The sound of champagne popping echoed all over The Pitstop. The madness of Times Square blared on every available screen as a jazz quartet played in the back bar. "You really went all out for this," Charlie said to Steve, grabbing a foie gras tart from a passing waiter.

"It's the first year that I haven't regretted a single fucking thing," Steve said, handing Charlie a glass of champagne. "Fuck resolutions: next year, I'm doing everything the same. Only bigger and better."

"In more ways than one," Edward said with a wink to Charlie as he wrapped his arms around Steve.

"Not in front of the children, dear," Steve teased.

*

Eddy stood sipping her champagne alone when the Davids approached her with sparkly party hats and blow ticklers. "Get that cheesy shit away from me," she said.

"Come now, Edwina," David said, placing a tiara on her perfectly coifed hair. "Should old acquaintance we forgot... "

"Yeah, there's one I'm still trying to get the fuck out of my head."

"How are you doing?" Other David said, taking her hand.

"Nothing a couple of weeks of therapy and bottles of anti-anxiety meds couldn't take care of." They stared at her with concern as she sipped her champagne. She chuckled. "I'm fine guys. I'm dealing but... I'm fine."

"Hey gorgeous," a hot Latina chick said, putting her arm around Eddy. "Got a midnight kiss yet?"

"Sorry, pretty lady," Eddy said as she gracefully pushed hot Latina's arm off of her. "New Year's resolution. No randoms."

"Let's see how long that sticks," Other David said as hot Latina walked away.

"It'll stick," Eddy said, chugging the rest of her champagne.

"What? Did they make a va-jay-jay patch?" joked David.

"What about that one girl?" Other David asked. "The one that set your heart all aflutter when all that ‘Knots Landing' bullshit drama happened to you?"

"I haven't... I mean I wasn't able to tell her what happened. She probably hates me."

"... and never brought to mind... " Other David said, thumbing through her phone contacts. Eddy took her phone back.

"I'm not ready to get back on the horse. Not yet."

*

"I wish we had our own traditions," Charlie said to Tyler, watching the countdown set to ten minutes in Times Square on the screen above the bar.

"I've never been to New York," Tyler said. "Besides Chicago and my hometown... I've never been anywhere. There's still so much world I have left to see."

"You'll see it someday."

"Yeah," Tyler sighed.

"I wish you could've come back to San Francisco with me and Eddy for Christmas."

"I couldn't really afford it."

"My parents would've flown you out. You and Hunter. They love you guys."

"It's all good. I think someone else's happy family Christmas would've made me even sadder. Hunter did a thing with his brother... "

"So you were by yourself?"

"Yeah."

"Next year you won't be alone," Charlie said, putting his arm around Tyler. "Wherever I am, you'll be with me."

"A lot can happen in a year, Charlie... "

Charlie kissed him on the head. "I promise."

Tyler looked at Charlie. "Kissing someone at midnight. That's a tradition, right?"

"Yeah," said Charlie. "But I've never had someone to kiss."

"Ever?"

"Nope," Charlie said with a nonchalant melancholy.

"What about Ben? Is he on his way?"

"He's doing the rounds in the ER tonight. Won't see him until 2013."

"So we're both kissless tonight."

"Well, who said we have to follow all those old traditions? They never meant anything to me anyway. Tell ya what, let's start our own."

"Really?" Tyler asked, a crush from months ago suddenly rekindling.

"Meet me at Hunter's bar and we'll toast in the new year together."

"Oh," said Tyler, as Charlie finished his champagne and went to the bar to get a refill. Tyler looked longingly at Times Square on the TV. He thought of himself at twelve years old, seeing two men kiss for the first time in the news coverage of the Chicago pride parade that year. His utopian Emerald City had gotten a lot smaller in the six months he'd lived in Chicago. And lonelier.

"Excuse me," said a hipster guy as he bumped into Tyler on the way from the bar.

"Andy?"

"Oh. Hey dude. Happy new year."

Tyler's heart jumped with excitement. Maybe the new year wouldn't be so bad after all. "How've you been?"

"Good. I've been good. Had a show a couple of months ago. Sold a few paintings."

"That's great! Hey, I was thinking, you know, about... "

"There you are," said a guy in Buddy Holly glasses coming up to Andy. "Come on, the countdown is about to start."

"Tyler, this is Scott," Andy said awkwardly. "He's... um... a guy that bought one of my paintings."

"Oh is that all?" Scott smiled, kissing him on the cheek.

"Hi," Tyler said, his heart sinking to his stomach. "Did anyone buy the painting you did about me? The blue and red one?"

"That one was about you?!" asked Scott in shock. That got a look from Andy. "Right. Um, we should meet up with our friends. It was nice to meet you, Tyler."

Andy let Scott go a few steps ahead of him. "Happy new year, dude." Andy said to Tyler. And they disappeared in the crowd. It took everything Tyler had to not burst into tears right there, but he caught hold of himself. He fought his way to the bar as everyone made their way to the huge screen in the front to watch the ball drop in Times Square. Everyone, except a handsome brown haired guy, leaning against a wall, looking sadly at his drink.

"Happy new year," Tyler said, approaching him.

"Hey dude," Brad said. "Happy new year."

"How're you doing?"

Brad looked up at him. "I don't know dude. I don't know how I'm doing anymore. A couple of months ago, I knew what the whole rest of my life was pretty much gonna be. And now... "

"I fucked it up."

"No. It wasn't you. I just... " Brad downed the rest of his drink. "I don't know. I just... I don't want to be alone tonight."

"Neither do I," Tyler found himself saying. Brad laid a whiskey laiden kiss on him.

"Alright then. Let's get out of here."

*

"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked David.

"Hey, I get to spend the rest of the year with you," said Other David. "It's just a bit of fun. And it's one kiss. We go home together."

"If you're sure," said David.

They deliberately parted ways and took opposite ends of the crowd. Other David bumped head on to a loud and obnoxious almost-too-old-to-be-a-twink with a noise maker in each hand and a blow tickler in his mouth.

"Happy New Year, Other David!"

Other David chuckled to himself at how easy that was. "Happy New Year, Tristan. Would you like to be my midnight kiss?"

"I'd love to! But what about your boyfriend?"

Other David searched the crowd and could make out his better half talking to a shaggy blonde. "We're spicing things up without getting too crazy. He's over there talking to that guy. Looks like he's sealing the deal."

"Hi," said David, smiling coyly at the shaggy blonde. "I'm David."

"Hey," said Shaggy Blonde. "I'm Josh."

*

There was one minute left on the countdown and Tyler still hadn't shown up at Hunter's bar. Hunter refilled Charlie's champagne flute and poured himself one. Everyone had crowded towards the front, so it was just the two of them.

"Look at ‘em," Hunter smiled. "So excited to see a big ol' shiny ball come down."

"It's something to depend on. Whatever else happens in the year, as crazy and unpredictable as life can be, you can count on this one moment happening exactly the same way. It's comforting in a way."

"It's just kind of stupid, you know? You spend three hundred and sixty four days of the year just trying to get by and somehow, magically, people believe they can resolve to change their lives on the three hundred sixty-fifth. But a day later, it's business as usual."

"There's nothing wrong with self-reflection. Seeing how far you've come in a year, how much farther you have to go."

"Yeah, but look at ‘em. All night, all they've cared about is finding some random person to kiss at midnight. As if it means anything."

"I wouldn't know. Never had a midnight kiss."

"Me neither."

"Is Fitz coming by?"

"In thirty seconds? Nah, he's on patrol tonight. Lots of crazies. Ben?"

"Rounds."

"Right."

"I guess we should be thankful that... you know... we've found these awesome guys that... granted, it's still new for both of us... "

"I'm just thankful to be alive another year."

Charlie took Hunter's hand. "I'm thankful that you're alive for another year too."

The crowd cheered as the final countdown projected on the TV.

Ten.

"So," Hunter smiled. "Never?"

Nine.

"Never," Charlie said.

Eight.

"Tyler's nowhere to be seen."

Seven.

"Fitz and Ben are out saving lives."

Six.

"I mean, if it's just between friends."

Five.

"Just friends?"

Four.

They both finished their champagne.

Three.

Hunter came out from around the bar and faced Charlie.

Two.

Hunter grabbed Charlie by the small of the back and brought him in close.

One.

Charlie kissed Hunter, a kiss that started off tenderly and amiably at first, but quickly melted into two men losing themselves in each other, in a way that had only happened twice before, but felt familiar and second nature. As the milliseconds of years changing sped around them, Charlie and Hunter were in a moment that was completely and utterly theirs. A moment that could never be shared with anyone else, a moment that neither of them would forget. A moment where they felt completed by someone else. By each other.

As the crowds cheered, as blow ticklers blew, as the jazz quarter launched into "Auld Lang Syne," Charlie opened his eyes, watched Hunter still lost in the kiss. Hunter slowly opened his eyes and looked deep into Charlie's.

"Happy New Year, Hunter," Charlie said, stroking his face.

"Happy New Year, Charlie," Hunter said, still holding him tight.

Both of their phones vibrated at the same time with "Happy New Year" texts from Ben and Fitz. Hunter slowly released his hold on Charlie and returned to the bar as partygoers swarmed to refill their drinks. Charlie walked a few steps away to respond to Ben's text. Charlie looked back and found Hunter still looking at him as he poured champagne. They smiled at each other with an "if only" melancholy.

###

Can't think of a better way to start off the New Year than launching Volume 5 and today's chapter is BOYSTOWN's 100th Chapter! Just joining us? Catch up here:

Volume 1 -
Week One, Week Two, Week Three, Week Four, Week Five

Volume 2 -
Week One, Week Two, Week Three, Week Four, Week Five

Volume 3 -
Week One, Week Two, Week Three, Week Four, Week Five

Volume 4 -
Week One, Week Two, Week Three, Week Four, Week Five


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