Hard To See (Gawsten)

nineteen

Listen,,, I love Travis ok,,, but someone has to be the bad guy,,,

Can y'all believe Awsten walked out on stage the other night with red hair?? And in Plum Island, instead of saying "I couldn't tell her I adored her" he said "I couldn't delete friendly reminder." O o f. I wish I was one of the smart parx fans that comes up with theories and stuff, but I'll leave that to you guys!!

***

Awsten's first day back to school isn't terrible. The crowded hallways have a different atmosphere now that Geoff walks him to all of his classes, and Jawn, Otto, and Kellin offer friendly smiles when he passes them in the crowd.

Even while in a sea of people, the blond boy had always felt isolated and alone, but things are different now. Things have changed and- even if it took a scary and dangerous situation for them to do so- he's glad they have.

He's never felt more loved.

"Do you want to eat in the library or lunchroom?" Geoff asks, and Awsten tugs him in the direction of the lunchroom.

Awsten has never eaten lunch in the cafeteria before- he was always too nervous to sit by himself with so many people around. He's still nervous now, and his anxiety intensifies when he discovers that the lunchroom is louder than the hallways.

He's glad he never tried to tackle this on his own.

He shuffles closer to Geoff as the two head towards the brunet's usual table. Otto and Jawn are still in the lunch line, so it'll be a moment before they appear.

The two settle down at the table, and Awsten momentarily misses the quiet of Kellin's area behind the school.

Geoff puts a hand on Awsten's thigh and squeezes it comfortingly. The blond boy is tense, Geoff can feel it.

"Nobody is gonna mess with you, doll. You're safe," the brunet says, and Awsten seems to calm down a little.

Jawn and Otto eventually find their way to the table. Jawn tosses Geoff a bag of chips, and the brunet opens them. He offers one to Awsten, and the blond boy nibbles on it as the other three boys begin chattering.

Geoff squeezes his thigh again and it makes a question appear in Awsten's mind.

What's going on between him and Geoff?

***

It can't just be friendship, as friends don't usually cuddle up to each other at night.

Close friends sometimes do- but this seems like something different.

Geoff's thumb is rubbing circles into Awsten's back, and the blond boy is dozing off on Geoff's chest.

School ended without incident, and the sun has gone down. Geoff just hopes tomorrow can go off without a hitch too. He soon drifts off with the blond boy steadily breathing beside him.

At some point during the night, Awsten wakes up. He considers trying to go back to sleep, but the sandpaper in his throat forces him up. He makes his way through the dark hallway toward the kitchen.

He's startled when he sees a figure already in the dimly-lit kitchen, but he quickly calms down when he realizes that it's only Otto.

The curly-haired boy turns around and jumps, nearly tossing a spoon at Awsten. "Shhh!" Otto quickly says, as if he isn't the one who jumped three feet in the air.