Common Ground PV Rafa Closed

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Interacting With: @Ruka Tân
Mentioning: Jack Burnett • Flash Holmwood

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[font=Segoe Print]It was easy to say that Rafael had rage issues. What wasn’t easy to say, were the reasons for such emotions.

The boy supposed, if he really stopped to contemplate the matter in depth, that he’d long since lost his grip on his impulses quite a while ago, somewhere between surviving on the streets and the death of his sister, his only true anchor to reality and what it entailed. It was stereotypical, how everyone assumed that everyone else had grown up in happy households, with loving families, attending school and having plans for a future life, friends, a visible future, looming encouragingly overhead in the distance. A real shame, a mistake the child would do well to never make. After all, he certainly knew better – he, himself, had been raised among the proverbial wolves, with no reason to ever have withheld his fists from his antagonizers. There would be no other reason for the dangerous, terrifying sort of monster deep inside of his very being, to have manifested itself in every temperamental action he dared make.

The fight was all he knew.

The anger was a drug, always coursing through his veins, burning at his very fingertips, a weapon that itched to attack in every foul word and interaction that came to his attention. It wasn’t something he’d particularly admired about himself, but he’d certainly come to terms with his impulses, accepting them for who he was. Fighting the monster never seemed to work – what was the worst that could happen, giving into its tantalizing whispers, iron grip?

Now, Jack fucking Burnett had crossed a few too many lines as of late, testing boundaries that Rafael didn’t know he had within him. It was actually rather strange, amusing even, in some twisted sort of way, how the child had seemed to worm his way under the boy’s very skin, every empty word he uttered grating on the thunderbird’s nerves, pushing him over the proverbial edge, scraping the last of his waning sanity from his very being, leaving him a bare rage monster, ready to attack at any means. And the Gryffindor had been plotting his revenge for quite a while, now. The talent show had been the final straw – the things the snake had said, and in front of Flash, had unlocked a new sort of vengeance within the child’s chest, something deadly, evil, horrifying. It would be so, so easy to say that he’d let it go, turned a cheek, been the better man. No, nothing of such a fact. Someone was going to die. Someone was going to pay.

It was funny, how fate seemed to pull people together.

It was a real lovely day out, what with fluffy white clouds painting the overhead skies, the birds singing in the skies, air whistling past the trees as blossoms bloomed upon slowly-awakening trees, brought alive by the crisp yet gentle April winds, blowing gently upon the environment and stirring the grasses. There was something in the air – a sweet, humid sort of breeze – that had drawn the child into the outdoors, it’s alluring nature too much to refuse. Classes had just ended, the results being a lovely walk upon the grounds, in the hopes of truly enjoying the lovely environment, lest the April Gloom return once more and whisk the bright skies away. He was donning his typical schoolwear – a gray sweater with a Gryffindor Tie underneath, with the standard black pants, and the same typical grass-stained sneakers he always wore. A bit of a discomfort, sure, but it was better than the typical robes, as such an outfit always felt awkward upon his limbs, hanging almost like a dress and taking any allusion to manliness he still maintained during classtime. Revolting.

It wasn’t long into his escapade, that he caught quite an interesting sight – a snake lion, the same that had chucked a goblet at the back of his head in the attempt to defend his boyfriend, Demon Brat. Ruka, was it? Yeah, that seemed to be the name, if he could remember anything – the boy was a freaking disgrace to the Lion name, defending scum such as Jack Burnett… at the very memory of such a vile action, the child felt his skin crawl, a grimace spreading itself upon his face.

Who was he to let such an act go unpunished? Leave Jack unpunished? No, such ignorance might have been for someone else. Not for Rafael, innocent and just as he was. It was time to go hunting.

His footsteps carried him nimbly across the lawn, and he made quick work to plaster one of his best acting faces – Jack loved that psychological warfare, after all. It was only moments later that he was looming over the crouched figure, an ominous shadow falling over the snake-lion in question. “Hey, mate,” the young Captain said smilingly, his facial features by all means portraying absolute and acute cordiality. “Studying, are we?” An eyebrow raised, he ran a finger through his hair, a look of carefully-feigned interest upon his features. “Oh, man! Let me see – “ his foot shortly kicked the ink well, black death spreading like an infection throughout the expanses of the paper. “Oops, my bad. A real shame, and that looked like ‘O’ work! Oh, well.”

Without waiting for a response, the boy gripped the lion’s shoulder, his fingers digging into the boys flesh, in complete contrast to the careful faces he was portraying. “Listen, I’ve been meaning to talk to you. Your boyfriend hurt me, yeah? So, here’s what’s going to happen – you’re going to help me get him back. What do you prefer? Black eye or busted lip? Or,” he shrugged, another easy smile falling over his features, “if those options are too ambitious, I could always throw you in the fountain. Thoughts? Opinions?” [/font]

@Rafael D'Spacito

Ruka had gone halfway through his Transfiguration assignment when he decided to take short break from describing exactly how essential basic knowledge of Physics was to be able to understand how even the simplest transfiguration worked.

Rubbing his tired eyes for a second, he leaned against the statue next to him, letting his eyes drift across the gatherings of students enjoying the beginnings of a gentle, warm spring. A few clouds on the otherwise blue sky cast some playful shadows across the courtyard, but they were nothing compared to the dark cloud of doom approaching him with determined strides.

Before Ruka could really prepare himself for confrontation, Rafa - He wasn't going to forget this boy's name anytime soon - had already made his way over to him. There was a stark contrast between the two Gryffindors that didn't stop at the fact that Rafa was freakishly tall and towered over Ruka like a giant over a defenceless lamb. No, even their clothes spoke volumes of how different they truly were; Where Ruka hid himself under loose, flowing school robes without care for who would judge him for trying to blend into the background like this, Rafa had opted to wear his uniform without the robes, giving off an air of ease and comfort.

There was a Gryffindor tie that had been done far better than Ruka's own - He had yet to actually ask someone to teach him how to tie it rather than just asking someone to fix it for him - which made Rafa seem far better put together than Ruka believed him to be. The orderly but kept comfortable uniform was topped off with grass stained sneakers that spoke of days spent outside - no wonder for the Captain of their Quidditch Team - and a slight lack of care.
Ruka's own pair of grey sneakers were still in pristine condition, the white soles barely stained with use, as if he had been wearing them once or twice rather than almost every day since he had gotten them a month ago. He wondered, for a second, what Rafa's lack of commitment for daily shoe care said about his character - whether it said anything at all aside from the fact that he was a young boy with other things on his mind and that he had probably never needed to worry about not having shoes before - but before he could dwell on it, the other Gryffindor had come close enough for Ruka to be unable to do anything but crane his neck to be able to look into the boy's eerily friendly face.

Something tugged at the back of Ruka's mind, a feeling of unease, discomfort. The smile on Rafa's face seemed nice and genuine enough to the naked eye, but there was something about it that made Ruka want to run for the hills. There was a certain kind of familiarity to that face, something that tickled a memory. He knew that smile, he'd seen it before.

Right before Rafa had punched Jack in the face.

Tensing with the expectation of physical violence, Ruka plastered an equally fake but well-acted smile on his face, tilting his head to the side as if pleasantly curious about Rafa's feigned interest for his school work. He didn't say anything, didn't feel like Rafa actually wanted him to respond. This was all just pretence, just an act, like an animal feigning immobility before going in for the kill.

As expected, Rafa's next move was in no way compatible with the smile on his face, a quick kick to Ruka's ink pot resulting in nothing but wasted time on a half finished essay. With an unimpressed glance down at his messed up homework assignment, Ruka allowed a small frown to crease his forehead, eyes sparking with curiosity. He failed to see what Rafa thought he was achieving with an action like this; It wasn't like he didn't remember what he had written down so far, so it was easy to just take a clean piece of parchment and rewrite it again.

What was probably supposed to upset Ruka barely even tickled a slight annoyance out of him. Quite on the contrary, he felt himself growing rather bored of the other boy's presence, even as a hand came to grip his shoulder almost painfully.

Almost. Ruka had endured burns and beatings all his life; Rafa's less than gentle touch was a barely there mosquito bite among battle scars.

It wasn't until Rafa's words revealed his true motivations for approaching Ruka in the first place, that the Fire Dancer's brows shot up in question. His first thought had been that he may have been looking for Jack, but his choice of words gave him a different impression, and this time Ruka's eyes widened in slight shock.

Boyfriend?

It wasn't a word Ruka would have used to describe any of his acquaintances but there was one thing he was sure of; There was only one person he had ever done anything with that would warrant someone else appointing him a title like that. For a second, Ruka felt a surge of anger flooding through him; So he was supposed to have kept quiet about this, but that rule didn't extend to the second party involved?

Ignoring the violent threats Rafa was throwing his way, Ruka lifted his own hand to put on top of the other boy's on his shoulder, just a gentle touch, as if to simply acknowledge the Gryffindor.

"Wait," he said, head tilted to the side in a mix of terror and confusion."What did Flash tell you? What did he do?"

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Interacting With: @Ruka Tân
Mentioning: Jack Burnett • Flash Holmwood

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[font=Segoe Print]There was something oddly satisfying about power, Rafael realized as his fingertips dug into the skin of the other Gryffindor, his sweet smile only growing in maliciousness as he gazed upon the new victim of his wrath, the rush satiating his rage in the most acute sort of way. It felt satisfying, enlightening in ways he’d never felt possible, sending fireworks of adrenaline through his veins, along with a dangerous sort of euphoria, a drug that forced him farther off the brink of his sanity and limits, pushing him closer and closer towards the dark, monstrous side of himself that he loathed and detested with all of his being. There would be nothing anyone could say or do that could prevent such emotions – with every inward scolding, disgusted thought towards himself, he only felt the impulse grip his senses tighter, forcing him, spurring him on, his anger turning into something completely new, unlike anything he’d ever felt before –

He looked upon the Gryffindor in his grip, gaze sharp and alight with fascination – he hadn’t really noticed it before, but the second year seemed oddly untidy, and pathetic at that, tensing under his fingertips like the coward Raf knew he was. Good. He should be afraid, fear what evil he’d stirred within the Captain. It would only make for a better story to tell Jack, in the instance that the boy walked away emotionally scarred. All’s fair in love and war – a saying he knew well, having heard it often from his uncle. Someone hurts you? Hurt them back. Enough so, that they don’t get back up. He would take those words to heart in this moment, his lip bit in thought as he scrutinized his next actions. What horrors was he to put the Gryffindor through?

All deals were off when the other boy spoke. "Wait, what did Flash tell you? What did he do?"

At the sound of the Slytherin’s name, it was the aggressor that tensed, his hands pulling away from the fire performer in disgust as he looked upon his victim in a new light. What was he playing at, eh? Were they… a thing? “Wh-at?” he exclaimed, his features twisting in a deep, disdainful sort of scowl, the sort that came from the very pits of his soul. “He told – what? What is that supposed to bloody mean?” His eyebrows furrowed, a sneer appearing on his features as his bottom lip started quivering. It was already bad enough that Jack had disgraced the entirety of the Gryffindor House by dating one of his kind. What was worse? “What the hell does Flash know?” he growled. “What’s his deal with Burnett, yeah?” His anger was simmering back now, his face becoming red. No, this wouldn’t do. This wouldn’t do it all.

With quick hands, Raf’s grip returned on the Gryffindor before him, the vice ten times stronger than it was before, powered by the rage simmering off the child in waves. His gaze was not at all cordial anymore, instead his friendly gaze having turned piercing, scowl deathly. He wanted Ruka to be scared, fear the result of what name had just left his mouth. He wanted Ruka to pay.

“Swimming it is.”

Without much grace or care towards the boy whose robes he was clutching, the Gryffindor roughly hauled his housemate over towards the fountain, bare of student life. Perfect for dunking. The boy didn’t waste a second – leaning his adversary backwards, so that his back was to the edge of the fountain, he clutched the front of the boy’s shirt and shoved him into the fountain baptizing-style, the water quickly submerging his head. He would wait a few moments, his grip on the boy strong and unwavering, before pulling up moments later, giving the boy a chance to breath. “Are you okay?” he would ask, his gaze genuine as he legitimately looked over the boy in front of him, much like a mother checking her son for wounds. “That looked painful,” he remarked. “You can take it, though, can’t you?” [/font]

@Rafael D'Spacito

There was something extremely sadistic about the way that Rafa's face just seemed to split more and more into that gruesome smile that made Ruka's skin crawl uncomfortably. It was like every notion of discomfort on the Fire Dancer's face made the other boy fill with content, like nothing else really mattered as long as he was able to display his very obviously superior strength.

Ruka had been confronted with people like that before; People who would do anything to prove their self worth by over-powering others with clear disadvantages. There was nothing he would be able to do or say, he realised, to distract Rafa from what he wanted to do to him - whatever kind of violent attack it might be - so he mentally prepared himself for the inevitable pain soon to follow. His eyes drifted to the side for a moment, locking on the solid stone statue next to him, and for a second he almost rolled his eyes as he thought about how annoying it would be if he took away yet another scar on his head should Rafa decide to smash it against the carved rock.

However, just as Ruka had accepted his fate, the other boy surprisingly let go of him, as if stung by the sound of Flash's name which was... curious. Wasn't that exactly the person Rafa had been talking about? Did Flash not tell him about that kiss after all?

Reaching up to rub his shoulder a bit where Rafa's hand had been just a moment before, Ruka let a confused frown crease his forehead, eyes glazing over a little as he tried to figure out what was going on. The other boy's words just served to confuse him even more, and he caught himself pulling his bottom lip between his teeth to chew on it for a few seconds, the rough skin breaking almost immediately down the middle. He could taste the few droplets of blood escaping the cut as he listened to Rafa's words.

The other boy seemed thoroughly confused, maybe even hurt, like the thought of Flash dating someone was something he didn't want to think about.

Interesting.

At the mention of Jack's name, Ruka's head tilted to the side, eyes squinting together as he mustered the expression on Rafa's face, noting how red he got, and for a long moment he confused the colour with a hue of embarrassment instead of anger, which prompted a question out of him he would have otherwise never asked.

"Did Flash kiss Jack too?"

The sentence was accompanied by an expression of vague disgust, as if the mere thought of that instance made him feel uncomfortable. A twinge of jealousy crossed his features but he swallowed it down immediately, unsure where it came from in the first place. Either way, there were more important things to focus on, like the fact that Rafa's grip returned to him with a force clearly fuelled by his rage.

Ruka could already tell he was going to have bruises where the other boy's fingers were digging into his skin. The pain should have been excruciating, but the Fire Dancer barely flinched under it, the stinging grip making his nerves feel numb, like letting your arm run under cold water a little too long.

The expression on Rafa's face changed too, finally revealing the true colours underneath that disturbing smile; he was looking at Ruka like he was nothing but a defenceless rabbit waiting to be torn apart. It was supposed to scare him for sure, was supposed to make the hairs on his neck stand on end, was supposed to make him want to beg for his life.

Instead he let out a vaguely amused laugh, eyes sparkling with amusement at how easily this boy was letting himself be riled up.

Ruka had barely said anything at all, didn't think he'd ever really exchanged a word with Rafa before, and yet here he was, hauling Ruka around like a doll in order to... Do what, exactly? Let his anger out on someone? Get information?

No, none of that seemed to add up; Rafa had told Ruka to help him get back at his boyfriend and judging by the confused reaction towards the name, it seemed like he hadn't been talking about Flash, which meant that...

Oh.

How could he have been stupid enough to think Rafa had had any real basis for titling anybody Ruka's boyfriend? How did he not realise it was a term that was just supposed to rile him up?

He had given Rafa entirely too much credit.

Before he could comment on that, however, he could feel his back pressing against the edge of the fountain, a fist balling around his shirt against his chest. Ruka had about a second to lift his right hand and wrap it around Rafa's wrist as if that would help anything at all before he was tipped back, cold water hitting his face mercilessly, forcing his eyes shut immediately.

His first instinct was to struggle, twisting his body left and right for a moment as his mouth opened to catch some air just to be filled with water instead. Every breath he tried to take filled his lungs with liquid, and he was momentarily transported back to the Great Lake. Coughing against the onslaught of water, Ruka felt himself going limp in Rafa's grip.

There was no point in fighting this. Every struggle would only rob him of strength and energy that the other boy already had more of in the first place. The lack of oxygen was already making him feel a little light headed, the cold impact made his face sting painfully, and there was nothing he could do except wait for Rafa to decide that it was enough.

As he was pulled back up for air, Ruka took a moment to blink open his eyes, water dripping from his eyelashes down onto Rafa's hand against his chest. A long, drawn out cough expelled some liquid from his lungs, and he turned his face to the side to spit some water out onto the ground. Spitting it into Rafa's face, no matter how tempting, would have probably just resulted in the other Gryffindor losing it completely and giving him a reason to really hurt Ruka. It wasn't worth it.

Taking a deep, rattling breath, Ruka turned his gaze back to his housemate, face expressionless as he shrugged his shoulders. "Thanks for your concern," he croaked out, voice scratchy from the water and the coughing. "I've dealt with worse." A challenging grin split his face, as if daring Rafa to show him exactly what he was capable of.

It was almost amusing to Ruka, like a game in which he was urging Rafa to show him all his moves right at the beginning before he was going to start working on his own strategy. Was this how Rafa fought his battles? Brute strength?
If so, then he would be able to deal with that. Violence wasn't going to break him any more than he'd already been broken.

"And anyway, I doubt you've thought your plan through properly." He chuckled lightly before clearing his throat, his voice finally sounding more like himself again. "If you want to get back at Jack by hurting me, you'll be sorely disappointed." He winked at Rafa, amusement lighting up his eyes even as he turned his head to the side for a moment to spit out some more water. "It's a really stupid, uncreative plan to begin with, but now you can put uninformed on the list of adjectives to describe it with."

Slowly he moved his own hand away from Rafa's wrist to wipe wet hair away from where it was sticking to his forehead, obscuring his vision a bit where longer strands fell into his eyes.

"Jack and I aren't even talking right now. Do you really think he'd care? He wouldn't find out from me, so that means you'd have to actively search him out to tell him. It'd only show him how desperate you are for... what, petty revenge? You don't reckon he'd just think you were pathetic?" A loud laugh escaped his lips. "But if that's the best you can do, by all means, put me under water some more. Give me a black eye. Drag my face across the ground as long as you want. As long as you're prepared for your plan to backfire spectacularly."

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Interacting With: @Ruka Tân
Mentioning: Flash Holmwood • Jack Burnett

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[font=Segoe Print]"Did Flash kiss Jack too?"

Rafael wasn’t exactly sure why the other Lion’s words hurt so much. It wasn’t as if he were particularly attached to Flash, after all, as if they were in a relationship or anything. Hell, they had met up only a handful of times, only truly opting to chat about music and such, manifold interactions without any real meaning. And really, the boy should have known. He hadn’t made a confession to Flash regarding his true feelings for the boy, nor had he spoken to a friend about the confusing masculine hormones that seemed to attack his senses every time he laid eyes on that beautiful face, listened to that smooth voice of his. Flash wasn’t his property, the Slytherin never had been, a fact that was as discouraging as it was disheartening. The boy was surely entitled to his own decisions, the Gryffindor reasoned, able to kiss or date anyone he wished, should Rafael continue to keep his feelings to himself. It was a free market after all, and who was Rafael to pick and choose who he loved?

However, no such reassurances could alleviate the growing rage that now blossomed in the chest of the young Gryffindor, an uncontrollable fire of rage that now overcame the young boy, his eyes growing wide and nostrils flaring as he properly absorbed the weight of Ruka’s words. Ruka and Flash had… kissed? As in, made out with each other? Such a though sent disgust ricocheting through the stomach of the young Gryffindor, a gag escaping his lips as he suddenly released his hold on the boy’s clothing. Impossible, there was no way such an angelic child could have ever made such a vile decision. “Wh-at?” he muttered, brow furrowed as he glared down at his fellow housemate, shaking his head as if to liberate his mind from the deafening thoughts. He was lying surely. For such a mind trick, he would surely pay.

“More water for you then.”

Grasping the boy’s shirt once more, he forced the boy’s head underwater, allowing the child to sit under the liquid for a long, agonizing moment. It was then that he would properly set himself upon the edge of the fountain, turning his posture so that his feet were resting in the pool, water slowly seeping in through his grass-stained shoes and sending a prompt cold chill through his eleven-year old body. He would shortly bring Ruka up about then, considering his health with an innocent grin, eyes dancing with mischief. “That’s a real shame,” he voiced wryly, in response to the boy’s latest revelations. “You know, in normal circumstances, upon hearing that, I may have been convinced to free you. However,” he shrugged, eyes narrowing slightly at the very thought of Ruka tainting the angel boy, “this isn’t about Jack anymore, now. Is it?” The words slipping off his tongue in a seemingly rehearsed manner, nostrils flaring as he spoke, “What’s your deal with Flash, yeah? What have you done to him? Please, I’m very curious to know.”

To solidify his point, he pushed the boy underwater once more, grip strong as he wryly considered the Lion’s words once more. What did it mean, that Jack and he weren’t talking? What was up with that? What, Ruka finally got a brain cell and realized the evil he was dealing with? The Captain scoffed, shaking his head to himself. Hardly. No, it must have been something the Demon Brat had told him, some sort of offensive breath that had driven the boy away, put him at odds with the snake he once called an ally. Very curious, the boy decided, his grip tightening on the second year’s garments. Well, what was that all about? Perhaps the boy would soon find out, then.

Pulling the boy above the water, he grasped his collar with renewed fervor, shaking him like a ragdoll. “C’mon, tell me something I like. Convince me to end this. You know,” he shrugged, an easy smile upon his features, “I don't particularly like doing this. Got my shoes wet and everything," he gestured at his shoes, shaking his head in a wry sort of way. "It's a real shame. But I want answers, and allegedly, you have a few. What happened between you and Jack, then? You finally find out how evil he actually is?” [/font]

@Rafael D'Spacito

As Rafa let go of his clothes for a short moment, Ruka tumbled backwards, caught off balance at the sudden loss of a hand holding him upright. He moved his arms back to catch himself from falling on his head, his hands trembling as he reached straight for the bottom of the fountain in an attempt to keep himself upright. His sleeves were drenched now, as was the hood and the shoulders of his cloak, but he didn't pay it much attention.

Much more interesting was the reaction Rafa was giving him upon hearing that Flash had been going around kissing people. There was something like confusion and disgust on the other boy's face, a certain kind of jealousy that Ruka thought he could recognise but didn't want to think about too deeply. For a second the Fire Dancer was simply staring at Rafa's face as if to figure out exactly what was going through the other Gryffindor's mind, but before he could come to a satisfying conclusion there was a hand back at his clothes, and this time Ruka didn't struggle as he was pushed under water, merely took a deep breath the second Rafa had voiced his warning.

His body instinctively tensed as his head was pushed under water instead, and unlike last time, Rafa was seemingly trying to stretch the limit of what he thought Ruka could take without actually drowning, because it was long past the reasonable amount of time someone was able to hold their breath when the other boy finally pulled him up again.

Ruka took a deep, shaky breath. His lungs were stinging with the strain of it, a cough escaping him as he tried to regulate his breathing again. At least he hadn't swallowed any water this time.

As much as it took away some of his leverage, Ruka wasn't surprised to hear that the reason for Rafa's vile attack had shifted from wanting to get back at Jack to whatever it was he wanted from Flash. It made Ruka's lips spread into a menacing grin. "What have I done to him?" he repeated with a trace of disbelief in his voice, like he couldn't quite imagine why Rafa would think him to be the instigator of what had happened between him and Flash.

He shouldn't be poking at open wounds, he knew as much, but he couldn't help himself. Rafa's reactions were too interesting, too entertaining, and the part of him that felt under challenged by absolutely everything going on around him wanted to see more of it. "Oh please," he said, a small laugh escaping him, which quickly turned into a cough in his strained lungs. Once his breathing was back on track again, he shook his head at the boy looming above him. "He couldn't take his hands off me." He chuckled, a spiteful glint lighting up his eyes for a moment.

Before he could add anything else, no matter how much he wanted to, he suddenly found his head under water again, this time without warning. Not having had the opportunity to take a breath before being held under, his body twitched violently with the lack of oxygen, his mouth opening instinctively to draw some air but being offered nothing but water instead.
He felt lightheaded before he could really comprehend what was happening, twitches and shivers slowing down as his body seemed to finally, mercifully, give up the battle of survival. Just a second longer, he found himself thinking as his eyelids fluttered under water, shapeless lights seeming to dance above the surface. Just a second longer and blissful unconsciousness was going to take over him, and Rafa would hopefully get expelled for trying to murder another student without much prompting at all.

The thought made Ruka's lips curl into a smile even as he could feel consciousness slipping away from him, but then, just as he had found himself on the brink of passing out, Rafa pulled him up to the surface again, and Ruka actually shuffled his body to the side to cough up and spit out the water he had swallowed. His body felt weak, useless even. He could barely get his hands to reach for his wand, or his feet to try and kick out at whatever they could possibly reach, but it didn't matter. Rafa seemed to be done drowning him for now and finally up for talking.

Ruka had expected the subject to continue being about Flash, but it seemed the other boy wasn't able to decide which subject was more important to him at the moment, because despite his claims that this wasn't about Jack anymore, that was exactly who his newest questions were about.

At the notion that Rafa didn't enjoy getting his shoes wet, Ruka let out a rough, strained laugh, spitting up some more water as he did so. "Frankly, they needed a wash anyway," he said, and it almost scared him for a moment how he was barely able to recognise his own voice after the assault on his airways. His lips were curled in a challenging smirk, like he was trying to show Rafa exactly how little he cared about his shoes and how much he may or may not have been enjoying what he was doing here.

The suggestion that Jack was evil somehow only made him laugh more, no matter how much the strain forced tears out of him that mixed grossly with the water on his flushed face. "He's not the one trying to murder me in a fountain, so I don't think evil is the word I'd use here," Ruka pointed out with a little shrug. He was still letting his body go limp in Rafa's grip, too physically exhausted to really care about holding himself up anymore. "What is it to you anyway?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at Rafa in question. "Why would you care? Is it really relevant to you whether he's talking to me or not? Relevant beyond you feeling like you've lost some leverage on him, I mean." He chuckled like he thought it was hilarious that Rafa had ever thought hurting Ruka was giving him any kind of leverage on Jack in the first place.

With a little sigh, Ruka decided to throw the other boy a bone anyway. What was the harm? "He thinks I can't take sufficient care of myself," he said, averting his eyes for a moment as a bitter expression crossed his face. Whether it was directed at Jack or himself or something completely different remained a mystery as Ruka wasn't exactly happy to elaborate on the situation. "Considering the situation I'm in right now, he might actually be right, don't you think?" His tone had turned conversational, like he was actually interested in Rafa's opinion on the matter, and he turned his gaze back to the other boy with a small but slightly sad smile on his face. "I guess for as long as I end up in scenarios like this I'm just a liability to him."

Another shrug accompanied his words, and he slowly pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, gaze dropping to where Rafa's hand was still curled around the front of his robes, ready to push him back under water at any point. "That the answer you're looking for?"

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Interacting With: @Ruka Tân
Mentioning: Flash Holmwood • Jack Burnett

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[font=Segoe Print]“He couldn't take his hands off me.”

The results of the Gryffindor’s words would be instantaneous – the face of the Captain immediately soured in that moment, a look of pure disgust creeping over his features as his eyes grew hard, jaw clenched. The disdain was ever-present, as was the disappointment, pain of knowing Flash was with someone else. And the thunderbird had fallen for him so hard. The disappointment dug into his livelihood like a knife, tearing apart his psych and leaving him shaking in rage, the fury now hijacking his features – with a newfound grip on the boy’s shirt, he would shove Ruka into the fountain once again, holding him under with all the strength he could muster. Such words warranted fearsome punishment, the sort that would make the fireboy think twice about provoking his fellow first year. If everything went according to plan, the boy would most likely feel the life in his body slipping away from him for a short moment, feel the serious danger he was putting himself in. Because, in the midst of his raw anger, he knew he was the dominant one in the fight. If you could even call it that. He was to be feared. Pain and safety might be artificial, but the boy had learned the hard way that, after a while, everyone gave in to it. And the first year would exploit that to the best of his ability.

Many long, strenuous moments would pass as the Captain would watch his victim’s body language for signs of weakness, relent. And then, a few moments after seeing the bubbles of oxygen surface to the air, and the struggle against his grip weakening, he would pull the boy up, no more signs of humor on his face. He was done fucking around “What, are you masochistic or something?” he would growl in pure anger, his face growing redder as the moments wore on. “To be completely honest with you, I don’t think I’ve seen anyone that quick to pitch themselves at danger. It’s crazy.” Why was he mad? Was it that Ruka had stolen Flash away from him? That he’d lost his leverage on Jack? Or, was it that the Gryffindor refused to show any weakness to the aggressive child, fear? He didn’t know. He couldn’t think, the anger so fresh in his mind. It wasn’t the angriest he’d ever been, moments in his life where he’d felt out of control, but it was pretty damn close, his grip on his code slowly loosening at the very memory of Ruka’s antagonistic words. No, that wouldn’t stand. He was to be respected, feared! “Jack did say you were raised on the streets. I guess you would know what threats are like, then .”

“I guess that’s how we’re different,” he would spit, not even in control of his words, the information he was releasing. “I fight for myself, while you hide behind people who want to exploit you. I mean,” he laughed bitterly, “are you really so weak, as to sell your soul to Jack fucking Burnett? Were you just that daft, that you couldn’t see him for the bloody monster that he is? Or were you just scared? Tired of the freedom your life warranted? I’ll tell you something you might not have known.” He leaned in just a bit, close enough to make it seem as if he were telling a secret, yet far enough to avoid any attacks the boy tried to send him. “Jack and I are the same, just as crazy, just as deranged. He’s just better at hiding it. Oh,“ the boy grinned darkly, “he also has this nasty habit of hurting his friends. A trust issue, I suppose. I actually offered to be his mate, forget about the shit he’d put me and that damned girl through, after he’d stalked me for a fucking month. He didn’t like that idea. Went and kissed my boyfriend like the typical fucking snake that he is, imagine that.”

“What, you needed love, affection? And you went to him for it?” [/color]The boy scoffed. “I can see why he thinks you’re a bloody liability. Street kids are supposed to be good profilers. It’s a wonder you’re still alive.” The boy allowed the dark grin to return, shaking his victim as to make sure he was still tuning in. “Can’t even eat without him spoon-feeding you. Like a dog,” he purely snarled. “Are words your only defense? Do you just talk to, what, get under my skin?” He was angry, and he wanted the Gryffindor to know it. “If so, then it fucking worked.” He would proceed to slam a fist into the face at the boy, exuding almost all his strength into the one movement. “The thing is, you’ve lost your leverage. What’s making you valuable to me now?”

He would consider his last words for a moment, before continuing, his words tentative. “What if I did?” he finally asked, as if considering his options, putting an look of madness, questionability, in his eyes. A façade, yes, but would the boy across from him be able to tell? “Drown you in this fountain, I mean. Do you think anyone would try to stop me? Do you think Jack would really care? Anyone would really care?” Then, furthermore, “Would your parents come to your funeral? Some parents, letting you live on the streets. You know, now I’m curious now. What say, we give it a try?”

He’d broken Raf’s heart, and was no longer valuable to the enraged child. He was useless. Drowning was more than on the table. He sure as hell hoped Ruka knew that.

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@Rafael D'Spacito

Ruka was no stranger to violence.

He wasn't even a stranger to the feeling of being so close to death he could almost taste it, so any attempt of inducing genuine fear in him was a waste as long as it was done by pressing him under water until his lungs felt like they were filled with more water than oxygen. He barely struggled as Rafa pressed him under again, only twitched instinctively as the last bit of air was forced out of him, his chest constricting painfully. The hand that had been holding on to his house mate's wrist for a moment fell limply to the side, fingers curling into his palm without him even realising the movement.

For a second, a blissful second, everything seemed to be going black, even as his eyelids fluttered under water, and he almost hoped Rafa would just keep holding him down until the darkness was able to take full control of his consciousness, but before he could fully finish that thought he was pulled up again, coughing vehemently as he turned his head to the side with his last strength to spit out the water coming up his throat with every breath he took.

The only response he could bring up at the start of Rafa's monologue was a small, tired smile, a drowsy expression betraying the fact that he wasn't quite there anymore, the perfect image of The lights are on but nobody's home. He felt ridiculously giddy for some reason, like he had rarely ever been in a funnier situation, but he didn't have the strength to laugh. Maybe it was for the better to just let himself be pulled back and forth like a doll anyway.

"I'm not hiding," he spluttered, droplets of water dripping from the corners of his mouth as he pulled them into a goofy little grin, eyelids blinking lazily up at the other boy. He felt so tired. "I'm right here." A harsh cough made him spit up some more water onto his own robes. "Not sure where you got the impression I was hiding behind him." He shook his head lightly with a weak little shrug. "Or that he was exploiting me." This time he managed to let out a slightly crazy sounding laugh, like Rafa had just presented him with the funniest joke of the century. "Look at me, Rafael. What is there to gain from spending time with me?"

For a second he let himself slump into Rafa's grip, head falling forward, chin against his chest, shoulders slumped. His legs felt restless, twitching against the hard surface of the fountain's edge. Nothing in his body really felt like it was under his control anymore, so the only thing he could really do was listen to the other Gryffindor as he told his own version of a story he had already heard before and made his own opinion of. There was no new information to any of Rafa's words, and Ruka showed as much by sighing his disappointment. "You offered to be his mate," he repeated with a quiet chuckle, hacking up some more water as his laughter rose slightly. "That's adorable." He didn't elaborate any further on the subject, relented to listening to the rest of the boy's words about it without further interruption.

"Should've come to you instead, should I?" he wondered weakly as Rafa questioned why he would have gone to Jack of all people for affection. The mere thought made him roll his eyes slightly.

When Rafa's fist collided with his face, Ruka let out a pained gasp, the stinging overwhelming the pressure inside his chest for just a moment. He hadn't expected it, but he wasn't surprised either and frankly too close to unconsciousness to even acknowledge the impact with more than a groan as he turned his head to the side as if to avoid another punch if it were to come.

Despite the pain that felt like it was numbing his whole face, Ruka managed to let out a small laugh at the thought of his parents attending his funeral. "Doubt they'd come," he murmured; the movement of his jaw hurt in ways he couldn't remember ever having experienced before. "I don't have any." It was information he didn't like to parade around, but at this point he felt like Rafa deserved at least some information out of him, even if it wasn't the type he had been looking for. Knowing Ruka didn't have any family left was likely the most useless information he could have gotten out of him, but the shorter boy couldn't find it in him to care for whether he was useful to Rafa or not.

"Don't need to try to find your answer to that." He attempted to shake his head but the pain was too overwhelming for him to go through with the movement. "Would it really be worth it though, just to have it confirmed that nobody would care?" His voice was scratchy and weak, like it took him every last effort in his body to keep from falling asleep right on the spot. "The risk of getting expelled? You don't think people would question a dead body in the fountain? Even if it was just as a formality." He hummed as if lost in thought for a moment. "Kill me then. You can even blame it on me if they expel you and send you to prison for murder, but it won't do you much good, will it? You'll still have ruined your whole life just to find out if I'm really as worthless and useless as you believe I am." A small glint of satisfaction lit up his otherwise empty eyes. "So, ultimately, I still win."