affluenza (1.) | ✔️

Clean Up

Sebastian makes a face. He was watering the plants, though I think drowning them would be a better word to describe what he was doing. "Brayls, what?"

"Which one would you rather do?"

"I don't understand why you're asking me that. Are you saying you're going to make me lick a dirty trash can or a bathroom floor?"

"No, but it's just like if you had to choose from those two options—"

"Who exactly is presenting me with those options?"

"I don't know, Sebastian, the freaking universe?"

"In what universe would I be given those two options?"

        "In this one, Seb! In this universe!"

        "But that'd never actually happen, would it? I'm not sure I understand this game, Braylen."

I heave a sigh, tossing the book I was holding at him. He narrowly dodges it, flipping me the bird as he does. "I need a break."

I sprawl out across the table, resting my head on top of a short stack of Romance novels. I shut my eyes and try to fight back the sheer exhaustion threatening to take over my body. It was past midnight at this point and we were nowhere near done. It seemed neither of us was all that stellar at janitorial services.

The sound of movement and the feeling of warmth next to me causes my eyes to flutter open. Sebastian is laying on the table next to me, head propped up underneath his hands. "Bathroom floor. Hopefully, if the stuff on the ground is toxic enough it'll kill me before I can even taste it."

When I don't respond, Sebastian nudges me. "What about you?"

My heart pounds at his proximity and I send up a silent prayer that he can't hear it. "Um, same."

I turn to look at Sebastian. He grins back at me before turning his head away. "Braylen?"

"Yeah?"

"I never really thanked you. For stopping me from going after those guys with that knife," he murmurs. When I look at him again, his eyes are misty. "I was just so tired of feeling small all the time, you know? I wanted to fight back. I wanted to...I wanted to hurt them, Brayls."

I touch his hand once. "It's okay."

Sebastian shakes his head. "It's not. You were right. I don't know what came over me that night, you know? It's not like I've never fought someone before but that was next level and I'm not that guy. I like that you don't think I am, either."

"You're a lot of things, Sebastian Grey, but psycho knife murderer isn't one of them."

We both laugh together and I find myself loving the way his voice sounded with mine. "When you slept over after Devin's party, you said that you mostly call me Sebastian to annoy me," Sebastian starts.

I blush, knowing where this is going. "Good memory."

Sebastian looks over at me. "What's the other reason?"

I shut my eyes tightly, trying to figure out how to word it. "I don't know. I just...Sebastian is who you are, you know? It's always been how I've seen you. Does that make sense?"

"Kind of. Actually, I'm a little confused."

I sigh, opening my eyes and looking at him. "I think that 'Ash' is who you think you have to be. The perfect party boy, Malibu royalty you. 'Sebastian' is you beyond all of that. The smart, funny, annoyingly good at pranks you. It's the one that cleaned up my vomit and loaned me a bed when I needed it. The you that helped stop my panic attack. The you that's alarmingly creative, the you that is a great friend to Hunter and Devin. It's the you that I know. The you that I care about."

I blush, thinking I've said too much and given myself away. Sebastian's face is unreadable but content. "I've got an idea," he murmurs, sitting up quickly.

"Should I be concerned?"

Sebastian stands up quickly and grabs my hand, pulling me off of the table and out of the library. My arm aches as he tugs me along but I'm too afraid to tell him; if I do, he might release his hold on my hand and I certainly didn't want that.

Sebastian turns around as we walk, still holding onto my hand. "We've played pranks on each other for eight years now. Endless ideas, endless laughs, endless jokes. But you know what we've never done?"

"No, but I'm sure you're gonna tell me."

"We've never combined our evil masterminds to pull the absolute prank. But not on each other; on Windsor."

I purse my lips. "Seb, this sounds like the recipe for another month of clean up duties. I don't know if you noticed, but I'm exhausted after just one day. My bags have bags."

Sebastian waves his hand as we make it to the dean's office. "You look fine, Braylen. Look, this is most likely our last year together before you go to, like, Harvard or something and I'm stuck at rich people parties for the rest of my life. We have to go big or go--"

"Home? Yeah, I'm genuinely considering it right now."

        "Come on. For me?" he asks, giving me the cutest puppy dog eyes that could cause even my cold heart to melt.

       I blow a raspberry with my lips and Sebastian smirks knowing he's won.

      "You're lucky I like you, Sebastian."

      He shoots me a wink and a wide grin that sends shivers down my spine and butterflies in my stomach.

      "Oh, I know. I'm counting on it."

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sorry i missed last weeks update, your girl went to prom haha !
hope you enjoyed this chapter, see you soon! be kind <3