Out in the Hallway (Where It's Quiet) Closed

"James...James calm down! I know you're excited and all, but sheesh! I can barely understand what you are trying to say!" Alecks exclaimed.
James put his hand to his chest, pretending to be utterly offended. He made a bizarre facial expression, that made Alecks laugh. James smiled, happy that he could make him laugh. 
"I'm lactose intolerant, but we could still go to Florean's. I wouldn't mind it all that much!" Alecks responded.
James frowned thoughtfully at this. He wouldn't want to go to a place that Alecks couldn't enjoy himself either. James doesn't notice Alecks blush as he speaks next.
"Um... well, maybe we could go watch the sunset over the forest! I've heard it's beautiful! I saw it from a distance, from inside the castle, and from in the air on a broomstick, but I've never actually sat with someone and just watched and enjoyed it. Want to come?" James asked, getting excited again. Surely, Alecks couldn't be allergic to sunsets or sunlight.
"Surely, you can't be allergic to sunsets or sunlight!" James adds jokingly.
"So, what do you say? Are you coming?" James asked, smiling at Alecks again, waiting for a response. James got excited about doing things with his friends WAY too easily.

"Um... well, maybe we could go watch the sunset over the forest! I've heard it's beautiful! I saw it from a distance, from inside the castle, and from in the air on a broomstick, but I've never actually sat with someone and just watched and enjoyed it. Want to come?" Alecks blushes and smiles as James asked him to go watch a sunset with him, even if he had said that he was okay with going to Florean's. In all honesty, he just wanted to see James happy. Alecks couldn't care less what they were doing, or where they were, as long as James was happy doing it, so was Alecks. A childish giggle slips out of Alecks' mouth as James makes a joke about him being allergic to sunsets and sunlight. "I'm not, that would honestly, suck. I mean, what are you supposed to do with your life if you can't even go out into the sun? Sure, nightclubs and stuff exists, but you can't see the sunrise or sunset, you can't see the faces of strangers walking through London. And if you go out in the dark..."A slight pause brings a slightly uncomfortable silence over the two boys. "Nasty, nasty things can happen" Alecks looks at James and see how super excited he is, and then decides to say yes to the not date.

James laughs as Alecks giggles a bit at his joking comment.
"I'm not, that would honestly, suck." Alecks says, "I mean, what are you supposed to do with your life if you can't even go out into the sun? Sure, nightclubs and stuff exists, but you can't see the sunrise or sunset, you can't see the faces of strangers walking through London. And if you go out in the dark..."
James expected him to go on, but he didn’t. James experienced a slight pause in the conversation which felt very unnatural and awkward. It was weird, mostly because James couldn’t explain why it happened or why Alecks paused.
But then, Alecks finished.
"Nasty, nasty things can happen."
James simply nodded in agreement, still wondering what that was. But after a moment or two, he pushed the confusement aside with a blink and a shake of his head.
“Alright! Let’s go!” he exclaimed excitedly, practically jumping through the roof.
He took Alecks’ hand, and led the taller boy out, back towards Hogwarts via the Floo powder.

After going through a series of fireplaces and emerging coughing and feeling a bit smoky (James didn't really know how to describe what smoky felt like), James and Alecks wound their way through the castle, making their way out to the front doors. It was getting late, and James knew they had better get to the spot quickly, or else they would miss the sunset, for one thing, and as another thing, they had a good chance of getting caught outside of their beds, outside of their common rooms, and outside of the castle. James crossed his fingers that that wouldn't happen, afraid of what might happen. He had heard an older student earlier talking about an old caretaker and something about punishing students by hanging them in the dungeons by their toes. James shuddered a bit, no longer wanting to think about it.
Eventually and finally, James and Alecks made it out of the castle. James saw ahead of them, the sun which was dipping dangerously low on the horizon.
"Quickly!" he urged Alecks, "Follow me!"
James prompted him urgently, pulling him along towards a hill a short ways off.
The climb up was quick, considering James' desperate speed, but they reached the top exhausted. James collapsed on the grass, panting heavily.
After a moment, James sat up, looking ahead to the sunset that was making the lake sparkle.
"Whew... Alright, there we go!" he exclaimed silently but proudly.

Alecks looked around in awe. He had never been through the floo system with another person, he had never known anyone who had been willing to do it. It felt weird, but just as smoky and ashy as it would when he was by  himself. "Quickly!" James urged Alecks, "Follow me!" Alecks ran alongside James as they ran out of the school and towards the sunset. He gasped as he looked at the sunset as he ran with James. After a quick run up a hill, Alecks could see why James was so urgent to get on top of here. Alecks' legs, then gave out. A little chuckle came out of Alecks' mouth as he blushed. 'This so reminds me of The Notebook, and I don't know why? Or maybe those romantic movie that are so loving and kissy it's cringy' "Wow James, it's so pretty!' 'Like him' "Do you come up here every night? Because I probably am from now on!" 'You're doing it so you might catch him up here.' A sigh leaves Alecks' lips as he looks over at James, hoping that he isn't gonna make this weird, but he loved the guy sitting next to him on that hill. As a friend, yes. As more than a friend, he doesn't know yet.

James sat down with Alecks on top of the hill, looking between the sunset and his friend alongside him. James loved the beautiful sunset, but he also felt obliged to tear his eyes away periodically for a few seconds in order to see Alecks' reaction to the wonder before them, sitting on the horizon.
"Wow, James, it's so pretty!" Alecks exclaimed.
"Yeah it is!" James said quietly to himself, but also not caring if Alecks heard or not.
"Do you come up here every night?" he asked, "Because I probably am from now on!"
James shook his head.
"Oh heavens, no! Well, I came up here almost every evening about the first week to a month of being here, but when the classes started up, I didn’t really have that much time.” James explained.
“I always came up alone, but now that I have someone here for me to watch it with, it seems even more beautiful!” James said, stretching his arms out to either side and beaming at Alecks.
James saw the orange-ish, pink-ish light from the sunset illuminate Aleck’s face. Alecks sighed about something (maybe it was him being content with the sight on the horizon, James thought) and turned to look at James.
“Do you want to head back now, or stay for a little longer?” James asked, noting the time and how they shouldn’t be out alone late at night.

"Oh heavens, no! Well, I came up here almost every evening about the first week to a month of being here, but when the classes started up, I didn’t really have that much time.” James explained. Alecks nodded, completely understanding because, hey, he didn't have much time around classes anymore either. Alecks looked over at James and saw a small smile on his face, the face that was currently illuminated by the rose, plum, and denim shades of color from the sky. 'What a beautiful sight' Alecks thought to himself, or he thought he did. He had actually said it aloud, and once he realized he had, a blush ran up his neck and into his cheeks. “Do you want to head back now, or stay for a little longer?” Alecks heard James ask him. He looked around and saw other students heading in from watching the sunset themselves. "We could stay out for a little longer," Alecks stated still watching the sunset, "but we can go in if you want. It's totally up to you. You know that right? Oh god I'm rambling." A nervous chuckle leaves Alecks' lips as he look shyly at the ground. Another sigh leaves his lips.

We could stay out for a little longer," Alecks stated still watching the sunset, "but we can go in if you want. It's totally up to you. You know that right? Oh god I'm rambling." A nervous chuckle leaves Alecks' lips as he look shyly at the ground. Another sigh leaves his lips.
James shrugs and waves his hand dismissively.
“No, don’t worry about it…” he assures him. “We’ll stay outside for a little while longer, and then we can head inside.”
James looked over at Alecks, and for the first time, really notices the blush on Aleck’s face and cheeks.
Wait… James mused, Does he… Is he… EMBARRASSED!?
Oh, no. That’s no good! Quick, James! Let him know that it’s okay!
James suddenly began to rant to Alecks, completely oblivious to the real reason why Alecks was blushing.
“Oh, Alecks, it’s okay if we go inside! If you don’t want to stay out here! Or, if you do want to stay out here, you don’t have to be ashamed… or, anything! Don’t feel guilty or whatever! Is it because I said I won’t be up here every night!?” James asked, said, exclaimed all in a rush. Never once did the possibility of what the real reason was enter into his mind...

“No, don’t worry about it…” James assures Alecks. “We’ll stay outside for a little while longer, and then we can head inside.” 

Alecks sees James look over at him before a moment of panic sets in on his face. “Oh, Alecks, it’s okay if we go inside! If you don’t want to stay out here! Or, if you do want to stay out here, you don’t have to be ashamed… or, anything! Don’t feel guilty or whatever! Is it because I said I won’t be up here every night!?” Alecks giggles at James, wondering what had happened in his mind to make him freak out like that. 

"James? James, calm down." Alecks said, attempting to calm down James, "You're fine, everything you said is fine" Alecks looks down again blushing once more, thinking the opposite of what James was thinking. 'What if he figured out and doesn't like me back? What if he leaves me behind? Oh god' 

Before either of the two knew it, Alecks was going into a panic attack. The whole deal; sweating, shaking, numbness, chills, and chest pain. All inflected onto Alecks at once for a wonderful panic attack. No words were spoken, just panic rising into the air.