Little Beau blue

[James Killian]

James was enjoying the glorious warm day in Cannes, France as it was the weekend which meant that the students were allowed to leave the confines of the school's walls. The city was beautiful this time of the year and tourist flocked to this little slice of heaven along the french riviera to soak up the warm sun and breath in the beautiful ocean air. Jamie was feeling adventurous and so he found himself strolling down the Boulevard de la Croisette as he stopped from time to time to window shop the last fashions and stylings of the muggle community which was always interesting since it was so different from that of the wizarding world. He was not a huge shopper but he could not help himself and so he stopped into a couple small stores and decided to pick up a few new shirts and a new pair of shorts to help supplement his vastly growing wardrobe. So with a good day of shopping done and plenty of time left to kill before he needed to be back to the castle he decided to take a stop in a small art gallery nearby then when he was done he would stop at a cute little cafe a little ways down the street for an early dinner.

The art gallery was slightly empty as a few passerby most likely decided to stop in to see what was on to display and to relax a moment in the cool air conditioned building. The artist on display was a new upcoming french woman who was skilled in impressionism which was something that Jamie found to be simply amazing and fascinating at the same time. He was an artist though he was not very good with paint but preferred to draw but as part of training to be an artist every good students tried there hands at many different forms of art to gain a better understanding of what they were capable of if they choose to venture out and try something new. An artist had to have many outlets to express themselves so that they did not feel stifled in their passion at least that is what he believed. He wandered from painting to painting as he stood in front of each hoping to understand what exactly the artist was feeling or trying to convey at the point of creation.

He wished that Sammy, his best friend, could be here with him as he was a fellow artist however he was a painter were as Jamie was not but since the boy was currently in school at Hogwarts the chance of him showing up was slim to none unless he learned and past his Disappartion class which Jamie did not know when that happened he simply knew that Sam was sure to be close to the proper age. Jamie still had a year or two before he could even attempt the test let alone pass it considering he was not super skilled with some forms of magic. Jamie wandered a little while more debating how hungry he was and what sort of light lunch he was in the mood for at the moment and so his face displayed a look of deep thought.

 

[Jon Phillips]

Jonathon frowned as his gaze fell upon his shoes, being polite, in a silent loathing to be dragged around by his older brother. All the fourteen year old wanted to do was stay at home, locked in his room playing video games. Yet Samuel, more energetic than usual decided he would spend the day outside, in the sun, with Jonathon following closely in tow. It was not that Jonathon despised spending time with his older brother, in fact, it was quite the opposite. The reason Jonathon was in such a bad mood, had purely been because he knew Samuel was going to drag him to see art galleries all day. Jonathon wasn't a fan of art, yet he put up with it all for Samuel's sake, as a result being the reason he even agreed to leave the house today. Because Samuel didn't have his usual f*ck the world attitude that day, Jonathon felt obliged to keep his older brother cheerful, and if that resulted in being dragged around an unfamiliar city in France, Jonathon was going to handle it. The day had not been completely spent on boring trips to art galleries though, as Samuel was kind enough to stop by a comic book store, and talk his way into getting them to order English versions of a few of his favourite Batman comics which suffered an untimely fiery death.

Even though Samuel was unnaturally cheerful that day, none of it rubbed off on Jonathon, meaning he was still in an antisocial and insolent mood. The last few months had been the worst of his short life, the beginning of the year slowly churning into a dismal mush around his feet. Jonathon went from living in his home, his attic bedroom filled with his favourite things, his walls painted with his favourite comic, to living in a small apartment in a foreign country in a matter of minutes. Jonathon being forced out of the safety home schooling, and being thrown head first into learning magic within the stone walls of Beauxbatons. Jonathon's thirst for knowledge, and determination to learn kept his grades up, although this meant his lack of social skills, were finally being recognized and Jonathon had not yet made one friend in his short time attending Beauxbatons. With his older brother as a translator, Jonathon felt even more out of place, having to mention everything to Samuel first. How was Jonathon supposed to reflect his brother's cheerful mood when he had no reason in the world to be cheerful? His mother would have said to look at the little things, for example, Samuel's effort to help replace his comic book collection was one thing to smile about, and the fact Samuel was still around after suffering through his own stupid decisions was enough of a reason to smile too. Those thoughts causing Jonathon's face to light up with a smile, as the two arrived at the entrance to another art gallery. Jonathon let Samuel walk in first, waiting for a minute and kicking at the concrete before giving up his facade and walking inside.

The building, filled with the familiar sight of art, looked even more tedious than it did from the outside, pulling Jonathon's mood back down, and his smile along with it. At least the place is air conditioned he thought, as he folded up his arms, pouting while trying to analyse another reason to be glad he walked into the art gallery. The sight of Samuel lost in a crowd of people, almost invisible, caused Jonathon to lean back against the closest wall. Not knowing how to speak French, or how to talk to people at all, Jonathon was left all by himself, once again.

Out of Character:

Wearing this and I am sorry for the crap of this reply.

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[James Killian]

He could not decided on something to eat nor could he figure out if he was actually hungry or not either way he decided that he would not leave the gallery until he decided what he was really in the mood for at least that is before the people on staff threw him out. He was enjoying the refreshing change of scenery from simple brick and dry pieces of art that was Beauxbaton, it was not everyday that he was able to appreciate the skill that it took to put paintbrush to easel. Paint was a difficult medium to master as every stroke was in itself a work of art and skill beyond his current skill set but he loved the bright burst of color and depth of creativity need to come up with so many heart stopping pieces of art. He could only dream of having his is sketches hung up in a gallery somewhere for strangers and art lovers could comment about them like they were for the artist being displayed. Yet at the end of the day it would be just that ... a dream nothing more and nothing less as he did not have the confidence nor the skill to do anything noteworthy enough to have a gallery want to do a showing of his works.

Jamie had just moved on to the next piece when out of the corner of his eyes he noticed a familiar figure leaning against a nearby wall that made him smile. Some how his prays had been answered as the one person in the whole wide world that he would want standing next to him right now was Sammy who just so happened to be here. Jamie walked over and looped his arm through one of Samuel's as if Jamie was some southern bell and Samuel a southern gentleman, "I do not care how you magically managed to end up in the same art gallery as me nor do I care to hear why you are in France either. I am simply glad you are here to keep me company, I have begun wondering if you have forgotten me given that after my last letter I did not here anything else from you which had me worried." Jamie said as he playfully slapped Superman in the arm as he dragged him around enjoying the odd look from a couple of strangers. When Jamie was with Samuel he was a different person all together as if a switch was turned on somewhere in his mind that allowed him to simply relax and just live in the moment. It could be the fact that James had no clue what trouble Sammy would drag him into that pushed him to look at himself in a new and interesting light that was worlds different from who he was on a day to day basis.

James was eccentric at best at least that was how Tillian worded it as he hoped to that his words did not hurt Jamie's feeling but somehow raise his self esteem. It was something that Jamie was use to and could sense since he was younger as he never fit in with anyone or anywhere which caused him to accept a heaping pile of lies that he had fed himself for ages. That is until his knight in shining armor, or glass rather which were equally sexy, came and rescued him out of the hole that he had dug for himself. Samuel was everything he was not but everything he wanted to be though he would not admit it to his face unless he wished to stroke the man;s rather enormous ego which he would suffer for weeks if it ever reached Sammy's ears. The man had it all the looks, the attitude, hell he even had the boyfriend or rather he did before the Buddy found out about the girlfriend which only added to the confusing mess that was Samuel but it was something that he wished that he had but knew it was just not in the cards. So he was more than content to spend his days around Sammy in hopes that ir would someday rub off on to him.

 

[Jon Phillips]

Jonathon's eyes scanned the room, no longer seeing the familiar and comforting face on Samuel in the crowd. He assumed his brother had decided to wander off with either some random French girl, or the art critics and artists that packed the art gallery in which he was standing, further establishing his place in the world of art before he finally opened his own gallery. It was a whole new thing to see Samuel do, approach and talk to new people without hesitation, rather than ignoring them, or bumping into them by accident to start a conversation. Samuel had matured so much in his last year of Wizarding school, not once had Jonathon thought he would ever see Samuel being so social after such a horrible year, maybe the fresh start his brother was striving for had actually worked, and Samuel had become a happier person, no longer burdened by the pain of his past. Jonathon longed to imitate the confidence Samuel now appeared to have, as it would assure him at least one friend besides his older brother in such a foreign place. As it were, Jonathon finally understood how life must have been for Samuel after being sent off to Durmstrang when he started Wizarding school, lost, frightened, and most of all, isolated.

That thought caused a sigh to escape the fourteen year old's lips, as he habitually kicked at the floor, scuffing his Batman converse Chuck Taylors on the polished wood, leaving a subtle mark on the otherwise flawless floor. With his hands in his pockets and his gaze on his shoes, Jonathon eroded into his own thoughts, hoping, praying Samuel would return soon, so they could get out of there, and get a bite to eat, the mere thought of food causing Jonathon's stomach to rumble. Oh how the fourteen year old craved a nice cup of hot chocolate, and a chocolate chip cookie, but the possibility of eating was slim to none, until Samuel returned from wherever he had disappeared to, as he had the money, and without money, there was no way Jonathon would be able to eat, unless a nice lady offered to buy him something, but even then, Jonathon didn't want anybody's charity, neither did he want to be a burden to a complete stranger. He had the strength to wait out his hunger until his older brother returned, he just needed the proper distraction. Unlike Samuel, Jonathon liked to eat, he ate whenever he could, whatever he could, just another thing to add to the list of differences between him and his brother. No matter how different Samuel and Jonathon were in personality, in appearance, their features were unspeakably similar, thus being the reason a complete stranger intertwined his arm with Jonathon's out of nowhere, mentioning how glad he was that Jonathon was there to keep him company. Flinching as the stranger playfully slapped him in the arm, the fourteen year old's expression changed to one of confusion, as Jonathon did not know how to tell this stranger that he in fact, wasn't Samuel. Jonathon let the stranger drag him around the gallery, waiting until they stopped before managing to say anything to them. "Who are you?" Jonathon abruptly asked, stepping back, removing all physical contact and raising an eyebrow at the stranger.

Although Jonathon's and Samuel's features were remarkably the same, Jonathon didn't live with the aid of veela blood, which in his eyes, was a good thing. Samuel had grown up with a distorted view of himself, and society all through his blood status, and Jonathon was proud to believe he didn't let his own blood status get to him in the same intense way it had done to Samuel. Jonathon's hair was styled differently, his fashion sense was different, he was shorter, and more of a healthier weight than his older brother, who over the last six months had turned into a pile of bones, in a sense, so the stranger either looked past these obvious differences, or just didn't notice them at all. "You probably thought I was Samuel, huh?" He spoke, kicking the polished wood floor just as he had done but a few minutes earlier, his gaze focused on his shoes. Being socially restricted through years of home schooling, Jonathon, although incredibly bright, didn't know how to make friends, or talk to people who weren't his family. So the situation he was in, was a whole new experience, and the fourteen year old had no idea of how to react to it, except for going out on a limb, and being brutally honest, because heck, he didn't know any better.​

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[James Killian]

Jamie was about to go into his normal tirade of information that was common when he and Samuel did come together also he braced himself for Samuel rather large ego to show its beautiful Veela head. That was when he realized something was oddly wrong as Samuel pulled away from him and out of his embrace as he asked a rather ridiculous question all the while giving Jamie a look of slight confusion which made Jamie turn slight red as his hurt feelings got the better of himself. He looked down at his feet as all the confidence fled from his body causing a slight slump in posture as his eyes grew glossy. He had feared that this day would come though he never thought that it would be so soon and not here of all places at least it was not in their coffee shop... or the blow would be far too much for him to remain sane.

Samuel no longer wants to be my friend...

The thought was too much as Jamie chanced another glance at the man that he cared so deeply about only to be met with the overwhelming look of confusion which seemed to pierce his very soul. What had he done to warrant such a easy break? Had Samuel grown tired of his company finally? Or now that he was older and out of school he had no interest in hanging out someone as young or immature as James? For what ever reason the man gave or did not give James would find someway to forget the boy that so easily made him feel like a superhero... at least he hoped he would be able to but nothing was certain anymore. Standing a little bit taller he tried to gain what fragile strength he had as looked the man in the eye as fire burned in his eyes. " You are Damn right I thought you were Samuel but it seems that you have forgotten your so called best friend since we last talked..." Jamie said shouting a little as he drew even more stares from those around him as the room began to grow uncomfortably quiet. "That is okay because I know who you are know at least, your a heartless beast bent on breaking me but you will not get what you are after." Jamie said with a sneer as he stepped up to the man and in that instants he realized something that he had not noticed before... Samuel or at least the man he thought was Samuel did not have the same magnetic pull on Jamie that he had grown accustom to when ever he was in the man's presence. Jamie however was once more overcome with emotion as he attributed the minor difference to the fact that Samuel had just broken off their friendship and so out of nowhere he slapped the man in the face as the sound filled the stillness drawing gasps and murmurs from the onlookers.

 

[Samuel Phillips]

Samuel was always in a hurry, even after graduating he found himself regularly rushing into something new, something that would keep him busy, in turn keeping his mind off the sadistic thoughts which always lingered in the corners of his mind. Samuel blamed himself for every single falter in his, and his brother's lives, as he felt himself responsible for Jonathon, in every way. Since the tragic news he received halfway through his seventh year Samuel had assumed any and all responsibility for his younger brother, not even considering Babette in the process. Babette was Jonathon's birth mother, and the only asset separating Samuel and Jonathon from being completely related. In some ways, Samuel much preferred only being half related to his younger brother because then Jonathon wouldn't have to suffer through living with veela blood, Jonathon being too fragile to handle the emotional burden of being the center of attention as soon as he entered a room. Samuel on the other hand, was strong enough to live with his blood status, using it to his advantage rather than letting it hold him down, so as he laughed along with the crowd of French art critics, all muggle, Samuel kept a protective eye on his younger brother, although Jonathon couldn't see him. On the outside Samuel acted calm, inviting, and friendly, yet the only reason he even left the house today was to establish himself in the art world, building a stable foundation for himself before building his own artistic empire. Forward thinking had never been an ally of his, and it still wasn't as Samuel's mind focused on the here and now, however somehow, his ambition had allowed him to think into the future, even for a day, being the reasoning behind his newly found cheerfulness.

He continued to occasionally glance in Jonathon's direction, reassuring himself his brother was safe and sound, a genuine smile appearing on his lips after seeing that no harm had come to his little brother since his previous glance a few minutes ago. Riveting paranoia had heavily plagued Samuel since the news of his parent's death, which had pushed him closer to his half-brother, and vice versa. The brothers had learned to rely on one another, each keeping a watchful eye on the other, as the fear of death had become a constant subject of worry to the two. After a sigh of relief escaped Samuel's lips he went back to being the life of the art gallery. All the muggles Samuel had surrounded himself with over the space of a few minutes magnetised towards him, further reminding the artist that he could never escape being part-veela, not even when he surrounded himself with muggles. His fresh start in France wasn't stressful, as Samuel already knew the language, speaking it around the house whenever he could and getting Babette to correct his mistakes, money hadn't been an issue either, since Samuel received his inheritance. All he needed to do was find a suitable place to open his own gallery, so he could move out of Babette's apartment, and finally have a space all to himself again. But until that day came, Samuel was going to keep making connections in the art world. Unexpected shouts caused Samuel, and the muggles surrounding him to turn their attention elsewhere, Samuel was unable to see through the crowd, nor make out the shouting; nevertheless his insides quickly began to turn at the crowd's uncomfortable silence, the warning signs of anxiety starting to kick in. He pushed his way through the crowd to see James, his best friend, in emotional torment towards Jonathon.

What happened next caused Samuel's jaw to drop, the sight of James slapping Jonathon, somebody already frightened of social interaction enough as it was, the sound echoing through the silent gallery. Samuel sprang into action, shooting across the room, throwing James against the wall and pinning him against it, creating distance between him and Jonathon to stop anything more from happening. Not uttering a word, Samuel kept his honey brown eyes locked on James', letting the eye contact linger a few seconds before stepping back and kneeling down next to Jonathon, who had fallen backwards from the contact. He quickly helped his brother up, asking him if he was okay once Jonathon got to his feet, ignoring James completely until he had complete reassurance Jonathon wasn't injured, in any way. ​

 

[Jon Phillips]

Jonathon's confusion became more confusing by the second, eyebrows furrowing as the stranger began to react badly to his question. Jonathon had no idea of how to act, or what to say in a normal conversation, so the situation of a complete stranger, a nobody in Jonathon's eyes reacting so heavily, so intense to something Jonathon didn't see or contemplate as offensive made no lick of sense to the fourteen year old. He took a step away from the stranger, as they started to yell, frightening him a little once the room quietened into silence, murmuring slightly before quietening down again into a silence that could only be described as deafening. Jonathon did not respond to the stranger, playing it safe to avoid any sort of confrontation, no matter how unusual it seemed for the possibility of confrontation to even exist, considering he didn't even know the strangers name, or why the stranger was getting so emotional because of a few sentences Jonathon had said, just a few innocent words, not meaning to create any harm, had sent the stranger into an emotional attack of some category, something Jonathon hadn't seen before in his short fourteen years which intrigued him while his instincts told him to run, and get out of there as soon as possible before the situation got any worse, which seemed an impossible thing.

But before Jonathon had the chance to do anything, move out of the way, or try to plead his case to the guy, a painful stinging paired with brute force pushed him backwards, his body slamming to the ground in an instant. After registering the blow, Jonathon held up his hand to his face, delicately gracing the area which had been slapped, as he sat up, his features not so much confused anymore, but showing an emotion half made up of fear and half made up of shock. Samuel quickly came to the rescue, however, quickly pushing the guy up against the wall, before quickly appearing at Jonathon's side and helping him to his feet. Samuel radiated anxiety, his panicked expression meaning Jonathon couldn't reassure his older brother he was completely okay, because if he did manage to speak the two simple words I'm fine to his brother, it would have been a complete and utter lie. Jonathon was indescribably frightened, he didn't know how to talk to people outside the safety of his family, and since his father had been killed, Jonathon had even less of a social circle to lean back on. Jonathon inaudibly mumbled a few words, resting his head on Samuel's chest in the hope he would wake up from the nightmare that had just occurred, the on looking stares making his humiliation an even worse thing to endure.
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[James Killian]

It was not something that he in a normal state do which was apparent by the fact that he stared down at his hands as if their was some visual sign of his rash behavior. However the wave of guilt crashed against the shores of his mixed emotion sweeping away all else, as he looked down at the frighten man who now seemed nothing like Samuel a fact made more apparent as something shoved him against a nearby wall. The sharp pain that ran up his spine was karma setting things right as he looked up into the eyes of the person who brought reality back into his now chaotic world. Jamie gasped and flinched as he gazed into the eyes of the real Samuel as the world around them faded and all that lasted was the two of them like it had always been. Samuel's look spoke volumes about his confusion and anger which did not help make matters better but he at least he had not broken off their friendship which meant that Jamie had made a grave mistake. As Samuel broke his gaze the world came back into being which caused Jamie to gaze down at the boy on the floor... the man who he had mistaken as Samuel.

Jamie was speechless as he attempted to piece together what everything meant as he stared down at the two men as Samuel helped the younger boy to his feet. They had the same look but not entirely the same as Jonathan had a more bewildered look that boarder lined on innocence that was all to familiar not to mention their was an unmistakable age gap between the two which Jamie was at a lost for since it was something a child could see. Jamie blinked as his cheeks grew scarlet red as he stepped away from the wall that he was shoved against as the room had become far too crowded for to handle as he pushed through the crowd who looked down at him in sheer disgust. For the first time in his life he was the bad guy and it was not a feeling that he enjoyed nor one that he ever hoped to go through again anytime soon. He managed to reach the doors and he pushed his way out into the light of day as the warm ocean air wrapped itself around him like an old friend after a long day.

Walking over to the rail that over saw the small harbor he closed his eyes wishing that he could turn back time and undo everything he had done but sadly that sort of magic was out of his reach and as such he would have to accept the punishment for his actions as he waited for Samuel to finish what he had started after all Jamie had just slapped Batman....

 

[Samuel Phillips]

Samuel bit his lip, confused, and anxious of how to react to the situation. He believed everything that went wrong was his fault, because it usually was. It was not Jonathon's fault Samuel had left him alone; it was not Jonathon's fault he looked like Samuel either. Yet his younger brother copped the blame for everything he did wrong, all because they looked similar, even without veela blood running through his veins, Jonathon took the blame for everything, and it was never on purpose. Jonathon was too shy, too frightened to stand up and willingly take the blame for something, nevertheless he radiated this personal nobility, even when he had just been attacked. Samuel nodded to his brother hastily embracing him, making his way outside once the commotion had died down with Jonathon reluctantly following behind. His mission was to find James, not to bring harm to his friend, but to introduce Jonathon properly, and sort out everything between them. Samuel needed to tell James about his family, why he was in France and about his break up with Elspeth. He felt he needed to explain his absence in James' life, because his excuse wasn't good enough. Hurting James was out of the question; Samuel had never desired to hurt another, unless they got on his last nerve, causing him to crack. The only reason Samuel had been physical moments earlier was to stop the situation from worsening further. Yes, James had hit Jonathon, the only family Samuel had left, which posed as the perfect reason to get revenge on James; however Samuel would never hurt his best friend because after all, James was his Spiderman.

The absence of traffic that day twisted Samuel's gut further, this newly found anxiety worsening. The calming scent of warm ocean air couldn't even lessen Samuel's fear of the unknown as his heart beat started to become louder, heavier, weighing him closer to the stone walkway his feet carried him along. Not even James' familiar silhouette against the picturesque landscape posed as a form of relief to Samuel's nerves, or was it really nerves? The eighteen year old could have classed it as something else, an illness maybe, but the sudden appearance of this gut feeling caused Samuel to conclude it was in some way anxiety. He approached James, standing to his best friend's right, elbows resting against the railing as his bicep gently brushed against James'. He let silence pass, before tilting his head and resting it against Spiderman's shoulder, a soft sigh escaping his lips at the contact. Affectionate was the opposite of how Samuel was supposed to react, but he did not understand how becoming more violent towards his best friend would solve anything. He didn't want to bring up what had just occurred, but instead, Samuel whispered three words, completely off subject, yet meaningful, heartfelt. "I missed you." His whispered, almost silent, fading into the soft breeze while Jonathon stood back, lingering by the nearest lamppost, too far out of earshot to hear Samuel's softly spoken words. ​

 

[James Killian]

The warmth that radiated from Samuel was something that Jamie could not ignore as the man stood to his right brushing ever so lightly against Jamie's arm send a chill down his spine even on such a wonderfully beautiful day. Even though Samuel had slammed him into a wall Jamie's body did not seemed to hold it against him as his pulse quicken and his palms began to sweat with a new found vigor. It was a reaction that he contributed to Samuel's Veela heritage but that was only to mask his deeper feeling towards his personal Superman. As the silence seemed to set in around them like a blanket his posture relaxed into a more comfort stance though he was still guarded as he waited for Samuel to blow up which never happened. On the contrary something else entirely different happened that caused Jamie to look at the man next to him in a slightly different late as his blues eyes peeked out from behind his ebony curls.

"I missed you", the words that seemed to echo in his thoughts which he yearned to return though he was afraid of what opening up further to Samuel would do to his fragile hold on his emotions and sanity. Jamie stared for a moment longer before looking at the calming water below as he shuffled his feet slightly ignorant of the cars whizzing by behind them. He was hurt though he had no right to feel that way given what just happened with Jonathan but was it somehow justified by the fact that he had not heard from Samuel in what felt like months where they had otherwise talked as much as they could given their distance. The whole situation was not the best in their friendship but it was something that was bond to happen someday so why not work though all of the emotions left unsaid between him and Samuel as he hoped that their relationship was strong enough to get through all of this.

"I missed you more..." Jamie said as he fought back the raw emotions in his voice that demanded that a tribute of tears be made but one that he would not given into at the moment. His life was falling apart around him and the one thing that he could count on was not thier when he needed him most but he was here now so he would have to make the best of the situation. " I thought you did not want to be with me anymore.... or that you have grown tired of hanging out with an emotional nightmare..." Jamie said as a tear escaped and ran down his cheer which he had to turn and wipe it away.

 

[Samuel Phillips]

Samuel stayed silent, letting the background noise hold off any unwanted stillness. The crashing of waves fleetingly distracting him, he understood why muggles brought recorded ocean sounds, because the sound of the ocean calmed him down indescribably quick, given the irony he was supposed to be beating his best friend up instead of acting as affectionate as he was. Samuel let James speak, not uttering any form of reply when a tear speckled down his best friend's cheek. He had nothing to say to the younger wizard, nothing to lighten the mood and stop James from getting so emotional and nothing to stop the situation from turning awkward quickly. He lifted his head from James' shoulder, waiting for a moment, his gaze on the oceanic distance before stepping back to stretch while letting out a sigh. Another of Samuel's habits was to sigh after stretching, relaxation being the cause of his sighing, something he needed since the situation between him and Spiderman had gotten so awkward. Something the part-veela wasn't to blame for. All Samuel had said earlier was that he missed his best friend, something normal, and expected that shouldn't have been taken so heavily. "You really are an emotional nightmare." He stated, a mild chuckle cackling through his mellow tone. James really was an emotional nightmare, and Samuel had to be honest and confirm what his friend was saying about himself before James gathered any ideas that it was normal to get so emotional over a few words, especially when they weren't intended as insults. Unless James had missed Samuel just as much, if not more, however that fact was obviously laced between James' undying emotions they had both described as a nightmare.

In order to stop James crying further, without appearing rude, or careless in the process, Samuel decided more affection would have to make up for any of his actions seeming offensive to his best friend. Being the reason Samuel placed his hands on each of James' shoulders, whisking him around so the two could interact face to face, without the aided distraction of the ocean scenery to bother them. Samuel felt his lips curve into a smile, a subtle attempt to cheer up his friend no matter how fake his smile was. Real smiles were a rare thing to see gracing Samuel's features, even before his parent's death a genuine smile was hard to find among the wizard's sarcastic remarks and arrogant smirks, being the reason the delicate beauty of his fake smile then wasn't an exception. Samuel went in for a quick hug, tightening his arms momentarily around Spiderman, before breaking the embrace, and silently draping an arm around James' shoulders, hinting he wanted to move the situation elsewhere. With a nod, Samuel started walking, leading James and himself away from the ocean side, shooting a quick glance in Batman's direction after passing him, wordlessly telling his half-brother to follow along with them. The trio strolled through the rustic stone streets, getting occasional glances from strangers passing by; Samuel concluded it was due to his veela blood; however he couldn't be too sure. Their destination was a cafe, one of Samuel's favourite places to be apart from in his bedroom, painting from dawn until dusk, since the sanctuary of his bedroom no longer existed, a cafe made for the perfect refuge from the pain of real life.

Samuel didn't plan to tell James about what had occurred during his seventh year to stop him replying to James' letters, he was saving that news for somewhere private, and a time when his friend wasn't getting so emotional for Samuel's absence, making his guilt worsen. Without a doubt Samuel blamed himself for almost everything, he believed it was his fault Jonathon didn't know how to talk to people, since his father refused to let him go to school like Samuel, in an attempt to keep his second born son away from the bullying Samuel had to always suffer through, thus causing situations such as the one earlier to follow. His pessimistic thoughts were disrupted once the familiar scent of freshly brewed coffee caught the eighteen year old's attention, directing him to a quaint oak door leading into a haven of comfort. Samuel pulled his arm away from James, showing Jonathon where to sit so he could quickly get to the counter, ordering a long black coffee for himself plus a hot chocolate and a piece of banana cake for his brother. Taking longer than expected to return with his order, leaving Batman and Spiderman to talk amongst themselves.
​

 

[James Killian]

The moment had passed and the air around him and Samuel though slightly awkward was not much lighter than before as both boys processed everything that happened in their own way. Jamie kicked himself for being over-ally emotional which he was more often these last couple of months which he had to over come unless he risked going insane. With that in mind he took a deep breath and closed his eyes letting out a deep exhale and when he opened his eyes he was the good old Jamie that Samuel was used too. After a brief hug which Jamie was happy to return the two of them set off to destinations unknown and adventures yet had as they grab Jonathan along the way. Jamie ignored the smile that Samuel had sent his way as it was one of those things that did not seem natural for the part veela but one that was much appreciated as it was something that few could say they ever received or ever saw.

Jamie walked in silence with his friend and Jonathan as they made their way to the nearby cafe simply taking in the calming effect of not saying anything at all which was sheer bliss. Once they reached the cafe Samuel showed Jonathan where to sit before disappearing into the crowd most likely on his way to the order counter as coffee was one of their shared weakness. James would wait before going up and placing his order as he decided to keep Jonathan company. James looked at the younger Phillips with intense interest as he tried to piece together the relationship between him and Samuel which was one that he knew a little about. It was not because he was not interested it was rather he and Samuel usually had so much more to talk about that it was simply never brought up but in brief thought or side notes. So far what Jamie had observed was that Samuel was extremely protective over his younger brother which was a side of Samuel that he had not seen before as the Veela was not one to show a great deal of protectiveness for anyone but himself as he often carried around the vibe that he did not care. It was not the most ideal attitude but it was what Jamie attributed to Samuel sex appeal that had girls throwing themselves at his feet everywhere they went as few could resist his charm and magical pull. Jonathan on the other hand seemed almost entirely dependent on his older brother as if he had never experienced the outside world, something that Jamie could relate to as he had grown up rather shelter which Jonathan must have experienced at one point in his life. He seemed almost uninterested in the world around him and in a constant state of misery as he often slouched and held himself in a stance that was unsure and lacking confidence. Jamie finally came to the conclusion that he would need more time around both of the boys together to fully grasp their relationship completely.

"I am sorry about the slap... I jumped to conclusion when I shouldn't have especially given that you had pointed out the obvious fact that you were not your brother. I do not normally act that way but I have been under a great deal of stress which has made me an emotional nightmare to quote Samuel. How about we attempt to start over that is if you are interested ... if your not I understand given the circumstances." Jamie said as he decided to talk to the younger Phillips in an attempt to patch their rocky first impression of each other especially since they would be spending time together in the future given the common denominator being that he was Samuel's brother and Jamie fancied himself Samuel's best friend. Samuel was still in line and so what would it hurt to try and get to know Johnny a little better.

 

[Jon Phillips]

The slap had hurt, and would surely leave a mark the next day, so Jonathon continued to hold his hand up to the side of his face, still stinging from the blow. A mirror wasn't nearby however Jonathon didn't need a mirror to be able to tell the fact the side of his face was read, or rather a shade of dark pink, with the heat radiating from his cheek. He had relied on Samuel for comfort, so being whisked outside so quickly caused Jonathon to let out an exasperated sigh. Without a doubt Samuel was searching for the stranger who had just slapped him, but instead of looking determined to go in for the kill, and seek revenge for Jonathon being punished over an obvious misunderstanding, Samuel appeared calm. They quickly found the stranger, and Samuel approached him while Jonathon chose to avoid eaves dropping by hanging back and resting against an old fashioned lamppost. Out of earshot from Samuel and the stranger, Jonathon found temporary entertainment in a caterpillar crawling along the sidewalk. So vulnerable, it had the chance of being squished against the concrete at any moment, it reminded Jonathon of himself. His face lit up from its vacant expression into a temporary smile wiped away by Samuel passing by and shooting him a 'ready to go' look, he luckily missed the caterpillar. Soon enough he was following Samuel and the stranger in silence, before they finally arrived at a cafe. Samuel showed him where to sit, on a couch placed opposite another, in which the stranger was sitting. This would have not been a problem, however in the blink of an eye Samuel left the two alone.

They sat in an uncomfortable silence, Jonathon twiddling his thumbs to ward off the hunger growing more apparent in his gut. As the silence between the two went into an on-going crescendo, Jonathon's need for Samuel to return grew in turn, something he expected. His brother wasn't careless, neither was he ignorant, however in the moments where Samuel left Jonathon with somebody who scared him out of his wits, was when the fourteen year old questioned the intelligence Samuel otherwise had. But before Jonathon could stand up to find his older brother, the stranger started talking, this time calmly, a hint of regret to his tone. He felt slightly relieved by how calm the stranger sounded, yet he still hoped Samuel would return to keep him safe once more, and hopefully return with food. The fourteen year old took a little while to muster up the courage to reply, as the last time he spoke to the stranger things ended up violent, which made Jonathon not want to reply at all, although the need he had to please people made him act otherwise. "If you want to start over you should at least tell me your name." Jonathon replied, his attention wavering half way through his words as Samuel came back into his vision. Batman smiled, glad to have Samuel back so he could leave all the talking up to him. His smile turned into a happily surprised expression at the realisation Samuel came bearing food. Finally, Jonathon had the chance to fill his empty stomach.

Jonathon stood up, quickly snatching the plate from Samuel to realise what was on the plate was banana cake, one of his favourite foods. At this realisation, Jonathon's smile widened even further, causing the stinging in his cheek to appear once again. The fourteen year old sat down, picking up the cake and messily eating it, only stopping stuffing his face to introduce himself to the stranger. "I'm Batman by the way." He said, chocolate frosting lining his mouth. He had always been a messy eater, especially when hungry and that day wasn't an exception, even though he was in public, Jonathon didn't care about the consequences of not having table manners, leaving Samuel the task of showing him what was right and wrong in public. The stranger looked disturbed in a way, genuinely guilty about slapping him earlier but there was something else, something Jonathon related to. He just didn't know the stranger well enough to figure out what that something was. ​

 

[James Killian]

James smiled wide when Samuel returned again which he was thankful for as he and Jonathan was in that awkward stage still and needed him to bridge the difference between them as a common denominator. James was glad that Jonathan was willing to try over minus all the drama and emotions which Jamie had more control over for the time being."My name is Jamie but your brother has taken to calling me Spiderman... with that said it is a pleasure to me you batman." Jamie said first winking at Samuel before smiling at Jonathan with enough warmth to melt the polar ice caps. Jamie would allow the boy to enjoy his cake for the time being but he hoped that he would chime in from time to time where he saw fit, so stepping away for a moment to get a soy milk latte with a splash of caramel topped with cane sugar he soon returned and settled in this time focusing on Samuel.

Taking a sip from his coffee and crossing one leg over the other he looked up and allowed his blue eyed gaze to drink up all that was Samuel Phillips his superman. It had been awhile since they had seen each other but they had been in contact via letters which seemed to come regularly that is up till a month or so ago when they stopped altogether much to his infinite misery and worry. Now the charming Veela was sitting before him unchanged as ever though their was something that was hidden in his eyes that Jamie was worried about but he would wait for Samuel to come to him rather than pushing where he did not have the courage to push. James took another sip as he enjoyed the mere company of his best friend as a small smirk crawled across his face as he cast his gaze downward lost in a wild thought but when the moment past he cleared his through and looked at the man once more this time choosing to break the silence first as he was sure that he and Samuel could sit in silence all afternoon. It was not that they had nothing to say it was simply that more was said in silence than it was with words... it was how they could be everything and nothing at the same time. "So Sammy if you do not mind me asking what brought you to my neck of the world, not that I was not wishing for you to magically to show up it is just unexpected?" Jamie said as he started to conversation of slowly as it would take a few minutes for them to fall into the familiar flow of a deep conversation. Jamie allowed the question to sink in as he turned toward Jonathan and smiled as he dove into his cake in such a way that would have poor Tillian clutching his heart in shame which caused him to smirk briefly before turning back to Samuel just in time to hear the answer that was given.

 

[Samuel Phillips]

Buying the coffee, hot chocolate and banana cake had taken longer than expected and leaving Jonathon and James alone wasn't the best decision to make. None the less Samuel returned to Jonathon's side as quickly as his feet would allow him to, battling the café line to get there. His brother's enthusiasm towards his bringing of food brought a shallow pang of guilt within the eighteen year old's stomach about not feeding him earlier, luckily Samuel was able to quickly ignore this, and sit down next to his brother, taking a big gulp of his black coffee to relax himself. Samuel had grown too used to the amount of caffeine within a soy latte, and his caffeine addiction had grown to be satisfied by more than just a simple soy latte, so he had evolved into drinking black coffee. Samuel took another big gulp of his coffee, honey brown eyes falling on James as he started to speak. He had missed Spiderman's humour, or quick wit, whatever it could be described as. A month of not having any form of contact was a month of hell in Samuel's eyes, and he silently made himself a promise never to let them lose contact again, unless it was for a very good reason, reason enough to end a friendship on the spot. The part-veela shook his head, bringing his thoughts back into the face of reality and away from his imagination where they always seemed to linger, before winking back at his best friend. James was adorable, a blatant fact which everybody who laid eyes on him agreed with, however it was a pity James didn't think he was, or notice he was, because it was a shame to let that adorableness James possessed go to waste.

After James left to go get his own coffee, Samuel turned his attention on to Jonathon, quirking an eyebrow up at his younger brother, showing his expectations in Jonathon not ruining the situation. The situation wasn't really ruinable, past the misunderstanding earlier, although the eighteen year old didn't want to take any chances. In an instant Samuel's expectant look changed into one of genuine warmth, a look he could only give to his brother. The eighteen year old laughed and tousled Jonathon's hair after his brother poked his tongue out at him. James returned, while a wide smile gracing Samuel's features, he and Jonathon had always gotten along, and his half-brother had the ability to cheer him up at the worst of times. Although it felt times were getting worse by the day and Samuel knew that eventually distracting himself with small things would stop being effective, at least it hadn't happened yet. Then the question of why Samuel was in France in the first place was raised. He wasn't going to tell James exactly why he was in France, because he was saving that new for later, but until he could tell his best friend of his woes, all Samuel needed was a simple sentence to avoid suspicion looming over his head. The part-veela cleared his throat, about to speak before double taking at the sight of his little brother, with chocolate icing all over his mouth. He chuckled again, handing Jonathon a napkin before returning his attention to answering the question Spiderman had posed. "I just wanted a fresh start, basically, so since Batman was here, and I already knew the language moving here seemed like the best option to get that fresh start." Samuel replied, not fully stating his reason for moving, but at least giving James part of the reason, and enough of a reason to stop any further questioning on the subject, or so the eighteen year old hoped. ​