washed

His frosty blue hair sways in the breeze. A crown perches the top of his head. It doesn't fit perfectly, but that's alright. He stands at the top of the world. Hackingnoises, the first MCSR world champion. Now, he sits on top of the ranked building, his feet dangling over the edge. The arena is decked out for Ludwig's event, actively glowing behind him. Hax hears the electronic pulse of music and the crowds inside. It's honestly a little too much for him, but he feels giddy absorbing everyone's energy throughout the day.

Hax hears the metal creek of the door behind him. He sighs, getting up to his feet and stretching. He starts to speak before his disappointment can seep into his dialogue. "I'll be down soon, thanks for coming to get me. How'd you guys even find me? I didn't tell anyone I was-"

"Hax?" A strangely familiar voice asks.

Hax turns around. Infume stands with a hand on the door, lit up by the florescent lights behind him. He's wearing a crooked smile, tilting his head in confusion at Hax's words.

"Shit," Hax mumbles. He suddenly barks in laughter at his mistake. "Oh my god, I thought you were production!" he giggles.

Infume snickers. "Oh," he replies.

Hax sits back down, absentmindedly taking off his crown as well. It's getting uncomfortable and heavy now anyways. He pats the space next to him. "Come sit next to me," he requests.

There's a pause before Infume shuffles slowly into Hax's view, hovering slightly next to him. Hax ushers him closer. He sighs as he crouches down to sit. Nothing but the cool air speaks for a moment.

Infume gestures delicately towards the crown, as if touching it would shatter it into pieces. "You should put it back on," he murmurs. "It suits you."

Hax shrugs, pushing the crown further against the concrete, letting the metal scrape as it escapes his field of vision. "It's just a crown," he concludes as he rests his hands in his lap.

"Just a crown," Infume scoffs, rolling his eyes. "Whatever. You deserve this Hax, you've worked hard for this," he adds.

"We all have," Hax sighs, looking up at the sky. The horizon is dark, but it's illuminated with twinkling stars and a quarter moon winking down at them. "I'm not just talking about us, y'know? Like, everyone has worked their asses off to make this happen. Did you ever imagine sitting here? Watching thousands cheering for MCSR like this?"

Hax pauses to catch his breath. The audience, Oliver, Redlime, production, graphics, the sponsors, the list is endless and it makes his heart skip a beat or two. "Like, I-I just can't believe it," he chuckles.

Infume blinks down at Hax, snorting slightly to match Hax's light laughter. He gradually stops, his face falling into something more pensive. "It was a good final run for you, hm?" he mutters, an edge of sadness in his voice.

Hax nods. "Yeah it was. It was a good final dance."

He catches Infume's eyes. They still shine a deep, luminous blue in the dusk.

Hax's next comment slip out, and he doesn't try to catch them. "But I think I would have liked it more if it was with you."

Infume winces slightly, shying away from Hax's implication. He stares slumped over into his hands. "I-I'm sorry," he stammers. "I-I should have-" he bites his tongue to cut his sentence off.

Infume purses his lips into a pained smile. "I guess I let a lot of people down," he laughs airily.

Hax's eyebrows knit in concern. "Hey, that's not what I meant," he warns, his voice dropping down an octave in his ears. He clears his throat, but he carries the same tone of seriousness. "You are the best speedrunner in the world. I mean it. I-I'm not disappointed in you. Nobody is. You-You got nervous and weren't playing your best and it happens! What I meant- I'm meaning to say that you're a really great friend Infume. A you're an even better person. I was just wishing that you could've been my final opponent. You didn't let me down. You could never let me down."

Hax finishes his ramble, looking up to gauge Infume's reaction. Infume avoids Hax's eyes. His face isn't tense, but he still sits hunched like a kicked puppy. He begins to shift slowly away from him, starting to stand up and leave.

"Hey!" Hax exclaims, grabbing Infume's hand.

Infume tries to jerk his arm away, but Hax's grip is firm. He ends up dragging Hax, causing him to squeak in alarm as his head hits Infume's chest. Infume tries to push Hax off, beginning to mutter an apology before Hax blurts out, "Wait!"

Infume stops struggling. He stares at the top of Hax's head, still wearing a pained expression. Hax glances up and smiles wide. "Dance with me," he says cheekily.

"W-What?" Infume's voice wavers at Hax's request. His face flushes a rosy pink, embarrassingly visible despite the darkness. "Hax, I don't dance. I haven't- I can't-" he shakes his head repeatedly to get across what his words can't. "No. Just no."

Infume's hand detaches from Hax's vice grip, finally, and he faces his back to Hax. He doesn't start walking away though. He stands there like a statue, holding and staring at his hand as if it was burned.

Hax isn't about to give up this easily. He rapidly opens his communicator, scrolling through his apps. He pushes some keys before Laufey begins to play. Hax quickly cranks up the volume. Light guitar chords pierce the air and the tension between the two runners.

This is a stupid idea, Hax thinks. Infume really, really doesn't want to do this. It'll take a lot more than just Laufey to convince him.

Sighing, Hax peeks up to see Infume facing him again. He seems… surprised? Better than before, Hax decides as he bounces towards him. He pauses a few feet from Infume, holding out his hand as an invitation.

Your move, Infume, Hax thinks. Infume blinks, contemplating his decision. Seconds pass, turning into a minute. As more time passes, Hax realizes the absurdity of his request. Them dancing on a rooftop. It's outrageous, really.

Hax's outstretched hand slowly falls to his side. However, before it can truly rest at his hip, Hax hears a quiet "Fuck it." Infume's hand finds Hax's and pulls him in, just as the song swells into the chorus.

That when I talk to you

Oh, Cupid walks right through

And shoots an arrow through my heart

Hax's mouth falls open before he quickly closes it. He starts chuckling, slowly cresendoing into laughter. It doesn't take long for Infume's laugh to fill Hax's ears as they stumble together.

"Now what do we do?" Infume asks a little later, still breathless from laughing.

Hax is still beaming, biting his lip in concentration as he thinks. He shrugs. "I don't know. I didn't really think we'd get this far," he admits.

"This was your idea!" Infume grumbles.

"I know, I know," Hax snickers. "Maybe we can just try… holding hands and moving like- together?" he suggests.

"O-Okay," Infume agrees quietly. "Well, we got half of it done. I mean the holding hands part I guess."

Hax nods. "Yep! And we gotta move along to the song. Maybe watch my legs. I'll take it slow, I promise."

He tries replicating the fluid, natural movements of dances in movies. Hax lets the music guide his feet, taking small steps. He tries avoiding just rotating around one area. Right foot. Left foot. The duo travel from one edge to the rooftop to the other, slowly but surely.

Something stirs in Hax's chest. His heart is swaying along with the beat as well as his body. It feels light as it follows their movements.

"You're really good at this," Infume observes, his voice soft and polite. Hax's concentration wavers. He oversteps to his left, tripping over his feet. He lets out a small gasp, expecting to hit the ground.

However, Infume is quick to react. He quickly steadies Hax with a hand on his waist, and pulls him by his right arm.

They're out of rhythm now, and Hax quickly conjures up a plan to get them back into it. But just before he can execute it, Infume does something unexpected. With their right hands laced together and his other hand lightly pushing him along, Infume gives Hax a twirl, sending him spinning under his arm. He ends up twisting Hax towards him, letting Hax's back rest against Infume's chest.

Now it's Hax's turn to feel bewildered, and it's not from his dizziness. "You're," he tries to form words. For the first time in a while, he is speechless. Hax feels something warm creep into his cheeks, spreading throughout him. His fingertips tingle under Infume's touch. His heart feels a little jittery.

"You're… not… half bad yourself," Hax breathes after he regains control of his mouth.

I know I've loved you from the start

The song ends with a flourish. Infume cautiously lets go of Hax's hand. "Hey, are you alright?" Infume asks.

Hax flips around suddenly. Before he can think, he wraps his arms around Infume. Infume yelps, stumbling back. He catches his own feet accidentally, causing the pair to stumble and crash to the ground.

"Ow," Infume groans as Hax scrambles off of him.

"Sorry!" Hax cries. "Sorry- Jeez I wasn't thinking. Fuck. I-I just wanted to thank you and I-"

"Hax it's okay," Infume mutters softly. A small grin spreads across his face. "I'm fine. I actually wanted to thank you," he adds, emphasizing the "you." Hax sees Infume's hand reach for his. He grabs it gently.

"For what?" Hax asks, sincerity in his question.

Infume tilts his head back, sighing. "For… being with me."

Infume squeezes his hand. Hax does the same. Hax's communicator still plays music, but it's defaulted to the classical piano he plays while he ran practice rooms for worlds. Hax doesn't want to turn it off or deafen it. That would mean letting go of Infume. He doesn't want to do that yet.

Hax closes his eyes. It's a beautiful, warm night. He hears a shift as Infume sits up.

"Hey."

Infume nudges Hax. "One last dance?" Infume requests, his smile glinting in the moonlight.

The reality of being in a secret relationship was that Infume was constantly operating under the assumption that they were about to be caught.

They had been dating for four months. Four months of quiet, late-night voice calls that stretched into dawn, of unspoken understandings, and a terrifyingly mutual realization that they were actually, unequivocally into each other. They were both awkward and afraid of somehow ruining the fragile thing they had built, so they hadn't told a single person. Infume had half-expected their friends to just know the moment they arrived at the HBG Airbnb, but reality was proving to be a stark contrast to his internal panic.

Apparently, what Infume considered to be clear, flagrant displays of romantic affection were, to the rest of the world, just standard behavior for two guys who were friends.

Take their first meeting at the house yesterday: Infume had stepped forward and firmly patted Hax on the back. It had felt monumental—his palm against the soft fabric of Hax’s sweatshirt, the brief, grounding warmth of physical contact after months of separation. Infume’s heart was thumping so hard that he thought everyone could hear it, but Fulham had just yelled something about the wifi password not working, completely unbothered.

Then there was lunch earlier today. They had been crowded around a long table at a diner, and Hax had reached over, entirely unprompted, and stolen a french fry directly off Infume’s plate. Infume had frozen, his cheeks burning, while Doogile gave Hax a weird, slightly furrowed look from across the table. Infume had panicked—this is it, Doog knows—only for Doogile to mutter "dude," before returning to Geometry Dash on his phone.

Even the fistbump they had shared right before Infume sat down for his practice games felt like a confession. Their knuckles had brushed, lingering for a fraction of a second longer than necessary. Infume had been hyperaware of the subtle friction, convinced that the sheer intensity of the gesture would give them away. Silverr looked at their hands—at their hands, directly at where they had touched! Instead of any teasing comments though, Silverr had simply offered a casual "good luck," before strolling off to find Doogile.

They were being really obvious. They had to be. That was exactly why Infume was currently paralyzed with a weird mix of disbelief and comfort as he stared at the ceiling of their shared bedroom.

The door was securely locked. They had told the rest of the house that they were heading upstairs to vod review their recent games. It was their second day together in person, and they had quickly discovered during the first day that they were… kind of clingy actually, but only when no one was looking.

Right now, Hax was entirely pressed against his side on one of the twin beds. Infume, sitting back against the headboard, had his legs stretched out, while Hax had tucked himself into the space right beneath Infume's shoulder. Hax had murmured something about Infume being a "perfectly optimized armrest" earlier, and he had his face half-buried in the cotton of Infume's oversized hoodie, one hand loosely grasping the fabric near Infume's ribs.

Originally, Infume’s phone had been open to a video of a Ranked match, but his phone was currently lying face-down on the mattress, completely forgotten.

"Hax, we're supposed to be reviewing," Infume murmured, his voice a soft, vibrating rumble in the quiet room. He made no actual effort to move, his arm remaining securely draped over Hax's shoulders.

"But we are reviewing," Hax protested, his voice muffled by the hoodie. He let out a lazy, giggly snort, shifting closer until his shoulder lightly pressed against Infume's chest. "Just not vod reviewing. We're reviewing... we're reviewing your posture. Which is awful, by the way. Look at you. You're shaped kinda like a shrimp or whatever."

"You—my posture is only bad because a certain someone is actively using me as a pillow," Infume countered, a smile tugging at his lips as he nudged Hax with his elbow.

"Sure, but still," Hax laughed, his dark eyes crinkling as he looked up. "Your posture is usually bad regardless of whether I'm here. I'm actually providing structural support if you think about it. You should be thanking me."

Infume let out a breathless, quiet giggle, his fingers absentmindedly twisting a loose thread on Hax’s sleeve. "Sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"It does help me sleep, actually! You're very warm. Like a giant radiator, or something." Hax bickered right back, but his grip on Infume's hoodie tightened slightly, a comfortable, sleepy quiet settling over them. It baffled Infume that their friends downstairs genuinely thought they were up here analyzing seeds. They were practically broadcasting that there was something up, yet downstairs, the house somehow remained oblivious.

Down in the kitchen, the reality of their "locked in practice" was being discussed over a glaringly green can of soda.

Feinberg cracked open a fresh Mountain Dew, the sharp hiss of carbonation cutting through the hum of the refrigerator. He took a long sip, leaning back against the counter as he glanced toward the stairs. "Honestly, it’s kind of impressive how locked in those two are. They’ve been up there for over an hour just grinding through vods."

Couriway looked up with a sigh, gesturing pointedly at the soda can. "The only green thing I've seen you touch in these past couple of days is your Mountain Dew, which is a problem."

"It has caffeine, so it’s fuel, and it tastes good," Feinberg dismissed easily.

"It looks like uranium," Couri retorted, shaking his head. He looked toward the stairs as well, a fond smile touching his face. "But yeah, it’s cool to see them hanging out in person. They’re really good friends online, and you can tell they just synergize well. They’re probably having a blast finally breaking down strategies face-to-face."

"Yeah. As long as their practice pays off tomorrow," Feinberg muttered. He eyed the bowl of fresh bell pepper slices that Couriway had just pushed toward him across the counter, his expression immediately twisting into one of disgust. "Ew. Get that away from me."

"Eat a vegetable, Feinberg."