#Well not slow Brun anymore

[mega-aulover]

Better Tomorrow

Chapter Sixteen

Summary: Katniss has two problems. 1. Peeta- How does she pay off her debt for the bread? 2. Gale- How can she get him to stop proposing to her? Solution- offer to marry Peeta to help him and pay him for the debt she owes him while getting Gale off her back. Simple, right? WRONG!

Rated M- Marriage Contract. SLOW BURN, Trigger Warning mentions of violence, violence, Non-Consensual Advances, Aggressive Behavior, Assault, Attempted Assault, Bullying, Victim Blaming, Fall Festival, Bed Sharing, Snuggling & Cuddling

Chapter Summary: They have the talk. Trigger there are Mature Scenes in this Chapter.

Happy New Years Eve everyone and to my beta and bestie, @norbertsmom thank you for all that you did this year. You made me smile when my day was going down in flames. I couldn't have survived with out you.

Read Here AO3 & FFN

[zia-zee-bee]

Piercings & A Haircut

CW: non-con body modification, hypnosis

A day later, and Miles was dressed in a simple soft green dress, with the end of the skirt reaching his ankles and strapless. He sat patiently in front of Miss Agathe’s chair, eyes dazed and half lidded, lips ajar. Miss Agathe was leaning over him, a needle in one hand, holding Miles’ jaw in the other.

“Be quiet for your master, petit garçon,” She whispers, poking around at Miles’ ear, trying to see where a good spot for a piercing would go.

“Yes, Miss,” Miles mumbles, and the vampire scratches under his chin again, sending pleasure through his nerves and making him relax.

After a few more seconds of poking, the vampire wipes the ear with a wet cloth and pierces it through with the needle. Miles cries out due to the sudden pain, not registering it was a piercing.

“Shush,” Miss Agathe orders, even as Miles whimpers in pain. The piercing is secured with the back in, so Miss Agathe move to the other ear. “I’ll have to make sure none of that happens anymore,” She mutters to herself, referring to Miles’ whines.

The next ear is pierced through and Miles cries again, tears welling up in his eyes. His hands curl up around the dress, wanting so badly to move.

The pain stings even more, and tears start dripping down his face, his chin quivering as he whines.

“Oh for god’s sake,” Miss Agathe mutters once she secures the earring. She grabs Miles’ jaw again, turning it sharply so Miles would open his eyes, wide with surprise. Hers were barely an inch away, and Miles felt his mind slow down like molasses again. “You don’t feel a thing. Mannequins don’t feel a thing. Mannequins sit still and don’t cry.”

Miles stares at her as she speaks, no longer crying. Why was he crying again? He doesn’t know, nor does he really care. His mind was too slow to work anyway. Mannequins don’t think anyway.

He doesn’t register when Miss Agathe stands up, grabbing his hair to drag him across the room. He’s sat down on a salon chair, and the vampire pulls out scissors. Miles doesn’t even care, not when his master’s presence was giving him so much relief.

Chunks of hair fall to the ground, soft brown curls on the shiny floor. Some sort of product went into the hair still on his head, making it curlier.

“C’est dress isn’t as beautiful as I thought,” Miss Agathe mutters. “I’ll try brun next.”

There were a tug in the back of Miles’ mind, causing his brown to furrow. It festers and nags at him, hurting his head as he tries to ignore it. “N…no..!” He mumbles out after some time, squeezing his eyes shut, and Miss Agathe raises an eyebrow. “I don’t.. I don’t want to.. I.. I don’t..!”

“Yes, you do,” Miss Agathe hisses through a sneer. She grabs Miles by his neck, choking and lifting him up. He gasps around her iron grip, eyes shooting open. “C’est absurde! I ought to slit your throat,” She snaps as Miles struggles to breathe. “Tu as de la chance I already measured you, or you’d be a rotting body right now.”

Her eyes flashed bright red, and dropped Miles unceremoniously to the ground. He gasps, gently touching his neck. Through his blurry vision, he saw tufts of his hair scattered around the floor.

Miss Agathe huffs and strides out of the room, her loud heels clicking against the floor before the door slams, leaving Miles alone as he catches his breath.

Part 7 <<< Part 8 >>> Part 9

[thegreenmetblue]

STARKER FESTIVAL SUMMER BINGO : 2nd square

not a date

read on ao3

Peter was utterly anxious. To be honest, he’s not even sure anything in his life stressed him more than that. To be fair, he wasn’t expecting this. At all. Let’s go back to earlier in the day. This morning to be more precise.

Peter was lying in his bed, watching some weird videos on YouTube. But it was Saturday morning. It’s what teenagers do on a early Saturday morning (read : at 10 am). Not that the boy was gonna say it out loud but it was either that, either reading fanfictions about Spiderman and Iron Man. But shhh if you ask him, he’d say it’s only for checking how people are describing him.

Anyway, he was watching some hilarious videos Ned has sent him for the last six days when his phone stopped the video in exchange of Tony Stark’s face. Peter’s heart skipped a beat in his chest, like every time Tony’s calling him. “Yes ?”, he answers with a faint voice. Most of the times, he has no issues talking to Tony face to face but god knows why, Peter has still big issues with calls.

“If this isn’t my favorite young adult. Hi, Pete. Im sorry if woke up you. Or maybe not that sorry, it was time to anyway.”, Tony’s voice says in the speaker. Peter’s cheeks redden at that. He doesn’t know the reason of it, but it’s been almost two months Tony stopped calling him a kid. And now he just said young adult, it gives hope to Peter’s poor heart. Maybe Tony stopped seeing him as a kid. Maybe he sees him more as an equal now ? Lost in his thoughts, the boy doesn’t even realize he didn’t answer to the man on the other side of the phone.

“Alright, imma take that as a no. Gosh, I wondered what happened to the boy that was practically begging to have all my attention.”, Tony laughs softly. Again, he just said Peter wasn’t that boy anymore. The boy makes a little shame sound to the man’s comment about his behavior, feeling his cheeks burning even more.

“N-no, im sorry, im here mr. Stark. You didn’t wake me up. And please take that back, I was never asking for you attention, old man.”, Peter shoots back. He loves doing that. He loves talking back to Tony. “Imma pretend I didn’t hear what you just called me. And Im also gonna pretend like you’re not shamelessly lying to me at the moment. Anyway, you have plans tonight ?”, Tony asks, a bit of growling in his voice. This automatically warms Peter’s heart. He’s probably gonna go to Tony’s lab tonight.

Peter was trying not to smile too much when he remembered Tony wasn’t actually there. “No, I don’t have anything. You want me in the lab ?”, the boy asks and immediately regrets his choice of words. want me in the lab. Fuck. He was gonna say sorry to that, but thanks god Tony speaks before he can make it even more awkward. “No actually I was thinking of something a little more fun. What do you say about eating in a fancy restaurant tonight ?”. Peter’s heart doesn’t skip a beat this time, it skips severals. Tony wants- what ?

“What ?”, he lets out, without even realizing it. “Should I take that as a no again ?”. Tony’s voice echoes in Peter’s brain but never gets analyzed. The boy’s still frozen, his phone hanging in his hand, the sound of his beating heart ringing in his ears.

“Peter ? Fri just told me your heartbeats are unsually high, are you okay ?”. And this time, that wakes him up. “Wh-what ? Oh.. no that’s- im okay, it’s just- MJ!”, Peter stutters as an answer. He swears he can hear Tony’s frowning’s expression in the silence that follows.

“I mean, she- MJ, she sent me a funny, a text, it reminded me of something and I huh.. yeah. No, that’s yes.”. Another long silence. that’s a yes. Peter feels like he just answered a proposal. “Yes as in, im free for tonight, mr. Stark.”, Peter finishes, his cheeks burning with shame.

“Great. And Im not gonna question what just happened, alright ? Be ready for 7.”, Tony simply says before hanging up. Just like that. Just like he didn’t just made Peter’s brain completely fry.

“Did Tony just asked me on a date?”, Peter asks himself out loud, alone in his bedroom, his jaw hanging in shook. What the hell ?

That’s how Peter started the most stressful day of his entire life. Exams ? Spiderman ? Thanos ? Forget all of this, he has a freakin’ date with Tony freakin’ Stark, that is the real stressful shit. He spends half of the day walking in his apartment.

Around 3, he starts to panic hard because Tony said fancy. But Peter doesn’t have fancy clothes. He stayed in front of his phone, hesitating to send Tony something about that or no. He doesn’t want Tony to think he only has kid’s clothes. But then, better this than showing up in a fancy restaurant with a pun-sweat right ?

PP : How should I be dressed for tonight ?

Peter finally sends, not asking but hoping Tony’ll understand what he meant. His smile increases when, 6 minutes after, his phone rings.

TS : Happy is gonna drop you a suit at 5.

Peter’s inside catches fire at that. The words sugar daddy are ringing in his ears. Tony is gonna buy him a suit. Just for tonight. For their date. “Oh my god, imma be sick.”, Peter mumbles. His heart has been beating so fast since the call. And he feels like he’s gonna throw up. And he’s also happy. So happy. But- a date ? With Tony Stark ? Peter has been in love with the man for- he can’t even remember. Of course at first it was just a fan crush, then a real crush, then it bloomed into full love. And Peter never thought he could had a chance. But- Peter’s thoughts get cut by the entry door opening.

It’s May. And it’s been 5 hours now that Peter is combusting with impatience all alone in his apartment that he just can’t help himself. As soon as May starts taking to him, he blurts out : “I’ve got a date tonight!”

That’s how the hundreds of questions start. May knows he’s gay. However, May doesn’t know he loves Tony and she definitely doesn’t know the actual date is with Tony. So when she starts asking who he is, Peter realizes it maybe wasn’t the best idea. So after receiving the 5 hugs May felt like she needed to give him for that, the boy sends another text to Tony.

PP : Can we meet at the park next to my building please?

And then, he lets May giving him advices for tonight. “Alright, I get why you won’t tell me. Even if Im a little concerned, I get it. Where is he taking you ?”, she asks, a big smile on her face. “I don’t know actually, he just said it was somewhere fancy.”, Peter answers, trying not to let his smile gets to him too much.

“And how are you gonna get dressed ? You maybe can try some of Ben’s suit ?”. And Peter’s heart warms at that proposition. “It’s alright May, I already have something to wear actually.”

The two next hours aren’t better, they’re worst. May continues giving him advices. For his sakes, Peter swears himself to never use some. Then he takes a shower, the longest he never took. Just in case. He wants all of his skin to smell good for Tony. His cheeks brun at this thought. Are him and Tony gonna.. ? Now his whole body is warming up and Peter can’t help but jerking off at the thought of him and Tony going home tonight and having some fun.

When Happy leaves him a text saying the suit is in the mailbox, the boy sneaks to get it. Once the suit is on him, Peter can’t stop looking at his own reflection in the mirror. It’s a light blue suit and fuck, he does look good in those. His whole skin is shivering because Tony bought it to him. Tony’s money is touching his skin. The boy snorts at his own weird thoughts. But he can’t help it.

A small whine escapes his lips when he realizes there’s still 1h30 before Tony comes to get him. And that’s the absolute worst feeling ever. Peter tries to work, to watch a tv show, to talk with May, to phone MJ or Ned, to build lego, but nothing is able to make the time look less slow. And the more the time passes, the more Peter’s stomach gets stress crushed.

When 7 pm is finally approaching, Peter’s not even sure he can breath anymore. “Peter, hey- Peter, please can you stop ?”, May finally snaps and Peter turns to her, ready to burst at her that she doesn’t know how he feels right now, but she shushes him before he can even start.

“Everything’s gonna go well, angel. But please, you’re gonna faint before you’ll even get there, alright ? You’re handsome my baby, he’s gonna love you.”, May tries to calm him by hugging him. He was about to answer her when the clock beside them shows that 7 pm is in 5 minutes. Peter jumps saying he’s gonna be late and rushes out of the apartment.

He went down the stairs, crossed the street and went to the park in a 1 minute time. His heart is menacing to get out of his chest. And when he finally hears Tony’s voice behind him, his whole body jerks and he turns to the voice.

His heart stops again. Holy fuck, Tony is- he’s god-handsome. Peter’s jaw opens and doesn’t close.

“You’re doing alright Peter ?”, Tony asks, after a few seconds. Peter tries. He tries really hard. But Tony is in front of him, in a grey suit that looks absolutely heavenly hot on him, and they’re going on a date and-

“Peter ?”, this time, he forces himself to answer before Tony decides to leaves him there. “Hum… huh- yeah? Yeah you look good. I- I mean.. Im good! Im doing… good.”. He watches in horror as Tony tries to not laugh at him. “Blue suits you, by the way.”, Tony comments and Peter tries not to blush or smile at that.

Then the older one shows him the car behind them and Peter hurries inside.

“So. Why the park ?”, the man asks after a few seconds. Peter’s brows frown in confusion. “Forget it. Everything alright Pete ? You look… tense. Did something happened while you patrolled ?”. And this time, Peter’s sure he’s blushing. Why can’t he just relax ? Okay it’s a date but it shouldn’t be any different than the rest of the time they spend together.

“Yeah.. Yeah im sorry I was just a bit nervous, you know… I… Im happy you invited me tho! So.. where are we going ?”, the boy tries to show he’s grateful for this. The last thing he wants is Tony thinking he’s not happy about the date.

“It’s an Italian restaurant, my favorite one. You’ll see, everything that’ll get into your mouth tonight will make you fly.”, Tony answers and there’s a silence. Peter’s cheeks burn hot now. Did Tony really said- oh my god. “Im just realizing how it sounds. Maybe not my best choices of words.”, the man laughs. laughs, as if he didn’t created a whole fire in Peter’s body. The boy just prays not to pop up a boner just because of a single sentence.

The rest of the ride is just small talks and when they finally arrive, Peter stays close to Tony, it makes him feel protected. And he likes it. The smile on his face is uncontrollable. He can’t believe he’s on an actual date with Tony Stark. His heart is about to burst from happiness. And the place is stunning, and Tony’s stunning. And Peter sees people watching them and he feels proud. He knows how much people want Tony. But Tony’s there with him.

Once they’re seated, Peter can’t help but stare at Tony who’s in front of him. And the only thing he can think of is that he loves him. But the boy shuts up. Tony didn’t mentioned it being a date yet, and even when he does, Peter can’t just say he loves him already.

When the menu comes, Peter just stare at the Italian names blankly. “I… I don’t understand anything that’s written.” , he murmurs to Tony, a bit ashamed. But the man just fondly snorts in response and translates him the different propositions. But after the explanations, Peter’s still lost as fuck. what the fuck are all of those ?. Tony laughs again, louder this time, noticing Peter’s lost face.

“You know what, I’ll order for you. How does that sound ?”. The boy’s heart stops and he flushes different shades of red at once. Tony is gonna order for him. “That- That sounds good. Im sorry I don’t know what are those.”, Peter finally says. “Hey, none of that Pete. Plus, Im kinda excited for you to try what I’ll pick for you.”, the man says, like it wasn’t making Peter squirm in his chair. Oh my god, he’s gonna die.

To give himself a bit of capacity, he pretends to read the menu once again and pouts noticing the prices aren’t there. Meaning it must be like, super expensive. He knows Tony can pay, and there’s a side of him that likes it. Because it’s easier for him to call Tony Daddy in his head. But there’s also a part of him that hates it because it feels like he can’t complete. May and Peter are kinda broke and Peter would have liked to be able to pay a restaurant to Tony too.

“What’s up with the pout ?”. Shit. “N-Nothing, mr. Stark really. It’s just… you know, I can’t… it’s a fancy restaurant and May and I aren’t…”, he begins but Tony cuts him. “Im stopping you right there, Peter. Im sorry if me picking a fancy restaurant embarrassed you, I should have asked where you wanted to go first. But don’t worry about that, okay ? Im not asking you to pay for anything, I invited you there.”. Peter feels his heart beating hard in his chest. “No, Im really happy to be there, I swear! I just… I just don’t want- I don’t know, forget it.”.

Tony does what Peter asked him, he drops the subject and start talking about Peter’s project in the lab. And that, it allows Peter to relax a bit. Because it suddenly feels like a normal time with Tony. And not a date. Well, a date yes but not an awkward one. And if Peter chokes on his own saliva when Tony orders in fucking italian in front of him, then at least, the man acts like he didn’t see it. And Peter’s happy there’s a table because explaining to Tony why he’s hard right now would have been real awkward.

It becomes a bit more awkward again when the meals arrive. Because Peter gets aroused by how good the food Tony picked for him is. Because Tony looks genuinely satisfied with the fact Peter moans at every bite he takes. And because watching the gorgeous man eating in front of him is also a whole show.

Peter is too occupied staring at Tony to realize he’s missing his mouth with the next bite he takes. The man laughs gently at him and Peter wants to fucking hide under the table because now Tony’ll think he doesn’t know how to eat.

“That’s good huh ? Knew you would like it.”, Tony smiles, after a minute of silence. The smile on Peter’s lips grows automatically. He likes that. He really likes that Tony knew what he’d like. “That’s… the best thing I ever ate mr. Stark!”, Peter answers, beaming with happiness. Even the awkward moments can’t ruin this for him. He’s so happy.

The rest of the evening goes well. So well even. But the more the end approaches, the more Peter can’t help but asks himself if something’s gonna happen or not. Like… Is Tony gonna bring him home ? Is he gonna kiss him ? Even the thought of that is enough to make Peter’s head feel dizzy. He can’t even let himself imagine something more than a kiss would happen. And if he does, he’s gonna combust in front of Tony. And before his mind decides to picture them having sex, Peter shakes his head, his cheeks reddening with both shame and want. He had so many dream about Tony, so many wet dreams about Tony. He has been dreaming about the man since even before they actually meet. And Peter feels like he would cum the second Tony lays a hand on him. That’d be pretty awkward. And then, Peter can’t help but wonder what Tony sees in him. He’s nobody. Tony can have whoever he wants, and still, he chose him. Does Tony know he’s a virgin still ? Would he care ?

“Okay, have you even listened to a word I just told you ?”, Tony asks, a jaded look on his face. Peter realizes the man has been talking to him and blushes in shame. “Im so sorry! I was thinking… I got lost in my thoughts, sorry.”, he apologizes, hoping Tony won’t think he’s boring him.

“Wow, he’s getting invited to the fanciest restaurant ever and still act like it’s not enough. What more do you want Parker ?”, Tony jokes and one part of Peter is happy he didn’t get upset. Another part of him just wanna scream he wants Tony to kiss him once they’re out of the restaurant. But what if Tony wanna take his time ? He doesn’t wanna sound as desperate as he really is.

“I’d really love for a car.”, Peter jokes back, glad he made Tony smile. “Ask and you shall receive.”. And Peter doesn’t know how honest Tony is with this. He hopes the man is joking. But Tony’s intense look in his eyes when Peter said those words is enough to make him realize the man is serious about this. “I was joking, mr. Stark.”, the boy adds, just to be sure he won’t receive a car tomorrow. Tony doesn’t answer anything to that, which is kinda weird, but Peter doesn’t think too much about it.

When the server comes back and asks if they want a dessert, Tony answers for him again. No. This time Tony doesn’t wait for Peter to even asks him, he just orders him something in Italian again.

“I could have asked him for ice cream you know…”, Peter whines, faking a pout. “Oh so he understands Italian now.”. And the smile Tony had on his lips almost all night is making Peter heart feel so light.

“I don’t, but I don’t think I need a italian degree to understand ‘gelato’, old man.”, Peter teases, making himself feels hot all over his body. He sees Tony’s gaze changing a bit too. Is Tony loving this as much as him ? “Brat.”, the man accuses and Peter stops himself to make a punishment joke. They’re not there yet.

The boy is now eating his damn vanilla ice cream and can’t help the blush creeping on his face again. Tony is staring at him. Not watching. Staring. Peter’s senses can feel his intense gaze on him, on his face. And the boy feels like he doesn’t know how to eat anymore. He’s sure he’s putting ice cream everywhere on his lips and wants to die about it.

“Y-You didn’t want to take something ? Huh… dessert or- or coffee ?”, he stutters, to make things less intense, because Peter is seconds away to moan under Tony’s gaze. “Im all good, thanks Pete.”, Tony answers and the boy doesn’t know if he’s dreaming or not but Tony’s voice sounded more… low ? He goes back to eating his ice cream, hoping it’s the last ice cream he’ll ever eat in his life.

When they finally go out, Peter feels drunk. He’s so happy, so nervous and so horny at the same time. He’d say so in love but let’s not brings more awkward to this. They walk in silence to Tony’s car. And just before Tony can open his car, Peter blurts out : “Thank you so much for the dinner mr. Stark! It was really really good and really fun. I liked it… a lot.”, he says, knowing he’s blushing again but doesn’t care at this point. Maybe Tony is waiting for him to make the first move. Because he doesn’t wanna rush him.

“Pleasure was mine, Pete.”, the man answers, a soft smile on his lips. And then, Peter doesn’t even realize what his body his doing, but that should be the good time no ? His heart is pounding so fast and loud in his chest, ears and whole body as he leans and kiss Tony. A smack. Just a smack. Because Peter doesn’t even know how to kiss. It was fast, but enough to make Peter’s heart explodes in his chest.

But then he sees Tony’s face. Tony’s frozen and shocked face. Shit. Did it was too soon ? Did it sucked ? Did Tony expected someone who could actually kiss him ? Peter wants to throw up. ”Mr. Stark ?”, he asks faintly.

“Peter. What… What was that ?”, Tony questions, his tone dangerously flat. “I- I thought… Im so sorry I... You know with the date and all, I thought maybe… maybe it was a good time to kiss you, you know ? Im sorry if Im not a g-”, Peter painfully begins but gets cut by Tony. “Wait- A date ? It wasn’t a date.”, the man says, his voice suddenly high. Peter’s blood turns cold in his whole body.

What ?

“Wh- What ?”, he breathes, voice already trembling. Oh god no. No no no no, this can’t be happening.

“This. That’s- Christ, Peter. It wasn’t a date. I- I didn’t- We’re not- Fuck.”, Tony panics, his voice almost screaming the last bit, stepping back from Peter. Peter who’s still frozen, watching what’s happening in front of him without being able to move.

“Oh god, Im so sorry if I made you think it was a date, kid. Im- It wasn’t my intention.”, Tony tries to apologize, clearly still panicking. The only word echoing in Peter’s brain is kid. Tony hasn’t called him like that for months. And now he’s doing it again.

“Peter, kid. Shit, you can’t cry- I- Peter Im so sorry I shouldn’t-”. And it’s only when Tony says that that Peter realizes tears are rolling down his cheeks. His heart feels heavy in his chest. No. His heart feels completely crushed in his chest. And the humiliation. The boy still stands there, only capable of crying in front of Tony, who’s panicking on his own.

“Kid, you- Im sorry, Im not mad I swear, we can’t- We just can’t. We’re not… that.”. And Peter’s heart feels like breaking again. “D-Don’t call m-me k-kid.”, and it’s the only thing Peter can lets out before fully starting to cry. Small hiccups escaping his lips.

Tony watches in horror, unable to do much. “Peter, im begging you- stop crying, im not mad, you’re- kid I-”, the man starts and if he wasn’t so much in pain, Peter would have been genially shocked to see Tony struggling so much to speak. “Stop ca-calling me a kid!”, the boy almost screams, surprising both himself and Tony. The man steps back again. There’s a silence. A loud one. A painful one.

“Im sorry. It’s my fault if you thought- Jesus, it’s my fault if you mistook this, Peter. Im sorry I let you think this was a… a date. You can’t- it’s not on you, Im not mad.”, Tony speaks again. But it’s only words. Peter’s brain shut himself. He doesn’t understand what Tony is saying to him. He just wants to die.

“But- But I lo-”, he starts, desperately, only to get cut by the man in front of him again. “No. No you don’t. You- Jesus ki- Pete, it’s not-” and there’s a silence again. “It’s not wh-what ? True ? H-How would you know ? And wh-why… what was al-all of this for if-if it was- n’t a.. a da-date ?”, the boy desperately questions, in between cries. Tony’s pained expression intensifies. “Pete, stop crying.”.

“Answer me!”, the younger one screams. He can’t believe Tony. It’s not true. Tony is just being- delusional.

“Christ why are you doing this ? Peter, it was just- just… us.”. Peter never heard Tony’s voice sounding so desperate before today. But he can’t care. He feels like he’s been crushed by a fucking plane right now.

“Us ? Ye-yeah and Im- im saying that us, is me lo-lo-loving you and you- you looking at me with- with that look in your eyes.”. And Peter can sees Tony’s eyes watering. Again, it’d be the first time he sees Tony crying, but he still can’t care. The man just steps back and sighs, passing both of his hands on his face.

“You stopped calling me ki-kid. And- and you order for me- and- and sh-shit! I- I know you like it. I know i-it because I can se-see it, mr. Stark. I- I want- I want you… pl-please.”, Peter cries even harder now, his voice constantly cut by cries. “Please.”, he begs again. And it’s even more painful because Tony doesn’t answers anything. The man just stand in front if him, completely frozen, with a pained expression on his face. But he doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t deny it. Why doesn’t he deny it ?

And suddenly, Tony’s warms hands are on his cheeks, trying to wipes the endless tears coming out of Peter’s eyes. But the sensation of the hand on his cheeks only makes Peter cry more. “Peter… Peter, baby.. please. You- fuck. You have to stop, alright ?”, Tony whispers, so close to him, but yet so far. baby.

Peter doesn’t realize he leans on the touch, he doesn’t realize Tony’s other hand is clenching hard on his light blue jacket. And despite everything that is happening right now, Peter only wants them to kiss. A real kiss.

But the next thing he feels is Tony’s strong body against him. The man is hugging him and Peter can’t help but hug him back, his cries still loudly getting out. “Peter, please. I can’t. You know I can’t. Im so sorry. I shouldn’t have invited you, I shouldn’t- I shouldn’t have let myself- I can’t.”, Tony murmurs those things in Peter’s ear, tightening his arm around the boy’s body and it only hurts Peter more. Why is Tony saying all of this ? What does it mean ?

“Please…”. It’s all what Peter is capable to say. Please love me. He feels Tony’s body, Tony’s warmth getting away and hates it. And the boy can’t take it. It hurts so much. So before Tony can even answer with another apologize, Peter’s wrists move on their own, and the next second he’s not there anymore, he’s on the top of the building next to the restaurant. He has to get away from Tony. He can’t stay there.

And if Peter hasn’t jumped on another building right away, he would have been able to hear Tony whispering on his own. “Pete… I wished you’d understand why this can’t be a date, why I can’t let you love me back.”, finally letting himself cry now that Peter ran away.

second square for @starkerfestivals 🙈🙈

alright so first of all im so sorry for this fjndldl 😭😭😭 this bingo is challenging me so much tho bc i wrote my first tony fucking peter and now i wrote my first sad ending

its just the first thing that came to my mind seeing ‘not a date’ so i followed my idea

also i edited it three fucking times bc tumblr was being a bitch with me today 🔪

[thezinejobofficial]

@whileshesings

A Thiefsome Playlist

Parachute - Ingrid Michaelson

I don't believe anything, don't trust anyone but me / But I believe you when you say we're never gonna fall / Hand behind my neck, arm around my waist / Never let me hit the ground, you'll never let me crash

Finding You - Kesha

So when I say forever, it's the goddamn truth / I'll keep finding, finding you

Bad Reputation - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts

And I don't really care if you think I'm strange / I ain't gonna change / And I'm never gonna care 'bout my bad reputation

Help I'm Alive - Metric

If you're still alive / My regrets are few / If my life is mine / What shouldn't I do?

Warm Blood - Carly Rae Jepsen

Let down my guard tonight / I just don't care anymore / I've told a hundred lies / But I don't wanna tell you any at all

Closer - Tegan and Sara

I want you close, I want you / I won't treat you like you're typical

SUMMER - BROCKHAMPTON

In the heat of the summer / You're so different from the rest / You know, you know, you know, oh oh / You know that you should be my boy

Make Me Feel - Janelle Monae

Baby, don't make me spell it out for you / All of the feelings that I've got for you / Can't be explained, but I can try for you / Yeah, baby, don't make me spell it out for you

You Make Loving Fun - Fleetwood Mac

I never did believe in miracles / But I've a feeling it's time to try / I never did believe in the ways of magic / But I'm beginning to wonder why

Do It Again - Nada Surf

I spend all my energy walking upright / And I like the masked noise quiet of your breathing nearby / When I accelerate I remember why it's good to be alive / Like a 25-cent game / Maybe this weight was a gift / Like I had to see what I could lift

I Found You - Alabama Shakes 

But I traveled a long way / And it sure took a long time / To find you, yeah / But I sure did find you

Triad - Jefferson Airplane

What we can do is to try something new / If you're crazy too / I don't really see / Why can't we go on as three

This Is Why We Fight - The Decemberists 

And when we die / We will die / With our arms unbound / And this is why / This is why we fight / Come hell

The Mystery of Iniquity (Live) - Ms. Lauryn Hill

Do we expect the system made for the elect / To possibly judge correct? / Properly serve and protect?

LOVE. - Kendrick Lamar, Zacari

Give me a run for my money / There is nobody, no one to outrun me / So give me a run for my money / Sipping bubbly, feeling lovely / Living lovely / Just love me

Pink + White - Frank Ocean

If you could die and come back to life / Up for air from the swimming pool / You kneel down to the dry land / Kiss the Earth that birthed you / Gave you tools just to stay alive / And make it up when the sun is ruined / That's the same way you showed me, showed me / You showed me love / Glory from above

Crystalised - The xx 

Things have gotten closer to the sun / And I've done things in small doses / So don't think that I'm pushing you away / When you're the one that I've kept closest / Go slow

Like Real People Do - Hozier

What did you bury / Before those hands pulled me / From the earth? / I will not ask you where you came from / I will not ask you, neither should you / Honey just put your sweet lips on my lips / We should just kiss like real people do

True Colors - Ane Brun

But I see your true colors / Shining through / I see your true colors / And that's why I love you

Parachute (Acoustic) - Ingrid Michaelson 

I don't need a parachute, baby if I've got you / Baby if I've got you, I don't need a parachute / You're gonna catch me, you're gonna catch if I fall / Down, down, down

We think they’ve captured the OT3 pretty well. And if you want to capture the OT3, follow us for updates on the zine. Or submit your own work for consideration to be a zine contributor!  Submission guidelines can be found here and check out our FAQ or message us with any questions.

[ageminah]

One of the Drunks

Helllo, it’s been a minute since I last posted anything, but here I come. Soooo, this takes place after the events of KOS. Here is a scene with our favs a bit drunk as they ‘celebrate’ our favorite king’s wedding enjoy ! (and as always, please pardon my grammar and spelling, it is incredibly late, and I’m not an english speaker originally) (it might be a bit long too...sorry I got carried away)

    She was drunk. Dangerously brun. Drunk to the point where she didn’t trust her body, or mind. She wasn’t in control, and hated herself for letting it go that far. She was with Genya, David and Nikolai, all four of them in the king’s chambers, celebrating his last days as a singe king. In a week or so—at this point she couldn’t tell which day it was— he would be married to a Shu princess who hadn’t been invited to the party.

    Alcohol had replaced their blood, that was how bad was the situation. No one was in the right mind And if an attacker were to come, Zoya wasn’t sure that she could be of any help.

    They were all laughing too loudly, and none cared. Zoya didn’t even recognized her laugh, but she was enjoying Nikolai’s. Enjoying his stupid face, his gorgeous eyes, his alcohol reddened nose, his hazel eyes barely open. He spared glances for her every two minutes, and seemed to be embarrassed each time she caught him. But all sense of shame had left her body, and she stared at him like never before.

    She knew his face by heart, could recognize it by touch only. And a that thought she had the terrible drive to do so. She stretched her hand toward him, and caught herself at the last second. They all stared at her in silence. Their drunken faces questioning her. She burst out laughing, and they all followed. It was a great night. One of the best. She was having a blast. They all were.

    Nikolai muffled hair was a mess, and she wished the last thread of senses would leave her so that she could reach for him, and straighten that hair of his. She took another drink, determined. And another, and an other. She couldn’t feel her legs anymore. And judging by the way David moved around in the room, neither could he. « To my wedding, and my absolutely charming murdering wife! » Said Nikolai, almost shouting. While the others laughed Genya got up as well and lowered Nikolai’s drink and put a finger to her lips «Shuuush” Genya said “You dare sush your king Genya ?” asked Nikolai in a mocking tone. Genya waved the remark away and finished “her highness is in the next room » she said attempting to whisper. « Oh. Oh. You’re right. To my wedding with the beautiful murderer of Isaak » he said whispering and then louder « to my long awaited wedding! And even if my wife might not be the happiest, at least I won’t have to listen to Zoya’s complains about me marrying! At least someone will be happy » and they all drank and laughed. All but Zoya.

    After many more drinks, Genya left half carrying David who could definitely not stand. Zoya and Nikolai were still sitting at the table. Though sitting was a nice way to pu it. Nikolai was sprawled over his chair, all limbs hanging from it, and Zoya had her head on the table. The cold marble cool on her burning face. « I’m not happy about it » she said almost in a whisper, and he turned his head to her « no more than you at least » she continued, raising her head, straightening her back. She started staring at the ceiling and forgot what she wanted to say. Nikolai studied her face, « But… You were the one harassing me into marriage » he said defeated. She plunged her eyes in his honey gaze. « I know, but not because I wanted you to be married… It was, is my duty to advise you on what is best for your country » she was screaming inside. She had no idea of what she was sayin, didn’t know if the words made sense. But judging by the king’s face they did. « you know, I though I would find a way to escape it » he said adverting his eyes, and already she missed the warmth of them.

    They stood in silence for a couple minutes. « I always thought you would, I was so sure of it » she finally said, and when he looked at her, the alcohol hd already stolen his memory from a couple minutes ago, she completed « that you would escape it. I though you would find a way to stall forever. I though that you would find a way to make me understand, to prove to me that you didn’t ned a wife »

    Both stared at each other in silence. And Nikolai smiled. The most beautiful, and mischievous smile she had ever seen. Yes, she was drunk. And yet, she realized that she was seeing him just the same.

    He was looking at her. And his gaze was different. She had seen that gaze many times

in many men, but never in his. Yearning. But maybe the alcohol was tempering with her analysis of the situation, probably, definitely. The king, the engaged ruler of Ravka, Nikolai, would not, would definitely not look at her this way. She tried to find the sober Zoya within herself, tried to find the cold and ruthless Zoya, tried to find the reasoned Zoya. But she was gone, all that was left was the heavily inebriated Zoya who couldn’t help but stare back. She wasn’t in control, and at this point she no longer cared. The king stretched his arm, and with the tip of his fingers, tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. She almost laughed at the situation. She wasn’t a fifteen year old anymore, this move shouldn’t have any effect on her. And yet, her cheek burned where his hand had been.

    He pulled his hand back quickly and fake coughed. « I think it is time for us to call it a night dear general, don’t you think. »  he said in a low voice. She nodded not trusting herself to speak. And got up. The world was spinning, too fast, or maybe too slow, everything was white, and everything went black, she heard too much and then heard nothing. She put both hands on the table trying to steady herself.

    « Do you want me to accompany you to your chambers ? » said the king genuinely concerned. « No! » she said screaming and then « No. » whispering « I’m alright. I’ll be alright in a few seconds, just give me a moment » She was not alright. He got up and went by her side. She had been drinking wine all night, but this close, she could smell the whiskey on his breath. Lowering his gaze to the floor he said « I truly wish that I could have done as you said » he said and continued guessing that she didn’t know what he was talking about. « I truly wish that I had found a way to escape this. I wish that I could find a way. I wish that in the week that I have left, I will find a way… » he didn’t finish and met her gaze. She was dangerously drunk, and so was he. Nikolai got closer. Too close— not close enough. He cupped her face with his hands, and she leaned in the touch. She was burning, with yearning and alarm. Even drunk Zoya kew that this was dangerous territory. He put a gentle kiss on her forehead. He released her face, too soon. She wanted to feel his skin on her. She wanted… And she stopped wanting and took matters into her own hands, her own drunken hands. She laced her arms behind his neck, and not fearing rejection, closed the distance. And she stole his breath.

    She felt the moment their lips met in her entire body. Everything was aching, it wanted more, she wanted more. He wasn’t shy either, and immediately out his hands on her hips. A groan escaped his mouth in-between kisses. The monster had been erased weeks ago, but something else had lingered in this body of his. She didn’t taste anything beside the wine and the whiskey. She couldn’t get enough. Relief burst through every inch of her body. She hadn’t realized how badly she had wanted that, all it had took was a couple bottles of wine. Her hands moved from his neck to his hair, to his back, to the shirt of his collar. His moved from her hips, to her hair, to her cheek. She felt his smile against her lips, and it was contagious, she smiled too. It flet like a dance, but maybe it was because neither of them had the ability to stand straight. They traveled in the room, against the door, where his head hit the wood hard as they both laughed into each other, against the wall where her back hit the stone taking her breath—or maybe it was him who took it. Finally, he lost his balance and fell to his bed, bringing Zoya with him.

    And that’s when it hit her. The wedding. Nikolai. Her status. The princess. The country. His alliance. Her friend. Her status. Ehri. Ravka. She was so incredibly selfish. She got up in one second and he stayed down, covering his eyes with one arm, the front on his shirt slightly opened. She combed her hair with shaking fingers, and eased the lipstick that had smudged over her cheeks. They stared at each other.He smiled, and Zoya felt more at ease. She coughed once, twice, trying to find her voice, and finally bowed her head clumsily « your highness. » she said. He sat up, and bowed his head smiling, red lipsick on his face. She turned and left the room on uneasy feet. She missed the handle the first time, and a second. When she closed the door behind her she took a minute to breath. The guards were trying not to look at her. She stood straighter, and left for her room, focusing on walking straight, which made things worse. Ultimately, Zoya found her quarters and collapsed on her bed, not bothering to change, a smile sober Zoya would not acknowledge on her face.

[positivitytotakeaway]

✹ Tips to work out ✹

Hi guys ! Camille here, ready to take you into an important part of my life — sport. I know, I know, a lot of us don’t like it. But, trust me, if you find your own way to workout, you will start to like the feeling of relief and freedom it gives you. Let me share with you some tips I wished I knew when I started to wok out.

My way to train is pretty connected with my mood, and I don’t have an exclusive sport - I’m more “touche à tout”. I remember, when I first began sport, how unsure and shy I was, way too much to go to the gym. That’s why I decided to train at home - I still do it now, because I felt in love with the freedom and the intimicy it gives me. Bellow the article, you will find some of my favourite YouTube channels to work out at home.

Enjoy & sweat well 💦

Dare to make the first step - you are able to do it. It will be hard, you will maybe not be able to finish the move, you will be slow at first. But you will do it. And that’s the most difficult part of all that you’re doing, so be proud.

Give you the time to learn. It doesn’t matter if, for an exercise of 30 seconds, you take 4 minutes to achieve it. No one began sport and kicked out the moves like a pro. Even those beautiful actresses/actors or instagram girls/guys you admire.

It is okay to give up. It doesn’t mean you’re a loser. Never think like that about yourself. Sometimes, it isn’t the best time to work out, you need to struggle with social, profesional, mental problems more important for you at this moment. Don’t listen to people who say you always can find the time to work out. If you need to rest in your couch after a long day, more than sweating, it is equally great.

Find your own place to train. We are not all made for working out at the gym, nor in groups. It also can be at home, in your kitchen, when you are sure no one will disturb you or look at you. You need to be in the best condition to do sport. The place where you train doesn’t mean nothing about your involvement or your progression.

Don’t train the same body area two days in succession. Your muscles need to rest. Each workout injures your body. If you force it, by working the legs a whole weekend for example, you hurt yourself. It is counterproductive, and you risk to really make damages that will ask for a long period of rest. And stop those “1 month plank/squat/... challenge”, it is dangerous.

Don’t work out too much. It is easy, if you find a sport you like and you start to fix your personal goals, to work out a lot, because you want to see quick results. But by acting like that, you risk to tire or hurt yourself. You need an equal moment of workout and rest. Relaxing is as much benfical and important for your mind and body than working out, never underestimate it.

Find your moment to train. Some of us are made to train in the morning, others in the afternoon, or in the evening. You have to find your best moment. If you have an obligation at that moment, find an alternative. For example, if your moment is the afternoon and you are at work, do your big workouts during the weekend, and make more slight and relaxing exercises in the evening or in the morning during the week, once or twice.

If you think to train, do it as soon as you can. To be sure the motivation will not go back because you waited for too long. If you’re at school or at work, a great way to keep your motivation intact is to move as soon as you can. Walk during the lunch moment, or do some discreet calf exercises under the table, for example. It will satisfy you, and the fact that you move, in a way or another, will have a positive psychological impact.

Stop focusing on the physical success. It’s the best way to stop. You will not have that perfect booty in four weeks, even if some instagram/tumblr/youtube stuffs promess it to you. It is impossible. Focus on the psychological benefits, the pride when you achieve a difficult move, the feeling of relief when you cool down. Workout for it, without waiting for something specific. And one day, you will see the results, without really waiting for it, and it will be even a better surprise this way.

Don’t diet. Eat properly, learn how to cook and shop correctly, but don’t enter in the diet business. It is the worst you can do to your body and spirit. And guess what ? It is the goal of those persons. They don’t work to make you truly feel better, but to be sure your money will come back to them as soon as possible.

Stop looking into the mirror every day. You will not see it, and it can lead to dangerous psychological states. Give you a moment to look at your body once every two weeks. You will clearly see the differences, that came with the time, and not by magic during the night.

Don’t weigh yourself. Take your measurements once per month, it is more exact. Put on weight when you start to train is normal - your muscles grow up, and are heavier than fat.

Don’t use body goals that are not your height and morphology. If you absolutely need to take an example, search a possible one. And remind yourself that all bodies are unique, so no, you will never totally look like your favourite instagram person. And that’s okay, it doesn’t mean you failed.

Make a list of what you like in your body. You will find it, courage. Update it each month, when you are in a positive state.

Find what kind of sport interests you. For some people, it is all about one sport only. Others need to change regularly to not be bored. Learn how you work.

Accept that all bodies can be healthy. You don’t have to be thin or have the thigh gap (impossible for many morphologies) to have a good and toned body. It means that you can achieve it too, sport isn’t reserved to a specific size, weight, morphology.

Define your body goal. What would you like to feel good ? Bulky, lean or toned ? Only you can say what is the best for you, since the only one who has to be seduced by your body, is yourself. Stop living in the clichés, a woman can be bulky and a man can be lean.

Think to stretch. It’s not always what people prefer, but it’s really important when we talk about sport. A good stretching will help you, with time, to go further in your moves, and train new areas you couldn’t reach before. Don’t use stretching as a warm up ! It’s not, since you push your body at its limits. Always finish your workout session with a stretching, and then with a cool down.

Warm up and cool down are no options. You need to tell to your body it has to wake up. If you don’t, you will have difficulties to make moves, and you can easily hurt yourself. To avoid stiffness, think to cool down after your workout. Sore muscles mean a body already hurted.

Create a health journal. It’s quite the same as a bullet journal, but totally focused on your health habits. It doesn’t only includes sport, but also food, mental health, stress tracker and positive body image. Writing your progressions, or your doubts, your desires, your goals, will help your mind to understand how you work, what are your personal traps, what doesn’t work for you, what makes you feel good.

Speak about it around you. Choose the people who will know, they have to be positive and watch over your new habits, to make sure you don’t do anything dangerous.  

Be proud of your body. A thing I learned with sport, is that you know you take care of yourself. Once you start to feel it, mentally first, and then physically, you are less strict with your apparance. You’re curvy even with 6 hours of sport a week, and so what ? You will learn to love it, because you know you are in a good health, and that’s the most important.

Try exercises to improve your posture. It’s already good for your back, for your belly, and also to appear more confident in public. You also seem more lean and tall. Your body will thank you at the end of the day, when you will no longer feel that light pain in your back and your neck.

Always ask yourself if your way to workout and to eat is objectively good for you. You know that eating only apples in a day is not a way to lose fat. Hoping for it to work doesn’t mean it will help you to feel better.

Never punish yourself for your habits. You will only feel bad, and will train your negative vision of yourself. Start now to congratulate yourself when you make a new step. You finished your first workout ? Reward. You walked to your home instead of taking the bus ? Reward. You thought to train for the first time in months, even if you didn’t ? Reward.

List of youtube channels I like and follow (they are all free) :

Sissy Mua - langage : French. She is the first one I followed, and she made me discover the fitness. She is more based on musculation, which is why I don’t go on her channel anymore, but she proposes you complete sessions and had created some month programs.

Georgia Horackova - langage : French. Not really active for now. But she has done some challenging videos, and is a sweet and adorable woman.

Blogilates - langage : English. One of the most known youtube channel. She has made a beginner program, and you also can find a calendar each month. She is really motivating, is all about pastel and cute decors, is inventive.

Alivia d’Andrea - langage : english. An absolutely adorable and positive girl, with some really great videos to train and think to your health, physical and mental. Her stretching videos are really great to get into it.

Millionaire Hoy - langage : english. The total american instructor package, but it’s quite effective. If you want to do some cardio, but are afraid of burpees and other difficult exercices, he will help you to find the perfect way to train. He offers a lot of 30-40 minutes workout, adapted to each level.

The Fitness Marshall - langage : english. If you are more into dancing, even if you’re not a pro, you will love him. He’s totally cool, never stops and proposes cardio sessions.

Kkardio Dance - langage : english. Same concept, dancing to brun calories, but this time, made for the k-pop fans. Don’t worry about what you look, just follow them and sing like a queen.

Lazy dancer tips - langage : english. If you want to try ballet or if you are a classical dancer and want to also workout at home. She is my favourite of all. Adorable, motivating, challenging, she is really great.

Yoga with Adriene - langage : english. If you want to try yoga, or if you are already a fan of it, that channel is made for you. Her voice is peaceful, she made programs for beginners, and a plus, she also do a lot of videos to improve your mental health, which is really important and sadly rare.

Yoga with Tim - langage : english. Another yoga channel. It can be great for some of us to train with a man (since fitness, pilates or yoga aren’t only for young women).

—  With love, Camille ✧

[avaellingsen]

Chasing Redemption

twotc ship: ava x eric (avaric)

She was not fireproof, after all

On a desolate Thursday evening, Ava was sprawled out on an armchair by the fire, legs propped up on the coffee table in a careless manner. She was tapping her quill against the hollow of her cheek, face shadowed by the greenish hue that was emanated from the magnificent glass wall of the Slytherin common room that look out into the Great Lake. She was scribbling on the parchment before her, but it was obvious that her mind was somewhere else. Days had passed since her last interaction with Eric, and she had been feeling dismal. He has not said anything to her in days. He barely even looked at her, and her senses betrayed her that at this point, she’d to anything to hear him scream. Alas, not only her senses did, but her mind and body did as well.

For the first time in her life, she had someone to answer to. Before Eric, no one has really acted as sort of like a mirror for her to really see the consequences of her actions, and no one had thrown the ball back to her to re-examine what she has said and done, even when she is spewing out credible bullshit. Everyone is usually wrapped around her fingers, but during the first task, Eric had called her out when she was fibbing, and he challenged her so well - she likes to push the limit and constantly see what she can get away with, but he put her in that place that forced her to take a step a back.

Ava likes chaos and inconsistency. She thrives on it, and she tends to orchestrate it herself. She enjoys being the driver of drama, and having an answer for everything. Thus, she craves the external stimulation, and the infinite “what ifs” that Eric provides. She loves the unpredictability of life and the opportunities that comes with them, and Eric is the wild card.

He had ignited a primal instinct in her, the need to win and dominate. She couldn’t stop engaging with him, and he made her so high. She could try and pick on on other students, and pretend that everyone else was him, but no, he’s leveled the playing field too well.  She was not winning, it was obviously apparent - he was in her head, and she is eating up all of his jokes, insults, and dare she thought, flirty comebacks off of his palm like a starved puppy.

Not to mention that she found the Gryffindor’s physique entirely attractive. She found herself constantly, if not always, thinking about the well-built boy with the gleaming amber eyes. She couldn’t help but notice his scruffy, brown hair despite it not being very long, his nice smile, the way his rock hard biceps clenched every time he dived deeper in the depths of the Great Lake, all complimented by a commanding presence..and she’d gladly jump off of a cliff if anyone knew that every time Eric does the lip biting thing in between sentences, her stomach drops and flips in slow, lazy somersaults.

Realizing sleep was nowhere near her, she got out of bed. Throwing on her robe, she descended her way downstairs to the Great Hall. The room was darker than it was during the day. Amber glow emanated from the crackling fireplaces. She found Horus sitting by the fire. He was completely oblivious to his surroundings, and his eyes were closed. The boy made her anxious at first, as she has never encountered a necromancer before, but she admired his individuality and wisdom. Even though he seemed to embody a waxy, sullen, and solitary persona, she was sure he meant well. She cleared her throat, “Mind if I join you?”

Horuś’s eyes blinked wide open. He must have fallen asleep as he was reading up on one of Eiden Brun’s other books in preparation for the upcoming task – Aino had foisted the heavily annotated tome upon him and forced him to read it. He quickly lifted the book off his chest, closed it and placed it over the dark table, before taking off his glasses and folding them up. He laid the wire frames on top of the book’s covers. ‘Ava, is it? What do you want?’

Ava gulped, before tucking her hair behind her ears. With her eyes peeled onto the ground, she replied quietly, “I need to talk to you about something.”

Horuś inclined back into his armchair, sinking into the worn leather. He looked at her almost boredly. 'Well, spit it out.’

Ava’s lips pursed slightly. She sighed and finally looked up to meet his gaze. “I don’t do this very often, so bear with me here. As you might have noticed, we’re in way over our heads, Eric and I. He has not said anything to me in days, he barely even looks at me anymore.”

Horuś raised an eyebrow. 'Forgive me, but I don’t follow your little squabbles like the rest of the school does. If something has happened between the two of you, that’s none of my business.’  He ran a hand through his hair. 'Sure, Eric is quieter than his usual boisterous lately, but with the next Task coming up, I’m hardly surprised.’ He thought of the knot of nerves at the pit of his own stomach.

She blinked, “It’s not what you think. I still think he is an utter git. I just need to know if he’s okay….I’m feeling horrible, and he must be upset..I mean, I just think he needs to relax, I do not want to let this petty fight get in the way of the tournament. That’s all, really” She interjected quickly, words spewing out of her mouth in stutters. “I’m tired as everyone is, I can’t sleep at night, and I’m having manic episodes because he is nowhere to be found. He’s freaking me out!” her shrill voice broke the thin air in the room.

Horuś jumped in surprise. 'Jesus, woman, keep your voice down, there’s people in here who are trying to relax,’ he shot her a look of warning. 'Look, what Eric does in his free time is none of my business. Believe it or not, we all have our own separate lives outside of the boys’ club,’ he scoffed. 'If you’re wondering if he’s broken down and come running to me crying, I’m happy to report that my robes are tear and snot free.’ He swept a hand over his crimson uniform demonstratively. 'However, if you’re so bothered by his “unusual” behavior and concerned about how this will affect your performance,’ he shot her a cold look, 'You should check up on him yourself rather than come screaming to me. Don’t forget, I’m not your teammate. He is.’

Ava broke the lingering silence, “I’m not really asking much from you, I’m just looking out for your friend. I’m sorry, but people experience horrible things every day, and they still manage to pleasant to others. I was hoping to learn something from you. A little advice would be great..I just needed to know what should I do to make him okay…” her voice cracked.

Horuś let out a breathy laugh. 'Still manage to be pleasant? While that may be the admirable case, have you ever wondered if too much pressure might make the glass break? If Eric is being unpleasant, I don’t blame him.’ He directed his gaze towards the blazing fireplace. 'After all, there are so many people who /don’t/ have terrible things happen to them, yet they’re still terrible to him.’ He propped up his arm on the armrest, and rested his head upon his palm. 'If you’re seeking to make amends with Eric, I think you shouldn’t be so dependent on me. Eric and I share a different dynamic than Eric and you, and whatever I would say to him would end up sounding wrong coming out of your mouth.’ His dark irises flickered away from the flames to bore into her. 'If you want to make him feel better, you’re going to have to do this on your own terms.’ His lips stretched into a cold smile that was neither ill-meaning nor pitiful. It looked like an objective observation in the form of a facial expression. 'But you do have a lot to apologise for. I’m not sure you’re completely aware of how much damage you’ve done.’

Ava sighed, and her eyes softened, finally agreeing with him. “I suppose you’re right. Whatever it is, it’s probably better when it’s coming out of my own mouth.” She fiddled with the ends of her hair before adding, “Thanks anyway. I didn’t mean to blow this out of proportion, it just kind of happened. Have a good night.”

'Good night to you too,’ he said as he unfolded his glasses and put them on again. 'I wish you luck in resolving your … problems with Eric. I think that would be the best for everyone involved in this situation.’ He looked away from her and opened his book once more.