𝙼𝚞𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝: 𝙲𝚘𝚍𝚎 𝙽𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚜

𝙱𝚘𝚗𝚞𝚜 𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚝: 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝙰𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚜

-

Several days had passed since Peter's last visit. In those days, everything in the mansion would go extremely quiet, or so you thought that was only your point of view. When he wasn't around, you felt your heart tickled, or sometimes, the aching feelings were a better surrogate term for ticklish. Although, this sensation wasn't what you had not experienced before.

After your father deceased, you felt the same things. It was an inner cycling mode when you had longed for someone to come or had missed them.

Firstly, your heart would feel ticklish, then aching like a part of your soul was absent, followed by a mood called 'nothing to do, and you would lock yourself in the room nearly all day, much like today.

You weren't unfamiliar with this mood swing, but what confused you was that this person you were so eager to meet, was Peter. The one you called 'best friend' came so often, to disturb your peaceful nights and showed up in so many inexpectant ways.

"(Y/N)?" you heard your name being called as you snapped the little space-out session back into reality. Eyes moving towards the voice owner, you saw Hank standing at your door with his hands holding a tray of what you believed to be supper since you had skipped dinner for slumber. "I made your favorite: chicken sandwiches," said Hank gently with a small smile. He's treating you lovely.

You quickly got up and walked to the man in spectacles for the tray. "Thank you," you muttered, "You needn't to. I was the one who decided to skip a meal." Taking over the tray, you stuffed the food in your mouth like you'd walked through a desert without food for several days and nights until Hank handed you a bottle of juice, urging you to eat slower. "It's the professor; he told me to make something for you. He knew why you were locked in the room," Hank stated truthfully, which almost made you choke on the drink. "Charles said Peter's not here for days, that's why."

"Professor knew? H-how?" you startled in bewilderment at the news. The brotherly figure chuckled at how your mouth went slack as he responded, "Have you forgotten? Charles reads minds. He knows when Peter comes all the time!"

The news had made your heart rate increase out of shame and embarrassment. Shame because you thought this counted as getting caught like a child for not reporting parents about snugging a pet in a box to raise it in your room; embarrassment was because the professor had already known, and he didn't even try to confront you with this issue. In the professor and Hank's eyes, you were a typical good daughter and sister. For example, you would inform your whereabouts during your free time (whether outside or inside the mansion). Or when you invited your mother and Byron to the mansion, you would always report to the adults about their arrival.

This made you believe that the professor might have thought you otherwise. The label of behaving like a good daughter didn't suit you anymore; right at the moment, you began to sneak a boy inside your chamber. "Relax, he's not angry, and so am I. We know you and Peter grow close over these months, despite he always ruins the lessons...,'' comforted Hank, a hand patted on your back. "I'll leave you to finish your sandwiches. Some works still haven't finished."

Hank left shortly after he bid you goodnight, a usual thing he would normally do when you were down. He didn't do it so often nowadays because he felt somehow awkward to treat you like a sister, especially when he was now a mentor of yours. You were grateful that Hank had brought food and talked about Peter despite not very much. At least you got someone to confide in the presence of the silver-haired boy. You had had enough of keeping this little secret in a while after Peter chose to pay you visits when the moon had already hung in the dark sky.

Pouting your lips at another disappointment that Peter wasn't coming tonight either, you drew the curtains, letting the moonlight shine through the window glass. The weather tonight is good enough to be its guest, you thought to yourself, sliding the window open big enough for you to get out on the balcony. The cold yet gentle breeze whistled, blowing through your hair as you leaned on the railings. The night was young, and you had spent it too much on thinking about someone you cared for as a friend...or perhaps, not as a friend. The thought of Peter had gotten all your attention, while the physics assignment that which professor gave that was due by next Tuesday popped up in your head. But the homework wasn't worth caring about because you had a hard time to focus the homework since yesterday morning.