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Matt threw his scroll onto his friend's bed, he made sure to groan loudly so that she would notice,
“What.” Amity looked away from her scroll to give attention to the boy who was so desperately craving it,
“I wanna be someone else,” Matt whined,
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I mean I’m sick of being..” Matt trailed off,
“-myself, I need to.. rebrand!” he finished, flashing his hand in front of him as a sign of pizzaz
“Rebrand?”
“It can’t be that hard can it?”
“You’re fine the way you are.”
“Fine isn’t good enough, I need to be better!” Matt twisted around in bed to face Amity
“Good enough? For who?” Amity flashed him a grin,
Matt rolled his eyes,
“No one. I wouldn’t change for anyone!” He awkwardly laughed, looking at Amity he pretended to put on a stern face,
“But- if, IF, I WERE to change for someone-“
“Mattholomule.”
“He only thinks of me as a friend Ams, what else should I do?”
“And just how do you know he doesn’t like you back?” Amity looked up from her scroll and leaned in, giving him a questioning look,
Matt scoffed and rolled around lazily in her bed,
“He likes you for you, you don’t need to change anything, you already act different around him than you do anyone else anyway-“ Amity said talking to his back rather than him before she was cut off,
“What do you mean?”
“Dude. You totally have a sweet tooth for him, you aren’t THAT tolerable with anyone else”
“Sweet tooth?” Matt blushed a little as he sat up in the bed,
“You know, a soft spot?”
Matt huffed at that,
“I do NOT have a soft spot for him.”
“Sureee.” Amity stretched out the singular word but stopped when Matt looked as if he was going to pounce.
“Whatever.” Matt hissed as he slid off of her bed, taking his scroll as he went,
“I’m just saying, he’s had an effect on you, a positive one, it’s like his sugar went straight up to your brain!” Amity pointed towards her head,
Matt chose to ignore her.
“Why don’t you ask him?” Amity spoke up,
“Ask who what?” Matt didn’t attempt to look back at her,
“Ask Gus if he likes you, like, your personality.”
Matt snorted,
“no.”
“Wimp.” Amity pretended to cough
“Excuse me?” Matt was immediately stood and he glared over at Amity,
“You got your head stuck in sand or something? You heard me, w i m p. wimp.” Amity smirked,
“10 snails says I can do it.” Matt grinned at her,
“10 snails says you can’t.” Amity countered with a fake yawn,
“Deal,” Matt reached out his hand,
“Deal.” Amity shook it,
-
This was stupid. Matt knew it was stupid, yet here he was, sitting with Gus at lunch, wondering when the best time was to bring it up. His little quarrel with Amity may not have been very smart on his end. At least he had time…
“Something wrong?”
“Just thinking,” Matt was about to start chewing on his wooden pencil when it was snatched from his hands, Matt frowned at Gus,
“Don’t give me that look! You know it’s bad for your teeth,”
“I read somewhere that it sharpens your fangs!” Matt argued,
“You read wrong.” Gus stated simply as he tucked the pencil into the pocket of his cardigan, he continued to read a big book he had laid out on their table. Gus glanced up at him, sighed, and struggled to look away, Matt hit him with his biggest pouty face and Gus immediately handed the pencil back to him, Matt cheerfully took it but chose not to eat at it when he saw his friends genuinely worried face, instead, he tucked it behind his ear, Gus offered a soft smile and he was back to reading his book. Matt ignored the voice in his head that told him he was being soft, he refused to believe it.
“Can I have some of your apple blood?” Gus glanced up and down from his book,
“No.” Matt attempted to stand his ground, slurping at the drink he had no interest in the moment Gus asked for some
“Please??” Gus looked up at him with pleading pouty eyes, revenge wasn’t fun when you weren’t the one inflicting it...
“Fine.” Matt handed it to him and almost ended up squeezing it at the realization that Amity might’ve been right about him,
“You sure you’re okay?” Gus cocked his head to the side slightly as he sipped at his friend's drink,
“Yeah.” Matt slammed his head down on the table, therefore implying he was NOT okay, Gus tapped him on the shoulder and Matt peeked up from his arms, Gus closed his book and slid it to the side, he stooped down to his level, also putting his head into his arms as they lay criss-cross on the table,
“Whatcha thinking about?” Gus smiled,
Matt went red slightly, why did he have to be so titan-damn friendly,
“Do you, like me?” Matt decided to go for it and get it over with,
Gus was startled at the question,
“Would you like me better if I were…different??” Matt worded his question differently, he looked away when the words left his lips,
“I like you for you, what makes you think otherwise?” Gus sounded concerned,
“Nothing. I'm just- not the nicest person ever…you know?” Matt bit his lip slightly,
“So?” Gus shrugged,
“You're nice. I’m not. You could be friends with literally anybody else.” Matt accidentally started to open up, adding the word ‘friends’ to keep his crush on the low,
Gus frowned, he checked his watch and used his magic to float his stuff in his bag, and Matts stuff into his bag, he lifted Matt with magical ease and slid his bag on his back, when he finished he stood up and went over to Matt, he reached out his hand for him to take,
“Let me show you something,”
-
“The school library?” Matt questioned him,
“Oh Matty, this place is much more than just a library!” Gus pulled him along to the romance section, Matt blushed immediately and gave Gus a look, Gus caught on too late and he too blushed and let go of his hand,
“No- I- it’s not- just- look.” Gus stammered out a bunch of nonsense before he turned and searched for a book, pulled it out, searched for another book, and pushed that one deeper into the shelf, the shelves pushed out slightly and then opened to reveal a secret room. Matt looked in awe at the sight and Gus smiled and entered the room, Matt followed after him just as the door began to close.
“What is this place?” Matt wondered aloud, more so to himself,
“It’s my sanctuary.” Gus let out a breath as he fell back into a scream-bag that sucked him in immediately with a small shriek, he sat up a little and then allowed himself to relax. Matt subconsciously gripped his long-sleeve shirt as he approached, he sat down on a carpet to show respect to his friend's space, when he turned to look at Gus he was upside down on his scream-bag and he was staring right at him, Matt was caught by surprise and started laughing, covering his smile as he went,
“What are you doing?” Matt managed to get out,
Gus smiled but since he was upside down it looked like an odd frown,
“What are YOU doing?” Gus crossed his arms which caused him to slip to the floor and in turn caused Matt to laugh harder, Gus struggled to get back upright and settled onto the carpet,
“Laughing at you.” Matt snickered,
“No, I mean why are you hiding,”
“Hiding?” Matt gave him a confused look,
Gus adjusted himself slightly and got closer, he took Matt's hand down from over his mouth to reveal a confused, quirky-looking smile,
“You hide your smile when you laugh,” Gus began to trace the lines on his friend's palm.
Matt blinked at him, he went red slightly, that’s not something most people noticed.
“So? What do you care?” Matt immediately got defensive
“I like your smile,” Gus said simply, he continued to trace at his palm, he kept his head down but Matt thought he noticed him getting a little red,
“You’d be the first.” Matt seemed to let out a breath at that statement,
“Why are we here?” Matt offered, he looked around the dimly lit room, they were surrounded by books and origami butterflies hanging from the ceilings, all of different colors and sizes. Both screambags were blue, Gus’ favorite color, not that he just has his favorite color memorized..and there were fairy lights hung around the rooms, dipping slightly at the corners of the room.
“I like it here, it’s…comforting, don’t you agree? Plus, now it’s just us! So now that you can’t escape you have to tell me everything.” Gus smirked when he finished,
“Are you threatening to keep me trapped in here until I open up to you?” Matt sounded unsurprised, yet kind of annoyed that he’d fallen for it, further confirming Amity’s theory that he had a soft spot for Augustus.
“Maybe, maybe not!” Gus chimed, he looked up at Matt with a cheeky smile as he summoned a pen with a spell circle and started doodling on Matt's hand,
Matt sighed and slumped down, his head landed on Gus’ shoulder and he silently thanked the all-mighty Titan. Gus continued his silly doodles,
“You know, I don’t want to be friends with anybody else,” Gus spoke up,
Matt noticeably shivered, he used his free hand and wrapped it around himself as if it would help, he chose to ignore Gus’ attempt to get him to be all mushy and gross and emotional, blah. Yet, admittedly, the room, his presence, it was comforting, inviting even...
“Nobody’s perfect, you aren’t the nicest witch I know sure but- I like that.”
“You like that I’m mean?” Matt caved to his friend-friendly aura, the words mumbled out slightly into his shoulder, he made sure to sound uninterested in the conversation,
“You're not exactly mean- just..sarcastic and blunt! But! That’s part of what makes you, you. And- I like you. Just the way you are,” Gus drew what felt like a spiral on his hand and moved onto what felt like a cat, Matt had memorized the way he drew his silly cat doodles and the way it felt on his hand, strangely enough, he liked when Gus gave him this sort of personal attention, it was like as if having an out of body experience. Matt went silent in thought,
“-And, your sure you don’t want any better friends?” His sarcastic tone was starting to wear off,
“I don’t need anyone better,” Gus said in his stern friend voice,
“Your stuck with me.” Gus clicked at the bottom of the pen to signify that he was finished, Matt lazily lifted up off his shoulder to face him,
“I choose you.” Gus stated with a smile,
Something about those words hit Matt hard, he couldn’t recall a time he’d ever heard anyone say that to him. His whole life, and no one’s stayed as long as him. He used to think friends were just people who only stuck with you as long as you were useful, people who, eventually, would leave you in the dust. So hearing this now really weighed him down in a way he never would’ve expected, he felt his heart grow heavy and his eyes became tear-stained in a matter of seconds, it was pathetic and it caught him by surprise. Matt wiped at a stray tear with his hand and stared down at it for a surreal moment, when he looked back up at his friend he looked as if he might cry himself, it was a beautiful thing, how deeply Gus felt for others. Matt chuckled a bit,
“Sorry- I- I’m not sure why I’m-“
Gus cut him off with a tight hug,
“It’s okay,” he said softly,
Matt tried to blink back the tears but at this point, it was no use, he hugged Gus back tightly and just let his tears fall, Gus didn’t say anything, he just held him and let him cry in his arms, eventually he started rubbing circles on his back, the cloth of his shirt was smooth and Matt traced the circles in his head which helped him to calm down. Once his crying had come to a stop he pulled out of the hug and wiped at his burning eyes. Gus seemed anxious, he checked his watch again, took it off, and turned it off, rushing to put it in his pocket.
“You okay?” Gus reached out a hand as if to offer more comfort but then he retreated,
Matt slumped down again and this time his head hit Gus’ chest, Gus twitched but he didn’t say anything, they got into a more comfortable cuddly position and it went quiet again,
“Your still alive right?” Gus spoke in a questioning and joking tone
“I’m wide awake Augustus,” Matt mumbled,
“Feel any better?”
“Amity was right,” Matt ignored Gus completely, slurring his words as he shivered again, Gus lazily cast a spell circle to take off his cardigan and wrap it around Matt like a blanket, Matt subconsciously scooted in closer
“Right about what?”
“Me.” Matt went with, feeling childish for not just telling him. ‘I have a soft spot for you.’ ‘I like you! Say it back!’ He wanted to yell at him. But that seemed overly aggressive, even for him…and he also wanted to sit here and lay comfortably with him, not to mention he didn’t have the energy to yell at anyone at the moment.
Gus looked at him, a suspicious look on his face. Matt looked away but found himself looking back and again, he caved,
“She said I have a sweet tooth.” He sighed, his voice came out sounding whiny,
“A sweet tooth? Like a cavity?” Gus sounded confused but he also laughed a little,
“Surprisingly enough, AUGUSTUS. I’ve never had a cavity.” Matt aggressively stated,
“Oh-? Then what are you talking about?”
“She said I had a sweet tooth for YOU. And…she’s right.” Matt tapped his fist to his chest, near where his heart was, he tapped it again and again as he waited for a response. He knew every line and curve of Gus’ appearance, recognized all his movements, knew all his favorite things, but he didn’t always know how his brain worked, which meant he couldn’t ever be sure how he would react to anything.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Gus smirked slightly as Matt went red,
“It’s embarrassing!” Matt clutched at his friend's cardigan, pulling it closer to him,
“No, it’s not! It’s sweet!” Gus chuckled and wrapped his arms around Matt and hugged him closer with a smile, after a tight squeeze he relaxed again,
“I like you.” The words rushed out of Matt’s mouth before he could even comprehend them, Matt blushed and found the courage to look up at Gus who looked equally as flustered as him, Matt sat up, Gus cardigan still wrapped around him, Gus sat up and they both scooted away a little, Matt anxiously turned to look at him again,
“Say it back.” Matt mumbled,
Gus looked over at him and gave him a confused smiley look,
“Say it back!” Matt demanded, finally speaking his mind, he adjusted to sit on his knees because it made him look taller, he sounded angry, but he knew Gus could see straight through him so it didn’t matter,
Gus smiled and suddenly broke out into laughter, Matt stood dumbfounded, admitting his feelings was equal to pouring his heart and soul out and he was laughing?!
“I like you too you big baby” Gus shied away slightly,
“Wait what?” Matt perked up,
“You heard me.” He crossed his arms and looked away to hide the red on his face,
“No, I didn’t, say it again!” Matt teased him but Gus being stubborn stood his ground and chose to say nothing and turn his back to him, feeling bolder Matt hugged him from behind and placed his head on his shoulder,
“Come on, just one more time,” He pleaded,
Gus’ ear twitched,
“You are sooo gay.” He said sarcastically,
Matt retorted backwards and Gus swung around to face him,
“I am not!”
“Are too.” Gus grinned,
“Am. NOT!”
“Are. TOO!”
“You’re impossible,” Matt huffed,
“At least I’m not homo,” Gus said as if he was proud
“But- but you are-“
“Only halfway.” Gus cut him off,
“What?” Matt laughed at him,
“I’m bi.” Gus corrected him,
“By yourself?”
…
“You think you’re so fucking funny-”
*SCREECHHHHHHHHHHHH*
Matt jumped up immediately and went to grab his bag,
“Saved by the bell!! Now how the hell do I open this thing…” he chuckled and went over to the bookshelf that’d let them in, Gus got up and grabbed his bag, he slowly made his way over behind Matt, he had another growth spurt so he was towering over him, Matt looked up at him and offered a cheeky grin, Gus rolled his eyes but he smiled and reached his arm out and above him, he pushed a book farther into the shelve, and then he reached down to pull one farther out, and once again the secret entrance opened up,
“huh.” Matt thought aloud as he exited the room, the doors closed behind them,
“Meet you at the graveyard after school?” Gus rubbed at his neck and smiled,
“Yea, we’ll talk then?”
“Yeah!”
“Cool, see you then,” Matt couldn’t help but smile at him. He was mid-take-off when Gus tugged at his bag, Matt turned around to face him, a bit confused, Gus lifted his chin, kissed him on the forehead, and immediately walked off in the opposite direction.
“I’ll see you at our graveyard soon!!“ He shouted out,
“Y- yeah!! See you then!” Matt shouted,
“Wait…our graveyard?”