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Alex was ecstatic, over the moon, a little drunk, and couldn't be happier. The trailer for Marble Hornets was done, sent out to a select few professors, put up on youtube, and sent to all his colleagues who worked with him on this.
Jay was also a little drunk, giggling and laughing along with Alex as they played cards together with Brian and Tim. What game they were playing none of them really knew anymore. They were busy talking and celebrating in their small party, everyone high on life and overjoyed.
“Wanna okay something else?” Brian's voice was bubbly and high. He has such a nice voice… Alex smiled, nodding along, Jay was leaning on his shoulder, taking sips of water to sober himself up a little bit.
“What kinda game?” He knew Brian had some devious little plan, leaning back in his chair with that grin that made Alex laugh.
“Something fun, strip poker?”
Alex was intrigued now, tossing down his cards and picking everyone else's to shuffle them. “You're on.” Alex beamed back at Brian. Tim had sat up, Jay following suit, the excited chitchat dying down as they started to get into the game.
“Might as well” Tim sighed, getting up and grabbing Alex’s set of poker chips from his living room, setting down five red chips in front of everyone. “Look good to you?”
“yeah, I mean we’re not playing for money so-” Jay shrugged.
“Didn’t know you knew how to play poker tim” Brian looked over at his friend with a little tilt of his head.
“Hidden talent” Tim smiled nervously, waiting to see where this little event would take them.
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Alex had to be winning. He just had to be, he already had a two of a kind and it was his turn, and taking another card turned his hand into a three of a kind. Alex was so winning.
Until he looked up from his head at Brian across the table from him, all easy-going smiles with such a sinister little stare.
fuck.
“Bet.”
FUCK.
“Raise.” Alex had to challenge Brian back. He had too.
Tim and Jay had folded, Alex had no choice at this point. He showed his hands, three of a kind for sixes.
Brian has a straight. Seven of hearts, eight of hearts, nine of spades, jack of diamonds, queen of spades, and king of diamonds.
A straight hand.
Alex lost.
“Shirt off kralie I win.”
“Fuck you Brian.”
Alex took the hem of his shirt and pulled it up over his head and off his body, tossing it to the floor.
Jay made eye contact with him, sharing in their little secret language they had developed over the years, being childhood friends and all.
Jay coughed. “Alex, can you get me water?”
“Sure, don't get your germs on anything.” Alex sighed dramatically, getting up and going off to the kitchen, away from everyone else. He didn't even try to get a glass from the cabinet, his hands shaky and untrustworthy.
He traced the scar tissue on his chest, sometimes it felt weird with his boobs gone, the weight on his chest removed. It was freeing and still slightly new to him. Alex didn't know how to deal with it.
“fuck man..”
Alex shook his head, no time for any of this. He grabbed a cup from the cabinet, getting the copper ones Jay liked, the ones he bought Jay last christmas.
“Hey.”
Tim startled Alex so bad he almost dropped the cup, almost. He was too prideful to mess up that badly. “If you need anything get it yourself, ‘m busy.”
“Alex are you okay?” Tim leaned on the doorway.
Alex was shaky, emotions getting the best of him so he put the cup down, shaking his head to try and make it all go away.
“I'm fine. What do you want?”
Tim sighed, taking the cup from the counter and filling it with ice water. “You worried about your chest again? Jay said you were talking about that whole thing a few nights ago.”
“mh.” Alex looked back down at his chest.
“You're safe here Kralie, let's go back and play more stupid games. Bet Jay and Brian are chatting it up all alone in there.” Tim draped his flannel over Alex's shoulders, waking out with the glass of water for Jay.
Alex followed, unable to think of a bitchy enough response.
“...thanks..”
“Don't worry about it.”
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If anyone said they remembered how they had gotten to this point they were lying.
Alex still had Tim's flannel draped over him, but his jeans were in a growing pile off to the side of his table, Jay’s jeans and shirt added in as well as Tim’s shirt and Brian's hoodie.
Alex was going to win this game of strip poker so help him god. Tim had tapped out a while ago, just enjoying light conversation as Jay tried to figure out the rules of poker.
“Jay you still in this?”
“Yep.”
Brian shrugged, seeing Jay naked was a welcomed experience should this game play out like that. So far he felt pretty confident.
Alex stared him down behind those cards in his hands before his gaze flicked to Jay. They locked eyes and Jay nodded. Those two always knew what the other wanted and Brian had no idea how it worked.
“What are you two planning”
“Hey Brian rock paper scissors? Loser takes off whatever the winner wants? Even out the score a little maybe”
“In the middle of poker?”
“yep.”
Brian didn't know what was up, but Alex and Jay had be to scheming, they just had to be. He wasn't going to lose.
Jay was currently only in his boxers and socks, but he didn't seem to mind it at all.
Brian sighed, putting his fist out.
“Rock paper scissors… shoot!”
Brian played rock, like always.
Jay played paper.
“Jeans, add ‘em to the pile.”
Alex looked up at Brian, speaking for Jay. Jay shrugged and let it happen. Brian sighed, pulling off his belt and taking his jeans off, now basically even with Alex in terms of clothes left to take off.
“You two are in kahoots.”
“Always.”
Jay kept silent, going to sit on the floor, head in Tim’s lap as he let Brian and Alex play out their psychocompetitive mind game of strip poker.
“Who you thinks gonna win?”
“Alex.”
“Why?”
“I know alex. He doesn't lose. We don't play monopoly anymore for a reason Tim.”
Tim nodded, one hand in Jay’s hair as Jay looked up at him from his spot on the floor, head in his lap as they watched their two friends try and play mind games with each other.