"Hey um, so Connor?" Jude asked awkwardly as they sat in the living room of their shared apartment one evening.

"Yeah Jude?" Connor responded, not even breaking his gaze from the TV to look at Jude.

"So you know that my sister Mariana is getting married this weekend, right?" Jude said nervously.

"Yeah…" Connor replied slowly. Jude's hesitation combined with Mariana's history with the two of them told Connor that he knew where this was going.

"So um, Mariana keeps insisting that I bring someone with me to the wedding, even if it's just you, and uh, I don't have anyone else to ask." Jude explained quickly.

"So you want me to come is what you're saying." Connor said, groaning. So this was just another one of Mariana's schemes to set them up.

"Yes. Pleeeeeeeeease Connor?" Jude whined. He did not want to face Mariana if he showed up to her wedding alone. He wasn't exactly sure why she was so insistent he bring someone, though he suspected she was trying to set the two of them up. Again. Jude had long ago asked Mariana to stop meddling with their relationship (they were just really close friends for heaven's sake), but given that it was her wedding day, Jude figured it was probably best just to play along this time. Connor sighed, trying his best to ignore Jude's begging puppy dog eyes.

"Jude do I—"

"Please?"

"Alright fine Jude. But I'm only doing this because I don't want Mariana to bitch you out, got it?" Connor said resignedly.

"What am I even supposed to wear?" Connor shouted out of his bedroom that Saturday. They were supposed to be leaving for the wedding in twenty minutes and Connor swore that nothing in his closet looked good enough to wear.

"Seriously Connor, there are like at least ten outfits in your closet that you could wear!" Jude yelled back, trying not to laugh.

"Yeah, but your family has seen all of them." Connor protested.

"Oh my god Connor, when did you become so gay?" Jude said, cackling as he walked into Connor's room to help him pick an outfit.

"Wow okay stereotypes Jude." Connor retorted, too absorbed by his wardrobe dilemma to find Jude funny right now.

"Look Connor I've got an idea, why don't you wear all black, and then you can borrow one of my bow ties. That's a little bit different from what you normally wear." Jude suggested.

"Bow ties? And you have the nerve to say that I'm the super gay one."

"Oh just shut up Connor and go pick one." Jude said, shoving Connor towards the door and rifling through his closet for a black button up, tossing it to Connor when he came back in clutching a blue bow tie. "I like the color choice, now quick put this shirt on so I can tie it for you." He tried to avert his eyes as Connor took off his shirt to change into the other one, he really did, but he failed, eyes landing on Connor's well-defined chest muscles and abs. His best friend had a body to die for, there was nothing wrong with appreciating that beauty, Jude reasoned. Though these glances we're turning less into appreciation and more into—well Jude didn't really want to think about what kind of looks they were now. Once Connor had buttoned up his shirt, Jude stepped forward, throwing the tie around Connor's neck so he could tie it, shaking his head to try and clear his thoughts. Being a couple inches from Connor's lips was not where Jude wanted to be at the moment. Jude kept his eyes on the tie; ignoring the hot breath that Connor was blowing on all over his face, and making him shiver.

"All set!" he declared, pulling away from Connor as fast as he could once he finished tying the bow tie and heading for the car. "Now come on Connor, we're going to be late!"

"Hey Jude!" Mariana exclaimed as Jude stepped into her dressing room just a few minutes before the wedding.

"Congratulations Mariana, I'm so happy for you!" Jude exclaimed, walking over to give Mariana a hug.

"So Jude, did you bring someone with you like I asked?" She said, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Yes Mariana, I did. Not sure why it was such a big deal but whatever." Jude replied, playing dumb to see if he could get Mariana to admit her plan.

"Because it is, okay? Did you bring Connor?"

"Do you seriously think I had anyone else to ask?"

"Well maybe if you didn't hang out with Connor all the time, you would have someone else to ask. Unless…"

"No Mariana, can you just leave it?" Jude groaned. Now he was 100% certain she was trying to set them up.

"Not really, but the ceremony is starting soon so you need to get going. See you after!" Mariana sang, pushing Jude out the door. Jude walked out into the hall, plopping down next to Connor.

"So the whole plus one requirement was just Mariana trying to set us up again." Jude commented.

"I guessed." Connor said, laughing that Jude seriously thought she had some other motive in mind. "You know, we could just—"

"You are not suggesting what I think you're suggesting, are you Connor?" Jude said, glaring at him. Connor just shrugged. He wasn't opposed to the idea of dating Jude, in fact he had even asked Jude out on several occasions. Jude had always turned him down though, adamant that their friendship was too important to him to risk by dating each other. So Connor had let it go, deciding to waiting for Jude and always feeling unsatisfied with the way things were between them. If Connor was being completely honest, secretly he was thankful for Mariana's schemes to try and bring them together. Jude sighed. "We need to get boyfriends, just to get her off our backs."

"Yeah, sure." Connor agreed quietly, even though really, he didn't agree with Jude.

The wedding was beautiful (Jude cried more than a few times; his big sister was now married!), and now they had moved on to the reception and Jude was having a blast. He'd had more than a few drinks and was out on the in the middle of the dance floor, wriggling and staggering around, trying to dance, causing all those around him to laugh hysterically, especially Connor who was dancing right next to him, equally as drunk. The music changed, a slow song starting to play and Jude and Connor began stumbling off to take a seat, since they weren't going to be slow dancing with each other. Jude tripped, falling down on the floor, and tripping Connor, who was following right close behind him, who landed right on top of him.

"Oh um, hi." Jude said, giggling at his own clumsiness, and at the obviously suggestive manner in which they seemed to be lying on top of each other.

"Hi." Connor breathed out, his face just inches away from Jude's. Jude's giggling subsided, leaving the two of them just staring at each other, their faces so close they were almost touching. "I um—" Connor began before being cut-off by Jude kissing him. The kiss was sloppy, fueled by alcohol, Jude's (now not-so) secret attraction to Connor, and Connor's years of yearning for more between them, as Jude began tangling his hands into Connor's hair.

"Wow could you two get a room?!" Mariana exclaimed as she walked past the two boys passionately making out on the floor, sniggering as she did and doing her best not to fist pump right in front of them. Jude quickly pulled his head back (so fast in fact that he smacked his head against the floor), shoving Connor off of him before tottering out of the hall into night.

"It's about time!" Jesus shouted, smacking Connor on the back as he walked past. Ever since Jude had walked out of the reception, everyone had been congratulating Connor on the two of them finally getting together. Not that they were actually together, they had just drunk kissed, that was all. Twenty minutes later and Jude still hadn't come back into the hall, so Connor began slowly making his way outside, hoping that Jude hadn't gone far. He barely had to go out of the door, finding Jude leaning up against one of the windows outside the hall, hands buried in his pockets as he stared at his shoes.

"So, you just gonna stand out here the rest of the party?" Connor slurred, leaning up against the window next to Jude.

"No. Just tryin' to decide what I wanna do next. Now that I've kissed you my family isn't going to let it go." Jude said slowly.

"Yeah. I've been getting congratulations from everyone since you stalked out." Connor replied. Jude just groaned.

"So's I'm guessin' that maybe we should go on a date then." Jude mumbled, resigned to that being his best option here. His family wouldn't take we just drunk kissed very well and he was not in the mood for dealing with that. So he and Connor would go on a couple dates then, claim that things weren't working out and then go back to the way it was before. Right?

"Sure thing Jude." Connor said, grinning widely. "How about tomorrow?"

"With the hangovers we're gonna have, I don't think so Connor." Jude replied, giggling.

"Oh." Connor answered, scrunching up his face in concentration. "How 'bout Monday then?"

"Sure, it's a date." Jude said, patting Connor on the back and throwing his arm around his shoulders for support. "Now let's go back in."