Best + Bitter = Better

Four days before

"You're gonna be cold, Aws." Geoff insists, pulling on his favourite denim jacket over his jumper. He's looking at Awsten with an eyebrow raised. Awsten rolls his eyes at him, so Geoff tuts.

"Thanks, Mum, " Awsten remarks. He turns around and puts his shoe on his bed to tie his laces up. Geoff grimaces at the action. "Anyway, its not that cold. I'll be fine." Awsten insists and before Geoff can argue, he's out the door. Geoff sighs and locks up.

-

Their plan is to go on a little walk around campus. Most likely stopping at the Starbucks down the street - Geoff's treat because Awsten helped him edit his music theory paper. So, the two ventured out of the warm and into the cold... I mean freezing. Awsten is violently shivering.

"You cold, Aws?" Geoff wonders with a little smirk and a side-eye towards the shivering boy. He knows Awsten is too perverse and nonsensical to listen to reason.

Awsten sucks in a sharp breath. "Nope. I don't know what could possibly give you that impression." He hisses. The whole thing makes Geoff laugh. He can deal with the cold, as long as Awsten is okay. He slips off his jacket and forces it onto Awsten (who is still being perverse).

After the humongous task is completed, Geoff admires Awsten in his jacket. Something about him wearing his clothes makes a feeling bubble up inside - it makes a small curve grace his lips. He suspires and concludes, "There. Better?"

As much as Awsten hates to admit he's wrong, he reluctantly replies, "Better." With a curt nod. Geoff smiles and shakes his head. His jacket swallows Awsten and it makes him look adorable. He doesn't recognise that he thinks that another guy is adorable; it just happens.

They walk for a few minutes in silence. They keep clumsily bumping into each other - neither seem capable of walking in a straight line. It gives the smaller boy a chance to look at the various colourful badges and patches that are sewn into Geoff's jacket. He knows it is Geoff's favourite jacket - he wears it almost every single day - and he can see why.

"Hey Geoff?" Awsten asks. The other turns his head to look at him while also managing to avoid a lamp post. Awsten finds it very impressive and almost endearing. "I never asked what these badges mean." Awsten finishes. He has stretched out the left side in front of him, so that he can read the text on a pink one that is stuck onto the pocket. From what he can see it looks like 'FELINEISM JUST BEANS EQUAL FIGHTS' which doesn't make sense at all. While he is busy looking, he doesn't pick his foot up high enough and trips on his own shoe. Geoff catches him before he falls, though. Yes, Awsten decides, Geoff is endearing.

"Well, the one you're looking at was from an art fair I went to." Geoff starts, glancing at Awsten to see if he's interested. From the looks of it, he is more than intrigued. "There was this girl and her stall was so cute, there was a lot of feminism related things. We got talking and she admitted to being a bit of a femi-nazi, but its not like you can blame her 'cause guys are shit. Anyway, I bought a few badges: one for myself and a few for other people." He looks over at Awsten again and sees that he is still listening intently. "I think feminism is really important, y'know?" He explains. Awsten nods along, though he's never thought about feminism in too much detail. Seeing Geoff so enthusiastic, it makes him think he should be, too.

Awsten looks at it again, "Pink is my favourite colour." He hums. "What does it say?" He asks. It's a circle of baby pink with white capital letters. It's sewn onto the jacket with a stitch that looks like little kisses.

Without looking at it, Geoff replies, "Feminism just means equal rights." He smiles. He shoves his hands deeper into his pockets; it seems that the further they stray away from campus, the colder it gets.