josh guesses they have a party lined up for that night.
he's wrong. there's more like thirty.
we don't have to go to all of them, tyler tells him, but we can skip around as much as we want. we're famous, joshie, everyone wants to see us. he beams and kisses josh, excited.
they do. they do. they do.
they want to see tyler.
but josh goes to the parties. why not, right? have fun and stuff.
tyler brings him a drink at the first one.
no one knows, he says, shrugging, drinking something of his own. alcohol never hurt anyone, did it?
it didn't, josh confirms, but just as long as no one knows.
he downs the glass, and tyler beams.
i'll get you more, i guess, he says, and rushes off.
josh wanders. his head is swimming, and someone else pushes a drink into his hand. he accepts, of course. if he's gonna drink, he may as well go all out, shouldn't he?
they're in a mansion. some rich guy invited them after coming out to see them perform. he was ecstatic when they arrived.
josh doesn't know anyone here, but he doesn't care anymore. he has another drink. his throat is burning but he doesn't— he doesn't mind. god, you could offer him anything at this moment and he'd accept.
he hasn't been drunk for over ten years, and it's strange to lapse into old habits so easily. he wonders what other bad habits will be brought up again tonight, and part of him is excited.
tyler finds him again, this time with red eyes. you should see what they have, he gushes to josh, sounding blissed out, and josh laughs and kisses him, pressing him against the wall.
they stay there for a while, just making out, until josh pulls away. another drink, he says, and tyler laughs.
of course, he says, and why don't you follow me?
they weave into the crowd, passing past people, and tyler ducks into a doorway.
the room is empty. tyler kicks the door shut and picks up a glass off of a table, offering it to josh, who downs it immediately. everything is spinning, spinning, spinning...
tyler moves in, kisses him again. i want you to meet someone, he murmurs against josh's ear, and josh nods.
his vision is swimming, but he can make out the white lines on the table. he looks up at tyler, trusting him, and tyler smiles.
today's all about celebrating, remember?