But it seemed Michael's gaze was set on something— or maybe someone.
Micheal stopped, gaze locked onto someone from across the room.
He began marching to him.
Towards Aegon.
With every step he took all eyes shifted back and forth— studying him like a psychologist.
The first two buttons of his shirt that were left undone— exposing his chiseled chest.
The way his shadow followed him like a jealous lover— what the girls wouldn't give to just be that shadow right now.
He closed the distance between himself and Aegon, sat on the table and turned to the rest of the awakened.
Grin— magnificent, eyes— seducing and posture— perfection wished it was this good.
He didn't spare Aegon a glance while he spoke to him.
"You've grown a mighty pair of balls, haven't you gooner?"
Eli downcasted his face, while Quinn glared at the back of his head, squeezing the base of her fork in annoyance.
Aegon rolled his eyes— tired of Micheal already.
He'd blocked him ever since their first official interaction, he didn't want to antagonize Micheal but also wanted nothing to do with him.
But it seemed the MC was clingy as fuck.
I mean look at what he called his so-called best best friend, "Gooner," I mean how did that nickname even come about.
"Look..." Aegon stretched his words out, "I know we were friends, but I don't think I want a friend like you anymore..."
"..."
Quinn shifted her gaze to Aegon surprised by his gravitas, Eli's eyes went wide but still didn't bring up his head.
Aegon felt the atmosphere change, like the tension and temperature had subtly crawled up.
But Micheal had said nothing— he was still turned back to them so they couldn't make out his features, but from the hideously bulging vein at the back of his head.
It was clear— he'd broken his one rule, never ever draw attention from Micheal.
Micheal pushed off the table, turned to them, eyes locked to Aegon's.
"You— You have no idea who I am. You awakened a useless Faculty and now you think you're on par with me?"
~BAM.~
Micheal slammed his palms onto the table— jerking the trays of food.
"I can make life very very hard for—" he pointed at Aegon, "—You."
This was exactly what he was trying to avoid, Aegon had figured something out in his few days in the novel.
From both Nightwalker and now, Micheal, they were both beloved heroes revered as gods amongst their peers.
They haven't ever had any serious opposition, they were practically babies blessed with immense power, looks and loved by all.
But that creates a fatal problem when someone from the real world enters the frame—
Everything was now real, which meant that if he ever went against the MC, he would start to see the cracks in his perfect demeanor.
As such.
The temperature rise, the tense of his jaw, the vein in his forehead and worst of all—
What Quinn was about to do.
"Hahaha," Quinn laughed with everything in her, catching her breath to laugh again, "So Golden Boy himself was just rejected by a useless awakened."
Eli finally raised his head in shock, Aegon sucked air through his teeth. Half shocked by what she said and half intrigued that she had any expression other than anger.
Quinn wouldn't stop laughing, hand clutching her stomach as she pointed at Michael's face.
Micheal's face contorted violently, lip twitching, brows pulled in and an expression of utter disgust on his face.
He was the MC, never meant to be laughed at. The pinnacle of awesomeness, the world was literally built to cater to his clothing choices.
He needed a rebuttal— quick, snappy and painful.
"Ahh, Miss Orvin, shouldn't you be invested in your trial," Micheal's grin returned, more sinister and devilish, "It'd be a shame if you turned out like your mother."
"..."
Silence.
Quinn's laugh was cut off and her expression turned into pure rage.
~BAM.~
She slammed her hands onto the table, meeting Micheal's eyes.
This time everyone— absolutely everyone, awakened, lunch lady, janitor in the corner— whipped their heads to them.
And like always the whispers rose.
"Damn, what's happening?"
"Are we about to see a brawl in the cafeteria?"
"Number one Vs Number two."
"Fifty Royals on Micheal."
Their words, however, never met Quinn's or Micheal's ears, too involved in their death stare.
"I'll take a lot but the one thing I won't take is you bringing up my mother's name."
Quinn said unflinchingly.
"Ohh," Micheal's grin sharpened, "I never actually mentioned Spectra, but now that you mention it, how are you dealing with that?"
'Please don't hit him Quinn, he's clearly rage baiting you.'
Aegon shook his head on the side.
Aegon turned to Eli to see— somehow he was gone.
Slipped away in the corner of their eyes, how the hell did he even?
They were there together the entire time.
"At least in not begging Number 2,235 to be my best friend," she narrowed her gaze, "Aren't you supposed to be a 'god'?," she said with her hands in quotes, "I guess the pathetic apple doesn't fall far from the rotting tree."
Aegon hurriedly stood up, sensing where his was going, raising his hands in faux-surrender.
"Come on guys," he tilted her head towards the cafeteria full of awakened that were attentively tuned in, "... There are other people here, so how bout you both calm down."
He tried to place one arm on both their shoulders, but—
The temperature surrounding Micheal was practically scorching hot, so much so he could hit the surface without instinctively drawing back his arm.
While Quinn, like an invisible armour or field that wrapped her, like her body saw the hand and vowed him unworthy of touch.
They were both charged and ready to go, what was left was just the igniting spark that'd kill the tension and build the battle.
Aegon, knowing there was nothing he could do to stop them, cautiously retro walked away from the bench.
'Mama didn't raise no fool.'
"You should be careful," Micheal hissed, "maybe I'll be the one to put you out of your misery when you turn into a monster...
It'd almost be poetic— I'll kill you just like my father killed your whore of a mother."
~BAM!~
Quinn snapped, throwing a right hook that sent him stumbling back.
Micheal regained composure, standing upright, wiping the blood dripping from his nostril.
"You'll wish you hadn't done that."
He hissed as the temperature skyrocketed.
A desert haze surrounding him as the veins over his body practically boiled red.
"So much for diplomacy."