New York City

Ris couldn't really say that he was looking forward the party, despite having most of his and Samuel's friends in the apartment. It was one of Samuel's friend's; more specifically, Samuel's boyfriend Jamie, that he didn't want around. But he couldn't just tell his unrequited crush to not bring his boyfriend, so he settled for drinking until the thought of Jamie didn't make him want to punch the wall and lose their precious security deposit.

He clung to the kitchen, where they'd settled a keg below the island counter after Ris got his big burly Russian coworker Lexei to haul it up here. He knew that his friends would want him to do a keg stand later, but he'd held off for now. He shrugged off his coat and promised he wouldn't pour himself a third glass of whiskey before ten o'clock, and stood in the kitchen sipping on his second glass and willing the clock to tip past nine thirty. There was only so much whiskey left in his glass, and soon Samuel would be coming after him wondering how much he already had to drink.

Ris made his way to the balcony when the clock hit ten, carrying a third glass with a stronger whiskey and a cigarette tucked between his lips waiting to be lit once he hit the balcony doors. This was his usual spot when he needed air, and the party thickened the longer it went on, so he felt trapped in the room. There were many parties were he welcomed the entrapment, downing liquor like water in a desert and dancing in the throngs of people who certainly didn't deserve to trash their place with the rent they didn't pay. He lit the cigarette once his elbows hit the balcony railing, unfurling a puff of smoke, and downed half the glass and managed to keep the sour look off his face. He notices Samuel breaking away from the party, and he turns his back again, watching the bustling traffic of New York.

Ris waved his glass at his roommate the moment he said his greeting and leaned against the balcony. He couldn't help but flick his eyes across Sam's outfit, admiring his frame but wondering what Sam's boyfriend had to say to get him to wear the blazer. The amount of control Jamie had over him wasn't something Ris enjoyed, but he couldn't step in and tell them what was wrong with their relationship. He never got drunk enough to let any thoughts about who Sam should be with past boozy lips and ruin his friendship with Sam forever.

Ris smirked, eyes focused on the beer and not the lips they were about to touch. The whiskey he'd already drank was starting to move through his system, already loosening the filter he placed on strict control of his scattered mind. Another drag of smoke, moving into the air like the dancers they'd left inside. "When Lexei around, there never enough beer," Ris replies, turning in a similar fashion to his roommate with his back against the railing and finding the Russian mentioned already ten seconds into a keg stand.

His eyes also found Sam's boyfriend once again. He kept a scowl from his face, a more neutral expression coming over as he took another drag of the cancer stick in his hand. "How's boyfriend? Seems to have good time," Ris offers in an innocent comment, finishing off the glass in his hand and mentally preparing himself to cut off any lengthy conversation about Jamie with an excuse to get another drink. It wasn't like he didn't want Sam to be happy or be in a relationship, but with the fights he wasn't supposed to see and yelling he wasn't supposed to hear, it didn't seem like Sam was all too happy. He wanted to support Sam and listen to his problems but on nights like this, when him and Jamie were at least acting fine, his chest hurt a little to much to be a tentative ear.

Before he left Hungary, parties were a must. Without the restricting rules of twenty-one for drinking, his parents held massive parties out in their yard, very similar to the one they were holding now. That was probably the reason he liked to keep their apartment in the midst of a party, to remember them and all the fun they threaded through their life. At first, being in America, he was scared and missed the community. Thankfully, the boys at the bakery, and the community that came from their friends, he didn't feel so alone anymore. And without their help, he wouldn't have found a cute artist looking for a roommate in an apartment he never expected to afford.

The cute artist that had an unfortunately attractive boyfriend. But tonight, Sam doesn't seem to want to talk about him either. "Jamie good talker. But sometimes talk too much. No offense, Sam," Ris replies, laughing softly. His father used to say that people who are always talking usually don't have anything important to say. He couldn't deny the fact that Jamie was a highly successful man, but from the moment they met, Ris and Jamie weren't exactly friends. Maybe Jamie could sense the feelings Ris had for Sam.

He sighs at Sam's question, taking one last hit of the cigarette before extinguishing it against the balcony. "Good party. Just... long week." Ris answers half-heartedly, swirling his empty glass in his hand and wanting to grab the bottle the next time he came out. It was getting close to the second anniversary of his parents' passing, and their best barista at the bakery was leaving, forcing the manager to place Ris on coffee duty as well. But, that was no excuse to bring Sam down with his own problems. "All more reason to have fun, yes?" Ris jokes, moving back towards the party, if only to grab another drink. He turns back to Sam with a smile, "Don't let talky boy get you down. This your party, enjoy it."

Sometimes Ris wondered if Sam knew just how much he affected him. Just Sam's smile alone could improve his mood, which didn't sound like a healthy feeling to have for someone he couldn't have. This would be the same time he would wonder if he should just give up on this hopeless pining. He and Alexei had talked once; the burly baker, and the owner's son, had openly confessed his attraction for Ris as the main reason he got Ris the job at the bakery. He wasn't sure what kind of feelings he had for Lexei, but he did know that he was tired of the dull ache in his chest from watching Sam be so happy.

And for a moment, as Sam turned back to look towards the skyline outside their apartment, Ris wanted to go back and pour out all the emotions he'd been feeling in the past week. There were so many things to say that cemented his feet to the floor the moment he thought about actually saying him. The only thing that made him leave was a nudge against his shoulder, which was Jamie brushing past him. Ris lets the whiskey moving through his system urge a glare in Jamie's direction, and moves back into the party, eyes moving toward the kitchen full of his coworkers.

A loud shout roars across the tiny kitchen as the Russians notice him coming. He pulls a smirk and declares strongly, "I do keg stand now. Beat everyone." A crowd starts to form in the kitchen as Lexei moves over to help Ris with the keg. There is a collective shout of each number as Ris gulps down the beer from the keg, horribly nasty but very cheap. Each number helped him forget of the boy against the railing, and his boyfriend who wasn't leaving anytime soon. He bangs on the keg when he can't take anymore, and he got just enough gulps down to pass the longest time at the party.

Then he decides to be stupid. Being stupid wasn't new to drunk Ris, but stomping over and pulling Lexei's face to his was definitely new. A holler rang in his ears but it all quieted, like he couldn't hear anything but his heart beating wildly. Lexei's eyes are wide and surprised when Ris pulls away, but he moves back in because he could forget about Sam when his lips were pressed against someone else's.

It was nice to forget. But the moment passes, as he glances over to Sam still out on the balcony, because he swore he saw Sam's face fall. But there was that grin again, the one that made a home in Sam's features which looked wrong without it. There wasn't much time to dwell on this information before a muscled arm landed on his shoulders and Lexei's alcohol breath was hot in his ear. "Full of surprises, Andris." Lexei says with a laugh, and Ris laughs back because he hadn't really expected himself to do that either.

Plus, the alcohol was getting to him now. Whiskey took a minute to settle in his stomach but once it did he was giggly and hanging onto Lexei like dripping wet clothes. It wasn't until his eyes roamed back to the balcony and noticed the yelling between Sam and Jamie that his mind took hold and stopped the little spin the room was starting to have. He couldn't tear his eyes away from how upset Sam looked and even glared as Jamie stormed out of the party.

Ris gingerly made his way from the party back out to the balcony, giving Sam time to realize he was out here. "Sorry if intruding, but I came see if you're okay?" Ris calls in a soft voice, still obviously drunk but making an effort to at least be coherent and able to listen if Sam needed him. He hesitantly moves toward the balcony, standing close but not yet touching or comforting Sam physically. "You there for me when I need you, I be here for you too." Ris replies again, smiling stupidly at Sam. His eyes catch the skyline and he turns his gaze to it, letting Sam take his time in answering. All the lights were beautiful, it was such a gift to live in a city that never sleeps, because it never stopped being beautiful.

Ris shakes his head. This was the biggest issue he had with Jamie, how he could make Sam feel this way. He hadn't been in a long-term relationship like them, but he knew that people were supposed to be happy with their significant other. And the way Sam's face was ready to break into tears, that was not happy.

"Sam," Ris says purposefully, placing his hands on each side of Sam's face so that the other boy would look at him, faces mere centimeters apart from each other. His eyes flicker to Sam's lips, but that it the last time they stray from the pair of eyes in front of him. "You deserve happy. You deserve love. You deserve affection. Someone buy you flowers and make you wanted." He knew he was skipping words and his English was failing him, but he was determined to push through and give Sam some kind of comfort. The alcohol that was heavy and sweet on his breath wished to give him a different kind of comfort, but there was the restraint that told him that Sam would never want that comfort, even without Jamie.

"No more crying, pretty face. Next time be different. Találjon valakit, aki tényleg szeret téged." Find someone that really loves you. Unless Sam was suddenly taking Hungarian classes at university, Ris knew he wouldn't understand his last words, and maybe that was a good thing. Ris lets his thumbs rub against Sam's cheeks briefly before he pulls away and leans his stomach against the railing, leaning over to watch the street below.

The street was dizzying, as were his mixed feeling about how the night was going. Soon, he wouldn't have to worry, for the alcohol would take over and he'd be dragged off to bed with a banging hangover to deal with in the morning. For now, he stands up and clutches his head with a loud laugh, stumbling a bit backwards. "Oh, dizzy, haha." Ris giggles.

A million different thoughts course through his head as he pulled away from Sam, but it was hard to think at all the moment he stood up and the dizziness hit him. He manages to giggle as Sam offers water to combat the hangover to come. "Hungarian men not drink water, too erős. Let alcohol take charge, is fun. Az ivás szórakoztató."** Ris answers teasingly, not realizing that most of his words would make no sense to Sam anyway.

He laughs at himself, moving back towards the party with stumbling steps. "I have mission for you. Learn Hungarian. English too hard for alcohol brain," Ris comments, turning back to look at Sam with a lazy smile and then moving back inside. Immediately he catches eye contact with Lexei, who winks at him. Ris can't help but blush, averting his eyes and moving towards the kitchen. Still, as he makes it over, Lexei walks over and slaps an arm around Sam's shoulders. "Make sure drunkie here get lots of water and sleep, yes?" Lexei almost yells, unaware of how loud he was because of the amount of vodka coursing through his system.

Ris rolls his eyes, moving into the kitchen and managing to hit his head with the fridge door before getting it properly open and grabbing a water bottle, nearly dropping it in the process to close the fridge door. YA ne p'yan," Ris switches to Russian easily, seeing that his father was Russian and almost all of his coworkers are, "Mne ne nuzhen muzhchina. YA nezavisim."**

Lexei laughs, slipping his arm from around Sam's shoulder and taking Ris by the chin. "Shut up and drink water," He answers, kissing Ris one more time before slipping back into the party. Which left Ris standing there, unable to process the second kiss.

Ris didn't understand why his chest twisted when he realized Sam was no longer in the kitchen with them. It took him a moment to find him again, and he was slipping into his bedroom, which forced a pout on Ris' face. He then turned to Lexei, almost sounding sober as he hisses in Lexei's native tongue. "Vy znayete, kak ya k nemu otnoshus', pochemu vy tak tseluyete menya?" Ris knew his words hurt, but he was still drunk enough not to care. He doesn't notice the hurt flicker on Lexei's face, but he does notice as the Russian cups the sides of his face. "Sem i Dzheymi skoro ne rasstayutsya. I vy zasluzhivayete byt' schastlivymi. YA mogu sdelat' tebya schastlivym." Ris sighs, leaning gently into the fingers caressing his face before slipping back into the party.

As guests started to dwindle and the hours moving from late to early, Ris wanted nothing more than a whole pack of cigarettes to numb the swirling thoughts in his head. But instead, he sits himself in front of Sam's door, resting his head against it and closing his eyes to stop the room from spinning. He manages to doze off until he feels something nudging at his side, and sees Lexei standing above him with a few of his other colleagues. Before any of them can speak, he just mumbles out a grumpy, "Fuck off." The group of colleagues laugh and make comments about 'Ris the drunkie' before making their way out of the apartment, leaving Ris and Sam to their own apartment once again.