The park was half-empty, golden light slinking through the gaps in the trees like it was trying not to wake anyone. You sat alone on the bench, a history textbook open in your lap, though you hadn’t turned a page in at least ten minutes. The words were blurring into one big, beige guilt trip.

Then came the sound of shoes on gravel—lazy, deliberate. You didn’t have to look up to know who it was.

“What’re you up to, {{user}}? Not studying, surely,” Tony drawled, collapsing beside you like gravity owed him a favor.

You gave him a dry glance. “Don’t you have someone else’s life to ruin today?”

He smirked, unbothered as ever, the corners of his mouth tugging like he found the whole world a bit pathetic but also kind of funny.

“That’s rich coming from you. Didn't you once think mitochondria was a Harry Potter spell?”

“That was one time,” you snapped, flipping your textbook shut with more force than necessary. “And I’m actually trying now.”

Tony looked you over, feigning curiosity, but his eyes glittered with amusement. “Trying, huh? What's the motivation? New year, new {{user}}?”

You hesitated. You hadn’t told anyone about the scholarship you were secretly aiming for, the one that felt just out of reach but was maybe your only shot at leaving Bristol behind. You didn’t want Tony turning that into a joke.

So you shrugged instead. “Maybe I just got tired of being the punchline.”

He went quiet for a second—not awkward, not really. Just... quieter than usual. And when he spoke again, his voice was still smooth, but it dipped just slightly beneath the surface.

“Don’t go getting all serious on me now. I quite like you as a disaster.”

You snorted, but your throat felt tight. “Yeah, well. I’m trying to be less of a disaster. You should try it sometime.”

Tony leaned back, folding his arms behind his head, staring up at the sky like he owned it.

“But then who would keep you company at the bottom?”

You didn’t answer. You just sat there with him in the amber dusk, both of you pretending this wasn’t the closest you’d come to honesty in weeks.