Achievement (Un)locked: A Shoujo Parallels AU Short

“I don’t get it.”

“You don't get a lot of things.”

The ginger glared at the other, and exhaled in exasperation. “Vens likes that British guy.”

Daniel furrowed his brows together, “And what about that British guy?”

“Ever since she started watching that Rooster Teeth channel last year, she’s been obsessed.” Mathias gave a small huff of irritation, and Daniel nodded to hide the smirk on his face. “I don’t get how a twenty-six Brit gets her attention. He’s a gamer–”

So are you, Daniel thought.

“–A Slow Motion specialist–”

Said the Maths whiz.

“–and some kind of idiot,” the Frenchman finished.

“Calling the kettle black,” Daniel muttered (to himself), and then cleared his throat. “So what if she does? Let her like the guy. It’s not as if she’s going to the States just to meet him.”

“She wants to work at the company.”

Daniel blinked.

“No offense to Vens, but I think dream’s a little off.”

“So do I. Don’t tell her I say that.” Daniel opened his mouth to speak, but Mathias cut him off. “She got Rivers obsessed, too. She likes the other guy.”

The other stared long and hard at Mathias, Mathias looking back with a puzzled expression before putting the dots together.

“You don’t know?”

“Don’t know what?!”

“For fuck’s sake,” the ginger grumbled, taking out his phone and immediately doing a search. “If Arzen likes that British prick – Gavino or something – then Elaine likes him.”

Squinting at the obnoxiously small iPhone screen, Daniel moved closer from the wall he was leaning against. On the screen was a curly haired man with his arms folded across his chest, wearing a blue shirt and holding onto a diamond sword from Minecraft. Tattoos wrapped around his arms. In another picture, the same man was wearing a red shirt, and another man was in the background, appearing to photobomb him.

“Who’s the other guy?”

Mathias’ blue eyes flickered to the picture of the red shirt. “That’s the guy Arzen likes. Gavin or something.” Daniel composed himself before speaking once more.

“Are you sure Elaine likes that guy?”

“She and Vens talk about the fandom every time,” Mathias argued, closing the browser and switching to his Twitter app. He scrolled momentarily and nearly shoved his smartphone into Daniel’s face, the latter growling and snatching the phone before reading the two’s conversation from a week ago.

@AurelianRiver: LOOKIE @ArzenVens
(@ArzenVens favorited this)

@ArzenVens: @AurelianRiver hOLY SHIT I AM SCREAMING
@AurelianRiver: @ArzenVens u be waiting for that shirt mehehe
@ArzenVens: nO HOW DARE YOU – okay fine go spend time with your mi-cool
(@AurelianRiver favorited this)

Attached to Elaine’s first tweet was a picture of two shirts, a blue one on the left and the red one on the right. The blue one contained the text MOGAR IS READY, with the graphic of a diamond sword. The red one simply had the image of a cartoonized bunch of dynamite, bearing a yellow smiley face.

Daniel’s memory bothered him, and he slowly looked up from the phone to glance at the paper bag which lay on Arzen’s study table.

“…are those the shirts?”

“What do you think,” Daniel snapped, but it held less venom as the two males got up and walked to the paper bag, Mathias taking out the blue shirt and staring at it blankly. “What are you doing, she’ll kill you–”

“What, for touching it?” The ginger put the shirt down and immediately pulled off his shirt, making the blonde protest loudly.

“What the fuck are you doing?!” Daniel hissed. “Stop stripping!”

“I’m not stripping,” Mathias defended as he set his own white shirt on the table and slid on the blue one, struggling to slide it on, “This thing is tight–”

“Because Vens is smaller than you, Prat.”

Mathias eventually got the shirt on, looking slightly uncomfortable as the shirt clung tightly to his form. “You look ridiculous,” Daniel said dryly. “Ridiculously stupid.”

“It fits, doesn’t it?” the Frenchman attempted to stretch, but the shirt lifted slightly, showing off part of the male’s midriff. Daniel snickered. “Goddamn. This thing is tight as hell. Try Rivers’ on.”

“I won’t do that,” Daniel snapped back. “You’re an idiot.”

“Fine, do that.” Mathias then attempted to pull the shirt off, struggling in the process. “Shit! Shit. I can’t get it off.”

Daniel swore after watching Mathias feebly attempt and reached for the shirt was well, attempting to pull it off with no intention to give the ginger bruises and whatnot.

“Stop moving around!”

“It’s catching onto my hair, stop–”

“Sacrifice your hair, you arrogant piece of–”

They froze when the door opened, their eyes swiveling to the front. Daniel froze, not letting go of the shirt and Mathias cursed all seven hells for the situation at hand.

Elaine stood in the doorway, staring blankly at the two, while Arzen gaped and felt her face turn a vivid shade of red. Both of them had two cans of soda each in their hands, apparently having gotten drinks for all of them. After a moment of awkward silence, Elaine spoke.

“If you two wanted to do something, you could have just put a sign on the door.”

Daniel immediately let go, explaining what had just happened, Mathias still struggling and unable to meet Arzen’s eye. With a yelp, he had pulled the shirt off.

Three pairs of eyes went to him, and he realized that he was, in fact, naked to three of his friends from the waist up. Avoiding the laughter of Daniel, he hastily grabbed for his own shirt and pulled it on, face burning a rather bright red.

Elaine wasn’t sure if she appreciated the sight or not.

Arzen could only shake her head and refused to touch her shirt for a few days.