"I'll... I'll go with... with... Julian... he lives close..." Evan mumbles, stumbling and grasping the wall to support him. As he attempts to walk, his knees buckle, and he falls onto the floor with a thud. The very few sober bystanders yelp in surprise. Myka, tipsy yet aware of her surroundings, intervenes and hauls Evan by his shirt.

"The freshmen are all thrashed," she comments, chortling. She puts Evan's arm over her shoulder and then juts her chin to another member nearby. "Turn off the music, please. We have to go."

Joaquin pinches his nose bridge as the members scatter, picking up their stuff and switching off the lights and stereo. He had tried to tell the seniors not to egg the freshmen on, but his words were unheeded.

And here they all are. His predictions have been accurate. The sole forecast they've managed to dodge is the awkward accidental hookup. When it happened last year with two of his seniors, the whole club room was tense for a week. They didn't end up dating, yet there was drama.

AIESEC members exit the room one by one, assisting each other. Joaquin eyes Alexander, who's struggling to hold up a drunken Julian.

"Mm..." Julian grunts, head swaying from side to side, his hair disheveled and reeks of sweat from the night's dancing.

Yes, Julian had danced in the middle of the room with the rest of the members. No, Joaquin doubts he would remember in the morning.

Alexander grins helplessly. "In my defense, I only gave him one glass..."

Joaquin sneers. "I can take them both back."

"I'll go with you. Here, take Julian." Alexander gently hands him over to Joaquin, who nearly topples under the unexpected weight. Julian's face falls against his chest, and his heart stutters while he attempts to hold him up, his hands landing on his back.

"Alex...!" Joaquin growls, cheeks scarlet and warm. What's the best way to assist Julian? Steadying himself, his fingers find their way to Julian's arm, then to another down to his waist. He swallows. It feels bizarre to be this close.

Alexander offers a lazy wave to Myka, dismissing Joaquin's panic. "Let me. Joaquin and I will handle it. You should go home."

Myka yawns, nodding. "Okay... here."

Once Alexander has Evan, Myka groggily departs, leaving the four in front of the KTV room.

"You have your car tonight?" Alexander asks, his knuckle rubbing his eyes.

"No. We'll have to book a ride," he replies, rummaging through his pocket to grab his phone. He opens the app and then pauses. "Do you know where they live?"

"Of course, give it to me."

Alexander types the addresses for multiple bookings. "I'll drop Evan first, then you take Julian. His room's on the third floor, close to the elevator. 305."

Joaquin's brows meet as he accepts his phone back, glancing at the address. It's the new dormitory building near Arts. "How'd you know that?"

Alexander walks off, heading to the exit, his steps sluggish as he tries to keep Evan upright. "Just came up casually during a conversation."

"Addresses come up naturally in your conversations?"

"I forget how, but it just happened," Alexander replies. "If you weren't trying to avoid him like an epidemic, you'd know."

Joaquin grits his teeth. "I'm not trying to avoid him." Yes, he is. But it's not going well so far. He can smell Julian's hair and feel his skin under his fingertips. He's warm and sticky. It doesn't gross him out; he's seen worse, like when Julian unwittingly stepped on poop when they were walking home from school. But a shower would be ideal.

In the cab, Joaquin sits in the passenger seat, the other three crammed in the back, Alexander sandwiched in between. Joaquin looks over his shoulder, seeing Evan and Julian slumped on Alexander, all three in varying stages of half-asleep.

When they arrive at Evan's, he gets off and nudges Alexander awake. They exchange short goodbyes and see you laters, then Joaquin climbs in the back with Julian.

Joaquin massages his temples, fatigued and a bit lethargic. He glimpses at Julian, and in the absence of light, he's still able to take in the subtle changes in his old friend's physical features. When he left Romblon, Julian was skinny and perpetually tan, his hair short, sometimes shaved to its roots in the peak of the summer, and had brown tints when long.

The Julian next to him has rich, raven hair, his complexion lighter after losing the sunburn, his chipmunk cheeks still as puffy but without the baby fat.

"Sir? We're here."

Joaquin's drawn out of his stupor. "Thanks." He supports Julian, who mumbles a string of words he can't understand, his full weight on him.

As they make their way in, Joaquin observes the dorm's interior. It's not bad for an on-campus residence. He'd heard horror stories, so he'd never entertained the idea of leaving home. But this seems satisfactory.

They stop in front of 305. He seizes Julian's shoulders, compelling him to look at him. "Julian? Where are your keys?"

Julian murmurs, leaning against the wall. "Bag..."

Joaquin zips his backpack on, scouring his belongings and finding the key in one of the pockets. With a sigh, he unlocks the door.

Joaquin's heart hammers as he reluctantly steps inside. He can hear the blood gushing in his veins, the fatigue ousted and substituted by an emotion foreign to him.

He lays Julian on the bed, breathing a little too fast as Julian looks up at him. "Joaquin...? You're—hic!—here?"

Joaquin walks over to the closet and grabs a white shirt on top. As he marches back to Julian, he catches sight of the picture frame by his desk and his chest twists.

Jaw tight, he hands the shirt to him and says, "Change."

"Um. Okay." Julian lazily complies and starts unbuttoning his pants. Joaquin averts his gaze, his ears scorching out of the blue. Julian kicks his pants away, leaving his blue boxers on. He proceeds to take his shirt off, expelling low grunts. Joaquin shifts his weight from one foot to the other as he watches Julian put on the clean shirt, his heart stabilizing once he's fully clothed.

This is crazy. If he were to have any feelings about what's happening, he should get... wistful? This is just like before. But this feeling is far from that. He's nervous and embarrassed.

"Hey..." Julian calls. "Joaquin."

Joaquin is unable to say a word as Julian reaches out, palms pressed on Joaquin's cheeks, pulling him closer. Joaquin freezes, trying to maintain balance by placing his hands on the mattress.

Julian's eyes are half-open and reddish, but he still stares straight at him. "Let's sleep?"

Joaquin nearly loses strength in his arms. He withdraws, but Julian scowls and presses his hands on his face even more firmly, not allowing him to flee. "Why don't you want to? You used—hic!—to like sleeping with me."

Joaquin is now full-blown blushing. "You... Don't talk like that!"

"Who cares?" Julian lets him go, flopping onto the bed. "I don't. I just really... miss you. I miss my best friend."

Joaquin collapses on the floor, gaping at Julian, guilt infiltrating his bones.

"I'm sorry. I just... I want to forget. I've been trying to..." Joaquin says, voice barely above a whisper. "And I really feel sorry for always breaking my promises to come back."

Joaquin extends a hand to touch him but hesitates. Instead, he gets to his feet.

"And being your best friend? I... I don't know if I can still do that." He threads a hand through his hair, taking a sharp breath. "I don't know."

******

Julian wakes to his phone ringing, and the headache that attacks him is similar to what it would've felt like if he had bashed his head against the wall. Bile rises up into his throat as he sits, and he rushes over to the sink, throwing up.

The phone is still ringing. Julian impatiently pours himself a glass of cold water from the mini fridge and then answers the call.

"Julian?" Lina's voice comes through the line.

"M-Ma? Hello?" he mutters after a sip, his voice raspy.

"Julian? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a late night at the welcome party... What's up? Why'd you call so early?"

Julian collapses on the bed. He wants to go back to sleep. His whole body is falling to pieces, and it's like someone's using a jackhammer in his brain.

"Early? It's almost noon."

Julian pivots and glances at the wall clock. 11:40. What the heck? That's a first!

"Oh. Right."

"Did you have a good time?"

"Um, yeah," he replies, suppressing a yawn. "Ma, I... I actually have something to tell you."

"What is it?"

"I've found Joaquin. He's here. He's a member of the same org."

Julian hears his mother's gasp. "Is he... Is he doing okay?"

"Yes, he's doing well. Much, much better."

"I'm glad!" Lina cries. "Can you ask him to come over? I want to see him."

Julian stares at the ceiling. This is giving him more headaches. He should've saved this when he's feeling better.

"I'm not sure he'd have time."

"Try. Tell him it's me asking. He wouldn't dare."

Julian pinches his lips. He doesn't have the heart to tell his mother that Joaquin no longer wants anything to do with them. So, he replies, "Okay."

"Good," Lina chirps. "Alright. I'll let you go now. Just checking in to see how you are. Eat well, alright?"

"Yes, Ma. I will. Take care. Bye."

"Bye."

Julian hangs up. He'll try. Maybe his mother's right. Maybe Joaquin's heart will soften when he hears his Teacher Lina looking forward to seeing him again.

He squeezes his eyes shut, his mind doing a swift recollection of last night. How did he get home? How is he wearing new clothes? The last thing he can remember is Alexander returning to the seat beside him and discussing what it's like living on campus.

Julian's phone pings. He checks the message from an unknown number and curls into a ball when he reads the message:

He's checking on him! Hopefully he didn't do anything stupid.

Julian chews his bottom lip, setting the phone to his chest, every stray thought circling back to Alexander.

Because it's most likely Alexander.

Who else would look after him?