Chapter Text
After returning to Hogwarts, Ratio took an extremely long bath. He was so tired by the end of his obsessive scrubbing that he didn’t recall much more of what happened that night – he assumed he passed out as soon as he struck his bed.
Numb from their adventure in the Forbidden Forest, it wasn’t until several days later that Ratio even remembered his intention to confess.
And when he did, he once again spent the day debating if it was the right decision.
He knew it was what he wanted, and he was quite certain it would make Aventurine happy, too. But what about their studies? They were fine the way they currently were, and he knew his feelings wouldn’t change even if he didn’t confess right away. Besides, their N.E.W.T.s were in seven months. Should he wait until they graduated? Seven months wasn’t a long time in the grand scheme of things… especially if he wanted to be by the gambler’s side forever.
He was still very uncertain when he went to pick Aventurine up that night. He found the blonde pacing circles around the Kelpie statue, clearly quite agitated. Wondering if yet another precious item of his had been stolen, Ratio greeted him cautiously.
“Gambler.”
“Ratio!”
Aventurine all but leapt at him.
Heart fluttering from the blonde’s sudden proximity, Ratio blinked and averted his gaze.
“I got a fifteen on my History of Magic paper!”
At that, Ratio glanced back and raised an eyebrow. “Out of…?”
“A hundred!”
His brow plummeted. He frowned at the gambler, seeing now that Aventurine’s eyes were round with dismay.
Admittedly, Ratio had stripped much of their tutoring sessions of magical history. As significant as historical events were, they simply didn’t have the time to prioritize them over fundamentals of spellcasting or how to keep one’s fingers intact in Herbology. He could see how, if an in-class paper required them to draw from previous course material, the gambler would have absolutely no idea what to write.
“… You shouldn’t have taken it as an elective.”
He couldn’t offer anything comforting. But as Aventurine’s gaze turned pleading and puppy-like, Ratio sighed and gestured for them to walk.
“Does it really matter?” he said wearily, as they headed along the familiar path towards the Room of Requirement. “History of Magic won’t be a significant part of your N.E.W.T.s, if at all, and failing an elective won’t stop you from graduating as long as you do well elsewhere. History is not something you can catch up on quickly, nor is it something you can absorb with sheer talent. There’s simply too much content to memorize.”
Aventurine sighed. It wasn’t often that Ratio heard the blonde sound this blatantly dismayed, and he couldn’t completely hide his worry as he glanced over.
“My…” Aventurine began, only to stare down at his feet and hesitate. It took the blonde a considerable amount of silence before he tried again.
“… My father, he was a professor at Hogwarts for nine years before he became a politician,” he eventually admitted, his voice thick with some uninterpretable tension. “He taught History of Magic.”
Ratio blinked down at the blonde in surprise. Having resignedly spoken, Aventurine sighed and looked up to meet his gaze with a forlorn smile.
“… I’d rather not have him hear that I did poorly on his favourite subject.”
They reached the blank corridor and paused to let the Room appear.
“Alright,” Ratio sighed, opening the door for them and letting Aventurine pass first. “We’ll slot in some space to review it. You’ll have to give me some time to recall the materials myself, though… it’s been a while since I finished the History of Magic curriculum. In the meantime… ”
Striding in after the blonde, he summoned more tomes on their way to the study nook.
“We’ll be doing these today. These are mock N.E.W.T.s from previous years – the professors like to format their Winter Assessments similarly, so it’s good practice for your upcoming exams.”
He laid out the tomes in front of Aventurine’s rather overwhelmed stare.
“It’s fine to struggle, you should figure it out on your own,” he declared nonchalantly, taking a seat on the other side. “… But I’ll be here if you really need me.”
After that, every night was a blur.
Aventurine was completely immersed in preparing for his Winter Assessments. Outside of History of Magic, he was also struggling with some of the more difficult concepts in Potions and Herbology, and Ratio could see that he was getting quite anxious.
In fact, the gambler was so stressed out about schoolwork that Ratio wasn’t even sure he’d say yes to a confession. It was terrible timing. He’d have to be an insensitive dimwit to confess right now.
And so the last few weeks before winter break sprinted by in a fog of stress and sleep-deprivation. Ratio was kept busy tutoring his own set of panicking students, working on his thesis, and helping professors grade assignments for the younger years. In what felt like the blink of an eye, the final day of the first semester – and the day of the Winter Assessments – was already upon them.
Ratio had already completed the Winter Assessments three times with a perfect score, each time achieving over a hundred percent by pointing out flaws in the questions or proving some novel never-before-seen solution – so he was exempt this year. The professors had finally decided to let him use that time on better things.
Instead, after finishing his morning duties, Ratio fetched a cup of hot chocolate from the Great Hall and went to wait outside the examination room.
He only meant to greet the gambler like one might greet a friend. He knew the examination room could get cold in the winter, and he felt that a hot, sweet drink might be comforting to an exhausted mind. But he had arrived early, and as he waited by the ominous double doors, Ratio’s ever-active mind began to fret.
He started rehearsing what he would say.
He imagined the gambler stumbling out of the exam room amidst the crowd of disgruntled students. He’d probably look dazed and tired, and he might even wander off without noticing Ratio was there.
Ratio figured he’d have to step in. He’d block off Aventurine’s path and stare nonchalantly downwards as the blonde blinked up at him in bleary confusion.
“I’m surprised you made it out,” he’d say gruffly, offering Aventurine the mug of hot chocolate. “I thought you’d still be in there, crying at your desk.”
He imagined the gambler’s features would melt into a dazzling grin as he laughed. He’d take the hot chocolate and bump their shoulders together as they fell naturally into step side-by-side, oblivious to the jealous looks that everyone else was throwing their way.
“Shouldn’t you have more faith in a student you personally tutored?” Aventurine would cheekily retort.
“Of course I do,” Ratio would declare, his tone softening as he slid an arm around the gambler and pulled him close. “… Well done.”
He imagined Aventurine would fall silent, startled by the tenderness in his voice, the intimacy of his gesture. Then, the gambler would lower his head and dip his lips shyly into his hot chocolate, hiding the giddy smile on his face.
And smoothly, Ratio would continue.
“Winter break starts tomorrow. Do you have any plans? If not, would you like to…”
The doors opened and noise burst into the hallway – screeching chairs and footsteps, relieved chatter and doomed groans. Snapping out of his delusions with an excited flutter of his heart, Ratio clutched the mug of hot chocolate and waited for a tell-tale golden-haired silhouette to emerge.
… But he never did.
The students flowed past until at last only a few stragglers staggered out, most of them looking quite distraught. Frowning, Ratio stepped closer and peered inside the room. He wasn’t actually crying at his desk, was he…?
After some hesitation, Ratio went inside. The room was empty – there weren’t any students left. Only Professor Xueyi remained at the front of the class, her quill moving rapidly as she presumably graded papers.
“Professor.”
He greeted her quietly, not wanting to startle her. Xueyi lifted her head, stared at him blankly for a moment, then nodded in greeting.
“Ratio.”
“Er…” he fumbled slightly, unsure of how to ask such an odd question. “Aventurine… was he here?”
Xueyi gave him another expressionless glance.
“Yes.”
Ratio felt a pang of gratitude for the matter-of-fact professor. If it had been Robin or Gallagher, no doubt he’d have been teased to the ends of the earth…
“But he left early,” she continued, looking back down at her papers.
“Early?” Ratio repeated in surprise.
“Yes, quite so. He seemed in a rush,” Xueyi answered. “I told him he had more time if he wanted to look over his answers, but he said it was alright. I assume he had some very important matters to attend to.”
“… I see,” Ratio murmured, frowning to himself. “Thank you.”
Turning, he began to make his way out.
“Enjoy your winter break,” Xueyi added.
“… Likewise.”
The next day, the castle was already barren. Ratio hadn’t managed to find the gambler, so he was forced to assume that Aventurine had also returned home for the holidays.
His parents were still abroad, and his grandmother was travelling with her clique of classy friends, so Ratio had no reason to leave Hogwarts. He usually very much enjoyed the holiday season, because he could use the library at all hours of the day in complete and utter peace… but this year, he was distracted.
… Was the gambler okay?
He couldn’t help but fret.
Professor Xueyi said he had left abruptly, probably for important matters, and Ratio was inclined to believe her interpretation. The only ‘important matters’ he could think of were family related, none of them comforting. Had Erikyan needed him for something?
He spent a day combing through news headlines and current articles, but didn’t find anything new on the politician or his adopted son.
He began to feel disconcerted. Aventurine had disappeared so suddenly… it almost felt like the gambler had been a figment of his own imagination. Sometimes, Ratio even entertained the possibility that it was true. The emotions he’d felt these past few months had been remarkable… almost too wondrous to believe. Maybe ‘Aventurine’ had never even been real.
In any case… there wasn’t anything Ratio could do now. He had already tried to send an owl, but the bird had returned the next day with the undelivered letter, and he hadn’t been surprised. He didn’t know Aventurine’s address, after all, and he assumed a politician like Erikyan wouldn’t reside in such an accessible place.
After several days of lamenting over the gambler’s whereabouts, he sighed and told himself to just… relax. Enjoy the peace and quiet.
Goodness knew he was long overdue for some.
During the holiday season, all of Hogwarts became an ideal reading spot. The lounge in the Astronomy Tower, which was usually crowded, had a mystical aura and very comforting chairs, perfect for studying old myths and legends at night. The fireplace by the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom was spacious and full of grandeur, with magical instruments and a classy atmosphere that was ideal for some light evening reading. And of course, the enchanted fountain in the Central Hall, right outside the library and illuminated with natural light, was a great place to meditate in the morning… as long as the nearby portraits didn’t make too much chatter.
Ratio was quite content indulging in the school’s massive collection of knowledge with the entire castle as his own personal living room. But still, there would be occasions when he’d glance at a familiar corner or walk down a well-worn corridor, and be struck by a vivid memory.
He’d remembered passing Aventurine in this same hall a few weeks ago, and he’d see the smug smirk on the gambler’s face as they exchanged secret glances. Or, he’d pass the portrait of the weeping lady and remember spotting the gambler standing here once, comforting her with witty jokes until, through her snivelling, she finally managed a chuckle. Or, he’d find himself in the Room of Requirement, sitting on the edge of the bed he had slept in one night and gazing at the empty sheets across from him as he reminisced the laughter, the cries, and the many, many hours they had spent together here…
Even in the Scholar’s Caldarium, where he had absolutely no memories of the gambler’s presence, his mind remained polluted.
He sighed and lowered his head, his voice terse with frustration and heartache. The Aquafeys hovering nearby watched him tentatively, their translucent figures wide-eyed in fascination as they observed his complicated emotions.
It was the evening of December 23rd. He had retreated to the Scholar’s Caldarium for his usual bath – the longer, more luxurious, several-hours-long holiday version. He had brought several books from the library, but they were all lying along the tiles, unread. He couldn’t focus. He didn’t want to think about Aventurine, but it was much easier to give in than to strain himself struggling to think of anything else.
“… We’ll have to arrange new curriculum for the second semester,” Ratio murmured out loud. Well, if he was going to obsess over the gambler, he might as well be productive about it. Though things had gotten messy near the end, he had successfully achieved his goal of reviewing the first to fourth years of magical schooling with Aventurine. The gambler had also done quite well on his O.W.L.s, showing the most proficiency – unsurprisingly – in Charms and Defence Against the Dark Arts, but also scoring impressively in other subjects, too.
That said, Aventurine’s interests seemed to lie elsewhere. Rather than casting spells, he seemed more fascinated by the mysteries of Herbology, Potions, and Care of Magical Creatures.
“What do you wish to study?”
He could imagine the gambler’s enthusiastic reply all too vividly.
“Everything!”
Ratio chuckled to himself. His heart squeezed with a sensation that was both painful and warm, and he trailed off with a rather heavy sigh. Gazing out at the calm waters before him, he reflected forlornly on his emotions.
… Ratio never thought he would feel lonely.
It had always been ‘peace and quiet’, ‘time with his thoughts’, and ‘a good place to meditate’, never… ‘alone’.
He never thought there would be a day when he’d wish this much for someone to be by his side.
“… I miss you.”
He whispered the words softly under his breath. His cheeks seared with self-conscious heat, but he didn’t regret admitting it.
It did, still, make him feel quite flustered. Averting his gaze from his reflection in the water, Ratio splashed water on his face and rubbed his cheeks with his hands, sighing loudly as he did.
“… You damned gambler.”
Muffled within his palms, his voice sounded like a groan.
“I can’t stop thinking about you. What should I do…?”
“How about a game?”
A blithe voice replied.
Scoffing, Ratio lowered his hands.
“You would say that–”
He stiffened, realization hitting his mind only a second later.
Slender fingers grazed the water, the disturbed ripples caressing his bare torso. Squatting by the pool, a pretty face framed in blonde hair tilted towards him, vibrant irises shimmering with reflected waves and lips arched in a crooked smile.
“Missed me, did you, Ratio?”
Ratio stared at the figure, his mind racing through all the possible explanations. A magical property of the Scholar’s Caldarium? Were the Aquafeys capable of summoning illusions? Or was he actually just hallucinating–
Aventurine closed his eyes, his teeth flashing and lashes shimmering as he uttered a soft laugh.
“… I followed you here a previous night, out of curiosity. The portrait of the witch outside, Madame Herta, told me the magic phrase. I’m not a trick of the light, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
As proof, the young man lifted his hand out of the water and gently touched Ratio’s arm.
He felt it clearly – the faint caress of fingertips against his biceps. The gambler’s hands were freezing cold against his skin. The sensation was undeniably real.
… He really was here.
Ratio’s breath vanished – what little of it had been left, anyway. His mind felt like it had crystallized into glass and then cracked down the middle. He stared at the gambler, overwhelmed with the urge to grab him and drag him into the water. Aventurine would laugh, so he’d pin the gambler roughly against the side of the pool and silence him with his lips. They’d kiss, and kiss, until neither of them could breathe, and even then, they’d probably still continue–
“Hehe.”
Ratio returned to reality with a startled huff. Aventurine’s giggle sounded apologetic, and his grin had turned rather forlorn.
“Sorry. I’m disturbing you, aren’t I? I just… thought you’d be here.” The blonde’s gaze swept to the side in an almost embarrassed look as his voice became a mumble. “I… wanted to see you.”
“… No,” Ratio managed to croak.
He stared at Aventurine. Aventurine stared back. It took him several seconds to realize that his answer had been extremely vague.
“I mean…” Clearing his throat with some difficulty, Ratio adjusted himself. As he moved through the water, he suddenly became aware of how very naked he was beneath the translucent waves, and he placed his hand over his lap with an embarrassed cough. “It’s fine.”
Was it fine? ‘Fine’ wasn’t how he would usually describe this situation. But he was happy that Aventurine was here. He didn’t want him to leave.
… Perhaps that meant it was fine.
Clearing his throat again – it was still very hoarse – Ratio tried to organize his screeching thoughts into a somewhat logical sequence.
“What are you doing here…? I mean…” It took him several awkward huffs to get to what he was really trying to say. “You left so abruptly. What were you doing? Why are you suddenly back? H-How did your Winter Assessments go?”
No, that wasn’t what he was trying to say at all. What in Merlin’s name was he saying?
At the very least, Aventurine didn’t seem to mind. Grinning sheepishly, the youth sat down at the edge of the pool, crossing his legs and appearing to make himself comfortable.
“They were fine. A bit rushed, if I have to admit, but it sounds like you heard.”
Leaning his head against his arms, Aventurine cast him a rueful smile.
“Sorry for vanishing on you. Erik – my ‘father’ needed me for something urgent.”
A frown slid onto Ratio’s face. He hadn’t missed that slip.
Aventurine clearly hadn’t, either. Perhaps attempting to distract Ratio, he reached forward and splashed him with a small handful of water, laughing playfully as Ratio took it full to the face.
Grimacing, Ratio wiped the water away, but couldn’t bring himself to really glare at the gambler. He was still too grateful for Aventurine’s presence to feel annoyed.
“When – why did you come back?” Ratio asked, his voice still laced with confusion.
Aventurine bared his teeth in a cheerful-looking grin, but there was enough tension in his jaw for Ratio to suspect that it was forced.
“Cause I missed you!” Opening his eyes, the gambler tilted his head and smiled smugly at him. “Like how you missed me… right?”
Flushing, Ratio averted his gaze.
“You heard that…?”
“Nope,” Aventurine admitted with a chuckle. “It was a wild guess – until now. You just confirmed it, haha!”
His face burned even hotter. Sighing, Ratio lowered his head and resisted the urge to plunge himself beneath the water.
“Well then… how have you been doing?” Casting the gambler a wary look, he tried to steer the conversation in a more… ordinary direction.
Playing along, Aventurine eased his mischief away and relaxed into a soft smile.
“… Good.”
The gambler’s murmur faded into silence. They gazed at each other, Ratio too mesmerized by his presence to think of what to say next, Aventurine too… he didn’t know. The blonde’s smile was gentle, but unreadable. It seemed genuine, but at the same time, cryptic.
“… You?”
Eventually, Aventurine continued the conversation.
“… Good.”
Though that didn’t get them very far, either.
They gazed at each other again, the silence lasting even longer this time. As embarrassed as he felt, Ratio couldn’t take his eyes off the blonde. He was captivated, mesmerized… he couldn’t believe this was real. Aventurine gazed back, his delicate features tender, almost dazed… as though he didn’t really believe he was here, either.
There was an unusual haze in his eyes, Ratio began to realize. The dull veil over his irises… it was thicker than usual. Not exhaustion, nor pain… not quite. It almost seemed like relief, but an eerie kind… like the kind of reprieve one might feel when they were finally released from extreme suffering. Defeat, or absolute surrender… that was what it looked like.
Ratio felt discomfort crawl through his throat. He swallowed, hard.
“Do you… want to join me?”
He asked, but only because it seemed polite. The gambler shook his head, and he wasn’t surprised.
“Should I come out?”
That was the next obvious suggestion. The gambler again shook his head.
Ratio fell silent, out of suggestions.
“… Don’t mind me.” Perhaps self-conscious of the atmosphere he was creating, Aventurine smiled and spoke softly. “Continue to enjoy your bath – I just want to sit. I just… wanted to see you.”
Perhaps feeling abashed by his confession, the gambler shifted. The bottom cuffs of his trousers shifted upwards.
That was when Ratio saw it – the dark lacerations around his ankles.
He stiffened. Swiftly, before Aventurine could react, he reached over and grabbed the youth’s ankle.
Aventurine flinched violently, his entire body paralyzing as though in fear.
“… What is this?”
Ratio barely recognized his voice. It came out low and gravelly, and far more threatening than he’d meant for it to sound.
Aventurine tried to laugh. It came out as more of a shaky gasp.
Jaw clenching, Ratio climbed out of the bath and reached for the gambler’s arm. Aventurine flinched away, but not quickly enough to actually escape his grasp.
Latching onto the blonde’s wrist, Ratio rolled up his sleeve, his stare turning hard and glassy as he absorbed the wounds littered across Aventurine’s delicate-looking arm.
He lifted his head and cast the gambler a disbelieving stare. Aventurine’s gaze was lowered, his face shadowed beneath his bangs, his lips pressed together in a quivering smile.
“You… You went home though, didn’t you?”
Ratio could hear the breathlessness in his voice. Part of him still couldn’t comprehend the obvious conclusion to what he was seeing.
Aventurine didn’t answer.
A strange sensation began to seize him, chilling horror and burning anger combined, sizzling and evaporating together in his chest. Reaching forward even more, Ratio grabbed the gambler by the front of his shirt and tried to loosen his top button.
“Don’t.”
Aventurine grabbed his arm.
Ratio paused. He gazed at the blonde, guilt and fury and wretched helplessness clashing in his gut.
“Let me see.”
Aventurine tightened his grip. He could feel the gambler’s fingernails digging into his arm. He could feel them trembling.
“I won’t tell anyone.” He tried to soften his voice. He tried to sound reassuring. But he didn’t think he was successful. He could still hear the rage quivering in the undertones of his deep voice. “I won’t ask any questions.”
Aventurine didn’t relinquish his grip. A prickle began to sting in Ratio’s throat, frustration and desperation turning his voice raw and raspy.
“… I won’t hurt you.”
At that, the gambler’s lips parted. A faint, almost silent breath escaped his mouth. He didn’t raise his head, and he didn’t relax… but slowly, tentatively, he released Ratio’s arm.
Ratio uttered a shaky, hesitant sigh. He reached forward again, moving slowly this time as he unbuttoned Aventurine’s shirt and slid the fabric away from his shoulders.
His breath caught. His jaw stiffened, and he clenched his teeth together as he struggled to contain his rage.
But he didn’t say anything. He’d promised not to.
Quietly, Ratio summoned his wand over.
“Episkey.”
He made his way across the gambler’s torso, murmuring healing spells under his breath. He could hear his voice trembling. Aventurine could probably hear it, too.
But gradually, the gambler seemed to calm. His fists, clenched by his lap, loosened somewhat, and his chest once again began to rise with faint, cautious breaths.
“My… ‘father’, held a party.”
He spoke a while later, perhaps feeling that Ratio deserved an explanation for his help.
“Everyone had too much to drink. Things got a little wild.”
Aventurine lifted his head and offered him a forlorn smile.
“That’s all.”
It was a terrible lie. But Ratio could only nod along.
He saw markings that extended past the gambler’s pelvis, but Ratio didn’t think he could ask Aventurine to take off his pants. As he hesitated, debating, Aventurine pulled away and began to put his shirt back on, chuckling airily as he did.
“Thanks, that feels a lot better. I was starting to get really itchy, haha.”
Ratio pressed his lips tightly together. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to rage or cry. Not that he’d ever do either…
“… Wait.”
As the gambler buttoned up, Ratio reached out to his collar – only for Aventurine to flinch violently, startling him to a sudden halt.
He stared at the youth, eyes wide, breath held. Aventurine stared back, fear shimmering in his eyes – brief, but unmistakable.
Then, forcibly, the blonde relaxed. He uttered another laugh and gave Ratio an apologetic smile.
“What is it?”
“There’s something…” Hesitantly, Ratio lowered his gaze to the gambler’s nape. He hadn’t noticed it before, because he hadn’t ever looked for it, nor would he ever have expected it to be there – but there was a magical enchantment around the blonde’s neck. And after seeing all those other wounds, there was no way he could ignore it.
Holding his breath, Ratio neutralized the spell. As the magic ebbed away and revealed the true nature of what was underneath, he lowered his wand, appalled. He could feel the colour draining from his face.
Dark symbols marred the gambler’s neck, deep scars permanently blackening his skin, branding him with a word so horrendous that it chilled Ratio just to read it in his mind.
Only just seeming to realize, Aventurine huffed sharply and slapped a hand over his neck. He looked up at Ratio, eyes closing in a grin, brows furrowing in dismay.
“Oh, right, haha… don’t worry about this. It’s really old. My ‘father’ covered it up for me so that it wouldn’t shock anyone at school.”
Ratio parted his lips. He uttered a sound that must have been the beginnings of a question, only to remember that he had promised not to ask.
With extreme difficulty, he swallowed. It took him several breaths before he could once again speak.
“Did you… want me to recast the enchantment?”
“Er… yeah, I guess.” Aventurine tilted his head with a sheepish smile. He seemed rather tentative, but he lowered his hand, averting his gaze as he once again exposed his brand. “I mean, it doesn’t bother me, but… it might make others uncomfortable.”
“It doesn’t…” Ratio trailed off. He didn’t feel like he was in any position to offer his own opinion. Holding back his many thoughts, he took a deep breath and raised his wand, once again hiding the brand with magic.
Once it was finished, he knelt back. He stared at Aventurine, speechless, his mind still feeling like shattered glass as he looked at the person he thought he’d gotten to know these past few months.
He had suspected, but he hadn’t known. He hadn’t truly known anything.
He was beginning to understand why the Sorting hat had been so shocked. Remembering how scathingly he’d scoffed back then, Ratio felt a pang of shame. From frivolous gambler to fascinating subject, then from unexpected friend to inexplicable obsession, to now… this.
He had no words to express the anguish and desires crushing his heart right now.
Aventurine gazed back, his expression tentative at first, but gradually easing into rueful amusement.
“Haha… what’s with that look?” The gambler bared his teeth in that forced grin again. “Get back in the water, Ratio. I didn’t mean to derail your night.”
Ratio felt his lips pull upwards. His brow furrowed, his cheeks stiffened, and his eyelids trembled. He stared at Aventurine, feeling, for the first time in a very long time, tears threaten to cloud his vision.
Seeing that he wasn’t going to retreat, Aventurine pulled back himself with a sigh of mock drama.
“Alright, fine, I guess I’ll take my leave first–”
He didn’t get to finish. Before the gambler could escape any further, Ratio reached out and dragged him into his arms.
Too overwhelmed with sorrow and yearning to feel any kind of trepidation, he wrapped his arms tightly around Aventurine and pressed the youth into his chest. Stretching his fingers across the gambler’s back, Ratio fervently embraced as much of him as possible.
“… You’re safe here.”
His words, ragged and hoarse, muffled themselves against the gambler’s hidden brand as he burrowed his face into Aventurine nape.
“… You’re safe.”
He heard Aventurine’s breath catch, then fade. Against him, the gambler’s chest stopped rising… but his heart continued to beat.
He could feel it fluttering against his own, weaker, but faster. Their pulses pushed against each other in a disjoint mess, but slowly, gradually, began to match each other’s pace… until their hearts were pounding in perfect synchrony.
Slowly, he felt Aventurine sigh. The body in his arms tentatively began to relax, and to his slight surprise, Ratio felt palms begin to press on his own back, too.
“… Aha…”
Laughter trickled into his ear, soft and breathy, twisted with a mixture of pain, amusement, and relief.
“… Maybe if you put some clothes on, Ratio… I’d feel safer.”
Ratio stiffened. Right… in light of those shocking revelations, he’d forgotten about his… level of exposure.
Hoping his face wasn’t as scarlet as it felt, he released the gambler. Aventurine didn’t scramble away – if anything, he seemed quite reluctant to part – but the blonde did lean back with a quiet laugh, so that Ratio could at least cover himself with a towel.
“… Can I change my mind?” Aventurine then asked, his voice soft, almost affectionate.
Still averting his very heated face, Ratio grunted. “Pertaining?”
“Joining you.”
He glanced over, surprised. Aventurine gazed back, his smile pure and earnest, devoid of any mischief or suggestion.
“In the bath?” Ratio asked in slight disbelief.
Aventurine nodded. “Yeah. And…” He hesitated, seeming a little embarrassed, but grinned sheepishly and said it anyway. “… For the rest of your holidays, too.”
It took a moment for the gambler’s murmur to sink into Ratio’s astonished mind. But once it did, the most marvellous sensation spread through his torso.
It didn’t completely ease away his wretchedness, but… it sure made it worth it.
Parting his lips, he released some of the tension in his chest as a warm, hoarse chuckle.
“Of course.”
He offered his hand to the gambler.
This time, Aventurine didn’t hesitate to take it.