When Happily Ever After Fails

"What the hell are you doing?" Ricky shouted as he watched Tucker shove some blackened object he could only assume was food into his mouth. There were several other extra-crispy tidbits scattered around on the coffee table in front of him that were giving off a particularly offensive odor. "What are you eating?"

"Chinken," Tucker replied with bits of charred meat falling out of his opening mouth. Scrunching up his nose, Ricky backed away from his friend and headed into the kitchen where he noticed two take-out containers filled with the chicken Tucker was eating. As he gagged as the overwhelming scent hit him square in the nostril again, he noticed that he was not alone in the kitchen.

Sighing, Ricky did his best to avoid looking at the three people situated around the kitchen table. Anger prickled just beneath the surface of his tired exterior, but he couldn't remember why. It occurred to him with a bang that those numbers didn't add up. Tucker in the living room; himself standing by the counter; and three people sitting at the table, staring at him. He easily recognized Brad and Danny, but the third face he couldn't put a name to.

As the three watched him intently, Ricky couldn't help but shift around uncomfortably. He was inclined to ask who the third man was, but opted not to in favor of not seeming ignorant. The man's eyes followed him unwaveringly as he sat down next to Danny.

"The performance you guys gave last night was... unorthodox, but good none the less," the man said with a touch of laughter in his voice.

"Well, we live to please," Ricky muttered angrily. Brad's eyes widened and he rushed out an apology while dragging Ricky out of the room. Anger boiled in the pit of his stomach as he heard Danny try to explain away his behavior with what he classified as a bad break up. "I wasn't dating the prick!" Ricky shouted over his shoulder as Brad shoved him out of the room.

He flopped down on the couch and crossed his arms is a huff. Raising an eyebrow at him, Tucker gave him a toothy grin filled with bits of half chewed meat. When Ricky grimaced at the sight, Tucker only started to laugh and offered him some of the chicken still left on his plate.

"Why the hell did you guys order that? It smells fuckin' nasty!" Ricky asked while recoiling from the putrid stench. Tucker examined the food as if it's horrid scent had only just 'occurred to him.

"Well, we ordered it from this place that-"

"You paid for something that smelled like that?!" Ricky practically shouted.

"Yes! We're celebrating! That man in there that you beaked actually runs a bar downtown. He liked our style and wants us to play some of our stuff, not just cover other people's songs! Sometime next week..."

"And you thought this worth of ordering food that smells like death? I mean, at least order pizza... at least then I'd be sure it was edible..." Ricky said with a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. A scowl graced Tuckers features and in a split second a piece of chicken had hit him square in the chest. "Did you honestly just throw chicken at me?"

The two started flinging anything they could get their hands on at one another and before long were sitting together on the floor; laughing so hard that they were leaning against one another. Tucker would have thought the moment a happy one had he not noticed that Ricky was no longer shaking with laughter, but was genuinely upset.

Tucker slid an arm around his friend and flashed a smile at him that took on more of the tones of a grimace. Wiping the tears that were threatening to fall, Ricky leaned his head against the couch and choked out a fake laugh.

"I don't even understand why I'm upset. I'm not gay..." Ricky sighed in exasperation. His eyes darted around the room; as if in an attempt to find the answer written inn the wall. It was almost amusing to watch, almost everyone could see the writing on the wall except for Ricky.

"Well you aren't exactly strait either, so what are you?" Tucker asked jokingly. By the undercurrent in his tone, Ricky could tell that Tucker wanted a serious answer. He forced out another bitter laugh before looking Tucker in the eye and smiling sadly.

"Complicated."