards, submerging them both. Within seconds, Gavin resurfaces, gasping for air. Conan, however, doesn't come up with him. "Conan?"
     A pair of hands burst out of the water and drag a screaming Gavin down into the waves.
     Connor and Hank laugh their asses off, leaning against each other.
     If I'm being honest, it is pretty funny. I walk over to them, slowly wading through the water. Colin follows me.
     Conan stands up in the water, holding Gavin against him. "Ugh... asshole," Gavin pants.
     Conan just smiles at him. "You are it," he whispers triumphantly, prancing out of reach when Gavin lunges for him. "Oh! You guys should play, too! We play rough, though, so be careful."
     I nod. Immediately, Gavin pivots and grabs me. "You're it," he snarls, pulling away from me.
     "I can be it, if you want," Colin offers, smiling at me.
     I nod, smirking as I touch his arm. "Fuck em up, Colin."
     He nods sharply. "Whatever you say." He springs toward them, outstretching his arm to touch someone.
     Conan screeches as Colin speeds toward him. "Ahhh! Noooo! That's not faiiiirrrr!" he screams. "Fucking run, Gavin!" I've never seen Conan look as scared as he looks now. I watch with amusement as Colin speeds after them, quickly catching up.
     "It must feel great to have a terminator as deadly as Colin by your side, huh?" Connor comments, poking me in the side. Him and Hank are standing there, blissfully wrapped in each other's arms as the waves gently lap at their chests.
     "Totally," I agree.
     Colin grabs Gavin, and he jerks backwards.
     "Nooo! Gavin!" Conan cries out, saluting him with mock sadness. "I'll remember you!"
     "Carry on without me, Conan! I'm dead meat! Forget me!" Gavin answers him, pretending to die in Colin's arms.
     "You guys are so odd, but you're it, Gavin." Colin drops him into the water.
     When he resurfaces, he spits out water. "Ah, fuck. Ok." He lunges for Colin, but Colin's gone, disappearing under the surface. "Dammit!"  He looks over at me and sprints at me.
     For a second, I'm frozen, before Colin bursts out of the water in front of me. Gavin runs right into him. "Hello," Colin greets him pleasantly.
     "Guys! Guys, guys, guys!!" Conan scrams desperately, running over to us. "Let's have a chicken fight."
     "Oh! Yes, yes, yes!" Gavin crows, just as excited as Conan. "Hank! Connor! Get your asses over here."
     They oblige and float over to us.
     "What is a chicken fight?" I ask in confusion.
     "Basically, you get on Colin's shoulders, and I get on Conan's shoulders, and we fight to the death!" he exaggerates, grinning like a psychopath.
     "Oh. Ok," I say. "That sounds fun!" I tap Colin's shoulder. "Let me up." He kneels down. I wrap my legs around his shoulders before he stands again. I feel dizzy from this angle. I could get used to this, though.
     Gavin rises to meet me, and so does Connor.
     "Don't drop me, Hank!" he worries, holding on tightly.
     I push Connor, and he falls down with a scream. "That was easy," I comment.
     Gavin pushes at me, but I hold on, supported by Colin. "Dirty bitch," I growl, throwing a punch at him.
     He dodges, and throws a punch of his own. Before I know it, I'm sitting here, randomly slapping and punching him as I try to push him off of Conan's shoulders.
     "Bastard! Give up, already!"
     "Never!" I cry.
     With one last push, he manages to throw me off of Colin's shoulders. As soon as I'm submerged, I panic, flailing my arms and legs around as I struggle to right myself and break through the surface. My panic rises until I'm grabbed by strong hands and pulled to the surface. I gasp, clinging onto Colin.
     "Are you ok?" he asks, holding me close to his chest.
     "Y-Yeah... sorry, I just didn't think I would be submerged. I wasn't ready," I explain myself guiltily.
     "That's ok. I have you, Conrad. I won't let you drown," he promises, holding me closer.
     "Let's take a break," Gavin suggests. "I'm kind of hungry, anyway."
     I nod. "Ok," I agree. "Hold me?" I turn to Colin. He picks me up and holds me close to him, koala style. I wrap my arms and legs around him as he follows Hank and Connor back to the blanket. I sigh contentedly, clinging onto him. In the distance, I can see the group of girls watching us in disgust. I look away.
Colin slowly sets me down on the blanket. I sit there, staring up at him. It's times like these where I'm reminded how tall Colin really is. He really towers over all of us. Even Conan, and I thought no one could be taller than him. I was wrong. He sits next to me, wiping himself off with a towel.
Hank reaches into the cooler and grabs a beer. Connor gives him a look. "What?"
"No more than two, Lieutenant Anderson," he says firmly.
Hank sighs. "Whatever you say, Con." He kisses Connor's cheek and takes a sip from the can.
Gavin reaches for one, and Conan slaps his hand away. "No," he scolds. "You have to eat, first."
"Why?" Gavin asks, rounding on him aggressively.
"Because," Conan begins, matching Gavin's aggression with his own. "You haven't had breakfast, this morning. I know, you're starving. If I let you drink alcohol in the state you're in, you'll end up throwing up, and you'll have an upset stomach. Eat. Now."
"I don't wanna eat!" Gavin pouts.
"Are you telling me no?" Conan challenges him. "You know what happens when you don't do what I say, Gavin. I will force you to eat." Conan glares at him with those piercing, blue eyes, lowering his head as he growls.
Gavin swallows nervously. "Fine! Fine, I'll eat!"
I give Conan a look that he doesn't notice. I mean, I know Gavin likes it when Conan is aggressive, but he's being a tad bit mean to him. Without warning, Colin rubs my hair with a towel, then dries off my face and the rest of my body. "Coliiiinnn," I whine, embarrassed.
"Hush, babyboy. Let me take care of you," he murmurs, kissing my cheek lovingly.
I whine, a low, gurgling sound coming from the bottom of my throat. When he's done, I get up on my hands and knees and crawl into his lap, sitting so I'm facing him. I lean my head against his broad chest, falling in love with how strong and sturdy he is.
"I love the dynamic here," Conan gushes, putting his chin in his hands as he stares at us. "Aren't they adorable, Gavin?" His smile looks almost forced. I can see something in his eyes that sets me off.
He swallows his food. "Yeah."
"You weren't supposed to answer that," Conan snaps. "Keep eating." He turns back to us while Gavin gives him a look. "Now, I'm curious about you two. What are your intentions with Conrad?" he asks Colin, smile evaporating.
Everyone goes silent, staring at Conan. Even Gavin stops mid-chew. I can feel the tension laying on us like a blanket. It's thick and suffocating.
"'Intentions?' What am I, a supervillain?" Colin hisses aggressively. "I don't have any 'intentions' with Conrad."
"All I'm saying is that Conrad has enough things to worry about without you-"
"Conan!" Connor snaps, butting in. "What's your problem?"
"My 'problem' is that I don't want Conrad to get hurt," Conan snarls. "I'm sorry for caring."
Colin pushes me off of his lap. "If there's a problem, I'd like to hear about it," he snarls threateningly.
Conan and Colin stand as they face off. Colin is taller and more intimidating than Conan, but he still holds his ground. "Oh, there's a problem, alright. I don't take kindly to people who threaten me."
"You're the one that started being aggressive for no reason," Colin blames him. "This is your fault."
"No, it's your fault," Conan snarls, poking Colin in the chest. Colin doesn't even move. "If you so much as look at Conrad the wrong way, I will kill you."
"I'd like to see you try."
Conan snarls angrily and brings his hand back to strike Colin. Quickly, I interject before he can touch Colin. With a sharp smack, he ends up hitting me, instead. I reel backwards from the force, but Colin holds me steady.
"H-Holy shit! I'm so sorry, Conrad! I didn't mean to-!" he cries out, instantly backing away, his anger fading into fear and regret.
I breathe heavily, quickly heating up, myself. "What is your goddamn problem?" I growl quietly, keeping my hand on my cheek.
"I-He-" Conan stutters as his face flushes blue. "I thought we were friends!"
My LED spins yellow. "We are friends, Conan. You're my best friend."
"I don't want to lose you to him," he whispers pleadingly.
I back away, raising my hands in surrender. "You were never going to 'lose me.' What are you even talking about?"
"Ever since he showed up, it's like you just forgot about me!"
"Are you fuckin serious? That's what this is about? You're jealous cause I finally found someone?" I turn away, shaking my head. "You know what? I'm not letting this ruin my day off. I'm going to take a walk or something. You can stay here and be jealous." I walk away. "Oh, and don't follow me. Any of you."