30

"What?" wheezes Winston after a second, mind blank and the world uncomfortably silent. Then he blinks and noises rush in again, and he can hear his own ragged breath in his ears.

Jason squeezes his hand. "Clyde," he very nearly growls, Winston swinging his head around to stare. He's never heard Jason sound like that---is that a good or bad thing?

Clyde waves his growl away. "Somebody has to make sure you're safe. It is mu solemn duty, sworn in by your brother, to wet every you date in case they're a gold digger," Clyde explains, sounding inappropriately cheerful.

"I don't have any money," is Jason's retort after a second, followed by a demanding, "And what does Jared have to do with this?"

"Fine, dirt digger then," Clyde rolls his eyes. He sighs when he hears Jason's question about Jared [who might be named Ryder in later chapters? I feel like I remember that?] and says, "And of course Jared (Jason mutters, "You're on a first name basis?") wants to know what you're up to, and if you're being treated right. I gracefully accepted his deadly mission to look after you."

Jason looks at him, expression twisted between curiosity, outrage and amusement. It's an interesting mix, one that Winston has probably never seen before in his life. Finally, though, it's amusement that wins out, and the tension in Jason's body relaxes. Jason says, "Tell Jared that it's unethical to recruit my friends as spies and be should stop before I get mad."

"Jared says your a total softie and I shouldn't worry about it," retaliate Clyde, Samantha not even pretending to be paying attention to any of this. She's got her phone out in plain sight, gaze focuses as she types something with her thumbs. Her eyebrows are softly furrowed and Winston waits a moment but Clyde and Jason are still going. Winston doesn't move the chair (he's still fot trauma from the last time he did and it screeched at him) but he does scoot a little closer to her on his seat.

"Excuse me," he murmurs, waiting until she looks up. Only then does he gather his courage, swallowing heavily and asks, "Cab I ask how you know Clyde and Jason?"

"We met at freshmen orientation," she answers after a moment, putting her phone down. She nods toward Clyde, "That guy introduced himself to everyone and we exchanged numbers. Once he joined the basketball team he started bumming my notes from class a lot." At Winston's questioning look, she expanded, "We're in (?) the same program."

"Ah," Winston says, perhaps underwhelming.

Her lips tick up into a smile. "Clyde is a very stubborn donkey. Once he latches onto somebody, he doesn't let go. He's lucky he's so cute."

Winston blinks. He takes a second look at Clyde [insert description of Clyde's appearance here] and finally has to concede. Looking at Sam again, he ducks his head at her knowing gaze. Her phone buzzes slightly, then, and her gaze quickly to check the notification. "Are you busy?" he asks.

"No, it's my ghoulfriend," answers Samantha.

Winston's eyebrows slowly furrow. He's aware that Jason and Clyde have fallen silent, instead now watching him and Sam. "Ghoulfriend?" Winston asks, tilting his head. "A... friend that is a ghoul?"

She shakes her head, black curls flopping around her face. "No, they're my romantic partner." At Winston's still questioning look, she expands, "Sora is nonbinary." Then she shrugs, smiling, "And they think 'ghoulfriend' is a hilarious gender neutral term for boy- and girlfriend."

Winston nods. "I understand," and looks at her for another second. He doesn't think she's straight, if she's with a nonbinary person, and he supposes it's on him for assuming.

What's nonbinary, though?

Jason inserts himself into the conversation, here, with a gentle, "Sam and Clyde are best friends. Since i met Gary, it's only fair you guys meet, too. And," Now he looks imploring at everyone, "I don't want..." Jason closes his mouth and looks down att the table. "Anyway, please be polite," This last bit is directed at Clyde, as evidenced by Jason glaring at him.

Clyde holds his hands up, "Hey, I'm always polite. I'm the most well-mannered young man in the tri-state area. I've won literal awards for my manners."

"Really?" Winston can't help but ask, leaninga little forward.

Clyde grins, revealing a dimple in his left cheek. "Ruch people are weird, man," he says, shrugging.

"Rich?"

"My parents are loaded," Clyde explains, failing to go into any details. Winston looks at Jason in case Clyde is just messing with him, but Jason nods in agreement.

"Okay," says Winston, ignorant of any other possible response.

Clyde laughs.

They reassess the conversation. Clyde starts over by leaning a bit forward over the table, Winston sinking back in his chair. Clyde looks H right in the eyes, asking, "what's your intention with Jason's heart?"

Winston exhales in a carefully controlled manner. He doesn't look at Jason, but he squeezes Jason's hand under the table so much it mmustsurely hurt. "Clyde-" Jason starts, but Winston shakes his head.

"I really like Jason," Winston starts, falling silent for a moment. "He's-- we have fun. It's nice. I like—spending tw with him. I hope to keep spending a lot of time with him."

Clyde looks at him, Sam staring at her phone, and Winston can feel Jason's gaze on his face. He doesn't look at Jason, refuses to bend but he also has no idea what else to do.

Finally, Clyde nods. "Alright," he declares imperiously, "I'll accept this answer for now but it might not be enough for Jared."

Jason sighs, "Jared doesn't decide who I date."

Clyde narrows his eyes är Jason and draws out a long hum. He could not be more visibly disagreeing without outright saying so. Finally, Clyde says a very doubtful, "If you say do."

Jason rolls his eyes.

In the process, he looks at Winston. Something seems to catch his attention, for he freezes. Stares at Winston.

Winston licks his, and Jason's eyes tracks it with dangerous ease.

Samantha laughs. She coughs in a vain attempt at disguisement, but it's very clearly laughter. Winston breaks eye contact to furrow his eyebrows at her and she waves his question away, smiling at him. "It's nothing. You guys are cute," she says.

Jason blushes bright as a fire hydrant. After a second, he trues kicking her under the table but she smoothly evades it and says, "So how many dates have you been on." It does not sound like a question.

"You know exactly how many," Jason says. Then he raises his voice the tiniest bit, rushing out, "Anyway, that's not what we're here for. This is a proper introduction," he insists, looking between them until Sam and Clyde straighten up and put on their game faces.

Jason nods, satisfaction leaking from his every poor (?).

He turns toward Winston, takes a deep breath, and gestures to his friends. Says, "This is friend Samantha. We grew up together on the same street. She'sa year older than me and our schedules don't really match up much anymore, but we still hang out. She's pretty cool."

Then he, very rudely Winston can't help but note, poins at Clyde. Jason continues, "Clyde is a shithead ("no I mean it on a fun way," he assures Clyde in the middle) so if does something that makes you uncomfortable or you don't like, just say poopoohead." This inspires a rather confused expression from Winston, so Jason adds, "It's our safeword."

Winston blinks. "Okay," he says after a second.

Jason grins at him. He continues, "We met Clyde at freshmen orientation. He was totally out of control but I'm good at sitting on people until they calm down so it all works out."

"Sitting on people?"

"Yeah, you know, at the kindergarten playground I was the champion."

Winston slowly nods. He glances at Sam and Clyde but neither seems to disagree with Jason.

Then he holds out his hand Clyde. Says, "i'm Winston Fairbrooke. call me Win. Nice to meet you," and he even his smiles is ultra-polite.

Clyde raises an eyebrow, and grabs his hand with a bemused expression. It sinks (?) into a grin as he shakes Winston's hand vigorously.

Then Winston shakes Samantha's hand, as well.

After, he glances at Jason—Winston's polite persona fades, then, and his grin grows more natural. He ducks his head, squeezing Jason's hand tight, and says, "Jason has talked a lot about you guys. You went to an amusement park last week? He sent me a whole bunch of pictures." Winston's voice grows unsure at the end, and he can't not tack on a, "If that's alright?"

"Dude, he texted you every five minutes," laughs Clyde. "We caught onto his evil plan to send you a thousand pictures pretty quickly, don't worry about it." He waves his hand, grinning.

Winston smiles, watching the exquisite blush spreading over Jason's cheeks. Jason clears his throat after a second, retaliating with, "Sam was doing the same thing!"