Chapter Text
Good Luck clicked the end of his pen restlessly, holding his head in his other hand as he stared at the front of the class ahead of him. Up there, his professor was talking away, and every few moments Good Luck would nod along as if he was agreeing - but he wasn’t fully listening. It was his last class of the day, how could he? His mind was on other things, as it usually was.
Silently beside him, his phone’s home screen lit up with a notification. His eyes darted to it immediately with full attention, as if the message on his phone was more deserving of his attention than the education he was forking out thousands of dollars for.
[Messenger] “the squad”
Cheer🌺🌈: Is everyone still good for food tonight?
The corner of Good Luck’s lips turned, unconsciously smiling at the invitation, making a note to respond to it after class. It was routine for his friend group to go out for dinner at least one night every week, whenever their schedules aligned. Sometimes classes got in the way, sometimes it was extra study (for the workaholics like Cheer), and other times…
[Messenger] “the squad”
funshine😎: hell yeah!!!!!!
Good Luck stared at the second notification as it slid onto his screen, subconsciously shaking his head, his smile still prominent. This time, he didn’t even think twice about the consequences of texting in class when he opened his phone, typed his password and clicked on the Messenger app.
Good Lucky🍀: did you cancel your shift again?
He sent the message instantly, eyes glued to the screen as ‘ funshine😎 is typing… ’ appeared on his screen - a string of words he saw just about as much as he breathed. The only time the two weren’t talking was when they were confined to the responsibilities of their adult lives - those being work or class. That is, unless you were Funshine, who prioritised spending time with his friends over both of those things. Tonight being another case of that.
funshine😎: why do u wanna know huh
Good Luck let out a light chuckle, the sound bringing him back to reality. He covered his mouth and feigned a cough, putting his phone face down on the table, hoping it would be enough to get through the rest of the class without any unwanted attention. Still, though, he thought about the message, and a warm feeling flooded his chest. Funshine was really good at making it feel like his friends were the most important thing in his world, but he was just as good at falling short at attending all of his registered shifts. Good Luck had tried to convince him to put his job and money first sometimes, but to no avail, it was always met with something like ‘talk to me about working when you get a job of your own’, and followed with laughter.
Truth be told, though, Good Luck didn’t believe with his whole heart that Funshine should skip group dinners for work. Maybe that’s why he had never convinced him enough. Infact, Funshine being there was the most important part to him. As much as Good Luck loved his friend group, he found it a little too easy to blend into the background sometimes. Everyone was always so loud - not just in volume, but in personality, and interests - and he could never match them. But it’s hard to fade into obscurity when you have a best friend like Funshine, one who always has one eye on you, pulling you back into the conversation when you get lost or left out.
And actions like that are what have put Good Luck in this situation.
The professor continued talking, completely unaware that Good Luck, who was sitting in his class, was actually not in his class at all - he was on a planet of his own. His mind buzzed with the need to respond to Funshine, thinking about what he could say. He thought about how Funshine could react to what he’d say, the way his eyes would squint when he smiled… Suddenly, the once quiet class erupted into noise as people pulled out their chairs and started to leave, chatting away about the contents of the class with their friends. Good Luck blinked like he was knocked out of a daze and looked around, before collecting his things and making a move as well. Unfortunately for him, most of his classes - all but one - he had no friends in, so he couldn’t talk about the class like the other students were. He couldn’t even ask someone to catch him up on what he missed whilst he was zoned out.
He figured that he’d worry about it later. It was the end of the day after all, tomorrow was a new one. And it’s not like missing out on some information in classes ever set him back. Even now, when exams were slowly approaching, he didn’t feel like he was missing much. His friends commended him on his knowledge and grades, but Good Luck believed it was just luck (it was in the name, after all). He tried to keep his grades to himself because of it - he felt bad for people like Cheer, who spent all of their free time studying.
Thinking about his friends, he realised he hadn’t responded to the group chat. Scrambling to open up his phone, he was greeted with more notifications, confirming the whole group’s attendance - except his.
[Messenger] “the squad”
Grumpy.: I’ll be there.
[Messenger] “the squad”
share bear💜🩵: count me in!! (˶> ᵕ <˶) ♡
[Messenger] “the squad”
Cheer🌺🌈: Good Luck?
Good Luck unlocked his phone and was greeted with the pre-opened Messenger app right where he left it in class - on Funshine’s DMs. He stopped in his tracks beside the front door to his class, looking at the messages again. He thought.
Subconsciously prioritising Funshine’s messages, he then typed, smiling.
Good Lucky🍀: you’re not gonna have any money to buy anything with if you keep doing that yk
And instantly -
funshine😎: u’ll cover for me, right bro?
funshine😎: <3
Good Luck breathed at the sight of the heart emoticon and shook it off, knowing how playful Funshine was, especially with the context of the conversation. But what he couldn’t shake off was how right he was, even if he was joking. It’s like he could see through Good Luck without even knowing it. There’s not a lot that Good Luck could offer to his friends to help them when he wanted to, but his weekly allowance was starting to whisper Funshine’s penniless name.
funshine😎: kidding kidding
He leaned against the wall of the classroom and let out a deep sigh, quickly switching his focus over back to the group chat.
Good Lucky🍀: yeah! i’ll be there
Good Lucky🍀: sorry for the late reply.. got stuck in class
Cheer🌺🌈: All good!
Cheer🌺🌈: Let’s meet at the gate and go from there :)
Grumpy.: I’ll pick you all up. I have to drive there anyway.
The gate to their uni was just a few floors down, so Good Luck would get there fast. He hoped he wouldn’t be the first one down there, he hated awkwardly standing there waiting for his friends to show up. It was bad enough that he had no friends in his stream, it was worse when people outside of his stream saw him standing by his lonesome self too.
He tried to shrug it off and took his earphones out from his jeans pocket, connecting them to his phone and opening up his favourite playlist, hoping his favourite music artists would be enough to keep him company in the meantime. Listening to music was one of the main things Good Luck found himself doing in his free time. It’s not like he had the talent for an artistic hobby, or the agility for some sports. He didn’t even have a job - his family was well off and his weekly allowance was more than enough to get him through while he was still studying. Another few reasons why it was so hard to connect with his friends sometimes. Compared to them, he felt like he could wash away in the calmest river.
[Messenger] “the squad”
funshine😎: y’all are sloooow pokeeeesssssss
The notification buzzed in Good Luck’s hand and he looked at it in surprise. Did that mean Funshine was already there?
“That was fast…” Good Luck breathed, picking up his pace a little more as he went down the stairs to the first floor. Heading out of the doors, squeezing through the groups of other students making their way through to their later classes - or out to home or plans of their own - and taking out his earphones, he saw Funshine and Cheer standing at the gates. Funshine caught his eye almost instantly, as if he was looking specifically for him, and sent him a big, cheesy grin and a wave. The sudden energy from Funshine caught Cheer off guard and she looked up from her phone and saw Good Luck as well, giving him a calmer, but still just as cheerful smile. Of course the two of them were there at the same time though, they were doing the exact same university course in piloting. The two had been close since they were kids, so it was only natural for them to end up with the same interests.
A small flicker of warmth lit up in Good Luck’s chest as he waded through the crowd to get to his friends, an embarrassing amount of urgency in each of his steps towards them.
“Heyyyy bro!” Funshine beamed at him, lazily slurring his words as he held out his fist for a fistbump. Good Luck found it hard to contain the apprehension that built up in his chest all morning, waiting for this moment, to be out of class and with his best friends again… with Funshine again. Good Luck curled his fingers and connected his own fist with Funshine’s, meeting his eyes with a smile.
“Hey Good Luck!” Cheer added, giving him a quick hug and looking back at her phone at the time. “Grumpy should be here in a minute. Has anyone heard from Share?”
Good Luck and Funshine exchanged a clueless glance before both shrugging, and Cheer’s expression changed to uncertainty. She hummed a little bit and checked her phone again, scrolling on it and then looking back up at the boys. “She hasn’t been online since she sent that message earlier… normally she’s way done with childcare by now.”
They let minutes pass between them as they waited for the last two in their group to arrive. It took some time, but soon they got the message from Grumpy that he was parked in the student car park. Cheer decided to wait around for a little while longer, waiting for any response from Share, until following with the group to Grumpy.
“Still nothing?” Grumpy asked Cheer through the rolled down window as the three of them approached his car. It was a piece of work, Grumpy’s car - it was blue, of course, spray painted by himself. The hoods on the tires were mismatched and there were a good few scratches and dents, but he loved and treasured that car like it was his own child. Grumpy was studying mechanics anyhow, so it only makes sense that he’d pick up a car like that and work on it to make it his own.
Cheer shook her head and opened the passenger seat, putting on her seatbelt and opening her phone immediately again. It was clear that she was a little bit worried, but pushing it down so that the rest of the group didn’t worry too. It was just like her to prioritise the group’s feelings above her own. That, and being the one to organise most events, made her the leader of sorts - despite joining the group late. She was the only person in their group that they met through uni specifically, the other four had all become close during highschool - aside from Funshine and Cheer, whose parents were close friends, so they naturally grew up like family together. Cheer was homeschooled, however, and got into uni easily because Care-A-Lot University belonged to her parents. And that’s when Funshine got to introduce her to them properly.
Good Luck looked at Funshine, who was watching Cheer carefully as she got into the car. Despite her trying not to look worried, it was obvious to all of them. Funshine and Good Luck got in the back seats where they usually sat together - and Share would normally be in the middle. But the empty space between them was harrowing, but they tried not to think too much about it.
“She’s at Silver Lining today, right?” Grumpy began, putting the car in reverse and looking at the outside of the car behind him as he talked. He began to drive when Cheer nodded and gave him a soft “mm” of confirmation. “Let’s just go there,” he finished.
The car ride was quiet, aside from the radio (which was on volume 4) and the muffled sounds of the roads around them. The sky was only just starting to dim as it got deeper into the evening, and Good Luck found himself being entranced by the way the world moved outside of the window. He thought about how he could almost be lulled into sleep by it, when he felt someone prod his side and he jumped.
“Hey!” He said loudly, surprising the other two in the front as well. Good Luck turned to his side and saw Funshine looking at him with a mischievous glint in his eyes, suppressing light laughter. He suddenly sat up and avoided Good Luck’s glance, looking out of the window, and, with a childlike lightness, said, “wasn’t me.” Good Luck was so caught off guard that he couldn’t find it in him to argue back, he just rolled his eyes and replied with a lighthearted, “whatever.” It was always Funshine trying to bring some sort of light to a situation, as if he couldn’t stand the thought of the group feeling anything other than joy. And unfortunately, especially on Good Luck, it usually worked. He turned to look out the window again, smiling this time, when they finally arrived at the daycare.
Grumpy pulled up in the carpark and stopped the car, making an observation at the lack of other cars in the carpark. It was past 6pm now, which meant it was after hours, so all of the kids would have gone home by this point.
“Are we all going in?” Good Luck asked as the others started unbuckling their seatbelts, checking to see if he was really needed or not. Funshine nudged him in the arm and replied, “I don’t see why not. We’re just going to pick up our kid.” They laughed.
All four of them walked through the door to the daycare, where most of the lights were turned off and everything was packed away ready for closing time. They walked past the lockers for the kids' belongings and saw that all were empty except for one, with a small, dirty backpack accompanied by some rain boots. Good Luck raised an eyebrow at them as they walked past - sure, it was later in the year, but it wasn’t scheduled to rain yet. Knocking him out of his thoughts, the four of them heard shrill crying coming from the main room and shared looks before walking through to find Share sitting with her knees on the floor, trying to calm down a little girl.
“Hey, hey, Dibble, it’s okay,” Share’s hushed voice reached out to the girl, who was cross legged and hunched over, wiping her tears with her hoodie sleeve - though that hoodie seemed to be twice her size. “He’ll be here soon, just relax and-” Her eyes met the group and widened in surprise and guilt. “Oh, oh my gosh, you guys! So sorry I didn’t let you know, I-”
“Where’s my dad?!” The girl, Dibble, choked out with heavy sobs and more screaming. Good Luck covered his ears, trying to drown out the sounds of the child’s distress. Not only was it heartbreaking to hear - it was loud. Good Luck looked to his side and noticed the others doing the same thing.
“It’s okay Dibble, it’s okay,” Share said quietly, reaching out this time to touch Dibble’s arm - but it wasn’t well received. Dibble pushed her away and kicked her legs, carrying on more. Share looked back towards her friends with helplessness in her eyes, and that was enough to kick Cheer into motion, lowering herself to Dibble’s level and waving at her kindly. Cheer wasn’t fond of kids - but she was fond enough of her friend to at least try to help.
“Hi there, Dibble,” she said with a smile. The new voice and face seemed to be enough to interest Dibble enough to stop her from carrying on for a moment, and she looked up from behind her sleeves and met Cheer’s eyes with big, teary ones of her own. She let out a few hiccups and sobs as Cheer tried to talk to her. “What’s wrong? We can help you.”
Cheer’s tactics seemed to work, at least, until Dibble noticed something behind Cheer and focused in on it. Cheer hadn’t noticed until she tried talking to her more and was met with no eye contact or reaction, and she turned to follow Dibble’s gaze, noticing her locked in on Grumpy with an intense fixation. Beside Cheer, Dibble now shakily got up onto her feet and waddled over to Grumpy, who took a few steps back in surprise.
“What’s she doing?” He asked unsurely, looking to the others for help.
Share looked at Grumpy with tired eyes. “Please just let her,” she whispered. Grumpy still remained unsure for a few moments, but then nodded seriously, watching as Dibble very quietly approached him. The room was silent for the first time since they got there, and they all watched apprehensively to see what would happen. But, it was as simple as Dibble placing herself on the ground next to his leg and leaning into it quietly, closing her teary eyes and sniffing every few moments as she recovered from her breakdown.
“Dibble? Are you okay now?” Share asked gently, her approach to kids amazing even Good Luck, who couldn’t imagine what he would do in that situation himself. Dibble didn’t open her eyes, she just let out a content sound and nodded. Something about the gesture must have softened Grumpy’s heart, because he looked down at her fondly, and then dropped to his knees beside her and began to talk to her, mimicking Share’s gentle tone - the gentlest he had ever sounded.
“Do you want me to hold you?” Grumpy asked, his tone full of care. He shared a glance with Share as if to make sure he was doing the right thing, and helping relieve her stress, and she just nodded back, a glint of fascination in her eyes. Dibble nodded and held up her hands with a grabbing motion, and Grumpy lifted her up effortlessly, holding her in a comfortable embrace as she started to calm down and breathe slowly.
“Are we sure he’s not being possessed?” Funshine whispered into Good Luck’s ear beside him. Good Luck stifled laughter and poked him in the side with his elbow, whispering back, “shut up.”
“I heard that,” Grumpy shot them both a warning glare, his usual grumpy self shining through even the sweetest of moments. “Don’t get used to this.” He moved his body slowly side to side, gently rocking her, and she almost immediately fell asleep in his arms. Share breathed a sigh of relief and stood up next to Grumpy, watching the little girl with tired eyes.
“Sorry about that, you guys,” she apologised, dipping her head. “Dibble’s new, she causes a bit more of a fuss than the others. I couldn’t even get to my phone to let you guys know I’d be late.”
“Why are you here all by yourself?” Cheer asked. “Isn’t it after hours? Where are her parents?”
“That’s the issue…” Share began quietly, when another person walked through the door. It was a bigger, scruffier looking man with bags under his eyes. He waddled into the room, slightly dragging his shoes as he stepped. Good Luck couldn’t describe it, but something about the man’s presence made his stomach feel uneasy. The entire group turned and looked at him as he made his way through.
“I’m here for her,” the man grumbled, pointing at the girl in Grumpy’s arms. Upon his voice sounding, her eyes blinked awake again and she squinted against the light, seeing the man. She didn’t say much aside from a few protesting whines when Grumpy lowered her onto the ground again and she stood, hiding behind his leg.
“Ah! Of course, no worries,” Share began, seemingly recognising the man. She walked beside him, guiding him to the front desk with a kind smile. “You can check her out over here, and then you’ll be good to go.” The two walked off together and the remainder of the group’s attention turned back to Dibble, who was staring up at Grumpy with wide, puppy-like eyes. Grumpy shared a few confused looks with the others, and then started nudging her along in the direction of her guardian.
“Come on, Dibble, time to go home,” Grumpy assured her with a smile. Grumpy walked to the others, leaving Good Luck with Cheer and Funshine, listening to the conversation from the other room.
“Did she cause a fuss again or somethin’?”
“I wouldn’t say it was a fuss, but she was upset…”
“‘Course she did, hmph. Come on kid, let’s go.”
A soft, sad whine from Dibble.
“I said let’s go. ”
Then, the door opening and closing.
Share and Grumpy walked back to the rest of the group, uncertainty reflected in Share’s eyes, and Grumpy’s full of thoughts of his own. But none of them spoke them. Share just breathed and wiped her forehead dramatically, giving her friends a smile for the first time during the encounter.
“Thanks for the help guys, and for coming to get me. Sorry again for worrying you,” she apologised gently, dipping her head once again. In the quiet of the room, it was clearer to them how tired and disheveled she seemed - could that have been only from the fuss Dibble caused?
“I don’t how you do it, Share,” Cheer smiled at her, rubbing her hand over Share’s back comfortingly. The others murmured agreement and Share just released a sheepish giggle, avoiding their eyes and thanking them humbly. The group of them made their way out of the childcare, Share grabbing her bags and locking up the place after them, taking her place in the middle back seat in between Good Luck and Funshine, as usual, and they made their way to the restaurant.
–
“There’s no way I’m 5 bucks short.”
Funshine’s jaw dropped in disbelief as he looked at his bank balance on his phone. They had all ordered and their food had come out one at a time, but Cheer had taken the tab on her own and decided everyone could just pay her back after they got their food - to make it easier. Everyone seemed to be fit for an arrangement like that, except for Funshine. Good Luck shook his head and said, “I told you.” beside him. Funshine looked to the side, his eyes full of the guilt of a dog on a ripped up couch, and a pang hit his heart. He knew Funshine meant well, but- he sighed, before beginning.
“I’ll cover f-”
“Let me pay for him!”
Good Luck looked across the table at Share - who had finished her sentence quicker than he could. She had a kind smile, her eyes fixated on Funshine with a look he couldn’t recognise, and his heart sank through his chest. She probably hadn’t even heard Good Luck, and at this moment in time, he really hoped that no one else did, either. Luckily for him, the conversation continued as if his words didn’t even reach them.
“Are you sure?” Cheer asked, looking between Share and Funshine for some sort of confirmation. Funshine shook his head and waved his arms sheepishly, saying, “no, no, it’s fine, I get paid this week, so-”
Paid for what shifts? Good Luck thought silently, thinking about how little shifts he was getting as it is, and how often he cancelled. He worried about how long Funshine would even keep the job at that point, but got his worries pushed aside when he tried to voice them, as if Funshine didn’t want anyone to worry about him.
“I insist,” Share added, typing something into her phone and then grinning over at Cheer. “I sent it to you! Make sure it got there.”
“That’s sweet of you, Share.” Cheer checked her bank and confirmed that it all went through, and certain feeling bubbled inside of Good Luck’s chest. One that made the food in front of him suddenly look unappealing, like the thought of eating it alone was enough to put him off. He couldn’t put a name to it, but he didn’t like how it felt, so he tried with all of his might to push it down. Instead, he turned to look at Funshine, and tried to focus on the presence of his best friend beside him.
“Thanks Share,” he said to her across the table, his blue eyes shining with genuine gratitude. “B-but don’t do it again, I don’t need it. I’ll pay ya back though, promise.” Share giggled and looked at him with that same look again, tucking her hair behind her ear, and Good Luck awkwardly shifted his attention back to the food on his plate like it was his only option. He poked at it with his fork.
“How is work going, Funshine?” Grumpy was the one to speak this time. “You hardly talk about it.”
“What is there to talk about?” Funshine replied, his mouth stuffed with a slice of his pineapple pizza. “It’s scan this, stack that, count this. Anyone could do it. It’s not like your job, why don’t you talk about that?”
“If I tried talking about my job, none of you would have any clue what I’m on about.”
“Try me.”
Grumpy stared Funshine in the eyes with a look that said, ‘I have better things to do’, and he took a mouthful of his own meal and focused on that. Funshine settled down with a smile, and the others laughed lightly. Good Luck took a peek up from his food at how Share reacted and noticed her staring a little too long, and found it hard to join in on the laughter. That feeling he tried pushing away rose up in his stomach again. Jealousy - that’s what it was. Jealousy, paired with the most bottomless feeling of helplessness imaginable. He shouldn’t be feeling jealous of two of his best friends interacting. Even if Share did like Funshine like that, what did it matter? It’s not like Good Luck could do anything about it, or even should. Funshine didn’t belong to him like that. He just had to suck it up and face it, a somebody is going to end up with another somebody, not a nobody.
“‘You not hungry, bro?”
The sweet voice of none other than Funshine broke him out of his jealousy-induced trance, and he realised he had been poking at and staring at his food silently for a good few minutes. He probably looked insane.
“Mm, nah, I-I had a late lunch,” he lied, giving his best friend a reassuring smile and turning back to his food. The interaction stuck in his mind, and he analysed it, as always. Funshine had lowered his voice to ask that, as if it was just them, only Good Luck he cared about hearing him - like he wanted to keep the question private. Sometimes, Good Luck would have a little bit of guilty fun picking apart his intentions, but this time, he figured it was purely because it was a touchy question. The thought of wanting Funshine to care about him in a special way made guilt eat at him from the inside, making him feel worse than before.
“Could always take it away,” Funshine said, getting up from his seat. “Want me to go ask for a box?”
“Oh, uh, I could-”
“I’m already up, I’ll BRB.”
And off he went.
It’s just him being my friend.
“Where’s Funshine going?” Share asked from across the table, patting her lips politely with a napkin as she finished her food. It was a simple question, anyone on the table could have asked it and it wouldn’t have made a difference - but it coming from Share, tonight of all nights, made him want to shrivel up into a ball and not talk to any of them again. Not with the way he was thinking, not with how he was feeling about Share in his head, or about Funshine. He didn’t deserve to be at this table.
“Uh, to get a takeaway box, I think,” Good Luck responded with uncertainty, avoiding the looks of everyone else on the table.
“Is he not hungry?” Cheer said with concern. Funshine made his way back to the table with not one - but two take away boxes. He gave one to Good Luck and kept one for himself, putting the rest of his pizza in it. Good Luck sat and watched, wondering why. Share added onto Cheer’s concern, looking towards Funshine as she watched the same scene unfold. “Funshine, are you taking care of yourself?”
“What?” Funshine asked, not paying attention. “Yeah, of course I am! It’s impossible not to when you’ve got a sis like Cheer on your back all of the time, you can count on that.” Good Luck hoped the conversation would stop there, wanting to put his meal away when the others weren’t paying attention so as to not draw any attention to his weird behaviour. His panic grew when it looked like Share was about to go on, but Grumpy jumped in to save the day.
“Is she on your back about classes, too?” He asked.
“Duh,” Funshine replied, casting a look at Cheer. “She reminds me of due dates eeevery day. It’s been impossible to have a normal conversation with her since the start of the semester.”
“It’s nearing the end of the year, we have to finish our assignments so we have time to study for exams, you know that,” Cheer sighed, taking a sip of her drink to keep her composure. Funshine just laughed and nudged her playfully. The group laughed. All was well. Except for the aching feeling inside of Good Luck’s chest.
The group finished their meals (aside from Good Luck, who sneakily put it into a takeaway box of his own - which Funshine held for him) and walked out of the restaurant together, faces glowing with smiles and laughter as they headed out. Good Luck managed to fit himself back in, but not without the lingering feelings from the start of the night tugging at the back of his mind. He had tried to keep his eyes off of Share the whole night, but it was near impossible. It was self sabotage of sorts, but he couldn’t help it, he had to make sure he wasn’t overthinking it.
“That was great guys, thanks for hanging out,” Cheer said after the group’s laughter died down. The sun was setting now, casting a dark shadow over the world, and lighting the sky up with soft, warm colours. “I’ll see some of you around at uni tomorrow, right?”
“Sure will,” Funshine smiled cheekily, knowing full well that they spent every single class together anyway. Cheer laughed and kicked his leg, murmuring “shut up” in between her laughter. It was times like tonight that really made them feel like kids again - even though most of them hadn’t known Cheer for that long, it was nice to forget about their worries and just talk and hang out outside of school sometimes. Not that Good Luck had many worries as it was - except for the ones that were able to eat him away on nights like tonight. He sighed a breath he didn’t know he was holding and looked out into the carpark at the other cars. And soon, he had let himself trail behind the rest of the group, who were walking in pairs ahead of him. He hadn’t noticed, but Funshine took a few slower, bigger steps, letting himself fall behind next to Good Luck.
“Hey, Good Luck,” Funshine began, surprising him. “I know this is sudden, but…”
Good Luck’s heartbeat quickened. He didn’t think it was possible, but about a million thoughts ran through his mind during the gap between his last sentence and the next.
“Do you wanna hang out tonight? Like, to sleep?”
That’s all. Phew.
He thought for a few moments, about his availability, and about if it would be okay to. He’d feel guilty saying yes, after what’s been going through his mind all night… but, crush or not, Funshine was still his best friend. And if he wanted to hang out, was there any real reason for him to say no?
“Yeah! Yeah, that sounds great,” he decided. “Mine or yours…?”
“I was thinking yours - if that’s okay! Mine’s not exactly…” Funshine rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, casting a quick look at Cheer walking in front of him, “in shape right now.”
“Seriously? She’s been telling you to clean it for weeks, dude.” A genuine smile formed on Good Luck’s lips for the first time since the beginning of dinner, and his chest felt light again, like nothing ever happened.
“Hey, cleaning takes time, and as you know, I’m very busy with my studies!
“And work?” Good Luck raised an eyebrow.
“Yes! And work. You get it,” Funshine winked. They heard Cheer lightheartedly scoff from where she was walking, and they laughed, getting into Grumpy’s car after her.
–
“I’m home!” Good Luck called into his house as he unlocked the front door, with Funshine trailing behind, still carrying their two takeaway boxes in his hands. He looked around for any signs of his brother, when he came running out from his room to greet them.
“Good Luck! Funshine!”
“Hey Oopsy,” Good Luck replied to him, patting his shoulder. His brother then turned to look up at Funshine’s height, his eyes sparkling with admiration as they usually did.
“‘Sup lil’ dude,” Funshine greeted him with a toothy grin, ruffling his messy green hair.
“We’re probably gonna head straight up to my room,” Good Luck informed him, fastening the strap of his backpack on his shoulder and making his way over to the stairs with Funshine. It was already getting late, Oopsy would have eaten dinner before their mom left for her night shift, so he was sorted for the night. “You’ve got school tomorrow, so sleep early. ”
“B-but you guys are here…” Oopsy looked at them with sad eyes. It would have worked on them, too, if Good Luck didn’t already know what would happen if it did.
“Last time we let you stay up, you overslept and missed school.”
“But-!”
“Mom’s not here, so I’m in charge, remember?” Then, Good Luck softened up, knowing he shouldn’t be so harsh on his little brother. It was one of Oopsy’s common traits to make mistakes like that, and he already got enough slack about it from their mom (especially compared to Good Luck, who always happened to do everything right by accident). He probably didn’t need to hear it from his brother as well. He sighed and walked over to Oopsy, who was shuffling his feet sadly and staring at the floor, and gave him a hug. “I just want to make sure you don’t get in trouble again, ‘kay? Hey, maybe on the weekend, me, you and Funshine can go somewhere fun. As long as you get to school on time tomorrow. Deal?”
Oopsy’s eyes sparkled and he nodded his head quickly. “Deal!”
Funshine and Good Luck walked up the stairs into Good Luck’s room, shutting the door behind them and then collapsing onto Good Luck’s bed. Good Luck lay on his back and stared at the sealing for a bit as Funshine took off his shoes and sat beside him, kicking his feet restlessly.
“You hungry now?” He asked, looking down at Good Luck and holding up the boxes.
Good Luck lay and stared for a moment. Of course Funshine still had that on his mind. For a moment, he wished he could take a look into Funshine’s brain, to see just how much of it contained information about his friends that not even they thought about. Good Luck didn’t even remember he hadn’t eaten, and it wasn’t until Funshine asked that his hunger tugged at his stomach. He was relieved by it, though - it meant the feelings from before were gone, and he could eat his food without the certainty that it’d come back up again full of nerves.
“Yeah, a little bit,” Good Luck admitted, sitting up now too. Funshine passed him his box and then opened his own, with his half eaten pizza in it. The questions Good Luck had from before lingered in his mind, until he realised he could just ask. “Why’d you save yours? You’re never not hungry enough to eat all of it.”
“It didn’t feel right finishing all of mine without you,” Funshine admitted, already stuffing his mouth with his food as if he had been waiting every second to be reunited with the ham and cheese. Good Luck wondered if amongst his brain’s friend-centered thoughts were Hawaiian pizza-centered ones. “So I thought we could eat together.”
Of course you did, is what Good Luck wanted to say. Out of frustration? Affection? He wasn’t sure. But what he was sure of is that he was reeled right back into the guilty pleasure he got from being with him. Instead of saying anything, he bit his tongue and dug into his food. The two chatted casually as they ate, played some games for a few hours on Good Luck’s console, got ready for bed (Funshine had his own toothbrush at Good Luck’s because of how often they hung out), and lay in Good Luck’s room talking. Funshine was on a mattress on the floor, staring up at Good Luck on his bed as they talked the night away. Before they knew it, it was early in the AMs.
“Do you ever worry about your brother?” Good Luck asked Funshine, thinking about his own brother. The conversation had gone everywhere, from the games they played, to new food spots they could try with their friends, to talk about their family lives. Once they started, they found it hard to stop - it was easy with Funshine, to talk about anything and everything.
“Hah,” Funshine laughed. “I think he worries about me. ”
“Why?”
“He’s always asking me how I’m going and stuff. I guess ‘cus I’m in uni and he never went, he’s not got much of an idea of how it all works. Or how well I’m handling it.”
“How does your dad treat it?”
“Sort of the same… I dunno, it feels weird being the only one out of the three of us to be doing this. It’s not like I’m… smarter or anything, y’know?”
“‘Weird’ though?”
“It’s like… how did I end up being the one to go, right? You know how much I struggled in school.”
Good Luck smiled at him, recalling the memories. “Having unmedicated ADHD definitely doesn’t help in highschool.”
“You get it.”
Good Luck thought for a moment. “Do you think the medication’s been helping you with uni?” There was no immediate response this time, only a flicker of an unfamiliar emotion in Funshine’s eyes. He pondered for a moment, and then nodded, looking away.
“Yeah. I think so.”
“That’s good.”
A silence hung in the air. But it wasn’t a bad one - it was comfortable. It was like a quiet waiting period in between conversations, where they both thought of what could come next, like they could do this forever and ever.
“Did I tell you Love-A-Lot’s been coming to see my dad more often?” Funshine began, squinting his eyes with a cheeky smile. Good Luck gasped a little, matching Funshine’s enthusiasm.
“When are they going to just get together?” He joked. Funshine laughed along with him and added, “I know, right? Me and Birthday are just waiting for it. We’ve started betting.”
“Get me in on that. Surely… 3 months from now. And even that’s a stretch.”
“You’d be surprised. They’ve known each other forever, they know how to keep us waiting.”
They laughed. Everything felt okay again. The jealousy Good Luck felt earlier had completely dissipated - it didn’t matter how the others felt about him, there was nothing that could ruin nights like this where it was just them. Nothing else. No need to move, or do anything else at the same time, just talking, and talking, and talking. And then, Funshine’s laughter faded and a soft, bittersweet expression overcame him. Good Luck noticed immediately, and took the chance to ask, “you okay?” It wasn’t often Funshine let his guard down like that, especially not in their group - Good Luck was lucky to be the one to see it when it did happen, so he knew never to let it slip by him.
Funshine’s voice came out in a whisper. “I do miss my mom still.”
Good Luck’s heart ached for his best friend, and everything else in the world became unimportant to him. He got up from under his sheets and slipped off his bed, sitting up beside Funshine, urging him to do the same. Funshine avoided his eyes, struggling to feign his smile, when Good Luck quietly hugged him. “That won’t go away. But it’s a good thing.”
He heard Funshine sniffle from beside him and let go, meeting his eyes with a smile.
“Thanks.”
He wished it wasn’t weird to want to hold his best friend sometimes. Sure, there were some feelings there, but even disregarding that, he knew Funshine needed it. He was always the one hugging the others, patting their backs or nudging them in the sides. Funshine may have been good at paying attention to everyone else’s needs more than his own - but Good Luck was good at paying attention to Funshine’s needs too, and he knew that boy needed the physical affection he gave others. There was always something in the way he very slowly withdrew from Good Luck’s hugs, like he was hesitating, needing it more than he let on. Even if nothing else changed between them for years, he wished he would be able to give Funshine that peace.
Funshine yawned and let his eyes droop sleepily, tiredness sucking the life out of him in an instant, like showing that much emotion was a day’s worth of hard work for him - and Good Luck softened. “Time for bed?”
“Yeaaahhhh,” Funshine dragged, clicking his phone to check the time. “1AM’s not bad.”
“Uugh, I’m gonna be tired tomorrow,” Good Luck groaned, climbing back into his own bed and slipping under the sheets once more, letting his head hit the pillow with a thud. He wasn’t the slightest bit tired, now that he was awake. Jealousy creeped inside of him again - but this time, not at Share - at Funshine, for being able to fall asleep so quickly and so soundly.
“Worth it though, right? To spend time with me?” Funshine teased.
“Yeah, yeah, very funny,” Good Luck responded.
He yawned again. “G’night, Good Luck.”
Good Luck smiled to himself, chest warm and full. “Night, Funshine.”
Good Luck was the first one to wake up in the morning - naturally. He woke up at 7AM, as per his usual routine, and he very quietly got up from bed and put on some pants ready for his morning run. He sat back on his bed to tie his shoes and found himself getting distracted by Funshine’s sleeping presence - the way he snored every few moments, his face so peaceful in his sleep and his hair so messy. It was the only time ever that Good Luck had an excuse to stare at Funshine for so long, to admire all of the features he’d otherwise gloss over. Like the freckles covering his body, the tan lines peeking out from his shirt collar, the way his blonde hair darkened at the roots…
Good Luck felt his face flush hot when he realised just how long he’d been staring and he checked the time, realising he was a few minutes later than he’d usually be on his way out. Very carefully tip-toeing his way around Funshine, but knowing it would take a lot more than that to wake him up anyway, he made his way out of his room and slowly shut the door behind him. He hummed peacefully to himself as he stepped down the stairs, knocking on Oopsy’s door to wake him up for school on the way through, pleasantly surprised when Oopsy met him at the door after the knock.
“I slept early, like you said,” he beamed up at his older brother. Good Luck looked at him proudly and praised him, before heading out for his run. He locked the front door before realising he left both his phone and his earphones on his bedside table… all because he was too focused on Funshine to remember them. He cursed himself a bit before deciding it wasn’t worth going back to get them and he ran his usual route.
He got back at 7.30, had a shower and got changed into his clothes for the day, all whilst managing to not wake Funshine up. But it hit 8AM, and Good Luck figured he better wake Funshine up or he’d be late for his 9AM class. He was lucky that he lived within walking distance of Care-A-Lot University, but it was still a 30 minute walk within itself. Good Luck’s first lecture didn’t start until 10, so he still had plenty of time, but if it meant he could spend more time with Funshine, he wouldn’t mind walking in early.
“Funshine,” Good Luck whispered, nudging Funshine a few times but receiving no response. He sighed - Funshine was a deep sleeper. He, like Oopsy, had definitely missed a few too many classes to it. So, he raised his voice a bit and shook Funshine harder, but not hard enough to scare him awake. “Funshine. C’mon.”
“Wha-what…oh… hey Good Luck…” Funshine mumbled behind squinted eyes.
“You’re gonna be late for class, dude. Get up.”
“What…? Oh… OH.”
Funshine shot up in an instant, his eyes wide as he scrambled for his phone to check the time. Good Luck laughed lightly and put his hands on Funshine’s shoulders. “Chill out, dude, you have an hour. You’re good.”
“You did not have to scare me like that,” Funshine breathed.
“Haha, sorry.”
He ran his fingers through his hair and realised how messy and tangled it got in his sleep. Rubbing his eyes sleepily, he turned to Good Luck and asked, “is it cool if I use your shower?”
“Is it cool if I use your shower? ”
Good Luck had used Funshine’s dorm shower when he stayed over - because he had a routine, and he needed to maintain it no matter what. But Funshine had never used his before. He felt heat threatening to rush to his face but he shoved it down, realising it’s not that big of a deal at all, and that he was being silly over nothing. There’s no reason to get so fired up at the idea of your crush showering in your shower, no. Especially not when you’ve already dealt with that dilemma plenty of stories ago. Stop being silly, Good Luck. Stop it.
“Yeah man,” Good Luck replied coolly. “Just be careful with the taps, mine are sensitive.”
“Gotcha,” Funshine clicked his fingers and guided himself to the shower.
Good Luck sat on his bed in silence as he heard the water start running through the pipes, his mind stuck on the fact. But he had stuff to do. He should have probably plugged in his earphones to help move the process along, but the distant sound of the running water was oddly comforting to him - like Funshine’s presence was still felt to him, even if he was on the other side of the house. He listened to it like it was music as he folded Funshine’s blankets and shoved the mattress back under his bed. He prepared his bag for the day, and then sat on his bed, and continued listening to the high shrill of the water until it suddenly stopped. Which meant he was done. Which meant he was getting out… which meant…
funshine😎: hey so
funshine😎: major awkward
funshine😎: do u have any clean clothes i can borrow
Good Luck’s face flushed and he tried to shake it off, typing back with one hand as he began to sift through the clothes in his closet and drawers.
Good Lucky🍀: YEAHALL Good
He almost hit himself in the face when he looked over at the message he had half-attentively typed and sent.
Good Lucky🍀: sorry caps idk why it did that
Good Lucky🍀: i’ll come hand you them :)
Funshine wasn’t that much taller than him, luckily, so that wasn’t a problem. But he did wear much lighter coloured clothes than him, so he figured anything he gave Funshine would look a little… off on him. Still, he tried and picked the lightest he could - a gray t-shirt and some faded blue jeans. Definitely not as full of personality as what he normally wore… but it’d be alright, he asked for it, right? He wouldn’t make a fuss. Good Luck was overthinking this. As usual. Stop. It.
He rushed down to the bathroom and knocked on the door a few times, waiting for Funshine to open it up a crack to grab the clothes from him, but was pleasantly surprised when he basically opened the door all the way, greeting Good Luck with nothing but a towel around his waist as if it was no big deal. Good Luck stood, stunned for just a moment, knocked out of it when Funshine took the clothes from his arm and gave him a casual smile and “thanks” before shutting the door again.
Good Luck wanted to scream.
–
They talked casually on the walk to uni. As planned, Good Luck went in early with him, just to accompany him on the walk - he would have been rude not to. Granted, he would have enjoyed the alone time to scream about what he had seen in the bathroom, but alas. They enjoyed walking and talking so much that by the time they got there, there was only a good 8 minutes before Funshine’s lecture started.
“I don’t mind being late,” he had said breathlessly as their leisurely walk turned into a fast jog. “It’s the lecture I’ll get from Cheer that’ll kill me.” Good Luck had laughed and they had continued on through, arriving at the gates, stopping to catch their breaths. Good Luck leaned one arm against the fence and Funshine basically collapsed onto him, leaning into his side, breathing heavily. Once their breaths were caught, they laughed a little, interrupted by a familiar voice sounding from behind them.
“Hi, you two!” Share beamed at them, holding her bag in her hand, her long eyelashes fluttering as she blinked and observed their situation. She tilted her head, asking, “did you both run here?”
“Indeed we did,” Funshine said, checking his phone for the time. “I’m nearly late. I gotta bounce. I’ll talk to you guys later, yeah?” Both Share and Good Luck mumbled their agreements before Share stopped him.
“Wait, what are you wearing?” She asked. “I’ve never seen you in those!”
“They’re Good Luck’s,” Funshine replied quickly, with a bright smile, still trying to step away from them. “I slept at his - I really gotta go - later, dudes!”
And with that, he ran. Share and Good Luck stood in silence, watching as he skipped the elevators and ran up the stairs, disappearing into the distance of the university floors. After he was gone, they shared a look and laughed a little.
“That boy is always doing something, isn’t he?” Share said to Good Luck, turning to face him with admiration in her eyes. The look of it sent prickles down Good Luck’s skin, and as much as he tried to push it away for the moment - it wouldn’t. Looking at Share made him feel small and insignificant all over again. The way her wavy hair fell perfectly on her shoulders, her bright blue eyes shone with kindness, her voice spoke with a gentleness only she could maintain - it was hopeless.
Then, he got a notification.
[Messenger]
funshine😎: thx for letting me stay at urs + borrow ur clothes. ur the best!!! ttyl, lunch?