Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Chosen spends his day much like he spends most of his days: sitting in his room, playing games, always ready in case the world needs him. Various opened bags of different snacks are lying on the ground, and the smell in his room is less than pleasant. This is exacerbated by the fact that he's located in a basement with no real opportunity for fresh air. But The Chosen doesn't mind; it's the most optimized space for his needs.

He notices his phone blinking, and excitement about the endless possibilities spreads through him. He glances away from his TV screen, and the name Augustus catches his eye. It's him again, with five missed texts. The Chosen doesn't really understand why Augustus wants to spend time with him so badly. Don't get him wrong, he enjoys it too, but there's always something off when they hang out. Augustus is perhaps the only person with less social experience than him, and he always puts him on edge. Analyzing his next move turns out to be wild guesswork. What causes his laser-sharp judgment to be cloudy, specifically with HIM?

After being lost in thought, he turns back to Metroid Prime. He didn't pay attention and died again. This game is a real challenge.

"Fine, I will read his messages," The Chosen says out loud to himself. In his mind, he's always convinced of the idea that he plays the protagonist role in a very popular media franchise. He even acquired the habit of breaking the fourth wall... just like Deadpool... so fricking cool.

Augustus 1:00 pm

“Look what I got my hands on. A PS5!”

Augustus 1:03 pm

“I know you have been trying to get your hands on it for a while.”

Augustus 1:08 pm

“If you bring food, I will allow you to play with me.”

Augustus 1:45 pm

“Come on dude, I know you don’t have a job or money and how badly you want this."

Augustus 2:01 pm

“I have Final Fantasy 16.”

How did the sticky loser get his hands on a PS5, and why did he want to hang out with him so badly? Well, he is maybe the most badass person in the known multiverse, so that’s NOT the surprising part. Maybe he should take pity on him and hang out again… Play some PS5… Yeeeeahhhh.

The Chosen 2:10 pm

“Come over whenever, I guess.”

Thirty minutes later, there's a knock on his basement door. The Chosen jumps up vertically from his beanbag to rush to the door with lightning speed. The door immediately swings open.

A taller man with an anime T-shirt, a flannel, longer black hair, and a huge backpack stands in the entrance, starting to talk.

"Oh, hello, hello. Your mom let me in, very sweet lady," Augustus sniffs through most of his words. On top of that, his voice is incredibly nasally. "You know, at first I thought it was kind of a CRAZY ask to get me to bring my PS to you... but then I thought... you know... I get being overwhelmed going to someone else for the first time. And I have been here plenty of times before. So, I granted you this favor, me being the upstanding gentleman I am. You should still come over to my place someday anyway."

"Hah, fool. I envy your naiveté. The safety of the world rests on my shoulders. I always have to be ready on a whim. Always reachable. I do not get overwhelmed," Chosen delivers the first part of his response in his usual monotone, stoic manner, but Augustus picks up on a slight deviation in the last sentence. His voice raises ever so slightly, his gaze moving to the ground.

"Sure, dude," he answers, deciding not to poke around and neg the other this time. Augustus typically really enjoys it but moves on directly this time. "Let me set up my PlayStation."

"Yeah, it's whatever," he says, looking away once more, delivering the line in the most nonchalant manner he can muster.

"Okay, so I will just leave my PS5 in my bag then. Let's do something else," he smirks, a dirty smirk, at least his voice conveys it; The Chosen hasn't actually looked back at his face.

"Wait..." The Chosen's guise slips once again, and slight hints of emotion make their way into his words. Every time that happens, Augustus's stomach feels a slight tingle. He's made it one of his life missions to get him to drop the mask entirely, to break through this strange boy.

"... I want to see what shitty games you have for it. I bet you don't even have Devil May Cry 6." The facade is back on.

Augustus sighs, quickly snacking on some Cheez-Its from his pocket before responding. "Simpleton, there is no Devil May Cry 6. Devil May Cry 5 is the newest in the series. It may be the sixth installment of it, but it is called Devil May Cry 5. Easy mistake to make, but I expected better from you, heh."

"Impressive," Chosen says, hovering two fingers over his shades before pointing them at the other and continuing. "That was a test, and you passed. You are clearly worthy... for now." A wide grin forms on his lips.

"Dude, you are a handful. Let's finally sit down and play Diablo IV or something."

The Chosen nods in agreement, and both sit down on the beanbags in front of his TV. The air thickens as both of them try to conceal their excitement for this moment, even if it's for different reasons. Their legs brush together as they lean forward, grabbing the controllers. Quickly, The Chosen scoots over, creating more space between them.

"Let's enter hell, or as I call it, CulinaryCraze Café. Their vegetables are always so overcooked, and they won't let me enter anymore. But that won't stop me from trying," Augustus blurts out, trying to break the silence.

"We should go eat somewhere together; nobody would dare throw me out." The words leave his mouth with no control on his part. Why did he say that? He has no idea.

Augustus turns his head, trying to build eye contact. The Chosen is avoiding it like his life depends on it. His eyes are glued to the screen, and blood rushes to his head, spreading out from his cheeks to the tip of his ears.

"I will take you out to one of the finest establishments, like an Olive Garden. We will dine like kings!" Augustus bows, or at least tries to while sitting down; it's ridiculous. His plan works, and finally, he has The Chosen's eyes on him once more. The light red flush covering his face makes him look very endearing.

After taking a moment to collect himself, The Chosen takes a deep breath, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Sure, whatever. Just text me a time and date later."

Suddenly, he's standing up, swinging his sword around in the corner, vocalizing at every thrust. Augustus's eyes fixate on him, fascinated by the scene happening right next to him. The game is still playing in the background, with the audio coming from the TV filling the room. He can't help but chuckle a bit, earning him a slight glance from The Chosen.

"You should leave; I have to train."

"Ok?"

Augustus slowly packs his stuff, slight anger filling his head. What the heck did he do wrong? He even held back on the negging this time. Why is his life just a supercut of getting kicked out of places? He should stick to Makodo; she never wants him to leave. Stupid boy with his stupid sword in this stupid basement.

"See you in hell," Augustus utters as he leaves the room.

Chapter Text

Waking up with a myriad of emotions brewing inside him isn't something The Chosen is used to. In fact, he's become so skilled at keeping his feelings sealed that even if he wants to, feeling anything becomes a challenge. The previous day keeps flashing before his mind's eye an overabundance of times, and his head is starting to vibrate a bit.

He can't even talk to anyone about this. Nobody would understand, and he doesn't even want anyone to understand. His only two friends would probably just make fun of him. His mom is the only one who comes near to being an option, and he'd rather impale himself on his sword than talk to her about it. On top of that, she constantly annoys him with questions about Augustus now. Every time he even comes close to having a friend, she starts behaving extremely unhinged, never seeming to understand that every bond he creates with another human puts them severely at risk. Being a lone wolf has its reasons. That's the price to pay.

He had been pacing around his room for quite some time now when a sudden knock on his door jolts him out of his thoughts.

"Honey, there's a letter for you," his mom chimes from behind the door.

In one swift motion, The Chosen makes his way to the door, opens and closes it while grabbing the letter out of his mother's hand in between. He rarely gets letters, so his suspicion on who the sender could be pointed him in only one direction. His heart skips a beat after looking down and realizing that his intuition was right.

Augustus.

Why didn't he just text him? He always had to act so effeminate and extra. Putting his guard up to not let the other boy pull him into it as well is starting to become a big priority for him. The Chosen has to stay tough; the fate of the world rests on his shoulders. He carefully puts the letter on his desk. Removing himself before lying flat on the ground. His heart is beating uncomfortably fast, thinking about the possibilities that the contents of that letter could hold. He doesn't really want any to be true, and as long as he won't open it, none are. The Chosen stands up, makes his way to the letter, only to pick it up and lay down again. This scene repeats itself a plethora of times before he finally rips it open.

"Why are you acting like such a pansy, being scared of a letter? You have no fear!"

The words leave his mouth more shaky than he wants them to. Afterward pointing his head towards an imaginary camera, giving some air for laughter before looking down at the contents of the letter.

Dearest friend, 

 

we left off in a rather unfavorable state. Let's forget what happened and meet tomorrow at 3 p.m. in the olive garden next to the arcade. I will expect you in your finest cargo shorts.

 

Singing out

Augustus

PS: Tell your mom that I can drive you home.

A slight smile forms on his lips, and quickly, he collects himself again, returning to his usual expression. Patting himself down as though he is pushing filth out of his clothes, he looks around as if he's concerned that someone has watched the scene he created.

"He is so obsessed with me," he utters in the most neutral tone he can muster. "Well, I repeat myself, but who can even blame him? Natural response."

-

The Chosen's stomach feels like it had flipped upside down as he sits in the passenger seat on their way to Olive Garden. His mother, on the other hand, seems to be having the time of her life. She's been glowing since they entered the car.

"Proud of you," she remarks after pulling her car into the parking lot.

"Don't come picking me up later," he responds quickly, leaving the car and grabbing his sword from the backseat beforehand.

His eyes dart around the sidewalk in front of the restaurant before spotting his co-conspirator. The Chosen notices that Augustus has his hair up in a man bun today. Other than that, he's wearing his usual violet flannel with a Miku shirt underneath. Yet his attention quickly moves to another place. Augustus has very hairy legs. He'd never noticed before, maybe it was the first time he'd seen him in shorts. The Chosen grew a bit jealous. His genetics played against him in this department. He loathed his genetics in a number of ways, especially when it came to his height. Augustus seems to outperform him in so many ways, and yet he destroys all of it by having long hair and wearing that stupid nail polish.

The Chosen is lost in thoughts for at least a minute, standing at the edge of the parking lot, directly staring at the other boy, who had been trying to get his attention for quite some time now.

Suddenly, he's standing directly in front of him.

"Hello!... Hello? Earth to The Chosen."

The blond jumps a bit backward, startled by the sudden noise in front of him. It takes him a second to collect himself.

"You need to be careful; I almost attacked you."

"Yeah, yeah, let's get inside. I am craving some cheesy bread."

Augustus tries to take The Chosen's hands to pull him towards the Olive Garden, but the other's hands are firmly planted on the hilt of his sword, with no intentions of budging.

Not letting himself throw off his rhythm, Augustus just brushes the back of his hands on his chest, making way towards the entrance.

They both notice a small table with two chairs in one of the corners and strut towards it in unison. Augustus pulls out one of the chairs, gesturing for The Chosen to sit down, following up with a comically low bow and a swinging hand motion. He swiftly ignores the circus performance in front of him, making a point to take the other chair.

"You know, I don't do stuff like this for everyone. The least you can do is show some courtesy."

Okay, maybe that was kind of a dick move of his. Guilt starts to wash over him, and his body tenses up even more. Augustus notices the discomfort the situation is causing and decides to let it go, plopping down on the chair.

Thankfully, the uncomfortable silence breaks as a waitress approaches them to ask about their orders.

"I will take some cheesy bread, endless breadsticks, of course, and endless pasta," Augustus replies excitedly to the young lady taking their requests.

"Could I just get some spaghetti with tomato sauce? Oh, and please put the sauce in an extra bowl."

Augustus directs a warm smile towards The Chosen as the last word leaves his mouth.

“No problem, I will return with your orders in a couple of minutes,” she says, putting on the most obvious customer service voice either of them has ever heard.

"Have you seen the new Hellboy trailer?" The Chosen blurts out, trying to move his thoughts away from Augustus.

"Of course I have! The art style is truly impeccable. Can’t wait to sink hours into a new rogue-like. I really hope it lives up to my expectations."

Losing themselves in conversations about movies or video games was always a safe bet. They agreed on most things when it came down to it, and even when they had disagreements, bickering about them always proved fun for both. Quickly, it moved from an anecdote about game to game until their food arrived. The Chosen looks down at his plain plate of spaghetti, loads his fork, and dips it into the tomato sauce bowl next to it.

"Interesting choice," Augustus replies with a mouth full of pasta and no malice in his words.

"I've been getting this for forever. There is no need to change a working system."

"You are the most autistic person I know. I have the utmost respect," Augustus replies, tipping an imaginary hat.

"I am not retarded," he almost whispers, painfully pushing the words past his teeth. "I am just a Sigma male. You wouldn't get it."

The slur catches Augustus completely off guard. Olive Garden was maybe the last place he expected to hear it.

"You know it's okay to be autistic?"

...

"I have to visit the restroom."

The Chosen excuses himself only to return a couple of steps later to grab the sword he parked next to the chair before continuing to move towards his original destination. After not even two minutes, he’s sitting at the same table once more.

“I can’t decide if I love or hate this,” The Chosen declares. A slight sting wanders from his temple to the back of his head.

“People tend to describe me as overwhelming. I have no idea if it influences your opinion, but I am having a blast. 5 out of 5 stars, well... maybe 4 out of 5, when I think about it a little more.” Augustus is smirking, feeling sure of himself.

For the first time in the other's presence, The Chosen breaks out into laughter, unsuccessfully trying to hold it back. Everything about this is so absurd.

“You are one of the most peculiar fricking individuals,” he announces after almost calming down.

The Chosen's laugh is higher pitched than Augustus imagined it to be, there is something beautiful about it. At that moment, a deep-seated wish to hear it more often starts to form within him.

“I am?” Augustus raises an eyebrow at him.

“You are bizarre… I am unparalleled,” he says, looking into the distance, flicking his hair to the side. "That's what separates us."

Now Augustus is the one starting to giggle.

The rest of their dinner goes by without another moment of note. It finally feels like they have reached a point where they can be comfortable around each other. While leaving the restaurant, The Chosen can’t help but study the face of this friend. His eyes are getting caught on his lips over and over again. He quickly diverts his gaze before Augustus catches him in the act.

Arriving at his car, Augustus opens the passenger seat. “Step into my carriage, monsieur.”

While doing as told, whiffs of cottage cheese and Axe body spray enter his nose. After Augustus seats himself next to him, The Chosen can’t help but call out the abuse unleashing on his nostrils.

“What the heck did you do in here; it's so bad… If I wasn’t so disgusted, I would almost call it impressive.”

“Well, I call it having character.”

Luckily, the drive to The Chosen's home doesn’t take long, and in a blink of an eye, both of them are standing in front of the entrance to his house.

Before the other's reflexes kick in, Augustus abruptly pulls him into a hug. Hugging a plank of wood would probably feel exactly the same, given how stiff The Chosen has turned. Arms dangle straight down, his face pressed under the chin of his taller friend.

“I had a wonderful time; we should leave your stuffy basement more regularly.”

The Chosen's heart is beating faster than he would like it to. Eventually, Augustus breaks the hug, looking down while still standing unbelievably close. The air between them has never been thicker.

“Yeah, we probably should,” The Chosen finally musters, fist-bumping the chest in front of him.

“Say hi to your mom from me,” Augustus creates space between them again, now moving back to his car.

Chapter Text

Even though a day already passed, the feeling of the hug still lingers on The Chosen's skin. His mind not letting anything else enter. He can't understand what is going on with him. Feelings never felt before keep entering his body, refusing to leave. He's not even sure if he dislikes what Augustus is doing to him, that's the worst part of the whole ordeal.

Something snaps within him. He can’t stomach being alone in his confusion anymore, there is only one place he can think to turn to.

The Chosen sits down at his desk, his face buried in one hand, opening Reddit with the other.

r/RelationshipAdvice

u/UndercoverAgent64

  ↑ 909 ↓

Am I (19M) catching feelings for this girl (20)? 

 

Throwaway because she constantly uses Reddit as well. 

Not that long ago I met this girl at a GameStop, she works there. We started talking, at first I thought we were having an argument. Out of nowhere, she asked me to hang out to play games together. It caught me off-guard, but I didn’t refuse. In the following weeks, she kept pushing to spend more time. We did. 

Every single time we interact, she makes me more confused. To be honest with you, I can’t even decrypt the emotions she plants into my head. All I know is that they are intense. They make me want to run away and never leave her side at the same time. What is happening to me? Am I catching feelings for the grossest person to ever walk this wretched earth? I once saw her bite into a stick of butter. How is it even possible that I am interested in her? Nothing makes sense. 

I hate her. She hugged me for the first time the day before yesterday. That's all I can think about now. I want to punch her straight into the nose for doing that… but also hug her again.

I need Reddits ancient wisdom to figure out what is happening to me. 

 

[21 Comments] [Share] [Save] [...]

u/KingOfTrashCans

  ↑ 805 ↓

Lol, dude, my guy. You have the most obvious, intense crush on this chick. No idea why you are even confused about that. 

u/EmmaBunchofNumbers

  ↑ 613 ↓

Sounds like this is your first real crush. Don’t beat yourself up over it, it's a confusing thing to go through. Maybe talk to her about it? Figure it out together! I know it can be scary but you got this. Rooting for you two :D

u/CerealGoblin

  ↑ 100  ↓

You could have just posted this on your normal account, there is no way she doesn't figure out it's about her, especially if this does numbers. Story is way too specific.

|

u/UndercoverAgent64

  ↑ 12 ↓

I’m not an idiot, already 3 steps ahead of you. I changed up some key details. I will be fine.

u/YourMomsBoyfriend

  ↑ 0 ↓

Is she ugly as shit or from what other place do your doubts come from?

He keeps opening Reddit, rereading his post every time. The more time passes the less he recognizes the person that wrote the words in front of him.

Chapter Text

Sweat visibly pools on Augustus' forehead. He takes off the fingerless gloves he decided on putting on earlier. The Chosen stands next to him on the porch of a mediterranean style house, not doing that much better. The fabric his usual wolf shirt is made out of is pretty thick. Humidity was extraordinarily high again. The blond presses the doorbell once more, grunting in frustration.

He shouldn't have agreed to come to Brianna Boho's twenty-first birthday party. In actuality, he didn't have much choice but to take up the invitation. Brianna is an old childhood friend of his, his only one. Skipping out on the celebration would mean week long arguments with his mom about it. Getting through this one evening of drunk college kids is worth being spared the consequences of not attending. 

A blond girl, wearing a neon orange tank top and fishnets, opens the door.

"Heeeeyyyy Spenccccc… you brought a date? Cute. Come in. Come in." The smell of vodka travels towards the boys. Brianna is already hammered, nothing new. The Chosen is used to it, he can’t think of the last moment he remembers seeing her sober.

Stepping into that air-conditioned room feels like being born again.

Loud music blasts throughout the room, almost overshadowing all the simultaneous conversations happening around them. Brianna’s already gone, mixed under the folk. Augustus makes a direct way approaching the snack table, sticking his whole hand into the chips bowl. Most of them crumble before he can place any into his mouth.

"This place is a fricking hellscape." The Chosen whispers in the direction of Augustus, as he sees the first person throw up in the brief time they've been present.

Thankfulness floods his body. If it wasn’t for Augustus being accompanying him, last year's scene would have probably just repeated. Not one familiar face, exactly as last time. He ended up standing in a corner, arms crossed, legs spread, watching the party unfold around him, all evening long.

At least today he has a partner in crime.

“We are just like Sonic and Shadow.” Muttering more to himself than to his companion.

“Huh?” Augustus turns. “Who is who?”

“I am Shadow, obviously, look at me.” That he would even ask such an idiotic question, the Chosen can’t help but to shake his head a bit.

“What, no! I definitely have more Shadow than Sonic in me.” The brunette retorts, crumps falling out of his overpacked mouth.

“Na-Ah. We can’t both be Shadow. It’s my thing, I AM the ultimate life form. Get your own thing.”

“Ok but… I am so much not like Sonic, at all.”

“Whatever, be anyone else then.” Chosen crosses his arms.

“You know, I made a Sonic OC a while ago, drew it and everything, it’s really cool.”

“Impres–-”

Two girls, Brianna and a stranger, stumble against him, abruptly tearing him out of the previous conversation. Suddenly red plastic cups are pressing into the hands of him and Augustus.

“No can do, gotta drive later.” Augustus hands back the cup, pointing finger guns towards the women.

“I can’t, I always have to be at 100% capacity, people rely on me to protect and serve.”  The Chosen puts the cup down on the snack table.

“Eww, are you a cop or something?” The unfamiliar girl sneers at him.

“What?? No.” He lets a frowning expression face Brianna, as if to signal, signal to handle this conversation.

“He is just into that role playing stuff. LERPing…? LARPing? You know, like playing pretend. It's kinda cute.” His childhood friend replies giggling through most of it, every other word being interrupted by a hiccup.

“Oh. ok.” The girl's eyes wander him up and down. If her intention is to express contempt and judgment, she does a damn good job of it.

“Wow, rude.” It comes from Augustus, but the girls are already in the process of getting swept up by different people, not catching his remark. Readjusting his focus on The Chosen, he notices indisposition in his stare, still targeting the others.

“Dude, you ok?” Augustus lays a hand on the shoulder next to him, causing The Chosen to divert his cold gaze towards him. Not a single word is leaving his mouth. “Normies just can’t handle us.” Augustus picks up again.

“You don’t have to comfort me.” He finally replies. “One gets used to not being understood, living the life I do.” A small sigh leaves his lips.

There is nothing more that Augustus wants to do right now, than to pull The Chosen closer to his chest. Everyone deserves comfort, but his companion always seems to have built up an aversion to it. Struggling with this inner-conflict leaves him in a paralysis. His hand is still resting on The Chosen shoulders. Both of them haven’t moved for a while, unsure on where to go from here.

“I have a hilarious idea.” A spark enters Augustus’ brain. “Let’s hijack the aux.” Momentarily his fingers dig deeper into The Chosen’s flesh, removing his hand completely briefly later.

The Chosen’s eyes scan his surroundings until he locates his target. An unaccompanied laptop standing next to the sounds system that has been blasting Techno and Eurodance the whole evening. Before sneaking away, his hand reaches across, grabbing the lower arm of Augustus, tugging him towards their goal. “These people are soon going to experience good music for the first time in their life.”

“What are you thinking?” Augustus asks, standing behind the laptop. Everyone can easily see them. Nobody even gives them a second look, but with the whole operation being way more defiant in their minds, both hearts slightly pick up speed.

“Put ‘I am… All Of Me’ next in the queue.”

“Excellent choice.” With quick typing the song is entered. “Let’s dip.”

Augustus is giggling with anticipation as they make their way across the room. A brief silence, the current song just ended. Electric guitar echoes throughout the room. A handful of people get startled by the sudden shift in tone, but most are not letting themselves be thrown off their rhythm, continuing talking, jugging beer or making out in some corner. Augustus is nodding to the beat, moving his body, it almost resembles dancing. A trancelike state is overcoming the Chosen, everything but his friend fades out of his vision.

Just like that, the song is playing its last beats, the sound system carrying on with another Techno song. The Chosen looks down, his sword isn’t there. He must have forgotten it by the speakers, while his mind was all clouded up from the adrenalin. Slight panic stings within him. Letting Augustus behind, he quickly traces back his steps.

Three guys have gathered in front of the laptop, one of them holding his sword, flailing it around, periodically hitting the others with it. His heart drops to the floor as he notices the scene unfold around him. In an instance he rushes close to them.

“Take your hands off that.” His voice booms, violently tearing the sword out the clutches of the guy towering above him.

“What is your fucking problem?” The man closes the gap between, lightly pushing the Chosen. His friends stand behind, laughing.

Their little dispute is drawing nearly all eyes on them, but most importantly catching the attention of Augustus. His warm hands place on his shoulders after speedily making his way over.

“It’s getting late, let’s just go.”

Without responding The Chosen speed walks to the door, leaving the blaspheme behind and Augustus to catch up. The door slams into its frame, locking the noise behind it. Still ignoring his accompaniment, he makes way towards the car, Augustus struggling to keep up. Impatiently tugging on the car door, looking back at him.

“Are you ok?” Augustus interrogates while closing the distance between them. “Like really?”

The Chosen looks down once again, stroking his sword, refusing to meet the other at eyes level. “Of course, unlock your car.” His voice has a slight shake to it.

“Bro, you don’t have- it’s really ok. Who are you keeping this act up for?” The words pierce through his skull, opening the floodgates, tears starting to drip under his shades. Swiftly Augustus pulls him into a side hug, being slightly overwhelmed with the situation, not knowing how to best help his friend. Quiet sniveling is the only thing filling the dense air.

Augustus’ hand travels up the side of the body pressed against his, suddenly a face presses against his neck, words vibrating against his skin.

“Thank you.”

Chapter Text

Glancing at the ceiling, crusty eyes trying to stay open. The Chosen might as well be having a hangover. His body desperately wants to throw up. Disoriented, he looks around his room. The scenes of last night start to flash through his head, causing it to buzz uncomfortably. He slowly makes his way towards the bathroom, feet dragging along the ground. His reflection greets him in the mirror. An ice-cold stare, piercing blue eyes - he will never get used to his face without sunglasses.

Shame.

As cold water hits his face, so does shame. His neck tightens around his Adam's apple. Suffocating on humiliation. The Chosen hits his face with another round of water, as if to wash his feelings away. 

Disgust.

A sharp inhale. The repulsion he feels towards the man in the mirror keeps growing, makes him shudder. Ha, man… he is a sad excuse of one - at best - even calling himself one at all feels painfully wrong today. All he knows how to do is to run away like a little girl, a real man would have fought. Nobody would dare to take away his possessions, and when they do, they suffer the consequences. 

Anger.

His lips vibrate. He wants nothing to do with the person that controlled his body last night. Running away? Crying like a little bitch? How could he let that happen…? Augustus is probably laughing right now, laughing at The Chosen’s pathetic display of weakness. His rib cage raises and lowers rapidly. Suddenly, his right arm moves on its own, hitting the face in front of him. Small cracks form on top of it. His knuckles turn red, blood dripping onto the sink.  

A growing realization that things cannot go on like this for much longer forms within him. Changes have to be made. Forget the last weeks, turn back the clock, return to his past self. He finally diverts his gaze away from himself, wiping blood off his hand with a piece of toilet paper. Allowing him to pull out his phone. 

He stares at the block button next to Augustus’ name for quite some while. His right thumb gently wanders over the phone display, tracing the tears left much earlier. A Lump forms in his throat, making it hard to breathe once more. 

“It’s the best for both of us.” The Chosen mutters, finally pressing it. “Now we can’t degenerate each other anymore.” He chuckles.

The relief he desperately wishes for won’t come. Nothing changes in him, but he can’t let the frailty overtake again. This is the price he has to pay. No more turning back. 

Augustus 2:36 pm

“Good morning. Hope you had sweet dreams. 

I got thinking about last night. I need to be honest with you, there is something I need you to hear... At first, I couldn’t quite put my finger on it myself. You make me feel things not even Makodo gets me to feel. I was so confused, but I am not confused anymore. Everything is so clear now. I want to be your knight in shining armor.

My heart is lubed up with butter.

You are the butter in this metaphor.

But it is also actual butter.

Yours, in admiration 

Augustus”

*Failed to deliver*

One hour passes. The Chosen's standing face first against the wall. Tears build up in the corner of his eye, a swift hit, his forehead meets the wall. 

Two hours pass. Grunting fills the room. The Chosen's rapidly pushing his body up and down. His arms burn, his back begins to slough even more, having long abandoned good form. The pain drains his mind. Emotions evaporate like the sweat on his skin. 

Four hours pass. The Reddit post pops into his mind, how cruel. Evidence for his corruption. He can’t help himself, he has to open it again. The post mellowed out at around two thousand upvotes, some replies he hasn't seen before, none of them stating anything new. Nobody there gets it, to their defense he didn’t as well. Pathetic. If Augustus really was a girl, maybe things would be different. All efforts to stop ruminating on the thought experiment fail miserably. If Augustus was a female, his natural instincts would have kicked in, preventing him from going soft. Protecting someone weaker than him, being a rock to lean on, fighting anyone who dares to cross their way. That's how it should be, his role. Yesterday would not have played out the way it did.

A painful sigh leaves his body. That's not the world he lives in. Augustus is a guy. A gross effeminate guy. A gross effeminate guy that somehow managed to MOG him. Everything's completely backwards. 

***

Augustus lays belly first on the floor of his studio apartment, two laptops surround him, a fat orange cat has made herself comfortable on one of them. His view is laser focused onto his phone screen, scrolling through his text history with The Chosen. His messages haven't been delivered for a whole day now. Something brews inside his stomach, traveling throughout his whole body. 

He clicks the call button.

"You have reached THE Chosen. Oh well- you haven't but… I am off doing important business. Only leave messages worth my time… BEEP." 

Something shatters inside Augustus. He knows what this means. The messages are not delivering, straight to voice-mail after a single ring. He has been here many times before. His number is blocked- FUCKING hell. Why does this always happen to nice guys like him? With this guy no less, he should understand, understand it the best.

"I am sorry, I am soooo sorry. Who do you think you are? Am I not good enough for you? Think you're so much better than me?" 

The tone of his voice shifts. It mellows down, as he remembers that this message will disappear in the ether, never reaching anyone. Still too worked up to stop, he continues speaking into the phone.

"I thought this was going somewhere… BEEP."

Augustus heads to the kitchen. This hurt. This companionship felt entitled to him, feels entitled to have him. He IS entitled to The Chosen. He searches his fridge. Anything to perk up his mood. A blue tube at the back of the fridge, buried under baloney, catches his eye. In a moment's notice, it dangles over his mouth, with a good squeeze the yellow paste plops onto his tongue. Augustus shakes his head like a dog trying to dry itself off. He didn't expect the mustard to be spicy, the zing hitting like a train.

A cranky meow chimes through the door frame, waddling cat legs make their way over to him. With a hasty swoop, Augustus picks up his harry mate, tracing circles on her head. 

“My wisdom has run dry. I have no idea what to do, Tifa. Give me some advice.”

The orange animal looks at him with doe-like eyes, headbutting the crook of his neck.

“Hmmm, interesting strategy…” Augustus begins to giggle. “... but I think that won’t help me.”  

Chapter Text

The Chosen isn’t the hardcore shooter type of guy, of course he played them before and there are some he enjoys, but he rather gets lost in classic nintendo games. Today playing out a bit differently. He boots up CS:GO, which he hasn’t played in a while. Sadly before he can start a first game, a knock on his door disturbs his plans. Too soon it is wide open, he didn’t even have the chance to give the intruder permission to enter.

Brianna BOHO is standing in the doorway. 

“You didn’t announce your arrival.” The Chosen throws at her.

"You know I never do." Brianna responds, making her way over. Throwing her head onto The Chosen's lab.

"I wanted to check on you after what happened at my party." 

"Forget about it." His hands feel misplaced. With no idea on where to put them he picks up the controller once more. 

"Haha, don't worry I started some hot gossip about that asshole. You owe me one now." A click of her tongue emphasizes the second half.

"I didn't ask for your defense." He practically has to press the words through his clenched teeth, too focused on the game in front of them both.

"Well… I don't care, I do what I want." The snark flies across the room, subsiding the odd couple. CS:GO is more than happy to take control over the silence, filling the surrounding area with the sounds of gunshots and the occasional reload.

"Soooo, who's that guy you brought to my party? I was lowkey getting a bit jelly." Brianna picks up again.

The Chosen’s eyes roll back. "Augustus. He's a nobody. We parted ways." 

"Uhhhh I am smelling tea! I wanna hear the whole story." Her upper body jumps up, chains clanking against his arms. Now at eye level, his friend throws her arms around his neck. 

His lips stay sealed, not giving her the attention she desires. To his dismay, Brianna won't have it, tugging on the end of his left sleeve, forcefully regaining the spotlight. "Come oooonnnnnnnnn. You have to tell me. I demand it as my late birthday gift." 

"He brought out my worst aspects. I had to stop that. Need to stay focused on what matters." An explosion blares from the television. “You wouldn’t comprehend it.”

Brianna sighs in frustration. "Why do you always have to be so cryptic? You make my pretty little head hurt." 

"I am incredibly precise." His eyes are still glued to the screen.

"Ughhh. Can you TRY to tell the story how I would tell it."

"I am not capable of dropping that low."

"Ok so you are going to be like that today. That's fine" For once she is the one creating physical space between them, rotating her hips away, pouting her lip, stealing a couple of glances in the process to check for The Chosen’s reaction.

“Fine." He gasps for a bit of air. "It's quite shameful. He turned me weak and confused. Corrupted my brain, infected me-"

Brianna abruptly stops him mid breath. "Did he give you HPV? That sucks… I can hook you up with the best urologists in the greater LA region though."

"What? No." The controller drops in front of his feet. His pelvis turns towards Brianna, finally letting her enter his peripheral vision. "We aren't. We didn't! What?"

"OH. MY. GOD. Just tell me what happened then. Stop speaking in fucking riddles. You suck, and apparently not even in the sexy kind." Brianna straightens her back, looking down at her hunched over buddy. "If you don't tell me I am going to find the number of this mystery boy and make HIM talk." 

"That's a fricking weird thing to do, stay out of my business." His basement room suddenly feels way too small for two people.

"Well, you leave me no other choice." Brianna spots her prey. The bright red phone, peaking out of The Chosen’s pocket is effectively calling for her to grab it. One swift motion later, the loot is hers, luckily her adversary misses out on the right moment to stop her. Anticipating a rebuttal she jumps into a full upright position, but nothing happens. Not even his eyes are following her anymore.

"Hell, I cried in his arms, is that what you wanted to hear?" His nostrils flare.

Immediately her face shifts, there it is, pity glistening in her eyes. Laser focused on him. His stomach turns. Nothing causes him more discomfort than when he is on the receiving end of pity. It's disgusting. He almost didn’t dare to take in her reaction.

"Crying's incredibly sexy, why would you stop contact over that." A softness enters her tone, the shift is sudden. The contrast to her annoyed whining beforehand is nauseating. The Chosen runs away from her gaze. Hiding anywhere he can, while his body’s not moving an inch.

"I have seen you cry before and we're still BFFs." She lowers herself to the ground once more.

He almost has to chuckle. Why would she think that sentence would help? She truly doesn't get him. Nobody does. Nobody freaking does. Giving her the satisfaction of an answer feels painfully wrong, but her squint drills into him with massive force. It leaves him no choice but to play her game. The least he can do is to play it on his terms. A last ditch effort to conquer his fleeting dignity.

"That was before I became The Chosen and accepted the responsibility that came with it. The burden of the world is on my shoulders, I am not a kid anymore."

"How did he take it? You breaking off contact I mean." Brianna neatly dodges the misdirection.

In spite of her not reestablishing any physical touch, he could swear she somehow managed to make contact underneath his skin. "No idea. I just blocked him everywhere." 

"You are such a Drama Queen, not sure if I should be proud or slap you in the face." Her usual way of speech snaps back into motion.

"Hilarious, I like to see you try." The Chosen sneers.

A sharp smack hits the side of his face, long fingernails slightly scratching skin in the process. Against all his efforts a small squeal manages to escape his lips. His eyes dart between Briannas face and hand, frantically calibrating what just happened.

"Hey! I wasn't ready yet. That doesn't count." Instinctively he rubs his cheek. The pain was sudden and long gone, leaving just a tingle behind.

"Chill, people would pay good money to get slapped by me. Also you totally deserved that.”

"What do you even want from me?" The Chosen slightly lifts his glasses, kneading his eyelids. 

"Contact him. Now." The phone, previously pressed against her thigh, wanders over into his owner's hands. 

The time to accept his defeat is now. Bri’s got him in her pocket. "I- I need help with what to say." Hairs rise on his neck.

"How about 'Sorry I acted like a little dickhead, let's get completely wasted together' or whatever you freak do on dates." 

“I am not gay, Brianna." Hearing The Chosen raise his voice, even if just slightly, always feels like an anomaly.

"Uhm, but you friendzoned me?" Hair curls around her fingers.

"Hmm Pff, you really are all the same." He whispers, almost too quiet to be understood.

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

"Women like you are so used to being on top of the sexual marketplace hierarchy that when a man decides to opt out of the game entirely, you can't help to attribute a defect to him."

"Spencer. Shut the fuck up. Also wait? The defect of being what exactly? Do you want to say that out loud for me? You pathetic little worm."

"I didn't mean it like that." A flush creeps across his face.

"How did you turn worse than Bryce? I would hit you again if you weren't such a sad fuck right now."

"I'm sorry ok? I am sorry." He would rather get hit again than go through any additional second of this.

"You better be." 

"Take this back.” The Chosen hands over his phone, the device switching hands once more. “I am a man of honor. You can text Augustus in my name." 

“You are in perfect hands. I am a professional. All the apology videos I had to record in my career prepared me for this moment.” Briannas facial expressions lift, almost forgetting the clash just seconds behind. 

Her acrylic nails clang against the phone screen. 

The Chosen 07:55 pm

Heyyy. I am sorry. I acted like such a huge ENORMOUS dick. Can you forgive me? I need to see you again >-<

“That sounds nothing like me.” Hands curl around his upper leg. 

“That's for the better, trust me bo.”

Chapter Text

It is time to step into the foreign base, at least it is also in the basement. A thing to remind The Chosen of home, to put him at ease. His hand grip the hilt of his katana like his life depends on it. A sweaty hand pats his shoulder, Augustus’ sweaty hand. They both step into his apartment. Pizza boxes are stacked alongside the walls, framing the tiny room. An army of Anime Girls are watching him, there is almost no free wall space left. The Chosen's standing in the middle of it, eyes moving around, unsure where to go from here. Augustus still hasn’t said anything, normally he is more than happy to lead conversation, being a contrast to The Chosens usual reserve. Their eyes meet, Augustus is rubbing his neck, searching for the eyes behind the others sunglasses.

“Welcome to my cave. Sit down.” Augustus is pointing to the mattress that sits in one of the corners. Plushies have taken over most of it, to the point that he has to think for a second on where he would even be sitting. After deciding to push a particularly big Mauzi plush to the side, he takes over its place. Augustus ignoring the mattress entirely, seating himself on the ground in front of the blonds feet. He's fumbling with a tiny paper ball, rolling it around his hands, his eyes aren’t focused on him anymore.

“We meet again. Good to see you” The words almost get stuck in his throat, barely leaving The Chosens lips.

Augustus sighs. “Do you want to talk about it?” His gaze is still stuck to his hands.

The Chosen shakes his head from side to side, but his action isn’t noticed. He coughs. Talking. Talking. Just begin talking. It is not happening. 

"Let's do karaoke.” Augustus finally looks up, his eyes widening, the corners of his mouth moving slightly upward.

“I don’t know.” He isn’t the type to sing, he doesn’t sing. It a foreign thing. The answer is actually no.

“I have the voice of an angel. Scared I beat you?” A big grin is making its way onto his face.

“At karaoke?" 

“I see, THE Chosen is not up for the challenge.” He’s standing up, his hands frantically fale around. He’s already making his way to the TV. Now fiddling with the remote in his hand.

"Ok, fine." The Chosen is swamped with the situation at hand. Augustus is doing stuff to him. Every second spent like this is truly absurd. 

He already pulled up Youtube on the screen, typing words into the search. “You will sing Stevens' part.” He adds before instantly pressing play. “3. 2. 1. Go.”

“Steven Universe, really?” The first sounds are starting to chime through the room. 

Augustus’ taking steps towards him. “SHHHHHH, it starts.” With his left hand he’s pressing his index finger on The Chosens lips, his right hand however is grabbing The Chosen’s upper arm, pulling both of them towards the TV. 

“Steven. Why do you have to look up to her? Aside from in a literal sense” Augustus’ beginning to sing, he isn’t even looking at the lyrics. He is looking at him, hand still resting on his upper arm. The Chosen gulps.

“Don't you know that a power that big; Comes with a bigger expense? And can't you see that she's out of control; And overzealous?” He’s actually decent at this. It’s surprising, to say the least. It definitely is not something The Chosen would have expected. Augustus’ moving a bit away, getting more and more into the song.

“I'm telling you for your own good. And not because I'm-” His friends' eyes are fixing onto him as he’s singing. While he is static, Augustus’ moving to the beats of the song, completely swept up in it. Not even separate for a couple of seconds, Augustus’ searching for contact once more. His hand reaching out to The Chosen, waiting for him to take it. Reluctantly his request is fulfilled. It’s awkward, very awkward, but not taking it might have been ever more.

“I could show you how to be strong; In the real way; And I know that we can be strong In the real way.” Augustus’ singing at him, studying his reaction. The Chosen’s chest caves in, too much attention is placed onto him. All of this is way too freaking stupid.

“And I want to inspire you. I want to be your rock; And when I talk. It lights a fire in you.” Heavy breaths, he finishes up the last lines. Eyes moving from THE Chosen to the TV-Screen, back and forth. It’s his turn now.

“Who's ready to get buff? I don't want to see your gut. I want to see your guts.” With a timid voice he’s stuttering through the first lines. The following instrumental gives him some time to side eye Augustus. The idiot is still smiling, studying him like a zoo animal. 

“I can show you how to be strong; In the real way” Signing is a witchcraft. It is the most unnatural thing one can do with their vocal cords. He is still somewhat mumbling the song. Augustus squeezes their hands tighter together, it's getting more and more clammy. 

“And I know that we can be strong; In the real way” Maybe it is not that bad. The melody strings one along. Is he really getting a bit into this? Augustus picks up on it, his dark puppy eyes are filled with determination. 

“And I want to inspire you. I want to be your rock; And when I talk; It lights a fire in you.”A second voice enters. Augustus starts to sing again. It's definitely easier not having to do it alone.

“I want to inspire you. I want to be your rock; And when I talk; It lights a fire in you.” Augustus sings at him, he sings at the TV. The warmth of his hand feels nice, it’s almost too much.

Just like that it is over. Thankfully it is a short song. The Chosen breaks their hands apart, wiping his palm on his cargo shorts. Augustus is still slightly wheezing for air while turning off the TV.

“Was I so bad that you had to step in the end?” The Chosen wants to slip back into comfortable banter. The emotions lingering around them are getting too overpowering to handle. 

Augustus laser focuses on him again. “You are the biggest dork.”

It’s definitely rich coming from the person that made him sing Steven Universe karaoke just a couple of moments ago. “You are the dork.”

"Incredible Comeback.”

“Pfft”

“Haha, dude. You are so cute.” 

The Chosen snaps silent. Blood rushing to his ears, he turns his head away. Oh- there is a cat, he hasn’t noticed before. She is sitting on the other side of the room, placed on top of a keyboard. The fluffy orange being is staring at him. “A beast lives with you?”

“That's Tifa, the most important woman in my life. Psspp Psssp come over girl.” Augustus sits down on his mattress, holding his hand out. Tifa stretches, slowly waddling over. The Chosen’s still standing in the middle of the room, fiddling with his sword. The cat is now comfortably seated on top of Augustus’ lap, enjoying some scratches. The Chosens head is tilting from side to side, very unsure of his next move. He is stranded in the middle of the room, Augustus’ focus is somewhere else now. Not relocating would be very gawky, so there is no other option, but to sit down next to the other boy. 

As soon as he does, Tifa’s stretching her head into his direction, her tiny nose sniffing him up and dowm. Suddenly she’s jerking up, taking a big step onto his legs. Her paws drill a bit into him as she places them on his chest to get access to his face. Augustus’ watching eagerly as she’s rubbing her head against The Chosens face. The furr is tickling against his nose.

“Wow, cheater much.” Augustus’ playing up the sulk in the most flamboyant way he can muster, crossing his arms and rabidly looking away.

“Animals can typically smell power levels.” The Chosen jibs back. His hands are massaging the back of the pet, earning him a low pur. “They go freaking insane around me.”

“Ok Mr. Disney Princess over here.”

“No… pfff, it's more like- more like.” He can’t come up with a cooler example. “Ok but like, if I was one then I would be Elsa.”

Augustus breaks out into laughter. “You know what, that fits. Kinda. If I read into it.”

Everyone gets startled, ‘Wake Up’ from Rage Against The Machine starts blasting out of the Chosen’s cargo shorts. Tifa jumps aways and skitters across the room, disappearing into the kitchen. Rummaging through his pockets, he finds the source of the noise, shutting it down the same second.

“My Mom called, means she is waiting outside. I have to go.” The Chosen stands up, strutting towards the door.

Augustus is quick to follow. “Do you really?” His eyes are squeezing shut for a flash, his hands restlessly pulling on the collar of his flannel.

“I should.” The gap between them is closing, now both are standing directly in front of the door.

"Can I- hug you before you leave?" 

Instead of giving an answer, The Chosen snaps forward, throwing his arms around Augustus' back. He quickly follows squeezing the blond tight to his chest, almost to the point of causing discomfort. They remain in this position for at least 30 seconds, practically melting into each other. Augustus' astronomically soft, like a bed you never want to stand up from. 

“Don’t pull the same mistakes twice on me, or I will commit a homicide… on youuuuuuuu.” The tone of the words confuse The Chosen deeply. 

“Haha I am being a chester, but really, it sucked, I like hanging out with you.” Augustus pulls them out of their hug, his eyes are glassy. A big pit forms in The Chosen’s stomach. 

"I-" He wants to say so much, nothing he is able to say. It all is getting stopped before it can be, it's a blockage. "I really have to go now."

***

The Chosen is entering his mom's car, his phone immediately dings. 

Augustus 8:50 pm

Hey 

The Chosen 8:50 pm

Hi 

Chapter Text

“Please, I don’t know how kids work. I can’t do this alone.” Augustus' desperation can be clearly heard through the phone, his voice is usually a bit whiny, but today it went through the roof. 

“I am an agent, not a nanny.” Kids are a gamble. They typically don't like him that much. Not even mentioning that he has more important things to do, than to play house with Augustus.

“Come on, you can ask me for any favor if you do it." That- could change things. 

“How old is your niece?”

“She’s five. I think.” Well, at least no diaper changing then. 

"Fine. I will do it, if you let me pick out some of your Yu-Gi-Oh cards." The Chosen has been eyeing some of his cards for a long while now. The thought of beating Augustus with his own cards is a sweet one. It will be glorious. All he has to do is spend some time with a little girl. That shouldn't turn out to be too challenging, not for The Chosen.

“Deal, I will pick you up. I am supposed to go to look after her at my sister's place.”

***

Augustus and The Chosen are standing on the front porch of a small house, the architecture is nothing out of the ordinary for California. It fits right in. Approaching footsteps are becoming audible, Augustus was just ringing the bell.

A tiny girl, with middle-length dark curly hair is standing before them. She is wearing a pink overall, covered in stains from countless different origins. You can see that she is related to Augustus, her face has some similar features to his. It's mostly subtle, the hair is doing most of the work connecting these two. 

“Hey Aemilia, that’s my friend, The Chosen.” Eyes wander him up and down as the trio makes their way into the living room.

“That's a weird name.” Her voice isn’t as high-pitched as one would expect, a nasally quality shines through.

“I had to change it.”

“Why?”

“To hide my identity.”

“Why? Why do you have to do that?”

“I constantly deal with very dangerous organizations and individuals.”

“Woahhhh, like who?” Her small legs are whipping up and down.

“It’s too dangerous for you to know much more.”

Aemilia grabs onto Augustus' leg. “He’s so cool.”  A spark lights up in her eyes. Augustus can’t help but to giggle, bringing The Chosen with him has probably just saved the day for him. 

"I am just humanity's humble servant." It’s not a big deal, he does what he has to. He instantaneously swings his sword in a circular motion before jabbing it to the side. Aemilia watches for a moment, then lets go of her uncle to copy The Chosen's movements. She stumbles across the room, pretending to hold a katana.

“Not bad, new kid.” 

Still very excited, she is jumping around him. “More, more. Show me more!”

Following the request, he places his katana firmly in two hands, spinning his whole body around. He lands with slightly bent knees, his hands and sword pointing to the ceiling. Augustus can’t think of that many more times when he saw The Chosen that happy. He would never admit to it, but he is definitely having a lot of fun right now. 

Aemilia follows The Chosen's moves eagerly, getting herself ready to do the attack herself. To her dismay, she isn’t presenting the move to its completion. On the third rotation, her left foot gets caught on the heel of the right one, making her fall onto her bottom. Panicked glances are exchanged between the two boys, neither of them are sure how to proceed. A couple of seconds later, Augustus is taking up the initiative, grabbing Aemilia under her armpits and pulling her back onto her feet. Her face has turned into a slight shade of pink. 

"Uncle Augustus, your boyfriend is so much cooler than you." Aemilia whispers into Augustus' ear.

“She thinks you're cooler than me.” His voice booms across the room, earning him some kicks against the legs from the little girl next to him. “Shhh, don’t tell him that.”

“It is the correct assessment to make.” The Chosen chimes in.

“Don’t be so full of yourself. No, it’s not.”

“The people have spoken.” 

Aemilia is giggling at the display of the two barely adults bickering with each other, but the novelty soon wears off, leaving her bored. An idea springs into her mind.

The Chosen is noticing Augustus’ niece whispering something into his ear again, quick glances from both of them meet his eye. 

“You have to ask yourself.” Can be heard from Augustus, he’s addressing whatever she whispered into his ear. Aemilia’s feet sliver across the ground, clearly uncomfortable with the idea. Once more, she is whispering into her uncle's ear. 

“Ok, we will do it together.” Augustus grabs the hand of the child, taking some steps into The Chosen’s direction. “We have a request to make.” Augustus starts, Aemilia nods along enthusiastically. She receives a jab from the side. “Come on, you got this.” 

“Can I- Would you- I want-” She is tripping over every second word. “to put makeup on you.”

“Don’t you want to do that with your uncle?” 

“No you!!” Water builds up in the corner of her eyes, a big sniff, trembling hands. Augustus stands behind her, his hands swing in a begging motion. He’s silently forming words with his mouth, The Chosen can’t read it, but he is getting the message nonetheless. His options aren’t great, either deal with a crying kid or get his face plastered with makeup. Why do kids have to be this difficult? 

“God dammit, fine.”

Aemilia’s face switches up in a millisecond, the gloomy girl from just a moment ago is gone, replacing her is an electrified kid, wide smile, jumping around again. 

“Ok, ok, ok, sit down on the sofa, Augustus, you are my assistant, I am going to get moms makeup.” She runs off into the next room.

“You owe me big time.” The Chosen lets himself plunge onto the sofa.

“Don’t be so stuck up about it.” Augustus follows suit, seating himself next to him. “You know, the ladies love a man in makeup.” 

"I don't think I should trust your word when it comes to that. Also, I don’t care what they think.”

“I am appalled, what is that supposed to mean? I am the one with the girlfriend.”

“That stupid computer program? You shouldn’t trust AI.”

"I would trust my Waifu with my life!" 

Aemilia comes running back into the room, she is hugging a big yellow bag, it’s almost as big as her whole upper torso. A big thumb, she is falling to her knees in front of the boys, opening up the bag. “Assistant, please prep the face of our client.” A small spray bottle is being held up in Augustus direction. 

He takes the item. “I think we need to remove your glasses.” 

The Chosen forgot to consider this earlier. It silly, it is, he acknowledges that, but his heart sinks a bit hearing that sentence. There aren’t a lot of people that have seen his eyes before. His mom obviously, Bri has, but even that has been years ago. He’s frozen, Augustus eyes are fixed on him, Aemilia is focused rummaging through the bad. 

“Can I?” Augustus asks, it's almost a whisper. The Chosen breathes out, it’s one of those breaths that starts from your stomach and travels through your whole body. He nods. Augustus finger brush against his temples, sending a shudder through his body. They are gone, his protection is gone, the light burns a bit. Their eyes meet for the first time, Augustus smiles, he always has the warmest smile, everything about him is warm. The Chosen on the other hand feels like he should be starting to shiver any moment. 

Cold mist hits his face, he closes his eyes a little bit too late. “Dammit, warn me before you spray that thing.”

Before he can answer, Aemilia jumps up, holding foundation and a sponge. “My turn!” She has to climb up on the sofa to reach his face. With quick tabs, his face is getting covered, smoothing out his skin. Augustus is impressed, for a five-year-old, she really is decent at this. 

“What next boss?” He queries, tilting his head towards her. 

“Hmmmm, eyeliner!!!” Augustus retrieves the small pen, holding out it in front of his niece. “No! You do it, please.”

“Eye, eye captain!” His focus returns to The Chosen. “Please close your eyes for me.” 

He does as told. Remaining quiet, the ability to speak has left his body. This is too much, too vulnerable. All energy is concentrated on keeping up his armor. A sharp tip meets his eyelids.

“Come on, you really have to hold still for this.” He didn’t realize he was shaking. Suddenly, a hand cups his face. It is so much warmer than his face. His hands are so soft, he noticed that last time, but having them grab his head is another caliber. Nobody touched his face before, it feels weird. As much as he would want to hate it, he can’t help but to lean the tiniest bit into it. 

Augustus continues putting on the eyeliner, drawing around The Chosen’s eyes. He considers attempting a wing but stops himself. Oh god, he looks so pretty right now. It’s such a shame that he clearly hates it, or at least Augustus thinks he does. His body language is a bit confusing. Getting to touch his face is heaven, he is enjoying every second of it. Does it make him a bad person to enjoy this simple pleasure, even if The Chosen is uncomfortable? 

“Hey boss. You do one more thing and then we stop, ok? Your mom is going to return soon.” He has to make the right decision and pull his friend out of this situation. Still, he can’t help himself to slightly caress the face of the boy in front of him, while pulling his hand away. 

“Okaaaaaayyyy.” Aemilia jumps back up on the sofa, applying blush to his cheeks. “Now you are cool and pretty.” 

The Chosen clears his throat. “Thank you for your services.” 

***

Augustus and The Chosen are sitting back in the car. They haven’t really spoken yet, a silent agreement to not dwell on the bygone events. The motor start to hum, the wheels are now moving.

“I think Aemilia would trade me in, to get you as an uncle.” Augustus breaks the silence, it's getting unbearable.

“You can keep her, I look fricking ridiculous now.”

“Hey, we did a great job. You look very dashing. Almost wanted to take a bite out of you.”

“Gross dude.”

“I disagree, I think you would taste very good.”

“You are so stupid.” The Chosen chuckles. “And yeah, I would, obviously.”

Chapter Text

“I would kill at ninja warrior.” The Chosen's head is slightly resting against Augustus. Sharing one bean bag is forcing them to be closer. It's a good excuse to soak up his friend's body heat.

“Sureee." 

Enthusiastic TV hosts scream, the current contestant just finished the course. Augustus' stomach releases a deep growl. "Reach over the Doritos.”

“I am serious.” His face is continuing to glue to the screen, his hand wandering around until it identifies the bag. 

"You would fall off the first obstacles and embarrass yourself." Augustus sneers, imagining The Chosen slip on live television. Maybe he should have played into the fantasy just for the chance to make that moment a reality.

He rotates his head. The gap between their faces is almost nonexistent. "And you would do so much better?"

"Nahh, but I don't pretend like I would." Smacking lips accompany his voice, the Doritos have found their way into his mouth and he wasn't going to let that hinder him from partaking in conversation. "Would kill on a cooking show though." Crumbs keep falling on his shirt.

"You are a decent cook at best." His attention is back to the screen, eyes closely studying the movements of the athlete on the screen. 

"I feed you and this is your appreciation? Also, I obviously would be a judge." Augustus is rubbing his stomach for show

"You're clearly the delusional one." The blond crosses his arms.

"Trust me, no one can beat you in that department." 

The Chosen's lip pouts, eyes glancing over, taking in the mess of the boy next to him. The close proximity is hindering him to take him in as a whole. He only catches his face. His glimpse lingers too long, creating unwanted contact. The sunglasses obscure the moment. Augustus can't know that he's looking in his eyes, but for some reason it feels like he does. His gaze isn’t budging. 

They're pretty eyes, a mix of brown and green, The Chosen hadn't realized that they could have that color. There's something magnetic about them, something special. Normally, eyes had the opposite effect on him, repelling him with the discomfort that looking into them caused. The worst offender being his own irises, sharp blue monsters sending aches to his brain. 

"Lost in my eyes, pretty boy?" 

Somehow, Augustus managed to shut him up, without having said a word prior to begin with. Frantically, his brain searches for words, this isn’t something he is trained for.

Violently, a phone alarm creates a rift. 

"I am going to get the pizzas." 

Just like that, Augustus is up and gone. The audio coming from the television starts to enter into The Chosen's perception again. Someone just fell off, screams from the audiences and hosts are filling his small room. Without them, he would be alone, alone in a basement with a face too red to not be noticeable. At least he manages to snap out of the paralysis that had him bound, to take a big sip of the energy drink standing next to him. Immediately he burps, he still isn't really used to them. Only recently picking them up because of Augustus. 

He struts back into the room, holding 2 big plates. "Two cheesy delights coming up." Augustus slowly bows down, handing him one of the pizzas. "Only the finest frozen food for the bestest boy."

Did Augustus wink? The bastard fucking winked. He’s acting extra difficult today, that he has to do something to stop it is clear. Coming up with a plan on how to do that is the hard part. The Chosen returns the gesture with a cold stare, trying his hardest to transport the messages, even with shades covering an important part of the equation.

"Don’t you think you are the bestest boy?”

"Y-Yes…? I am so clearly superior to you." 

Augustus chokes on a chortle.

"Want me to prove it? I will wipe that high and mighty smile off your freaking face." Anger spikes in him, genuine anger, suddenly it is here. The Chosen stands up to meet Augustus. "You pick the competition - anything - I will kick your ass." 

"You are going to regret your words.” Augustus pauses for a second. “2 men. 2 pizzas. First one to finish is the ultimate top dog." 

"You are going down."

Not wasting any time, Augustus seats himself on the floor, starting to go down on the food in front of him. Stuffing the first slice into his mouth, keeping it in one piece. Chewing is almost off the table. The Chosen takes the biggest bites he can get himself too, but the more time passes, the clearer his defeat makes itself known. The other already moved onto his third slice, tomato sauce covering his whole face. 

Sticky hands, slurping noises, the smell of hot cheese, the taste of pepperoni, unending sensations rotate in The Chosen’s mind. It’s nauseating, a special kind of torture. There is no going back, he keeps shoveling food into his mouth.

“Done!” Augustus jumps up in triumph, his forehead is covered in sweat.

He just managed to finish half of his dish, his back snaps back in vanquish, overcome by his demolish. The brunet overtowering him, his smirk just grew wider.

“I bested you once again!”

“It's not fair your mouth is the size of a, of a, of a- and all you do is eat.” The Chosen growls out.

“No. No. No.” His index finger's swinging from side to side. “Don't back track. I am the superior man. It's proven once and for all.” 

The Chosen uses his forearms to cover his face. The view became unbearable, too hard to stomach. 

“Oh so quiet all of a sudden? Say it! I want to hear it come from your sweet lips.” Covering his eyes wasn’t enough, he can hear the smirk.

…

“Oh sweet summer child, you should work on being a better loser.” Augustus is giggling to himself, studying him, waiting for a response, but he won't get back up, won't acknowledge the win. 

Moving on, Augustus rummages through his bag, pulling out a handful of nail polish bottles. At this point, he got used to suddenly being ignored by The Chosen. Force hasn't proven itself to be of any use. His nails need a fresh coat anyway. 

Slowly, The Chosen's upper body moves into an upright position. Too soon, he notices Augustus, it's another slap in the face. The alcohol stank originating from him is traveling up his nose. Him painting his nails feels like a calculated attack. A punishment for not respecting his failure. A reminder to what he lost to.

"Welcome back to the world of the living. Want to also paint your nails?" Augustus is pointing towards the colorful glass bottles in his lab. 

When The Chosen opens his mouth, no words leave it, in its place vomit is shooting up his throat. His reflexes save him from soiling his pants, the vomit hits the ground next to him, splattering a tiny bit on his shoes. 

Augustus' mouth falls open, for once he takes on the role of the person paralyzed by shock. 

"Don't move." It's very shaky, but words didn't fail him for too long. "I'm grabbing stuff to clean up." A load bang echoes through the room as the door slams back into its frame. 

The Chosen’s room never smelt worse, the mix of grease, sweat and vomit is an unfortunate one. His eyes dart around for the energy drink, his stomach will definitely not thank him for what's about to happen. The desperation to wash down the bitter, acidic taste in his mouth is greater. 

Hugging a bucket, Augustus is charging back into the room, navigating towards him. "No way!" The can gets snatched out of his hand, the brunet takes a big sip, finishing it in front of him. "I got you water." His fingers fish for the plastic bottle inside the bucket, black nail polish smeared all around the skin of his nail beds. He places the water bottle in The Chosen’s still open hand. Augustus' palm lands on his shoulder, giving him a clenched smile before diving into cleaning the mess he caused. "Sorry for pushing you over your limit. This feels like my fault." 

Crisp cold water is traveling down The Chosen’s throat. Losing wasn’t enough, obviously the bastard has to critically hit him with pity once more. His whole body shudders at the thought, he can’t keep himself from slipping anymore. Augustus’ mind games, he underestimated them.  "Who do you work for?" The blond barks the words.

"Huh? GameStop?" Augustus rotates away from his cleaning efforts.

"I value our friendship, but I can't let you corrupt me any further." He’s trying to keep up intense eye contact, trying to study the other feverishly. Augustus really is powerful, not letting anything get to him, playing the perfect role of the confused boy. 

"What the living hell are you talking about?" 

"You confuse my brain with your effeminate traits. Your pretty long hair, your soft looking lips. Your thighs, your broad shou- You are doing weird things to me.” His hands crib forcefully into his thighs. “Who do you work for?"

"You think I’m pretty?" He’s moving closer.

"WHO. DO. YOU. WORK. FOR?" The Chosen pushes himself away, standing up a bit too quickly. Stars fill his vision for a moment. 

"I’m down bad for you, you IMBECILE." Augustus’ hands are trembling, his legs making up the distance The Chosen has created between them. They move on their own.

"What? No." His back’s hitting the wall as he backs up even more. 

"It's pretty obvious, isn't it?" 

"I- " The Chosen slowly slides down the wall, reuniting with the floor once more. His heart stops right in its tracks, time not seeming to move and racing by concurrently. 

"You're so red right now." Augustus’ kneeling in front of him, his face not one bit less red. Both of his hands reach out, waiting to be taken. At a snail’s pace, another pair meets his. He can’t help but to return a coy smile, squeezing their hands tighter together.  

"Fuck. Stop being so- I don't-" Abruptly, The Chosen snaps forward, pressing a kiss on Augustus lips. It ends as quickly as it started, boomeranging back to his original positioning. Somehow, his face managed to grow even hotter, leaving him more lightheaded than before. 

Against all his better efforts, Augustus is unable to resist releasing a small squeal. 

A shy smile has made its way onto The Chosen’s, up until now terrified angry face. "Does this mean something?"

"If you want it to." Desperation is shining through his eyes. 

"Do you want it to?"

"Yes!"

"Frick." The Chosen launches himself into the other's arms, his floodgates opening in the same moment. His face is pressed against Augustus’ shoulder, wetting his shirt. He wraps his arms around him, pulling closer. The Chosen is seated on his lap, leaning more into him. Both heartbeats are racing, synchronizing in their embrace. 

The Chosen removes his glasses, wiping over his eyes, looking up at the boy holding him. "I think I am ok with wanting… this.” It almost doesn’t hurt to say, in fact, he can’t help himself but smile anew. 

Chapter Text

The Chosen and Augustus are lying in his bed, the blond nestled against the brunet. Their legs have tangled with each other a while ago. Augustus' cat Tifa is purring by his ear, she has conquered the pillow. Just a few days ago, the Chosen wouldn't have believed you if you had explained the predicament he got himself into. Some parts of him are more on board than others, but his body craves the warmth and contact of the boy next to him to a ridiculous degree. On a cognitive level, he is still aware of the infelicity of the situation. He has been corrupted. This is not what he is supposed to act like, but everything is overpowered by the desires of his flesh, it’s an endless spiral of fuzzy emptiness that sucks him down. 

His brain doesn’t get a say for once as he’s pressing a kiss on Augustus’ cheek. He's staying there not returning his head to its initial position, the five o-clock shadow's tingling against his nose. 

A long smirk forms on Augustus' face. “You’re the cutest boyfriend.” He whispers in a groggy voice, while his hand travels under his partner's T-Shirt and starts caressing the space along his spine. Gentle touches travel up, stopping short of his neck before advancing back down.

Maybe it’s the new and foreign touch, maybe it’s because this is the first time any of them used that word to describe their relationship but The Chosen’s body suddenly jerks.

"Didn't we want to go to Walmart today?" He asks, sitting up straight. 

"Umm yes. But now?" Augustus is rubbing his eyes before looking up. 

"Yes now. Get your lazy butt out of your bed." With one big leap, he heaves himself out of the mattress. Picking up the katana he parked at the rear end of it. His other hand extends forward, an effort to pull Augustus out of his horizontal position. His plans are getting turned upside down when Augustus' the one pulling him towards himself. Not anticipating the sudden pull, he falls face first onto the bed. Tifa jumps up, running into the kitchen.

***

A full shelf stocked with cotton swabs, Augustus' browsing his excessive options. His eyes dart up and down, left to right until his eyes get caught. His hands' reaching out for a small plastic container.

"They are bad for you, you know? You could hurt your eardrums." The Chosen jibs in, the waiting for Augustus was starting to annoy him.

"A risk I am willing to take." He finishes his sentence with a smirk.

"I don't think they even clean your ear." Snark has fully settled into The Chosen's tone of voice.

"Good thing I don't care about that part. I like the feeling." 

The blond stops responding, giving room for the other to continue. Confusion is written on his face.

"Look me in the eyes." Augustus grabs him, pressing his shoulders together. An intense stare meets him. "I am horny for cleaning my ears." 

The Chosen takes a step back, subtly looking around the aisle they are standing in. Thankfully nobody should have seen or heard this conversation. The only people he can spot are too far away and too swept up in their own business. His focus returns to the brunet. 

"It's just a sensory thing."

"You are so freaking weird." 

"But you love that." Augustus underlines his sentence by poking him in the chest.

Before he can retreat his hand, The Chosen grabs it and begins to run. Unsure of what to do and seeing no out of his boyfriends strong grip he's following suit. "What are you doing?" He is gasping through the words. 

"Shhh!" The blond finally pulls into his last corridor and comes to a stop, releasing his grip. He is still heaving, hunched over, looking up at The Chosen. His head is sticking out of the aisle, concentrated on a boy, Augustus can't see from his position. 

"A nemesis." He's beginning to mumble. "It's the utmost priority that he doesn't locate me." His hands are trembling the slightest bit around the hilt of his sword, it's almost not noticeable, but Augustus picks up on it. 

Finally catching his breath, he sneaks towards the end of the shelf. Sticking his head out over The Chosen. His hand is resting on the shoulder in front of him, supporting him to lean a bit further. Before he is able to locate the enemy, The Chosen pushes him back into the aisle. 

"Stay back. He's going to see you." He scolds, moving back as well. 

"At least fill me in. What is happening? Who is he?" 

"Not important. He just can't see US." 

Augustus is rolling his eyes. 

"What?" The Chosen responds, crossing his arms tight around his chest. 

"Don't want to be seen with me in front of your cool friends?" 

"Huh?" Augustus' sentence is stabbing right through his chest. Is that how he views him? How he views himself? There are no cool friends. There aren't even friends really. He is more of a sad loser than Augustus could ever be. "Come on. You know that you're my favorite person?"

"I'm your favUWUrite person." The brunet is back to chuckling, precious hurt wiped off his face in an instant.

"I am taking it back."

"Ok, wow, so you do think your boyfriend is embarrassing." Augustus uses his whole body, acting out the statement in a dramatic way. Flat palms lay on his heart, his lips pout. In the end he can't help but to break out into a quiet laughter over his own absurd joke. 

"It's just, that guy-" 

Suddenly a hand is grabbing The Chosen's shoulder. In one motion he jumps up and around, facing the person belonging to the hand, katana held high.

"Spencer, little bro. Haven't run into each other for a while." Hearing someone dare to mutter that name is already hitting him in a vulnerable position. Their hideout has been compromised, it's too late to run. The hostile party is here now, towering even somewhat over Augustus. 

"Greetings." The Chosen acknowledges his existence. It's all about playing disinterested to not let the enemy look into your cards. This would be easier if he was alone, he can feel Augustus' stare drilling into his back and especially into the unwanted guest. Hopefully he will stand back and let him fight this fight alone.

"You really haven't changed a bit. When I saw that same old wolf t-shirt I knew I had to come say hi to you." Voice as flat as his expression, his fingers run through straight brown hair. "I love how you don't care what anyone thinks of you." A self-satisfied smile is breaking the blank canvas of his face.

He always had the power to make the walls come closer just by talking to him, trapping his victim. One trip and you're squashed. This next answer has to be perfect, shelves are already breathing down his neck, so close to crushing him. Is it already too late? The enemy's growing with every passing second of silence.

"Take that slimy bullshit and shove it up your ass." Augustus' words snap him back into reality. He never witnessed raw anger shine through his words so clearly. 

"Whoah, Spencer, pull your guard dog back. I just gave you a compliment. You know that buddy." He takes a step back, countering the step Augustus took in his direction.

"I am very aware of and trained in your craft. I know what you're doing." Augustus isn't too shy to place himself directly in front of his adversary, forcing him to start leaning to the side to build eye contact with The Chosen. His target isn't giving him the honor, eyes transfixed on his partner.

"Spencer. Come on. Say something. This is ridiculous. Who even is this clown?" Against everything he is still able to not let any emotion show through. The same monotone voice is leaving his mouth.

The whole exchange is hitting the blond like a car. The option to be direct never occurred to him. Over him hangs the realization that he wasted countless years trying to fight ice with ice, when he should have used fire.

"He's my boyfriend. High-school is over, stop doing this shit. It's pathetic." The Chosen barks out, breaking his silence.

After being startled for a brief moment, he's walking past the couple, chuckling to himself and them. "Fucking grow up." And disappears behind the next aisles. 

"That guy is the human embodiment of the warm side of a pillow. If he ever talks to you like that, I am going to break into his house and smear maple syrup over all his door handles." Augustus' still staring at the spot he disappeared from. 

"Let's finally go to the video game section." The Chosen's shyly smiling, grabbing Augustus hand, interlocking their fingers. His heartbeats still up, this action not helping it to go down. Together they make their way through the shop.

Chapter Text

For the past week, Augustus has been making his way to The Chosen’s place every day, fresh off work, a new tradition etched into their lives. The very thought of spending a day without Augustus feels like attempting the impossible. Each afternoon, the clock strikes 1 o’clock, and The Chosen can’t help but gravitate toward the front porch, as if drawn by an invisible force. A bond has woven itself between them, a dangerous thing for a person like him. It’s dangerous for his partner, the blonde has no choice but to keep an unrelenting watchful eye on Augustus, a duty he’s bound to fulfill. That’s the reason he’s standing here once more, waiting for a certain car to pull up. His chest warms up as the sounds of worn-out tires grind over asphalt. He’s here.

The brunet leaves the car, holding a small plastic box in his hands, a grin plastered on his face. The Chosen throws his arms around him, pulling him into a hug. Augustus smells more of sweat than usual. He's unsure why, but he actually enjoys it. "You stink," he musters anyway.

"Well, I’ve been hard at work. How else am I able to spoil you?" Augustus presses the small box into his hands, waiting for him to take it.

"You shouldn’t—" Inside, a small 4-inch Yu-Gi-Oh Dark Magician figure is looking up. "This is actually pretty cool."

"Can you believe that my colleague John tried to convince me to get a Funko Pop for you instead?" Augustus’ hands are flailing in a circular motion.

"I can once more be relieved that you are not easily influenced." The Chosen adds an almost chuckle to his response.

"I'm an immovable object."

"Anyways, want to start the drive?" 

"I actually have to go relieve myself in your toilet first. All the butter I"ve been eating today wants out." 

The couple heads inside, and Augustus heads straight to the bathroom, his legs carrying him swiftly. The Chosen seats himself on the living room couch next to his mom. Her curious eyes wander from the hallway door where the brunet disappeared over to him. A faint smile graces the woman's lips.

"It's nice seeing you leaving your shell a bit." Her voice is filled with a suffocating warmth that tries to wrap around him.

The Chosen stands up, placing his gift on the coffee table in front of them, refusing to sit back down. Instead, he trots to the front door exit, leaning against the wall next to it. His arms are crossed, his body returning to his usual posture.

"Me and Augustus are going to meet up with Brianna at the mall."

"That's lovely. Give her warm regards from me. That would be sweet of you to do, pumpkin."

He just nods, trying to not let his disdain for the nickname show. Getting saved by the bell, Augustus emerges from the hallway heading to his mother. Wiping his hands up and down his pants before extending it toward the older women. “Good day, Mrs. Agnew." The pair shakes hands.

“I hope you three have a good time at the mall.”

“We will, and don’t worry. I will return your son before 10 pm.” Augustus turns his head to smile at him, before returning his focus back on Mrs. Agnew.

“You are an angel, dear.”

Going unnoticed behind the barrier of his sunglasses, The Chosen directs a death stare at his boyfriend. “Let’s not make Bri wait for us. Keeping a woman w—”

"Someone got up on the wrong foot." Augustus interjects, causing The Chosen’s mom to snigger. Unable to hold it back, against her best efforts. 

Both pairs of eyes end up fixed on The Chosen. Like they expect him to say something. His face turns a slight shade of pink, he clearly feels the warmth of his cheeks. Instinctively and entirely born out of a reflex, he covers his face with one hand. Not even finished with the motion, feelings of regret fill his mind, this will look even worse than just a slightly red face. His head is tilting down. At least now he doesn't have to experience their stares anymore.

Augustus wastes no more time, he opens the entrance next to The Chosen, slightly startling him with the sudden motion.”Bye.” They say in almost unison.

The door falls shut behind them."Moms can’t get enough of me."

***

As Augustus and The Chosen step into the mall, they are immediately greeted by a vast, bustling expanse of shops, people, and fluorescent lights. The sheer size of the place is enough to make anyone feel small. It threatens to wash over The Chosen. He looks around, his eyes darting from one store to the next, taking in the colorful displays, the bright signs, and the sea of shoppers. The chatter of voices, the ringing of cash registers, and the background music playing from various stores all blend together into a symphony of sensory input.

Augustus notices The Chosen's unease and gently squeezes his hand, offering silent reassurance. “We agreed to meet at the food court, right?” Excitement is written on his face. “I haven’t had the chance to write a review for multiple establishments here. They have yet to receive either my judgment or praise.”

Simultaneously, the smell of churros hits their noses, as the pair spots Brianna sitting at an empty table, fully emerging in her phone. “Greetings Brianna!” Augustus practically screams, earning him a side-eye from his companion. The blond girl looks up, smiling wide as she notices them. She can’t help gawking at the boys' interlocking hands. A moment later, all of them are seated, Augustus and The Chosen sitting next to each other and across from her at the small food court table. A couple of small groups surround them, each occupied with each other or a meal.

"It's like, so interesting to finally get to know you. You totally feel like a bit of a celebrity to me, got so much second hand information about you.” Brianna starts the conversation. “Well, I saw you at my party, but now we can actually talk.”

The brunet's head turns towards The Chosen. “You talked about me?” A mischievous smile is plastered on his lips, while his partner begins to slough in his chair. 

"Just a little." The Chosen replies. 

Brianna's also grinning now, clearly delighted by the situation. She directs a knowing smile towards her childhood friend. “I just wish you would listen to me more. Everything would have gone way smoother.”

“Yeah, totally." Augustus responds, not really hearing or understanding what she said, his perception fixed on a corn dog vendor. “I will get us something succulent to consume.” Without giving the other two any additional acknowledgement, he jumps up and starts marching towards the object of his desire.

Brianna's hands slam onto the table, with Augustus positioned not far enough away to avoid witnessing it. "Did it finally happen?" She shoots The Chosen with an expectant look.

The Chosen responds with a confused expression. 

"Don't play dumb. Are you two an item or not?" 

The Chosen's heart races as Brianna's question hangs in the air, and he exchanges a nervous glance with Augustus, who momentarily pauses in his quest for a good meal. The mall's bustling atmosphere seems to fade into the background as he struggles to find the right words.

Augustus, grins and points toward the enticing vendor. "I'll leave you two for a moment, I can't resist the call of the corn dog." He quickly makes his way to his goal, leaving The Chosen alone with Brianna.

Brianna leans forward, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "So, you two are together!"

The Chosen's cheeks flush with a mixture of embarrassment and relief. "Yeah, we are." He takes off his glasses for a moment to rub his eyes. Admitting this to someone else is more challenging than he expected. Even if he started to feel at peace with it, when it was just the two of them. Since they arrived in the mall, he can’t help himself but to shoot paranoid peeks at every person around them. His legs won’t stop slightly trembling ever since.

“Fucking knew this was going to happen! I am so smart and always correct.”

The familiar sound of the Nintendo DS starting fills the air between them, the boy tries to focus on the screen in front of him and fade out everything around him. A small virtual dog greets him, his favorite activity is to blow bubbles at his puppy. He can’t help but smile at it.

Almost completely forgotten, Brianna across from him. Her eyes roll but she accepts the situation, pulling out her cellphone.

Augustus returns triumphantly with a tray of corn dogs, churros and other delectable treats. Both devices retreat into pockets. The sweet aroma is wafting through the air, he slides back into his seat. Already beginning to stuff his face, he looks up at the blonde girl, visibly considering whether to say anything in his condition. “I finally conquered his heart with my infinite charm.” Little crumbs are falling out his mouth and onto his shirt and the table.

Brianna chuckles, her eyes gleaming with amusement. "Infinite charm, huh?" She leans back in her chair. "But I gotta say, you didn't make it easy for him, Spenccc. I thought you were going to be in denial forever."

Augustus places a comforting hand on The Chosen's thigh under the table, giving it a reassuring squeeze. All the blood in his body rushes towards his head, this is not what he wanted this get together to focus on. 

“I’m a lover AND a fighter, so that was no challenge for the great Augustus St. Cloud. Also he is improving!”

Both parties look at The Chosen, waiting for his input. This feels like he is a little doggy, getting praised for just having learned the simplest tricks. His friends towering over him celebrating. His throat suddenly compresses into itself, he gulps down a big drop of saliva. Trying to clear his throat results in a short burst of coughing. The blond reaches for a corn dog, at least biting into it gives him some additional seconds to contemplate. The only action to let him keep up a facade of normality without having to talk. If he could, he would let the ground under him suck him up and consume his limbs one by one, crushing every bone in his body. Close back up, leaving everything behind like he never existed.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Augustus' words slap him in the face. It is always startling to realize that he isn't as good at concealing his inner turmoil. He once thought he was, but Augustus has been consistent in smelling that's something up. Maybe it is just him that sees through him, directly into his core. As terrifying as that would be, it is better than the alternative. 

Suddenly his body jerks forward. Pressing a kiss on his boyfriend's lips. Even though The Chosen is the one initiating the kiss, he almost seems more startled by it. His flesh taking a counterintuitive stance against his mind. It feels like ripping off a bandage. A spontaneous gesture to quell the rising anxiety within him, it doesn’t just take him by surprise. Augustus quickly recovers, though, and returns the affectionate gesture, their lips meeting. The Chosen can taste cinnamon on his boyfriend's lips.

Brianna, grins widely. She looks genuinely happy for them. "You guys are soooooo adorable."

Augustus, takes a bow. "Thank you, thank you, we're here all week!" He then turns his attention back to the food, devouring a corn dog with enthusiasm, he winks at him before taking another triumphant bite of his corn dog. 

The conversation finally drifts to lighter topics as they share stories, laughter, and delicious food.