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“Anyone else really curious to meet Tango’s boyfriend?”
“Yep!” Bdubs answered, nodding enthusiastically.
“Okay, not just me.” Skizz said.
“I’m really curious, too.” Impulse agreed.
Zed hummed. “He’s been really tight-lipped about the whole thing.”
“I wonder why.” Bdubs said.
Impulse shrugged. “I don’t know what’d make him nervous about telling us.”
The four of them paused at the outside of the restaurant.
“Tango said that they’re already here, right?” Skizz asked.
He leaned forward and opened the door. They filed in and waited patiently for the host.
“Party of four?” The host asked as they walked over.
“No, actually the rest of our party’s already here.” Impulse said. “Should have been under Tango?”
“Oh, yeah! Right this way.”
They followed the host through the restaurant to a table in the back. The table was around the corner in a secluded room. There was only one occupant, and while the occupant was blond, he was certainly not Tango. Instead, he was a young man with freckles and a beard that barely covered his baby face.
“Oh, sorry.” Zed apologized quickly. He backed up and glanced at the host. “I think this is the wrong table.”
“Are you Tango’s friends?” The man asked, standing.
The four of them froze.
“Yes.” Skizz answered hesitantly.
The man grinned. “I’m Jimmy, Tango’s boyfriend!”
No one moved.
“Your waiter will be here shortly to take your orders.” The host said cheerfully, offering no help, whatsoever.
“You’re Jimmy?” Zed asked.
The blond tilted his head.
“Yes?” He said. “Is something wrong with that?”
“Nope!” Impulse quickly replied, his voice two octaves too high. “Nice to meet you, I’m Impulse.”
“Skizz.” Skizz said. “That’s Zed and Bdubs.”
Jimmy smiled again. “Nice to meet you all! Tango’s told me so much about you.”
“Wish we could say the same.” Skizz said with false enthusiasm. Luckily, Jimmy didn’t seem to pick up on it.
“Hey, guys!” Tango said from behind. They turned around just as their friend jogged over to them.
“Sorry,” Tango said. “I went to wash my hands. You guys make introductions yet?”
“Yep.” Skizz answered.
“Great!” Tango grinned. “What is everyone standing around for?”
“Just getting acquainted.” Bdubs easily replied. They all sat down, with Impulse next to Jimmy, Zed next to Tango, and Skizz and Bdubs in the middle.
“So, Jimmy, what do you do?” Zed asked.
“I’m a teacher.” Jimmy answered.
“Oh, that’s nice.” Impulse said. “How long have you been teaching?”
“About four years.” Jimmy replied.
“How did you two meet?” Bdubs asked.
Tango answered this time. “Met him at a café, can you believe that?”
Impulse smiled politely and shook his head. As the others continued to talk, he stayed quiet. He was shocked, to say the least. Tango was dating someone that had to be nearly half their ages - something Impulse never would have expected from Tango.
And Jimmy was a nice guy - charismatic, easily riled up, a little on the derpy-side - but he was young. Impulse didn’t like to think of himself as close-minded, and this included age differences in couples, but there was something different in seeing strangers and seeing your own friend.
He got the feeling that the others felt the same way, if their sly glances were anything to go by. Tango, on the other hand, only had eyes for Jimmy. He smiled and laughed at every corny joke Jimmy made and kept a firm grip on Jimmy’s hand throughout the meal. They ended up sharing steak and a salad, and it would have been sweet to see Tango so enamored if it had been with someone at least ten years older than Jimmy.
Near the end of their meal, Tango suggested dessert.
“I’d love some dessert.” Jimmy agreed, grinning.
Tango rolled his eyes. “You always want dessert.”
“Because it’s good.”
Tango shook his head fondly and glanced over at the rest of them.
“What about you guys?” He asked. “Up for dessert?”
“I’m in.” Skizz said with a nod.
“Me too.” Impulse agreed.
“I’ll pass.” Zed said.
“That’s because you don’t like dessert, you weirdo.” Tango teased.
“You don’t like dessert?” Jimmy asked, his eyes going wide.
“No, never been a fan.” Zed said.
“My friend Gem is just the same!” Jimmy said.
“Gem?” Impulse’s eyebrows rose. “Gemini Tay?”
“Yeah! You know her?”
“We know her from work.” Zed answered.
“Jimmy’s friends with her, Pearl, and Grian.” Tango said. “That’s how we met.”
“I thought you met at a café.” Bdubs said.
“We did. I saw Gem and she was having coffee with Jimmy, and I had to ask her for his number.”
“You sap.” Jimmy nudged Tango’s shoulder with his own.
“What can I say?” Tango said. “I’m attracted to pretty things.”
Jimmy’s face went red even as he laughed.
“Oh, shut up.” He shook his head and slowly pushed out his chair. “I’m going to run to the bathroom, I’ll be back in a second.”
“Okay, babe. Stay safe.” Tango said.
“It’s the bathroom, Tango.” Jimmy replied. “I’ll be fine.”
Tango frowned, like he was genuinely concerned something would happen to Jimmy.
“Alright.” He said with a sigh, pouting.
Jimmy rolled his eyes. He quickly ducked forward and kissed Tango’s cheek. Tango pushed him away with a snort and a shake of his head.
Jimmy grinned, then spun on his heel and practically flounced away.
Tango watched him go, a soft sort of smile on his lips. When Jimmy disappeared around the corner, he looked back to Impulse and the others.
“So?” He asked, beaming. “What do you think?”
There was a pause.
“He’s sweet,” Impulse started to say, just as Bdubs said, “He’s really young!”
Impulse couldn’t help but cringe, and he caught Skizz and Zed doing the same out of the corner of his eye. Bdubs tended to be abrasive, and Tango was never one to back down from a fight.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tango asked as he frowned.
“Oh, come on!” Bdubs exclaimed. “You know what I mean! He’s only twenty-six!”
“So? He’s a full-grown adult.”
“I think what Bdubs is trying to say is that we’re just surprised.” Skizz said.
“He’s very pleasant.” Zed added.
“Yeah, nice guy.” Impulse agreed. “And he’s a teacher?”
“Yeah, uh, elementary.” Tango replied.
“He’s only been teaching, what, four years?” Bdubs asked.
Tango’s eyes narrowed. “What are you trying to say?”
“He’s, like, half our age!” Bdubs replied, his hands flailing.
Impulse let his head fall into his hands.
“What’s wrong with that?!” Tango demanded.
“He’s a kid- Ow!” There was a thud and Bdubs cut off with a shout. Someone must have kicked him under the table.
“He’s not a fucking kid.” Tango snapped. “He’s an adult and he’s capable of making his own damn decisions. Don’t infantize him like that just ‘cause he’s younger than us.”
“Does he know how much money you make?”
Skizz let out a soft, “Fuck.”
“What are you implying?” Tango’s voice was icy and dangerous.
“Bdubs,” Impulse tried.
“You’re a well-known, well-off redstone engineer - surely he must have heard of you.”
“Shut up!” Tango said, eyes flashing. “Jimmy is not a gold digger! He’s not just with me for my money, and he’s not a fucking kid!”
Movement out of the corner of his eye caught Impulse’s attention.
He glanced around.
Jimmy was stood in the entrance, hands fidgeting at his side.
Zed inhaled sharply and Skizz let out another quiet curse.
“Jimmy!” Tango said, panic lacing his tone.
“I - uh - I think it’d be best if I leave.” Jimmy said. “I’m just, er, yeah I’m just going to go.”
He turned and darted away.
“Wait, Jimmy!” Tango shoved his chair back and took off after him.
The table was silent.
“Um, excuse me?” Their waitress had returned, and she was glancing around the four of them. “Is everything okay?”
“You guys serve alcohol here, right?” Skizz asked.
The waitress nodded.
“Good, we’re going to need a lot of it. Bring us something strong.”
The waitress nodded again and left. Impulse felt a little sorry for her.
“Bdubs, why did you have to say all that now?” Skizz groaned as he slumped in his chair. “You’re lucky Tango didn’t punch you.”
“I’m just saying what we’re all thinking!” Bdubs replied defensively.
“Bdubs,” Impulse said, sighing. “C’mon, man.”
“You know it’s true! And better to bring it up now than for it to come up later!”
“But we don’t know if Jimmy really is a gold digger.” Impulse protested.
“Oh come on.” Bdubs replied, rolling his eyes.
“There’s a lot of nice qualities about Tango, you know.” Zed said. “It’s not completely unreasonable that someone younger would be interested in him.”
Bdubs let out a huff and crossed his arms. “But you have to admit it’s weird.”
“‘Dubs,”
“Don’t ‘Dubs’ me!” Bdubs said crossly. “I stand by what I said.”
“Yeah, thanks for that.” Tango said, stepping back into their corner.
He looked pissed, to put it mildly.
“Tango!” Impulse stood. “Dude, we’re so sorry about that-”
“You know I really like Jimmy? And I was really excited and really nervous for him to meet you guys - because you’re all my family - and then you guys go talk shit behind his back. That’s really fucked up.”
Guilt constricted Impulse’s chest tightly. “Dude, I’m so sorry.”
“Whatever.” Tango said. “I’m leaving.”
“Tango,” Zed tried.
Tango flipped him off and walked away.
“Well, that went well.” Skizz sighed.
The waitress peaked her head around the corner. She approached them with a hesitant smile, and a tray of beers.
“Thanks.” Impulse said. The waitress nodded and passed around the bottles.
“Anything else?”
Impulse shared a looked with Skizz, then he turned his attention back to the waitress.
“Another round, please.”
* * * * *
Impulse woke up with a start. His hand flew to his chest as he panted, adrenaline pulsing through his veins.
He blinked up at the ceiling and tried to figure out what had woken him up.
The answer revealed itself when a pounding came from the direction of the front door.
Impulse blinked a few times, then rolled over and kicked his legs off the side of the bed.
“Wha’z a matter?” Skizz mumbled sleepily.
“Someone’s at the door.” Impulse answered as he shoved his feet into his slippers. He stretched and glanced at the alarm on his nightstand. Bright red numbers proudly proclaimed that it was 1:43 in the morning. Impulse yawned and stretched. He grabbed his robe and flung it over himself. He took inventory of himself before leaving the bedroom and walking to the door. Whoever was at the door knocked again in rapid succession.
Impulse wondered if he should be afraid of whoever was at the door - it was very early, and their visitor seemed agreessive. He reasoned, however, that if it was someone with violent intentions, they would have broken in already. Besides, Impulse was a big-enough guy, and he remembered enough from high school wrestling to not be too intimated.
“One sec!” Impulse called as he reached the door. He unlocked it and peered out - only to blink in surprise when he recognized Tango.
“Tango?” He opened the door completely. “What are you doing here? Are you okay?”
Tango, who’d been staring at the ground, looked up. Impulse’s concern only grew when he saw Tango’s red-rimmed eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“Jimmy and I broke up.” Tango replied hoarsely, sniffling. He wiped at his eyes.
“Oh, dude.”
“He said he didn’t want to get in the way of my friendships - and I guess his friends have been giving him a hard time, too, so he thought it would be best if we stopped seeing each other.”
“Tango, I’m so sorry.”
Tango wiped his eyes again. “I really liked him, Impy.”
“I know, buddy.” Impulse shifted to the side and gestured. “Wanna come in?”
Tango nodded and hurried past him. He plopped down on the couch and let his head fall into his hands.
Skizz shuffled out of the hallway, expression still full of sleep. He rose a brow at Impulse and tilted his head towards Tango.
“Jimmy.” Impulse mouthed. Skizz nodded in understanding and went to stand next to Tango.
“Hey, homie-buddy.” He said. “You want some tea or hot chocolate?”
“Hot chocolate.” Tango rasped.
“You got it.” Skizz said. He glanced over at Impulse. “Dipple-dop?”
“Yeah, I could go for a hot cocoa.” Impulse said. He went over to Tango and sat next to him.
“I’m really mad at Bdubs.” Tango said, umprompted.
Impulse winced. “I know, dude. He means well, I promise, but he’s not the most subtle of people.”
Tango let out a dry laugh. “You don’t say.”
“Are you sure you can’t talk to Jimmy?” Impulse said. “Bdubs will come around, I promise.”
“And what about you ‘n Skizz.”
“Me and Skizz?”
“Will you guys come around?” Tango asked - and there was a hint of vulnerability in his tone.
Impulse looked at his lap, guilt stirring in his stomach.
“Of course we will, man.” He said quietly. “I’m sorry we were dicks about it earlier.”
“I get it, Impy, I do. He’s way younger than us, but when I’m with him I feel like I’m in my twenties again - and not in the reckless, get hungover way - but more free. I don’t feel as stuck, I’m not just a dude who’s almost middle-aged. I feel like I can try new things and explore - and Jimmy’s been so fucking supportive and encouraging.”
“I didn’t realize you felt stuck.” Impulse said.
Tango shrugged. “It’s not that big of a deal - but I kept feeling like I already peaked, like I had nothing to look forward to. And I’m not unhappy with my life, I swear, but I wasn’t happy with it either - and Jimmy helped me to try new things. He never made me feel like I shouldn’t try ‘cause I’m old or anything.”
“Tango,” Impulse said slowly.
“I know.” Tango replied. “But it’s true, okay? And - we’re not even together anymore, ‘cause some stupid societal pressure says we can’t.”
“I’m sorry.” Impulse sighed. “We should have handled that way better. I can go talk to him and apologize.”
“There’s no point. He’s made up his mind - and he’s the stubbornest man I know.” Tango said quietly. He slumped in his seat.
Skizz padded back into the room, a mug in each hand.
“Here you go, buddy.” He said, handing one to Tango. He gave the other one to Impulse and sat down.
“Thanks.” Tango said as he stared down at his drink.
“You wanna talk about it some more?” Impulse offered.
Tango shook his head. “Can we just watch a movie or something?”
“Sure.” Impulse answered, already reaching for the remote.
Tango didn’t say anything as Impulse chose a movie. He continued to swirl his hot chocolate around, obviously lost in thought. Impulse once again felt guilt stab at his chest.
If only they hadn’t talked about it - they could have saved Tango this pain.
The only thing Impulse could do now was try to be there for his friend.
* * * * *
A few months went by without much mention of Jimmy. Tango was still miserable - that much was obvious. He turned up on Impulse and Skizz’s doorstep and absolute mess more than once. Impulse wasn’t upset by this, but it made him feel like an even worse friend. He’d never seen Tango like this, not even when he and Zed had broken up.
(But then, that’d been more amicable than this.)
Bdubs had been practically dragged to Tango’s house by his ear by Etho, and he’d then been firmly instructed to apologize. Tango accepted the apology - but he was still so unhappy.
To make matters worse, Tango’s birthday was swiftly approaching. Impulse wasn’t sure it would be much of a celebration, not while Tango’s age-related breakup was still so fresh.
Still, he tried to plan something low key that he hoped Tango would appreciate and enjoy. The others had been walking on eggshells around Tango and were similarly motivated to make sure Tango had a good birthday, despite everything.
Impulse was working on booking a reservation when he received a cryptic text.
1 Message: Pesky Bird
>> meet me at café !!! One hour !!!
<<What? Why?
>> no questions !!! >:o
Impulse was more than a little confused.
“Hey, Skizz!” He called.
“Yeah?” Skizz returned.
“G just messaged me, he wants me to meet him at the café in an hour.”
“Why?”
Impulse shrugged. “Don’t know, he didn’t say.”
“Okay, have fun, babe!”
“Thanks for being so concerned about it!”
“It’s ‘cause I have so much faith in you and Grian!”
“Grian?” Impulse snorted. “You have faith in Grian?”
There was a beat of silence.
“I have a lot of faith in you!”
Impulse laughed. “Alright, love you too!”
He fiddled with his phone for a moment. He had absolutely no idea what to expect with Grian - but that wasn’t really new. Hopefully Impulse would make it out without too many injuries.
* * * * *
Impulse took a hesitant step into the café and scanned the room. He caught sight of Grian nearly immediately - and so did Grian. Grian waved him over.
“Hey,” Grian said. “Thanks for meeting with me.”
Impulse sat down. “Yeah, of course. Is everything good?”
“Yeah, uh - there was actually someone else who wanted to meet you.”
“What?”
“Hey, Impulse.”
Impulse startled and turned around. Jimmy stood behind him, shuffling awkwardly.
“Jimmy?” Impulse looked back at Grian. The blonde looked abnormally serious. “G?”
Grian offered him a smile. “Hear him out, yeah?”
He stood and patted Impulse on the shoulder before leaving for a table at the other end of the room.
“Thanks for agreeing to meet with - well, not with me.”
“I agreed to meet with Grian, not you. What’s up?” Impulse said - and maybe he’d been a bit too aggressive, because Jimmy practically withered.
“Uh,” he rubbed the back of his neck, “I wanted to - uh - give you something.”
“You - what?”
Jimmy fidgeted. “It’s just - Tango’s birthday is coming up, and - you can never tell him I said this - he said he always wanted to try painting and that he didn’t feel like he could start now, but I think he can. And I want him to feel like he can try - so I got him this, and you don’t have to tell him it’s from me - you can tell him it’s from you, or something, I don’t care. But please just give him this.”
He shoved something into Impulse’s hands, and it took Impulse a moment to realize it was a wrapped gift.
“It’s, uh, it’s a paint set and painting book, just so you’re not surprised when he opens it.”
Impulse blinked up at Jimmy. “You got him a birthday gift?”
“Yeah. Please give it to him.”
“No.”
“What?” Jimmy’s eyes widened. “Dude, please? You don’t have to tell him it was me! Just give it to him, please, he was really interested in painting.”
“I’m not going to give it to him, but I think you should.”
“Oh - me?”
Impulse gently put the gift back in Jimmy’s hands. “Yeah. I think… I think it would be good for the both of you. You know, Tango really misses you.”
“Really?” Jimmy perked up like a damn dog. “I’ve missed him too - so much!”
“You broke up with him.” Impulse pointed out.
“But not because I wanted to.” Jimmy replied, his posture slumping. “It just felt like the right thing to do - that more people would be happier if we stopped seeing each other.”
“I’m sorry we made you feel that way.” Impulse said. “But you know - being older does make a difference right now, because I have some advice for you. Don’t live your life for other people - you gotta do what’s right for you. Okay?”
Jimmy grinned at that. “Okay.”
“Awesome.” Impulse leaned back in his chair. “I’ll text you the details for his birthday.”
“Sounds good.” Jimmy said. “And, uh, thank you.”
“You too.” Impulse replied, smiling.
He watched Jimmy jog across the room and sit down next to Grian. He started talking, and Impulse couldn’t make out what he was saying, but by the way he was smiling and animatedly waving his hands, Impulse figured it was all positive. Grian casted Impulse a sly look and a grin. Impulse waved back.
Impulse’s phone buzzed, catching his attention.
One Message: Skizz
>> how’s it goin???
<< Going well! I’ll tell you about it soon.
>> kk! see you soon dippledop <3
Impulse smiled and tucked his phone away. He glanced one last time over at Grian and Jimmy. The two were still deep in conversation. Impulse considered going over to talk to them, but he decided to let the two of them be. He had a birthday to plan.
* * * * *
Tango’s birthday party wasn’t much of a surprise. It wasn’t much of a party, either, more like a get-together. They met up at Tango’s favorite bar and ordered plenty of food and drinks. Impulse had invited their usual friend group - he figured Tango would want something small.
His friend had been cheerier than the past few weeks, but he still seemed glum. It took all of Impulse’s willpower not to break and tell Tango that Jimmy would be coming. Impulse had been in contact with the younger man since their meeting in the café - and Impulse had to admit that Jimmy was a really great person. He hoped, for both Jimmy’s and Tango’s sake, that this would work out.
Impulse couldn’t help but look up every time the bar’s front door swung open. He knew he told Jimmy to arrive a little later (to make it more of a surprise for Tango), but he wasn’t sure when exactly Jimmy would be coming - and the anticipation was making him nervous.
“Dude,” Skizz murmured, nudging Impulse. “Are you okay?”
“I’m good, man.” Impulse replied.
“You sure? You seem nervous.”
“Yeah, I’m-” Impulse jerked as the door opened and its bell jingled.
A tall, blonde figure walked in - and it took Impulse less than a second to recognize Jimmy. He waved the other man over and waited, stressed, for Tango to notice.
Tango had seated himself with his back towards the door, so the others noticed before he did. Zed’s eyes widened and Bdubs froze mid-bite.
Jimmy paused behind Tango’s chair and cleared his throat. “Hey, Tango.”
Tango stiffened and whirled around so quickly that his neck cracked. Impulse winced sympathetically, but Tango didn’t seem to notice.
“Jimmy?” He asked, slowly standing. “What… what are you doing here?”
Jimmy glanced at Impulse, and Impulse gave an encouraging smile while nodding.
“Impulse invited me.” Jimmy admitted. “I wanted to give you something.”
He held out the gift, but Tango didn’t take it. Instead, he looked over at Impulse.
“You invited him?” He asked, his voice rough.
“I think we didn’t give you and Jimmy a fair chance.” Impulse said.
“Really?” Tango asked.
Impulse turned towards their friends - he honestly didn’t know how they felt, but he hoped they thought the same. Tango had been so obviously unhappy without Jimmy.
“Yeah, man.” Skizz said easily. “We shouldn’t have been such dicks. You guys deserve a chance to give your relationship a try, and we shouldn’t have gotten in the way of that.”
“Yeah, I’m really sorry, Tango.” Bdubs said. After Etho elbowed his side, he quickly added, “And you too, Jimmy.”
Jimmy ducked his head, but Impulse could still see a smile forming across his lips.
“Jimmy?” Tango asked, taking a step towards Jimmy.
Jimmy visibly swallowed. He looked back up at Tango and tilted his head to the side.
“Can we talk alone?”
“Yeah!” Tango quickly answered. “Yes, of course.”
Jimmy beamed, his teeth flashing in the dim bar lighting. “Good.”
Tango reached forward and gently grasped Jimmy’s shoulder. “Let’s - uh - let’s go over there.”
“Okay.” Jimmy replied.
Tango turned to the others. “We’ll be back in a second.”
“Have fun, you two.” Skizz crowed.
“Be safe!” Bdubs added with a massive wink. He let out an exclamation when Etho elbowed his side again.
Tango rolled his eyes, but Jimmy flushed.
“Let’s leave these idiots.” Tango said, ushering Jimmy away.
They all waited for Tango and Jimmy to be out of earshot before they started talking.
“Oh my god!” Skizz said as he lightly punched Impulse’s arm. “How could you keep that from us?!”
“Sorry, sorry! I wanted to make sure it was a surprise.”
“What made you reach out?” Zed asked.
“Well, actually he reached out first.” Impulse said. “He got Grian to trick me into meeting him - and it was just because he wanted to give Tango a birthday gift. He even told me I could tell Tango it was from us, he just wanted to make sure Tango got it.”
“That’s really sweet.” Etho hummed.
“He really did all that?” Zed asked.
Impulse nodded. “Yeah. He’s a great guy.”
They were quiet for a moment.
“He’s still very young.” Zed commented.
“Yeah.” Skizz agreed. “But I think that they’ll last.”
“Me too.” Impulse agreed.
“I hope so.” Bdubs sighed. “I guess we’ll have to get used to doing young stuff again - like getting drunk.”
“You already do that.” Etho said, fondness leaking into his tone.
“Hey!” Bdubs shouted. “Only occasionally!”
Etho rolled his eyes.
“What do you think they’re talking about?” Skizz asked. He craned his head to look at where Tango and Jimmy had disappeared.
“Maybe they’re making out.” Bdubs replied.
“Gross!” Skizz exclaimed.
Impulse caught movement from the far corner of the bar.
“Shut up, guys.” He hissed just as Tango and Jimmy came into view. The two were holding hands and smiling at each other like they were high-school students. Impulse couldn’t help but warm at the sight.
“Hey, guys.” Tango said. “Uh, Jimmy and I are dating again.”
“That’s awesome!” Impulse said as Skizz cheered.
“Congratulations to you both.” Zed said.
“Thanks.” Tango was beaming. “And, Impy, thanks for inviting him.”
“Of course, Tango.” Impulse replied.
Under the table, Skizz reached for his hand and gave it a quick squeeze.
“Great job.” He said quietly, directly into Impulse’s ear. Impulse smiled and watched as Tango and Jimmy squeezed into the booth together.
Tango looked so incredibly happy. He kept smiling at Jimmy, and Jimmy smiled in return.
Something soft and syrupy-sweet settled in Impulse’s chest. As he watched the couple giggle and stare softly at one another, he knew he made the right choice.
Tango deserved the absolute best - and Impulse had no doubt that Jimmy was exactly what Tango deserved.