At Your Service

Tonight

Random A/N: It seems since I've started updating again, I've been on a bit of writing spree, so LUCKY YOU GUYS GETS VERY REGULAR UPDATES ALL OF A SUDDEN! I hope you're all liking this so far, and tbh I really like this chapter, there's lots more angst, and lovely fluffy platonic stuff between friends. Enjoy :)

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Everyone noticed it. Thomas seemed more lost, and Jimmy barely spoke. Ivy seemed to have recovered fast, making amends with Jimmy about the whole thing, but avoiding Thomas, which only made him feel worse. She now settled in with the rest of the staff, who seemed to awkwardly observe the two boys' behaviour, without any commentating. Miss O'Brian seemed to be revelling in it though - being the only one brave to provoke them both on how strange they were acting.

One evening, after they'd all finished dinner and some had left the room, before Thomas could escape up to his room, Miss O'Brian started on at him.

"I must say, my curiosity is peaked," she smirked, knowing exactly how irritating she was being.

"Dare I ask why," said Thomas rhetorically with a bored tone of voice.

"Oh I think you know why," she continued, "you two," motioning her head in Jimmy's direction, who avidly avoided her gaze, "have been in the most peculiar sort of way recently. Care to explain?"

"That's none of your business, and if you know what's good for you, you won't ask again." Thomas continued to walk out the doorway and rounded the corner, just catching what she then said, "must've been an argument of some kind. Tell me, James, have you broken each others hearts?"

Thomas held his breath, angry at Miss O'Brian, and also keen to hear Jimmy's response. His shoulders tensed at the sound of his voice.

"Don't be daft," he said, voice cracking a little. "And he's right, it's none of your business."

He let out a little sigh of relief. Of course Jimmy wouldn't tell anyone, least of all Miss O'Brian, what had happened between them. The day after their argument had been the worst. In the morning at breakfast, Jimmy looked tired and his eyes were red. Alfred had pointed it out and asked if he was okay, and when there'd been no response, just a glare at Thomas, that's when it got... weird. It didn't feel right not talking with Jimmy; it felt like he'd lost his best friend. Well, that's exactly what had happened. Jimmy was his best friend, and he wanted more than anything else for it to be fixed between them. But he was far too stubborn to apologize right now, or accept any blame for it. He couldn't help that he wasn't a very open person, he certainly had his reasons. If Jimmy had just told him, none of this would've happened. But then, he supposed Jimmy must be feeling the opposite.

And in a way he was, but he also felt very similar to Thomas as well. Jimmy's stomach seemed to flip any time Thomas walked into the room now. He couldn't stop his heartbeat from quickening a little either. It was starting to become a real pain, and Jimmy was desperate to get rid of it. But much like his infuriatingly unfair best friend, he was not going to apologize for his actions. Not yet at least. He was just so desperate for Thomas to talk to him. He wanted to know as much about Thomas as Thomas knew about him. And although this could easily be viewed as a stupid argument, it was more than that; it was the dissolving of their trust for one another. And that made Jimmy sadder than he'd been a very long time.

After a few days had passed between them, the silence was getting unbearably uncomfortable, but apart from Thomas and Jimmy, everyone had seemed to have adjusted to their current state and just learnt to ignore it. At least Jimmy still had some friends though. Somehow, Alfred, Ivy and himself had somehow come to a wordless agreement to put it all behind them, and it seemed Alfred especially managed to be the only one to get a smile out of Jimmy now, whether purposefully or not. It made Thomas both happy and sad at the same time - happy to see Jimmy resemble something like he used to be, but sad that it wasn't him who was putting a smile on his face.