A/N: So many exams and revision and stuff going on at the moment so if I haven't updated my stories in a while - that will be the reason. Anyway, have fun with this chapter and thank you so much for reviewing!
A deep heavy breathing woke Coral from her sleep. She opened her eyes slowly, eyes blurring as she focused in on the face next to her. Coral was not the least bit surprised at having woken up beside him. She was thankful that instead of drinking last night she had managed to pour it down into a crack in the floor without being noticed. Coral winced as an odour of smoky, liquor tinged morning breath hit her in the face. She moved her face away from his and grimaced as she felt something sticky on her cheek. Coral looked down at the pillow to see that she had rolled over and ended up sleeping in his drool. Great.
"Ugh." She muttered, rolling back over and stepping out of the bed. She entered the bathroom and washed her face before walking back through and standing at the end of the bed, arms folded.
"Scabior." She said once, and then a pause. There was no change in his demeanour. In all honesty he looked like he had been hit over the head with something very heavy.
"Scabior." She said louder. People next door would be able to hear her now.
Coral sighed, not wanting to attract unwanted attention. She walked over to the bed and gave him a prod in the cheek. "Scabior." She hissed, trying to roll him onto his back.
"Oops." She said as she flipped him over and onto the floor. Coral hadn't realised how close to the edge of the mattress he was. He landed with a loud thump on the ground, making the floor boards creak.
Scabior gave a groan and cursed. He opened his eyes and glared at her.
"What the fuck did you do that for?" He asked quietly, his voice dripping with acid.
"I didn't mean to." She answered, trying to refrain from giggling.
"What time is it?" He asked, getting to his feet slowly. He paused midway as a wave of nausea hit him.
Coral's eyes widened, recognising the expression. "Bathroom." She said, grabbing his arm and rushing him to the toilet. He threw up noisily, but managing to keep it in one place.
"I can't remember the last time I threw up from drinking." He mumbled, spitting into the loo.
"Neither can I." She said, patting his back and trying to think. Last night he had announced he loved her. What the hell was she supposed to do with that? He was drunk though, so he probably didn't mean it.
"Did you mean what you said last night?" She asked quietly, looking down at the nails on her left hand.
"What did I- oh shit." He swore as he remembered. Scabior wiped his hand on the back of his mouth and then washed it out in the sink. He reached for his wand and closed his eyes, trying to remember the hangover cure he had concocted back when he was a teenager.
"Well?" She asked, desperately wanting to know the answer, although unsure why.
Scabior ignored her, muttering an incantation to reduce the feeling and clean the inside of his mouth. When finished he ran the tip of his tongue over his teeth. "Works every time." He mumbled with a grin.
"Scabior!"
"Fine I was lyin', alright? Is that what you wanted to 'ear?" He plonked himself down moodily on the edge of the tub.
Coral sat there, a little shocked at the outcome. She couldn't think of anything else to say.
"So you don't love me?" She asked in a broken voice, still completely unaware of why she cared. She was sure he meant it. Drunk people have a tendency to spew out the truth without thinking about it.
"No." He replied with a stony expression.
"Oh." Coral slumped forward more, her arms instinctively curling around her knees.
They both sat there awkwardly for a minute.
"So why didn't you let me go, why keep coming after me even though I'm just another girl?" Coral stared up at him with wet eyes.
"I never said you were just another girl." He said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Scabior wasn't really sure why he was being like this, maybe she had done the impossible and brought out his sensitive side.
Coral suddenly burst out in tears.
"Woah, what is it?" He asked, holding her at arm's length. Scabior didn't do crying.
"So why am I here?!" She nearly yelled, her eyes blazing.
"Cause I like 'aving ya around!" He yelled, giving her no time to interrupt, "I like 'aving sex with ya and I like talking to ya and I just like hangin' out with ya. Okay? I don't do 'love'," He said the word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth, "I like you, Coral, but I don't do the emotional shit so either you stay 'ere or you go. And if you wanna go I won't stop you again."
Coral had stopped crying and was again stunned into silence. Was he giving her a free invitation to leave? She wasn't even sure if she wanted to take it or not. It was like he had latched into this part inside of her and it would feel weird if he wasn't around. But she then thought of all the horrible things he had done. This was a man who sold people to their death, killed others and raped women. But he looked broken now. His cocky arrogance was gone. He was just there, stripped of everything that made him Scabior. He was almost unrecognisable.
Coral looked up again at him. Her eyes searched his for something, anything, which might explain what had just happened.
Scabior's heavy breathing had finished from his outburst now and he just sat there, looking blankly at the ground.
"I'm seventeen." She said, standing and looking down at him, "You've taken me right out of college education and I almost definitely won't be able to go back into it now. I'm independent so if I wanted to live away from my parents I would be able to buy a flat normally, so I could stay with you."
Scabior's head shot up, his eyes suddenly alight.
"But if I stay there have got to be changes." She said, her face twisting slightly with the memories of earlier occasions with him.
"I'm sure I can manage." Scabior smirked, his cocky self back.
"No, don't fuck around, I'm serious this time." She told him, feeling confident in her talking because he was now shorter than her. Scabior's head snapped up again and he rose to his full height, walking towards her.
Not anymore.
"What changes?" He said, leaning an arm on the doorframe next to her head.
Coral swallowed before continuing, "You cannot make me go to bed with you if I don't want to, because that's rape and it's one way of driving me away immediately and forever. I also don't want you torturing any other people, that includes killing too."
"Anything else?" Scabior asked, his face indicating that his patience was running thin.
"If I stay then I don't want any more confusion. I am either on your side or not." She finished, daring a gaze back up at him.
"Fine." He told her, running a hand over her hair. "Then you 'ave to change your 'air back. I liked it better when it was brown."
"Okay." She agreed, allowing herself a small smile. Scabior smiled triumphantly before walking back through to the room. Coral sighed deeply, wiping the wet from underneath her eyes and wondering whether he'd been hurt before. It was a likely option, seeing as he didn't do the whole 'love' thing. But someone had once told Coral that love was weakness, and she was sure that Scabior felt that way too. Coral just hoped that he wouldn't give her a reason in the future to feel the same way.
She exited the room and fond him lying on the bed, picking dirt out from under his nails.
"Want a quick shag in the shower?" He asked playfully, letting his eyes run over her legs.
"It's the way you sell it." She scoffed, chuckling on her way out.
Coral walked down to where Jared and Roland were sleeping and knocked on their door.
It swung open to reveal a half naked Roland, "Shit!" He said, running back and putting a t-shirt on, "Sorry 'bout that."
"It's fine." She gave him a reassuring smile. Coral frowned for a second, "Where's Alex?"
"Oh, he didn't come with us last night. I think he's spending the week at some bird's house somewhere."
"Right." Coral pushed past Roland and sat down on the bed. Jared then walked out with a towel round his waist.
"Jesus couldn't you knock?" He asked, reaching for the nearest top he could find
"Look, I'm not interested in your bodies," She sighed, "Just the ones downstairs."
"Ah, yeah." Roland said, frowning as he remembered.
"Yeah, so what are we going to do?"
"I'll think of something." Roland replied slowly.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Back at camp everything had changed. Greyback was no longer there, Warren was sporting a black eye courtesy of Scabior after he had woken up, Alex had returned after breaking up with his girlfriend, and Scabior had his arm wrapped around Coral's waist.
But this time, Coral was smiling.
A/N: Please review! I'm thinking of ending the story here, and maybe making a sequel with Coral and Scabior in a relationship but I don't know. Tell me what you think!