One of the things August appreciated about Gabriel was his singular focus on not over-complicating things. 

Given his general affinity for theatrics, it wasn’t what August had expected. But Gabe asked less than a dozen straightforward questions, ate his lunch, and then left it alone.

At least a decade.

Most people. Attributes that change a person’s composition are tricky.

No, she takes after their father.

Yes.

No. 

And that had been it. Catarina and Gabriel exchanged phone numbers in case of an emergency. Gabriel gave him Dexter’s phone number for the same reason. Then he left without fanfare, and August settled into the couch with his mother’s pre-prepared snacks and his tablet to pick up where he’d left off on his research.

“I like him,” Catarina said, tucking her legs up underneath herself and scrolling leisurely through her email. “He’s nothing like what I’ve heard.”

August sighed. “Of course he isn’t, Cat. You should know better, all things considered.”

Catarina rolled her eyes. “Entertainment news and actual journalism are two very different things, August. I don’t tune into celebrity gossip, I just hear a little bit here and there around the edges at work.”

It made August uneasy, to think of the rabid attention that Gabriel attracted. The hyperfocus the public had on every flaw. The determination to uncover every secret, even the secret of August himself.

“Cat,” he said, meeting her steady gaze over the top of his tablet. He adjusted his glasses. “How bad is the online speculation about me? Gabriel and his friend mentioned that people were trying to figure out who I was.”

Catarina paused, then went back to scrolling through her email. “Nothing dangerous. I would’ve told you. They mostly just want to know who you are. His fans are particularly interested in what you look like. But nothing that we should be concerned about, at this point.”

August gnawed the inside of his cheek. “I don’t understand why father thinks it’s worth the risk of public exposure to be Gabriel’s partner.”

“Don’t try to understand the way he thinks.”

August closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

She was right. 

And he hated it.

###

“Team dynamics.” Their professor underlined the words on the board twice. “Under normal circumstances, they’re useful tools to expedite an arrest. They may even be the difference between whether you make it out of an encounter or not. But your ability to work as a team will not only have consequences for you.”

Gabriel perked up beside him, and August paused his note-taking, taking a steadying breath. 

The professor continued. “Two of our students demonstrated the kind of teamwork we look for at Ifran this weekend when they saved dozens of civilians from an unexplained explosion in the Mita district. In that spirit, the faculty have decided to require that all students participate in a rescue scenario later this month.”

A girl in the front row raised her hand. “Why a rescue scenario, instead of a battle scenario with rescue components?”

“We spoke as faculty, and we all agree. Ifran has neglected our responsibility to train in rescue for too long." Their professor's bushy mustache bristled. “We will keep our spring battle scenario, as scheduled. But until then, we need to focus on what it means to preserve life, rather than just taking it.” 

“How’s the taste of fame?” Gabriel whispered from beside him, already beginning to pack up his books. He’d reverted back to his usual preference for hats and hoodies already, not a headband or brogue in sight. “Sick of it yet?”

August sighed. “Most definitely."

The entire day had been one overwrought presentation after the other, each professor extolling August and Gabriel’s virtuous performance in Mita. It had started out flattering. It had quickly become exhausting.

They were finally dismissed, and August shouldered his bag, following Gabriel to lunch. Which was evidently a thing they did now. “You’re the perfect spec for rescue,” Gabriel told him, waving absently at a handful of students who seemed to be filming him on their phones. “Especially for civilians who don’t have any clear attributes.”

"I suppose, though —"

“Hey!” 

August jerked to a stop at the bark of a voice, a hand gripping his shoulder. “Are you kidding me?” The guy spat.

“What’s your problem?” Gabriel asked before August could respond, prying the strangers fingers from August’s shoulder. 

“What’s my problem?” The student pushed him back, and August caught himself on a door. “You just shoved me out of the way, cyborg. How about you apologize?”

He fixed the student with an inscrutable stare. He was nearly as tall as August was, with a shock of white blond hair and golden eyes. “I didn’t do anything," he said calmly. "You tried to push past us and I simply elected not to move.”

The guy’s lips curled into a snarl. He buried his fingers in August’s shirt, pulling him close. “You want to try that again?”

Gabriel popped his hat on top of August’s head, cracking his knuckles with a feral smile.

“Go ahead, try that with me.” 

Gabriel's fiery eyes narrowed.

“I dare you.”