⫶ stone bridge

@－ ❛ ʀ ❜：mint ainsworth。⁰³ He developed the huge urge just to walk past the man as soon as he bumped into him, but he decided to keep his conversation going making it harder in the next minute. Arthur had terrible memory in regards to his past and the people present among it. None of them really mattered and he wanted to forget them anyway, except for one person in mind that he kept in contact with throughout the years, Laurent. The only true person that stood among the rest which he'll always feel grateful upon the many years that would come. Now that Mint mentioned a piece of his past, it made him wonder if everyone who came to visit his mother's shop would think of the same thing as he did. Hopefully, she didn't find her son to be that of a nuisance. Although, he still continued to act more and more vexatious with her that it almost felt like their love was one-sided.

Arthur held secrets from everyone and grew strong on his own, but that didn't cover up a few scars he left behind. "That's a nickname that majority of the people that I meet would call me. So, it's not really new to hear." His eyes squinted a bit, he doesn't really remember anything when it comes to Mint and it made him feel guilty since what he mentioned were indeed, moments he would appreciate despite his mother's protests. He diverted his gaze off towards the horizon, stuffing his hands inside the warmth of his pockets before mustering up an answer, "Well, did you have a crush on me when we were younger or...?" It was a mere guess and an obvious reply that he doesn't. Mint's ceaseless compliments made him think silly of what kind of connection they built in the past.

@－ ❛ ɢ ❜：arthur hawthorne。⁰⁴ “Hey, don’t be rude. I only touched your chest because I wanted to catch you.” Mint rolled his eyes. He had been worried before that he had hurt the other but as the other was clearly not injured or anything he could just return to his usual self. He huffed and shook his head a bit. He was surprised that the other guy was even mentioning it at all. He could have grabbed the male’s arms too but he was sure that might have given him some bruises and honestly Mint preferred touching some chest instead of giving a stranger some bruises. Especially as they would look quite prominent against the other male’s pretty skin. He shook his head a bit before he then watched him react to his question.

A small huff left Mint’s lips. He might be colourblind but he was definitely not faceblind. He recognised a person even if it was years later and he definitely remembered the man right in front of him. He lifted an eyebrow as he watched the other and snorted. “Yeah, definitely that kid that blew up the shop. Same behaviour and bad cover ups. Nice to meet you again. I’m Mint. If I’m not wrong your name is Arti? But I am sure that is a nickname for something.” He had a good memory, especially from the few other children he had watched and envied. He remembered how his family had frequented that shop rather often and he had tried to play with the kid – wishing his life was as the others instead of moving all the time. “We even blew up some shelves together once.” He shrugged slightly and tilted his head a bit. “You don’t remember me, handsome. Do you?” He chuckled amused – now that was rather interesting.

@－ ❛ ʀ ❜：mint ainsworth。⁰³ Small wisps of grey escaped the corners of his pale pink lips while taking a walk back to the tall dark walls of Hogwarts. Was he stressed of any kind? If he could consider the dread of studying and catching up with weekly assignments from the variety of subjects he chose to take, then yes. This thought alone, seeping through the back of his forehead, ceased a headache that he ought to feign in ignorance until the day has come. It’s been decided that this year, he’ll be drinking in the sense of laziness once more. Arthur whipped his head back, checking on something before driving his attention to his hands. Did he dispose his cigarette well? The least he could do was get in trouble for smoking as a prefect. Arthur had once considered on taking up a different hobby to get rid of the pressure he always felt from time to time, but he couldn’t think of any that would help him.

Two unfamiliar hands found its way on the surface of his torso that was concealed by a white, fitted shirt, he had no choice but to wear. Good thing he had a blue denim jacket over that top. He doesn’t require much of the attention once he came back to the school. Baffled by the sudden touch, Arthur pushed the man gently away from him, unsure if he was present to threaten him in any sort of way. He was done with everything that happened through the course of his high school and first few years in Hogwarts. There shouldn’t be anything that he’s afraid of now. “Ah, yeah…” Even so, he still felt awkward upon the contact of the other student. “I feel better now that you’ve taken your hands off my chest.”

His lips formed to the shape of a letter o. Confusion knit through the ends of his eyebrows before finally answering the other, “You might be confusing me with someone else… My surname is Hawthorne and there could be a dozen more children who blew up their parent’s shop once.”

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：maya yim。⁰⁵ Maya's response to his touch always baffled him, even more so after the events of last year. Her willingness to lean into his touch, to allow his thumbs to caress and smooth along the soft skin of her cheeks made his heart skip a beat, even as she spoke of Eleanora. "Good, I'm glad. I was hoping the two of you would have..." Liandro wasn't saying it just to appease the girl, he had truly wished the two girls would make up, he even had reached out to the other girl in hopes that she would try to make things right with Maya again. A smile tugged at his lips when hers met with his palm, something that gave him the courage to lean in and place a kiss to her forehead. "Mine was okay, I guess. The highlight of it, well you were present, so you know those details. Otherwise, I was working." He finally allowed his hands to fall from her face, instead taking one of her hands. "What classes did you schedule? Maybe we will have some together this year?"

@－ ❛ s ❜：liandro kang。⁰⁵ Now, Maya had initially thought she was entirely over that 'honeymoon-like' phase of being so embarrassingly shy within every compliment he'd give, but as he offers her yet another whilst comparing the shade of her tresses to those of vibrant yellow, she finds that, indeed, she was not. This thought only pursues in her mind as she distractedly grasps onto the bouquet, her gaze lingering onto his as he cups her cheek, and naturally, she leans into the softness of his touch. "It was good! I've been meaning to tell you, but Eleanora and I made up," She says casually, not afraid of mentioning the latter's name, for she knows they're past it; her, Eleanora, Liandro—they're better now. With her heart thrumming, she turns her head just in the slightest for her lips to graze upon his palm in a subtle kiss, that same bashful simper making home over her visage. "But, tell me about yours?"

@－ ❛ ɢ ❜：arthur hawthorne。⁰⁴ Enjoying the cold air in his lungs, Mint made his way through the castle. He liked to linger on the bridge for a bit, just being here and looking out into the vastness of the autumn landscape. He could see some colourful trees and they were slowly losing their leaves. A rather strong wind took a few from the branches, making them dance in the air and Mint wished he could see the actual colours and not just the different monochrome shadings they were having. However sometimes colours were a lot less important than people might think.

A sigh left his lips before he turned around to walk back inside, just to almost crash into a rather handsome Gryffindor. He almost collided with his chest and Mint immediately put his hands in front of him, accidentally touching the young man's chest and looking up at him. "Well that was close," he mumbled, glad none of them had fallen to the ground and he then apologized. "Are you okay?" he asked and his lips, checking the male out just to notice something.

"Hey, aren't you the kid that loved to blow up his mother's shop?" he asked, a slight grin on his lips, mishief clearly visible. "Hawthrone? I think that was the name of the shop!"

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：maya yim。⁰⁵ The gentle fingers combing through his hair nearly made him tremble from the wonderfully warm feeling he felt from her touch. Instead, his hands tightened around the bouquet, something that the poor flowers would have protected against if they had a voice. Thank Merlin muggle plants couldn't seem to speak in any way. "You're saying that as if you're also not at all flustered, Ms. Yim," he commented with a soft chuckle. Although he had responded as though his comment didn't at all affect him, Liandro's cheeks only seemed to become a tinge hotter. He lifted the bouquet up with a smile as if to compare them to her brown-colored hair. "You can dye your hair any color in the world, and you'll always match that of a beautiful sunflower, Maya." With that he placed the bundle of flowers into her hands in order to cup her pleasantly pink cheeks into his. He stared at her for a moment, contemplating if it was okay for him to place a kiss to her rosy face or not. As he mulled the idea over, a simple question passed his lips, "How was the rest of your summer?"

@－ ❛ s ❜：liandro kang。⁰⁵ She can't help but to witness the slightest shade of crimson that dusts over his face upon the unapologetic hug she offers him, hoping that the physical affection wouldn't catch him off guard, though there wasn't any students around to see. But, as he rests his forehead onto hers, eyes genuine and breath soft, the worry leaves her mind and the first thing she notices is how painstakingly close he is. She silently takes in an inhale of his scent, her fingers etching up to delve into his hair idly, before her playful nature takes her tone. "I do believe you're blushing, Mr. Kang," this, she says with a laugh, though as he pulls back to hold out the bouquet of sunflowers, her palms come to her cheeks, evidently abashed. "I love them, I absolutely adore them—" she outstretches a hand to take ahold of its stems, her cheeks mirroring that of his earlier blush. "You're the best, thank you. Do they sort of match my hair?"

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：maya yim。⁰⁵ The voice calling his name made his own heart race and caused him to whip around to look at the girl that seemed to nearly run towards him. The impact of her rushed embrace pushed him back slightly and his arms encircled her smaller waist, allowing her to be flushed against him, the bouquet resting against the small of her back. His heard pounded more steadily, enough to reach his ears, that were most definitely red. And as if to hide his flustered state, his forehead rested against the top of hers, as the words, "I missed you too," drifted easily from his plump lips. She already knew that, he wrote a letter (she hadn't seen unfortunately) and texted it to her as well. But it was different telling Maya that he missed her with his own voice. Finally, thinking that they're hug may have become a little too intimate for a public space, Liandro pulled away to display the bouquet. "I-I got them again for you like I said I would. Do you like them?"

@－ ❛ s ❜：liandro kang。⁰⁵ It's reminiscent of just the year before — the mere splash of sun setting and nightly breeze grazing her skin, not to mention, that same smile that graces her visage as she saunters towards the middle of the bridge. Although her life is . . . seemingly different now without Eleanora by her side and her younger sister, Jasmine, attending Hogwarts, at least there is one constant in her life — Liandro Kang still makes her heart thrum with inevitable glee. So, as she spots him in the remaining distance she has left to go, she's abruptly quick on her feet to make her way to him, a call of his name sifting past her lips to seek his attention. "Lian!" As she reaches him, slender arms come around to wind around his neck in such a tight and shameless embrace that onlookers would've guessed it'd been awhile since the two have met, yet in reality, it'd only been a couple of weeks. But, those days felt like forever to Maya, for her longing for the Slytherin male was far too great. She isn't oblivious to the beautiful bouquet he plans on gifting her (once more), but she figures that could wait a tad longer — he just felt like . . . familiarity and comfort. Home, perhaps. "Hi, I missed you."

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：maya yim。⁰⁵ The scene was quite familiar to Liandro as he stood on the bridge, the sun already setting, the gentle night breeze tousling his dark hair. Not even a year before he had ran into a girl that he would never have thought would turn to be the girl of his dreams, someone that made his heart race and his cheeks turn pink in embarrassment. A girl who he waited for on this very bridge, holding the same bouquet of sunflowers fashioned with blue flowers in its mix that he had tried sending her before. He was nervous, despite seeing her here and there throughout the summer, it was oddly nerve-wracking standing there in his Slytherin robes, seemingly back to square one. He took and deep breath and looked over the edge if the bridge as he waited for her appearance, hoping that the view would help him calm down.