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Veritas Ratio had never liked S. An underground skateboarding ring taking place in an abandoned mine? Where the participants only seemed to harm themselves? Veritas had simply just never understood it. Why attempt a particular jump if the angle would be off by about 15.834 degrees? When that could only really result in at least a sprained ankle, and at worst a broken neck? No, he didn’t get it at all. And he certainly hadn’t gotten it when Aventurine had dragged him there the first time. Veritas would much rather have been reading a book, than following that insufferable gambler into the mine, red-brown walls surrounding them at every angle. Extremely isolating, extremely dangerous, that’s probably why that gambler liked it so much.
He did like being needlessly reckless after all. And that was part of the reason Veritas had come to this Nous-forsaken place more than once. Just to make sure that insufferable gambler wouldn’t end himself by accident, or via his recklessness.
Veritas sure hoped Aventurine wouldn’t end himself accidentally.
It’d weigh on his conscience in more ways than one.
The gambler was insufferable, don’t get him wrong, but something in him made Veritas terrified that he would end himself one day. By complete accident, by something completely preventable. The thought caused Veritas’s stomach to clench in an uncomfortable way, and he wasn’t entirely sure why. But either way, that was the only reason he even came to these events.
Just to make sure Aventurine didn’t kill himself by landing a jump badly or whatever.
Nothing more.
Aventurine was talking with some of the other people there, Veritas observed from above his book, feigning indifference. Jackpot, or Aventurine, were the names he went by here, and despite not being a skateboarder himself, Veritas had somehow earned himself the nickname, Owl. Veritas had surmised that he was called Owl because of how he generally held himself, and how he was simply sitting on his medical supplies, reading a book.
Veritas observed Aventurine for a while. The gambler’s strange, yet alluring magenta-and-blue eyes made most question if he was wearing contacts, and Veritas supposed to an outsider, it would make sense if it was contacts, but they were just Aventurine’s eyes. The magenta-and-blue of his eyes matched the colours of the peacock decal that lived on the underside of his board, damaged and repaired amateurishly, as if Aventurine had done everything in his power to make sure he wouldn’t lose that specific board. Then, those dull eyes of his lit up as he started laughing, completely freely.
Veritas hid the fond smile he felt coming on in his book, and tried to shake it off. The gambler was insufferable, but, seeing him truly happy, even if it was in the wake of danger, caused that annoying warm feeling to surface in Veritas’ chest. Instead, he looked away and then returned his gaze to his book. “Watcha looking at, Owl?” Said a voice and Veritas looked up from his book. The woman beside him he only knew as ‘Graffiti’, and she was giving him a smirk.
“Nothing important,” he responded, closing the book. “I am simply wondering when the race is going to start, everyone is just mulling about without seeming to have a purpose. Jackpot told me he’s been anxiously waiting for this event. Though I can’t say I understand it.” Graffiti looked back at Aventurine’s little gathered group who were smiling at each other, and Aventurine was showing everyone his homemade board. “I do wonder how he expects to race on that, it looks one second away from falling apart. It’s bent in an awkward angle, it’s about 7° skew, and yet it still functions, I’m honestly impressed. My father would’ve had a heart attack if he saw as an un-mechanically sound Jackpot’s board is.” Graffiti was now entirely confused and she blinked at him. She then decided to divert the conversation.
“Well, I was just coming over to tell ya, that Jackpot and I are racing first. I’m not sure how good he is, but with a board like that, he’d probably be easy to win against.” Veritas suddenly felt his heart leap into his throat, and felt his stomach drop. He wasn’t sure if he went pale too, but Graffiti looked particularly surprised. “Uh, Owl? You okay?” Veritas coughed into his hand, and regained composure, though it was getting harder and harder to hide it, he then simply turned his gaze on the woman.
“I’m perfectly fine. I only ask that you don’t kill him when you race together. I’d much rather not have to drag his dead body back to his house after your race, if you’d be so kind.” His voice had no strange inflections in it, and it was merely a neutral tone, exposing nothing of the fear that was currently upsetting Veritas’ stomach, but Graffiti seemed to pick up on something or other in it, and her green eyes took on a knowing look.
“Oh I see, I’ll try not to kill him for ya, Owl. Anyways, the race should be starting any minute now.” The woman then rushed off, and Veritas brought the book up to his face again, however, someone almost immediately pulled it down the second he’d pulled back up.
“Hey, Doctor~. Or should I call you Owl now?” Aventurine’s magenta-and-blue eyes could be seen just over the book, and that all too familiar smirk showed itself on his face. “Or…” his voice lowered to a whisper, “Veritas?” Veritas narrowed his eyes as the blush settled itself on his face. Insufferable gambler.
“Kakavasha,” Veritas whispered himself. He had wanted to retort the use of his non-S name, despite not being a skateboarder, but the words died on his tongue. Aventurine looked mildly astonished by the use of his actual name, and it made whatever retort Veritas had had, die on his tongue. He did however, steel his expression. “Be careful. Graffiti is a talented skater, I don’t want you injuring yourself, or worse.” Cursedly, his voice came out soft, and Aventurine’s eyes widened ever so slightly, but regained his composure. He flicked at a strand of Veritas’ hair and smirked.
“I’ll definitely try,” he hummed, standing back.
“Aventurine-“
“Ah, ah. I’ll try. It’s near impossible to come out unscathed, but if you so desire, it’s a gamble, I’m willing to take.” Veritas glared at him, but Aventurine simply smiled and then left Veritas where he was standing. Typical gambler, he scoffed.
As the race between Graffiti and Aventurine began, Veritas busied himself with checking the medical supplies he had. There were bandages, gauze and everything else he would need if it came to be that Aventurine would injure himself. The probability of that was actually worryingly high, and it pulled Veritas from checking the supplies. So, he packed them up again and sat on the case, taking out his phone and book and placed his phone in the book, to make it look like he was reading about the various skateboarding techniques and possible injuries, but in actuality he would be watching Aventurine’s race, to check for any injuries. The deception made him feel a prick of guilt, but he decided to ignore it. It was a white lie if anything else.
The race started off without a hitch, Graffiti easily passing Aventurine, but he didn’t seem to be bothered. Aventurine was cruising along, the attachments to his jacket flying behind him, making him look like a peacock running along the track, trying to catch up with the woman in front of him. Veritas could almost see an excited light enter Aventurine’s eyes, like he was truly having fun, and Veritas, despite himself, smiled.
It wasn’t long before the tricks started coming out, and Veritas was suddenly on edge, his hands grabbing the edges of the book tightly. Graffiti had turned so she was facing Aventurine and was spraying something on the track, causing Aventurine’s board to start skidding along the track, and Veritas frowned. Aventurine had got himself out of worse, so Veritas was sure he could get out of this one, but it didn’t stop the way his stomach dropped. Graffiti’s fans were cheering her on, but Veritas ignored them, watching the gambler navigate his way on the wet road. Aventurine well regained his balance and trailed Graffiti as they passed by a bend, and Aventurine held out an arm to dislodge some rocks, and sent Graffiti’s board spiraling on the track.
This was Aventurine’s special move: Make It Rain, and it was exceptionally dangerous.
“Idiot! You still have to maneuver the corner yourself,” the words escaped from Veritas before he had the conscious thought to push them down. “Your angle is off by 3.5° now. Kakavasha, that’s the wall! Get away from the wall!” He furiously whispered. Aventurine seemed to have a moment of clarity and noticed the wall. However, it was too late to avoid it completely and Aventurine made contact with it for about a minute, possibly grazing himself on the hard rocks. When he finally left the wall, he was covered in red dirt and small bruises from small rocks. Veritas’ brain was fogged over, and he couldn’t think straight, it was just a graze, and the race wasn’t over yet, but he was starting to feel a bit sick. And yet, he couldn’t take his eyes off of Aventurine.
Aventurine eventually recovered and rejoined the race, gaining on Graffiti in a matter of minutes, and Veritas’ book chose that moment to fall on the floor, revealing him to be clutching onto his phone like it was a lifeline, looking nothing like the composed scholar he often came off as. Graffiti seemed to be readying her special move again, and Aventurine seemed to be bracing himself for it. Before she could do so, however, Aventurine turned his skateboard towards the wall again and completely dodged the wet paint on the track. An idiotic move, in Veritas’ opinion, it could’ve landed him in hospital if it went awry. However. Aventurine’s angle had been correct this time so he had managed to land such a trick.
At least he didn’t get more hurt then.
Veritas scoffed to himself, slowly regaining his composure. He brought himself out of his hunch and straightened, now watching the race in a more composed manner. A few bystanders were now looking at him though, Ocelot was drinking a coke, Lion was sitting on rock rambling on about a boy he’d met, Bug was discussing the race with his companions. Veritas merely gave them a glance before turning his gaze back on the race.
Graffiti and Aventurine were now neck and neck. Graffiti was slightly further ahead, and Aventurine was trailing behind her. Aventurine then seemed to notice a ramp off to the side and seemingly got an idea. “Jackpot, no,” Veritas said out loud, using Aventurine’s nickname, so the bystanders wouldn’t look at him suspiciously. “The angle is too sharp. Don’t even attempt it. It’ll only end in failure.” Aventurine couldn’t hear him, obviously, he was miles away, but his eyes almost seemed to gleam out,
“Jackpot, yes.”
Veritas sighed. Typical.
Aventurine turned in the direction of the jump, and as expected, his angle was off. Still though, Aventurine soared into the air. This was only the half of it though, as he’d still have to land it. Aventurine was in the air for quite a while, and the peacock decal on the underside of his board could be seen for miles. Then, came the descent, and Aventurine’s board took a nosedive towards the ground. The gambler seemed caught off guard, and the entire crowd had gone eerily silent, as if waiting for Aventurine to make some sort of move to save him from the impending doom. Veritas’ eyes were fixed on Aventurine, and he felt nauseous. Aventurine grabbed the underside of his board and navigated it back to his feet just in time to crash on the ground, throwing dust up everywhere. Immediately, a crowd gathered around him, just as Graffiti was cruising her way into the crowd.
“Kakavasha…” Veritas whispered to himself, walking over to the crowd. A wave of anger washed over him and he stormed into the crowd, causing it to scatter from the murderous look in his eyes. When he finally reached where Aventurine was lying on the ground, Aventurine hoisted himself up so he was sitting on the ground, using his arms to prop himself up. Most of Veritas’ anger dissipated at the sight, mostly filled with a frustration he wasn’t quite ready to name. His insides were swirling around inside him as well. “Aventurine,” his voice came out harsh, and raw, though underneath all the harshness, another emotion could be found.
“Hey, Owl,” Aventurine responded, smirking slightly, using Veritas’ nickname. “The race is over, so, tell me, who won?” Veritas simply glared at him, eying the bleeding cuts on Aventurine’s arm and the bruising on the other. If only the gambler could go one day without needlessly injuring himself in a way that caused Veritas to worry over him in a way that he wasn’t ready to admit. Veritas turned away and walked over to his medical supplies, Aventurine watching him. “Hey, hey, wait!” Veritas turned back after getting the medical supplies and then he knelt in front of Aventurine.
“This is the fifth time this week, that you’ve needlessly injured yourself,” Veritas stated, getting out a bandage and disinfectant. “Could you at least try to stop being so reckless? You could’ve easily prevented grinding up against the wall if you hadn’t used your move at such a crucial moment. Tell me, honestly, gambler, what even possessed you to do your move at that specific point?” A different kind of smirk found itself on Aventurine’s face then, his magenta-and-blue eyes sparkling with amusement. Feeling that annoying warmth swirling in his chest, Veritas focused himself on Aventurine’s bleeding arm. He disinfected the wound, and wrapped the bandages around it, putting one of his many PHDs to good use.
“My, my, doctor~ , you almost seem worried about me,” Aventurine teased, causing a not so subtle blush to wriggle its way onto Veritas’ face. He merely scoffed however, and continued to work on Aventurine’s arm. “I’m fine, Owl, really. It’s nothing like what I’ve been through, it’s just a few scratches. And bruises.” Aventurine’s eyes widened a little before his gaze softened and the smile on his face was genuine. “Wait a minute, you’re definitely worried about me,” he commented. “Wow Doctor~, do I really mean that much to you? I’m honoured.” The ‘doctor’ was said so fondly that it caused Veritas to stop dead, but he then merely shook his head.
“It’s not so much that I’m worried about you, gambler, I’m simply doing what a doctor has to,” Veritas huffed in response, ignoring the pang in his chest. He then looked up and shot a pointed look into Aventurine’s eyes. “That means, preventing you from ending yourself in an untimely manner.” A wave of shyness caused the doctor to look away, and he continued to work on Aventurine. “You would’ve never landed that jump anyways, your angle was off by about 14.9235°. Even attempting that jump at all was an idiotic idea. I cannot fathom what possessed you to attempt it. Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
“Not particularly,” came Aventurine’s annoying reply. “But, I had no chance of winning if I didn’t try. And who am I if not one to try new things, huh? Though, the gamble of not getting hurt at all, is probably the first gamble I’ve ever failed.” This caused Veritas to glare at him. “Point is, I tried, and I failed. Not much I can do about it now, plus it not much more of a failure as other things I’ve done in my life. But, in terms of that jump, I’ll keep that in mind, Doctor~. But really, you don’t have to pretend like you’re not worried about me.” His gaze grew soft again. “It’s nice.” Veritas scoffed.
“It’s nothing like you’re very clearly thinking, gambler. You’re being needlessly reckless, almost to the point that I’m wondering if you’re doing it on purpose. Just to get me to care for you,” Veritas muttered, face burning, and Aventurine simply tilted his head.
“And what if I am, hm? Would you still care for me every time?” Aventurine smirked, grabbing Veritas’ chin, causing Veritas to glare at him. Veritas looked around. Besides himself, no one else really gave Aventurine the time of day. If Aventurine had injured himself, and Veritas hadn’t been here, then would anyone have helped? If any at all? Of the gathered people, Veritas thought that, no. No one would’ve cared for him.
No one would have healed Aventurine.
“I see no one else looking out for you, not even yourself, so I’ve decided to do it myself,” Veritas scoffed. He eyed Aventurine’s other arm, black with bruises from what he could see, and it couldn’t feel nice to have the arm straightened like that. “Now, give me your arm,” it came out as a command, and Aventurine, looked genuinely surprised, and he sort of gave him his arm, looking dissociated. Veritas blinked, had he hit his head as well? Aventurine’s eyes also seemed less dull as they usually were.
He was truly, genuinely, surprised.
“How… nice…” Aventurine even sounded stunned. Aventurine then, for once in his life went completely quiet. And… was he blushing..? Strange. Veritas focused himself on Aventurine’s arm and gently picked it up. Any anger that Veritas still had left had dissipated by this point and it felt awkwardly silent, and Veritas almost found himself missing Aventurine’s incessant chatter. Now, the only thing that remained was a slightly tense air, and Aventurine seeming almost shy, which was unlike him. But either way, Veritas continued.
“This is actually… not too bad,” he murmured, eying the bruise. “I’m honestly… surprised.” It was a dark maroon, almost black, don’t get Veritas wrong, but otherwise it was quite a small bruise, and the rest of the bruises were small enough to not be an issue. Veritas sat back and then looked in the medical supplies, looking for some ice, or something or other that he could put on the bruise. He found some and he then put some on the bruise, and Aventurine flinched in pain and Veritas glanced at him briefly, before returning his gaze to the bruise. “Please do try to be less reckless, Kakavasha. Alright?” Veritas’ soft tone surprised even himself, and he looked away from Aventurine. “It is…” Veritas felt his face warm, and he looked at the track. “Inconvenient.” Aventurine chuckled slightly, and he seemed to have come out of his trance, for his soft smile was tinted with mischief.
“Alright, I’ll try. Anything for you, Veritas~ ,” he whispered, smiling.