Scathefire(MxM)[Unedited]

13

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Austin hides in his room for as long as he can, lying on his side and pretending to still be asleep, until he hears his door open. His heart beats strangely and he keeps his eyes stubbornly closed as he feels weight dip into the space of the bed next to him. He swallows hard as delicate fingers trace over his shoulder, and Avery's warm cheek presses against the rough, tattooed skin of his shoulder.

He finally opens his eyes, glancing over towards Avery, who offers him a small smile.

"Do you feel better?" Avery asks. The question has him genuinely thinking about his answer, and he purses his lips.

"No." He responds honestly. "But it's a different bad." He mumbles, wishing he could cave in on himself. Avery doesn't seem to understand, hesitantly nodding.

"What were you feeling? This past week?" He asks, although his emotions betray him as curiosity overtakes the attempted concern in his tone. Austin doesn't mind it, he thinks he prefers it over any kind of pitiful expression. He draws in a deep breath, and prepares him for Avery's 20 questions. Those 20 questions quickly become twenty thousand. They talk until the sun begins to rise. Austin answers everything he possibly can. The complicated relationship between Austin and his depression, the exacerbation of his mental health by his medications, which had spread into an entirely new conversation topic.

"Why do you take them?" Avery had asked. It's a hard question to answer, as his response is heavily loaded with many thoughts that must converge into a simple, "I have HIV.". It had been even more difficult to explain to Avery what HIV is, and he couldn't help but tack on the importance of sexual protection when he'd finished his explanation of the virus. Avery's cheeks had reddened and he'd sat up to look at Austin better.

"Why didn't you have protection?" Avery asks tentatively, although he hadn't been sure exactly what "protection" entails. It'd been another hard question to answer, and Austin had forced himself to make a conscious decision to be vulnerable and let down his walls.

"I've gone through more sexual assault than consentual sex, Avery." Austin starts hesitantly, eyeing Avery to check his reaction. He'd been met with a wide-eyed stare, Avery doing his best to stonewall his reaction from Austin. "I was diagnosed when I was like... I don't know, 18, I think? Maybe 19? The earliest I could've picked it up was when I was 10." He says. The inference weighs heavy on the air, and Avery is no longer looking at Austin, slowly and carefully processing the statement. The moment makes Austin's throat feel tight, and he clears it and utters a short laugh.

"It's whatever, at this point. My meds make me undetectable." He says. Avery takes the hint, and nods. But how do you move past something like that?

They sit in another moment of tense silence, before Austin rolls out of bed and stands.

"Lets go to the park." He says, although the sense of purpose in his voice has Avery's head tilting. Avery stands as well, heading for the door. Austin waits until Avery has left to change into something a little more suited for outside wear.

When he steps out of the room, Avery is leaning against the counter, putting on his shoes. Austin follows suit with his own sneakers, before leading Avery out the door. Avery follows close at his side, twisting his fingers together. It's early, so the streets are empty, and the park is even emptier.

Smooth walkways wind throughout the wooded park, flowers beginning to open their petals in the brisk, early morning. It makes the crisp park air smell floral and clean.

It doesn't take long for Avery's inhibitions to wear away and allow him to admire the flowers that pass, watching as the plant life leans in towards him in a windless breeze, like sunflowers tracking the sun's path. He reaches his fingers out to brush the soft leaves that beg for his attention. It reminds him of a much more pleasant version of the hands grasping at his blood through a gate. But plants don't ask for blood. They don't beg and crave for sacrifice, and the leaves are soft and gentle against his fingertips, the veins that run through them exposed and vulnerable.

His attention only returns to Austin when he finds that he's walked past him, looking up and frantically scanning the area before rushing back to where Austin is waiting for him with folded arms and a mildly amused expression.

"Where are we going?" Avery asks, following Austin off the paved trail, where the trees grow thicker and wildflowers choke the planted flowers by the trail.

"Mm, I wanted to show you a place." Austin responds, stepping over a fallen log, and offering his hand to Avery to help the angel over it.

"Wow, very specific Austin." Avery snorts, bumping his hip against Austin's playfully, only to scamper out of the way when Austin reaches out to retaliate.

"You're getting a little fucking attitude, aren't you?" Austin grumbles, although a grin creeps across his face as he watches Avery skip ahead. He turns to look over his shoulder at Austin, his smile scrunching his eyes.

"Learned from the best." He shrugs. Austin beams with an odd sense of pride as he follows Avery. After just another minute or so of trudging through unkempt undergrowth, the foliage breaks away and the grass smatters out into soft sand, damp from the lake that laps at it.

Avery stands at the treeline, gaping at the lake. Across its glittery blue surface and behind lays of thick woods, an old palace-like building sits regally in the sky. It's surreal to be on this side of that stained glass in the reading room.

"Well? Do you know where we are now?" Austin asks with amusement.

"Ugh, do I? How could you ask that?" Avery asks in disbelief, snapping out of his stupor to pull his shoes and socks off, skipping over to the beach and digging his feet into the sand in awe. Austin lingers back and watches, arms folded. At least until Avery starts pulling his shirt off, followed by his shorts. Austin looks down at his feet, listening to the quiet splash as Avery steps into the water and the following giggle of absolute delight as the cold water reaches Avery's thighs. Avery chooses to sit there, the water licking over his shoulders as he stares across the blue expanse.

The other end of the lake seems so small from where he sits, and he could sit here forever, he's pretty sure. He only looks away when he hears a movement from behind him, turning to look over his shoulder. Austin has moved away from the tree he got comfortable against, taking off his own shoes now, and carefully untying the drawstring of his sweatpants. Avery snaps his gaze forward, sitting up straighter, and no longer thinking about the lake.

Avery's heart thumps oddly in his chest as the water ripples from behind him, the quiet sloshing of Austin wading closer seeming far louder than it really is, until Austin has also sat down in the water, right next to Avery.

When Avery finally has the courage to look at Austin, Austin is already looking back at him.

"Austin. Can I kiss you? Just one last time?" Avery asks. Austin's brows furrow for a moment, flicking across Avery's face, before he wordlessly nods. This kiss is even better than the first one. Neater, softer. But it doesn't last long enough. Avery's chaste lips leave him far too soon, and he finds his lips chasing Avery's, his hand lifting out of the water to catch the back of Avery's neck. It's enough, and Avery doesn't get more than half an inch away from him before their lips are back together with a needier force.

Avery's tongue traces the divot on Austin's lip where his cleft palate had been repaired and Austin's tongue brushes experimentally over Avery's lower lip, head tipping to pull the kiss deeper.

Austin isn't sure how long their kiss had lasted. In the moment it felt like days, but as he tastes salt on Avery's upper lip and feels the angels soft lower lip trembling against his, he pulls away and the kiss hadn't been anywhere near long enough.

"Avery? Why are you crying?" Austin asks.

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Thanks for reading :)

A/N Friends, this chapter wasn't planned very well, and the beginning was NOT doin it for me, but I think I like the end. I didn't PLAN for them to kiss a second time, but tbh it felt right, it's a better kiss scene than the first one, and there might not be much more smoochin from here on out so I might as well yknow (￣y▽,￣)╭