RIVALRY | Co authored with Kirstenenn

S I X

TW: Sexual themes, more so tension. Viewer discretion is advised.

When Liliya walked over to the boy who moved the pieces by hand, it told her more things about him already.

Well reserved, an introvert that didn't like to draw attention to him.

It made sense to her, for being a friend of two largely obnoxious men, there had to be a balance in the scales.

The sun screamed brightly through the windows, pinnacles of shadows from birds and Buckbeak. And although it was still early spring, the heat was strong enough to pink her cheeks a little.

Blaise, however, ignored the blinding light as if it ceased to exist. The world around him was cold. Frozen into a spherical block of ice. Opposite to what Theo and Draco clearly were.

He was the silencer to their pistol. The balloon envelope to the raging fire burner.

Without a second thought, she sat on the chair next to him, denting her elbows into the table whilst the heel of her palm comforted the chin.

She'd hoped to make him nervous with her flirtatious smile. But like the days before, he hadn't acknowledged her a singular bit.

The library was fairly quiet, only the few whispers of first years and the loud glares from Pince.

Blaise was quieter than the room itself. Placing one piece by piece, the clunks of wood against wood tickled her eardrums.

"Hey." She says.

Non responsive.

Liliya doesn't let it bother her. Knowing plenty of men who liked to play hard to get, maybe required their shell — breaking a little. She'd done it with many boys before, only to flick them off her shoulder once she got bored, as if they were dirt on her clothing.

Montague was a mistake. But he fell at her feet after a week and confessed his love. It was a certain surprise for him when she laughed in front of the ever growing crowd at the Great Hall and left him there begging.

The same happened with Avery. Except he was more of a knuckle to steel than a boxing pad. His shell was much harder to crack.

Adrian, on the other hand, was unpredictable. A man of actions rather than words. During fifth year as their most notorious and public affair, one would describe it as battery acid.

Vulgar words shot back and forth, hatred fucking and hardcore sexual tendencies. That was what she missed. Except in the end, hatred falters; and soon he too fell in the mix of broken shells.

Then Krum came into the picture. A man who did unspeakable things that she couldn't dare to think of. Speak of. Hear of.

Mind shut, she numbed it away.

Now Draco had reigned on that pedestal. Except there was desire to have hateful fucking with him.

Or so she thought.

Blaise was unique in the worst ways.

"Are you going to keep ignoring me?"

Still, nothing.

"And I thought you'd be the most social of the three." Liliya sighs. "Yet again, I am mistaken."

Silence. Mumbling silence. Nothing but the wind against glass and tall walls.

"Hm." She hums, looking around them both. Once turned, she let her focus retain onto the chessboard.

A daring thought occurs.