MALACHI: JUNE 9TH, 2020
"You have everything? The gas tank is full? You have money? You — "
"Yes, Mom," Malachi interjected, laughing quietly at her worry. Her dark eyebrows furrowed, and she sighed, crossing her arms against her chest.
"No interrupting me," she scolded. "I'm serious, Malachi. Be careful."
"We will," Malachi promised her. "I swear on it. We're gonna drive into Austin, I already found a hotel for a night. I have everything planned out, including the exact route."
She nodded slowly. "Okay. I trust you." She rubbed her cheek, then added, "I have to keep reminding myself you're an adult."
Malachi cracked a smile. "It's weird for me, too. I have to go pick up Leo and Enzo now, okay?" He held out his arms, and she hugged him tightly, gently petting the back of his head. She always worried about him. It was understandable, but it could get a little overwhelming.
"Okay." She held her son at arm's length. "I love you so very much. Drive safe and text me when you get to the hotel, please."
"I will. I love you, too. Bye."
"Bye." She kissed his forehead then let him go. He grabbed his suitcase, bag and keys before leaving the house and climbing into his car, sending a quick text to his two friends that he was on his way.
Leo spent the night at Enzo's house to make it easier. And hopefully they actually packed the night before, because if they didn't, Malachi would be pissed. He'd planned everything to a T, including time related factors.
Malachi would leave the house at 11 AM, get to Enzo's house ten minutes after. Then, they'd get breakfast and officially leave for Austin at noon. They had agreed on this, despite Leo complaining that he felt rushed. Malachi just hoped they listened to him for once.
When he got there and said he was outside, they didn't respond for five straight minutes. Malachi scowled and got out of the car, hurrying up the front steps and knocking. Mrs. Lopez was the one to answer.
"Hi, Malachi," she greeted warmly. "Are you looking for Enzo and Leo?"
He blew out a breath. "Yeah. They should be ready by now."
She opened the door a little wider to let him slip inside. "I think they're still in Enzo's room," she told him, shutting the door behind them. Malachi nodded, thanking her, before rushing upstairs, opening Enzo's bedroom door without warning.
Malachi blinked. "What the fuck are you doing?"
The pair stopped and stared, looking like deers in headlights. Malachi always caught them in the weirdest fucking situations. This time, Leo was shirtless and Enzo was staring way too hard and way too close at his nipples.
"Did you know his nipples are fake?" Enzo blurted, poking Leo's chest. "Because this is new information to me."
Leo rolled his eyes. "To get rid of my fucking tits, they had to chop them off, dumbass. But they're not fake, what the fuck. They just reattached them."
Enzo gaped. "You can reattach your nipples?"
"Oh my God."
"You guys were supposed to be ready like ten minutes ago," Malachi stated, interrupting their conversation about Leo's top surgery. "The reason you're not is because you're fascinated by Leo's damn nipples?"
Enzo frowned, pointing at Malachi. "Hey, chill with the attitude, sugar plum. My bad. We got distracted, but we're ready."
Malachi nodded, leaning against the wall and watching as Enzo grabbed his and Leo's things while the latter found a new shirt to wear. He still wore baggy clothes despite having gotten top surgery, almost like it was just instinct to do so at this point.
"Can we go to Waffle House?" Leo asked once they got everything into the RV. Malachi made sure his car was parked out in the street so he didn't get in the way of Leo's family backing out of the driveway and getting in.
Malachi plopped down in the driver's seat. He'd driven this type of thing twice in his life, and he decided that was enough experience. "Yeah, we can," he answered. "I'm craving their hash browns."
"Oh my God, yes," Leo groaned. "Their hash browns make me nut."
"Damn, so I don't?"
"Don't worry, Enzo, you're my number one masturbation material."
"Thanks, bro."
Malachi scrunched his nose in disgust. "It's too early for that."
Leo huffed. "I can never tell if you're genuinely uncomfortable or just fucking around. Which one is it? 'Cause I don't wanna make you feel weird."
Malachi shrugged. He honestly wasn't sure. Sex never interested him in the first place — in fact, the thought of doing it made him uneasy. But hearing Leo and Enzo make dirty jokes like that wasn't comparable, so he guessed he didn't actually care that much.
However, that didn't answer why he told them to shut up when they messed around like that.
"Well," Enzo said, sitting down on the bench slash sofa, throwing his legs onto Leo's lap. "Just tell us if it gets to be too much, and we'll stop. Alright?"
"Okay."
Leo snickered. "That sounded dirty, Enzo."
"I'll beat your ass, Leo."
"With a silent 'b' I hope."
Malachi had a feeling this trip would feel longer than it actually was.
___
"Cheap hotels scare me," Leo mumbled as Malachi asked for a room for the night. Malachi refrained from turning around and telling him to shut up.
"Why?" Enzo whispered.
"Gives off haunted vibes," Leo replied. They believed they were quiet, but Malachi knew for damn sure the receptionist could hear everything they were saying, if her and Mal's awkward exchange of polite smiles were anything to go by.
Once Malachi got their room keys and paid, he slapped them both upside their heads as they walked away.
"Ow!" Leo whined, rubbing the spot Malachi hit. "What the hell was that for?"
Enzo looked less disgruntled. "You were being rude," Malachi scolded, frowning at him as he jabbed the elevator button to go up. "She works there. Don't trash on where someone works right in front of them."
"I just said it had haunted vibes."
"And that causes some people to not want to stay here."
"If they heard it," Leo pointed out. "But no one did."
Malachi just shook his head. There was no getting through to his stubborn ass. He should've known that by now.
"You got two beds, right?" Leo questioned upon stepping into the elevator.
"Yes...? Why wouldn't I?"
"Damn," Leo said gloomily. "Was hoping we could fulfill that cliché of there only being one bed, therefore causing us to sleep together, which then causes feelings we never thought we had to come to the surface and — "
Malachi slapped a hand over his mouth. "You read too much fanfiction." Then, "That only works when it's just two people, by the way."
"Nah, nah," Enzo piped up. "We gotta break the stereotypes."
"I can't shut you both up. So, Enzo, do yourself a favor and stop talking."
Enzo gasped. "You're so abusive, Mal. What did we ever do to you?"
Malachi left the elevator first when it opened. "Y'all existed, that's what you did," he said dryly, now pulling two gasps, one from each of the boys following behind him.
They got to their room, and Leo wasted no time throwing his stuff to the floor and launching himself onto one of the beds. He immediately curled up, sighing in content. "I love hotel beds," he said happily. "So cozy. And the AC is so crisp. This is sexy."
"You're sexy," Enzo replied casually, falling onto the bed beside him. Leo pretended to swoon.
Malachi sat down on the edge of the other bed, looking at the both of them. "Are y'all hungry?" he asked. "We can do room service, I think."
"Get me some good ol' chicken strips and fries," Leo told him, the end of his sentence fading into a big yawn that caused Enzo to yawn, followed by Malachi. Enzo instantly started cussing Leo out for starting the train reaction.
Malachi rubbed his eyes. He was getting tired, and it was only 5 PM. "Enzo, what do you want? And Leo. Drink?"
The two finished giving him their orders, and Malachi called it in, all the while watching his two best friends end up play fighting on their bed. Leo had a pillow guarding his body as Enzo tried to poke and jab at him.
Just as Malachi ended the call, Enzo grabbed Leo and body slammed him. "Fuck!" Leo yelped, sounding breathless. "Jesus fuck, you fucking brute."
"Oh, shit. Did I hurt you?" Enzo asked, sounding genuinely concerned. "I'm sorry if I did, I — "
Leo whacked him across the face with a pillow, sending him almost toppling to the floor. He caught himself, then launched himself back onto Leo, laying on top of him and pinning him to the mattress.
"You're crushing me, bitch!" Leo wheezed, smacking his back.
"Good. I'll squash you like the bug you are, Barry B. Benson-looking motherfucker."
Malachi rubbed his forehead. "You two are gonna be the death of me," he muttered. "Hasn't even been a full day and I already wanna kick you two to the curb."
Enzo rolled off Leo and switched to Malachi, grabbing him by the waist and throwing him down against the bed. He cuddled up against him, nudging his nose against his jaw, making Malachi cringe and try to push him away.
"You don't mean that," Enzo mumbled, eventually just holding him and laying his head on his shoulder. Malachi gave up after a while, sighing quietly. "You love us."
"Yeah!" Leo exclaimed. "Can I join the cuddle session, too?"
"Even if I say no, you're still gonna do it," Malachi muttered.
"You're absolutely right," Leo responded, getting up and making his way to them. "Scoot over. I want in."
Malachi just let it happen. He was too tired to complain. The two of them stayed there for longer than he expected them to, but they instantly got up when someone knocked on the door. They retrieved their food and immediately dug in, and Malachi was glad they were finally off of him.
He wasn't the biggest fan of physical contact. He tolerated it more when it came from Leo and Enzo, but he still wasn't that into it. He had no idea why he didn't like it; he just didn't.
Leo and Enzo respected that. However, they were both very... physical? people. They liked touching whether it was a hair ruffle or a full blown hug, so sometimes they just grabbed Malachi and cuddled him or pinched his cheeks, maybe just threw their arm around his shoulders.
According to them, it was because they were having so-called "Malachi withdrawals."
According to Malachi, that was some bullshit.
"I'm gonna go to sleep now," he told them when he finished eating. "I'm setting an alarm for ten. I need you guys to wake me up."
Leo groaned. "No."
"Leo. We have to leave before 11:30," Malachi explained, kicking off his pants and sliding under the covers. The pillow was cold against his cheek. "Literally have to. It's not just me with my lists."
Enzo nodded. "Yep. Stop being a little shithead, Leo."
Leo shoved him. "I would sleep next to Mal, but he doesn't like sharing. I'm only sleeping with you because of that, you human lava pit. Don't test me."
"Threatening," Enzo said bluntly. "I'm terrified."
Malachi let out a soft huff of laughter and took out his hearing aids, immediately eliminating all sound. It was a little unnerving because he was so used to wearing them now. Especially since he could no longer hear his two friends bicker and make their stupid jokes.
It was moments like these that Malachi realized just how much comfort he got from their voices. Yeah, they could be loud. They could be a little annoying sometimes, but Malachi still stuck with them, because those characteristics are what made them them. And despite Malachi constantly saying how irritating he found them, that wasn't really the truth.
What he found annoying, he also found endearing. Lovable.
Familiar, most of all.
___
A/N: listen i was gonna update this once i get three chapters ahead n all but. i think we all need good vibes right now
this election is stressful, so i hope this helps even the slightest bit <3
i hope you all know my books and my account is a safe place for you guys, whether you live in the US or not. i hope you all stay safe ❤️