𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄

𝐱𝐥𝐯𝐢.

AUGUST FLINCHED AT THE, sound of three knocks against his door because he didn't know who would be there at that late at night, but he still decided to check who it was. It wasn't like he was doing anything anyway. He was way too depressed to do much ever since he got the news that his mother died, and it felt like him trying to be productive was only making him feel so much more worse. He didn't want to end up a lazy man just like his father, but once his mom passed, he was one hundred percent sure that he was going to becoming just like him, and he began to lose all hope for himself and his future.

The redhead walked to the door as he placed his fingers around the doorknob, not even bothering to see who it was that stood behind the door until he pulled it open, his eyes widening at the sight of his childhood friend with his hands deep inside of his pockets. He saw the look in his eyes, and he didn't look happy at all, so all of a sudden he became even more exhausted and he didn't even hear what he had to say yet, "What are you doing here..?"

"What? I can't visit my friend anymore?" Phoenix raised a brow, and just as the ginger was about to come up with something to say to the ravenette, he saw him waltz right past him, not even bothering to ask if he was allowed to come in. The shorter teen had a part of him that hated the fact that he just invited himself inside of his home, but the other part didn't mind because at the end of the day, he's been with him through the thick and the thin.

Sniffling as he shut the door and turned on his heel only to watch Phoenix look around his house, an almost disgusted look over his face, August then glanced down at his feet, "I mean, yeah.. of course you can visit me. You can visit me anytime, you know that Phoenix... But uhh, I want to know the actual reason why you're here..."

Phoenix paused and turned his face back to the ginger that let his eyes shifted up at him, feeling the stare he had on him while his facial expression turned into a grimace. He really hoped he didn't do or say anything to tick the man off because he already had way too much to deal with. He was silently struggling with his mental health, but he didn't say anything about that to anyone.

Pushing his hand up towards his friend, the taller teen then beckoned for him to come closer, accidentally freaking the man out even more,"Come here August."

He only stood in the same spot for about ten seconds before he tried to relax, beginning to take steps over to the man. Clenching his jaw in fear of what was to come next, he stared up at the man with strained eyes only to be met with a worried look that formed on Phoenixes face, causing his breath to stop for a split second.

"What's going on with you? Why didn't you tell me that she died?" There was still a stoic expression that showed on his handsome features, but with the way his eyebrows were pushed inwards, the redhead could tell that he was actually worried about it, and that lifted his spirits a little. He knew that his friend couldn't be one hundred percent all bad because then he wouldn't see the point him being his best friend at all.

August thought to himself, the memories of him and his mother filling his mind once again before he let out another sniffle, genuinely missing her even though she never treated him the way he was supposed to be treated, "I didn't tell you because... I didn't want..."

Choking over his words once more, the red haired teen couldn't find the right words to tell Phoenix without him thinking he saw him as a bad friend. He just looked at him with a dull look in his eyes before he felt the taller man place his hand on the side of his neck like he always did. Sometimes it gave him shivers, but this time, it gave him a feeling of warmth and comfort, and for the first time in a while, he felt he could tell him anything, "I didn't want you to make fun of me."

"Make fun of you? Why would I make fun of you for something so serious??" Phoenix tilted his head to the side and squinted his blue eyes slightly, allowing them to look over every feature the ginger had.

"I don't know. I guess I didn't want you to be happy that my mother died..." he sighed out, the warmth immediately disappearing when he recalled all of the times the ravenette would make fun of him for almost everything. After a few more seconds of just staring off into the distance, he turned back to his friend, "Wait, h-how did you find out anyway??"

A smirk pulled at the ends of Phoenixes lips while he took even closer steps to the shorter man, his hand running down the side of his neck as he let an even more condescending look grow through his piercing dark eyes, "Y/N told me."

August could've sworn he felt his blood run cold for a split second, and that's when he knew that there was no getting out of this. He wanted to explain himself, but he was just so stuck in place, "I-"

"You know that she's mine, right?? So what were you doing with her..? And why did you lie to me?" Phoenix wrapped his hand around Augusts throat with full force, and he made sure not to hold back. Sure he did mean everything he said, and he did really care about the man, but he always made sure that she came first, even when they were kids. She was always his top one priority and nobody else's, and he was still going to keep it that way no matter what.