| Details for Love Hurts |
| Summary: | Kaiden decides that it is time he and Ophelia have a talk about the future of their relationship. |
| Date: | October 3, 1937 |
| Location: | Entry Courtyard, Hogwarts |
| Related: | Love Hopes |
| Characters |
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Its time for a study date! Of course, the weather having made teir usual spot too wet and mushy, Ophelia has had to move a bit more indoors today. But only a bit! She's currently sitting on one of the benches surrounding the courtyard, over which she has spread a blanket. She's brought a smaller selection of books with her, now that they have a better focus, and these al sit on the bench next to her. At the moment, she's reading one of them, her feet tucked up underneath her as usual, her hair swept around to one side to keep it from falling in her face and blocking her vision.
Kaiden walks out of the entry hall looking like he's been run ragged. His hair is all over the place, his eyes are red, and his robes are all wrinkled up, but hey at least he's wearing them, right? He stops as he catches sigh of Ophelia and takes in a deep breath before moving over to where she is.
Ophelia looks up when she hears the approaching footsteps. At first she smiles, setting down her book and scooting over to make more room for Kaiden. But she stops before she gets far, taking in his appearance with a growing frown. "What's wrong? Are you ill? Shall we go inside instead?"
Kaiden shakes his head and sits down on the blanket, tucking his head in between his knees and mumbling, "No…I'm fine, I guess." He inhales sharply and breathes it out slowly before lifting his head up and resting those eyes on Ophelia.
Ophelia is not buying it. Her frown now mildly annoyed as well as worried, she reaches over to place a hand on Kaiden's forehead. "You are /not/ fine. You look as though you… stayed up all night studying and forgot to put on fresh clothing this morning. Is that what happened?"
Kaiden shakes his head, "No…I did stay up all night, half studying and half thinking." Those bloodshot eyes don't move from her face as he bites his lip and finally says, "Ophelia, we need to talk."
For a second Ophelia is very still, fear starting to enter her expression. "Why?" She asks then, pulling her hand back and wrapping both around her book, "Did… did I do something wrong? I know I said I'd ask Evelyn if she could borrow your notes without asking you first but if you don't want to I promise I won't make you, I was just… well she looked so confused… "
Kaiden shakes his head at her and takes her hand saying, "No no no. It's nothing like that, Ophe. I just…I just think that…you and I should break up." He quirks his lip and says, "You haven't done anything wrong…I promise"
Ophelia tries, at first, to speak. It comes out only as a squeak, though. Looking down at her hand in his, she starts to shake her head in denial, the motion a tiny and almost imperceptable thing, as she finally finds her voice, "W… Why?"
Kaiden rubs her hand softly with his thumb and says, "Because there are so many other people out there who deserve you and could treat you better than I ever could. You and she could go amazing places together, Ophe. If you end up with me…you'll regret it. Maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow…but some day and for the rest of your life."
"What? /What/?" Now, Ophelia's confused. Really confused. "You… /want/ me to be with Hephaesta. Because you are starting to buy into this notion that you aren't good enough for me." The annoyance returns and she pulls her hand back, starting to rearrange her books in an attempt to bleed off some of her growing frustration, "Of all the bloody idiotic… if she's said something to you again… "
Kaiden shakes his head at her and says, "No, I haven't talked to her since our argument. She's just in so much pain over the whole thing and I can't stand to see it." He sighs and looks down at the blanket.
And that's it, one of the few things that in that moment could take the wind out of Ophelia's sails. "I know she is." She drops one last book on top of the stack, sighing, her shoulders drooping. "But is this the way to make her happy? By hurting you?"
Kaiden looks up at her and says, "Well…yeah, I guess." Kaiden's been at the bottom of the Sykes pile for years. He knows how to take being hurt. Hephaesta's kinda new to the whole thing. Kaiden lays his head back between his knees and says, "I do care about you."
"You shouldn't… you shouldn't have to be alone just to make her happy. You're better than that." Ophelia leans back against the bench, "No matter what your family says. I won't have you selling yourself short just because they think that being nice somehow makes you less worthwhile."
Kaiden moves his hand to rest on her face and smiles, albeit a bit weakly, "Hey, I know it's the right choice, Ophe. Somebody's gotta take the punch and I'd much rather it be me than Phae." His hand moves away from her cheek and run back through his hair and he sighs.
Ophelia hesitates, for a moment as though she will start crying. She manages to hold it back before the tears spill over, though. Reaching up, she touches the spot on her cheek where his hand had been resting. For a minute she is silent, thinking, trying not to break down. And then, quietly, but with a hard edge to her voice that is just barely audible, she says, "Fine. But on one condition."
Kaiden watches her, ready to wrap his arms around her comfortingly should she tear up, but she manages to hold it back. He nods at her and says, "Yeah, anything, Ophe."
"You will keep studying." Ophelia watches Kaiden intensely, her eyes staring straight into his. "If its too difficult to do it with me I will find you someone else. But you will not let this stop you. You will keep studying, you will pass your NEWTS. And you will prove to your family and everyone else at this school that you are not only worth more than they think, you are worth more than so many of them will ever /be/."
Kaiden nods and listens intently to her as she talks, a bit of moisture welling up in his eyes. He looks up at at her and wipes at his face saying, "Yeah…I will. Thank you, Ophe…"
Ophelia nods swiftly, swallowing back more tears of her own. And then, rather suddenly, she leans over and wraps her arms around Kaiden, holding him tightly. "I don't know," She whispers, "If I'm supposed to thank you too, or apologize, or continue to wish as I've been that I could split myself in two. I really don't. But look… you helped me to really… really think I could be worth something, too. And I'll never forget that."
Kaiden wraps his arms around her and squeezes her, "I have a condition for you, too." He draws in a staggered breath and continues, "Promise me that you'll be happy. And if there's ever anybody who isn't making you happy…make sure you tell me."
Ophelia nods again, her chin bumping against Kaiden's shoulder. There's a sniffle before she replies, "I will. And you… "Her voice cracks, and the rest is barely a whisper that she has to force out, "You find someone who makes you happy… who understands how amazing you are… "
Kaiden smiles a bit and squeezes her even tighter before he lets her go and sits down. He wipes his eyes again and sniffs a bit, saying, "I will." He nods reassuredly.
When he pulls back, Ophelia lets her arms fall and sits back as well. She tries a smile that wavers and slips completely a few times, and has to look down at the books to keep it even a little. "Then… good. I… " Well, she what? What is there to say, really? "I think maybe… we should, um, take a break this week. M-maybe… you can send Snidget when you decide how you want to study from now on. I think… I'm going to need some time… to think."
Kaiden nods to her a few times and says, "Yeah…I'd really like you to keep helping me…I mean, if you want. I know you'll probably not want anything to do with me."
"Really?" Ophelia's smile now finds a true hold, small as it still is. "Oh, oh, yes thank you." She starts to lean forward again, as though she's going to hug him once more. But she pulls back this time, picking up a book and hugging it to her chest instead. "I'd like that, too. Just, um, maybe not today, alright? I think I may need to go raid Professor Merrythought's chocolate cupboard a bit… "
Kaiden nods to her, "Yeah, really." He does stand up and brush himself off a little, looking back down to Ophelia, saying, "I understand. Just uh…come find me when you need me. For anything." He smiles slightly and walks off back to the common room where he shall subsequently lose another night's sleep.