#cnewyap

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.