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summer days in georgia are no joke. the sun, the humidity, the bugs. it’s almost as if a blanket of heat and pestilence lays over the state once the last frost melts.
but derek’s used to it. he’s spent nearly every day outside since he could walk. from playing in miracle-gro piles while his mom plants to sitting on the side of the road, selling the turnip greens she plucked from the ground before they could bolt from the heat.
the black aluminum of his truck bed certainly doesn’t help, but he’s fashioned a shade fixed to the roof and the tailgate to keep him and the plants somewhat more comfortable. one of the many things he’s come up with to help his mother make a little extra money.
running a country store when the interstate close by has a buc-ee’s and a pilot hasn’t been easy. people don’t travel through here as much anymore. but, it’s a saturday. derek had planned to just sit in his room all day, waiting for friends to come online, but his mother insisted he get out of the house.
he gently plucks more greens from the root bulb, stacking them neatly into the flat wicker basket beside him.
he hears the car down the road before he sees it. over the hill crests a toyota camry. in bright green.
he almost laughs at the absurd shade of the vehicle. almost.
the car slows as it approaches, and derek can see the passenger side window roll down as he stands up from the truck bed.
the man inside is near frantic, speaking faster than derek’s ever heard anyone. “hi, i’m so sorry to bother you but i’m looking for the interstate? my stupid phone died and i didn’t grab a freaking charger before i left and i thought i’d make it. and i haven’t seen any dollar stores around and there’s this stupid convention i have to get to in atlanta or my sponsors are gonna kill me—“
“whoa, whoa, slow down,” derek smiles, putting his hands up. he pauses a moment to really take in the stranger before him.
he’s seems the same age as derek, give or take a couple years. and…holy shit, he’s gorgeous. soft eyes, hair the same shade as his own but straight and much shorter. light patches splash across his cheek and hands, and the contrast between them and his tan skin is so beautiful.
derek shakes himself out of the split-second analysis. “you’re close by, don’t worry,”
the man visibly relaxes. “oh, thank god.”
derek comes closer to the car, leaning down and stretching an arm out to point at the road ahead. “about 3 miles that way, there’s a caution light. just past it is a little country store. you can’t miss it, it’s got one of those big old coke signs in front. stop in there, get you a charger for your phone. ask ms. hutchins for some sweet tea. take a minute and get your stuff together, alright?”
“uh, yeah, okay! thank you, but uh, what about the interstate?” the man asks, and…is that a faint blush on his cheeks?
derek smiles again. “there’s a crossroads. left’ll take you to the interstate. right’ll bring you right back here.”
he nods quickly. “thanks, man. you’re a lifesaver.”
derek taps the inside of the door. “be careful,” he smiles as he backs off the car and watches the window roll up.
it takes off, kicking up a little bit of dust in its wake. derek watches until it turns the corner behind a grove of trees. and just like that, the beautiful stranger is gone. for some reason, derek feels much more alone than he did before.
he didn’t even catch the guy’s name.
derek tries to shrug it off, but the mention of some convention that the guy was headed to piques his interest. didn’t he say something about sponsors, too? it clicks in a moment. the guy had to be some kind of streamer or youtuber.
he opens the door of the truck to grab his phone…but he’s not sure what to look up. “streamer” is way too broad, and it’d take him way too long to look through every person on the creators list from the convention’s website.
then he remembers. those pretty white clouds on his skin. he taps into the search bar, “streamer with vitiligo”.
dozens of results pop up. articles from dexerto and wired titled catchy things like “Top 10 Streamers That Are Changing the Game for Autoimmune Diseases.” derek scrolls quickly through them, looking for the face he’d seen just minutes before. on the third article from complex, he’s finally found him.
“Avery (@averythemayo) streams his epic battles in Minecraft’s Hypixel Skywars and the Unstable SMP for thousands nightly. He’s raised over 10,000 dollars for the Vitiligo Research Foundation, hoping to help kids just like him find comfort and confidence in their condition.”
avery. what a pretty name, derek thinks.
he googles the handle next. more articles pop up. “AveryTheMayo’s Explosive Rise to Streamer Stardom”, “How a Skywars Player Changed This Minecraft SMP Forever”, and so on. apparently avery’s pretty big on twitch for his gameplay and his humor. but…from what he can gain from the articles and clips he watches…avery’s genuinely a very kind and caring person. his community is extremely positive. derek taps on a link to his instagram.
holy /shit./
avery’s smile is the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. the latest photo is simple, just him taking a selfie with his dog and a peace sign. the caption reads, “thank you guys for all the love recently. i never expected to blow up like this and i’ve gained such a wonderful community. no streams for momocon, but i hope i get to see you all there!!!! :D”
the comments are…different.
“please take care of yourself avery :((“
“take all the breaks you need!! you’ve worked so hard <3”
“dude you’ve been moving insane lately remember to breathe”
derek tilts his head. the sudden rise of viewership, the attention he’s gotten, the amount of people counting on him, the pressure from the sponsors he mentioned…
was he okay?
—————————
avery clicks the wake button on his phone for the thousandth time as if it’ll bring it back from the grave. his head is killing him and the ice cold of the car from the a/c is hurting more than helping. he has no idea how far he is from atlanta, and he’s already behind schedule. “stupid phone. stupid convention. stupid freaking sponsors.” he mutters to himself.
at least the man on the road was kind to him.
the country store he mentioned lies dead ahead on the right side of the road. avery pulls in, shutting off the car and running his hands over his face and hair. he pulls his debit card out of the cheesy pokémon-themed wallet in the passenger seat and opens the door.
the door opens with a tinny chime of a brass bell hung above.
as he goes down an aisle looking for a snack everything in his mind starts to creep up on him. he’d been drowning it out with upbeat music in the car, but the quiet 90s country playing on the radio above him isn’t working any wonders to keep the thoughts out anymore.
he’s tired. so, so tired. people say that streaming is the easiest job in the world, that he should be grateful to make a living just playing video games for an audience. and he is, he’s eternally grateful for the people he’s met and the audience he’s garnered and the privilege of all this being his source of income. but…it’s all so much. he’s terrified of letting anyone down, a lifetime of trying to prove himself weighing heavily in the wake of his newfound success.
and the sponsors. the fucking sponsors. they put him under such tight conditions, and the pressure grows every day.
avery doesn’t realize he’s basically been wandering the convenience store in a trance until a woman’s voice breaks him out of it.
“you alright?”
the lady behind the counter looks at him with concern. she fronts the shelves of the energy shots and other small things by the register.
avery stammers. “i’m sorry, just…tired. long drive.”
“i saw your plate out there. texas, huh? what brings you all the way out here?” she places her hands on the counter, her tone genuine.
“uh, a convention in atlanta. i’m a little lost and my phone died, but someone gave me directions. told me to stop by here first.” avery walks to the front, pausing to grab a charger from the endcap.
“oh, alright. you probably met my baby, derek. was he out there selling greens on a truck?” she asks.
oh, avery thinks. this must be ms. hutchins. and the guy who helped him is her son. “yeah, i think? i’m sorry, i wasn’t paying much attention to what he was doing.”
“you’re fine. want some sweet tea?” she asks, already pouring a tall cup.
it actually sounds heavenly at the moment. “yes, ma’am, thank you,” he responds, paying for his items and looking around for a lid and straw for the tea.
“now,” she leans over with an elbow on the counter and points to a small table and chairs over by the window and door. “you go sit and rest for a minute. there’s a charger underneath the table. take a breather.”
avery nods, feeling tears well up in his eyes. he tries to blink them away, but it’s like all the emotion he’s held back is surging forth in this tiny convenience store. he sits at the table, grabbing the charger and plugging his phone in. he takes a drink of the tea, and it’s perfect. not too sweet. right amount of ice. “thank you,” he calls out shakily, and ms. hutchins responds with a “you’re welcome, hon!” from the back room behind the counter she disappeared into.
he pulls some napkins out from the dispenser on the table to wipe his tears, glad that there isn’t anyone else in the store.
he can’t keep doing this to himself, he realizes. the last few months he’s run himself ragged trying to keep up with everything. it’s gotten to a point that he gets anxious to launch minecraft. more recently he’s had to deal with a stalker and other parasocial people trying to pry into the parts of his life he’s kept private.
avery stares down at his hands, still trembling from the headache and worry.
this isn’t a way to live.
he thinks of the man on the road. how kind he was, the way he didn’t hesitate to help a stranger, didn’t…expect anything from avery.
he contemplates for a moment. it’s crazy. it’s stupid. so many people will be mad at him.
he can’t bring himself to care.
—————————
derek’s in the middle of watching clips from avery’s streams when a notification of a new post on his instagram catches his eye.
it’s screenshots from avery’s notes app.
“hi everyone ^^
i’m taking a break. these last few months have been incredible, but the pressure and anxiety it’s caused have worn down on my physical and mental wellbeing immensely. i just need a few days to recoup and ill be back better than ever. i’m so sorry to miss momocon, i hope everyone has a big time!”
comments flood in immediately, telling him to take care and not to worry. there’s a few that are disappointed he won’t be at the convention, but overall they’re supportive of him thinking of himself for once.
derek likes the post. he looks up from his phone.
either the heat is finally getting to him, or that same green camry is coming right back down the road.
it pulls up on the shoulder behind derek’s truck. the driver’s door opens, and out comes avery. he keeps his head down as he walks up, hands clenched, and derek worries for a moment that he’s pissed the guy off somehow.
that is, until avery looks up, cheeks red, and shouts, “do you wanna be friends?”
derek’s taken fully aback. he blinks a few times.
“look, i know, i’m sorry, you don’t know me and i don’t know you and you probably think i’m insane but you and your mom were so nice to me and i really need a break from all i’ve got going on and you just seemed like someone i could maybe talk to and—“
“hey,” derek hops off the bed of the truck, walking the shoulder to meet him. “it’s okay.”
avery pauses, and derek can see tear streaks on his face.
“i’ll admit, i looked you up. avery, right?” derek asks.
a flash of anxiety crosses avery’s face. “yeah…?”
“i don’t know exactly what you’re going through…but yeah. we can be friends. you’re right, you don’t know me. i only know what i could google about you. but…i could tell you were going through something when you first drove by here. you can talk to me. i don’t have much better to do anyhow,” derek smiles, trying to reassure him.
avery sniffles. “okay…okay.”
they sit and talk on the tailgate for hours. avery cancels his reservations for the convention and ignores the no-doubt irritated messages from his sponsors. derek brings up minecraft first, sending avery into several tangents about the game and the smp he plays on that derek will have to watch later. for now…he’s enamored with avery. the way he talks, the way he smiles at derek…he’s already gone for someone he barely knows. avery opens up about his struggle and the pressure he deals with, and derek listens, only giving his input when asked.
by the time the stars come out, derek’s laid out a worn quilt over the truck bed. he tells his mom why he’ll be home late…and they may have a guest. derek packs up the unsold greens in a cooler and takes down the shade. he teaches avery how to spot some of the constellations that peek out from the trees.
avery lays his head across derek’s arm. “hey, derek?”
“yeah?”
“i’m really glad i didn’t turn left.”
—————————
three years later, ms. hutchins swipes dirt off of her hands on her overalls to answer her phone. it’s her friend. “hey, mary!”
“ruth! my daughter just sent me this thing about some online boy gettin’ engaged and there was a picture of derek on there! you didn’t tell anyone your boy was gettin’ married?” mary asks excitedly.
she chuckles. “i wanted to post it on facebook but derek told me not to yet. these damn tabloids work faster than us old folks, i guess.”
“well, tell him we said congratulations! i expect my invite in the mail. you doing alright with the store?”
“derek’s running it now, i just pop in to help,” ruth stands, walking over to the porch where her sweet tea sits, ice melting. “i keep the books and everything, but now i just work in the garden and read a lot of the time.”
“well, it’s good you’re getting to rest a bit more. tell derek we said hi. you take care now, y’hear?”
the screen door opens. “ms. hutchins? oh, shoot, sorry.” out comes avery, ducking back in when he sees she’s on the phone.
“just a second, avery,” she calls after him. “i will, you take care, too, mary. bye-bye.”
the line disconnects, and the door opens again. “do you have any button batteries? the remote for my lights died,” he asks politely.
“top drawer in the hutch. i think there’s one or two left,” she directs him. “you streaming today?”
“no, i just wanted to get it fixed before the next one. plus, derek likes them.”
she hums. “your mom wants you to call her when you get a minute.”
avery rolls his eyes, heading back into the house. “i will, i will.”
ruth sighs. she thinks about how avery’s brought her baby back from whatever funk he was in three years ago. the two have been inseparable since that day in may. derek went from hiding in his room to going out on drives every other night with him. while she doesn’t like how much gas and miles he’s putting on that old ford, he tells her it’s worth it for someone like avery.
and on that, they agree.