Timestopper Ch. 19: Tripping

"What show?" Zach asked as he leaned into Dion's embrace while he looked into the bonfire. It was like his eyes were starting to play tricks on him. He was seeing artifacts in his peripheral vision, while the heart of the fire grew sharper, like a photograph set against an oil painting. 

"You'll see soon," Dion said as his lips started kissing the side of Zach's neck, making Zach giggle as the light touch tickled him. Then Dion said, "Anybody ever tell you how sexy you are in a suit?"

"Yeah, you, ever since I put it on," Zach laughed. He was very fond of his Stage Manager outfit--he'd bought it himself, a sleek but relaxed tailored 3 piece black suit, showing off his well toned body even through all the layers. The chain of his pocket watch also accented the vest nicely. "I'm liking you in a dress shirt, too. Specially when you roll up the sleeves," Zach said, kissing Dion's arm again. 

"Want me to be all professional huh? Next thing I know you're gonna start calling me daddy." 

Zach twisted around in Dion's arms so he was facing him, "Nah, I'm professional enough for the both of us. I just like you in a button up. Easy access." Zach loosened one button by Dion's belly and his hand slipped inside, gliding over Dion's abs and chest and lightly brushed over Dion's pierced nipple. "But I think you need some facial hair if I'm gonna call you daddy. That or you have to knock me up."

"I can work on both those things," Dion grinned as he leaned down and kissed Zach, gently biting Zach's lip. They could feel their boners start to rise against each other in their dress slacks. Dion rested his forehead against Zach's and chuckled, then he pulled back from the kiss and held Zach's face in his hand, his thumb gently brushing along Zach's cheekbone, "Do you want kids?"

Zach laughed at the abruptness of the question and the guileless curiosity in Dion's smile since he asked it, "One mention of knocking me up and you're ready to plan a baby shower, huh? You know I was kidding, right? It doesn't actually work that way."

"Come on, I'm serious," Dion grinned  as his fingers started instinctively brushing back Zach's hair, "It's a reasonable question. Not like we need to worry about an accident or anything, just like long term thoughts."

Zach blushed again as he grinned back embarrassed, "I do want kids. And I mean kids not kid, being an only child isn't all it's cracked up to be. What about you?"

"Yeah, I think so," Dion said hesitantly, "Kat definitely did not want kids, so it wasn't something I really thought about. But I don't know, seeing you with my family, it just put it in my mind. We'd be pretty awesome dads, wouldn't we?"

Zach laughed brightly as he looked into Dion's face. He could be so cool and self assured and sarcastic, like he was always in on some private joke, but in a split second he could become vulnerable and earnest and sweet. Zach felt an extreme affection swell inside him, an almost existential closeness as he fell into the firelight in Dion's eyes. At some level he knew the acid and alcohol were starting to hit him, but it was more than that, it was like the drugs were just making clearer what was already there. Zach's hand slipped out of Dion's shirt and around his neck, "I fucking love you."

"And I love you," Dion smiled, then he bit his lip, "Was that too much? I'm sorry, it was too much. I'm not trying to like plan out our lives or something, it's only been like 3 months. I just--I think this trip is starting to kick in and you're so fucking sexy right now I--" but Zach's lips cut him off, and the boyfriends started making out in front of the bonfire as the party raged around them. 

A pop and geyser of champagne knocked them out of it as Brian sprayed a bottle next to their heads. "Come on bitches," Brian laughed as they jumped apart and tried to wipe the champagne from their hair, "It's showtime." He handed Zach what was left of the champagne and the 3 of them walked towards the porch on the back of the house, which had been converted into a small stage. 

Jack stepped out with a microphone, "Quiet down you fucks. The non-theater dork pledges have been volunteered to put on a show for all the theater dorks. They've had a staggering 20 minutes to rehearse it. So, brothers, get your rotten tomatoes, and enjoy a Midsummer Night's Dream."

Zach laughed as actual boxes of old tomatoes were passed around, while pledges started coming out on the porch. It was a complete shitshow and hilarious. None of them had any idea what they were supposed to be doing, so they just started bullshitting each other as they were splattered by tomatoes from the brothers. Eventually Sean stuck a large rubber horse head on Jake and everyone started running away from him. When they ran out of tomatoes and just started booing Jack called, "And scene!" The pledges took a bow as the crowd booed and clapped at the same time.  

Brian and Dion got caught up in some trippy conversation about the Sun, so Zach left them to it and went to catch up with his tomato splattered pledge brothers. Zach slipped out one of the blunts he'd rolled earlier that day and sparked it up as he joined them. 

"Great work, gentlemen," Zach said, taking a puff before passing it to Rich, "It was--exhilarating. Surreal."

"Fuck you bro," Jake laughed as he tried to brush off the bits of tomato that covered his shirt. 

"Dude, like, how the fuck did you remember all your words? I think I remembered like...4," Rich asked between coughs as he passed the blunt around the circle.  

"We had a bit more time to prepare," Zach said. He shuffled over towards Sean, who'd avoided the worst of the tomato bombs, and playfully started punching his arm, "And how you doing buddy? Feelin good?" 

Sean laughed and smacked away the blows, gently punching Zach back, "Yeah, what bout you buddy pal?" Zach could see a slight glimmer in Sean's blue eyes, like he was seeing a little further than normal. Zach knew if he looked in a mirror just then he'd see the same glimmer in his own. Fuck, now he really wanted a mirror. 

"I'm definitely feeling it," Zach admitted. 

"Wait, what're you feeling? I wanna feel!" Mike said, overhearing Zach and Sean. 

"We got a couple tabs of acid. I don't think we've got any more though," Sean  said.

"Aw fuck dude, so jealous," Rich said, suspiciously smoking the blunt again as he must have repositioned himself in the passing circle. 

"Don't worry guys, the trip goes south just find me. I'll be your rock," Jake said before he faced half a solo cup of jungle juice and belched. 

"What're you getting so far?" Sean asked Zach. 

"The bonfire was fucking nuts," Zach said, "And in general maybe a bit of Van Gogh around the edges. And I'm feeling good, you know? Just...right now, everything is right."

"For me, it's like...like for half a second up there, I was literally convinced I'd turned Jake's head into a horse, it was very, very intense," Sean said which got the guys roaring with laughter. They started to joke about Jake turning into a jackass, but Sean kept talking with Zach. 

"And like, it's hard to describe, but everybody's faces just seem..."

"Clearer," Zach said. 

"Yeah, but like, not their faces but just the way I'm seeing them you know? It's almost as if I can read their faces. Like I know exactly what they're thinking. I mean, not what they're thinking, but like, how they're thinking," Sean said, his eyes scanning the faces of the pledges around them. 

"Alright, read my face, how am I thinking?" Zach grinned. 

Sean turned and rubbed his chin as he stared at Zach intensely. Zach couldn't help but admire the little flecks of gold in the blue of his eyes, and the way his tongue poked against the inside of his cheek as he thought. He became very aware of how close they were standing, and the presence in Sean's stance. "Well, you're thinking like I'm full of shit," Sean finally said making Zach laugh. 

"You said it, not me."

"And you're happy, but a little scared," Sean continued. 

"Am I scared?"

"Are you?"

"Huh. Maybe." Zach knew he was. The prospect of telling Dion and probably Sean about all the money was a little daunting. He was worried Dion in particular might think it was a betrayal. But Zach also knew he didn't want to think about that right now.

"And maybe a bit of something else," Sean grinned, and as Zach blushed he knew they both knew what the something else was. But then Sean relaxed from his intense observation and asked lightly, "So how was it meeting the parents? Ben and Sophie seemed pretty chill to me, but I'm not boning their son." 

"About as good as I could hope. They're really nice, and you know D, makes sense his parents are easy to talk to. Still just felt a little awkward sometimes. Didn't help when my mom said something embarrassing either, but they had some embarrassing Dion stories too."

"Asperger's?" Sean laughed. 

"Nah, nothing that bad, like she saved that one for a crowd," Zach laughed, "I did tell you I used to be really shy."

"You were really shy the whole first week of school," Sean said, "I tried to talk with you a bunch of times and I was barely getting grunts. Then we talked that day you were late to calc and it was like you'd flipped a switch. I don't think I've seen you be shy since." 

"Did you really?" Zach asked. It was hard to remember that first week. So much had happened since. Years had happened since. Although Zach certainly remembered that day he was late for class. Zach went on, "Well, you were intimidating. Super cute soccer player who I also had to share a shower with. Didn't want you to think I'd creep on you or something."

"I could think of worse things," Sean teased with a wink. Before Zach could respond Dion got on the porch and put his fingers in his mouth to whistle loudly to the crowd. 

"Alright guys, ADPi just arrived and we're open for the party. Start heading to the basement and get fucking dancing!"

Zach and Sean made their way toward Dion, and Dion grinned as he caught sight of them. "It's coming on strong now, right?"

"Fuck yes," Sean said as his nod became something more like a twitch. 

Zach was feeling the same. His balance was off. Not in a drunk way, although the jungle juice and champagne were working on him too, but something almost like vertigo. Then he realized they were both staring at him and he laughed, "Uh, yeah, pretty strong."

"Do you want to sit down for a bit?" Dion asked, concerned. 

"No!" Zach said excitedly, "That's the opposite of what I want to do. Dancing. Now."

Dion grinned and took Zach by the hand, "Sounds good to me. You come too, dude, the lights are gonna be fuckin sick." So Sean joined them as they made there way to the frat basement. 

The transition from outside to inside was surprisingly intense. All 3 of them stopped in their tracks as their tripping minds adjusted to the new environment. The flashing neon lasers and strobe lights above the dance floor overloaded Zach's eyesight as they streaked across the quickly thickening crowd, while he felt the heavy bass of I Gotta Feeling shake his bones. Zach suddenly had the realization if he didn't move he would collapse, so he marched towards the center of the room and started dancing.

It was early enough in the night that most people were mingling more than dancing. But with Zach dancing like he was alone, and Dion and Sean quickly joining him, it didn't take long for the ADPi girls and Sig Chi guys to start dancing too. As students from all over campus made their way to Sig Chi's biggest party of the year they arrived to find it already in full swing.

And as Zach danced, the trip kept building. He lost all track of time and space. One moment Zach and Dion and Sean were dancing together in a triangle, laughing at each other's ridiculous moves and how fucked up they knew they all were, but then it was like a movie cut and Zach was grinding against Dion, lost in the touch and smell of him as they moved to the music and Dion's lips were inches away from his own.

Then just as suddenly Zach was dancing at the bar as Rob passed him an extra strong jungle juice, trying to apologize for some insult Zach couldn't even remember, so Zach just hugged him and kept dancing as he chugged the ice cold drink.

Zach never finished the cup, but then it was empty. He looked into the crowd and saw Sean making out with Austin, and he let the cup fall to the floor.

He was on Jake's shoulders, belting it out to Mr. Brightside as dozens of other sang along too.

His jacket was gone and he was dancing with Sara. She was talking, but Zach wasn't getting a word of it. But he was happy she was happy.

He was surrounded but alone in the middle of the dance floor. Faces everywhere, all faces he knew because he knew everyone, and it was like their faces switched interchangeably among their bodies. The music rose to deafening, colors started to bleed, and Zach closed his eyes as it all kept growing, growing--

And then it was silent. Zach opened his eyes and the world was frozen, the strobes now just bright lights, and students turned to stone. Zach's hand clutched his pocket, and he felt the watch ticking away reassuringly. Zach walked amongst the frozen people, staring, unsure what to do. He went towards the DJ booth and found Chris, head down and looking at his laptop. Zach reached over the table to poke Chris' cheek.

But then there was no one there, and all at once the world started its music and movement again. Zach stared blankly at where Chris had just been, then felt a slap on the back and turned to find Chris standing right next to him.

"I think it's time for a dance break. Come on, let's get you some air."

Chris led Zach outside, and as they stepped into the yard Zach gasped at how unimaginably big the sky was, and how bright and countless the stars.

"Hermosa, sí?" Chris said quietly.

"Yes," Zach whispered, feeling like he could fall into the sky at any moment.

"Come on, it's not goin anywhere," Chris said, gently leading Zach towards the bonfire. Dion and Sean were sitting next to it in the grass, and as they saw Zach they smiled in unison.

Zach sat between them and finally getting off his feet was almost orgasmic. He pushed his hair out of his face, surprised at how sweaty he was. He unbuttoned his shirt sleeves and rolled them up.

"How you feeling, babe?" Dion asked, rubbing Zach's back.

"I lost my jacket," Zach said.

"Nah, I put it up in my room, remember?"

"No," Zach laughed. The way Dion looked at him made him feel better, an anchor as his mind still whirled. He turned to Sean, his red hair brighter than normal as it caught the firelight, "Why aren't you with Austin?"

It came out sharper than he intended, and Sean's smile faltered, confused, "Why would I be?"

"You were making out."

Sean blushed, "We were dancing, and then he tried to make out. I wasn't feeling it. That was awhile ago though."

"Why weren't you feeling it? He's cute," Zach said, his voice more level than his vision as the landscape behind Sean twisted in spirals.

"I don't know, man," Sean said, embarrassed.

"Prolly cause he was tripping balls," Dion joked, trying to lighten the mood, "I know I am."

But Zach kept looking at Sean. Like he was demanding more of an answer no matter how uncomfortable Sean was at the question. But then Zach's face broke into a smile, "Like a fucking dodgeball game in my head I'm tripping so many balls." That got Sean's smile back too.

"No fucking kidding," Chris said, suddenly plopping down next to Dion and passing Zach a large, cold water bottle, "Zach was wandering around the basement like a zombie just before we came up. I've been getting some intense visuals too, you must've been seeing some crazy shit, right?"

"Yeah," Zach said, but he didn't join in as the other guys started discussing their acid visions--he doubted they'd believe he saw time stop.

They sat in the grass for awhile, talking and laughing, staring at the stars or the fire or each other, feeling and thinking more than words can say. Eventually, his vision returning to normal and a deep exhaustion kicking in, Zach yawned.

"What's the time?" Chris asked.

"Ask the Stage Manager," Dion said.

Zach slipped the watch from the pocket of his vest and quickly checked the time before slipping it back into his pocket, "Little after midnight."

"Come on, dude," Sean grinned, "You were hamming it up on stage earlier, is that all we get? Show me some magic."

Zach grinned back. He sat up straight and rolled up his sleeves even higher. He pulled the watch out again, letting its tarnished case catch a glimmer of the dying fire. Then with a yank on the chain he tossed it a foot into the air, and as it fell he caught it between his hands with a clap. He slowly opened his hands to reveal his empty palms.

"Now that's what I'm talking about," Sean laughed as Chris gave a slow clap. But Dion said, "I'm still waiting on the prestige."

"Prestige, huh?" Zach said, matching his boyfriend's smile, "You want me to bring it back? Well then what the hell did you take it for?" Zach reached into Dion's breast pocket and pulled out the watch. That got a clap from all of them.

"So, we're about 3 hours in. I think it's fair to say we're all starting to come down a bit? Maybe a little tired?" Chris asked. All 3 guys nodded.

"Next question," Chris said, taking a small plastic baggy from his pocket filled with what looked like half a dozen smarties, "Do you want tonight to get even weirder?"

"What're you offering?" Sean asked, interested but wary.

"Molly," Chris said.

"Candy flipping, fuckin a, Chrissy, you weren't kidding bout going hard,"Dion laughed.

"Only so many wrap parties left, man, I'm not tryin to hold back," Chris grinned and then he looked to Zach, "You staying on the ride with me, hermanito?"

Zach hesitated for just a moment before he grinned and reached into the bag. Dion and Sean followed suit.

"Cheers, bros," Chris grinned as the guys popped the chalky pills.

"How long does it take?" Sean asked.

"Not too long, but hold off on drinking any more. We should be set," Chris stood up and offered a hand to Zach, "Come on, bro. I got the guitar set up, let's make some music before it really starts hitting."

Dion and Sean followed them inside, and stood nearby as Chris and Zach got ready, Chris tuning his Fender and Zach adjusting the settings of the used but top of the line keyboard the frat had recently received as an anonymous donation. Zach had learned how to work it quickly, and sometimes you'd think he was half a dozen people as he played and synthesized multiple instruments at the same time.

As frat brothers realized Chris and Zach were starting a set word spread, and the living area quickly grew packed. But as soon as Chris started tapping out a beat the crowded room faded away and Zach let the music take him.

The drums first, turning Chris' every 3rd tap to a bass drum kick, then the snare and hi hat with the rest, and as Chris' guitar started singing Zach was ready with proper bass. It was a piece they'd made themselves, a fun and easy song that gave them both room to improvise.

As Zach and Chris got into their groove Dion and Sean watched together near the back of the room, having been slowly jostled away from the duo as the crowd grew. They didn't mind, as they still had a good view of them, and they were far enough from the speakers they could hear each other talk.

"He looks like such a dork with that makeup on," Sean grinned at Dion as they looked at Zach, "Basically clown paint the way it's running."

"Cause he hasn't stopped goin for one minute, just needs to rinse it off," Dion said. Dion had only washed his own stage makeup off a little earlier. Then Dion raised his eyebrows and nudged Sean's side, "Still, looking good though, right?"