The Wicked Walk On Every Side

Chapter 12

In retrospect, Ryot should have brought Abbey along. He couldn't confront Wolfbane alone! That was like trying to jump from the edge of a cliff. Ryot's heart was in his throat, and his heart was in his shoes.

Wolfbane, oblivious to Ryot's inner freak-out monologue, stood patiently in front of the other boy, giving him an odd look.

"Uh- Ryot? You wanted to speak with me?"

Oh crap, crap, crap, crap. Ryot couldn't do this. No, he has to do this, because it's very important to air issues before they fester and infect. Maybe he could just play it off like he forgot what he was going to say? Like a little 'haha funny joke'?

Ryot took a deep breath, and started wringing his hands behind his back.

"I- uh, yeah." What an elegant start, you dummy! "So-" Ryot's voice broke and squeaked. "We're still friends, right?"

Wolfbane gave him a sympathetic and worried look. "Yeah? Why do you ask?" the blond boy was starting to look nervous, which Ryot could empathize with.

Well, Ryot thought to himself, I've already jumped into the deep end. There's no going back now.

"Well, the other day you looked ill, sort of, and now you haven't talked to me in, like, three days, and I didn't want to get my hopes up. What if you had just said we were friends to get me away from you, y'know?"

As much as Ryot hated crying, his eyes started to well up slightly, and his voice became thick.

Wolfbane's expression seemed to crumple like wet paper. He opened his arms, asking for what Ryot assumed to be a hug. He could use one of those right now, if he was being honest with himself.

Ryot nodded sadly and opened his arms as well. Wolfbane stepped up to Ryot and wrapped his arms under Ryot's arms and around his shoulder blades.

"I'm sorry I've neglected you, Ryot," was said into Ryot's shirt, which made it very muffled.

I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to cry.

"Thank you for apologizing," Ryot said, and he hugged Wolfbane a little tighter.

Wolfbane pulled back just enough so that he could look up at Ryot's face. "We should definitely spend more time together. I don't want you to feel left out again." Ryot's heart did a funky little flip that made him feel like he was going to faint. Wolfbane buried his face back into Ryot's chest. "Do you want to sit with me and my sisters?"

A sweet smile lit up Ryot's face.

"I'd like that."

Unlike when Ryot and Wolfbane left, only one pair of eyes was watching them diligently. Wolfbane knew it was Maxentius, just by the weight of his gaze.

The pair sat down so that Wolfbane was beside Maxentius and Ryot was beside Belladonna. Abbey and Atropa sat side by side, with Atropa being the closest to Maxentius.

"I'm glad to see you've returned," Maxentius said primly, fiddling with his cuff links and then raising his chin to the point of haughtiness.

The Shadow twins both gave the pale-haired Ravenclaw a questioning gaze from either side of him. Ryot just looked uncomfortable.

"Yeah," Wolfbane said, looking at Maxentius through an odd side eye. Redirecting his attention to the rest of the group, Wolfbane said, "This is Ryot."

Ryot sort of gave a perfunctory nod and waved two fingers at the group.

Maxentius lifted an airy eyebrow and then said nothing. Everyone else, however, offered friendly smiles: even Abbey, who was already well acquainted with the fellow Gryffindor.

Wolfbane was starting to sense a pattern. The only time that Maxentius acted prickly was when Ryot was around. Every other time, he was sweet and (dare Wolfbane even think it) cuddly.

This was a curious trend indeed. Wolfbane couldn't quite make out why Maxentius was acting like this. Sure, Maxentius and Ryot has briefly interacted before, but Ryot had been nothing but kind towards Maxentius. Maxentius had only offered the Gryffindor sly remarks that bordered on snobby and potentially cruel.

Wolfbane inwardly sighed, and made himself mentally present with the group once more, but not before one last thought:

I will keep an eye out, and if it comes down to it, I will intervene.