Closed It Has Been a While

[Augustus Westwick]

Augustus had tried to give Addison some space, as she seemed not to want to talk to him as much, but he missed her a lot. After waiting for her to approach him for a bit, Augustus finally decided to take a step himself. He wondered if he had upset her somehow, or was it the prefect's badge that was the problem? Was she sad he had gotten it and she hadn't? Augustus wasn't sure, but he was going to try to find out. The boy had been looking for Addison for a bit and finally found her at the lake. He hesitated, then tapped her shoulder. "Hi." He mumbled.

 

[Addison Beckett]

Addy had been hanging out at the lake more, hiding away from everyone. She felt like her entire life had fallen apart. She nearly jumped out of her skin when someone tapped her shoulder, spinning around. "Augustus," she yelped, falling back and immediately lowering her eyes to the ground. "H-hi," she stuttered, wrapping her arms around herself and doing her best not to look up at him. If she did, she knew she would cry.

 

[Augustus Westwick]

Augustus looked down at Addison, seeing immediately that she was upset. Had he made a mistake in seeking her out? He winced when she fell back, taking a small step back in case she wanted him to leave. "Sorry." He muttered. "I didn't know if you wanted to be alone. I could go." He offered hesitantly, though he really wanted to talk to her.

 

[Addison Beckett]

Addy's eyes widened as Augustus said he would leave. Without thinking, a hand shot out to reach for his sleeve, and she looked up to him quickly. "W-wait, no," she hesitated, her defenses crumbling as she met his gaze. Tears filled her eyes, and she looked away again, hiccupping softly. She brought her hands up to rub at her eyes. "I-i..." she bit her lip, wrapping her arms around her torso and letting her hair fall to cover her face. "My mom... my mom died," She explained, not looking up at him again.

 

[Augustus Westwick]

Augustus looked down in surprise as Addison grabbed his sleeve, telling him to wait. He was more confused than ever but stopped in his tracks. He watched uncomfortably as Addison started to cry, quickly averting his gaze. She let go of his sleeve which he was glad about, but then she told him her mom had died. Augustus blinked, looking back down at her. "Oh." He said quietly, his mind racing for something better to say. "I'm... sorry. When did that happen?" He asked awkwardly, aware he wasn't handling this correctly but also unsure about what else to say.

 

[Addison Beckett]

Addy sighed, rubbing at her eyes and trying to pull herself together. "Just before we came back..." she spoke softly, looking away and wrapping her arms tighter around herself. "I don't know what to do... Augustus.... I don't know what I'm supposed to do, I don't have any facts for this," her voice broke, and sank to sit down, drawing her knees up and hiding her head in her arms.

 

[Augustus Westwick]

Augustus felt paralysed by indecision. He had absolutely no idea what to do with a crying girl, especially not when she was crying over something so serious and so real. He knew, deep down, that he couldn’t comfort her the way she deserved. But he was the only person here. “I… I don’t know either.” He finally admitted nervously. “Could you go to the school counsellor?” He asked quietly, wondering if the suggestion was helpful in any way.

 

[Addison Beckett]

Addison shook her head at his words, looking up to him with tears soaking her face. "Daddy... daddy has therapy set up for when we get home," she told him. "Would... can you... just sit with me for a while?" She asked softly, wiping her sleeve over her face. "I don't... I don't want to be alone, but I don't want to be around people," she told him. She knew it was a contradiction, but it was the way she felt.

 

[Augustus Westwick]

Augustus nodded, privately thinking that therapy sounded like the thing to do after something so awful. He was unsure of what to do and felt relieved when Addison asked if he could stay. It wasn’t like he really knew what to do then, but at least he knew his presence wasn’t unwanted. “Okay.” He said softly. “Maybe being around one person is just the right amount of people.” He suggested gently, giving a small shrug before sitting down next to her.

 

[Addison Beckett]

Addy let out a shaky sigh, leaning against Augustus and burying her head in his shoulder. "Maybe if its you," she offered softly. She couldn't keep from crying, but it was silent aside from the occasional sniffle. "Talk to me?" She asked, bringing one hand up to clutch at his sleeve. "Tell me about your break, the eel, anything," she pleaded softly, desperate for the distraction.

 

[Augustus Westwick]

Augustus blushed when Addison said that she wanted him as company. He hesitantly patted her arm. “I’m… terrible at making people feel better.” He admitted. “Please tell me if I do something wrong.” He added, wanting anything but to make her feel worse. As Addison asked him to talk to her, Augustus scrambled for something to say. “Uh, during my break I ended up exploring the woods outside my uncle’s house.” He said after a moment. “They’re a bit creepy but very interesting. I used to come there with my cousins but they’re so busy now. I think you’d like it there.” He said, remembering their trip to the forbidden forest.

 

[Addison Beckett]

Addy sighed softly, nestling in against Augustus and shutting her eyes. "I will," she promised softly. She listened intently as he talked about exploring the forest. "Tell me about it?" She asked him. "Did you find anything? Did you get lost?" She asked. A forest adventure was sure to be interesting, and certainly distracting.

 

[Augustus Westwick]

Augustus gently touched her shoulder, looking over at the lake uncertainly. He knew he was probably hardly helping her feel better he wished he could do more. He hesitated. “I climbed a tree, but it was a little lonely to explore only own.” He admitted. “I didn’t get lost because I used to go there as a kid, I know those woods pretty well.” He said quietly.

 

[Addison Beckett]

Addy listened, tracing her fingers in random patterns over his leg. "Maybe when schools out I can come over and you can show me," she offered. "What else do you do at home?" She asked, both curious about his life and wanting a distraction from her own.

 

[Augustus Westwick]

Augustus glanced at Addison, wondering if she was feeling slightly better. He couldn’t tell if he was helping at all, but he hoped so. He nodded. “I’d like to show you.” He admitted. “I used to play there for hours as a kid.” Augustus shrugged. “I mostly read…” He admitted, wishing he had something more interesting to say. “My cousins have interesting books. They’re both a bit too busy for me now, though. They both have girlfriends and jobs, one even has baby twins.” He paused with a slight smile. “They’re very cute, in a strange way.” Babies scared Augustus, but he could appreciate them from a distance.

 

[Addison Beckett]

Addy nodded, shutting her eyes. She was starting to feel more relaxed. "Babies are cute," she told him. "What's your family like?" She asked, enjoying the way his voice washed over her. He was warm, and strong, and she didn't want to move. Her legs were starting to hurt from sitting on the ground, though. She sighed, shifting. "Do you want to go inside?" She asked. It would probably be more comfortable in the student lounge or something.

 

[Augustus Westwick]

Augustus smiled slightly. "I suppose, but they're very scary too. It's hard to believe we were ever that tiny." He said, frowning slightly. He shrugged when she asked about his family. "I don't have any siblings. My parents are nice, but busy usually. They deal in magical antiques." He said. "I spent a lot of time with my cousins growing up, they're..." He paused. "Mildly terrifying most days."He finally settled on. He hesitated at her question. "We can if you want." He finally said.

 

[Addison Beckett]

Addy was enjoying listening to Augustus, it was nice, and she liked knowing more about him. She was used to his usual soft silences, though she could imagine others found it awkward. She nodded softly at his words. "My legs hurt, sitting inside would probably be more comfortable," she looked up at him, smiling with just a hint of sadness. "Thank you," she added gently, and on impulse, pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek before standing up and stretching.

 

[Augustus Westwick]

Augustus nodded when Addison explained why she wanted to go inside. He was happy to do anything she wanted, and was glad when she simply told him what she liked and why. He started to get up, but froze when Addison kissed his cheek. He blushed, glancing down. It was nice, and he was glad he wasn't completely screwing this up. Augustus got up and extended his hand to her to help her up as well. "My cousins used to make a fort out of tables and stuff in the student lounge." He said hesitantly. "Maybe we're a bit too old for that, but we could try, if you want." He offered shyly.

 

[Addison Beckett]

Addy took Augustus' hand, tucking herself into his side. She considered his question, nodding slowly. "That could be fun, yeah," she agreed, peeking up and smiling at him. She felt tired, but better with him so close to her. She couldn't help but think that maybe she would just fall asleep once they were laying down in a fort.