in which kit rook is a reckless boy angry at the world, and he learns that not everyone is out to get him.
| ᴋɪᴛ ʜᴇʀᴏɴᴅᴀʟᴇ + ᴛʏ ʙʟᴀᴄᴋᴛʜᴏʀɴ |
| ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴋ ᴀʀᴛɪғɪᴄᴇs / ᴛʜᴇ ᴡɪᴄᴋᴇᴅ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀs |
| ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ ᴀᴜ |
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KIT WAS, IN LACK OF A BETTER WORD, A BIT OVERWHELMED.
In his seventeen years of life, he'd only ever had dinner with his father. A dead silence of forks scraping and throats clearing, eyes drawn down and utensils gripped dangerously tight. Some days it was even less than that—his father would be away, out on "business." Those days, Kit would sit and eat in the cold house by himself, as much of his childhood had always been.
But dinner with the Blackthorns and Carstairs'-well, that was something else entirely.
He hadn't been in any way prepared for the onslaught of noise that it brought on. Of course, Kit was no stranger to loud noises, having often been surrounded by pounding music or blaring sirens, but noises of laughter and joy were definitely new to him.
Thankfully, conversation mostly stayed clear of him- it was much more focused on the Blackthorn girl Livvy, who had apparently recently acquired a boyfriend, and to Jem when he recounted some story about a woman named Lily.
Kit didn't pay either conversation much mind. He was much more focused on glaring down at the table, or staring at the wall, sitting so ridgedly in his seat that it was painfully obvious how out of place he felt. Beside him sat Tessa, who would glance over at him worriedly every few minutes, and across the table sat the gray-eyed Blackthorn boy.
Ty. That was his name. From Kit's first glance at him, he had already been entranced. How beautiful, he'd thought, as they locked eyes and Kit took in the boy's features. The raven-black hair, the pale skin and soft jawline, and the piercing silver eyes that Kit couldn't find himself escaping.
Kit blinked in surprise as he realized that. Yes, this boy was beautiful. Differently from how the other boys and girls were– they were usually beautiful in a way that was purely physical. Hot or cute, Kit figured was a better word for them. But this Ty person, the look in his eyes, the small expressions he showed—it was as if his very soul was beautiful as well as his outside.
Ty hadn't spoken much either. He made a few comments about Livvy's boyfriend and smiled a bit, but for the most part his gaze stayed focused on the table. His fingers would occasionally come above the table line, allowing Kit to see them fiddling with what he figured was an earbud wire. Kit thought that was a bit strange, to be listening to music while at dinner with your family, but didn't ponder on it.
Every once in a while, Kit would catch Ty's gray eyes flicking up, locking his gaze with Kit's before one of them would look away. It wasn't exactly awkward, the quick look the two would share, but more of a curious exchange of glances.
Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Kit jumped a little, startled. Realizing it was just Tessa peering down at him, he also noticed that the whole table seemed to have quieted, and were now focusing their attention on him. Kit flinched internally. He knew it would have to happen at some point, but he had hoped that he wouldn't have to socialize with them for at least a bit longer.
