Totally thought I submitted this a month ago.

Here is another Freddy/Zack story, because why not.

Disclaimer: I don't own School of Rock or the characters.

BUT! I do own Mark. And he and his ultimate gayness is all mine. And I own Amber, but she isn't as fun.

Warnings: Possible cursing.

Also, I didn't look this over before I posted it, because it's in my Ready-To-Post folder, so I hope it's fine. But let me know about any grammatical, spelling, or plot errors, yeah?

Flamers... I don't know. Knock yourselves out.

Reviews are appreciated but not demanded.

Okay go.

This was the stupidest idea in the history of stupidity.

Zack didn't need help finding a date. Well, okay, maybe a little. But he wasn't nearly desperate enough for… this.

"A blind date."

"It'll be great," Mark insisted for the ten millionth time.

Mark had been Zack's friend since freshman year of college. It was two years later, and they were pretty much as close as two best friends could get. But unlike Zack, who was an unbelievably unsocial kid who always seemed underweight and spent most of his life writing songs, Mark was flamboyant and bright and cheerful and… well, he was like sunshine personified.

Which was great, really, because Mark's sunny personality saved Zack from being depressed or holing up in his room countless times. Except sometimes he'd do things like this.

"I don't want a blind date."

"Well, I already set it up, so I wasn't actually giving you a choice." Mark scooped up a healthy spoonful of frozen yogurt, shoving it daintily into his mouth. "Her name is Amber, and my friend says she's pretty cool. Well, my friend- Freddy, is his name- says that she's pretty, and nice, and really smart. So maybe you two could talk about intellectual things."

"This is stupid. I don't want to be forced into a relationship because you and your friend think two people might be okay together."

"Well, if this doesn't work out, you never have to see her again, and I'll ask around about other cute single chicks," Mark added, swirling the fresh kiwi cubes into his yogurt. Zack stared forlornly at his own. He had only eaten a couple spoonfuls.

"Why are you pushing this?"

"Zack, darling, you need to get laid so bad that my balls are getting blue." He shooed off any reply at Zack's dubious glare. "I know, I know, you say you don't want the pressures of a college relationship. But seriously, I'm your best friend. I see how lonely you can get. So just… for me… go on this date. Freddy and I will be there the whole time, like a double date."

"What is it with gay guys and setting up blind dates?" Zack muttered. Mark grinned.

"I dunno why I like it. And I don't know which way Freddy sways." He looked at Zack curiously, watching him smush his yogurt messily with his spoon. "You're sure you don't want to try guys? To be honest, I get the feeling you'd get along with a man better than a girl. Girls take more effort, sometimes, and god knows why you straight guys put yourself through that."

"I've been best friends with a flaming homosexual since I started college. I think I would've had a gay epiphany by now," Zack countered, eyeing Mark's lavender button-down and bedazzled skinny jeans. Mark shrugged, finishing off the last blob of yogurt in his bowl.

"If you say so."

Zack figured that this would be one of those things he'd just go through with and then never speak of again. He refused to consider this a big deal, or even a real date. He planned on wearing a pair of old jeans and whatever band shirt he found first. But unfortunately, Mark, being his roommate, had gotten back to the dorms first and already had a snazzy outfit picked out for him. Although, neither the clean dark jeans nor the casual dress jacket were his. Both were clearly Mark's, but a freshly laundered black T-shirt was folded and half-hidden under the fancier clothes. Zack picked it up, grinning when he saw it was is Super Mario Bros. shirt.

"I figured we could compromise," a voice said from behind him. Zack glanced back to see Mark standing in the doorway. "The jeans and jacket are mine, and they're nice for a first date, but we want your personality to shine through, too. Plus, you look good in little kid shirts."

"I'll ignore your insults to my wardrobe because I know if I don't, you'll make me wear a dress shirt." He began pulling off his clothes, quickly tugging on the outfit.

"You have to be the only straight guy around who just starts undressing in front of his gay roommate," Mark commented, looking pointedly away. Zack grinned but didn't falter; he finished tugging on the jacket and turned around, holding his arms out to display himself to Mark.

"Do I pass?" He twirled around in a squiggly circle, stumbling a little as he came back to face his friend.

"You'll do," Mark replied airily. Zack rolled his eyes and let himself be dragged out of the dorm and into Mark's car, laughing along the way as Mark loudly complained about straight boys and their lack of style.

Zack groaned as soon as he saw the restaurant they were going to. It was a sushi place, which he fully approved of, but it was just so… sophisticated. He sulked as they walked into the building, but straightened up and forced a fake smile when a hand smacked him upside the back of the head.

"Christ, Zack, you'd think you were walking to your death," Mark hissed, shooting a quick glare at him. But he grabbed Zack's wrist and yanked him off to the side, face turning serious. "Zack, look at me. This… I get that you don't like blind dates, but I don't understand why you're acting like it's the end of the world. Freddy said she's a cute girl…" He cut himself off, tilting his head in thought. Zack was staring somewhere near Mark's nose, pouting like a four year old. "Zack, if… if you wanted a blind date with some other type of person, you know you can tell me, right? Like, if you, oh, I don't know… wanted a date with a guy-"

"I don't!" Zack snapped. "I just don't want a relationship at all. I like having freedom in my life, you know? I want to be able to have music as a priority, to have writing songs a priority, and with a girlfriend, that just couldn't happen, you know?" He crossed his arms stubbornly. Mark sighed.

"Just- just try this. For me, okay? After tonight, if you still don't want a relationship, I won't push it. But I just don't want to see you look so lonely anymore, okay?" Mark wasn't ashamed to even push a few tears to the edges of his eyes, either, and he could practically see the point in time when Zack caved in.

"Fine. But just tonight. Never again." With that, Mark gripped Zack's hand and hauled him off to the back room, where they stopped and looked around awkwardly for a few moments.

"Mark!" Zack and Mark turned to the voice. A tall blonde boy with spiky hair and a perfect smile came trotting over. Stumbling along behind him was a much shorter girl, with shoulder-length red hair and large brown eyes. She wore a knee-length, dark blue dress that had thick shoulder straps and a shimmery white band wrapped around the waist. She was decent looking, although Zack instantly thought that she wasn't particularly interesting. She looked like she'd be a quiet girl, but maybe that would be best for tonight.

"Hey, Freddy! You look sharp," Mark noted, gazing over the blonde's outfit. "And… just like him," he added, glancing between Zack and Freddy's outfits. Like Zack, Freddy had on dark jeans and a dress jacket, which wasn't unusual for a place like this. But under the jacket, Freddy had on a dark grey T-shirt with one of the 1-Up mushrooms from the Super Mario games. Mark stared up at Freddy. "Um, this… this is Zack." He pulled his roommate forward by a bit of jacket he clutched at, still gaping at the blonde.

"Hi, Zack. I like your shirt," Freddy said, grinning, leaning forward to shake his hand. "This is Amber." The girl didn't move at first, so Freddy gave her a tiny shove from behind towards Zack.

"Hi," she muttered, looking down at her shoes and flushing bright red. Zack looked at her curiously.

"Hey. You look nice," he offered, glancing at Mark. The other boy nodded in approval, and quickly turned towards a nearby table.

"Let's have a seat! Freddy, care to sit next to me?" Mark asked brightly, scooting into the booth. Freddy nodded and slid in next to him, leaving the other two standing awkwardly for a moment. Zack finally glanced at the girl- Amber, was it?- and gestured to the empty booth.

"After you?" Amber nodded quickly and clambered into the puffy, couch-like chair. Zack plopped himself in after. The four sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few stiff minutes.

"So, Zack. Aren't there questions you want to ask Amber about herself?" Mark asked pointedly, grinning viciously and tilting his head towards the girl. Zack shot him a scathing look before turning towards her slightly.

"Right. So. Um, Amber… do you like music?" It was a very good question, he thought, because really. Who in this day and age didn't listen to music?

Amber tentatively smiled, nodding. "I like music."

"Really?" Zack twisted to face her more, slightly interested. "What bands do you like? I'm currently hooked on Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy album. Especially Dancing Days. I actually have the vinyl of it, and I blast it on my dad's old record player. I'm even learning the guitar parts for most of Zeppelin's songs, and a few AC/DC ones, too. And Queen, but some of the solos are killer. One of my fingers is actually so callused from playing guitar that I can't feel anything if I touch the tip of it to fire." He faded off after running out of breath, eyes bright and excitement of music running under his skin. He glanced around after realizing he had just ranted. Mark was giving him a pretty strong death glare, although Freddy was staring at him in awe.

"I... I have Houses of the Holy in vinyl, too," the blonde commented. "But I keep playing The Rain Song. It's long, but it's my favorite," he murmured to Mark, who was trying to murder Zack through his eyes.

"Um," Amber muttered softly. Zack looked at her, and internally winced. She looked utterly lost. "I don't know who Led… um… who that is. I like Taylor Swift. And have you heard of Justin Bieber? I like him, too. He's really cute. You kind of look like him," she added quickly, flushing so hard that her face matched her hair. Zack stared blankly at her, only blinking when Freddy burst out laughing.

"Oh my god, the look on your face!" he giggled, pointing at Zack's bewildered look. "God… oh, Amber, you kill me," he said, wiping fake tears from his eyes. Amber looked ashamed, frowning down at her lap and twisting her napkin nervously.

Out of nowhere, Mark shoved Freddy out of the booth, sliding out after him and standing up quickly. "Freddy, can you escort me to the bathroom?"

"What? Why? You couldn't have just asked me before kicking me to the floor?" Freddy grunted, pushing himself up. Mark sent him a look.

"Just come with me, won't you?" Without another word, Mark gripped Freddy's upper arm and hauled him off, leaving Zack and Amber in the worst uncomfortable silence in history.

"Mark- hey- stop, my arm- Mark, goddamnit, stop!" Freddy demanded, after being pulled roughly into the men's bathroom. "What the hell is your problem?"

"What is my problem? How about you tell me exactly what the hell you were thinking when you chose Amber for this blind date?" Mark fumed, planting his fists on his hips. Freddy broke eye contact and began to fiddle with the hem of his jacket.

"I don't know what you're talking about. She's a nice girl," he said lamely, avoiding Mark's piercing gaze.

"I gave you an exact description of Zack's personality. I told you everything about him, and you bring a girl who's the complete opposite of his type! I told you he likes girls who are into rock, and who appreciate music, and someone who has an outgoing personality because that's what he needs! He doesn't need a quiet girl who listens to that new music crap! God, even you would've been a better match for him," Mark snapped, turning away and running a stressed hand through his smooth, boyish hair. Halfway through pacing around the tiled floor, he froze, slowly turning back to the other boy. "You didn't."

"What?" Freddy muttered, still refusing to look up. Mark stared in shock for a moment, and then stomped over, staring down the blonde.

"You asshole." Freddy didn't even flinch, and Mark knew his guess was right. "You selfish asshole. When I said he wanted a rocker who was interested in music and was outgoing, I meant a girl. Not you."

"I know that."

"Do you? You brought the exact opposite of what Zack wants so that, what, he'd notice you and fall head over heels?" Mark's face softened when he saw Freddy bite his lip. "Freddy, listen. If Zack was into guys, I would've set you two up in a heartbeat. You play drums, he plays guitar. You both live on music. And you're exactly what he needs, and he's exactly what you need. But… he's not gay."

"I could try to turn him," Freddy muttered. Mark glared.

"That's not how it works and you know it. Besides, I never was sure of what you were into, so I didn't think I'd be tempting you with him." Mark shifted his weight onto one hip, running both hands over his face. "Okay, look. We'll go back out there and eat dinner. You will let them try to get along, okay? And then afterwards I'll drop Amber off, and you can take Zack back to my dormitory. Become friends with him. Flirt with him, if you want. But don't let your heart break if he doesn't respond, okay?" Freddy nodded, finally looking up at Mark.

"So you're giving me a chance with him?"

"To be honest, I don't think I should even let this dinner continue. It's pretty much pointless, because those two aren't interested in each other and the only one who has feelings for anyone is you for Zack. But," he added, holding a hand up as Freddy's halfhearted smile began to droop, "I would love it if you two got together. I'm doubtful it will happen, and really don't want to see you rejected, but I'm not going to stop you from trying. Okay?"

"Okay," Freddy said quietly, letting a small smile flit across his face. And like someone had hit a light switch, bright and bubbly Freddy returned, and the blonde stood tall and threw a friendly arm around Mark's shoulders, leading the duo out of the restroom and back to the table for sushi.

Unfortunately, the rest of dinner was even more pathetic than the first bit. Everyone enjoyed the sushi, and they managed to make idle conversation about the meal. For about two minutes.

But Zack and Amber weren't really conversing, and Mark kept throwing topics at them to discuss, and Freddy got impatient and started talking to Zack more than Amber did.

By the end of the meal, Zack and Freddy were chatting excitedly about the best classic rock bands, and how alternative music has changed over the years. Amber was sitting in silence, shyly picking at the tiny pile of ginger shreds in the corner of her dish, and Mark's smile was so fake that no one, not even the waiter, bought it.

As they walked out to the parking lot, Amber finally spoke up.

"I-I really liked it," she began, pulling Zack of to the side slightly. The other two stopped a few feet away, both watching in surprise. Even Zack looked taken aback. "And I know… I know I'm probably not exactly what you expected, but…" she hesitated, looking at her hand, which gripped Zack's sleeve tightly. "I'd like for you to teach me the things you like. I could learn about Led Zekklin and other music from my parents' generation," she insisted. "And I've never actually played a video game before, but you could teach me, right?" She gave a tentative smile to Zack, who just stared at her. "That's what boyfriends and girlfriends do, right?"

"I… uh…"

"So… will you be my boyfriend?" Zack internally stabbed himself. Amber was sweet, but she wasn't his type. Not by a long shot. And he didn't want to change a person just to make them compatible with him. That was just ridiculous.

"Listen, Amber… you're really nice, and you're very pretty, but I wouldn't want you to change your life and your personality just for me," he said awkwardly, glancing over to Mark for help. His roommate sighed and stepped forward.

"Amber, darling… I think it's best to call it a night. We can discuss further dates at a later time, right?" Amber looked crushed, but she nodded solemnly. "Come on, sweetie. I'll drive you home. Freddy, be a dear and drive Zack back to our dorms? I'll be there in a little bit," Mark stated, walking away with a rejected girl on his arm, waving off the other two.

"Okay, can do. See you later, Amber!" Freddy called out, watching as the two disappeared around the corner. Freddy turned to Zack. "So… I'm parked over on that street," he pointed to a small dead-end about fifty feet away. "You wanna head back?" He mentally cheered at the look of hesitance on Zack's face.

"I'm kind of full. Maybe we could walk around for a little?" he asked quietly. Freddy grinned, nodding.

"We can go around the block, if you want. There's a little pond over that way," Freddy indicated, jabbing an index finger in a general direction.

"Sounds good," Zack agreed, starting to walk off where Freddy had pointed. The blonde victoriously fist-pumped when Zack wasn't looking, and then quickly jogged to catch up.

"So… how did you like Amber?" Freddy asked casually, smirking when Zack sighed.

"She's really nice… but not my type. At all. I don't know why Mark insisted on this stupid blind date. I told him nothing would come from it," he muttered, stuffing his hands in his jeans pockets. Freddy gave him a sideways glance.

"Well… I wouldn't say nothing came from it," he began, tilting his head. Zack shot him a look tinted with confusion.

"I went on a date and still ended up single. I'd say nothing happened."

"You got a new friend, though!" Freddy used both hands to gesture to himself vividly. Zack laughed, giving Freddy's shoulder a teensy shove with his own.

"Yeah, you're pretty awesome. It's kind of weird how alike we are, but it's cool, too." Zack's smile softened.

They walked in an amiable silence for a while, until Freddy lost patience and decided to ask about one thing that had been bothering him.

"So, I gotta ask, man. You live with Mark, right?" Zack nodded. "Like, in the same room?"

"Yeah, it's a double."

"But… I mean, you gotta know his preference." Zack raised an eyebrow, confused momentarily.

"You mean that he's gay? Yeah, I think I picked that up on the first day I met him. He pinned me to our dorm room wall and proceeded to play tonsil hockey with me." He had said it nonchalantly, but smirked when the blonde boy stopped dead in his tracks and stared open-mouthed at him.

"He what!"

"Yep. We became instant best friends, pretty much."

"But… what… did anything happen after?"

"What, like a relationship? Nah, I told him that he wasn't my type." Zack suddenly bolted off, and it took Freddy a full five seconds to realize that he hadn't ditched him; they arrived at the pond, and Zack, like a little kid, had gotten excited and ran right up to the edge. Freddy, after realizing this, took off after him and stopped right next to the other boy. Zack turned to him, looking unbelievably excited. "Wanna go swimming?"

"You- really? I brought a couple of dates here, but they always just want to sit on the edge and 'stargaze' or something stupid like that." Freddy watched as Zack began to tug off his jacket, placing it carefully on a nearby concrete bench. Freddy took the opportunity to check out Zack in just a slim T-shirt and dark jeans as the boy bent over to yank off his shoes. He looked good, and Freddy's interest in becoming half naked with him spiked. Quickly, he slid out of his own jacket, distracting himself from Zack removing his jeans by admiring the moon. It mostly full, and the sky only had a few scattered grey clouds. The pond was lit by the moonlight, and if Freddy were into romantic, mushy stuff, he would appreciate the perfect scenery.

The park itself was petite, only having the small pond and a thick ring of trees surrounding it. It was a clear night in late August, so both the air and the water were warm.

Freddy broke out of his inspection when he heard a splash. He only had his jacket off, and placed it next to Zack's on the bench. Zack had apparently jumped in, but he couldn't see where. The water was dark and the other boy hadn't resurfaced yet. Freddy quickly slid out of his jeans and shirt, dumping them hastily on the bench, and quickly trotted over to the edge of the pond. He shivered, but it was from the thrill of being in only his boxer briefs in a public place, rather than from the nonexistent cold. He walked into the pond, not wanting to jump in because there was a slight chance he'd land on Zack. But even when he was waist-deep in the water, Zack still hadn't appeared. He began to panic, splashing all around and trying to mentally sharpen his eyes.

"Zack! Zack, where are you? Zack!" He felt something brush against his leg, and the first thing he thought was that a shark was in the pond. Which was the stupidest idea ever, because it was a pond. But still, his mind stuck with the idea, and he immediately pictured Zack being eaten by the shark. So he flailed around, calling out the brunette's name. He was just about to go into full-out panic attack mode, but suddenly a large weight slammed into him from behind and sent him underwater.

He regained footing and pushed himself upright back to the surface, sputtering and hacking up what might have been a lily pad. Once he was done coughing up pond plants, he heard hysterical laughter from a few feet away. There was Zack, alive and completely not eaten by a shark. He was nearly doubled over in laughter, but had to stay somewhat upright or he'd be face-first in the pond. Freddy's first reaction was that Zack was an asshole for tricking him like that… but then he realized that he probably would've done the same thing.

So, instead of blowing up at him, he simply paddled over and sunk under the surface, reaching out and clutching one of Zack's legs, tugging sharply. Zack tumbled backwards into the water, but grabbed at Freddy's upper arm and pulled him along for the dive.

They ended up wrestling both above and under the water for a good ten or fifteen minutes. But they were both soon winded, and ended up floating across the shallow water, talking about video games and music and everything else that crossed their minds.

Zack was astounded. He really had come tonight with no faith in having a good time. True, he was still single and had rejected one of the few girls who had actually worked up the courage to ask him out, but… then there was Freddy. He had no regrets about being dragged along by Mark, all because he made a really good friend. Freddy was… well, to put it simply, almost exactly like Zack. They had a few differences, but it was like they were on the same wavelength. Christ, Zack was even more comfortable with Freddy than he was with Mark, and he could speak to his roommate about anything, at any time.

Previously, no boy had ever interested him. He tried, really he did, when Mark had come on to him, because Mark was a good-looking guy. It wasn't that Zack was disgusted by the idea of being with another guy… in fact, Mark was right earlier. He would probably be better off with a boyfriend, because the chances of a guy being dramatic or fussy would be much lesser than if he were with a girl.

But there was just never a guy who sparked true interest in him. It would be like getting into a relationship with a girl he had no feelings for.

So… maybe Freddy was an exception?

Because it sure as hell wasn't a friendly feeling he got whenever he touched the blonde. He usually felt tingly when he was with a girl he liked, but the thrilling chills he had going up his spine were so intense, his skin felt numb. It was the greatest feeling ever, really.

The way Zack was looking at him… Freddy didn't want to get his hopes up, but he could swear Zack was looking at him like… well, like how Freddy was no doubt looking at him.

The blonde watched as Zack paddled over towards him. He was soaked, and his dark brown hair was plastered around his face. When the brunette stood, Freddy could see the very edge of the waistband of what looked like boxer briefs. Not that he was looking.

Except he totally was. In fact, he couldn't look away from the thin, scraggly trail of dark hair that reached from the underside of his belly button and stretched down into the boxers. Freddy couldn't stop staring, and he felt himself bite his lower lip. Zack's stomach was gleaming with pond water in the generous moonlight, and Jesus he had to look at something else or there'd be problem.

"Freddy." The blonde's head snapped up, and he could feel the blush pooling in his cheeks and spread across his nose. Zack was half-smiling at him, and Freddy mentally cursed. The other boy had caught him staring, and Freddy had promised Mark [and himself] that he wouldn't do anything obvious until he was positive Zack felt something for him.

"Zack." He grinned when the other boy giggled a little. "Hey, I… um. Listen, I gotta be honest with you, okay?" He ignored the flash of nervousness that took over Zack's expression for a millisecond. "Mark told me everything about you." There was a short pause.

"So? It's not like I'm hiding a secret past from you or anything," Zack replied easily, letting himself sink into the water up to his shoulders.

"No, that's not… okay, look. I helped set up this blind date thing, right?"

"That's what Mark told me."

"He came to me asking if I knew any single girls who would be interested in a blind date. But… he told me all about you, and told me your type of girl. He said you'd be into a rocker chick who liked the same music and was laid back and outgoing."

Zack quirked an eyebrow. "But Amber wasn't any of those things." Freddy nodded, looking down at the surface of the water. Zack just looked at him for a few minutes, not understanding. But then it dawned on him. "You picked her on purpose?"

"Yeah."

"You… you picked her because you knew we wouldn't like each other. Why would you… why would you do that? You don't even know me, but you wanted to mess up my date?" Now Zack sounded upset. He wasn't furious, like Freddy had fully expected, but instead sounded like his feelings were hurt. Freddy shook his head quickly.

"No, no it's not like that!" He half-swam, half-stumbled over to the poor brunette, firmly clutching the other boy's shoulders when he was a foot away. Zack looked up at him dazedly. "I swear it's not. About a month ago, Mark told me that his roommate really needed to get a girlfriend. I told him I had some single friends who might be interested, so he told me about you. And I…" He sighed, releasing Zack's shoulders and twisting his own fingers together nervously. "You sounded perfect… for me. So I told Mark I had someone in mind for you, and I brought someone who I figured you wouldn't go for. Because I hoped that you… you might…" He broke off, looking pointedly away.

Zack knelt there, mostly underwater, in shock. He had suspected that Freddy liked him, especially after he caught him staring at his body, but he had no idea that it happened before tonight. He wasn't really upset that Freddy had tricked him with the date. Considering that he had literally no expectations for tonight, and planned on never speaking of or repeating the event ever again, it had actually turned out pretty well.

Especially since he could totally feel a hefty crush forming for the blonde boy only a dozen inches away, and said blonde had already sort of confessed to having feelings in return. He would be an idiot to not take this chance.

But Freddy was still shying away, like he was convinced that Zack was going to beat him up or something. "Freddy." He inched forward, but the other boy began to back off simultaneously. "Freddy, it's okay." Freddy peeked up at him, not convinced. "I promise. I didn't even want to go on this stupid blind date, but Mark pretty much dragged me along." He reached out a hand, letting it settle lightly on Freddy's shoulder. Slowly, he ran it down his arm, sinking underwater until he reached his hand. After a moment of feeling it to see where the fingers were located through poking around blindly, he mapped out the hand and tangled his fingers with Freddy's. The blonde was flat out gaping at him now.

"You… but Mark said you weren't gay," Freddy murmured, ignoring the small part of his brain that was protesting the remaining bit of space between himself and Zack.

"I'm not." Zack frowned as Freddy closed his eyes and tried to tug his hand away. "Hey. Stop that."

"Listen, it's great that we can be friends, but please don't lead me on like that," Freddy whined, still trying to pry himself free. Zack opened his mouth to say something, but Freddy gave a final sharp tug and wiggled out of the grip, turning and heading for dry land. He got about four feet away from the pond's edge when Zack caught up and pretty much threw himself at him. Splashing like mad, Freddy squirmed until he was turned around and the boys were face-to-face. Zack had Freddy pinned down by the waist, but the blonde pushed up onto his elbows in an effort to throw his weight and overturn Zack. But he stopped when he caught a glimpse of the other boy, who was sitting on him and just… staring.

"I'm not gay. But I'm not straight, either," Zack clarified quietly. Freddy couldn't look away from Zack's eyes. It was quite dark out, but he could swear there was some green in the boy's dark eyes. Or maybe the moonlight just made it look like that.

It [eventually] kicked in, what Zack said.

"You're not?" Freddy asked stupidly. Zack shook his head a little, relieved that Freddy wasn't immediately going to push him away. Freddy blinked slowly and gazed up at the other boy. "Then what the hell are you?"

"I-"

"I heard something over here, Captain!" The two boys' heads snapped up simultaneously. Right through the trees, they could see the flashing lights of a police car. Someone waving around a flashlight was headed straight for the pond… and them.

"Shit," Freddy whispered. We're not supposed to be here after a certain time! We can get in trouble for loitering or something!"

"What do we do? We can't hide underwater…"

"The bench!" Freddy shout-whispered. Zack gave him an 'are you serious' look. "Dude, it's the only other place to hide besides the water. We don't have time to run to the trees, plus, in case you've forgotten, we're practically naked." That statement made both flush as they recalled their close positions. "A-anyway, come on. We can fit under."

It might have been the sounds of the police officer coming closer, but it also may have been the idea of Zack getting to be sandwiched close to Freddy under the bench that got both boys moving quickly. Zack rolled under the bench first, fitting perfectly with a little wiggle room for his toes. Freddy squished himself between Zack and the bench seat, pressing his torso to Zack's and hiding his face in the brunette's neck.

"Captain, there's something over by the bench," the cop shouted. Both boys froze. It would be even worse if the cop found them half naked and pressed together under a park bench than if he had just found them earlier. Neither moved, praying the cop hadn't actually spotted them. Their hope shrunk as the cop approached the bench, feet only an arm's length from Freddy's face. "What the-" Zack shut his eyes tightly, instinctively gripping Freddy's hips with his fingers. "C… Captain, there are clothes on the bench!"

Zack could practically feel his heart stop. A distant voice shouted something about bringing them back, and the cop who was only a few feet away from them sighed.

"Damn teenagers," he muttered, and a rustling could be heard before the cop turned and walked off, back through the trees.

Freddy waited until the cop car lights were completely gone to let out his breath. "Goddamnit, I think he took our clothes," he muttered. "Now we're stuck here, almost naked-"

Saying that fact out loud was the thing that made him realize his current situation. Slowly, so he wouldn't accidently head-butt either Zack or the bench, Freddy turned his face so he could look down at the brunette. Zack was staring back, eyes wide. They were pressed together tightly in nothing but their boxer briefs, still damp and warm from the pond, with no clothes in the near vicinity.

Zack cleared his throat nervously, loosening the grip he had on Freddy's hips. He slowly ran one hand up the blonde's back, but sent the other to gently rest right above Freddy's boxers. "I… I'm not complaining," he whispered nervously. God, he had never been this nervous with a girl before… it was like his first date with anyone all over again.

Freddy stared down at the blonde, and after a moment shifted so he could move his arms a little. He wiggled one elbow loose and planted it on the grass next to the other boy's shoulder, letting his fingers tangle in Zack's hair. The other hand couldn't reach anywhere without Freddy having to press his back uncomfortably into the cool underside of the bench, so it just stayed lodged at his side. He shifted his hips so that he could wedge one knee between Zack's, partly so that they'd fit better under the bench, but mostly because certain parts were now wedged against his hip and why wouldn't they want that?

Zack stared up at him through partly closed eyes. Getting a little impatient with all the staring, he ran the hand that was closer to Freddy's head up and looped it around his neck, pulling the blonde down. Freddy's eyes fluttered prettily as Zack pulled him closer, but kept his eyes slightly open when [freaking finally] their lips touched once, twice, and then Freddy took over and pressed into it fully. And ohjesuschrist it was amazing. There weren't fireworks or stars or any of that romantic crap. It was just Freddy, Zack, and every inch of the two pressed tightly together. Zack was trembling from the butterflies, and Freddy gripped him tighter. Searching for more pressure, Zack arched his hips into Freddy's sharply, which resulted in a muffled oomph from the blonde when his butt collided with the bench.

"Ahh… Zack," Freddy gasped, pulling back. The brunette opened his eyes slowly, and for a split-second Freddy was reminded of a Disney princess. A slight look of panic crossed Zack's face.

"Tell me you're not about to regret everything," he pleaded quietly. Freddy shook his head quickly.

"No! Nothing like that. Just… can we maybe not be under this bench? I…" he looked away, and Zack could swear he saw a deep blush seep over his face in the moonlight. "I can't thrust against you under here without grinding my ass into the bench," he muttered. Zack stared for a moment, and promptly burst into hysterical giggles.

"Oh my god…" he breathed, quivering with laughter. Freddy pouted, relatively sure that Zack was laughing at him. "I can't believe you just said that…"

"I was being serious!"

"You can't thrust against me? I'm sorry but that's the weirdest thing anyone had ever said to me during a make out session."

"But I can't thrust! So… here," the blonde murmured, wiggling himself from under the bench. Or, at least, trying to and failing miserably. The only thing he accomplished was getting his head on the other side of Zack's, and unintentionally shifting his leg that was still lodged between Zack's thighs. A low moan made him stiffen. "Did I crush you?" he asked, looking down at Zack. The brunette was biting his lip roughly and had his eyes closed. He didn't answer immediately, and Freddy wiggled nervously, shifting his legs as he prepared to ask again. But he halted completely when he felt something begin to prod at his upper thigh. It took a half a second, but soon he understood and peeked down at Zack's face. He couldn't see much other than the features themselves, but he was pretty damn sure the brunette had moaned because of Freddy's leg rubbing at his crotch. Experimentally, Freddy placed most of his weight on his elbows and began to shallowly thrust his leg against the slowly growing tent in Zack's boxers.

"F-Freddy… oh, fu-" Zack cut himself off with a gasp, opening his eyes to stare up at the other boy. It felt amazing, especially since his boxers were still soaked and they were just so close. After a few moments of enjoying the friction, Zack realized he should probably be returning the favor and slightly bent his knee, wriggling it between Freddy's open legs and rolled his hips up. Already Freddy was hard, and as awkward as it was to push up into the blonde's crotch, the idea of what he was doing to the blonde turned Zack on so much. He realized just how fast this would be over by how tight the coil in his gut was already, and tried desperately to think of something to stall it. But it was really hard to think of anything unsexy when Freddy was pushing him into the ground and pretty much grinding him into the dirt in nothing but boxer briefs.

"Zack… Zack, I'm not gonna last," the blonde muttered frantically, giving up on using legs for friction and just slamming his hips into Zack's, rubbing ferociously against him. Zack gasped at the increased speed, nodding in agreement.

"M-me neither."

They began to grind faster, Freddy ignoring the bench scraping at his back every other thrust and Zack holding onto Freddy for dear life, and they were almost there but-

"Holy mother of hell."

Mark found them.

The two scrambled apart faster than should've been possible, popping up from under the bench and standing awkwardly in front of the intruding boy in matching tented boxer briefs.

"Wow," Mark said, staring them down. "Not sure if this is something I ever needed to see." Zack glanced down at himself and groaned. Freddy looked over at him, and then looked down his own body. It couldn't get much more embarrassing than having their friend catch them making out under a park bench in their underwear with raging hard-ons. Until, of course, Mark held up a pile of clothes he had previously been holding under one arm. "Some cop found your stuff here and brought it to the station. They found your wallet, Zack, and called our dorm phone. They gave me your clothes and told me where they found them. I had to lie my ass off, saying that you were out with another friend but were fully clothed. I told them that these were your spare clothes from some earlier event." He glared at them. "You both owe me big time."

"Um… thanks," Zack murmured, not even bothering to cover himself up. Mark rolled his eyes and tossed the clothes on to the bench. He turned to leave, but hesitated and looked back at Freddy.

"You're lucky, drummer boy. But hurt him and I will rip each and every charming blonde spike out of your head with tweezers." With that, Mark whirled around and made an elegant departure, leaving two humiliated boys standing there awkwardly.

After a few moments of silence, Zack finally reached for his clothes, having to squint in the dark to see which items were his. He gave up after digging out the correct pants, however, and just ended up grabbing one of the shirts and jackets. It was too dark and too awkward to dawdle with the clothes. Freddy soon picked up the remaining clothes and began to slip into them, still avoiding eye contact with Zack. Both boys wiggled into their shoes while standing up, purposely ignoring the concept of sitting on the bench to fix their shoes.

"Um, so… I think Mark left," Zack began quietly. "Can you give me a lift home?" Freddy finally glanced over at him and nodded, watching the quiet brunette begin to walk off. Realizing how timid he was being, even though clearly the boy he liked returned the feelings, he mentally slapped himself and dashed after him, immediately reaching for his hand and entwining their fingers together. Zack paused and smiled at the blonde, slowing his walking pace so they could walk closer.

The car ride was quiet but not uncomfortable. Well, both boys were suffering because their boxers were soaking through to their pants, but both sat peacefully until Freddy pulled up to Zack's dormitory. Freddy put the car in park but didn't turn it off; he wasn't sure if Zack was okay with him walking him to the door.

"Um… this may sound girly, but want to walk me to the door?" Well, that solved that. Freddy nodded quickly and unbuckled himself, quickly getting out of the car and following after Zack.

The front door to Zack's building was a large, glass sliding door, so Freddy pulled the brunette off to the side, where the front desk people couldn't see them. Enough people had walked in on them for one day.

"So, how was your blind date?" Freddy teased, leaning against the side of the building and wrapping his arms around Zack's waist. The other boy rolled his eyes and leaned into him, grinning.

"Not bad. I didn't end up with the girl, but I did end up with a guy," he replied, tangling both hands in Freddy's blonde spikes.

"Yeah? Well, I got the boy I wanted, just like I had planned."

"Oh, really? Congratulations, then." They kind of just gazed at each other for a few moments, although neither would ever admit to every doing such a romantically mushy thing.

"Hey Zack," Freddy spoke up suddenly. The brunette tilted his head. "Go out with me." It wasn't said as a question, but the look on Freddy's face suggested that it was a request rather than a demand. Zack paused, silently enjoying the increasingly prominent unsure look on Freddy's face.

"Before tonight, I would have shot you down in a second," he commented casually. Freddy frowned, looking less confident than a moment ago. "But after tonight… Jesus Christ, stop looking like I'm about to reject you; of course I'm going to say yes," he remarked. Freddy's unsure look was washed away in an instance and replaced by a huge, perfect smile. Zack grinned back, leaning more heavily against the blonde.

"So then when can I see you again?"

"I think tomorrow night I'll be able to move around a few things," Zack said teasingly, face only an inch away from the other boy's. Freddy faked a pout.

"Aw… I have to wait that long?" Instead of answering, Zack leaned in and kissed him, not daring to use his tongue because he was still quite turned on and he really did need to get back to Mark and apologize about the whole police thing. Freddy didn't push it, either, and the two just enjoyed pressing damp lips together for a few minutes, until Zack finally, with much willpower, pulled away and lifted himself off of Freddy.

"Here, give me your phone. I'll put my number in," Zack said. Freddy dug his phone out from his jacket pocket, handing it over hastily. Zack began punching in buttons, but paused. "I'm already in here." He looked up. "Have you been stalking me?" It was a teasing question, but Freddy immediately frowned.

"No, of course not. I didn't put it in there… and the only person I know who knows your number and has access to my phone is…" He broke off, looking up at Zack in realization. The brunette handed Freddy his cell phone back and immediately scrabbled for his own phone, scrolling through the contacts quickly.

"I have your number, too." He stared down at his phone. "Mark must've had a lot of confidence that you and I would end up together," he mumbled. Freddy smiled. Sometimes his friend seemed like a psychic matchmaker. Or just a big creeper.

"So I'll call you tomorrow, then." As a last goodbye, Freddy leaned forward and pressed a firm kiss to Zack's mouth, using the hand that wasn't still holding his phone to grip the back of Zack's head. He pulled away after only seconds, mentally high-fiving himself when he noticed how out of breath the other boy suddenly was.

Zack tried to remember how to breathe as Freddy walked back to his car, and he kept staring after him until the car drove out of sight. Once his heart calmed down to a normal pace, he headed back to his dorm room to spill everything to Mark. And to also smack him upside the head and then bear-hug him for ever making him go on this stupid blind date.

Because it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to him.

It wasn't until hours later, when he was changing into pajamas for the night, that he realized the shirt he was wearing had a green 1-Up mushroom from the Super Mario video game. He must've taken Freddy's shirt by accident when they hastily put their clothes on earlier by the pond. He smiled, running a hand over the front of the shirt.

And if Mark noticed that Zack fell asleep wearing the shirt with both of his hands curled into it and a soft smile tweaking up the corners of his mouth, he didn't mention it the next day.