GOD KILLERS. Tom Riddle

16. American idiot

CHAPTER SIXTEEN
AMERICAN IDIOT

THE RING SAT WHERE IT HAD SAT FOR THE PAST TWO DAYS. Sitting on top of the coffee table in their shared hotel room. A new one this time, not the old shabby one they stayed in at the start of their week together.

Augustine could've laughed, they'd spent almost a week together and he could barely recognise himself, and no, not because of his new haircut.

"Happy birthday," was the first thing Augustine said the moment they woke up. Fifteen turned to sixteen, Tom wasn't the oldest of the lot, that title belonged to Reinhardt surprisingly. His birthday had been in September, then it had been Theo's in November, and now it was Toms. A middle child, Augustine thought.

That just left Bunny's, which was in May, Augustine's, which was in June, and Abraxas', which was in August.

It was the first time they had actually slept. Both so obsessed over the small ring that made its home on the coffee table — in the end, they had to put a shirt over it. To stop them from staring at it, as if that would help. They'd slept so close to each other, Tom's chest pressed against Augustine's back in comfortable slumber, Tom's arm would occasionally find its way to Augustine in the night, snaking to him and resting on anywhere that was free, mainly his hipbone, or his chest — a protective hug. Augustine didn't mind. He'd smile to himself and fall back to sleep.

Tom smiled, obviously forgetting that today was his birthday. He rubbed his eyes as a yawn escaped his lips and Augustine started to rummage around the bed before lying on his stomach to look over the edge of it, fishing out a small box.

"Here," he tossed it to him, smiling.

"You didn't have to get me anything," Tom spoke eyeing the gift with bleary eyes.

"But I wanted to." Augustine shrugged halfheartedly. It made Tom smile slowly, as if he hadn't woken up fully.

He undid the wrapping quickly, Augustine sat in anticipation before Tom pulled the present form the box, and smiled lightly at it.

"A diary?"

Augustine's head dipped, "well, um I thought it'd be good? Seeing as you're going to rule? You could look back at it with smugness or whatever,"

He thought it was a good present. It'd be great for Tom to look back on, to see how he'd came to be.

Tom laughed, "I love it," he turned it over to where his name was imbedded and smiled even more.

Augustine kept his head down, he didn't want to know if Tom was smiling a pitying smile over the gift or if it was genuine.

He hoped it was the latter.

And when he did look up, he saw that Tom had been looking to him.

"Thank you," he spoke, almost in a whisper.

Augustine just shrugged sheepishly. He didn't know what there was to say.

....

They ate breakfast. An English breakfast for Augustine whilst Tom opted for porridge, and even then, he didn't seem to finish it. Tom had never been the one to eat everything anyway, always saying how it didn't taste the same, or something as equally nitpicking of him.