catmint

BlackBrick Academy [CatMint and Winds of Fate] - {Mature}

Ambrose shifted uneasily from side to side, trying his best to act nonchalant. Which was not going very well, but thankfully the nurse quickly shifted her attention from him to Caleb. At least she knew exactly what to do. Ambrose's face continued to burn red, especially as she stripped Caleb's shirt off.

Ambrose's eyes widened as he saw the infected wound, it looked almost as if it was pulsing, as if it was alive. Ambrose shuddered as he unconsciously leaned forward to get a closer view. He snapped back as Caleb opened his eyes slowly. "Y-you fainted in the hallway-" Ambrose flinched when he cried out in pain, "God! Try not to move until the nurse gets back." Which thankfully she did shortly after, Ambrose stepped back once again as he she did her job. But he was soon ordered back into action, and Ambrose inched closely and gripped Caleb's right arm tightly.

He cringed as Caleb screamed out in pain, unable to look at him, he squeezed his eyes shut. Ambrose kept his grip tight until it seemed the nurse gave the okay. He stepped back, wiping seat from his brow as he looked down at Caleb's tired body. It was hard to see the wounds the demon inflicted, and hard to see Caleb in such a pitiful state.

But he breathed a sigh of relief as everything seemed to calm down, and the nurse stepped out to give them some privacy. Ambrose made his way to the bedside, so Caleb wouldn't have to strain himself to be heard from across the room. Ambrose sighed lightly as he placed his hands onto the bedside railing, looking down at Caleb trying to put on a brave face. He listened silently to Caleb's confession, his face showing no emotion except a distinct coldness. Finally after Caleb finished, Ambrose spoke.

"You're right. A part of me blames you for this whole thing." Ambrose said bluntly, "But that's in the past now, there's no point torturing ourselves over what could have been. We just have to fix our goddamn mess now." Ambrose heaved another sigh and looked away from Caleb. "But I don't need an apology from you. Not anymore."

BlackBrick Academy [CatMint and Winds of Fate] - {Mature}

Ambrose kept pace with Caleb, even though Caleb had made it clear it wasn't necessary. He shrugged nonchalantly, and basked in the silence between them. It was awkward sure, for a moment, but Ambrose preferred that over nervous small talk. Then Caleb broke it, trying to reach out to him again. Ambrose shook his head and heaved a sigh, "Listen, Caleb-" He broke off when he looked back at him, seeing his face pale and eyes lose their focus. "you don't look so goo-" Ambrose yelped out of surprise as Caleb's slack body collapsed towards him.

Ambrose caught him instinctively, and luckily Caleb didn't hit his head on the ground or anything. Ambrose's knees almost buckled at the extra weight, and he grunted as he tried to reposition Caleb's limp limbs to find a better positive to hold him. "Jesus..." He groaned as he pulled Caleb's arm over his neck, essentially dragging him along the corridor.

Ambrose took Caleb all the way to the hospital wing of the campus, even if he got strange looks or giggles from other passerbys. He was sweating by the time he got to Caleb's room and grunted with effort as he released him onto the bed. It wasn't like Caleb is a very large man, it was just Ambrose had thin arms and wasn't used to holding anything very heavy. Ambrose collapsed into a nearby chair, watching Caleb breath in slowly. He should probably call a nurse now. He really should.

Instead he stood up slowly, approaching the bed side cautiously, as if he was afraid of waking Caleb up. He studied the face of the man who peaked his interest all those weeks ago. Even now, it was hard to tear his eyes away. His hand reached out to touch it, just because Ambrose needed to know if it was as soft as he thought. But as soon as his fingers were inches away, the door creaked open and nurse stepped through, presumingly bringing Caleb his lunch. Ambrose leapt back, face burning bright red. "O-oh, um, he fainted." He explained in a hurry, huffing as he tried to cover his embarrassment.

BlackBrick Academy [CatMint and Winds of Fate] - {Mature}

Ambrose heaved a sigh as Caleb stood up, taking his leave. He watched him walk painfully out the door, and Ambrose felt a pang of regret shoot through him. He wished things were different between them, that everything was roses and peaches. But it wasn't. And Ambrose didn't know if he could ever change that, or if he should even try.

"Leaving so soon?" Morgan chimed in sarcastically from his place on the couch, his haughty smirk flashing blindingly. Ambrose shot a dark glare as he stood up and followed to the doorway Caleb had just left through. "You know, you don't have to be involved with my business, I know how much I tend to annoy you." Ambrose shot back before pushing the door open and stepping out into the dorm hallway.

Ambrose passed by Alex, who seemed as if he had just talked to Caleb. He was taken back, and surprised Alex wasn't giving Caleb a yelling at or something like that. Ambrose murmured a quick, timid greeting before rushing past to Caleb's side. He huffed slightly once he finally caught up, stopping by Caleb's side.

"Listen, I, uh, wanted to apologize for how I acted. I know you're trying to make things better... I'm just going through some stuff." Ambrose admitted, his voice shook slightly as he spoke. "Also, I realized I should probably walk you to your hospital room, Sam said we should pair up anyways."

BlackBrick Academy [CatMint and Winds of Fate] - {Mature}

Rubbing away at his tired eyes, Ambrose groaned quietly as he leaned back into the couch. He raised one eyebrow at Caleb stumbling through his words, trying to be gentle with Ambrose. Which was probably the right choice, but it still rubbed him the wrong way. He imagined everyone from the group pitied him after how the Headmaster saw right through him. He bet everyone was afraid of that happening to them as well. Still, it was strange to see Caleb stumble through his words. Usually he was the smooth, confident one.

Morgan took a seat on the couch next to Ambrose, flipping silky blond hair out of his piercing eyes. He observed the two silently for a bit, trying to exactly pinpoint the nature of his relationship.

"I mean... What more is there to talk about?" Ambrose replied with a neutral shrug, being more blunt then usual. "It's not like you should be walking around anyways, if there is anything you have to talk about, we can do it here." Ambrose continued, oblivious to the smirk crossing Morgan's face.

"Just don't make a mess or get too rowdy." Morgan piped in, and Ambrose shot a glare at him.

"Now why would we do that?" Ambrose grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. Morgan sniffled a chuckle.

"I've heard a lot about this Caleb character." He answered honestly, "Apparently he's quite the party animal, along with his friend Samantha."

Ambrose rolled his eyes and turned back to Caleb, "I'm well aware of that."

BlackBrick Academy [CatMint and Winds of Fate] - {Mature}

He tossed and turned throughout the night, occasionally crying out and waking up in a cold sweat. He dreamed of faceless demons, whispering prophecies of a new rising. He dreamed of the dead students, slaughtered like cattle in the monster's wake. And finally he dreamed of Caleb, lost and afraid. But finally, late into the night he found a light sleep that carried him through the morning.

A knock rang through the dorm room, but Ambrose still dozed lightly. A scoff and a flick of his blond hair, Morgan, Ambrose's roommate, got up from his seat on his lounge chair. Morgan opened the door stiffly, blue eyes flashing with a mix curiosity and suspicion. Morgan was of course aware of Caleb's presence, Morgan was a keen student, and someone has infamous as Caleb would show up on his radar.

"Can I help you?" Morgan said sarcastically, opening the door wider for Caleb to come in. The only reason why Morgan would allow Caleb in, was so he could snoop on his business. Surely, it would serve useful to know the business of one of the most powerful student on campus. Everyone knew about Caleb's close ties with the headmaster.

Morgan glanced over his shoulder into the dorm's bedroom, "Ambrose! We have a visitor!" He snapped loudly, and Ambrose jerked awake with a start. He rolled out of bed, curly hair in a mess and dark bag under his eyes. "Wha-?" He said in a daze as he staggered to Morgan's side. "Who the fuc- Oh, Caleb." Ambrose said drowsily as he recognized Caleb's face. "Come in I guess."

"Wait, you know him?" He interjected with a note of disbelief. Morgan's eyes snapped between the two, calculating, trying to figure out how they even knew each other. Ambrose wasn't the most popular of students, and certainly didn't run with Caleb's kind of social circle.

Ambrose shrugged in reply, obviously unconcerned with Morgan's curiosity. He stumbled from the door onto the couch, grunting as he plopped down.

BlackBrick Academy [CatMint and Winds of Fate] - {Mature}

Ambrose stared back at the Headmaster with widened eyes, unable to look away as they reached deep into his mind. "No, that's not what I meant-" He started in his defense, but his voice broke short as the headmaster went deeper. Ambrose whirled to face the Headmaster, rage crossing his face. "Don't you fucking mention that again-!" He choked out, but his voice shook, and angry tears gathered at the corner of his eyes.

Ambrose barely noticed Caleb trying to interfere, his shoulder slump as the Headmaster continued on. His voice rang through his head, and it hurt to hear the brutally honest words. Ambrose's shoulders slump in defeat as the Headmaster circled him, his voice still snaking through the air and pounding into his head. Ambrose could barely stand on his legs, and his head drooped, arms wrapped around himself in a pitiful attempt to protect himself from the further violation of privacy. Ambrose felt like he could breath again when the Headmaster left the room quietly, and he groaned quietly to himself as he tried to keep it together.

Ambrose shook slightly, mind rewinding over and over again at the Headmaster's speech. It didn't matter to Ambrose that the Headmaster had complimented him or that he had even encouraged him to live a better life. His words fell on deaf ears, instead Ambrose was forced to relive that terrible moment in his life. And even worse, everything had taken place in front of a audience. A part of Ambrose wanted to just scream and break everything in sight, and crackling energy appeared at his closed fists. But exhaustion and pain ebbed through him, pinning him to his spot.

Ambrose flinched at the sound of Caleb's voice, he shook his head silently in reply. After everything that had happened today, this was the last thing he needed. "I can't do this..." He whispered to himself, legs finally giving up underneath him. Ambrose collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily. Ambrose recognized he was going through another one of his anxiety attacks, but his heart still pounded and he still gasped for air in desperation. Ambrose sat there, trembling, trying to get a handle on himself. After a few minutes, the attack finally past and left only exhaustion. He pushed a hand through his curls, "I-I need to go." Ambrose shot to his feet, not looking back as he fled from the room. He couldn't bear to look at their faces, and especially not to see Caleb's reaction.

He ran back to his dorm room, shutting the door with a bang. He heard his roommate stir from the other side of the room. "Where have you been?" The blonde haired man asked, annoyance laced in his voice. Ambrose ignored it and threw himself on his, burying his face into the covers. "Okay, drama queen." The voice poked again, but Ambrose was already slipping into his dreams.

BlackBrick Academy [CatMint and Winds of Fate] - {Mature}

Ambrose had just started to relax when the headmaster came gliding in. He instantly stiffened, sensing the power rolling off him in waves. Ambrose was prepared for a tongue lashing or worse, for being caught in this part of the library and as well as the destructiong the group had indirectly caused. He shrunk under the heavy gaze, looking away in attempt to avoid the feeling that the headmaster could see into his very own mind. But now that he thought about it, he probably had that ability. Which unnerved Ambrose even more.

But Ambrose blinked in surprise, the light teasing was not what he expected. "Er..." His voice trailed off, Ambrose was dumbfounded by the light-hearted words.

"Listen, you..." He tried to start, but his voice trailed off as the headmaster briskly kept on his speech. His eyes followed Caleb's father to the center of the room and he let a sigh of relief as the subject changed away from him.

A laugh rippled across the room and Ambrose's face went red as he heard Jeremy snort from his position in the corner of the library. "I'm not-!" Ambrose cut himself off and groaned in frustration. His arms were thrown across his chest and turned back to his seat at the table. But before he knew it, the headmaster was boring into his skull again. "Wha-?" He regained his compsure and swallowed thickly, "Because it helps to survive." He said bluntly, honestly. Ambrose at least knew he couldn't fool the headmaster with some half-assed answer. "Why do you even care?" He shot back, he stood up from his seat, putting distance between himself and the headmaster.

BlackBrick Academy [CatMint and Winds of Fate] - {Mature}

He shook his curls out in defiance to Caleb's praise. He had it all twisted, Caleb idealized this perfect image of Ambrose. That he could do no wrong. It worried Ambrose to be viewed that way. "I deserve to be blamed. We all do." He snapped out quietly, before relaxing once more. He realized he shouldn't work himself up after everything that's happened. So he sighed heavily and took Caleb's compliment with a neutral shrug.

His eyes brighten though at the mention of tutorship. He was hesitant yes, but he had witnessed Caleb's power. It was nothing to sneeze at. He was startled when Sam spoke up, and not too happy that she had been listening in. "It's fine... I can.." He was cut off as Sam continued to ramble on. Ambrose crossed his arms over his chest, and waited until she realized how she had cut in. "Right." Ambrose murmured and looked back at Caleb. "I don't really want to experience anything like that again... And if pairing would help that, then I can work my routine around it." Ambrose nodded as he warmed up to the idea.

BlackBrick Academy [CatMint and Winds of Fate] - {Mature}

Ambrose lowered his head, unable to look back at Caleb, knowing Caleb's piercing gaze would only draw him in. He stiffened when Caleb made contact, mind flashing back to that terrible moment Caleb almost took Alex's life. Yet, he didn't pull away, allowing Caleb to rest his hand upon his own. He listened patiently to Caleb's speech, wondering if he actually meant it.

"You're wrong. I'm not an amazing guy or even a particularly nice person." He said stubbornly, "And I don't need to be safe if it's going to kill you." At that last part, Ambrose met Caleb's gaze, his eyes burning defiantly. But his expression instantly softened to concern when Caleb groaned in pain.

Ambrose could practically feel Sam's piercing glare from afar. The thought crossed his mind that Sam blamed Ambrose for Caleb's condition. Thinking that he was the one who set off his erratic and reckless behavior. And it wasn't far from the truth at all. Ambrose blamed himself too, he blamed everything that's happened on himself. It was what motivated him to throw himself into his studies, to make he could prevent anything like this again.

"I just... Everything is so terrible and I don't know how to fix any of this." Ambrose stopped, his voice on the verge of breaking. He was vulnerable, after the terrible things he had witnessed today. "I wish this was all a dream," He confessed with a shake of his head. "All I know, is that I need to be stronger if I'm going to survive."

BlackBrick Academy [CatMint and Winds of Fate] - {Mature}

Ambrose was perched on the end of library chair, legs pulled in close to his chest. He resembled something of a frightened bird. He couldn't get all those awful images out of his head. It was seared into his head, the dangling body of a fellow student. And Ambrose knew down to his core, that was the intended purpose of the death. To remind him that he was being watched. And that thing had accomplished his mission flawlessly. He was so lost in his own head, he barely noticed Caleb entering the room until he spoke up.

Ambrose looked at Caleb with slightly widened eyes, listening to his description of the monster sent chills down his spine. Ambrose shook his head and ran his hand through his black curls, "I know you're sorry." He murmured quietly, and looked away from Caleb quickly. He couldn't bear to look at him without thinking of how horrible everything had been.

But surprisingly, he was relieved when they gave the two time to speak alone. But he kept his eyes pinned to the library table, looking at the carvings of initials that looked like they've been there for a long while. "Yeah... I guess we can talk." He said with a small shrug. "I mean... What is there to say?"