Fin TBCBAF, FFABTDDHACOEO PV Elsian

It was always fun when his friends wanted to sneak out.

It went without question; he was used to going out trouncing about through shenanigans and late night escapes on his own but always, undeniably, these little escapes were always better with friends.

But Dorion was perhaps a special exception to this. Because it didn’t matter what they did, or how it ended, things weren’t just fun with Dori. They were grand. Special and tucked away moments that were just different than how he felt to anyone else's company, magical maybe. Because that’s what they felt like.

Magical.

So when a friend wanted to sneak out with him? When Dori, sweet, wonderful Creampuff, had wanted to hang out past curfew just for the hell of it? You damn well knew he was going to jump at the opportunity with a laugh and a grin. Which he had. They both had-

Leading to the very same sneak out he was participating in now!

Sneaking through the castle and out into the cold, dark night, dressed up for the occasion in his oh so fashionable navy blue pajama pants, black long sleeved shirt and black boots. He was bundled up like a giant burrito, swamped as he was with the blanket curled around his shoulders, and had no illusions about being by the lake first. No, not after all the effort he’d taken picking the perfect blanket time he’d wasted slowly waddling down the steps. But that was okay, he knew deep down in his heart Dorion had long accepted Elsian for who he was deep down…

Lazy.

But that usual laziness was obviously halved tonight and therefore automatically forgiven because he’d even accessorized to match the occasion AND remembered his gloves! And by that he meant he’d accidentally picked a navy sweater designed with silver stars when bundling up to combat the chilly weather and his gloves had somehow magically been in his pockets.

But it still counted.

Dorion would be so proud of him.

Speaking of the Creampuffed devil-



Shrouded in the darkness of the late hour and a clear sky full of stars there they were! Painted in silver starlight, Dorion made quite the mysterious figure. Slipping from the scattering of trees into the chilly open air he wandered closer towards Dorion. And thinking better of calling out in the middle of the night waved to catch their attention.

“Your savior has arrived with the most important item of all~” Elsian greeted warmly, pausing a bit a ways through his walk towards the other to make a grand show of waving a hand up and down his figure with a shameless grin.

“Me,” he cooed, batting his lashes at the other with an expression lost to the darkness. Though the way his voice dripped with fake sincerity certainly hinted at the expression he was making…

“And the blanket of course,” he snickered, cheeks flushed with cold and wiggling his arms at the other like a ghost as he drew closer crossing those last few feet of distance. Close enough to finally pick out the details of the other through the shadows and pale starlight, taking in their clothes and face and-

He swallowed, throat all of sudden feeling rather dry as he got his 1st real look at the other.


It loosened something in his chest, letting the feeling rattle and threaten to shake apart before suddenly squeezing painfully between this breath and the next. It made his chest feel hollow and yet too full as the feeling bloomed warm and tight, too tight, as if a hand had reached into his chest and clamped down on his heart to force it back into place. It made his next breath of cold air stutter in his lungs.

And here he was in his pjs, sweater haphazardly thrown atop for warmth and hair a fluffy, windswept mess while Creampuff showed up looking like that! A feeling of something torn between fondness and a fleeting guilt at even feeling this way humming in his chest and forming a pit in his stomach. There and gone as quick as it had come, because also-

“You didn’t tell me I was supposed to wear clothes!” He exclaimed with a look of dramatic outrage, somehow managing to sound both fondly amused and dramatically indignant at the very thought of being outdone. And yet-

And yet, and yet, and yet, there was no denying the warmth he felt prickling at his ears and cheeks as he got a fine view of jewelry flashing in the starlight; eyes tracking rings and bracelets, darting up to handsome shadowed features and pretty blue eyes…And Elsian felt so very foolish again. “...still, you look nice,” he added shyly.

And it wasn’t what he wanted to say, not even close, but it would have to do when he didn’t know what else to say.

He found himself ever so thankful for the shadows and yet unmade fire masking the flush of his cheeks as he dropped to the ground in a pool of blankets and began to spread the large, warm maroon fabric along the soft grass and sandy dirt. Smoothing the blanket down he purposefully avoided looking at the other until the feeling faded, instead taking in the growing pile of sticks and the shine of the night sky's light against the lake's waters, but then a thought came to mind-

“Wait…” a suddenly very solemn, very serious look overcame him as he paused his oh so helpful task of tossing a single stick towards Dorion's ‘fire pit’ with gloved fingers, “...I wasn’t supposed to bring anything else right?”

He’d literally only brought the blanket and his wand.

☽⦙ Date | 9 September, 2023 ⦙☾
☽⦙ Interacting | @Elsian Cox ⦙☾
☽⦙ Hex Code | #810B2D ⦙☾

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Dori was surprised that Elsi showed up not too long after they did. His warm familiar voice called from behind them as they were throwing a couple extra sticks onto the pile. Their head turned towards him, of course he was making a grand entrance. They crossed their arms waiting for Elsi to actually make his approach. "I don't know, I think the blanket is more important this time. But I guess you are too since you brought it and all!" Their eyes narrowed as his breathing seemed to shift as he could finally see Dori. They had done too much. Their hands came to clasp together in front of them nervously rubbing their thumb on their palm.

Their eyes scanned over Elsi, and was not surprised at what they were wearing really. He was dressed in something akin to an Elsi starter pack. Pajamas, comfortability, hair handsomely messy in a way that always looked good even though he didn't put any effort into it. The boots were nice, and something that Dori might want to steal borrow someday. Still, they felt bad. They had dressed up too much and made him feel some kind of way. The makeup wipes should've been used. Silently, in this brief moment of slowed time of examination, Dorion chastised themselves.

Ah- done too much and not informed Elsi of this was the problem. Of course the boy always enjoyed a fun dress code, especially since Dori had dressed as the epitome of fall. Dori pulled Elsi into a hug, giving him a quick squeeze before pulling back. They had only seen each other mere hours ago, but every hour without him felt like an eternity. A yearning to pull Dori back to him ached in their chest until they were reunited once more, this time under the stars. "In my defense I didn't plan this, I just kept picking stuff up and all of this happened. Besides- you look as Elsi as Elsi could be and that's what's important to me. To make you feel better though-" Dori slid off the opalite ring and slid it into his hand, the cool iridescent white glinting in the moonlight. "Now you're dressed up too. Well, you have gloves. Which, I'm very surprised by. I actually didn't bring any this time. But maybe you can like braid it into your hair or something." They teased, giving him a wink before pulling him towards the unlit fire.

Dori went to finishing the fire set-up, trying to shove some lint and kindling into strategic places as Elsi spread out the blanket. A stray stick thrown from Elsi made it's way onto the pile and Dori resisted throwing it back at him. Slowly, they turned, a feigned horror dawning over their features. "You didn't- bring the graham crackers?" They knew they had everything in their bad. But they couldn't help but mess with their dear Elsi. They couldn't feign it for too long though, their features brightening up. "Nah, I'm joking my parents sent the rest of the stuff."

Dori took their place next to Elsi, the sides of their bodies touching keeping that part of them warm. They took out their wand and pointed it at the stack of sticks. "Incendio." A simple enough spell that set the sticks in front of them ablaze. As they gazed into sticks succumbing to the flame, Dori spoke before they realized they were. "Can you believe we've known each other for five years now?" Their head came to rest on his shoulder.

Being around Elsi felt natural, comfortable. For a moment they could forget that they weren't even supposed to be out here at this hour. Or that they were at a crazy wizard school full of danger. It was just them, and a fire, and sticky sweets to enjoy later. For Dori, that was all they needed.

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The look on his face was one of insult and indignity.

“Bloody right I am too! I’ll have you know I worked very hard picking the perfect blanket.” He huffed in a haughty manner, nose turned up at the other and firmly looking into the distant waters of the lake to finish his dramatic act.

And he tried to hold onto that indignance. Oh how he tried. But it was impossible when Dorion hugged him like that. All warm and soft and safe-

He huffed but it was a weak sound. Lost between the wind and Doris words and he melted into the hug with a soft sigh. Arms wrapping firm but gentle, lazy and tired around the other as he slumped down to hide his face against the others neck. ‘To hide from the cold,’ he told himself. But just because it was chilly out didn’t make the statement any more honest. Not when it felt like an honest to god uphill battle to let the other go as they stepped back, arms feeling like lead as they slipped away and he plastered a frown, no it wasn’t a pout, on his face to mask the disappointment he felt at the fleetingness of it all.

Granted the disappointment was lessened at the sight of the shiny ring being slipped into his hand. Eyes turning bright and curious at the sight of the pretty and shiny and iridescent ring; making his heart stutter and skip a beat with feeling he couldn’t quite explain and, well, Elsian quite liked nice and pretty things but what made it special was that it was Dorion's ring and now he got to have it for now, maybe he could ‘borrow’ it indefinitely like the gloves; only to immediately feel devastation and betrayal upon realizing the gloves he’d been so proud of remembering had been his own undoing when there was no fleeting warmth of the others fingers against his and more important no ring being slid onto his finger for him to make a cheeky joke about.

Yes joke, shut up brain, it wasn’t like that!

“Well I-” He choked, words faltering when the other winked at him and pulled him towards the unlit fire. His face burned in the darkness, and he couldn’t help but be thankful for the shadows and Dorions attention being elsewhere as he tried to stop himself from acting like a lovestruck fool-!

Because he wasn't!

He wasn’t.

He glared at the gloves on his hand with disgust & bitterness when Dorion wasn’t looking.

“-I got dibs on this stick,” he said instead, snatching up the longer of the 2 sticks Dorion had seemingly set aside for them as they began to settle on the spread out blanket. It was obviously longer, even if just the tiniest bit, but in Elsis mind that meant further reach. And further reach meant less movement to roast marshmallows. And less movement made Elsian happy.

He turned to look at Dorion with a self satisfied look, showing off the stick as if he’d done a lick of the work when the other decided to ruin his whole night, no, the rest of his miserable existence with that one sentence because really? Graham crackers, him? Who had put the idea Elsian could be trusted with a key ingredient to their plans because it certainly hadn’t been him!


Keeping eye contact the boy slowly stood back up, shoulders heavy with a responsibility he could not take, with the gaze of a boy who’d had happiness ripped away like it was nothing. This was it. This was how he died; he took one step-

and immediately crumbled to the ground in relief at the others' next words.

“Oh thank Merlin,” he wheezed, hunched over and hair in his eyes as he stared at nothing, “I don’t know if I’d have survived…”

After 10 minutes of waiting Dorion woulda just seen a spell being flung into the air and found the poor boy face down in the dirt not even halfway back with the crackers. “How could you toy with my heart like this, saying such slanderous things. You know I’m fragile.”

Still…he supposed he could forgive them since they got the fire going…and did literally everything else. But only this once! They were on thin ice for the rest of the night! And he said as much with a little grumble as he settled back into a comfy position, fiddling with the ring as the warmth of the fire washed over him, sinking into the fabric of his gloves as he held out a hand to the flames. It was a welcome thing against the chill in the air. Weak as the wind was, the cold still lingered, and Elsian couldn’t stop the happy little hum he made when the warm press of Doris' side pressed against him.

5 years…was a long time.

It felt like second nature resting his head against the others for a moment, curling an arm around the other lazily, comfortably. Thinking.

“Not really.”He murmured, it felt far longer. 5 years far too small a number to explain this closeness he felt to the other. It felt like an eternity. “It feels longer. Like I’ve known you forever.”

It felt like nothing too. Fleeting and new. “...but it also doesn't feel like 5 years have passed.”

He hummed, staring at the sky. A warm, quiet silence as he thought…

…

…

“Creampuff, this means we’re old.” He whispered solemnly, as if a secret, “ew OWLs are this year. We have to think about growing up, ew, how could you put this thought into my head!” He drawled out with a dramatic groan, arm falling away as he flopped uselessly to the ground like an impressive imitation to a dead fish on land.

He didn’t much care for growing up. Once upon a time he hadn’t cared much for anything. The old him wouldn’t have cared about growing up, about the job he got, about what happened after. But these days Elsian couldn’t not think about what came after when people brought it up.

But it wasn’t because of tests. No OWLs or NEWTs or any amount of adulting could explain away the heavy ache in his chest or the cold feeling down his spine when it was brought up.

No…

No, what came to mind when the dread set in was the people he knew. His friends, his family, the thoughts on what would change. Would they grow apart? Would they just…fall out of touch? Uncaring, like none of this mattered? Would he see Dori? And if so when? And how often? What would he do when they left and went ahead and met an-

The flames sparked and he picked up the 2nd stick. It was right there, the one Dorion had gotten for themselves, and so he picked it up. Brandishing it like a wand towards the other as he slowly dragged himself back up with a groan. Quick to slump against the other with all his weight as he offered the stick like a cat could with a particularly nice dead thing to a disgruntled human with a smile tucked against their shoulder as he ducked his head to hide his laughter when his sudden weight threatened to send them both toppling over. “Look I got you a present too, I totally found it all by myself~”

The fire crackled in his ears, cold biting his ears. His hands were warm, but not a nice warm.

“Doriiii,” he began sweetly, “can you grab the snacks? Please?”

And he’d wait. Batting his eyes at the other disgusting sweet and dramatic as he whined once more. Only straightening once they agreed and turned away.

And the moment they did Elsian decided gloves were for losers and tore the glove from his left hand off, flinging it into the darkness with a triumphant swing of his wrist and grin. Halfway done with the 2nd glove Dorion would perhaps, but only perhaps be blessed with the sight of the boy tearing the other one off with his teeth as he cradled the ring and his stick in his newly ungloved hand. And if they did? The two would find themselves in a staring contest as the boy slipped it off his hand with a deadpan look and proceeded to draw his arm back and yeet it shamelessly into the opposite direction of the 1st, flying over Dorions head, somewhere into the darkness.

…

“I seem to have lost my gloves. Oh dear.” He would take a marshmallow immediately upon seeing one however without so much as blinking.

“Oh well, our hands can be cold together.”

And then he waved his hand at the other, ring pinched between his fingers and face serious. Yet somehow, somehow, practically oozing satisfaction and smugness. “My hand is ready for the ring now.”

☽⦙ Date | 9 September, 2023 ⦙☾
☽⦙ Interacting | @Elsian Cox ⦙☾
☽⦙ Hex Code | #810B2D ⦙☾

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Elsi always held a feigned indignance whenever Dori "insulted" him, and at the start of their friendship it was something they worried about. About accidentally hurting him and what seemed like an incredibly fragile pride and ego. But now it was easy to see through it. The adorable pout and upturned nose being the costume for the crimes that Dori had committed against him. It was easy to melt, to disarm him with Dori's returned grandiose apologies or a mere hug in this case. A show of affection that seemed to cut him to his core. It was always hard to pull away, to admit to themselves that they had other duties to attend to, such as the actual s'more making. With the chill of the wind rushing against their already artificially pink cheeks they longed to bury themselves within Elsi.

Elsi started to say something and faltered as they moved towards the fire, but with their completely smooth recovery that Dori was too naive to see through, he laid claim to a stick instead. "Honestly I thought I was going to end up making all of the s'mores while you lounged as if you've never gotten a wink of sleep in your life. As is your typical routine. But feel free to join me. Actually- how do you like your marshmallows? You're not someone who likes them burnt, right?" They glanced back at the boy that they were dragging along, a test glinting in their eyes as whatever he said next would determine the rest of their relationship friendship.

Dori looked back behind them to find Elsi laid down in the dirt after they had ruined his night with implying that Dori wouldn't handle everything that was important- except for the blanket, knowing that Elsi's arms were too heavy, too fragile to carry more than what comfort allowed. "I don't know I think you'll be ok." They reached down and tousled his hair before sitting down beside him. As Elsi's head rested on theirs, and his arm curled around Dori's body, they suddenly felt small. In a good way. Like it was just them, the fire, and Elsi. If you asked Dori they would blame it on the warmth of the fire as they slowly melted into his side. The small seconds that they sat here in silence stretching out into a small, comfortable, eternity.

Dori couldn't help but laugh as Elsi fell back, smacking him playfully on the chest. "I think I'm going to take... all the OWLs. Just to see how I do. I don't really know what I want to do... in like- life." They gestured out into the universe like the answer would be laying in the giant squid's arms under the lake. "It was just something I was thinking about! Something you need to think about and start studying for." They poked his arm, knowing he would procrastinate until he couldn't anymore. "Besides, we're always gonna be together. Through OWLs and beyond I think." Their voice tapered off at the end of their sentence, not wanting to seal a deal with Elsi that they weren't sure he'd want to be a part of.

They braced as Elsi rose back up from his self-made grave, holding the other stick they found and lazily slumping into their side. Their arm instinctually wrapped around his side to try and level them back out, a small huffed laughter escaping from their nose. "Oh my gosh, I hadn't even thought to get myself a stick that's so thoughtful of you. What would I ever do without you?" But of course- this eternity couldn't last forever as Elsi gave his siren song for a task of retrieving the snacks. Dori leaned their body in more before separating. "Finnnnne. Since clearly your legs don't work now that you've made your journey." They got up and brushed themselves off, heading towards their bag that was discarded a bit aways. Once they hoisted it over their shoulder and turned around they made eye contact with Elsi... ripping off his gloves. They ducked as the 2nd glove flew towards them, arcing into the forest. "Did- you not like them or something?"

They couldn't help but laugh at Elsi's insanity, one that they had become accustomed to over the years as they sat back and carefully ripped open the bad of the pillowy marshmallows, one quickly being stolen by Elsi. "You better find those gloves later, my mum got those for me. And I'll write her a letter and say you threw them into the forest. See if you get dessert the next time you come over." They gave out a huff reminiscent of Elsi's minor tantrums.

"Have I told you how dramatic you are?" They rolled their eyes, taking the ring from him and having a slight panic. Which finger do they put it on? After a moment of staring at his hands as if this was their first time seeing his hand, they finally settled for the right hands ring finger. Totally opposite of the one designated for marriage. "There, a perfect accessory to your outfit." They bumped their shoulder against his, before getting to work setting up the s'mores.

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“Well…I won’t argue if you wanna feed me smores.” He grinned, hiding the smile behind knuckles pressed to his lips and the stick clutched in his hand. Because the boy would never deny that type of enabling. Not in a million years; and there was something comforting in the way Dorion seemed to accept this about him. The lazy boy content with nothing, to be asleep all day and only focus on what pleased him, scraping by with the things that didn’t.

It was a flaw. He knew this. They knew it. The boy wasn’t stupid, not really, even if he had his moments. But there was power in the way Dori never made him feel less because of it. Not even when they disagreed.

“Besides, I hear things are better when made with love.” He said with a knowing tone. “You’ll make me one won’t yo-” Silence as he stared back at Dorion, his friend, his Creampuff, his Hufflepuff bestie who he didn’t even recognize anymore. “You meant the correct way to eat them?” He challenged with a serious look.

Eyes squinting at the other in disbelief, he leaned in pointing an accusing finger at their chest. “If so, the answer is yes you absolute heathen. How else am I supposed to eat it!” He threw his arms up into the air in outrage, as if asking the universe what he’d done to deserve this breach of trust and taste. “Slightly warmed? At that point you're just eating a normal marshmallow pretending to be part of the smore! It’s an imposter smore!”

It was outrageous. Disgraceful.

From his new spot on the ground, flopped about in a dramatic fall he pointedly aimed a look of disgust at their revealed taste. “I don’t even know who you are anymore.” It was hissed dramatically, as if the boy had been witness to a most tragic and disgusting secret, and in a way, hadn’t he?

A non burnt marshmallow for a smore?

An abomination is what that was. A downright tragedy.

But maybe the real tragedy was the fact that even Creampuff's questionable taste, horrible and bitter as it was to swallow, couldn’t keep the boy away.


He curled in on himself, snickering into the blanket as he tried to shy away from the others assault. It was comfortable. Even as his laughter faded into silence as he stared at the stars above them, lost to the sights and anchored only by the company of his friend and the fires heat. “I think you’ll be spectacular,” he said. The words sounded both too quiet and too loud in the vastness of the night.

“No matter what you do.” Their fingers were painted in shadows, gesturing into the cold unknown as if it would hold the answers but Elsian wasn’t so sure it would. But Dorion had never needed those stars.

But it was an odd thing to think. And an even odder thing to say. Too fragile of a thought…and even if it wasn’t-

How could Elsian even begin to express what he felt every time he was next to Dorion? He was just a lazy boy, always tired and content in the plainness of his life. Normal, average, maybe amusing while Dori was…

He closed his eyes, heart thumping painfully in his chest. The feelings in his chest were a knotted mess, confused and twisted around his heart to the point it felt hard to breathe at times-

Because Elsian looked at Dorion and saw the stardust people said filled their veins. They had warm sunshine in their bones, hidden between the shadows of summer leaves. They were stardust and puddles and the warm golden sunlight hidden between smiles and tears, the melting of seasons. They were the dreary cold of rain that sunk into your bones and painted the world in gray, twisting into a sprinkle of raindrops pattering against your coat, cool yet refreshing with the scent of a storm before the calm that bled into the puddles broken by your feet and the faint glimmer of a rainbow breaking the gray sky. Wild and frantic, electric and perhaps a bit dangerous, but necessary. Beautiful, and fragile with the break of the storm, calm yet broken by imperfections.

There was stardust on their skin, shining between the cracks and revealing all the parts of them that made them Dorion. Tucked tightly under their skin like dirt under their nails, and the sprouts of weeds and wildflowers in the tiny valley they had somewhere in all the stars they had hidden away. A secret garden, one that bloomed with overgrown roots, strong and sturdy even when the garden twisted and shriveled up with tragedy and dark times. They were daisies tucked in your pockets and made into flower crowns, fleeting but still alive with the feeling it gave you, familiar and with a feeling of home when you caught a glimpse of it from the corner of your eye.

“You always are.”

And it made him weak.

Elsian wanted to grab their hand and never let go, to press those fingers ruining his hair to his cheek and let the warmth chase away to chill brushing his face. He wanted so much, too much; hating every time the cold chill of logic dragged him away from curling into their side. Because it was too much, selfish and silly.

It made something in him come apart, rattling loosely in his chest as those threads frayed at the ends before building him back up again feeling too tight, too at odds, with this never ending heaviness building in his throat, tightening like a string around his neck. Never able to express what he saw; words couldn’t describe the melting seasons he saw in the way they grew, words that didn’t exist in this world heavy on his tongue and fading like the stardust he sometimes saw glimpses of in their eyes.

He would never say it.

Couldn’t say it.

Even if he wanted to. How could you put it into words, something so vast?

“I’m not like you Creampuff, I’m not cut out for that sorta stuff.” He whined, already sounding glum about the idea of all that studying. But it was in his future. If he wanted to go down the path he planned…and well, suffering through the painful journey that was OWLs didn’t sound so scary if he had Dorion by his side. “I’ll hold you to that,” he teased quietly, holding up his pinky towards the other as he sat up, “promise?”

Maybe it was a childish hope.

Just like the stupid, childish way he threw the gloves.

But it didn’t make it any less real.

“I like everything you give me,” he laughed, green eyes catching on the others lips. The light glinted off the ring; the crackle of sparks spitting into the air and fading like the torn back to reality and the brief warmth of their fingers touching. “I just wanted to feel your hand in mine.”

It’d always remain tucked in his bones and skin. Shrinking and growing and crushing his heart like a void between his lungs as he looked at Dorion and saw things that perhaps, was too much for someone like him. Not meant for him…

A cold wind froze the warmth between their hands, fingers plucked into the air between them as the boy wiggled his fingers with a peculiar look, green eyes catching on the shine of the ring with a stare a million miles away. On the wrong hand, the wrong finger, there and gone between one blink and the next. Lost with fleeting thoughts of promises and ideas and secrets erased from his mind the moment he caught sight of Dori again.

‘Or a promise.’ He thought. But the words refused to come out.

Shoulders bumping together he hummed, staring at the ring as he pushed the marshmallow towards the fire. “I’ll find the gloves later.” Slow. Soft.

He watched as they set up their own stick, resting their head on their shoulder lazily for a moment before speaking up again. “But I’ll have you know,” he began sweetly, hand slowly rising towards Dori’s own wrist, “the only dramatic thing here, is the sick crime you’ve committed.”

The boy's hand snapped forward just as his own treat began to catch fire, dragging his friend's own treat close enough to threaten the others marshmallow safety from burning. “Eat it the right way!” He laughed, gently trying to wrestle the others grip on their own stick and treat.

☽⦙ Date | 9 September, 2023 ⦙☾
☽⦙ Interacting | @Elsian Cox ⦙☾
☽⦙ Hex Code | #810B2D ⦙☾
☽⦙ The Post Where We Fix The Pacing ⦙☾

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Dori's heart seemed to stop, skip a beat, flip, do something. As he called them spectacular. Dori's own conscious was their #1 downfall as Elsi had always cheered the young ambitious Hufflepuff on from the sidelines. Getting prefect twice, then stepping down. Joining the Quidditch team for two games, barely doing anything, and quitting after watching their captain break someone's leg with his hands. Every ball they couldn't snag a dance at before there was fire, spells, and a trip to the infirmary. They could never protect the people they wanted to. Setting Jack Warren on fire when they were trying to help in the endless darkness. Isolating from their family because they weren't able to face them during their fourth year. Their first duel a resounding success then;
..........Loss
....................Loss
..............................Loss
........................................Loss
..................................................Loss
And finally another win. Which Elsi had always planned for. His 'You tried!' (but much nicer than Dori could do for themselves) posters always having an alternative for the option of them winning. But they quit again. They always quit. They always ran. From themselves, from their friends, from family, from the people that cared. But Elsi was always- there. He let them have the space that they required, and when they were ready he was there. Without judgement, without questioning what was wrong with them when that was an unanswerable question to Dori. It was never a question at all for Elsi. He never believed there was anything wrong with them. He was a lifeline when Dori was drowning and couldn't find their way out from their own mind.

Clawing and screaming and crying from their own despair, endless spiraling, a never ending darkness, and then-

Then Dori would look over and Elsi would be sleeping under a tree, the sun lazily shifting through the leaves creating dancing shadows over his soft features. Birds chirping in the distance. The wind gently making its way through a quiet moment, his hair fluttering over his forehead. His eyelashes brushing against his cheek as he breathed, slow. A nap under his favorite tree. An activity Dori would frequently accompany him for because they feared someone stealing his stuff or doing something to him. Like that one time Dori took a nap and got water dumped on their face. As they watched, Dori would match his breathing in turn and know, eventually, they would be ok. Without him knowing, he had saved them countless times.

Their eyes came into focus and Elsi was holding out his pinky, asking them to promise. Instinctively they wrapped their pinky around his. It took a moment for them to remember what the promise even was. But it didn't matter what it had been, they knew for him Dori would promise anything, would do anything. Dori slowly brought the pinkies to their mouth laying a gentle kiss where they met. "Sealed with a kiss and everything." Their voice was soft as they gazed down at their intertwined pinkies. Their hand moved to interlock their hands together. Dori couldn't help but squeeze gently. He thinks I'm spectacular.

In that moment they felt like they could soar.

But they had to return to their duty of the marshmallows, peeling themselves away from Elsi. Dori snagged the second stick from him, starting by burning the ends of them that would hold the marshmallow. Dori didn't exactly know why you were supposed to do this, but it's something their dad always did so they just assumed it was necessary. What they knew wasn't necessary- was the burning of marshmallows. Dori slowly turned their head as if they were a child in a horror movie looking for the shadow that had haunted them. "You slow roast them. So they're beautifully golden brown and crisp on the outside and perfectly molten on the inside. What you want a burning hot marshmallow that's still solid on the inside?" They set to spearing the marshmallows and holding them over the fire, safe from being burnt. Dori rolled their eyes as Elsi of course agreed to being fed a continuous stream of s'mores. "As if you are a Greek Goddess being fed grapes, how appropriate for you."

There was constantly a dichotomy to them that existed in screaming silence. A scream of differences that begged to push them apart, but constantly pulled them together. The concept of Yin and Yang came to mind when Dori thought about it, the dark and light with a little bit of each in the other. The balance that kept them in harmony, that always seemed to pull Dori back to him. While Dori dressed like their clothes begged to resemble the feeling of summer warmth on the skin, Elsi always seemed to be more muted tones. Of comfort and cozy fall that they wanted to fall into. But their personalities were the opposite, Elsi constantly pulling Dori out of the dark that they never could escape. The darkness that leaked into their brightest dreams. But Dori was patience and Elsi could barely bear to wait for a marshmallow to properly melt.

"Sorry, you're right. My name is Dorion Rowena Anderson, and I like my marshmallows properly cooked. And because I-" A brief, barely catch-able falter. "Because I like you, I will swallow what I believe to be right and true and burn your marshmallow. Maybe, I'm still thinking about it." There was a brief giggle as they turned their gaze back to the marshmallows and continuing to slowly turn them.

That was until the chaos demon that was a Gryffindor struck and Dori realized that Elsi's was on fire far too late, distracted by their own thoughts to even catch that he had been pushing their arm closer and closer to the fire. "No! I refuseeeee!" They were trying to save their marshmallow and blow Elsi's out before it was truly inedible as Elsi wrestled for both of the sticks. "I'm the marshmallow chef you jerk!" They laughed, inadvertently ending up moving closer to him to try and regain control. Their stick was straight up and moved away from him as they relinquished the control of his own marshmallow stick.

Dori turned to chastise him but found their face far too close to his. In the wrestle they had moved too close. He was- well... in kissing range. Dori's eyes flicked down to his lips then back up at him. Being close enough to see the fire dancing in his pupils, to pick out the deep brown streaks of color in his irises streaking away from the center. To see the way each eyelash laid against his brow bone as they gazed at each other. "I um-" What did they want to say? What did they want to do?

Dori's mind and heart were in a strict battle, their heart begging to tell him everything. To tell him that they always wanted him around. How it hurt to separate from him. How every moment they weren't holding hands or leaning against each other they felt cold. How after all this time it was always going to be Elsi. But the Hufflepuff's mind begged them not to ruin the friendship that they had, the loyalty and the comfort that he brought with him. While the two battled, Dori started to move closer without even thinking about it- watching his eyes to gauge the reaction.

"Ow!" Their body jolted back as a bright bloom of pain brought them back down to reality. Their molten ball of sugar in the form of a marshmallow had slowly slid down the stick during this interaction and eventually made it to their hand. They dropped the stick and put their hand in their mouth attempting to get the hot sugar off at the very least. "Sorry- I um, seems I've burnt myself." A red circle of irritated skin was the only leftover evidence of the battle of the marshmallow and ruiner of moments.

Their mind was grateful for the interference, but their heart ached terribly.

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“Properly.” He scoffed, stabbing the end of his stick into the ground. “Properly for a hot cocoa maybe. It takes a sophisticated marshmallow for a perfect smore.” A huff and an haughty upturned nose accompanied the statement, turning into a devious smirk as the other caught onto his diabolical plans. The boy's own grip tightened in the face of Dorions struggles, jostling the stick between them as the stars stared down from above them, watching childish arguments and the flicker of their shadows.

“The customer is always right!” He squealed, shaking with laughter as he tried to wiggle his fingers beneath the others. Of course, when that didn’t work he happily took to using both hands to shove their hands closer to the fire, yelling excitedly when it briefly caught fire before the wind blew it out. “Nooo! Burn faster! Burn faster!”

His own stick, adorned with the 1 marshmallow that’d survived his snacking, was barely within the fire's reach from where he’d jammed the bottom of the stick into the ground temporarily in his bid for control. But even that seemingly hadn’t been enough to wrestle the stick away from the Hufflepuffs strong grip, pointed upwards and saved from being kept aflame by cold winds. Elsian lost his grip for a moment, but was quick to lean forwards. One hand braced on the blanket he reached wildly for the stick, their laughter mixing in the peaceful night. Cold fingers brushed against their wrist, clutching blindly and weakly holding onto part of their sleeve instead, the tips of his finger brushing the skin of their wrist as he tore his eyes away from the others hand to Dorions own gaze. Eyes bright in the fire, he was grinning, the dying laughter in his chest making his shoulders shake and breath stutter as the boy turned-

And froze.

The distant starlight casting an illuminating light around them made the moment feel thin and dream-like. The glow of the fire making something in their eyes, he couldn’t quite put his finger on, burn bright. Dori was close, so close, close enough to pick out every starry glint of glitter on their skin and the exact way the flames danced in the light of their eyes. Close enough to freeze his bones and leave him starry eyed, wondering if this was a dream or something like a sickly sweet nightmare meant to be torn away seconds later when he woke up.

It was jarring in a way he’d never fully experienced. Surely at one point they’d been this close, in all the years they’d known one another but that didn’t seem to matter to his traitorous heart flinching and skipping nervously between his chest and throat. He felt warm, too warm as his fingers loosened around the other's sleeve. Weak, nervous maybe. He couldn’t be sure with the way his pulse jumped when the other spoke, eyes darting to the others lips and away again to get lost, stuck on the other's gaze as his fingers itched to reach out and cup the others cheek. To brush his thumb under the others eye where red eyeshadow and glitter made its home. To lean in closer, close enough that maybe, just maybe they would be able to hear the way his heart rattled and beat furiously.

Green eyes widened and the rest of the world grew that much smaller as the distance between them seemed to disappear. But he couldn’t. Frozen, frozen uselessly, breathe hitching like his useless hands twitching to reach out as they grew close enough to almost brush noses until the thought of missing this moment made something in him loosen. Shy but warm and brave.

He began to reach up-



but he never had the chance…



The boy jolted, startled, eyes darting down to see the misshapen marshmallow that was the culprit of it all. It was a silly thing, when one thought about it. And perhaps if he were somebody looking in he might’ve been able to see the comedy behind the timing, but then and there in the dark night he couldn’t find the will to feel anything but a solemn sort of disappointment filling his chest. Cold and distant and somehow expected.

The stick was cold too, as he picked it up. The warmth from Dorions hand gone.

“Is your hand alright?”

It wasn’t fair, the way his free hand twitched towards theirs as if of their own will. Betraying him. Making him feel foolish and unbalanced at the twinge of bitterness he felt when Dorion brought their hand to their own lips before he could so much graze their hand with his own.

Unseen his hand dropped, fingers twisting in the blanket as he looked away. “Why are you apologizing?” He laughed, face hidden by his hair and lingering shadows cast by the fire, “it’s not like it’s your fault the real culprit is-!”

He fiddled with the stick, sliding the marshmallow off.

“...here.” It was a little ruined, a little messy, and perfectly burnt and most importantly, still warm. “For your crimes you shall be…” He paused for dramatic effect, then in a stage whisper, “beheaded.” Slowly he tilted his head towards the other, wiggling the marshmallow like it was walking as he did. “Nooo please don’t, I’m too beautiful to die!” He continued in a high pitched voice, narrating the treats final pleas, “no, no Dori, forgive me aaah-OM!” The sentence was cut off as he made an exaggerated bite

He hummed, the treat still slightly hot on his tongue. It tasted like one would expect but better x100. “Well I know one thing for sure.” The rest was popped into his mouth, fingers brushed against his sweater as he simply handed his own stick towards them. A slightly browned, hardly burned disgrace of a marshmallow still held on the stick; just the way Dorion seemed to like it.

Something like an apology. Or maybe, just an excuse for the Gryffindor to give the ‘better’ stick to his friend. “You make a perfect burnt marshmallow.”

“Maybe you could open a smores themed shop.” He teased, plucking another marshmallow from the bag to put on his new stick. “Or share all those thoughts you have on the radio? I’d tune in everyday, even if it’s just to hear rants about your… questionable taste.” The wood snapped, cracking and sending a flurry of sparks up into the dark. Flames flickering, the marshmallow finally began to burn, lighting aflame with heat the same way his face had surely been when they linked pinkies, warm lips pressing to his finger-

He shoved the marshmallow further into the fire abruptly, the fire maybe, hopefully covering the sharp hiss of breath as he fought down the flustered heat painting a small blush on the boys face, gone as fast as it was there. It lit up brightly, burning orange and blue with melted sugar and he turned plastering on a grin as he shook the stick and the on fire marshmallow triumphantly. “Now that’s how a marshmallow should look!” He blew out the flame at the last minute, truly letting the marshmallow reach its peak form of deliciousness unlike Dorions horrible preference, before wiggling it at Dori. “You wanna try?” He drawled in a sickly sweet coo.

☽⦙ Date | 9 September, 2023 ⦙☾
☽⦙ Interacting | @Elsian Cox ⦙☾
☽⦙ Hex Code | #810B2D ⦙☾

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Dori placed their hand on their chest, fake offended by Elsi. A facade that they had taken from Elsi's personality, joining it into their kaleidoscope of influence. "Are you saying I'm not- sophisticated? I am deeply wounded by you and simply don't know how I will recover." Goddess- the stars watching from above surely knew the result of tonight. If things would change or stay the same. But they had changed since the very beginning, puberty and what-not. The influence of a wizarding school and the dangers that existed beneath the creaky floorboards.

Even still- the bubble of youth and childish giggles as Elsi shoved his marshmallow closer seemed to envelope them in protection from their own thoughts that pulsed at the rate of their own quickened heart. "You're the worst customer!! Noooooooo!" How silly it was that a marshmallow could affect so much change in two people.

There was a part of them that wanted to believe that Elsi had felt what they had felt. The feeling sought in kind and warm emerald eyes. Pools of color illuminated by flickering firelight that made Dori seem to melt into them, wishing to swim in the emerald sea that was Elsi's... friendship. But there had to be something else. He thought they were spectacular, but he was their best friend wasn't he? He was supposed to think that way about them but still- there was. Something.

Silence, stretching the centimetres between them to feel like an eternity apart. The gentle lapping of the lake against the shore. The fire crackling. Their own heartbeat- pounding. A beautiful symphony of uncertainty and thrill of standing on a precipice that you've accidentally arrived at after hiking an incline slow enough that you didn't realize was an incline until you reached the most beautiful view. The view that refused to come into focus until Elsi and Dori both realized what was happening. Which felt- impossible. Was their hand shaking? How long had it been? Seconds, at least minutes, surely?

Their breath- held as his hand slowly reached towards their face. This was it wasn't it? The moment that would fundamentally change who they were to each other. He felt it- he had to- Dori felt it. Heartbeats synchronized and breaths held tight in anticipation. Hands shaking and unsure.

And then- the Goddess-damned marshmallow.

Time sped up once more and everything seemed to be moving too fast, the fire whipping in the wind too violently. "Hah- yeah no it's fine. I have some burn paste I can put on it at my dorm." Their hand tucking itself away under their leg. The death of an explanation bitter on their tongue. The apology coming from a ruined moment, a ruined future, because they forgot they were holding molten sugar on a stick. An hourglass that neither of them was aware of.

Dori had to blink a few times, reorient themselves to the world that had seemed to tilt underneath them dizzyingly. A small puff of laughter, a tiny smile as Elsi saved the moment as he always did. "A cruel and deserved fate for the crimes committed. How brave of you, since we both know I simply would not have been able to follow through." They sighed, part real and part of the bit that was occurring. There was part of them that desired the warmth of Elsi once more, scooching them closer together after they were violently torn apart by reality.

"Everything I do is perfect, so of course this is just another one of my many strengths." They stuck their tongue out at him before preparing to make their next s'more. "Burned ones would not be an option in my store. Perhaps different topping options, but the only option is perfectly toasty. I do think I'd get quite tired of hearing my own voice. Plus- all of my opinions are the correct and just ones." A confidence unlike what they had been feeling at the beginning of the night brewed inside them. The result of Elsi's constant confidence in them.

Dori made a sound of disgust, shoving their shoulder against his. "As if! I would never taint my delicate palette." They pulled out their own perfectly toasted marshmallow, already starting to craft their sweet sandwich of chocolate and graham cracker. "Now this? This is the perfect s'more."

They smiled and held up their life's work. A perfectly molten marshmallow treat.

Still, as they ate it and stared into the fire for a moment, there was a sense of unease that things had changed. At least within themselves and would have to schedule an appointment with Dr. Buttons the cat therapist for later in the week. For now though- they just wanted to enjoy the warm night with their best friend and eat enough s'mores to be sick.

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