The Incubus Under My Bed #wattys2019

Chapter 6- The Breaking Point

Henri walked over to Aria who was reading in the quad. It was pretty cold out, but she was bundled up in a blanket with a cup of coffee. "Can we talk?" Henri asked as Aria looked down in her book.

Aria was always painfully aware of Henri's presence. She also been experiencing power burst. "I'd rather be left alone," she said sparing him a brief glance before returning to her reading. He made her feel out of control and with her powers where they are being anywhere near him meant something was going to go wrong.

"I need you to know something before someone else tells you," he said sitting next to her. Henri knew it was time to explain what was going on with her powers. That was a tidbit of information he did keep to himself. Mostly because her powers are out of control and he valued his life.

"What Henri, what could be worst then you be"- Henri cut her off with a kiss, pulling her into his body. He molded his hands to her frame never wanting to let her go. She needed to calm down. And that was the only way he could do it without using his empathetic powers.

"Stop," she said finding the strength to pull away. "Ashley is nice, and I'm no one's other woman."

"And David?" he asked, anger marrying his voice.

"He's married." Honestly, she hadn't thought about David in a while. All she could think about was Henri and Ashley and how they were all over each other last night. She didn't have the right to be jealous, but other than Tyrell, Henri was the only guy she'd been intimate with and it hurt to watch him with someone else.

"But if he promised you, he'd leave his wife, and give up his job for you, would you go be with him? Would you ruin your reputation to be with him?" he asked. Henri didn't know where the question came from, but it was off his lips before he could process the words.

Aria swallowed, because that's what she planned on doing when she broke up with Tyrell. She was going to lay all her cards on the table and be with David if that was his choice. If not she was going to hop on the first flight out to Boston and go to BU. But now Henri was here, and he made her feel whole. Whole in a way she had never knew she was incomplete. "I don't know," she said.

The pure confusion in her answer gave him hope. He knew there was something between them, but sometimes Aria had a way of closing her feeling off even to herself and having a freakish amount of control over herself. "Don't go to the lab tonight. You need to stay away from him," he warned her. "Not because it's wrong, but because you deserve so much better than him."

Henri had the nerve to fix his lips to give her an order. His need for control and her lack of control was driving Aria crazy. "Like you?" she asked feeling fury take her over. Henri had no idea what was best for her, and he was an asshole for parading Ashley around like this was a pissing contest. "A guy that sleeps with someone, then starts dating someone else. A guy that's too afraid to admit that he's wrong. A guy that"-

"I just want to help you!" he yelled at her. He was tired of being persecuted for caring about her. He was tired of wanting to be with her and constantly being rejected. He was tired of being the bad guy. "I just want to help you Aria, because I want to be your friend. I want to have the type of relationship you have with Tyrell. I want to be your friend above anything else we are. I love you, Aria."

Aria's heart stopped. She didn't know what was happening to her. She didn't know why Henri made her feel so many emotions at once. It was hard to know which once she felt more. Especially, when she kept thinking about David and if she really loved either of them, or even should. "I love you Aria," he said kissing her. "But if you go too far with David, I don't think I can."

"Are you judging me?" she asked allowing her anger to win out in the end. She hated everything about herself at this point and time. She wasn't Aria. She didn't know who was looking back at her in the mirror every day. She hated how she was hurting people. She hated how much she wanted David. But she also hated how she was developing feelings for Henri when she was so certain not that long ago that there could never be a man, she'd love more than David. "You think I want to be in love with my professor? You think it's fun to think about kissing a marry man? I teach his kids in Sunday school. I've had tea with his wife. She buys me Christmas gifts and cards for my birthday. You think I want this Henri? You think I want to be labeled a home wrecking whore for the rest of my life?"

"Then trust me Aria. Let me help you," he said caressing her face.

"By fucking the feelings away. No."

"I never said I would do that."

"I know well enough by now that everything with us leads to you pinning me again some surface," she yelled.

"You know what Aria, if that's what you believe fine, but don't come crying to me when you're the one walking around with a scarlet letter branded on your chest, and he just walks away," Henri said being completely done with the lack of trust she had. All he needed was for her to believe he wanted to help her. He didn't need a declaration of love, of for her to jump his bone. He just wanted an in for their relationship to be something special. Something real like Stella insisted it was.

_IUMB_

"Aria, can we break?" David asked as Aria watched some coded video of participants. "I brought your favorite," he said grabbing his lunch box and smiling at her.

Aria flashed him a sweet smile and paused the video. "Peanut butter and honey on twelve grain?" she asked.

"Maybe there's only one way we can really be sure," he smiled at her.

"And how is that?" she asked.

"By eating it of course," he said taking out a sandwich for her.

"Thanks," she said taking her sandwich and unwrapping it. David watched as she looked down at her food. She was really quiet today, and he figured it had something to do with Henri. He was surprised she had no Dr. Remy horror story to share, or a family update. He asked her a few questions and got very direct answers.

"You like it?" he asked.

Aria was trying hard to focus on her work, but Henri had said something she never thought to hear in a million years. He loved her. And how did she feel about him. She didn't even know him. He was arragont and condicending and controlling. But he made her feel alive. "I always do?" she smiled up at him. The moment he smiled back she nodded and turned back to the monitor. "We should work on both, if we ever hope to input this data," she laughed. If she loved Henri what did that mean about her feelings for David. Could he sense there was something between me and Henri?

He placed his hand on hers. "It can wait Aria."

Her heart raced as she looked in his eyes. She quickly looked for an escape he was far too close for her keep focus. "I'm going to go to the thing the bathroom-thing," she said standing up. David stood in her way.

The research lab was small so both of them standing with the pulled-out chairs left little breathing room. David ran his fingertips up her arms and slowly closed in on her until their bodies were pressed together. David could sense her thoughts were wild and her emotions were all over the place once his skin made contact with hers. "He told you?"

"He who?" she asked hoping they would talk for a lot longer if she acted clueless.

"Henri, did Henri tell you?" he asked already getting a little flustered with her. Aria didn't know where this conversation was going, but she knew she didn't want to see it through.

"No, he didn't tell me anything. Is there something I should know?" she asked.

"Obviously, you know something, because you're treating me like I have the plague. It's nice to know what brother you like best," he smiled.

Aria's heart sped. David was Henri's brother. Was he an incubus too? What did that mean about her feelings for him? Was any of this real? "Did you say brother?" she asked.

"He didn't tell you?" David asked feeling dumb.

"Nnn-no you aren't his brother. You aren't..," she said backing away from him. Was he controlling her emotions? Was Henri doing all of this for entertainment. Where they conspiring together?

"I am," he said.

"You can't be an incubus. I-I can't deal with that. I can't love you and your married, and a father, and my professor, and now you're a fucking incubus too, and Henri's brother. What the fuck," she laughed and cried at the same time. "I need to go," she said grabbing her coat.

"Aria, just calm down."

"I had sex with your brother. He told me he loved me, and I-I could only think about how much I think I love you. You can't happen to me David," she yelled. "I don't do this. This isn't me. This isn't me," she repeated as he placed his forehead on hers and calmed her sobs.