Jackson groaned dramatically, head lolling to the side to give Darius an unimpressed stare. "I told you already, smart-ass. Frat party at one of the dorms on the Greek Isles over there. Who you know basis so shouldn't be as busy as usual. But if I know and I'm going, ya never know."
He pushed the door open to the cold night air, shuddering as the wind crept under his shirt. "Brr, damn the temperature dropped quick out here. It was still semi warm out when I left. Ah well, at least it's a short walk." He watched his breath crystallize in the frosty air before getting swept away by the wind. "I will come up with a sufficient nickname for you, I hope you know that. And I will test all of them out until one sticks so get used to it." He laughed with a bright smile.
"Oh yeah, you did mention the frat party" Darius blinked, a little confused as they made their way across the campus. It was frightening at the rate he was forgetting things, school was really taking it out of him.
"That's true, you summon the party wherever you go, I'm surprised they haven't accused you of witchcraft" He looked over at Jackson when he mentioned the weather.
"That's why I brought a jacket, you should do the same you know. It wouldn't hurt to have on an extra layer, you could always take it off later" He noted, though he knew Jackson knew that, he just refused to listen, praising style over comfort.
It wasn't long before they arrive at their destination. Darius stood outside of the door before opening it for Jackson. It wasn't that Darius was shy, it was quite the opposite actually. He wasn't afraid of taking dares and smashing things but he was also trying to be careful. If he was caught at one of these events and found out they weren't supposed to be holding a party there, that would majorly screw up his record and while Darius was all for not giving a shit, he kind of had to.
There was a soft look on Darius' face as Jackson assured him he would find a nickname for him, though it wasn't the words that got him, it was the other's smile. Though, he quickly made sure to hide that when they went in.
Jackson waved off Darius' talk of bringing a jacket, not even bothering to argue since he knew he'd told him a thousand times already how he felt about unnecessary layers. He simply pulled Darius inside by the wrist, only slightly wincing at the pounding music that blasted into his eardrums.
"I'm gonna go get us a drink before all the good shit is gone, don't have too much fun without me~" He teased with a wink before disappearing into the crowd to find where they were keeping the alcohol. Jackson honestly didn't drink that much despite bouncing around parties like he was getting paid. It just made him feel weird. But when he saw two lone beers chilling on the kitchen counter, he snapped them up and vanished before anyone could say anything. Despite being a loudmouth and chatterbox, Jackson knew how to sneak around when he had to.
Darius allowed Jackson to lead him in, the music being about what he had expected of these kinds of events. He scanned the people who were already there and only stopped when Jackson spoke up about getting them a drink.
Darius scoffed lightly, a playful air to him. "Don't worry, I won't" He said as he watched Jackson go. Again, Darius continued to look around, like he was looking for someone but when he didn't find any familiar faces he walked over to where they were playing a game. A shot game. It was the classic "Truth or Dare" but instead of "Dare", the penalty was to take a shot and see who could last the longest. The questions were always structured in a way to make you take the shot instead of telling the truth. This would usually go on for quite some time. Darius knew of certain people who took it too far and ended up getting alcohol poisoning, needing to be rushed to the ER.
He watched as the group of people celebrated when someone refused to tell the truth and instead reached for the bottle, the crowd making a small woop!-ing noise.
Jackson snuck back through the crowd, scanning the room until he found Darius again. Being the troublemaker he was, he just smiled to himself as he snuck up behind him and pressed the cold bottle to the back of his neck.
"Hey buddy, found us some drinks." He laughed, voice dripping with honey like he didn't just give his friend an artic shock. "Probably stole these from someone but hey, that's what they get for leaving unopened bottles unattended."
Darius tensed up when the cold drink was pressed to his neck, quickly turning to see who it was. He scowled when he saw it was Jackson messing with him again.
"You really couldn't help yourself, could you?" He said narrowing his eyes at the other and placing a hand on the back of his neck. When Jackson handed him the bottle, Darius took it with a look on his face.
"Thanks.." He murmured, eyes glancing over to the group once more when they began to hype someone up again. He hummed a little, though it sounded disapproving in a way.
Jackson giggled as he popped open his bottle, taking a swig with an innocent smile. "Oh you know I couldn't. Seeing your pouty face when I sneak up on you is just too cute." He pinched Darius' cheek like some mom.
He turned his attention back to the group in front of them. "Y'know, I thought truth or dare when out of style back in middle school. Hell, 20 Questions might be more fun. Ask a question, guess and answer for one person, drink if you get it wrong. See? I don't need some party to think of something fun to do, I'm fun all on my own!"
Darius grumbled at the pinch, though, didn't do anything about it. He also cracked his open and took a drink.
"Yeah, it seems they're changing it up a little" He commented and snickered at Jackson's proud moment. "I don't even know how you find these, how many friends do you have?" He said casually, meaning it more as a rhetorical question.
Jackson just laughed, throwing an arm around Darius' shoulders. "Ah I don't find them, they find me. You know I only belong to you~" It was said teasingly but there was a flicker in his eye that said something more.
They weren't exclusive and Jackson knew that. Such was the nature of their relationship. But…things were different with Darius. Things that he couldn't get from anyone else. Maybe that was why he stuck to closely to Darius rather than spreading out across campus like ge always thought he would.
"Right," Darius rolled his eyes and let out a small sound, sounding almost like a laugh, but not quite. He took another sip of his drink, dismissing the look in Jackson's eye. Darius was much more guarded in that way. He knew he wasn't the best person to have a relationship with- hell he wasn't even a decent human being at times. He knew this because of past relationships and what they had admitted to at the end. It's not like he was all gloomy about this fact though, it was what it was, he just decided a while ago that relationships weren't for him. Hence, his loose relationship with Jackson.
Although they weren't exclusive, Darius hadn't really messed around with anyone else either, not that he had the time anyways. He had thought about dating once or twice after his last breakup, but when he found Jackson, he found that he liked that situation more. They both got what they wanted and they weren't tied down by each other. Romance just wasn't his thing.
Jackson laid his head on Darius' shoulder with a sigh. "Y'know, if I hadn't spent the last of my alcohol stash last week, I wouldn't even be here. I would've just dragged you to my room for a change of scenery. My roommate's out tonight, would've had the place to ourselves." It wasn't…entirely a lie. It fact it was mostly the truth. The only part that was was the change of scenery. In reality, Jackson missed him. Darius was Darius and there was nothing Jackson could do to change that. Not that he wanted to either. But as someone who never felt anything halfway, Jackson had learned quickly that he came to miss the people he cared about rather quickly.
Such an attitude had proven detrimental to his relationships. He was often called clingy and needy, being dropped when things got serious because no one could keep up with his constant need for attention. It hurt, a lot. So after he graduated, he'd vowed to keep everyone at arm's length. He wouldn't let someone get close enough to hurt him like that again. But when his stupid heart had seen Darius and begged him to try again, he came up with a compromise. Said compromise led to the relationship they had now. Close intimacy that kept him satisfied without any strings that could hurt him if they cut ties. It was what was best.
Darius looked at Jackson from the corner of his eyes as he felt his weight on him.
"Is that so?" He replied. "You could have asked to come to my room," He said, though, he knew that even if Jackson would have asked, he wouldn't have been too keen on the idea. "My roommate is almost never there and I usually get the place all to myself, which thank fuck for that, he's a noisy son of a bitch" Darius knew that if his roommate was there 24/7 he would have gotten into a fist fight with the fucker. It seemed that they had picked up on Darius' hostility from the start and avoided him like the plague, something Darius didn't know about.
"Anyways, what did you come here to do? Just party? Wouldn't be surprised, but I assume you want something else, right?" He turned to Jackson, eyeing him as he tipped the bottle and chugged the rest of it, holding it loosely in his hand by his side when he was done. He scanned the place for a trashcan but figured they wouldn't have one around except in the kitchen.
"I know that Dracula but you need to get out of that room. That's the whole reason I drag you out so often, you know this." Jackson huffed. "Seriously, you and my roommate would get along. Only he chooses to do his cramming in the library." It was true, Jackson's roommate was a serious scholar who didn't appreciate Jackson's antics when he was trying to study but rather than try to fight with him about the noise, he just moved to the library. A smart decision, if you really asked Jackson.
He bit his lip at the mention of "something else". "I think you already know the answer to that." He admitted, downing the rest of his bottle like it would kill the butterflies in his stomach. Jackson always made it a very strong point to himself that he did not get a certain wave of emotions whenever he met up with Darius like this, he couldn't deal with that right now. He took Darius' wrist and pulled him away from the group. "Did you know the bathroom on this floor is the only one in the house with a lock?" It was an offhanded comment but he knew not to underestimate Darius, he'd get the hint.
