Just Think Happy Thoughts

…and as the fragments of my skull begin to fall…fall on your tongue like pixie dust, just think happy thoughts…

It was five minutes before sun up, and Tony’s ring tone had woken him. Well, sort of. Unable to pry his eyes open, he let one arm dangle half-heartedly towards the floor and fumble in his jeans for his cell phone. He silently vowed bloody vengeance on whoever was calling that early as he brought it to his ear. “Hullo?”

”Omigod, Tony! Why haven’t any of you called yet, we’re worried SICK here!”

Tony groaned into his pillow. “Mom, can’t this wait until a reasonable hour?”

“No, I have to check in now,” Mrs. Iero squealed down the line. “Your father actually took away my phone, can you believe that?! I had to band together with Gerard and beg Toro to let us use his!” In the background, he could faintly hear Uncle Gee whimpering, “Ask him if Elena’s OK!”

“Mom…I’m only going to tell this to all our parental units as a collective once: WE ARE FINE. If anything bad happens, you’ll be the first ones we call, trust me. Last night we ran into Marty Stump while we made a pit stop in Chicago, and we crashed at his place for the night. We took in a show while we’re here, and we didn’t get back in until very late last night, so it would be just grand if you’d hang up the phone and just let us sleep. Please?” The last word came out sounding a little desperate, as sleep wanted to get him back in its clutches as soon as possible.

There was a long pregnant pause before Jamia finally coughed up an, “…oh.” The line went silent, and Tony chucked the phone as hard as he could in his exhausted state across the room. He rolled over and elbowed the lump next to him that he remembered to be Manny. “Dude, when we get home, I’m kicking your dad’s ass for letting my mom use his phone…”

.~

Five hours later, mostly refreshed and ready to get a jump on the day, Tony rolled out of bed and stretched, yawning hard. He turned to look at his bedmates before he headed for the shower, but what he saw made him double-take. Manny had wiggled down against Danny during the night and was using his shoulder as a pillow, one arm wrapped around him. It was too much; it had to be recorded for blackmail purposes. With a chuckle, he grabbed his cell from the floor and snapped a quick picture. “That’s too cute, guys, the moms are gonna love this shot…”

His words prompted Manny to groggily blink himself awake. “What the fuck are you talking about, T?” he grumbled, reaching up to scratch his scalp.

“See for yourself, Cuddle Bunny.” Tony folded his arms and smirked, barely able to contain his mirth.

Manny followed his line of sight over to Dan’s still-unconscious form, his mind moving too slowly to process it. But once it did…

“EWWWWWWWWWW!” Manny whisper-screamed, throwing himself out of the bed. “I slept cuddled next to a gay! Ewewewewewewewew!” He shook his hands and rubbed at his forearms as though he was feeling dirty.

“Oh come off it, Toro, it’s not like gay’s contagious.” Tony rolled his eyes and headed for the door. “Besides, what if D had woken up and heard what you’d just said?”

“Pfft, he wouldn’t have, you know Danny sleeps like a rock.” Manny followed him out, shutting the door behind him. His statement had been wrong, however; Daniel was, in fact, awake. And was feeling rather awkward and badly about himself right about then.

”Aw, c’mon, sugarpop, come in the water already!” Tony yelled from the edge of the public pool, treading the water lightly as he held onto the side.

Elena, however, just continued to sit under her beach umbrella, wearing an oversized shirt, sunglasses, and a frown. “For the umpteenth time, I do not do sunlight,” she grumbled, holding her pale knees to her chest.

“You’re such a daddy’s girl, E. Way,” Danny chuckled, splashing some of the water in her direction.

“Yeah, a little UV won’t kill you, Vampy.” Manny ducked under the surface briefly, his fro hanging limp around his face when he came back up.

“To hell with all of you! I hope you all get melanoma and look like leather handbags by the time you hit college!”

“Now I’m sure you don’t mean that, sugarpop. You’re our friend; we just want you to come have fun with us.” Tony batted his eyes at her pitifully. “Please? Just this once?”

As usual, it was all it took to break down her defenses. Elena sighed, “Fine…but just this once, and I’m coating myself in the whole bottle of sunscreen first.” Her shirt came off, and the three boys felt their eyes widen in reflex at her black bikini-clad form. It had been a while since any of them had seen her in a swimsuit, and she’d…developed a bit since then.

“Hey, T?”

“Yeah?”

“When did Elena growthose?”

“I’m not sure…I wish I’d been paying more attention…”

“It sort of makes sense,” Danny added with a nod. “Haven’t you noticed Aunt Lindsay’s set? Genetics have been good to the scrunchkin.”

“Oh, you speak the truth, brother.” Tony got a far-off look in his eye as he got lost in thought. “You can hardly blame Uncle Gee for marrying her after only a month. That backbend…”

Manny chuckled and shoved him. “That’s creepy, dude, you’re talking aboutAunt Lindsay! She used to change your diapers!”

“Oh, shut up, Toro, like you’ve never considered it.” Tony smirked and shoved back.

“Well maybe once, but I didn’t drool when I was pondering it!”

A short whistle blow caught their attention. “No roughhousing, you two.”

Danny looked over his shoulder at the lifeguard tower, trying desperately to hide his blush. Jarrod was on duty…

The others knew that Danny came to the pool a lot without them, nearly every other day. What they weren’t aware of was the reason he came. It would’ve been too awkward a conversation to explain that he spent all those hot, chlorine-scented afternoons swimming lengths back and forth to be near Jarrod the lifeguard. He dreaded anyone knowing that his stomach twisted into knots when he saw those long, tan legs or that bright warm smile, that his heart ached to reach out and touch that perfect sunshine-tinted hair that framed his face. Hell, he even adored the smudge of white zinc oxide on his nose, offset by the tiny brown freckles surrounding it.

He’d never tell anyone. Especially his friends.

Yet somehow, they’d found out. Had he gotten obvious? Had they always known and were afraid to say anything? Danny reached down to where his friend’s thin arm had been wrapped around him, letting a tear escape as he felt the residual warmth.

It was his worst fear: his friends knew, and they were disgusted.