Intellectual Property Ch 4: Brainwashed (Patreon)

Note: Happy Pride! 

P.S. Is anyone actually enjoying this? Should I even be continuing this story? Let me know in the comments so I know if I am wasting my time or not maybe it's weird idk anyway enjoy this chapter is extremely long (about 30 pages) 

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Fifty-first of Summer, 2905 (Day 1)

There were a few days of textual flirting before Geoff was able to meet up with Awsten. For an amateur Summoner, his schedule was surprisingly busy. Awsten had no room to complain, though; the Veptists only knew how many times he’d ghosted someone when album stuff started overwhelming him.

But they were finally going to hang out today and had agree to meet outside of Xatetu Field, the massive stadium at the center of Makanuele, nestled within the crater that the city encircled. The stadium was named after the crater, and its grounds were full of beautiful shrubbery and blooming flowers and plenty of spots for people to have picnics, train their Jekuas, or whatever else one did in a park.

Awsten was first to arrive, reaching the crater a good fifteen minutes before he and Geoff agreed to meet. He’d considered walking there, to help kill some time, but ended up booking a car to drive him over. It wasn’t all that far from his parents’ place, but still.

He descended the long staircase etched into the earth, leading down into the crater. Summers in Makanuele were hot, and today he was certainly missing the milder Aya Toske weather. On days like this, when he was a kid his mother would always shout at him to put on sunscreen. It had been years since she coddled him like that, but he could have used the reminder today. He could practically hear his skin sizzling as the sun beat down on him.

At the bottom of the stairs, he wandered over to an empty wooden table positioned next to a couple tall trees with their leaves rustling in the wind. They hadn’t specified where exactly in the crater they’d meet, but from the railing up above, it was easy to overlook the entire park. With his multi-colored hair, he would be even harder to miss.

Awsten shifted in his seat, his heart suddenly thumping faster. It was a sensation he wasn’t accustomed to, something he only felt at the biggest shows he played. He was nervous.

What the hell was up with that?

He never got nervous before dates. If this even was a date. He figured it was, given how flirtatious he and Geoff had both been in their texts (the other guy’s use of winking face emojis was a little ridiculous but somehow endearing at the same time), but they hadn’t exactly labeled it. Either way, why was he feeling this way?

He felt insane. It had only been a couple days since Travis’s party, but he spent each and every one of them dying to see Geoff again.

“Hey,” came a voice from behind him.

Awsten swiveled in his seat and smiled as Geoff approached, grass crunching underfoot as he waved cheerily.

“Yo,” said Awsten. “You’re early.” Apparently it wasn’t as easy to spot someone from the overlook as he’d thought; he had completely missed the fact Geoff was already down there.

“So are you,” said Geoff, plopping himself down at the opposite side of the table. He placed his elbows on the craggy wood and held his head in his hands. “What’s up?” he said.

“Hello,” Awsten grinned. “No sweater today, I see.”

“No sweater,” Geoff confirmed. “Too hot.”

“It was hot the other day, too.”

“Yeah, but I had to look stylish for the party.”

Awsten acted offended. “What, and you don’t wanna look cool for me?”

Geoff merely shrugged, then chuckled.

Awsten dug into his pocket and extracted a crinkly bag of unshelled, unsalted peanuts, which he tossed onto the table between them.

“Is this lunch?” Geoff joked.

“I know you’re a Jekua guy, so I thought we could feed the Suelus here,” said Awsten.

Geoff’s eyes lit up. “Oh, hell yeah,” he said. “Let’s do it.” He grabbed the bag of peanuts and ripped it open, holding it toward Awsten for a moment in case he wanted one, which Awsten declined.

The two of them got up from the table and sauntered over to the nearby collection of trees. Most of the leaf-rustling was due to the breeze, but Awsten suspected they would find a little yellow Suelu or two amongst the branches. Then he said to Geoff, mostly jokingly, “You come here often?”

Geoff laughed. “I have actually never been here,” he said, looking around at the park, taking it all in.

“How have you never been here?”

“Believe it or not, not everyone in the world lives in Makanuele,” was Geoff’s reply.

That elicited a snort of laughter from Awsten. “Fair enough. I don’t know why I assumed you lived here.” A beat, then, “Where are you from, then? Why are you here?”

“What, want me to leave already?”

“I never said that. Where are you from?”

Geoff smiled. “Some place a big city boy like you’s never heard of,” he said. “It’s a small town in Hurrathsa called Qents.”

“You’re right, I’ve never heard of that shit in my life.”

“It’s, like, in the southwest-ish part of the country. Like I said, small place. Not much going on there.”

“So are you just visiting the islands?” Awsten asked.

Geoff nodded, sticking his hand into the bag of peanuts. He pulled out a handful and tossed them at the base of a tree, hoping that a hungry Suelu might scamper down the trunk and investigate. He said, “I’m on vacation, I guess you could say.”

“Since last Spring,” said Awsten, remembering when the guy mentioned he’d met Travis. Come to think of it, he wasn’t sure if that meant Spring of last year, or this past Spring. If it was the former, he’d spent over a year in the Volukho Isles.

“It’s been around a full season,” Geoff clarified. So he’d been here since the past Spring. Not quite as absurd, but it was still a very long vacation. A longer one than Awsten had ever taken, which he was suddenly extremely jealous of.

A furry yellow head then peeked out from the branches of the tree, sniffing the air. The Suelu scurried downward, its long, thin body stretching across the tree trunk, before it froze and stared at them with both fear and curiosity.

“We won’t hurt you,” Geoff cooed, crouching low to demonstrate he wasn’t a threat. Awsten followed suit, though he lost his balance and nearly fell onto his ass. He steadied himself, thankfully, and did not make a fool of himself in front of Geoff. Not yet, in any case.

The Suelu peered warily at them, but decided the nuts were worth the risk. It skittered to the ground and edged toward the food, reaching its long neck out and snatching a couple up in its fuzzy mouth. Then it reared back, leaning against the safety of the tree, nibbling away at its prize while it watched the duo for any sudden movements.

Awsten and Geoff both giggled, absolutely tickled by the animal’s display. “I wasn’t actually sure that’d work,” he confessed.

“You’ve never done this before?”

“Nope.”

Geoff handed him the baggie. “Give it a go,” he said, flashing that imperfect yet undeniable half-smile of his.

Awsten reached for the bag, and his heart skipped a beat as their fingers brushed against each other. It was a fleeting moment, and its insignificance made him feel foolish for having such a vivid reaction to it.

He extended his hand, with three sizeable peanut halves rolling in the center of his palm. The curious Suelu sniffed the air again, swallowing the ones it had already obtained. It took one step forward, then another, and light yellow strands of electrical energy flickered around the creature’s lithe torso.

Now Awsten’s heart was beating faster for an altogether different reason. “Is this thing about to electrocute me?” he whispered to Geoff.

“Maybe.”

Awsten’s eyes bulged. “Fuck off. Really?”

Geoff laughed. “I dunno. Probably not.”

The Suelu lingered a few feet away for a moment, then stepped toward his outstretched hand, dissipating its electrical magic. It stood on its hind legs and extended a tiny yellow paw to grab the peanuts straight out of Awsten’s hand. The light touch of its fur tickled his palm, and he involuntarily let out a soft chuckle.

At the sound, the Suelu scampered back up the tree with its loot stuffed hungrily in its mouth.

“Holy shit,” said Geoff. “That was so cute!”

The Jekua had disappeared among the leaves again, scared off by Awsten’s laugh. “Should we go find another?” he asked. “This guy seems like he wants nothin’ to do with us. I’m not too hot on him either, flashin’ all that electricity at me.”

Geoff said, “Realistically, it probably would’ve only hit you with a low-level lightning attack.”

“That sounds bad,” said Awsten. “You realize that is bad, right? Being struck by lightning?”

The other man laughed. “A wild Suelu doesn’t quite pack the same punch as a real bolt of lightning—you wouldn’t pass out from the pain or anything—but I get your point.”

They stood from their crouching position, with Awsten suppressing a groan as he did so, embarrassed by the creaking in his knees—he was getting too old—and set off across the park in search of another hungry Suelu.

“Is there anything else down here we could feed, you think?” Awsten asked.

Geoff considered the question for a second, then said, “Probably not. I guess there’s squirrels, but not any other Jekuas.”

“No Duncelings?”

“Nah, parks aren’t really their scene. I know you can sometimes find a Staman in the parks here, but they aren’t really peanut fans. They’re more about sunlight and nutrients from the soil.”

“They eat dirt?” Awsten said incredulously. He didn’t have the first clue what the hell a “Staman” was.

“It’s more that their bodies can extend roots into the ground and absorb nutrients,” said Geoff, “but essentially, sure, they eat dirt.”

“It’s too bad you don’t have your kayet with you,” said Awsten. “Perfect time to imprint something, when it’s distracted with food. Right?”

“Yeah,” Geoff nodded. He popped a couple peanuts into his own mouth as they strolled.

They were both silent for a few heartbeats, then Awsten said, “Is that why you came to the archipelago? To imprint some island Jekuas?”

Geoff smiled again, but this time it held no mirth. He said, “Not exactly. It’s a nice perk of being here, but, uh…well, it’s complicated.” He took a beat, then said, “I guess I kind of came here for work and still just haven’t really left.”

There was clearly something roiling underneath the surface, something that Geoff didn’t want to speak about. Not with him, not with some guy he’d just met. “What’s your job?” Awsten asked. That seemed like a safe enough topic.

Some lightness returned to Geoff’s face as he said, “It’s nothing as glamorous as being a popstar.”

“Yeah, well, what is?” Awsten said.

Now Geoff looked reluctant to speak. He was obviously suppressing an embarrassed smile, which Awsten found unbearably cute.

“C’mon,” Awsten said, trying to tease it out of him.

Geoff groaned. “I’m not exactly employed…”

Awsten guffawed. “You can’t say you came here for a job if you don’t have a job!”

“It’s less unemployed and more self-employed,” Geoff corrected.

“You’re absorbing nutrients, not eating dirt.”

“Exactly.”

“So what is it you do, then?” Awsten asked.

Geoff shot him a conspiratorial look, like he was in on a joke that he had actually never heard before. Finally, he said, “I’m working on a project where I interview people about their relationship with the Church of Salt and Sanction.”

That was not at all what Awsten expected Geoff’s answer to be. “Why?” he had to ask, hoping it didn’t come off as rude.

Geoff shrugged, popping another peanut or two. “I just think it’s interesting,” he said. “Even if someone didn’t grow up attending services at the Church, they still have some kind of relationship with it, you know? Like, if you don’t subscribe to their beliefs, there’s a reason for that. If you do, there’s a reason for that, too. I just like to talk to people about it and hear these different perspectives.”

“…why?” Awsten had to ask again. Then he tacked on, “Did you grow up super religious and leave, or something?”

“Nah, nothin’ like that,” said Geoff. “It’s hard to explain…it’s just a subject that’s always fascinated me. Like, the Church believes that the world was created by three deities: Conbreas, Duremjul, and Nuritayhu.”

“The Architect, the Sculptor, and the Breather,” Awsten provided. He was well aware of the Veptists, as the Church called them.

Conbreas, the Architect, was said to have created their planet, constructing the mountains, the trees, the rivers, you name it. Duremjul, the Sculptor, was the one who created every living creature on that planet. Humans, animals, Jekuas, everything. Then it was Nuritayhu, the Breather, who breathed life into the others’ creations. According to the Elders of the Church, it was she who was the mother of all existence. When a person died, their soul would leave their body and enter the afterlife, a place called the Vept. There, Nuritayhu would greet them.

“Right,” said Geoff. “I just think it’s interesting examining people’s relationship to what the Elders preach, considering that Veptlore describes how Duremjul explicitly lets mana leak from the Vept into our world, granting Jekuas their power. Mana is such a huge part of so many people’s daily lives, and it’s tied directly into the Church’s beliefs, it’s just…I dunno. I don’t know if I’m explaining it right.”

“I think I get what you’re saying,” said Awsten, though it was only half true. “It’s something that affects all of us, yet not all of us believe in the religious aspect of it.”

“Right,” Geoff said again.

Awsten asked, “What are you doing with the project? What’s the endgame?”

“That’s something I’m not really sure of yet,” Geoff replied. “Right now I just have a bunch of interviews transcribed and edited on my hard drive. Still trying to figure out what to do with ’em.”

It had been years since Awsten attended any sermons, but his parents (particularly his mother) had made him and his sister go a lot as children. “That does sound interesting, though,” he said. Then, “But if you still haven’t done anything with it yet, how do you make money off it?”

“Well, you got me there,” Geoff chuckled. “I’ve been getting by the past several seasons on odd jobs here and there. Sometimes I pick up part-time work at coffee shops or something too. It pays the rent, but just barely. Hence why I’m in Travis’s neighborhood and ended up meeting him.”

“It’s all coming together,” Awsten grinned.

“Yep.”

Across the park, they found two adolescent Suelus chasing each other around a stout bush blooming with pink flowers. They spent ten or fifteen minutes sitting in the grass, tossing peanuts to the two young siblings. Neither was brave enough to approach as closely as the first Suelu had, grabbing peanuts right out of Awsten’s hand.

Every so often, Awsten would steal a glance at the other man. Geoff would periodically brush the brown hair out of his face, and it was rare for the smile to disappear from his lips. Whenever he caught Awsten staring at him, he would only laugh and continue tossing peanuts toward the Jekuas.

Eventually, when the baggie was emptied and the young Suelus were stuffed to the brim, Geoff asked, “You wanna go get some lunch?”

Awsten looked the man up and down and said, “I could eat.”

Fifty-second of Summer, 2905 (Day 2)

Awsten awoke the next morning in Geoff’s bed on the northeastern side of town. His apartment was small and cramped, and it was located only a couple blocks from Travis’s house.

He and Geoff lay side by side, staring at the ceiling. Sunlight peeked through cheap white blinds, cutting fuzzy lines across each of their bare torsos. They’d shrugged off the covers in the hot Summer night, exposing their naked bodies. Now their legs were entangled, with Geoff tapping his fingertips on Awsten’s belly.

“Are you a breakfast guy?” he asked, his voice croaking. It was the first thing either of them had said today.

Awsten pursed his lips, then said, “Not usually. I’m kinda hungry now, though.”

The two of them had certainly worked up an appetite the night before. After grabbing a small bite to eat at a local kolé joint, they’d spent the remainder of the afternoon strolling through the city, chatting about nothing of import. Time flew by while they talked. By the end of their walk, coincidentally—or perhaps not so coincidentally—they had ended up in Geoff’s neighborhood, and he’d invited Awsten back to his place.

Upstairs in his apartment, they’d watched some shitty horror movie together before transitioning into the bedroom, where they’d practically devoured each other. Sweat and saliva mixed as they pressed their warm bodies together, and even now ten hours later, Awsten could still taste Geoff on his tongue. He almost declined breakfast for fear of losing that taste.

Maybe he’d get another helping of it really quick.

He reached his hand down toward Geoff’s crotch, stroking until he hardened. It only took a few seconds; the other man was seemingly eager.

“Oh, you’re hungry for that,” Geoff joked.

Awsten rolled over, tightening his grip and stroking faster. “Well, that and a breakfast taco, maybe,” he grinned. He pressed his lips to Geoff’s, sliding his tongue into his mouth. Their tongues danced for a moment, then Geoff bit Awsten’s lower lip. Awsten slowed his speed and pulled his face away from Geoff’s, gazing down at him hungrily.

“A…a taco sounds good,” Geoff said through halted breaths as Awsten picked up speed again. “What do you like on your—”

Awsten moved his mouth downward, shutting Geoff up for the next couple minutes.

While Geoff was out fetching them some breakfast, Awsten found himself pacing around the apartment. He’d deigned to throw on his underwear, but that was it. It didn’t feel like a day for getting fully dressed.

He made his way into the living room, setting himself down on the bright orange couch in the center of the room. A couple jackets were tossed lazily atop it, and there was a video game console controller resting on a throw pillow. A flatscreen television sat on a cheaply-made black entertainment center a few feet away, where Geoff housed the game console and an impressive stack of games that Awsten failed to recognize. He wasn’t much of a gamer; he never had the free time to dedicate to it. He also spied a voice recorder next to the console.

The entire time Geoff was gone, all Awsten could think about was getting him off again. He had no idea why he’d become so intensely infatuated with the guy so quickly, but it wasn’t entirely unwelcome. Their dalliance was a great distraction from thoughts of Ash or the stresses of his work that awaited him when this vacation concluded.

When he returned, Geoff laughed at the image of Awsten sitting mostly-naked on his couch. Awsten reciprocated, subconsciously adding a little extra oomph on his laugh. For whatever reason, Geoff’s mere presence brought his giddiness bubbling to the surface.

“I feel overdressed,” said Geoff, standing there in a regular t-shirt and jeans. His shirt bore the same logo as one of the video games on his entertainment center.

“Take all that off, then,” said Awsten.

Geoff obliged.

They wolfed down their breakfast tacos, spilling globs of salsa onto their chests. Geoff wiped himself with a napkin, speaking around a mouthful of egg and tortilla. “I should hop in the shower.”

“Mind if I join you?” Awsten asked. He was feeling somewhat gross after walking around in the heat all day yesterday then jumping straight into bed.

Naturally, Geoff didn’t mind.

For a good fifteen or twenty minutes, they pulled at each other and grabbed each other’s asses with their lips locked while the bathroom mirror fogged up. The only reason they stopped was because Geoff insisted they should actually wash themselves before the hot water ran out. Awsten put on a fake pout, which Geoff responded to by kneeling down and taking him in his mouth.

Ice water rained down on them while they washed their hair and scrubbed themselves with bodywash.

They dried off, but evidently everything was clean except for their thoughts. They hopped back into bed, having sex one more time before Geoff switched on the television. He rested his head on Awsten’s chest while they watched some decades-old sitcom together, lightly chuckling at the antics of some woman and her butler.

In this episode, there was some kind of absurd mix-up resulting in the butler accidentally getting her dog groomed incorrectly. The poor thing’s fur was half-shaved off, and the remaining fur was dyed a shade of purple that was strikingly similar to the color Awsten had dyed his during his second album cycle. The circumstances leading to the mistake were nonsensical, but it led him to a question for Geoff.

“Are you a pet guy?” Obviously he didn’t have one here in Makanuele, but provided he was probably barely getting his rent paid, that made sense. Maybe he had one in his childhood, though.

“I am,” said Geoff. “I used to have a dog named Eve.”

Awsten could tell by his tone that Eve wasn’t around anymore. “What kind of dog was she?” he asked, his tone light.

Geoff sat up, placing a hand firmly on Awsten’s chest. “I can show you, actually.”

He hopped up off the bed, and Awsten thought he was going to grab his linkpad to show him a few photos, but instead he took the kayet resting on his dresser and strapped it to his wrist. Then he stumbled over to the bedside table and yanked open the small drawer, grabbing a memory card from inside. He inserted it into the kayet, then began channeling mana into the device.

Red soulclay slithered out of Geoff’s kayet, curving toward the bedroom floor. It started out as an amorphous blob, but soon the gooey oval sprouted four legs and a bushy tail. The front end of it shifted into a more defined head-shape, with perky triangular ears. Another couple seconds passed, and the vibrant red faded into more natural colors. It was a female dog with fluffy tan fur and pointed ears. Her tail curled in a loop like a cartoon pig’s.

“Say hello to Eve,” Geoff said. He used his magic to control the soulclay-sculpted dog, making her jump onto the bed and lick Awsten’s face.

Awsten ran his hands through the dog’s fur, amazed by how real it felt. The soulclay made a perfection recreation of the real animal. He quickly stopped when he became cognizant of the fact that he wasn’t petting a live animal, but rather something that was essentially a puppet being controlled by Geoff.

“I didn’t know you could imprint regular animals that weren’t Jekuas,” he said, staring at the dog. Geoff made Eve jump off the bed and return to his side.

He kneeled down and rubbed the dog’s head before pressing his forehead to hers. “It’s not super common, I guess, but yeah. It’s nice being able to summon her every so often, on days when I get to missing her more. Y’know?”

Awsten nodded and found himself almost welling up. He quickly banished the tears, but he could relate to Geoff missing his beloved pet. He’d said goodbye to his cat, his childhood pet, a few years prior. The fact that he’d been away, already living in Aya Toske, when she passed had made it sting even more. Creating a copy of her seemed like the only reason he could have ever seen himself using a kayet, if he’d known that was even an option.

“It’s not the same, obviously, since it’s not really her,” said Geoff, withdrawing Eve as he spoke. She flashed back into the bright red color of his soulclay and disappeared back into the kayet, stored on the tiny memory card. “But it’s nice getting to see her fluffy little face, at least.”

He unstrapped the kayet, returning it to the dresser, and crawled back into bed. On the television, the blue-dyed dog was yapping at the butler.

Fifty-third of Summer, 2905 (Day 3)

On their third day together, they scarcely left Geoff’s bed. The only time they did was around mid-day, to obtain some food, which they ate in Geoff’s diminutive kitchen before returning to the sea of sheets and pillows.

And then they were lost in each other.

Fifty-fourth of Summer, 2905 (Day 4)

Multiple times Awsten asked Geoff if he was being ridiculous by staying at his place, and every time Geoff assured him he wanted him there. Still, Awsten couldn’t help but feel he was overstepping, yet he couldn’t tear himself away from Geoff’s body.

He had to, though, but only for about an hour. He returned to his parents’ house to change into some fresh clothes and grab some extra in case he stayed at Geoff’s even longer, which he was hoping would still be fine. Up until now, his other clothes being a few days old hadn’t really mattered since neither of them were spending any time at all wearing anything. Geoff was wanting to go out into the city, though, which Awsten could agree with. He’d said he needed something clean to wear, though, hence the errand.

When his mother asked where he’d been the past few days, he lied and told her he was hanging out at Jawn’s. It was a believable enough story, and she said to tell Jawn she said hi as he ducked out the front door again.

Now they were passing by a sculpture garden on their way to a noodle restaurant Geoff swore was the best in the city. Awsten wasn’t convinced it would beat his favorite, Gahnta’s, but he was willing to give it a shot. He was enjoying living in Geoff’s world.

The two of them ate lunch on the restaurant’s patio, with Awsten ordering his go-to meal (which Gahnta’s did indeed do better, but he wasn’t going to tell Geoff that) and Geoff ordering a batch of steamed pork dumplings. He was dabbing one in some soy sauce when his eyes flitted upward to meet Awsten’s.

“I wanna interview you,” he said.

Awsten stared blankly at him. “You do?”

“Yeah.”

“For your project?”

“Yeah.”

“Your highly personal and invasive project needling people about their religious beliefs?”

Geoff laughed. “I wouldn’t describe it that way, but yeah.”

Awsten smirked. Then he had to actually consider the proposition. His feelings about the Church and the Veptists was complicated. “Why?” he asked.

The other man shrugged, taking a bite of dumpling. Thin, brown sauce dribbled down his chin, which he wiped away with the back of his hand. He swallowed and said, “I find you fascinating.”

Awsten couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Oh, yeah?” he said. “You barely know me.” They’d chatted over the past several days, obviously, but a lot of their time together had been purely exploring each other’s physicality. To put it in less explicit terms. Churchly terms. Well, maybe not that far.

“Exactly,” said Geoff, “which is why I want to know more. I wanna peel the layers back. See inside. I wanna pack my bags and move into your mind.” He flashed that half-smile of his.

That didn’t sound half bad to Awsten. Which then made him feel crazy, because this was just some guy he’d met hardly a week ago. Someone he thought he’d fuck once then forget. But now he’d been at his house for nearly a week, and he didn’t want to leave. To be completely honest with himself, it was kind of freaking him out.

“Do I have to?” Awsten whined, running his spoon through the thin, light-colored broth in his bowl.

“No, not at all,” said Geoff. “But I thought I’d throw it out there.”

Awsten stared down at his soup for a moment, mulling it over. Then he said, “Fine. But only because you don’t seem to be doing shit with this whole project anyway so it doesn’t matter,” he teased. “I’m a public figure, after all. I gotta protect my personal life.”

Geoff chuckled. “Whatever you say, popstar.”

Awsten picked up the tab at the restaurant, and on the way back to Geoff’s apartment he did end up giving him shit about how much better Gahnta’s was. He couldn’t help himself. In response, Geoff merely said that he’d have to take him there sometime. Awsten agreed.

Now he was sprawled across Geoff’s couch. His head rested on one armrest, while his right leg was propped up on the other, and his left leg stretched up and over the backside of the furniture. His shirt was riding up, exposing a tiny bit of midriff, which he patted with his hands while he waited for Geoff to set up the voice recorder. He had been fiddling with the device for close to ten minutes now, plugging it into his laptop and playing with the settings.

“You know,” said Awsten dryly, “you can just get an app on your linkpad that does all this.”

Geoff rolled his eyes. “It’s not the same,” he said. “This feels cooler. It’s more official-like.”

“Whatever you say.” He went back to tapping his tummy. He then asked, “You got a ball I can toss around?”

“No,” said Geoff flatly. “Why would I have a bouncy ball?”

“I didn’t say bouncy,” Awsten pointed out. “I just asked for a ball.”

“Still.”

“People own balls! Soccer balls, cometballs, you name it. Plenty of balls for normal folks to have in their homes.”

“Yeah, people who play those sports,” said Geoff, clattering away on his keyboard. “And I think you meant a bouncy ball anyway. You’re a bouncy ball type of guy, I think.”

“You got me there,” Awsten grinned. “So, no bouncy ball?”

“No, sorry. We’re just about ready to go here, anyway.” He clicked one more thing, then said, “Okay. State your name and the date, just so I can check the mic levels.”

“So official,” said Awsten. Then, turning toward the recorder on the table beside him, he said, “Awsten Knight. Fifty-fourth of Summer, 2905. It’s hot outside.”

On the computer, Geoff made one adjustment, then nodded. “Good to go,” he said.

“So, how do these things usually start?” asked Awsten. “Also, is the mic picking this up?” He emphasized the stomach-pats he was still doing.

“Nah, you’re good,” Geoff told him. “And it starts however you want it to start. There’s no real structure to it.”

Awsten looked at him. “You don’t have any questions for me?”

“Nope.”

Awsten laughed. “You know, I’ve done a shitload of interviews. One of the cornerstones of an interview is the interviewer interviewing me.”

“Yeah, okay. Let’s start here, then, with an easy one: what’s your relationship with the Church of Salt and Sanction?”

“Nonexistent.” The answer came quickly.

“You don’t engage with it at all?”

“Not really. Not in any real way.”

“What does that mean?” Geoff asked.

“I dunno.” Awsten’s skin already felt uncomfortable, like he was being pricked. He felt like an idiot for agreeing to do this. The sooner it was over, the better. “I don’t go to any services, or anything.”

“The Church has a big presence in Aya Toske though, right?”

“I don’t know if I’d say big, but I mean, it’s there, yeah,” he confirmed.

“But you don’t go.”

“Nah.”

“But you engage in some other way?”

“Not really.”

“But you said ‘not in any real way.’ Is there some other way to engage with them?” Geoff looked at him over the top edge of his computer screen, the bottom half of his face obscured at this angle.

“I guess I just think about shit sometimes,” Awsten replied. “Think about old sermons I’ve heard, think about my stupid place in the world. Shit like that. But I don’t go to any services.”

Geoff asked, “Do you live near one of their chapels?”

“I do, actually. There’s one a few blocks from my apartment. Location’s not really the point, though,” said Awsten.

“You just don’t go.”

“I just don’t go.” A curt nod.

“You’ve heard sermons before, though.”

“You’re payin’ attention, I see.”

“Of course. So you used to go?”

“Heavy emphasis on the past tense, yeah.”

“How long ago?” Geoff asked. He was really leaning into interviewer mode now. “Before you moved to Hurrathsa?”

“Before I crossed that beautiful lavender sea, yes. My parents would drag me and my sister along when we were younger.” He recalled the stupid, fancy little outfits his mother would slap on the two of them. His sister must have owned fifty floral dresses of varying colors. “There’s a big-ass chapel with sprawling, manicured grounds on the south side of the city where we’d go. They had the biggest congregation, so they had to be the best one, according to my dad.”

“You said your parents ‘dragged’ you. Pretty negative connotation there.”

“You really pay attention that word choice, huh?” said Awsten, deflecting for just a second. Then, “I guess the negativity is past tense, too. I enjoyed it at the time.”

“You did?” Geoff sounded kind of surprised.

“Sure,” said Awsten. “As much as any kid enjoys some shit their parents are forcing on them. I’m sure you can relate; it’s kinda like how we all parrot our parents’ political beliefs until we’re old enough to realize they’re fuckin’ idiots and make our own decisions, right? Whatever they tell us is all we know, so we just go along with it. Why wouldn’t we?”

“So you believed before, but now that you’re older, you think your parents were just being fuckin’ idiots.”

“I guess, yeah. Well, no. I dunno.”

“It’s complicated.”

“It’s complicated,” Awsten echoed. He caught himself staring at the voice recorder, as if it was sentient and judging every word dribbling from his lips.

Geoff pressed on. “Was there any particular moment or event or something that made you reevaluate what you’d learned from your parents?”

“I don’t think so. One day, it just kind of…all fell apart in my head, I guess. I don’t know how to explain.”

“That’s okay,” Geoff said kindly.

At some point, Awsten had stopped drumming on his stomach. He didn’t know when. He said, “I guess it’s ’cause it’s all so restrictive, you know?”

“And you definitely are not the type to be restricted,” the other man grinned.

Was that meant to be sexual? Or strictly about his personality? Either way, Awsten said, “You’re damn right. And it’s, like…wait, do you know much about the Church’s old ways?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t be very good at my job if I didn’t know at least a bit about the Church’s history.”

“Well, I wouldn’t exactly call this a job,” Awsten joked. Then, “But yeah, there’s so much bullshit in the Church’s past that they’ve kinda suppressed so that people don’t feel like they’re still living in the 1500s or whatever the fuck, but it still slips out in some ways. I mean, there are some branches still out there today that would think the shit you do with summoning is blasphemy.”

“Right,” Geoff nodded, the top of his head still the only visible part of him. “Using the Vept’s precious gift of mana to create copies of the Sculptor’s creations is about as blasphemous as you can get.”

“Exactly. I know most branches are technically accepting of summoning now, but also, like, who are they kidding? They still look down on it. And their views on sexuality are just…” He trailed off, not sure what the right words were.

“Patriarchal?” Geoff supplied. “Prudish? Some other P word?”

“Those two work. Maybe we’ll think of a third P word soon. But yeah, the whole ‘no sex before marriage’ thing is so backwards and…procreative? Is that a word?”

“I dunno, but it starts with P.”

“Perfect. We’ll go with it, then. But yeah, I remember it tying into Nuritayhu somehow, but I never really understood it.”

“If I’m remembering right,” said Geoff, “it has something to do with not wasting her gift of breath on follies. Their words, not mine,” he added.

“The Breather can kiss my ass,” said Awsten dismissively. “What’s better in life than follies? Shouldn’t we all be striving to enjoy as many follies as we can?”

“Do you feel like you live that way?” Geoff asked. “Enjoying as many of life’s follies as possible? If ‘follies’ is even the right word, anyway.”

“We’ll go with it. And yeah, sure, I guess so.”

“You seem to work a lot, though. Just based on what I’ve seen about you online, I mean.”

“You looked me up?” Awsten teased, though internally he was a little genuinely excited that Geoff was interested enough in him to do a search. “Read some other interviews before this one?”

“Don’t flatter yourself, popstar.”

“And yet you still call me ‘popstar.’ But yeah, I mean, I work a lot. Sure. But my work is cool, making music and playing concerts and a bunch of other shit. I’m not toiling away in some shitty little dimly-lit office five days a week.”

“Do you ever actually give yourself free time to enjoy yourself, though? Or are you always working?”

“The work is enjoyable.”

“That’s fair, but it’s still work, at the end of the day,” Geoff said. “Don’t you ever just take time to relax? To throw on a movie, or something?”

“I thought this conversation was supposed to be about the Church.”

“We can get back to the Church if you want.”

“Nah, whatever. It’s fine.” Awsten took a deep breath, then said, “Yes, I dotake time for myself, thank you very much. This whole trip to Makanuele is time for myself!”

“Fair point. How often do you get to do something like this?”

“Not often,” he admitted. “The work does take up a lot of my time.” Sometimes it felt never-ending.

“Even if you can’t dedicate specific time away from it, are there things you do to help relieve some stress when things get overwhelming?”

Something instantly came to mind, but Awsten was reluctant to vocalize it. He remained silent for a moment, then glared cheekily at Geoff. “Dammit,” he muttered.

“What?” asked Geoff quizzically.

“You got me back around to the Church after all.”

“What do you mean?”

Awsten sighed before continuing. He couldn’t believe he was actually about to say this. Another deep breath, and then: “Back when I was making my first album, I was…unbelievably stressed out, as you can imagine. It was the first time I’d ever done something on that large a scale, and with so much pressure—from the label, from how a bigger audience might react, all that shit. Trying to perfectly recreate the vision I had in my head in the real world. It was a lot.”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

“And so there were times when I’d…” He hesitated again, nearly backing out of saying it. Making something else up. But he went on, shocked at the words falling from his tongue. “There were times I’d just leave the studio, get in my car, and drive to the nearest chapel. Then I’d just sit in the parking lot and pray to the Veptists.”

Geoff let that admission linger in the air for a couple moments. The silence was unbearable, tearing at Awsten’s flesh. Finally, Geoff said, “Which Veptist did you pray to?”

It was a valid question. Most people in the Church, particularly its Elders, followed the path of a single Veptist for most of their lives. But Awsten said, “Any of them that would listen. I wasn’t picky.”

Another pause, and then Geoff asked, “Did you ever go inside?”

“Nah.”

“Never?”

“Nah,” he repeated. “I almost did, once, when it was raining. For some reason, that made the whole thing feel even more pathetic than it already did, and I thought going inside might…I don’t know.” Even now, years later, he wasn’t sure what the thought process was there. “Every time, I just stayed in my car in the parking lot. Just staring at the building, praying to whoever wanted to listen to my stupid problems.”

“If you didn’t go inside, why drive there at all? Why not just pray at the studio, or even out in your car but still at the studio? Or at home? Why go all the way to the Church?”

Awsten shrugged. “I don’t know that there really is a reason. It just…felt right, I guess. Being closer to all that. Made it feel like it had a better chance of working, I guess,” he said quietly.

Why the fuck did he say any of that? What was wrong with him?

Voicing all that for the first time made him feel see-through. Geoff could see everything inside him. He wasn’t sure whether or not he liked it. At the same time, though, it was somewhat of a relief unburdening himself.

“When was the last time you did that?” Geoff asked. “You said you did it a lot during the making of your first album. Do you not do it anymore?”

Awsten shook his head, then responded vocally so the recorder picked it up. “Nah, I don’t. I haven’t done it since that album.”

“Why not?”

“Felt dumb, I guess. I dunno. And I just…there’s less and less reason for me to give a shit what the Church has to say. Or what the Veptists think of me.”

“What do you think they think of you?”

“Don’t care. Who knows?”

“Fair enough. Is there anything about the Church you still connect with?”

That see-through feeling nagged at Awsten. He unhooked his left leg from over the back of the couch and swung it around, sitting up straight and looking at Geoff. “I don’t wanna talk about this anymore,” he said.

“Oh,” Geoff blinked. “No worries.” He hit a button on his laptop and reached for the recorder, shutting it off. “Everything okay? I didn’t overstep, did I?” He was focusing on whatever was on his computer screen. He was clicking around, typing in stuff. But then he apparently concluded his business and shut the screen. Awsten could finally see his full face again.

“No, you’re fine,” Awsten reassured him. He didn’t know how to express this odd feeling that tugged at him. “It’s just a weird subject, is all. I dunno.”

“I get it,” said Geoff. “You’re not the first person I’ve interviewed who wanted to call things off early.”

“Sorry,” he apologized, looking down at his feet on the ground. All of a sudden he felt very foolish, deciding to cut their interview short. It made him feel like a child.

But Geoff waved away his apology. “Nah, don’t worry about it. Really. There’s nothin’ to be sorry about.” He smiled and said, “Thanks for doing this in the first place.”

“Yeah, of course,” said Awsten. His eyes flickered toward Geoff. “Tell me something about you, now,” he said. Maybe learning something personal about the guy would make him feel less see-through. Like they were on more even footing.

“What do you wanna know?” Geoff asked.

Awsten was a simple boy with simple wants. He said, “Just tell me something about your life in Qents.”

Geoff’s smile faltered, but he proceeded to speak. “I’ve got a daughter there. Her name’s Valis.”

For a moment—probably longer, truthfully—Awsten didn’t know what to say. The existence of a child was the last thing he’d been expecting to be revealed.

“Valis is a pretty name,” he said, trying not to trip over his words. “How old is she?”

“Six. She’ll be starting school this year. It’s crazy.” That smile returned to his face as he thought about his daughter. “Eve is with her.”

“Do the two of them live with your…?” Awsten left the person’s title open-ended. He didn’t know if it was a man or woman, if they were an ex- or not, if they were married, none of it. He’d been so disarmed by this information, he didn’t want to make any other assumptions.

“My ex,” said Geoff, filling in the blank. That much was a relief to Awsten, at least. “Her name’s Yara. She’s great, but things just didn’t really gel with us, in the end. We kinda rushed into things. Hence being a young dad,” he laughed.

“Sorry it didn’t work out,” said Awsten. Having a kid with someone you were no longer involved with seemed like a tricky situation.

“Are you planning on having any kids?” Geoff asked him.

Awsten’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Whoa, now,” he said. “Movin’ pretty fast, aren’t ya?”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Geoff said with wide eyes, clearly flustered.

“You always try to have a kid with people early on?”

“I was just—I was only asking ’cause—” He was floundering, reaching for a buoy that wasn’t there.

“I’m fuckin’ with you,” Awsten laughed. “But I think that’s enough with the interrogations for now, don’t you?”

Awsten wanted to know more about Valis, but he didn’t know what precisely to ask. His entire view of Geoff had changed in an instant now that he knew about this other piece of his life. He had a child across the sea, living her life in Hurrathsa while he fucked around imprinting Jekuas over here in the archipelago. Why had he come here? And why for such a long period of time? Those questions felt invasive and judgmental, though, so he kept his mouth shut for the time being. But he’d be lying if he didn’t say he was dying to know the answers.

There would be plenty of time for them to continue getting to know each other. For now, he stood and walked over to Geoff, who stood up as well. Awsten placed his hand on the nape of his neck and pulled him close, pressing their lips together.

Fifty-fifth of Summer, 2905 (Day 5)

Awsten was laying across Geoff’s couch, heaving ragged breaths after they’d torn each other apart on the floor. Geoff was still laying there on the carpet, not having yet wiped up the mess Awsten had made on his stomach.

“I really worked up an appetite,” Awsten mumbled, still catching his breath. After yesterday’s uncomfortable examination, he was glad they were back to something simple and clean: sex. Sex all the time.

Geoff propped himself up on his elbows and looked at Awsten with a mischievous grin. “I’ll make you something,” he said.

Now Awsten sat up too. “Oh, yeah?” he said. “You cook, all of a sudden?”

“I’ve always cooked,” said Geoff.

“This is the first I’m hearing of it.”

“You never asked.” He nodded down at his stomach and said, “Could you grab me a paper towel real quick?”

“Nooooooooooooooooo,” Awsten moaned, laying back down and digging his head into the couch cushion, further disheveling his colorful hair. “I don’t wanna get up.”

Geoff laughed at his brattiness and carefully stood up, cupping a hand near the bottom of his stomach in case of any drippage. Awsten peeked over at him and concluded that he was probably going to be fine on his short voyage to the kitchen.

At the sound of a paper towel roll ripping, Awsten sat up and peered over the back of the couch. Geoff was wiping his stomach in the kitchen and tossing the crumpled-up trash into a nearby can before puttering over to the fridge. He opened it up, the light from inside silhouetting his naked body. Awsten couldn’t stifle his laugh.

Geoff turned to look at him over his shoulder. “Somethin’ funny?” he asked.

“Nah, you do you,” Awsten told him. “I’m just surprised that thing actually has food in it. I thought it was a prop. What are you makin’ me?”

Geoff returned his attention to the fridge’s contents and said, “It does indeed have food in it. I was thinking I’d make you my world-famous grilled cheese.”

“World-famous, huh?”

“Well, it’s famous to Valis, anyway.”

A pang shot through Awsten’s chest at the mention of Geoff’s daughter. They hadn’t spoken about that revelation in the past twenty-four hours, so such a casual mention caught him off-guard.

“Sounds good,” he said a second later once he’d recovered. “What makes it such a hit? You throw some extra ingredients in there or something? I gotta tell ya, my grandma used to make this pizza grilled cheese that is hard to beat.”

“Hell no, dude. Valis is such a picky eater, if I tried to put anything different in there, she’d never eat it.” Geoff pulled a bag of shredded cheddar cheese, a bag of shredded parmesan, and a stick of butter out of the fridge, placing them all on the counter near the stove. He then moved over to the pantry to retrieve the bread. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

“Looks like it’s just a lot of cheese,” said Awsten, staring at the man’s bare ass as he moved through the kitchen. “Pretty typical grilled cheese ingredients.”

“Dude. C’mon. I’m not that basic.”

Awsten popped up off the couch, grabbing his underwear off the floor and pulling it on. He scampered into the kitchen, giving Geoff a hearty slap on the ass while he started heating a pan on the stovetop.

“You think you should be cookin’ with this little thing hangin’ out?” he asked, giving Geoff’s penis a tap.

The other man laughed and shied away, covering his manhood with his hands. “You’re probably right,” he said, heading back into the living room to at least partially dress himself while the pan heated up. He resumed his position in the kitchen matching Awsten, wearing only his underwear and nothing else. It was a good look, in Awsten’s opinion.

“Alright,” Geoff said, “you ready for this?”

“Let’s do it.”

He started by sprinkling a layer of parmesan cheese onto the hot pan. There was an instant but mild sizzle.

“Wow,” Awsten muttered, feigning astonishment. “The innovation!”

“Shut up,” Geoff chortled. Next, he quickly spread some butter on one side of a piece of bread and placed it on top of the cheese, letting it stick to the butter. Then he spread a layer of cheddar on top of the bread and proceeded to spread butter on a second piece, which he then placed on top of the entire thing, the butter facing upward.

They both stared at the bread for about half a minute, listening to the cheese on the bottom sizzle in the pan. Finally, Awsten said, “This is exciting.”

“Shut up,” Geoff told him again. “It’s worth the wait. You’re gonna like it.”

After another minute or two, Geoff scooped up the sandwich with a spatula and removed it from the pan, placing it on a plate. Awsten cocked an eyebrow, looking at the layer of unmelted butter on top.

“This thing really is special,” he said.

Geoff laughed again. “Chill. I’m not done.”

He then sprinkled a layer of cheddar cheese into the pan, then delicately placed the sandwich atop it, uncooked side down. When he did so, it revealed the other side of the sandwich, which was covered in a golden brown casing of parmesan.

The smell was absolutely intoxicating. Awsten’s stomach grumbled eagerly. Maybe little Valis had some good taste after all.

It took another couple minutes for the cheese inside the sandwich to fully melt, and when it was complete, Geoff removed it from the pan and placed it back on the same plate. He clicked the stovetop off and then cut the sandwich in half diagonally, handing the plate over to Awsten.

“Ta da,” he smiled.

Awsten took it from him and said, “Half of this yours?”

Geoff shook his head. “All for you, popstar.”

The two of them stood there in the kitchen, wearing nothing but their underwear, as Awsten picked up one half of the sandwich and bit into it. Crumbs tumbled past his chin, down onto his bare chest. Geoff eyed him hungrily.

Part of him wanted to give in to his contrarian nature and say that the sandwich wasn’t all that good, but it would’ve been a bald-faced lie. It was the best grilled cheese he’d ever eaten, with the cheese crust on either side adding an extra crunch and delicious saltiness that mixed with the gooey inside perfectly. Unfortunately for his grandmother, it knocked her pizza grilled cheese out of the top spot.

As he relayed all this to Geoff, the man’s face lit up. “Hell yeah!” he cheered, pumping his fist triumphantly. “Told you it was the best.”

Awsten took another bite, and with his mouth full of cheese and bread, said, “I’m glad you don’t want the other half, honestly.”

They wandered over to the couch, where Geoff turned on his game console while Awsten continued scarfing down his sandwich. Geoff loaded up his save file for some adventure game titled Rifts of the Worn, which was just about the stupidest name Awsten had ever heard in his life. Maybe there was a solid reason why he wasn’t into games.

“I’ve gotta get back into this,” Geoff grinned. “You’ve been too big a distraction.”

“Sorry,” said Awsten, flicking him on the bicep. “Anything else I’ve been distracting you from?”

“Nah,” said Geoff. “Well, maybe my imprinting, I guess. Although, something cool: I’m gonna be goin’ to the Makanuele Rumble opening ceremony in a few days.”

“Oh, nice,” Awsten said. He wasn’t overly familiar with the Jekua battling tournament, but he knew it was a big deal, and it was set to commence in five days. He’d also heard some industry chatter that Zawé was supposedly performing at the opening ceremony, but it was a huge secret and he wasn’t even sure if the deal was ever confirmed, so he kept his mouth shut about it. He didn’t even know if Geoff was a Zawé fan anyway.

“Yeah, should be pretty cool. We could only get tickets for the first day of battles, but those should still be a lot of fun.”

“Who’s ‘we’?” Awsten asked, moving on to the second half of his sandwich. On the television screen, Geoff’s character was whacking at some ugly little impish creature with a rusty sword. “Did you somehow convince Travis to attend a sporting event?”

“No way. I’m goin’ with this guy Pulo I’ve been seeing,” Geoff said nonchalantly.

“Oh,” said Awsten, suddenly deflated. He set the sandwich down on the plate and stared blankly ahead at the television, furrowing his brow.

Geoff immediately noticed his change in mood. “Oh, don’t worry, dude. Pulo and I aren’t exclusive or anything. He knows the deal.” He hastily turned back to his game to dispatch an even bigger and uglier creature.

“Ahh, good,” Awsten said, because he totally gave a shit how this other guy felt.

He wasn’t sure why this news made him feel so shitty. They barely knew each other, and obviously they had never had a conversation about being exclusive. They weren’t anything, not at this point, so there was no real relationship that even could be exclusive.

Still, he hadn’t anticipated hearing that Geoff was seeing other men, going so far as to making imminent plans with one. Not after they’d spent so many days together. It was weird.

“That sounds cool,” Awsten finally said, swallowing those feelings deep down along with another bite of his grilled cheese.

“Yeah,” Geoff said. “I’m pretty stoked on it.”

Awsten watched silently, eating his sandwich, while Geoff battered more and more monsters in his game.

Fifty-sixth of Summer, 2905 (Day 6)

The following day was a whirlwind. A pleasant one, at that, which made Awsten thankful that he hadn’t left Geoff’s apartment the night before like he’d intended.

After the weirdness of the interview, the secret kid reveal, and then the non-exclusivity bombshell, Awsten had considered finally returning to his parents’ home after dinner. But one thing led to another, as always, and the sex kept him in Geoff’s bed overnight.

Today, they had stayed in bed, watching TV and fucking intermittently, letting all the discomfort of the past two days wash away. Some of it lingered, naturally, but Awsten tried not to let it bother him too much and instead just enjoy the time he spent with Geoff.

After all, it wasn’t like this was ever going to be anything more than a Summer fling. Awsten lived in Aya Toske, while Geoff lived in—well, he wasn’t even sure where the guy officially lived right now. Would he call Makanuele his home? Or was this truly just a visit, and he’d return to Qents before too long? Surely he wasn’t just going to abandon his daughter across a vast ocean.

So Awsten decided they’d simply enjoy their time together and go their separate ways once one of their vacations ended. That was the simplest thing to do, the most logical.

He was laying alone in Geoff’s bed, watching some old-school sitcom on the TV. Geoff sauntered back into the room after a quick trip to the bathroom, placing his hands on his hips.

“Anything you wanna do today?” he asked Awsten. It was already fast approaching noon and they hadn’t really left the bedroom.

“Just this,” Awsten said, smiling.

Geoff smiled too and hopped back into bed.

Fifty-seventh of Summer, 2905 (Day 7)

Despite knowing how ridiculous it was, Awsten didn’t want to leave Geoff’s apartment. They stood at the threshold, with Geoff’s arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him close to his chest. They kissed each other deeply, running their tongues over each other’s while Awsten gripped Geoff’s ass in his hands.

When they finally pulled away, Awsten said, “Sorry I invaded your space for a whole fucking week.”

That made Geoff laugh. He said, “Honestly, it was one of the best weeks I’ve had in a long time.”

“Me too,” said Awsten, and he couldn’t believe it was the truth. When was the last time he’d been this infatuated with a guy? He felt practically brainwashed by the man. Is it possible that the last time he’d felt this way was with Nameless, all those years ago? Fuck, it had been so long.

He wasn’t going to admit it to Geoff, but he could happily stay there another few days if not for the fact he needed to attend to some business later that day and tomorrow. Some calls, some video interviews with magazines, things of that nature. A vacation was never truly a vacation if he didn’t have to squeeze a little bit of work into it. Plus, a little space would probably do them good.

It irked him that some of that time apart might be spent with Geoff’s tongue down some other guy’s throat, but Awsten tried not to let that bother him too much. Maybe he’d find some random guy to fool around with too.

So that Geoff wouldn’t forget him, Awsten pulled him in for one more passionate kiss. His stubble bristled against Geoff’s cleanly-shaven face. He’d asked if he could use his razor, but Geoff staunchly refused. The first thing he’d do when he got back home was shave.

He pulled away, then planted one more quick peck on Geoff’s lips. “See you later,” he said.

“Bye,” Geoff smirked.

And with that, they finally parted for the first time in a week.

Awsten opted to walk all the way across the city, rather than calling up a car. It would take a considerable amount of time, but he didn’t care. The sun felt amazing on his skin, and he had a while before his commitments.

He couldn’t stop thinking about Geoff all the way back home.