Serendipitous (Gawsten)

3. Sweet

Awsten was overwhelmed by the sweet. Some sweet was okay, like the almost sour smell of strawberry that he initially smelled when he came into the house that was immediately overridden by a disgusting scent of cinnamon. But the strawberry filled his nose as he went down the staircase into the basement where it became stronger.

Down the stairs, door on the right.

Awsten didn't need the bathroom. He needed an escape from everyone and everything, the negative noise, the colourful birthday cake that everyone seemed to fall in love with, except for Awsten, who was completely abnormal.

It was cooler down here. He began to become a more comfortable temperature now, catching sight of the door on the right, also noticing an identical one on the left. As he walked over towards the bathroom, he felt his breath hitch in his chest as his brain told him he recognised it, the song that was being played from the room on his left.

"The collision of your kiss..."

Was that Sarah's brother's room? The faint 'Geoff' that had been neatly scratched into the white paint on the door confirmed that it was. Awsten had never actually come across anyone that liked My Chemical Romance outside of the internet. Here he was, standing outside of a strangers room, listening to the soft sound of Cemetery Drive playing from a record player within the room that smelled like sour strawberries. This was the light within the dark.

He snapped from his trance, glad that Geoff hadn't decided to leave his bedroom while Awsten was just standing there staring at the wall. He began to push the door open to the bathroom and wash his face.

Creak, click. The two sounds that came with opening and closing a door, followed by, "You're shaking." Awsten looked up into the mirror to reveal a boy, who couldn't be much older than him, who was looking at him contently. Awsten must have left the door open, and his anxiety was now becoming a source of entertainment for the boy, who he assumed to be Geoff.

"No fucking shit." Awsten rolled his eyes, shakily watching the water roll from the tap and off of his cold hands. He took another look in the mirror at the boy who was still staring, this time noticing the icy blue that stained Geoff's irises.

Blue was the only colour Awsten could see. Yeah, he couldn't see it completely, but it was enough to be a colour and not just grey with a tint. Ironically enough, blue was the colour that was associated with feelings of sadness; but the piercing blue of Geoff's eyes were not cold, they made him feel warm.

"Can I h-help you?" Awsten directed at the boy who was watching him try to control the inevitable anxiety attack that was rising in his chest, his breathing already constricting.

Geoff smiled softly and left. Not another word said, he just walked out of the bathroom leaving Awsten to his lonely little world that he adored so much, so he could break down in peace, or into pieces, he wasn't sure yet.

So he did. He walked over to the door that was cracked open, closed it, and slid down the wall. Gripping at his hair, his mind began to scream.

His breathing was unsteady and shaky, the little straw that he had once breathed through was growing smaller every single breath he took. The hot tears streamed down his face, although he tried to muffle his breath so that he wouldn't disturb Geoff, he wouldn't want to bother him and his fucking priorities, whatever they were.

Spots of black began to block out his already colourless vision, until Awsten noticed the door slowly open and a figure walk back into the room. Awsten flinched and squirmed into the corner of the small tiled bathroom, "D-don't f-fuck-king touch m-me!" He half yelled, he tried to scream as loud as he could but he didn't have enough control over his body.

"I'm not going to touch you, okay?" The voice was soft, Geoff's voice, why had he come back? "You need to stand up." He was calm but firm.

Awsten was embarrassed. "I-I can't-t."

"You have to. Or I will come over there and pull you up." Why was Geoff being such an asshole? Awsten didn't need this shit anymore, he got enough of it during his time at school, he didn't want his anxiety to become another episode for people to laugh at whenever they wanted.

"F-fuck. Y-y-you."

Geoff didn't flinch. His expression stayed soft. "Stand up. Do as I say and then I'll leave you alone, okay?" Awsten couldn't believe this. But he pulled himself up using the counter, he didn't want Geoff anywhere near him right now. "Flap your arms, like a bird." Awsten almost laughed in anger.

"I'm f-fucking sor-orry?"

"And jump. Like jumping jacks."

"F-fuck yo-you." He was definitely being made fun of.

"You're feisty, huh? Do five jumping jacks and I'll stop talking to you. Another five and I'll leave you alone." Awsten glared at Geoff just long enough to realise he was being completely serious. His tears came quicker. He didn't understand, but he complied.

One, two three, four, five.

Awsten looked over at Geoff who surprisingly, wasn't laughing at him, just gave him a small reassuring smile.

Six, seven, eight, nine, ten.

Eleven.
Twelve.
Thirteen.

His breathing stabilised and Awsten was hit with a wave of lethargy that made him slide back down onto the floor. His shaking had calmed down, too.

Geoff Wigington had just stopped Awsten Knight from having an anxiety attack.

Geoff Wigington, the boy Awsten Knight hadn't even technically met, had just been the first person in his miserable little life to even bother to try to stop him from having an anxiety attack.

Geoff handed him a glass of cold water in which he had been holding the entire time and Awsten just hadn't noticed, probably why he had left the bathroom in the first place, to go get it.

"Thank you."