Finn was paralyzed, not knowing what to say or what to think.
Zeth had just asked the question that Finn had long dreamed of, and he was here, in plant mode, just looking at Zeth as if he didn't know him.
"Z-Zeth I... This is so... I don't have... I'm so... God, I'm saying nothing with many words," Finn shook his head, "Did you just ask me to be your... Your boyfriend? Are you serious?"
"I know it seems like a dream, because I'm obviously a dream come true, but yes. I want you to be my boyfriend, Finn," Zeth bit his lip, looking up and down at the blonde, "Well? Are you going to say no to your wet dream incarnate, handsome?"
"Y-You know m-my answer, Zeth, b-but now that you've hinted that Jade likes me..." Finn rubbed his face with his hands.
"I never said anything about Jade," Zeth laughed, but Finn shook his head.
"Well I will. Sometimes I wonder if I like Jade because of who she is or if it's because of her pheromones that are similar to Alex’s," Finn turned back to look at the roses to avoid Zeth's sapphire blue eyes. "Once upon a time, I also felt... Hot because of Alex's pheromones. What if I'm not gay, Zeth? What if I'm bisexual like you? What if I am straight and it is Alex affecting me? What if I am gay and it is Jade affecting me? What if I think I am bisexual because Alex and Jade are affecting me?"
"Finn. What if the only thing that matters is who you love and not why you love them?" Zeth sighed deeply, "The only thing you should care about is to be free to be yourself. Free your mind, forget about labels, orientations and anything else. You are nothing less than perfect, Finn, so live your life without putting a name to what you feel and let yourself go. Whether it's pheromones or not, who cares? If what you feel is real, say it and..."
"I love you, Zeth. I fucking love you with my heart and soul. I fucking love you," Finn told his friend, who didn't seem fazed. "That's all I know, It's something I feel and know is real. I love you for being my mentor, my guide, the person who believed in me and never let go of my hand. Now tell me, after a year since you know how I feel about you... Will you make this awkward like Alex with Draco?"
"No, I don't think so. And you know me well, Finn. You know I would never break your heart, and you know something? It was because of that heart of yours, as golden and magical as mine, that I chose you to be in the band." Zeth took a step closer to Finn, and placed his hands on the blonde’s shoulders, turning him around to be face to face. "You are my right hand, and I'm not just talking about the band. You are my right hand because every time I want to give up, I see your face and remember how much it is worth fighting for a dream just like you did, and how you have always done it by taking risks and accepting challenges. You live life even if it hurts, you don't just survive because it's comfortable. And if you have feelings for me, you know it doesn't bother me. And if you want to hold my hand, hug me, kiss me or have sex, you know I'm willing to do it because I have feelings for you too."
"But... What about Jade?"
"She knows how this works. All of us, in fact," Zeth smiled. "You said it yourself. She's probably now with Frank having sex, and that's okay because sometimes you love more than one person at a time, and our poly relationship is to avoid conflict."
"Zeth," Finn said softly and put his hands on his leader’s waist. "I love you, and I have dreamed of kissing you for so long I..."
"You can kiss me now. Why should I make you wait? I'll let you take control just this time," Zeth murmured close to Finn's lips, "The door has been unlocked for an entire year already, you just have to open it."
"I don't want to interrupt your mating," Everett said, taking bites of some garlic bread in his hand, "But Draco and Kevin are alone at table."
"We really need to put a bell on Everett," Finn grunted, blushing a little, stepping away from Zeth, huffing.
"We’ll worry about Mr. Silent Feet later. We don't want the vampire to sink his teeth into Kevin, do we?" Zeth sighed, with one hand on his waist and the other scratching the back of his neck.
"If you know Draco hates Kevin," Finn clenched his fists and looked up at Everett, as absent as ever, "Why the hell did you leave them alone?"
"I felt uncomfortable," Everett replied, "I panicked."
"We'll finish this conversation later, Finn," Zeth muttered as he walked into the restaurant.
Finn sighed and turned back to look at the garden, and soon, Everett was by his side, chewing with his mouth open as always, ruining Finn's inner peace.
"We need to make Alex and Draco friends again," Everett said, and Finn looked up. Everett was looking at him, intensely as always, with his blue eyes penetrating his soul as he took another huge bite of his garlic bread, "There is much hate between them."
"I don't think Alex wants to talk to Draco again, not offstage," Finn shook his head, "Not everything has to work out between them, Everett. They've changed in the past year. They're not close anymore."
"They are not," Everett replied, "But they are not enemies either. Draco is jealous of Kevin, and Kevin loves Draco, and Draco loves Alex, and I think Alex loves Kevin. It's all very complicated. I get dizzy."
"I hope it's all over someday," Finn mumbled, "I do not understand this. We're supposed to be able to be with whoever we want in the group without problems, but Alex... I guess he doesn't love Draco," Finn sighed, "Or maybe he loves him and just doesn't want to ruin their friendship."
"Friendship is already ruined," Everett replied with his mouth full.
"Yeah, and I'm tired of them fighting."
"We must make Alex and Draco and Kevin work. Or Monster Mash ends," Everett put his heavy arm around Finn.
“I'm too tired to think," Finn whispered.
"So am I." Everett replied before walking away with Finn following him. But there was a noise, a slight grunt in the air, and when Finn turned. He was sure he saw a bush moving on its own.
"That's weird.”
When they entered the restaurant, they found Draco at the booth closest to the window with his knees on the seat, watching the stars with his hands on his pretty cheeks, and Kevin at the table talking to Zeth.
"I'll be with you in a moment, big guy," Finn told Everett, who grunted a little and walked over to the table with Kevin and Zeth.
Draco was lost in the stars when his ears moved.
"You know it's really hard to surprise me, right?" Draco looked over his shoulder as Finn sat next to him, then looked out the window too.
"How are you doing?" Finn asked.
"It hurts me to know that Alex loves Kevin, and that he also loves me but is afraid of ruining our friendship."
"As Everett said," Finn sighed as Draco sat down properly next to him, crossing his arms, "Your friendship with him is already ruined. We need to talk."
"About what exactly?" Draco raised an eyebrow.
"You told me about a lot of things," Finn began, resting his elbows on the table, "What I didn't expect was that you had a problem with Kevin. Draco, you are adorable, and you have never been rude to anyone. Why with Kevin?"
"Because it's his fault that Alex hates me," Draco shrugged, evading Finn’s gaze, "I don't exactly feel comfortable with him being so close to my..."
"Your Alex?" Finn patted on Draco's thigh, "Or you mean your not-boyfriend?"
"I don't understand why Alex rejected me by saying that our friendship was at stake if it was going to be ruined anyway," Draco pouted.
"Because of the pheromone effect," Finn sighed, scratching his brow, "Because it affects you the same way Jade affects me. Maybe Alex is trying to keep you away so he can stop influencing you and regain your friendship?"
"No!" Draco shook his head furiously, throwing his arms up, "It's not possible! He could do that and be nice! But he's been an absolute ass to me for a whole year!"
"Well, that's just him," Finn shrugged, "Maybe you should talk to him about it. You two were good friends."
"I don't think he even remembers us being friends," Draco frowned.
"He does, he must remember, right?" Finn looked at Draco with hopeful eyes, but the vampire simply grunted and rubbed his temples, "I'm sure if you talk to him nicely, you guys will get along better. Maybe that's why he's acting this way. You two seemed so close once upon a time, and I don't know, sometimes it seems to me that he wants to protect you from himself. Maybe because of your... Addiction?"
"I don't think Alex and I were ever friends or close." Draco replied, "I think, if we had been, I would understand why he became so cruel towards me. So that's why I hate Kevin and want him to leave the band, or else, I'll leave! Period."
"And do you think that's something that the sweet and adorable Draco we all love would do? Being rude to Kevin? Leaving the band because... Jealous? Does that seem fair to you? Are you listening to yourself? You're not yourself, Draco. Do you think you're going to solve something by throwing a tantrum?"
"No, of course not," Draco looked down, "But I don't like Kevin, period."
“And I don't like this Draco who's speaking out of anger and not reason," Finn frowned, "But you know something? We are a family, and we are going to solve this together, as we have always faced problems, do you understand?"
And there it was again, Draco's puppy eyes.
“Thank you, Finn,” out of nowhere, Draco threw himself at Finn, giving him the warmest, tightest hug anyone had ever given him. Finn was paralyzed, not knowing what to do, so he hugged Draco back, as strong and warm as he always wanted to hug someone in his life, perhaps a younger brother, even though Draco was thousands of years older than him.
"That's what family is for, little Animaniac," Finn held Draco tighter in his arms, and a tear escaped his eye, "A family always solves everything together."