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Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Avi squared his shoulders in front of his mirror, staring his reflection straight in the eye. "Magnus, we've known each other for a long time, and I think you're absolutely amazing, and…"
Oh gods. He couldn't do this. Avi hunched over the sink, trying to continue his steady breathing. He'd been interested in Magnus from day one, and his attraction to him had only been growing. Everyone seemed to know about his crush except for Magnus.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
"Magnus, you're a great guy, and a great friend," he told his reflection, leaning towards the mirror. "But I want to be more. So much more—"
"More what?"
Avi nearly jumped out of his skin— Magnus fucking Burnsides was leaning against his bathroom door, eating an apple as though that was exactly where he belonged. The sound of his teeth biting into it made a shiver run down his spine.
"How— how long have you… been there?"
He shrugged. "Just got here. Your roommate said you were saying my name, so I figured you wanted to talk to me."
That motherfucker. Brad knew all about his crush (he had a way of getting people to talk about their deepest desires, and Avi had been bursting to talk about the new guy with anyone), so no doubt he had set it up so that Magnus could corner him.
"I, uh… was just practicing," he mumbled, wincing at his poor excuse.
Magnus raised a single brow.
"To… ask someone out."
Both brows, now. "Who is it? Do you need a gift for them?"
"Uh, n-no, no thank you."
He looked almost disappointed at that and turned to leave. "Darn. Well, if you need me—"
"Wait!" The words were out of his mouth before he could stop himself. When Magnus did stop, he found himself grasping for an excuse. "I've, uh, got a coupon to that new restaurant that just opened up on the quad… but, it's, uh, meant for two people…?"
Magnus gave him a shark like grin. "Avi Avison—"
"That's not my last name."
"— are you asking me on a date?"
The vehicle operator let out a little "eep!" and flushed bright red. "I- I- I—!"
"Well, Avi, I humbly accept. I hear that place is quite fancy, so make sure to wear a nice suit for me, alright? See you at six!" Magnus winked at him and turned on his heel, leaving Avi reeling.
What the fuck just happened?
As it turned out, Avi did not, in fact, have a suit. Brad let Avi borrow one of his own, which was a size too big and had to have the sleeves rolled up. They attempted to brush out his unruly hair, but managed to only make it even worse before they just put it in a ponytail.
After all was said and done, Avi looked like a fucking idiot.
"I can't do this," the human hyperventilated. "I can't! What if he thinks we're going as friends? What if I try to hold his hand and he finds it weird? What if I'm weird? I should tell him I suddenly developed cancer and cancel! Will that be a good enough excuse? What if he takes pity on me and—"
Brad took Avi by the shoulders and turned him so that they were facing each other. "Avi! Just remember your breathing! It's gonna be fine!"
Avi was shaking, but he followed Brad through the motions, feeling himself start to relax until there was a knock on the door. Brad pushed him to the door and opened the door, where Magnus stood fidgeting with collar. Gods, he looked so handsome in a nice suit.
The fighter grinned at Brad and Avi. "Hey, Avi! You ready to go? I already made the reservations."
"He certainly is!" said Brad, clapping his roommate on the shoulder and shoving him out the door. "You two have fun now!" And, with that, the door slammed behind them.
Magnus looked a little bewildered, but simply shrugged and said, "He must be excited to get some alone time, if you know what I mean."
Avi laughed nervously at his joke and followed him to the restaurant.
Magnus was an easier date than Avi had expected. He was content to do most of the talking, and was quite interesting, even when he didn't quite understand the jargon he was using. He made Avi laugh and he felt himself relax, surprisingly enough.
"So," Magnus said between bites of his entree, "Avi."
"That's me…"
"You haven't been saying much. Are you good?"
"I'm just… a little nervous, is all."
"Ah, I get it." Magnus gave him an uncertain smile as Avi took a sip of his drink. "I'll be honest, I'm kind of nervous too. I haven't done the dating scene since, well, my wife passed."
Avi spit his drink all over a passing waiter and squeaked, "What?"
Now, it was Magnus's turn to be embarrassed. "Oh, I thought this was… Brad told me…" The look of rage on the other man's face put a frown on his own. "I… I'm guessing there's been a mistake. I should just go."
Before Avi could work up the ability to say anything, Magnus threw a few gold pieces onto the table and ran away.
Motherfucker.