the secrets we keep | {griff/dars} blitz!

[umber vivuus 12b 🥀 [dars]]

If it came down to the facts, then here was the first: Leo was going to flunk out of high school if something didn't change. It had been a long time coming and Spencer watched him as he was called into the principal's office or as he rolled his eyes at whichever sideways comment a teacher made, or as the pile of unfinished homework sitting on the old oak desk in his bedroom grew bigger and bigger. Yet the issue remained. Issues always remained issues with Leo, Spencer had figured out, until he either grew too bored to fight anymore or someone else stepped in to fix it for him.

Fact two: Spencer had already convinced himself he had plenty of reasons to be doing this, a dozen or so near-misses he hoped would add up to a valid excuse. They were friends. Without Leo, bio class would fucking suck. Exy was on the line, and they were actually turning out to be pretty fucking good in all the practices. Camilla wanted to see him gone. Reason after reason, stacked up on his shoulders and pushing him all the way to the other end of the hallway where Camilla had arranged for her and her group of self-righteous saints to have a straight lineup of lockers nearest to the cafeteria.

He wasn't the type to keep his head down at any given point, but especially not now, as he turned the suave up to eleven, traces of his most euphoric-scented cologne beckoning any who caught it forward towards him. He leaned his shoulder next to the open locker of one Antonio Maza.

"Hey you," he charmed, grateful more now than ever before that, other than Camilla herself, the rest of her friend group seemed as content to leave Spencer to his devices as he was them. It meant none of them knew how he worked, past the rumors and gossip.

"I'm so fucking glad we made it to winter break," he continued, "I'm ready to go have some fun! You got any plans for the holidays?"

He bit his lip and slowly let it curl into a smile.

[napoleon, d2m ₊⊹ 🐁 ɢʀɪғғɪɴ.]

7.00 am: Wake up and shower

7.15 am: Breakfast! (Eat more vegetables)

7.30 am: Exy Training

8.15 am: Skim biology textbook! (Test on Tuesday) 

8:30 am: Get to first peri— Talk to Spencer Salem?

He jumps a little, flinching as the other drawls out a greeting, and his smile comes a second too late as he blinks, trying to compose himself. “Ello?” Tony says, half-address, half-question, because Spencer and him are from two different sides of their highschool hierarchy that have bad consequences of huge proportions when combined. It’s like when peroxides are mixed together: they fizz up, get angry, and then boom!

God, he needs to get to chemistry soon.

“Not yet,” Tony is quick to interject mid-sentence, grinning a little himself, “still the last day, still have to go to classes. Well, I am going, I don’t know about yo—” he cuts himself off there, shaking his head to clear the confusion of this whole thing. “Sure. Do you need something, Spence? We’re not, you know, not exactly the type of friends who exchange holiday plans.”

[umber vivuus 12b 🥀 [dars]]

He smiled at the boy's words, because he'd been asking himself the same question all the way up until this point. Tony was right. They weren't the type of friends to talk about holiday plans together. They weren't friends at all. Saying they were anything less than rivals who kept a safe distance was testy. And even now, Spencer was hyper aware that his intentions were not at all pure or working in Tony's favor, but that wasn't the goal.

Tony was just. Necessary.

"You're right," he said, deciding it would be easiest to acknowledge the awkwardness than convince the other boy it didn't exist, "but listen, I personally haven't ever had anything against you." He swallowed so that he wouldn't choke on the lie that came out of his mouth next: "Any of you."

There was a question being asked there, whether Tony knew it or not. By accepting Spencer's words as the truth, he was acknowledging that they could move forward in a positive manner. That was the only real outcome of this situation though, as far as Spencer was concerned. He hated himself for it, but when he took a step back to think about it, this really was for the greater good.

"Actually, between you and me, I've been waiting for this whole stupid clique war to go away for a while now because-" He blushed, right on cue, uneasy, nervous laugh escaping him as his hands absentmindedly pushed their way through his hair- "Well, because I... Can I walk you to class? Consider it... consider it the first of many steps I'm taking to bridge the gap, once and for all!"

[napoleon, d2m ₊⊹ 🐁 ɢʀɪғғɪɴ.]

His eyes behind the horn-rimmed glasses try reading the other’s face but Spencer’s expressions are like skimming a book: they move too quickly to catch the subtext.

He ... seems genuine enough though, enough for Tony, that he cautiously accepts the other’s words. Everyone can have a change of heart, right? And on top of that, he’s right: Tony and Spencer never had a problem. Tony sees the kids on the other side as dictators of their own lives, makers of their chaos, and he often leaves them to their own devices. They seem ready to live with the choices they themselves have made, so let them.

“Okay,” Tony says after a pause, another smile touching his lips that he licks absentmindedly. “I believe you on the first part.” No sane person from the other side like Camila. He takes out his chemistry textbook from the locker, tucks it under his arm. “It’s stupid, isn’t it? I like you guys. I like my guys. We shouldn’t be fighting.” And for stupid reasons.

He closes his locker, and looks at Spencer during the exact moment the other’s hands card through those curly locks he has. Tony’s cheeks warm for the briefest of seconds. “Sure,” he chuckles, looking away so as not to alert the other of his staring. “Attendance is a great first step, Spence. Maybe it’ll encourage your friends to follow your lead. School's good, even if half your pals don't believe it is.”

[umber vivuus 12b 🥀 [dars]]

"I believe you on the first part."

Of course he did. Spencer had largely gotten by on his charm and quick-witted lies. Part of him felt shitty at how quickly deterred Antonio was, but that quickly subsided when the other boy continued speaking: "Attendance is a great first step, Spence. Maybe it’ll encourage your friends to follow your lead. School's good, even if half your pals don't believe it is."

He first had to fight the urge to scoff. Attendance? Spencer was always in class. At least long enough for attendance to be taken. Sure, he had fallen into a bad habit of dipping shortly after, but who cared? He was passing his classes, he was a starting backliner in a sport that hadn't ever existed, and he was damn cute. He smiled, the tip of his tongue provocatively flicking his right upper-canine.

"Right," he purred with forced warmth.

The rest of the trip to Tony's next class- chemistry- wasn't particularly eventful. He politely thanked his new friend for the company and then made his way all the way to algebra just in time for rollcall. Approximately fifty seconds after he'd been submitted as present, he slipped out the window of the supply closet like he always did, made his way to the exy field, did some practice drills with Leo and Ripley, and the rest of his day went pretty much as it always did. He smiled at Tony every time they passed each other in the hallways, ribbing Honey when she noticed and started asking questions.

By the time the final bell of the day rang out, Spencer had already parked himself outside the room of Tony's last class. He waited for him, features brightening when he saw him exiting the room.

"Tony! Hey, how was it today?" He half-jogged to catch up and keep pace.