When he got home Cosmo brushed off his thanks for the birthday present and offered him a lift into town that evening. Eleven o'clock found Cosmo stood humming in the hall as Jared counted out some money to take.
"Can't believe you're eighteen now, baby bro," he remarked suddenly, looking up with a wry smile. "Makes me feel so old."
Jared grinned back, giving him a good-natured shove as he walked past.
"C'mon then, granddad," he called over his shoulder.
"Fuck you," said Cosmo.
In the car Jared hurried to put on his seatbelt before the Cosmo-Driving-Experience-of-Terror began, Cosmo obliviously rummaging around in the glove box and producing a crumpled packet of gum.
"Want some?" he offered.
"I would if I wasn't sure you have no idea where that's come from," returned Jared dryly, to which Cosmo just shrugged and sing-songed,
"Yolo," starting up the car.
"Oh my god, Cos, I swear you have the music taste of a Year 9 girl," moaned Jared as the speakers started booming 5 Seconds of Summer. Cosmo grinned, swinging the car out dangerously wide into the road as he answered,
"Take your stereotypes elsewhere, Jer. No need to be sulky, I'll play your favourite in a sec."
"I don't have a favourite," retorted Jared, and Cosmo rolled his eyes.
"Oh right, yeah. Not like you sing 'Just Saying' in the shower whenever someone's pissed you off."
"Oh my god," said Jared, and Cosmo cackled.
"I have so much shit on you, baby bro. Seriously." He changed the track and grinned. "C'mon. We both know you know all the words."
"You really shouldn't play music while you're driving Cos-" Jared diverted, suppressing a laugh. "You really don't need distractions oh my god, fuck, you are not allowed to drum along on the steering wheel. Hands back. I'm not dying on my fucking birthday."
Cosmo huffed.
"You've never said anything to Isaac about drumming on the steering wheel," he pointed out emphatically, waggling his eyebrows.
"That's cos Isaac can actually fucking drive."
"Yeah yeah," said Cosmo and then smirked. "Not cos you'd never deny that guy anything."
"Cosmo-!"
Cosmo grinned.
"Just saying," he said, and Jared only just restrained himself from banging his own head against the dashboard.
--------o--------
"I do feel like, kinda old though," resumed Cosmo when the song changed. "I need to do something with my life."
"You're going to uni in September," Jared reminded him, turning his head to look at Cosmo's uncharacteristically discontented expression.
"Yeah but it's January, Jer. I have so much fucking time."
Jared hummed acknowledgment and Cos continued sheepishly,
"I have started this online French course though."
"Wonder why that is," teased Jared, then added more seriously, "Sounds pretty good."
"Yeah. I'm gonna- gonna try and learn some, then surprise Stella with it on one of our skype chats."
"You're such a fucking sap," Jared said fondly. Cosmo held up his middle finger and rolled his eyes.
He and Stella's coffee in France had gone pretty well, but neither of them'd had the courage for more than a kiss on the cheek at the end, so they were back to that in-between, clumsily-flirting stage. They had upped their texting since Christmas, though, and Stella had started skyping him which Jared said was a pretty good sign, bro.
"I'm not a sap," he said, then, "Jer turn it up, it's the emotional one."
Jared did, laughing. By the time they pulled up outside the bar where Jared's friends were meeting (surprisingly close to the curb, for Cosmo) they were both singing along unapologetically to 'Amnesia' and Cos reached out to shove Jared's shoulder.
"Happy birthday, dude. Go have fun. I'll look forward to your drunk 'COME PICK MEE UPPP' phone call."
"Fuck you, Cos," laughed Jared, and got out the car.
a/n 2: i can now announce after extensive planning that (a) this story will have 100 chapters and(b) i now know exactly what's gonna happen *cackles*.