Long Distance.

“I didn’t dress for wind!” Andrew complains loudly as he steps carefully down the plane stairs. Daniel rolls his eyes at him as he follows him, Jack and Alex a few steps behind.

“At least it isn’t raining!” Jack hollers after him, clinging to Alex for dear life.

Alex looks up to the sky dubiously and sees the crowd of gray clouds that are rolling in a little too fast for his liking.

“Don’t speak too soon.”

Baggage claim actually resembles the inner pits of Hell, to Daniel. He ends up nearest the conveyor belt that threatens to drag him along, and so has to salvage everyone’s stuff. Alex and Jack’s monstrous excuse for a suitcase is easiest to find -considering it’s bright blue- and his comes next. He stands around for a few more minutes, before deciding to force Andrew to replace him.

Andrew reappears about five minutes later, suitcase in hand.

“To the hotel!”

Daniel rolls his eyes again and leads everyone in the direction of the sign that says ‘Exit’ (or something of the sort) in Welsh.

“Okay, we need a cab; I’m not walking to this hotel.” Jack pouts. Alex laughs at him and slips an arm around his waist.

*

Andrew’s making a fine mess of unpacking when Daniel decides it’s about time he calls Aled’s mom to tell her they’re here.

“Andrew! Shush!” Daniel demands as the phone starts to ring.

“Hello?”

“Hey, it’s Daniel. We’re here.”

“Great! I’ll come by and pick you up in twenty minutes or so, and I’ll drop you off at Aled’s apartment.”

“Okay, see you soon.”

As soon as Daniel hangs up, Andrew begins rummaging once again.

“Andrew, we leave here in twenty minutes. Hurry up and find whatever it is you’re looking for.” Daniel says, and seeing the panic in Andrew’s eyes, stands and leaves, heading across the corridor to Alex and Jack’s room.

He knocks loudly, and waits a few moments before the door opens.

“We’re going over to Aled’s in twenty minutes.” He says as he walks inside.

Alex nods, tapping Jack -who’s currently face first in a collection of clothes- and telling him.

“Andrew’s already managed to make a mess, by the way.” Daniel frowns, “The entire contents of his bags are all over the floor.”

“Welcome to every day of my life.” Alex laughs, glancing at Jack and then gesturing at the mountains of clothes and other paraphernalia that lay scattered around the room.

A muffled ‘Hey!’ comes from Jack, and he emerges finally from the clothes he was hunting through.

“Found it.” he says victoriously, pulling on a hoodie, “But I came face to face with these along the way.”

He waves a pair of turquoise boxers in Alex’s face, before throwing them at him. Alex turns bright red and swiftly throws them across the room.

Daniel stares at him for a second, before shuddering.

The door swings open and Andrew’s standing there, dressed like he’s in the Arctic Circle -three hoodies, scarf and gloves.

“We’re in Wales, you idiot.” Jack says, holding back a laugh, “Where’d you even get a scarf from?”

Andrew shrugs as the other three stand, and he holds the door open for them.

*

“So… You’re Daniel, right?” Ms Phillips asks awkwardly as she drives the four of them to wherever it is that Aled lives.

“Yeah, and that’s Alex, Jack and Andrew.” Daniel replies, gesturing into the back seat at the three of them. Jack looks less than impressed at being squashed between his scared-of-the-wind best friend and his boyfriend.

“You’re all Aled’s age, then?”

“Most of us are. Alex is nineteen, though.”

She nods warily, concentrating for a few moments on the road.

“So were you, like, his best friends when he was over?”

“Yeah. Well, if I’m honest, I was dating him for one of the months he was there, and then for six months after.”

“I see.” She replies, pulling the car into a parking space beside a giant set of high-rise flats.

“Second floor, room 26. You’ll know you’re there when you can hear arguing outside.” She explains with a slight smile, “Ring me and let me know what happens.”

Daniel nods, clambering out of the car and attempting to help pull Andrew out.

“Okay, so that hurt.” Alex complains, rolling his shoulders in an attempt to regain movement.

Daniel rolls his eyes and heads for the door that leads to the foyer of the apartment block.

They find Aled’s place eventually, after ten minutes of muddling around in elevators and trying to follow less-than detailed maps.

“This must be it.” Andrew concludes, fixing his eyes on the mailbox, beside the door, that has ‘Phillips/Shay/Franceschi’ written on it.

Daniel knocks hesitantly on the door, and steps back as he hears someone shouting from the other side.

“I’ll get the door too, I guess, since I do everything else in this bloody flat!”

The door swings open suddenly and a very angry Aled appears on the other side.

Whatever he was going to say leaves his mind and it looks a lot like his voice has failed him.

“Uh… Hey.” He says awkwardly, suddenly finding the strand of his hoodie remarkably fun to play with.

“Hey.” Daniel says quietly, “Long time no contact.”

“Yeah.” Aled says weakly, “Uh, come in, I guess.”

He opens the door wide and heads down the hallway for the stairs.

“I’ll be right back. I don’t trust the flatmates not to walk downstairs naked.” He says, sounding a little bit annoyed.

He climbs a few stairs and decides his best bet is shouting.

“Shay! Josh! If you’re gonna come down, put some pants on at the least!”

He walks back into the sitting room and silently tells the other four to sit down.

“So…” He says quietly, “What brings you over here?”

“Your mom, actually.” Alex says, and Jack wants to slap him for his lack of tact, “She was really worried about you.”

“Mhm?” Aled makes a noise from the back of his throat, pretending to care. There’s a few thuds from down the stairs and a figure in an oversized hoodie and gray boxers appears.

“Shay, just because I said pants doesn’t mean you can wear Josh’s.” Aled laughs weakly. Shay grumbles something under his breath and shuffles through the room to the kitchen.

“Excuse my beast of a flatmate.” Aled sighs once he’s gone, “I’ve tried to train him, but it’s not worked.”

Alex laughs a little, but Shay sticks his head around the door from the kitchen.

“Al, you do know it’s twelve thirty, don’t you?” Shay asks, taking another sip from the coffee cup in his hand.

Aled’s eyes widen.

“It is? Shit! I’m gonna be late for work!” He immediately stands and runs past Shay into the kitchen, grabbing his uniform and running back into the sitting room.

“Shay, look after them!” He orders, before quickly turning to the guests, “And take my advice; don’t eat anything he cooks.”

And as soon as he’s finished talking, he’s gone.

Shay looks at them from the doorway and sighs.

“Let me go get dressed and get Josh out of bed and I’ll take you for coffee or something.”