Narcissa Black (starlessnight) wrote in afreshrpg, @ 2012-04-30 22:22:00 |
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Entry tags: | !backdated, !complete, retired: daphne greengrass, retired: theodore nott, time: 1998-04 |
WHO: Theodore and Daphne
WHEN: Backdated to last Wednesday!
WHERE: Slytherin common room, 7th year boys’ dorm.
WHAT: Tired of studying, Theo goes to spend time with Daphne for the first time in what feels like ages.
RATING: PG-13
STATUS: Complete.
Theo had mostly gathered up his things and put books back in their places before he’d gotten on his journal in the library that day. He’d been so preoccupied with studying that even he had to admit that it was nice to have a little human interaction outside of the classrooms for a change.
After taking a few minutes to talk to everyone on the journals and after receiving Daphne’s invitation, he put the rest of his things away into his overly-stuffed bookbag and headed through the castle to the Slytherin dungeons. He had of course eaten meals with her and sat next to her in classes and in the library, but he really hadn’t spent proper time with her since their trip over Easter holidays - it was high time he fixed that, not to mention that his eyes were likely to fall out of their sockets if he didn’t give them a rest from reading soon.
And although he’d shown up for the random meal here and there, he’d started forgetting to eat regularly lately - a bad habit that he was prone to lapse back into when things got too stressful and he focused too much on his schoolwork or a favourite novel he was reading. He’d also started staying up later and waking up earlier, something he knew he was going to have to get used to when he started the training program at St. Mungo’s. Night shifts and all-nighters were sure to be a common occurrence in his life starting in the next couple of months. Suffice it to say, Theodore looked more than a little rough around the edges at the moment.
Once he was to the Slytherin common room, he ran thin fingers through his somewhat untidy hair and muttered the password that would allow him past its entrance. He searched through the common room, which was a little bit more crowded these days with students studying for the upcoming end of year exams, but finally spotted Daphne near one of the windows that looked out into the lake. The spot next to her had her momentarily forgotten books scattered across it and he bent down to greet her with a quick kiss, before he closed the books up and made room for him to take a seat beside her. He dropped his bag down to the floor as he sat and it landed with a loud thunk that made several nearby fifth years jump because they’d been so engrossed in their readings. He shot them an apologetic glance before turning his attention back to Daphne.
“Hi,” he said, a bit tiredly.
Daphne had been attempting studying for her exams - attempting being the key word - but had given up when her eyes had started crossing and the words ran together. She had spent some time with her journal, talking to friends and going back and forth with Theo, someone she hadn't seen much of except during classes and every now and then, during a meal.
She wouldn't deny that she had been worried about him. She knew how dedicated he got, if not a bit obsessive about studying, especially when it was something as important as their NEWTS. She knew that his training relied on it. It was hard not to notice this after being friends with him for seven years now. But she had made a vow to herself that if she didn't see him soon, she would hunt him down and steal his books and make him relax a bit.
Thankfully, he saved her from having to do that.
She wasn't paying much attention when he entered the room, too focused on watching two fifth years quiz each other on defense tactics, obviously preparing for their OWLs. So when he bent to kiss her, she jumped slightly yet managed to calm herself quickly in order to return the kiss. Only when he sat down did she really take note of him and his appearance.
"Theo..." She gave him a warning look. "When was the last time you sat down and ate a full meal or got a full night's rest?" she asked, reaching over to brush his hair back from his tired eyes. "Do I have to come make sure you're sleeping at night because I will - I don't want you to get sick from this."
“A few days ago, maybe?” He sighed a little and rolled his eyes at her, but quickly smiled to let her know he was kidding. “I’ll be fine, Daphne, I promise. Sleepless nights and not enough time for eating a full meal is something I’m just going to have to get used to soon, at any rate. The first couple of years of Healer training are brutal or so I’ve heard. And they should be - they have to weed out those that can handle it and those that can’t.”
And Theodore was determined to be one of those that could handle the stress. He knew he looked pretty terrible at the moment, but he was truly all right though perhaps in need of relaxing for a bit.
He tiredly reached for her hand and took it in his, then gave her hand a squeeze. “Thank you for watching out for me, though. I appreciate it. How have you been? I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages, even though I see you every day.”
The worried look never left Daphne's face, even after he promised he was okay. She squeezed his hand back when he took hers and after a moment, she stood up and moved over to him, dropping down into his lap carefully, ignoring the stares from the nearby fifth years who suddenly found them more entertaining than Defense. Not that she blamed them. Anything was more entertaining than Defense.
"Of course I'm going to watch out for you - and worry about you." she murmured, smiling down at him. "It's my girlfriendly duty to do things like that." She reached up and trailed her fingertips over his cheek. "I'm okay - tired, I suppose - ready for school to be over." She paused, chuckling a bit. "We haven't spent much time together lately since we can't really do that during class and you disappear the minute we’re released.."
Theodore had completely forgotten about the others in the room when she sat down on his lap, nor did he really care about them at the moment or the fact that they were probably watching with interest. He smiled back up at her, realizing just how much he’d missed being close to her as he did so.
Chuckling softly, Theodore shook his head slightly at her comments. “Well, you don’t have to do so is the point I’m trying to make, but I appreciate it nonetheless. And I would agree with you about school being over, but I’ll only be leaving one school to go to another, basically. Not that I’m complaining or anything.” He brought a hand up to trace his fingers along her cheek. “I know, and I’m sorry for how absorbed I get in all of this.” He knew he didn’t have to apologize to her, that she understood just how much it all meant to him, but he still wanted to say he was sorry. Theodore was thankful he was lucky enough to have Daphne as a girlfriend - not too many girls their age would be understanding about their boyfriends being so serious about their studies and future careers.
He brought his hand around behind her neck and gently pulled her down to him so he could give her a proper kiss, since his previous one had caught her slightly off-guard. He heard the sound of muffled giggles erupt from around them and sighed softly, rolling his eyes once more.
“Care to get out of the common room for a bit?”
Daphne laughed softly. "You do get a bit absorbed but it's rather admirable if you ask me." she admitted, flashing a teasing smile at him before her gaze softened. "I know that it means a lot to you. To make good grades and to be the best when it comes to your healing education - just promise me you'll come up for air every now and then as I may start to miss my boyfriend." She was still teasing him lightly about it even though she did mean the part where she wanted him to come up for air - she didn't want him to study himself sick.
The smile reappeared as he tugged her closer so that their lips could meet. She leaned in and hummed softly, only to chuckle at the giggling that soon erupted from behind them. Pulling back, she turned and stuck her tongue out at the ones so amused over their show of affection before looking back at Theo.
"Please - if I stay here much longer, I may go mad." she murmured. "And it would be nice to kiss you properly without the background effects."
“About that...I have an idea about how you can still see a lot of me, but perhaps that’s best left said until you get back from your summer trip with Tracey,” Theodore replied, knowing full well if he left the hint of something out in the open, Daphne would be intrigued enough to keep asking him about it until he gave in and told her. But, he liked teasing her and dropping hints, it was a fun game to play.
He avoided what he was sure to be her rather curious gaze and started gathering up her things, intent on getting out of the common room and up to his dorm room as quickly as they possibly could. Spending time alone with Daphne was certainly something he’d sorely missed these last few weeks.
Once they’d both stood up, he shouldered both of their bags, took her hand in his again, and led the way to the seventh year boys’ dormitory. As he’d suspected, it was empty at that time of day. Theodore set their bookbags down by the door and turned to face her. He smiled a bit shyly at her, taking the time to pause and brush some of his currently unruly hair out of his eyes - he was certainly in need of a trim. All the tiredness that he’d felt previously was suddenly forgotten and he finally pulled Daphne up against him, giving her the proper greeting he’d longed to do down in the common room but hadn’t been able to do so until they’d gotten away from prying eyes.
When they finally came up for air, he didn’t move away from her, but glanced down at her through hooded eyes. “Hi,” he breathed out, as a grin spread across his face.
Daphne stared at him for a moment, her lips pursed. When he didn’t say more, she sighed. “You’re going to tease me until I drive you mad with questions, aren’t you?” she finally laughed, crossing her arms over her chest. “I think you enjoy teasing me like that - so give me a hint at least? Please?” She promptly gave him her best puppy dog look.
Which he missed as he was gathering up her things. So since his back was turned, she made a face and stuck her tongue out at him to the amusement of those around them.
She let him lead her up to the boys’ dorm, not bothered much by being there as she had been around a few times before when bringing something to Draco or bothering Theo until he came down to the common room with her. Thankfully it was empty. She didn’t like visiting him when the other boys were up there - especially Crabbe and Goyle, who tended to leer at the girls.
She didn’t have much time to react before Theo was pulling her to him. With a smile, she easily went, her arms wrapping up around his neck as she leaned up into him, momentarily forgetting the teasing he had been doing earlier as well as the stress currently hanging over her and her friends. And when he finally pulled away after what seemed like forever - not that she would ever complain even when it left them both short of breath - and grinned, she couldn’t help but laugh breathlessly. “Hi yourself.”
Theodore chuckled along with Daphne and gave her a few more quick pecks on the cheek, then hugged her tightly. “I’ve missed you. You have no idea just how much I’ve missed you, even though I see you all the time.” It was true - he hadn’t been this close to her since backpacking and even then he’d held back a little out of respect for not making Lucianna and Tracey uncomfortable (though the pair had given them ample alone time by going off on their own adventures).
Still holding her tightly to him, he narrowed his eyes playfully at her. “Are you sure you want hints about what I was saying? What if it ruins the surprise?” He certainly enjoyed teasing her in such a manner, but a part of him was holding back because he was afraid she might say no to his offer.
Daphne chuckled again softly. “I’ve missed you too - more than I think you can imagine.” she replied with a slight smile. “But being the good girlfriend I am, I let you study as I know you won’t rest until you do.” She paused before smirking a bit. “Although I can honestly say that I’m ready for these exams to be over so I get a couple of days with you before you head off to Healer training while I go bumming around Europe with Tracey and getting into all sorts of delightful trouble.”
She paused, then eyed him for a moment before sighing. “You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you? Teasing me like this. Knowing that I’m dying to know what you have planned and yet I have to wait all summer long to find out.” she replied before giving him although pleading look, one that she knew he’d see this time as he was looking down at her. “Please? Just a little hint?”
He winked at her, “Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea of just how much you’ve missed me. I’ve missed you just as much, despite how absorbed I might appear in my books.” Theo smiled a little and nodded in agreement at her next statement, “ I’m ready for them to be over, too, so I can be with you and stop stressing out about making the right grades. And, I have to admit, I’m a bit jealous of your trip with Tracey.” He knew he could always put the start of his Healer training off until the fall, but the people at St. Mungo’s had offered to place him in their summer program and he’d jumped at the chance.
His smile morphed into a mischievous grin. “I might be enjoying it a little, true.” He let go of Daphne long enough to shrug and throw his hands up in the air. “I dunno...I’m not really getting the feeling that you really want to know, Daph. I might need some convincing on the matter before I go and just give it all away.”
Daphne pursed her lips at his shrug. Her hazel eyes slowly narrowed at him. "I don't want to know, hmm?" she murmured, tilting her head at him. "I need to convince you, hmm?"
Knowing that he probably wasn't expecting it since he was too busy teasing her endlessly about his little surprise, she suddenly put her hands on his chest and pushed gently, moving him backwards until they were at the bed which really wasn’t that hard to do seeing as how it was obvious he had lost a bit of weight due to his poor eating habits as of late - she’d have to get after him about that later but for now, she had a mission to fulfill. With a smirk, she gave him a good shove so that he fell back onto it.
"You need me to convince you that I want to know?" she repeated, joining him on the bed. Her lips curved slightly as she moved over him, straddling his waist so that he couldn't move and slowly started leaning down. It was only when she was inches away from his lips that she paused and with a wicked smirk, promptly started tickling him. "Tell me!" she ordered with a laugh. "Or suffer the ticklish consequences!"
Before he had time to even realize what was going on, Daphne had pushed him back onto one of the beds in his dormitory. He wasn’t entirely concerned with whose bed it was at the moment either, aside from noting the fact that it didn’t reek so therefore it thankfully must not have belonged to Crabbe or Goyle.
Theodore’s breath caught in his throat when she straddled him and leaned in, giving him the most delightful view. When he came to his senses again, he looked up and appeared to be mildly confused. “I’m sorry...what were we talking about again?” After she threatened to tickle it out of him, he remembered that she wanted to know what he had planned to wait to ask her when she got back from her trip.
So, he was currently stuck between telling her and her possibly letting him go afterward or keeping up the act a bit longer and possibly being tickled silly. To solve the matter, he placed his hands firmly on her hips, preventing her from getting up so easily. “Alright, alright...I’ll tell you,” he sighed dramatically in defeat. Theo grinned up at her, though, before speaking up again. “I was wondering...I’m pretty much going to move out of the manor the day I leave Hogwarts. And I actually already have a flat lined up in London, it’s fully furnished and everything... “
He trailed off and cleared his throat a bit nervously before continuing, “ I was wondering if you might want to move in with me when you get back from your trip. I know the shop Tracey’s planning will probably have a place above it that’s probably a little less cramped than the flat I’ll be in, but yeah...whaddayouthink?” He couldn’t help but mutter the last part out quickly and winced internally, bracing himself for whatever reaction she might have to the question.
Daphne paused in her tickling when his hands went to her hips, raising her eyebrows at him as if waiting for him to continue. Her head cocked to the side as he spoke about the flat he had in London and how he was leaving his father's house - it was something she had expected since she herself had been considering finding a place of her own or even with Tracey once they graduated to get away from her mother’s hounding.
Those thoughts were instantly derailed as he continued, his words becoming shorter and closer together, a nervous habit he tended to have. Her eyes widened in surprise at his offer, lips parting as a soft gasp slipped from her. He wanted her to move in with him? To share a flat with him once she returned to London? That meant she would see him at night when he got home from his studies, wake up to him in the morning, and most of all, take a big step in their relationship. Was she ready for that?
She didn't have to even think about it. Without bothering to respond, she leaned down and pressed her lips to his in a soft, sweet kiss.
The tension he’d been feeling as he waited for Daphne’s answer melted away quickly when she decided to answer him with a kiss. He returned it, his hands leaving her hips to allow him to tangle his fingers in her hair and prolong the moment as long as possible. The joy that he felt from Daphne’s ‘answer’ helped alleviate some of the pent up stress he’d been feeling about everything. When the kiss was over, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief and smiled warmly up at her.
“So, I’ll take that as a yes,” he chuckled as one of his hands let go of her hair to cup her cheek in his palm. “Love you,” he said quietly, the words still sounding a bit foreign to him - he meant it, of course, but he’d only ever said those words to one other person, his mother, and she’d passed when he was seven.
Daphne chuckled softly. “That’s definitely a yes.” she teased lightly, leaning into his hand when he cupped her cheek. She flashed a smile at him - unable to hold back the happiness she was feeling. Her summer was looking up thanks to the trip with Tracey and the prospect of a boutique with her and now moving in with Theo. She really couldn’t put into words what she was feeling.
At his admission, she smiled again. “Love you, too.” she replied, the words coming easy. She found herself loving it when he said it to her, knowing that she wouldn’t get tired of hearing it from him anytime soon. And she knew that when he said it, he truly meant it. That much she could tell just by looking at him.
Theo’s eyes brightened when she returned his declaration of affection - another thing he wasn’t exactly used to just yet. He traced his fingers down her face, across her collarbone, and along the curve of her body, keeping his gaze locked with hers as he did so. “So, I’m thinking we definitely need to take advantage of the fact that we finally have some alone time together,” a sly smile appeared on Theo’s face.
He knew he was exhausted and would need rest soon - being on a bed certainly wasn’t helping him fight the losing battle, but the desire to be with Daphne again for the first time since their trip currently outweighed his need for sleep. Theo felt what he was sure to be his thirty seventh wind (or some other ridiculous number) kick in and he managed to get his wand out of the inner lining of his cloak. He flicked it in the direction of the door, locking it so they were sure to not be interrupted.
Daphne gazed down at him, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. She couldn’t help but chuckle softly at his smile. “As long as you aren’t too tired, I’m all for spending some alone time with you.” she murmured, reaching down to trail her fingertips over his chest lightly. “But you have to promise me that you will get some sleep tonight. I’ll even steal your books if I have to.”
She shifted a bit when he started to dig around for his wand and glanced over her shoulder at the door as it locked. A small smirk appeared. “And one important question - are we even on your bed?” she laughed, having not paid attention earlier when trying to get him to tell her his secret. The last thing she wanted to do was spend time with him on someone else’s bed - although if it had belonged to Draco, it may have been amusing fodder to tease him with later on.
Theo had forgotten all about the fact that they had been too distracted to pay attention to whose bed they were on and snorted a little at Daphne’s question. “I suppose that might be a little bit of an important detail,” he agreed, as he craned his neck to take a look at the nightstand next to the bed. Luckily enough, Daphne had picked his bed, as it were.
“You must have had a sixth sense, because this is indeed my bed,” he told her as he brought his lips to meet hers again briefly. Theodore tucked a lock of hair behind her right ear and said, “We could always close the hangings and you could stay in here with me tonight...you know, to make sure I actually get some sleep instead of staying up and reading by wandlight.” He had every intention of sleeping soundly that night - that was the one plus about wearing himself thin. He was a light sleeper to begin with, but when he wore himself out like he had, waking him up once he let himself fall asleep was like trying to wake the dead.
A smile flashed across her face. “Lucky choice.” she teased, having no idea which was his bed although she was pleased to know that she had managed to pick the right one as she wasn’t really wanting to move. She glanced up at the hangings before looking back down at him, an amused look in her eyes. “I’d like that a lot.” she admitted, hoping that her roommates wouldn’t notice her bed empty although she normally kept her bed hangings down during the day. And even if they did, Tracey wouldn’t say anything. She wasn’t sure about the others.
“It just means I can hex you in the middle of the night if you even try to touch a book,” she continued teasingly. “Or distract you, whichever works better.” She leaned down and brushed her lips against his before straightening back up, a small smile still curving her lips.
Theodore raised his eyebrows at her when she jokingly said she’d hex him if he went near his books. Without warning he had grabbed her by the waist and flipped their positions and gently pinned her down by her wrists to his bed. He smirked and teased her back, “I’d like to see you try, Greengrass.”
He tilted his head to one side and pretended to think about the second option - which there really wasn’t any need for thinking to be involved at all about it - and finally nodded in approval. “Although I might have to test the waters a bit to see what sort of distractions you come up with.” He grinned down at her and leaned in to give her a lingering, more heated kiss.
Daphne let out a surprised squeal when he rolled them and pinned her to the bed. She stuck her tongue out at him before laughing. “I’d wait until your back was turned, just as you were reaching for the book.” she teased before laughing again. “Oh, are you challenging me again to see if I can distract you? Because if I remember well enough, I did a good job of distracting you a few times on our trip.”
She smiled a bit as he leaned down, tilting her head up to meet his kiss. She found herself enjoying this more playful side of him, happy to see that he was loosening up more around her. And as usual, his kiss managed to send a light shiver through her. Her fingers curled as she was unable to move still thanks to him pinning her but she didn’t seem to mind it much.
“And what if I just let you distract me, hmm?” He smirked and quirked an eyebrow at her, letting her consider the possibility. Theodore was still kidding around, of course - she was right, Daphne had done quite an excellent job of distracting him on their trip and he found himself looking forward to seeing what she’d come up with to distract him with during the upcoming weeks. “Maybe I’m just trying to give you good practice for all those years to come when I’ll be bringing home huge texts about a variety of Healing subjects.”
He was a bit surprised at how easily that sentence came out and he hadn’t even thought about the implications of it until after he’d said it. But, he had to admit, it was nice to think of the future with Daphne in it in such a capacity. Though, thinking like that just made him want to be with her even more at the moment and he let go of her wrists to pull his cloak off, tossing it down to the edge of his bed.
Daphne chuckled softly. “And here I was thinking that I’ve already done a grand job of distracting you - look, you aren’t studying right now? That’s distraction!” she teased, flexing her fingers when he released her wrists. A soft smile appeared on her face at his words, the thought of them being together years down the road sending a warmth over her. Before, that may have scared her a bit but oddly enough this time it didn’t. It made her look more forward to the future.
She waited until he got his cloak off before smirking, reaching up to curl her fingers into the material of his shirt and tug him down to her. “Might as well take advantage of the time you’ve given me between your study sessions.” she murmured softly, looking mischievous.