Closed Solace

[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Plot ID#87702
Trigger warning for anxiety and panic attacks

As Flavio sat in the wild patch, hidden amongst the plants with his knees hugged to his chest, all he could think about was fear. Fear of the next class he needed to attend, and homework assignment he needed to work on. Fear of the time he had now spent outside that should have been spent studying in the library and fear that being outside at all and returning to the castle with dirt on his uniform would bring up questions of what he was doing or worse, what was wrong with him. Fear that everything would turn upside down and his life would be ruined despite the fact he didn't know what he was fearful of. Even as the worst of his fear subsided, the feeling returned to his fingers and he realized he could breathe again remnants of it lingered in his chest, a constant and suffocating reminder of the pressure weighing on his shoulders and a need to work to keep everything the way it was. The end of his schooling and the most important exams of his life were around the corner yet still so far away, and there was so much work ahead of him. He knew he couldn't mess up now, or give in to whatever was wrong with him, because it would ruin everything, and knowing there was something wrong at all was more stress and responsibility on his never ending list. It was all too much for him to handle, and Flavio tried to focus on pulling himself together again so he could pretend to be normal and continue as if nothing happened, feeling that it was his only option.​

Flavio was certain he was sick with something, but he refused to let his body prevent him from keeping to his strict schedule. He couldn't afford to be sick with all the things he needed to do that week, let alone for the rest of the semester and as he eventually began to feel less dizzy Flavio moved to stand up from where he was hiding, dusting any dirt from his clothing and beginning to redo his tie from the state he loosened it in the middle of worrying he couldn't breathe. It was the least he could do, neatening his uniform to return to some semblance of normal and avoid unwanted questions of whether he actually was normal. Flavio knew he wasn't, but he wanted, no, needed to pretend like he was lest ruining the future he was working for. ​

 

[Ainsley Lynch]

Tending to the Wild Patch was a job that never ran out, and Ainsley loved every moment of it. Although her studies were getting more intense in the lead up to NEWTs, she made sure to take a bit of time every day to let it all go, just take time to herself in the garden, weeding and watering anything that needed seeing to. It was a nice way to step away from all the stress of her final year of school, to focus on things that felt more real and certain, and spend some time doing what she loved. She always started off with a walk around the garden, looking over all the plants and seeing what needed her attention the most. Ainsley had barely started walking though, when to her surprise a head popped out of the bushes up ahead. "Flavio!" The smile that had jumped onto Ainsley's face at the sight of one of her best friends quickly faded to concern when the expression on Flavio's face struck her. He looked maybe the worst she had ever seen him, and Ainsley didn't know why. "What's wrong?" She asked, making her way over to Flavio quickly.

 

[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

A familiar voice rang in Flavio's ears and it caused his stomach to flip uncomfortably, nausea still unsettled and worries returning to him. He was caught off guard, disheveled, in a state different enough to his usual neatness for Ainsley to sense something was wrong and as if the worst wasn't already unfolding she began to approach him. Eyes watering, Flavio held his free hand out, urging his friend not to get closer to him. Instinct screamed at him to yell at her desperate to get her to leave but what remained of his rational mind halted that idea knowing it would cause more issues for him, showing anger was unlike him and a secondary emotion, first was vulnerability and fear which was what had taken over. Any uncharacteristic reaction would tell her the situation was dire and he needed her to believe it was fleeting instead, a result of stress he could recover from and nothing to truly worry about. "Nothing is wrong." He lied. "I am fine, I lost my balance and fell in to the bushes." As if playing everything off, Flavio moved the hand he was holding out to run it through his hair, wanting to tidy it and appear as much like his regular self as possible, though he couldn't keep himself from avoiding eye contact with Ainsley. ​

 

[Ainsley Lynch]

Ainsley often found it difficult to tell when people were misleading her, tending to take people at their word often more than was entirely healthy. In this case though, there was no question about it. Flavio was not being truthful. She stopped when he held his hand out, though part of Ainsley ached to step closer and help him brush off, offer some form of comfort. When Flavio moved his hand away Ainsley stepped closer, giving him a gentle look of concern. "I... Flavio, if something's wrong, you can tell me." She said gently, reaching out to try and take his hand. "You can always talk to me, I just want to help." Truth be told, Ainsley knew she was likely the wrong person to give any advice. She found other people difficult to interpret at the best of times, and knew it was likely she wouldn't really know what to say if he confided in her, but she could at least offer an ear, and Ainsley was determined to do that much.