NIGHTSHADE | marvel x hp

049

The castle's corridors were half-bathed in gold, half-drenched in shadow. The sun hung low, setting the stone walls of the castle aflame in orange light.

Theo and Aria walked side by side, or rather, close enough that it felt like they could be—if not for the deliberate distance Aria kept between them.

Theo's hands were shoved deep into his pockets, shoulders slightly hunched.

After another ten minutes of awkward silence, the male exhaled. "Look, Stark" he started, voice casual in that practiced, detached way of his, "about last time..."

Aria didn't glance at him. "You'll have to be more specific. You're kind of a vague asshole."

Theo let out a huff of air, his stare still on her. So much for trying to diffuse the tension. "I meant the part where I awfully underestimated you and acted like you couldn't handle yourself. It wasn't my place."

"Touché," she said dryly, kicking at a stray pebble.

He scratched the back of his neck. "You know, I wasn't trying to insult you. I just—" He stopped himself, jaw tightening. "I've seen what happens when people don't think before jumping in and I didn't want that to be you."

Aria's gaze softened for a flicker of a second before she looked away again. "Theo, I've been jumping into dangerous situations before you even learned how to tie your tie properly."

"Yeah," he scoffed, a hint of nostalgia in his tone. "I remember dragging you out of said situations a couple of times"

She let out a quiet breath that might've been a laugh. "You make it sound like I didn't save your ass a few times too."

"More than a few," he admitted. "In ways you don't even understand."

The silence that followed wasn't awkward, but it wasn't comfortable either. Just heavy—with all the things they didn't say.

"You don't have to worry about me, Theo." Aria finally said, stopping mid-walk to look at him seriously.

A bitter sound escaped him then, a chuckle, reluctantly passing over his lips. He swallowed it, pressing his fist against his mouth. His dark eyes slid over to the side to meet hers. "You think I haven't tried?"

"Huh?" She blinked and stared, not understanding what he was getting at.

It was absurd. The girl in front of him could analyze every complex system, every foreign situation, yet could never see what stood right in front of her.

Was she doing it on purpose?

Before he could say anything, she continued, "I really don't get you man— you said it yourself last time, you don't care— so why?"

Theo's eyes flashed with disbelief. "Are you serious right now?" he asked, voice rough.

Aria crossed her arms, defensive. "What? You did say it. You said you didn't care—"

"I lied, Aria!" The words tore out of him before he could stop them. His voice echoed against the quiet stone walls of the corridor, raw and too loud in the empty space. He dragged a hand through his hair, pacing a few steps away before spinning back toward her. "I fucking lied, alright?"

Aria just stood there, stunned.

Theo let out a low, frustrated sound, somewhere between a sigh and a growl. "What was I supposed to say? That I cared so much it was driving me insane? That watching you throw yourself into danger makes me want to rip my goddamn hair out?" His hands dropped to his sides, then he pressed one against his mouth as if to stop the words from spilling further. "Fuck" he muttered under his breath, half to himself.