Catharsis [Tom Riddle]

Chapter Forty-Five

 Tom awoke to the feeling of Avalon moving in her sleep.

His gaze slowly drifted over to her peaceful figure, wrapped up in blankets, curled into a tiny ball beside him. The feeling of her skin pressed against his own was the best thing to wake up to, in his opinion, and he found it growing harder and harder to leave bed every day.

Her skin was still littered with the remnants of the night before-- purple marks scattered along her body as reminders of his touch. Never in a million years would Tom have thought that the infuriating girl he had met four months ago would have ended up waking up in his bed nearly every morning, but he was far from complaining.

He watched her for a few moments more, his fingers tracing soft figures along the curve of her hips, but he finally convinced himself to get out of the bed. Slowly, he shifted away from her, making sure to make as little noise as possible as he got up and started getting dressed.

It had become abundantly clear to him over time that Avalon was a heavy sleeper-- how she managed to remain deep in slumber nearly every morning when he woke and attended to his morning activities was beyond him. But, he quite liked how he could steal glances at her peaceful self without having to worry about being caught staring.

Merlin, she was beautiful.

Once he had pulled on a fresh change of clothes, he silently made his way to the door, opening it up and walking out into the hallway. He glanced at her one last time, a soft smile tugging at his lips as he noted the slight part of her mouth as she slept before he closed the door behind him as quietly as he could.

He was immediately greeted by the catastrophic scene left behind in the halls. Empty vials littered the floor, several party-goers were passed out on the ground, and paintings were hanging crooked on the walls.

The entire estate was filled with reminders of the debauchery that had ensued the night before, but Tom paid it little mind as he made his way to the dining room. The elves had already laid out breakfast, as usual. A large feast was strewn across the expansive table, seemingly untouched, though, as it appeared that most of the manor was still fast asleep.

He walked over to the table, glancing around to see what was available. First, he grabbed a mug and poured a cup of coffee, adding in sugar and cream until it turned such a light brown it nearly looked like pure milk.

How Avalon enjoyed her coffee that way, he would never truly be able to understand.

He began to reach for another cup to pour himself his own drink when he was startled by a voice behind him.

"I don't recall you taking your coffee with cream and sugar."

A sense of irritation overtook him almost immediately, but still, he turned around and met Rosier's gaze. He bit the inside of his cheek, trying to hide his annoyance as he replied, "I'm trying something new."

Adonis raised his brow, staring at the light coffee. "Really?"

Reluctantly, Tom raised the cup to his lips, taking a small sip and nodding. He had to hide the disgust that plagued him when he swallowed down the sickeningly sweet excuse of a coffee, mentally cursing Avalon for having the most horrendous taste in drinks. "You're up early," he said.

"As are you. Rather surprising..." Adonis said, pausing before he finished his thought, "... as I saw you leave with Hendrix last night."

"I am always up this early," Tom shrugged, his face indifferent.

Adonis took a moment to carefully choose his next words, pouring himself a cup of coffee while he thought. Finally, he said, "So what is the deal with the two of you?"