arescere ✿ xavier thorpe

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46 - to miss someone

a knock at the door sounded, peter froze in his spot as a look of horror spread on wednesday's face. she lifted from the hair, the wood scraping lightly. only to find ms thornhill already entering the room. peter motioned for uncle fester to get under enid's bed. the man seemingly disappearing in the shadows under the bed.

"i didn't mean to startle you. two." she spoke soft looking a wednesday before dragging her sentence out, noticing peter sat cross legged on her bed. a grin lifted onto her face at the sight of him.

"i was just working on my novel." wednesday added, looking over to what ms thornhill was staring so intensely at. peter belfiore.

"he was helping." is all she added, face unchanged as she looked back at ms thornhill. who didn't look convinced.

"enid has requested to room with yoko for the rest of the school year." peter could imagine the look on wednesday's face falling slightly, an almost jealous look spreading across her eyes.

"she did?" it sounded almost shaky. peter could see how her fingers tightly grabbed her trousers, nails sinking into the fabric.

"when there's a falling out, i like to get both girl's perspectives on what happened." ms thornhill spoke and wednesday scoffed, walking away from her. almost as if a sign to end the conversation. but ms thornhill was a thorn. she couldn't take a hint.

"you two seemed as thick as thieves." she continued.

"ultimately, thieves turn on each other. i've seen it with my own eyes." wednesday added, no longer maintaining eye contact to show her interest in the conversation. instead she faced away from the teacher, back to her as she moved back to her desk. the typewriter awaiting the next unfinished sentence.

"deflect all you want. but you and i. as well as peter, too actually. all know that you care about enid. and you have to admit she managed to help mr belfiore bring out a spark of warmth in you. oh don't worry, just a tiny spark. barely perceptible to the average eye. but i noticed. part of the dorm experience is making friends with people that you wouldn't normally connect with. and those friendships often turn into lifelong bonds." the women spoke, peter remained in his seat. glaring every time the women mentioned him, it was creepy how ms thornhill almost managed to include him. infact he didn't like it all. a cold shiver spread over his mind every time she spoke his name infact.

"i would rather buy a rope." wednesday drawled, practically rolling her eyes.

"is it really so difficult for you to admit you made a friend? and now that she's gone you might actually miss her." ms thornhill continued placing her hand on the girls shoulder. too which wednesday immediately knocked it off.

"yes."

"ill survive alone. i always have." wednesday spits, ignore the small scoff peter gave from her bed.

"well if that's your decision, i'll submit the forms to principal weems. mr belfiore, i shall escort you to your own room now." the teacher spoke, an upset look evident on her face as she moved to the door. peter softly nodded. she was right. he shouldn't be here anyways. peter slips pass thornhill as she turns back to wednesday.

"oh and ms addams. surviving alone means to be truly alone, not with peter at your beck and call." and the door shut. leaving wednesday stood in her dark cold room once more. she hated ms thornhill always seeming to be right, not that she'd admit it of course. oh never. peter walked beside ms thornhill in silene. the women had tried to get the boy to open up about something with xavier but he simply wasn't listening. for some reason all he could think of was his mum. her birthday was coming up, he would have to convince ms weems to let him go home for the weekend. he wondered what her grave looked like now, he used to visit it everyday before nevermore. making sure the stone was clean, no weeds. only the prettiest orange flowers dotting around. orange was always her favourite colour. but not orange like the fruit though, more of a terracotta orange. like her clay sculptures she made. his mother had died when he was around eleven, just before his nevermore days. william belfiore blamed peter's powers for his mother's death. the women had grown weak from cancer and his power had stripped her from all her strength. and she had withered away before their eyes. they both knew it wasn't true, but it didn't stop them from believing it. he didn't even realise he was crying until he felt a minty smell wrap around him. pulling him out of his headspace to realise xavier thorpe was hugging him. he hadn't even realised he had made it to their room.

"it's okay." the boy mumbled, and pete let out a shaky breath. allowing himself to melt into the taller boy, who held him on his feet. moving them over to peter's bed. xavier dragged him onto the bed. his arms still wrapped around him as peter let out small sobs, getting softer and softer as the moment passed.

"what happened?" he heard xavier question, he moved his head slightly so he was no longer buried in the boys chest. instead looking up at him with reddened green eyes, wet eyelashes and puffy cheeks. and yet xavier still felt his chest bubble, how could someone be so beautiful.

"my mum." is all peter said, remaining wrapped in xavier's arms. the warm minty smell was so inviting, his touch like a kiln to his porcelain frame. it was strangely comforting. so he remained there, listening to the soft thump of the boy's chest. the careful breaths he took causing his chest to rise and fall. it was sweet. it was raw. this was something neither of the boys had experienced before. lying together. had never felt so normal. it felt like what they were made for. they laid, bodies slotted together like puzzle pieces. neither boys had a good home, but they were laying here. they had never felt more at home. a smell of mint and chocolate, the painter and the writer. the thorpe boy and the belfiore descent. this is what they were made for.