"Y-you've got pretty e-eyes." I shoved at Zanthus's shoulder and scoffed.

"They're the same colour as yours, you dolt." He shoved me back playfully and tightened his arm across my middle to keep me in place.

"W-What have I done to d-d-deserve that?" I laugh, resting my head back on his shoulder.

"I told you your eyes were pretty once, you told me they're awful."

I didn't have to open my eyes to know he was rolling his into the depths of his head. "Once," He grumbled, squeezing me closer to him nonetheless.

"Don't be lame, it happened. It was a detrimental day for me." Zanthus sighed, carding his fingers through my hair.

"You're eyes are s-s-still lovely." The material of his shirt was soft between my fingers. I tilted my head upwards to catch a glimpse of him.

"We've got the same eyes, you know this right? We've like, just been over it." He started to shake his head, "Yes we do!" I exclaimed, jumping up which caused his arm to fall to the bed.

"What'vre." He snaked his arm back around my waist in an attempt to pull me back beside him. I narrowed my eyes at him and pinched his hand lightly. He let go with a huff, eyes incredulous.

"No, not happening. I'm not settling back with you until you admit we've got the same eyes." I raised my eyebrows pointedly, crossing my arms.

"D-Does it really m-matter, love?" His complaints provided little avail. None at all, that is. I pushed myself to the edge of his bed and hopped down onto the floor. As I made my way over to his sofa, I heard the duvet ruffling indicating he'd gotten up to follow in suit.

"Yes, it does matter in fact." I plopped down on the farthest cushion. I swung my legs up to prevent him from sitting beside me. Zanthus sighed, eyeing my legs only to shake his head. He walked over and took hold of my ankles, ignoring my sounds of protest as he set them on his lap instead.

"Angel," He started, but after a glance my way he decided against proceeding. I scoff, picking at nails.

"Don't Angel me, Zanthus."

"W-Why are you s-so upset? I-It's not anything s-s-serious." I knew he was right, but my ego willed me to carry on being stubborn as I was.

"Yes, it is actually." I felt myself getting worked up, and despite the part of me, that knows I've got no grounds to be at all. He gave me a compliment for fuck sake.

The past few days had brought on copious amounts of stress. My mind wouldn't stray from the message William had sent me Wednesday evening. Given I hadn't spoken to William much despite when necessary over the past few weeks, it was odd enough to receive a message out of random from him. Even more so when I came to find what the contents of the message held.

I couldn't help but let everything bubble to the surface at this point. I could tell Zanthus was aware of the tension that formed between us, and it made me feel even worse. It wasn't his fault, and I knew I'd have to let him in on what was happening soon enough but for some reason, there's something I feel holding me back from talking things over with Zanthus.

"B-Baby." His tone was soft and it takes everything inside of me not shatter at the delicateness of it.

"I'm sorry, I-God I'm so stupid. We were talking about eye colour-you were trying to compliment me! And now I've gone and ruined it all." I heard Zanthus hum beside me, hand running over my shin softly.

He brought his head closer to mine, letting our foreheads rest against each other. "I really am sorry, Zeze," I whispered letting my eyes fall shut.

"S'alright." He reassured me, but I wasn't having any of it.

Our relationship was meant to be healthy and are meant to treat each other as equals. It wasn't fair of me to jump at his throat when he'd done nothing but be a leg of support to me from the beginning. Before then, even.

"No, it's not. You didn't deserve that. I know you've been walking on glass the past few days, hasn't been right of me to keep this on." I repositioned myself so my knees were pulled up to my chest and rested my head on Zanthus's shoulder.

"You're upset." He informed me, and I let out an ironic laugh.

Upset didn't even begin to touch on what I was feeling at that moment. What I've been feeling the past few days.

"You could say that." I murmured, relaxing a bit more when I felt hands come around to gently pry at my shoulders. I could feel some of the built-up pressure I was storing release.

"You're s-scared," Zanthus stated, and my breath caught a bit in my throat.

I was scared. So scared, afraid of so many things and for so many reasons. It was overwhelming, drowning. I didn't know how much longer I could hold on, keep my head above the tide.

"We'll talk later, is that alright?" I said softly, beginning him to say yes and temporarily put me out of my misery.

I was sure I would tell him when night came. I'd already waited too long as is. I could feel myself becoming choked up. I needed a breather, a minute to collect my wits before I had to dive into that mess again. Later would be okay, I hoped.

I held my breath as Zanthus let out his.

"A-Alright." He decided, but I could hear the hesitance thick in his voice.

"I'm sorry, it's just-" I shook my head, gripping the fabric of my loose jumper arms tighter. "I just, I don't want to think about it for a bit, you know? It's all a bit much. Bit stressful." I tried to make my voice much chipper then what I felt inside, and Zanthus didn't make it apparent if he could see through my facade.

Instead, he nodded, a warm smile played across his lips. He dipped in slowly for a kiss, and I could feel a bit of the tension stored inside my bones relax at this. The kiss was dry, but it was all that I needed right now. All that I wanted.

He pulled away, letting his forehead rest against mine. I kept my eyes shut and waited blindly for his next move. I heard him sigh, and next, a firm kiss was pressed into my temple. I took a shaky breath as he drew his arms around my shoulders and pulled me in, so my head was rested on his chest. I could feel his nose inch at my neck, slow breaths taken against my skin for me to mirror.

"Later?" He murmured against my skin.

I fisted at his shirt tighter, cotton getting wrapped in my fists tightly. "Later," I mumbled, eyes shut tight as I burrowed myself further into the warmth of Zanthus. "Swear it."

**

"Jax wants us to go to some get-together at Fletcher's." I peered up at from my phone to look at Zanthus, who was putting the kettle on.

"D-Did he m-message you?" Zanthus worried his bottom lip between his teeth with narrowed eyes, and I rolled my eyes at him. He wore jealousy far too obviously.

"Yes, Zeze, he did," I said, placing my phone down so I could gather my full attention for what was to come next. Zanthus was quiet, he didn't move nor did his glance fall from me. A pregnant silence hanging in the air until it had become too heavy to bear any longer. "Have you got something to say then?"

Zanthus scoffed lightly, crossing his arms over his chest. "N-No." He muttered.

"Right then, let me know when you're ready to be mature about this," I replied kindly as I picked my phone back up from where it sat. I messaged Jax back, letting him know I'd get back to him with a proper answer in a bit.

"Angel," Zanthus called for me, voice raised enough to be heard over the kettle brewing.

"Yeah?" I asked as I locked my phone again and placed it onto my lap.

"I-I-I'm not u-upset." He started, though I could already tell that he was in fact upset. His stuttering seemed to flair up the more he was challenged with emotions.

"Why would you be?" I asked anyway, allowing him to say what he wanted to instead of trying to accuse him. Communication is important, that's something I've always known.

Zanthus grunted in frustration as he brought a hand up to run it through his hair. He clutched at the strands atop his hair, fisting it tight. "I-I just, like, i-i-it's not that-" He cut himself off, clenching his eyes shut tight.

I set my phone down on the glass surface of the table as I stood up. I made my way over to him, the ends of the jumper I had borrowed swallowed my hands. The kettle flipped off and the silence had become more prominent in the kitchen.

"Hey," I reached up and took his hand from his hair, then intertwined our fingers. "Not going anywhere, babe." I reminded him, an indirect way of letting him know it was okay to take his time to get his words together.

"There's nothing w-w-wrong with you m-messaging Jax, o-o-or him messaging y-you." I hummed in a noncommittal manner. He brought his free hand up to rest on my waist, and I brought mine to his chest. "I'm so-sorry."

I released his hand from mine, reposition my arms to hold tight around his waist. My head rested on his chest, right beside his heart that I heard beating through his shirt. He relaxed into the touch, bringing his arms around me as well as he rested his head atop mine.

"Thank you, Zeze." I could feel his smile against my hair, and I'm sure he could feel mine pressed into his chest.

It was quiet again, the silence far more comfortable this time around. A hand ran up and down my back, "W-What time does it s-start?"

"Nine," I whispered and burrowed my face further into his chest, which Zanthus huffed soft laughter at. "Shut it, you're soft." My cheek was pressed flat against him now, muffling my words.

I felt Zanthus shake his head, chin rubbing over my hair. He kissed my hair, "Tell Jax w-we'll be there." I refrained from squealing and instead got up on my toes to press a kiss to his chin.

"Now make me a cuppa." He scoffed at my words but obliged with a smile.

**

"I'm tragic when it comes to sport, must you know." Tom laughed, which caused him to spill some contents of his drink onto the floor.

"We'll have to get you out on a pitch then. A bit of training couldn't do any harm." I shook my head and took a sip of my drink. A concoction made by none other than Jax, who had begged for the first forty minutes of my arrival for me to allow him to make me a drink.

"I would hate to offend anyone, really." I waved him off lightly.

"You're just building on the suspense of it all now." Fletcher pitched in, and Tom agreed with him instantaneously.

"Oi, stop hassling her. Let the lady breathe, won't you?" A girl I had come to now as Charlotte made her way over to us. "Sorry about them, they're a bit..." She trailed off with an eye roll.

"It's alright. Football is the most darling topic to chat about. Don't you agree?" She laughed, and I thanked the alcohol in my system for providing me with enough strength to guide a conversation.

"Right, right, my mistake. The prominent look of suffering on your face lost that bit in translation."

"Oi! She was not suffering, you tit. Angel loved our chat, didn't you?" Fletcher raised his eyebrows, and I schooled a faux stern face.

"Yes sir, indeed." I could feel my body becoming warmer by the second, and I was sure the alcohol was really settling in my bloodstream by this point in the night.

"I like her," Charlotte mused, then shoved the incredulous looking Fletcher to the side to stand next to me. "I like you," She repeated, and I laughed.

"I'm flattered." I mused as I brought my cup back up to my mouth. It ended up being empty, which was not something I found myself being fond of. "Jax!" I shouted, likely much louder than necessary, though it got his attention nonetheless.

"Yes, your highness? At your service?" He gave a quick bow, which only brought me to laugh again.

"Funny, that." I pointed out, then held my cup out to him. "That drink was lovely. I'd fancy another, or two. Cheers."

"Forward, aren't you?" He shot back, only to receive a quick pat on the cheek. He rolled his eyes and was on his way.

When I turned back to Charlotte I found her shaking her head in dazed amusement. She snapped her attention back soon enough. "You're dating Zanthus, yeah?"

"Yeah, right I am," I confirmed. I felt my eyebrows pull in as I thought of where he might be now. I hadn't seen him in the last quarter of an hour at least.

"Let me point you in the right direction, babe." I hadn't been aware that my face had reflected my thoughts so clearly, but I was more than thankful when Charlotte turned me to face Zanthus. Zanthus, who was sat in the corner by himself with a frown etched deep into his face. His eyes were set on me, and I felt a bit disheartened by his expression.

"God," I grumbled.

"Boyfriend troubles, then?" She guessed, and I shook my head.

"No, no, not right now. Which is why I'm.." I waved my hand around in the air, but she seemed to get what I was saying which I was thankful for.

"Catch up with me later, yeah?" Her tone was soft along with her smile, and her kindness melted my heart a bit. I nodded and didn't start to make my way towards Zanthus until I had assured her at least four times that I would talk to her soon enough.

Zanthus's frown didn't fall as I grew closer to him, nor did it grow. He was stiff, back straight and arms locked with his hands bracing his knees in front of him. I felt a frown making its way onto my face right before I was stood in front of him.

I waited for him to speak, but thought better of it when the silence only became tenser with each passing second. "Zanthus," I tried, but he just shook his head and averted his eyes from mine. "Zanthus, what's got you like this?" I tried again and moved to sit beside him on the couch.

The music was a bit louder than ideal around us, as well as the company, but I made do with circumstances.

"Nothing," He waved me off, but I was having none of it.

"Nothing wouldn't have you sulking in the corner of a party, Zeze."

His eyes snapped to mine, "I-I'm not s-s-sulking." I raised my hands up in mock surrender.

"Right, right then, you're not sulking." I could tell he was already beginning to feel guilty for snapping at me, but I was too relaxed to be bothered about it. "It's fine, it's fine. Just tell me what's wrong yeah?" I rested a hand on his arm, which stayed stiff beneath my touch.

Zanthus closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. I could feel myself growing more worried the tenser he appeared. I ran through the night thus far in my head, searching for a turning point that would've lead to Zanthus acting like he was. I drew a blank, which was incredibly frustrating.

"Zanthus, can you just-"

"I-I said i-it was n-n-nothing!" He all but shouted at me. He drew his arm back from my touch, and I was too shocked to compute that movement entirely.

Zanthus and I have argued, of course, but he's never raised his voice like that. I narrowed my eyes at him, hurt and confusion, but most of all frustration stirring inside of me. Who was he to speak to me like that when all I was doing was trying to help him, to support him.

"Don't raise your voice with me," I spoke calmly, tone much more collected then the burst of emotions running through my veins.

"L-Leave me a-a-alone." He shot back, but his tone wavered enough for me to know there was much more to this than just anger. He wasn't like that. He wasn't angry with me, he was obviously hurt. By what, I couldn't think up.

I reached out for his hand, but he pulled it back. "Zeze-"

"I s-s-said leave m-me a-alone! What d-don't you u-u-understand about that?" He bellowed harshly, which caused me to snap my mouth shut quick as it opened.

Zanthus shook his head, and his eyes softened as his brain caught up with his words. "N-No, I-"

I shook my head, putting a hand up as I stood up. "No, no, you don't get to do that." I stood my ground and spared him a quick glance as I gathered my composure. He had never yelled at me like that, let alone those words. It wasn't all too awful, but I couldn't bring myself to deal with it at the moment.

"A-Angel-" He tried again, but I didn't let him get far.

"Come talk to me when you're ready to treat me like your girlfriend, Zanthus," I stated. I threw a glance over my shoulder, thankful to catch Charlotte's line of sight, and I waved a 'one-minute' sign at her.

"Baby, I-I-" Zanthus stumbled over his words, a helpless look painted his face.

No matter how much I wanted to give in and sit back down with him I knew I couldn't right now. If our relationship was going to stay afloat he had to know he couldn't talk to me however he liked. That he couldn't act how he pleased without repercussion of his actions when they were wrong.

"I just-I need a bit, alright? I'll see you later." I started to walk away but stopped in my tracks when I heard him call my name out again. I turned, raising an eyebrow in indication for him to get on with it.

"W-When can I t-talk to y-y-you?" His voice was caught in his throat, and I forced down my own emotions that were ready to spill over. I shut my eyes for a moment, counting to five before I faced him again.

"Call me tomorrow, alright?" My eyes met his once more before I turned for a final time and made my way through the mass of alcohol and bodies to the thankfully patient Charlotte.

"You alright there?" She asked as she placed a hand on my shoulder, nodding her head towards the direction I'd just come from.

I took a shaky breath and nodded my head. Jax stumbled into me at that moment, holding a promising cup up to my face. I took it graciously and chugged a sip down. I winced slightly at the taste, and then met Charlotte's eyes again.

"I will be."

She shot me a sad smile, then reached for my cup. I didn't even protest as she pried it from my hands and dropped it back into Jax's. She reached a hand out to me, and I took it without hesitation. Her eyebrows raised, and a cheerful smile made its way back to her face.

"How about water and a chat?"