Groaning in irritation, Tiberius nevertheless let Enzo pull his arm away, eyes narrowed to slits as the other young man made his apologies. But how could one be sorry for something they couldn’t remember? It was only meant to smooth his ruffled feathers, pleasant words delivered in a state of undress. Difficult to take seriously — but that could be intentional too, meant to defuse his foul mood.
“I don’t know if you deserve it yet.” He sat back up, swinging his legs out of bed. Traces of flaky dried blood on the pillow, caught out of the corner of his eye, reminded him to hurt. The dull pain became sharp as he gingerly probed his scalp, lowering his hand to stare at his dirty fingertips. It seemed safer than looking at Enzo.
“I thought we were … I don’t know. More.” He didn’t have the language for it, only an awful, squirmy tangle in the pit of his stomach. Maker, he’d mucked things up somehow, without meaning to. Was it worth speaking his mind if it put their friendship at risk? Probably not, but Tiberius plodded onward anyway. “Perhaps I didn’t think you’d want someone else so quickly.”
He knew well enough that academy dalliances or even friendships might not translate to society life in Minrathous. Certainly, both their Houses would expect them to eventually cut their associations with a certain half-elf bastard. He’d been a fool, not seeing it here. And there was nothing Tiberius hated more than feeling foolish.
Standing, he pressed past Enzo to stand before the empty wash basin, peering at his reflection in the dark, silvered glass. Tiberius leaned forward and trickled water from the pitcher over his head wound. Some of it ran down his chin and into the basin, but the vast majority of the water drenched his clothes and splattered the floor. Padding around in wet socks made everything worse as he crossed the room again and started pulling his own clothes out of the wardrobe. He tossed them on the bed, pants, shirt … Paper crinkled audibly in the jacket pocket and he froze with it, crushing the starchy fabric between his hands.
Right. That.
Tiberius pulled the letter out of the inner pocket and thrust it toward Enzo like a dish of poison.
“Well. There wont be any more nights to fuck up. I can’t reenlist with you and Mal.”
“I don’t know if you deserve it yet.” He sat back up, swinging his legs out of bed. Traces of flaky dried blood on the pillow, caught out of the corner of his eye, reminded him to hurt. The dull pain became sharp as he gingerly probed his scalp, lowering his hand to stare at his dirty fingertips. It seemed safer than looking at Enzo.
“I thought we were … I don’t know. More.” He didn’t have the language for it, only an awful, squirmy tangle in the pit of his stomach. Maker, he’d mucked things up somehow, without meaning to. Was it worth speaking his mind if it put their friendship at risk? Probably not, but Tiberius plodded onward anyway. “Perhaps I didn’t think you’d want someone else so quickly.”
He knew well enough that academy dalliances or even friendships might not translate to society life in Minrathous. Certainly, both their Houses would expect them to eventually cut their associations with a certain half-elf bastard. He’d been a fool, not seeing it here. And there was nothing Tiberius hated more than feeling foolish.
Standing, he pressed past Enzo to stand before the empty wash basin, peering at his reflection in the dark, silvered glass. Tiberius leaned forward and trickled water from the pitcher over his head wound. Some of it ran down his chin and into the basin, but the vast majority of the water drenched his clothes and splattered the floor. Padding around in wet socks made everything worse as he crossed the room again and started pulling his own clothes out of the wardrobe. He tossed them on the bed, pants, shirt … Paper crinkled audibly in the jacket pocket and he froze with it, crushing the starchy fabric between his hands.
Right. That.
Tiberius pulled the letter out of the inner pocket and thrust it toward Enzo like a dish of poison.
“Well. There wont be any more nights to fuck up. I can’t reenlist with you and Mal.”
11-25-2024, 01:27 PM
