Chapter Text
Avoma and Neo had been dating for about a year now.
Not loudly. Not publicly. Not in any way that screamed boyfriends to the outside world.
Which was ironic, considering they were both fairly popular Minecraft YouTubers—voices people quoted, names that floated through Discord servers and comment sections like they belonged there. They had friends everywhere. Connections everywhere. Eyes on them almost.
And yet, somehow, almost no one knew.
Even people at the college they both attended—despite the way they leaned into each other without thinking, the way Avoma always gravitated closer to Neo in crowded spaces, the way Neo reached out instinctively to tug Avoma back when he walked too fast—no one ever seemed to clock it as anything more than two close friends.
Which, to be fair, was partly their fault.
They were both equally oblivious. Equally bad at realizing how obvious—or not obvious—they actually were. Too used to each other. Too comfortable. Too deep into the routine of us to ever stop and wonder what it looked like from the outside.
So they didn’t.
---
It was just another college morning.
Neo walked into the building with Avoma at his side, backpack slung over one shoulder, already mid-rant about something that had happened in one of his classes the day before. His hands moved constantly as he talked—cutting through the air, emphasizing every other word, fingers flexing like he physically needed them to keep up with his thoughts.
Avoma listened, half-smiling, shoulders relaxed. He kept his hands tucked into the pockets of his pants, hoodie zipped up against the morning chill. He nodded along at the right moments, occasionally humming in response, throwing in a comment here and there—short, dry, British-accented remarks that made Neo scoff or laugh mid-sentence.
They walked close. Not touching, exactly—but close enough that their arms brushed every few steps.
It didn’t register to either of them.
They stopped at their lockers, one after the other, grabbing books and notebooks according to their schedules. Neo slammed his locker shut a little harder than necessary when he realized he’d almost forgotten a folder. Avoma handed it to him without comment, like he’d already known.
“Cheers,” Neo muttered.
They ended up leaning back against Avoma’s locker once he was done, backpacks resting at their feet. The hallway around them buzzed with noise—students passing by, lockers opening and closing, overlapping conversations filling the wide space.
They didn’t stop talking.
Not even for a second.
Neo kept going, shifting topics like it was nothing. Avoma responded lazily, eyes half-lidded, clearly awake but not in a rush to be anywhere else just yet.
The bell rang a couple of minutes later.
Its familiar hum cut cleanly through the noise, sharp enough to make a few people groan aloud. The hallway shifted instantly—students straightened, bags were hoisted onto shoulders, and the general chaos reorganized itself into movement toward classrooms.
Neo glanced at the time on his phone. “Shit.”
“Yeah,” Avoma said lightly. “You’re late if you keep standin’ here.”
They were about to start walking—Avoma already angling his body toward Neo’s classroom out of habit, even though they had different schedules—when someone collided with them.
“—Oh my gosh— I’m so sorry, guys— I was in a hurry—”
Spek.
His voice hit them before his face did—high-pitched, loud, and entirely too energetic for an early Wednesday morning. His words spilled out in a rushed jumble, apologies stacking on top of each other before either Avoma or Neo could process them properly.
“I— Oh! Hey guys!” Spek suddenly stopped, straightening like he’d just realized who he’d run into. He stared at them for a moment, expression lighting up for no real reason. “Wow. Haven’t seen y’all in sooo long!”
Neo raised an eyebrow. “It’s been one day, Spek.”
He snickered under his breath.
“Exactly!” Spek shot back immediately, pointing between them like he’d won the argument. “That’s so long!”
Avoma let out a short laugh, shaking his head.
“Well, anyway,” Spek continued, already stepping backward, “I gotta go—class, y’know. But! You guys better be at the party this Saturday!”
He waved as he walked off, enthusiasm completely unchecked, disappearing into the stream of students like he hadn’t just dropped that information on them out of nowhere.
Avoma and Neo stood there for a second.
Then they looked at each other.
And burst out laughing.
“What party?” Neo asked once he caught his breath, equal parts amused and curious.
Avoma shrugged, lips quirking. “How would I know?”
He tilted his head slightly, voice casual, accent slipping through easy and familiar. “Probably just some kid’s birthday party.”
Neo snorted. “Yeah. Sounds about right.”
They started walking again, shoulders bumping as they headed off toward their classes—still laughing, still talking, still completely unaware of how much sense they made together to anyone who actually bothered to look.