I'm Gonna Die Before I Fold.

"So, are you coming?"

"Uh.. Sorry, what?" Ian looked up at Aled, tearing his gaze away from Sean. Sean was sat across the room, slumped over his desk awkwardly. His artwork lay crumpled beneath him, and he made no effort to straighten it or himself out. Sleeping, it looked like.

"God, Ian! Have you been listening to a word I've said?" Ian shook his head glumly, looking down at his sketchbook. The page was blank. It taunted him. Sean and Ian had been separated in Art and Design a few weeks back, due to their incessant chatter. And ever since, Ian found it hard to concentrate on his coursework. The pages stayed blank.

"No, sorry.." He glanced back over at Sean, who had woken up a little and was now leaning on his elbow, blonde hair hanging down over his hand. Ian could see a tiny glimpse of Sean's face. He looked tired, sad, lonely.

Aled followed Ian's gaze, looking over at Sean. "Okay, Ian. What's going on with you and Sean? Dish." Ian groaned, looking down his book again. Aled got up from his seat and sat on Ian's desk, blocking his view of Sean. "Ian."

"Aled, piss off."

"No. Not until you tell me what's happened. I am your friend and I have a right to know. I want to help."

Ian folded his arms, resting his head in the little niche between them. "It's nothing, I guess. It's just.. Well.. On Friday night, Sean stayed over mine. And we haven't spoken properly since Saturday morning." Ian looked up at Aled.

"And?" Aled frowned, giving a slight gesture with his hand, indicating for Ian to keep talking.

"We uh.. Um."

"I don't se- oh." Realisation spread across Aled's face, and he hopped down off the desk, pulling a chair to beside Ian. "Ian, you need to talk to him about this. You sure he was.. Ready?"

"He said he was.. But now, I'm not so sure. He's been really distant with me."

"The first time me and Gus.." Aled cleared his throat, his cheeks burning bright red. Ian chuckled softly, finding Aled's awkward embarrassment mildly amusing. "We stopped speaking for about a week. It was like.. Really awkward around him. Y'know? Then one day, out of the blue, he came up to me and threw his arms around me like he hadn't seen me in 6 months. I asked him why, and he simply said "If I can't be around you after, then there's no point being around you before." And I've still got no idea what the fuck he was talking about."

Ian laughed again, sitting up a little straight. He didn't know much about Aled and Gus' realtionship. Only that they'd been together for a long time. And they'd been through a lot together. They'd had their fair share of arguments, moments and they'd all the stereotypical bullshit. Y'know.

And through all that, they stuck it out. And this worried Ian, ever so slightly. What if him and Sean couldn't get through this? What if Sean wasn't ready for what happened on Friday? Ian was. He knew he was. But Sean? It's not like, he pressured Sean into it. He did ask. But what if Sean had lied? Ian's mind reeled, his head spinning with all the possibilities.

"Maybe, because you've been that intimate with him, you should see what it's like being with him a little less and then decide where you go from there. Maybe he's, I don't know, testing you, in a way. Y'know, to see if you really want to be with him."

"Oh.. Okay." Ian pondered, glancing back over at Sean again.

"Which reminds me.. As I was saying earlier. There's a this party thing at mine tonight. You should come. All the guys are coming. And I'll get Sean to come too."

"I'll be there." Ian could never turn down a party invite, no matter what the circumstances were. He was one for a good laugh. Maybe he could get Sean to enjoy himself and talk to him at the same time.

"Good!"

"Thanks, Aled. Really." Ian smiled as Aled dragged his chair back to his desk, scraping it across the floor. It squeaked loudly and a few people groaned in protest.

"It's cool. Just, sort things out between you and him. It's really not worth all the stress."