Running On Empty

Eyes flitting from one brand of chocolate to the next, the Prideux adjusted the handle of the basket in his arms, pulling it to rest in the crook of his arm. Ever since he'd been discharged from St. Mungos, he'd been on some sort of fritz. No one could so much as pat his shoulder without his brain taking it as an attack and forcing him to relief moments he'd rather never think of again.

Licking his perpetually dry lips, he hummed softly as he reached out to add another package of sweets to his already overflowing basket. It was that same feeling again. The one that always began in the pit of his stomach and made the teenager feel all numb and empty. But this time, this time, it was worse. It was all he could do not to start his chocolate binge right here in the middle of the store.

His blue eyes scanning the chocolate he'd chosen appraisingly, he gave it a small nod before turning towards the cash register. There were good things, he supposed, about knowing the owner of the store. Swept up in his own thoughts, the blond failed to notice the boy he was heading towards until he crashed into him. All the chocolate that he'd so carefully selected falling out of the basket onto the floor, the teenager barely regained his balance by grabbing onto a nearby shelf, almost toppling that over.

Letting go of the shelf, Julian stared, dejected at the candy before him for a moment before slowly looking up at the boy who was just as much to blame for this as him. "Gonna help?" he asked before kneeling down, shoveling chocolate back into the basket. Pausing, he glanced back up at him, a single eyebrow raised.

Zander barely caught his balance, flinching away from the contact he had with the boy. Brown eyes wide, he bend down to help automatically, glancing up at the boy with a raised eyebrow. "I didn't mean to cause you any trouble." He said easily, offering him some of the chocolate he'd collected before just putting them in the basket himself.

Standing back up to his full height once all the candy was collected, Zander just stood there, looking a bit uncomfortable as he gazed down at one of the candies in his hand. He hadn't had chocolate in a while. After a long moment, he held it out to the other boy, looking away from him. "I'm Zander."

"It's not your fault." Julian sighed, digging the heel of his palm into his eyes. How long had it been since he'd got a good night's sleep? Hell, he could hardly remember how it felt to not wake up in the middle of the night, drenched in his own sweat and images flashing behind his eyelids. Shaking his head, he sighed again, returning to stuffing fallen chocolate back into his basket.

"Julian." He said, standing up as he finished collecting his candy. Frowning slightly at the height advantage the other boy had over him, he shook it off, flicking his blue gaze down to the offered chocolate. "You can have it," he waved off, rummaging through the basket. "I can't eat all of this by myself, can I?" he joked, ignoring the nagging little voice that told him that yes, he could and would eat all of it by himself.

"Yes it is. I bumped into you. Don't worry about it." He shrugged, unconsciously shrinking away from brushing the boy again, taking a step out of his immediate area to glance around the store again.

"Nah." Zander said easily, tossing the candy into the other boy's bag. "I really shouldn't anyway. I've got to stop bingeing on this stuff." Shrugging, he moved out of the boys way, waving toward the register. "You planning a party or something?" He asked, looking over all the candy. "Because by the looks of all that, you could have quite the bash."

"Trust me, I won't," Julian said with a shrug, raising an eyebrow ever so slightly at the way the boy moved away. But then again, wasn't he doing that to everyone who brushed against him? So he really didn't have the right to question him.

"Nice shot," he commented as the chocolate easily fell into his basket. "With that arm, you could own the Quidditch field or a baseball diamond." Wincing at the bingeing comment, he laughed softly, "We wouldn't want to gain fifty pounds, would we?" Stepping towards the cash register, he glanced back at Zander. "I could," he shrugged, "but, I don't know, just not in the partying mood, you know?"

"More into basketball, myself." He said with a half shrug. "My height was always awkward everywhere else. The pitcher always sent the ball to low..." He paused for a moment, a slightly lost look on his face before he dared ask the question. "Uhm... What's-" He looked away from Julian for the briefest of moments, pretending to be examining a cotton candy display. "Nevermind."

"I know what you mean." He said in monotone, looking back at the boy. "But usually it's the ones that don't feel like partying that need a party in the first place." He shrugged. "But suit yourself. If you happen to change your mind... I know somewhere we could go."

"I always loved soccer," Julian admitted, taking one of the packages of candy and tossing it up in the air. "I played competitively and had trophies and awards and everything. I still play though, just not nearly as much as I did when I was younger." Shrugging, he held the candy in his hand, looking back at Zander. Raising an eyebrow, he tilted his head, "Quidditch? Is that what you were going to ask?"

The offer...it was tempting. And his curiousity was getting the better of him. "What exactly do you have in mind?"