Before he knew it, Wednesday was here, and Sebastian was finally eighteen years old. He hadn’t heard from his parents since Monday night and they still hadn’t figured out what the artefact wanted, but it was his birthday and Seb just wanted to forget all of that. Edmund and Luke were both very happy to be celebrating today with him so he forced his mind to concentrate on their conversation.

It was a little difficult since they’d chosen to talk about woodworking of all things. Something that Sebastian knew jack shit about but apparently Luke and Edmund had in common. Seb wondered why Luke had chosen Home Economics instead of Woodshop but he didn’t have time to ask before they arrived at the bowling alley.

The three of them had thankfully all fit into the singular big seat in the front of the pickup, so they didn’t have to have one of them ride in the back. When they all got out, Sebastian realised that it was a lot colder since he wasn’t sitting between the two boys, but as they walked towards the front doors, Edmund casually hung his arm over Seb’s shoulders while Luke walked a little ahead of them animatedly explaining the different ways of preserving wood furnishings.

There was something about that moment where it was just the three of them relaxing that made his heartache. Sebastian couldn’t explain what it was but he wanted to keep things just this way. Peaceful, happy and safe.

“What do you guys want to eat? I’ll get the food while you pick a lane,” Edmund offered.

“I’m not sure what I have money for,” Luke answered.

Ed shook his head. “Nonsense. This is a party. I’m paying for the food so just tell me what you want, kay?”

“I- Are you sure?”

“There’s no sense in arguing, he’s stubborn as a wine stain,” Seb stage whispered.

Edmund made a sound of protest and Luke giggled. “Alright. Thank you. Um, do they have nuggets?”

“They do! And the sauce that comes with it is incredible,” Ed declared.

“Okay, I’ll have that. And can I get a milkshake?”

“Bubble-gum, chocolate, strawberry or vanilla?”

“Vanilla.”

Edmund grinned. “See, Seb, I told you I’m not the only one who likes vanilla.”

Sebastian rolled his eyes fondly. “Kay, you two can have the vanilla, just don’t make me share my bubble-gum milkshake.”

“No promises,” Ed replied before rushing off to the food counter.

Seb gapped after him and Luke began to full-on laugh. Sebastian looked at the younger lad with a smile.

“Glad to see you two are getting along at least.”

Luke smiled shyly. “He’s nice. You both are. Thanks again for inviting me to hang out today.”

“Of course. I’m glad you could make it considering how tough it usually is for us to meet up outside of classes.”

“To be honest, my dad thinks we’re studying.”

“Oh?”

“Sorry for using you as an excuse-”

“Luke, I’m happy you could come. I know your dad’s really strict, and what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

“Thanks.”

Luke relaxed and nodded. Sebastian wasn’t fully aware of what Luke’s home life was like but the bits and pieces he knew made him a little worried for the lad. When they had been assigned a class project earlier that year, it was hard for Luke to get his father’s permission to leave the house, and that was for school stuff. He wasn’t allowed to have anyone over at his place either though, so eventually, he was able to get some small freedoms.

While it wasn’t a good thing to be lying to your parents, Sebastian felt a little relieved that Luke was able to get away from what seemed to be a tough situation. Besides, the boy was fourteen and incredibly responsible, he deserved his freedom. He really deserved to be happy. So, Seb resolved to make this the most fun afternoon that he could, starting with bowling.

They got a lane and Edmund soon returned with a mountain of food to share, including plenty of nuggets. They played a couple rounds, ate their food and joked around, any worries they had completely forgotten for the moment. After the food was finished, they also made use of the arcade. They didn’t win many tickets but were able to get themselves a bit of candy each with their winnings.

“That was an awesome party if I do say so myself. Thanks for doing this with me, guys,” Sebastian said when they’d finally decided to leave the bowling alley.

Luke grinned. “Thank you for inviting me. That was the most fun I’ve had in forever.”

“We should do this again, before the next person’s birthday,” Ed added.

“I’d be up for that,” Luke started, but before he could say anything else, he was grabbed by the arm.

Sebastian moved without thinking to get the grabber off of Luke, only to be shoved backwards harshly. That was when he noticed who it was.

“Hey, let him go, Troy,” Edmund exclaimed as he moved to defend Luke and Seb from the group of seniors.

Troy, Mark and Reggie were a trio of terrors. Although they didn’t make too much trouble for most students, there were kids, including Luke, who often fell victim to their bullying.

“Fuck off, Kingsley. This doesn’t concern you or your little boyfriend,” Troy snapped, Mark and Reggie nodded behind him in agreement and Luke whimpered from how tight the teen’s grip was becoming around his arm.

Sebastian could practically see the anger rolling off of Edmund right now. He felt rather angry with the situation too. But he didn’t expect what happened next.

“Let. Him. Go,” Ed growled, punctuating every word with a step forward.

Suddenly, Troy and company didn’t look so confident anymore. Troy dropped Luke and backed away. His eyes glowing yellow.

Wait- what the fuck? When had his eyes become yellow? Mark and Reggie’s were too. Yellow, glowing, and full of absolute fear before they made a break for it. Sebastian moved to help Luke off the ground then, but the younger teen was staring at Edmund, which caused Seb to glace at him as well.

His eyes were bright blue.

Shit.