Fin A Night Between PV Jack Warren

One moment Dee and Jack were leaving, and then they weren't. Instead, Dee slung spells, people were upset, and before Jack's eyes, Dee was pulling him away from the tent. The teenage boy could feel the girl's fingers wrap tightly around his own, and worry sparked inside his stomach. Had he done something else to make her even more upset with him? Because that was never his intention. The fear that he had messed up so royally that she was leading him 'behind the shed,' so to speak, cut him like a knife.

Yet even with that fear, there was comfort in having Dee's hand in his. Comfort in a cozy fire or a warm cup of tea. Something that screamed, 'you're safe here.' The ease the teenager felt around the subject of affection was something of fairy tales, or so Jack could only assume that was the closest comparison.

Even as Dee dragged Jack through the cool night air, he couldn't escape the heat that had grown in his cheeks. Was it anger or embarrassment that he let himself be flung around and macked on like some plaything? Erin Ryan always seemed to be able to strike him at the most unexpected times, leading him to be assailed by the girl's lizard-like tongue. The disgust at the memory of mashing faces with Erin stuck in his head like a wine stain on a white cloth. With his cherry cheeks, Jack finally spoke, "Dee, where are we goi-" As the words left his lips, the boy nearly ran chest first into the Ravenclaw prefect as she stopped to turn to him.

The boy's confusion was possibly unwarranted, considering the events that had transpired only moments ago. At this moment, Mr. Warren had decided that he shouldn't run his big mouth in fear of retribution. The words from his girlfriend jack could have guessed, and he answered as quickly as he could "I didn't let her kiss me, Dee. I tried to fight her off. Honestly, you couldn't see the panic in my face?" The Hufflepuff tried to chuckle and lighten the heavy mood. Reaching out towards Dee's other hand, Jack would take hold of her free hand and attempt to look her in the eye. "Trust me, It wasn't my plan to kiss anyone." after a moment of pause, he added "Aside from you, 'course."

On her sudden halt, Jack almost bumped into her, but Dealla didn't step back. It felt good having him close, warm and solid, if she was honest with herself. It was funny, though, that being honest to others came so easy to her when honesty towards herself sometimes seemed like the most difficult thing imaginable.

It should have made her feel better when Jack rushed to respond, his words coming quickly, sincerely. Maybe it did, a little. She hadn't seen the look on his face, of course, because she'd been too preoccupied watching Marion and Alec, but how was she supposed to explain that? She believed him, too. It didn't change the way she felt, though, the sick feeling in her stomach when she thought of the pretty blonde. Whose name she still didn't know. Probably better that way, or Dee might have gone to pick a fight.

She stayed quiet when Jack reached for her other hand, lips down turned, unhappy. But she let him take it, threaded her fingers through his, Jack's skin warm against hers, and maybe she did feel a little better.

"Not an-" she began, the teasing a reflex she was unable to help, then broke off when Jack immediately amended to anyone but her. He'd probably predicted that particular comment, of course she would have jumped at it, and she choked out a laugh, short and abrupt. It hurt in her throat.

Part of her knew she was treating Jack unfairly. Had been for the entire evening, honestly, since he'd spun that bottle and it had dared to point at a different girl. The jealousy in her chest, hot and sharp, had been unexpected, and she'd handled it badly. Was still handling it badly, because she could still feel it cutting at her.

Swallowing, Dee turned up her face, eyes trailing back from their hands up Jack's arm to his face, the little she could make out of it in the dark. He was taller than her. Not too much taller, not so much that it made her feel dwarfed, that she wanted to kick his kneecaps to watch him collapse, an urge she had sometimes with some of the lumbering trees of boys in their year. But tall enough that she could sometimes, just a little, give into the feeling of being protected by someone stronger than her. (Just a little stronger, of course. Physically only. She'd kick his butt in duels.)

Why was it, then, that she was telling Jack so little of the things that really mattered? Ignoring what she knew about Marion, had she ever even mentioned her family to him? Not the grand story she'd told next to everyone she'd met in her first year, but what was going on now, how she felt about it. She didn't think she had. This was far from an isolated case, though. It was odd, almost paradoxical, how it was so hard for her to lean on those she cared most about; how she could tell perfect strangers about what was close to her heart but kept Jack at a distance, neatly separated. She'd done the same to Ileen, was partially doing it to Aly, she thought. Perhaps it was time to work on that, just a little.

Biting her lip, Dee took another step closer, until she could feel Jack's warmth again, soaking through her clothes. Then, with a small huff, she let her head drop onto his shoulder, forehead resting against him, lips on his shirt. "'m sorry," she mumbled into the fabric, voice soft. They weren't words she used very often, reserved for special occasions only.

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, and allowed a bit of the tension to go. Took in the comfort of Jack's presence instead, how solid he felt. After a small pause, she chuckled slightly, still not moving, her voice coming out a little muffled. "Don't you have any questions?" she wanted to know.

@Jack Warren

A soft rumble of laughter built up in his chest as Dealla reflexively went to correct him. But, of course, she would have jumped to rectify his statement, and he loved it. Jack was happy, if not worried, about Dee's behavior. He was supposed to be the one with a terrible attitude problem! But he held back his stupid jokes about how he was a troublemaker and how they were meant to be because she cleaned up after his stupid mistakes and rash actions. Now was not the time for Jack's typical antics, and he knew that. At this moment, he only wanted to make his girlfriend feel better.

He watched as she slowly trailed her eyes up his arms to meet his own. Jack liked that she was shorter than him. He could pick Dee up and carry her around if he honestly felt like it, though he doubted the Ravenclaw prefect would put up with that for very long. She would probably think she could beat him in a fight, but the likelihood of her winning would be so low. Jack was rather hard to hit. In fact, he had made a habit of not being hit.

Somebody could have cut the silence around them with a knife; it was so thick. No ominous feelings or monsters were hiding around the corner. It was just two kids standing with one another. Jack would let Dee speak her peace or sit there in silence. He didn't want to rush in, only to say something stupid. It was kind of his thing to make something worse out of nothing.

Yet as Dee stepped into him, he could feel the beat of his heart begin to accelerate. Jack could swear that it might just burst through his chest, but there was no chest bursting tonight. Wrapping his arms around her tightly, Jack just rested his head on top of her own. "It's okay." His words were quiet as if he was trying not to wake somebody from their slumber. "I just wanna know what's goin' on." Jack had no intention of letting go of her. He only wanted her to feel safe in his arms.

@Dealla Prince

Dee didn't think she'd ever witnessed Jack being this quiet, but she couldn't blame him for being at a loss for words, or for seeking to understand. Her actions must have hardly made any sense to him tonight, and how could they have? They hardly made sense to her, either.

When Jack let go of her hands to hold her instead, Dee let out a breath, then did likewise; wrapping her arms around his waist, her fingers digging into the shirt on his back. Close as they were, she could feel his heart beating, and that, at least, made her smile.

It didn't last long, fading when Jack spoke. It's okay, that was a helpless platitude, something people said when they didn't know what else to do. Not that she could hold it against him, because how was he supposed to know? There were words on her tongue that she wanted to tell him, somehow. Marion is a hag, right there, at the front. Don't sleep in your tent anymore. Then deeper down, more primal, I'm terrified.

But then her thoughts flashed back to the conversation she'd had with George a few weeks ago. About how keeping Jack out of it was the right choice, how, if he knew, he would barge right in and get himself killed, and how was she supposed to tell him after that? The thought alone had her trembling. She could only hope he'd mistake it for a shiver from the night air.

Taking a deep breath full of comforting cedar, Dee changed course. To something that was somehow even more difficult to talk about, because while it wasn't as dangerous, as terrifying as hags among them, it was about her. "Did you know I met my grandparents for the first time last year?" she asked, not lifting her head. The words came out muffled. It was an abrupt shift in topic, towards one that didn't really had anything to do with how she'd acted tonight, a blatant distraction. But it mattered, it did. She'd barely talked about this to anyone.

"They're the reason I grew up in Whitehaven, you know," she continued, not waiting for a response. Maybe speaking fast would make it easier. "My parents moved away from London to get away from them. Mum and dad always told me that they scorned mum because she's muggle-born, and me because I'm her daughter so I'm not pure. That that's why they didn't want anything to do with me and they never tried to contact me." She huffed a small laugh. "They're the reason I'm duelling captain, you know. And maybe prefect, too. The reason why my grades are this good, in any case, and I don't know why else they would have picked me as prefect? It was all to impress them, to show them that my mother's blood isn't a bad thing, that they can't look down on me because of it. Isn't that silly?" She was rambling at this point, could feel it herself. Did Jack even really want to know any of this?

@Jack Warren

Strange. Why had Jack never thought of asking Dee about her family? Maybe family talk was a sore subject for both of the kids. Yet, the sudden shift from tonight towards Dee's family was something Jack had not prepared for. "Oh-" Surprise colored his voice but didn't say much else. What was he supposed to say? ' No, Dee! I never asked about your home life, because I am a terrible listener and forget to ask questions.' Topic change be damned, but Jack was there to listen. Listen. Not just pretend to be interested, because he was interested. Dee was one of the few people he truly cared to listen to. George always drolled on about how muggles suck and something about fighting with Jake, and it was just too much to listen to. So Jack's default with his best friend was just to stare off into space until George got mad and left.

The boy couldn't help but think about how Dee's words were like lead bubbles. They were heavy, yet he maybe sensed the weight was starting to lift from her shoulders, or at least he hoped it was. Never the most socially perceptive person, Jack still knew when something was about to bubble over. It was like when he started acting out even more than usual when he found his Father had cancer. It wasn't good to become a volcano and force the emotions down. Yet as she continued to ramble, Jack could only watch her lips move. He internalized all of the information she was dumping on him. The scarred boy wanted to remember everything. Dee Prince was perfect in his eyes; blood status be damned. Jack never really gave two shits about his blood. He was a half-blood, so he felt like he could understand. And look, he was still the brightest tool in the shed or whatever. So why did it matter so much to her old coots for grandparents? Purebloods tended to suck.

As his inner monologue subsided and Dee continued to rattle off more information, Jack realized it was his time to act. Be supportive! Say something inspiring! Comfort her! He wanted to be the best he could be, but no words came to him. So it was about time he went with his gut.

Bringing his hand up underneath Dee's chin, Jack leaned forward and planted a kiss on her lips. There was no instinct to make a joke or do something stupid in an attempt to lighten the mood. Mr. Warren only wanted to let the moment last for as long as possible, and as the moment faded, he barely pulled away before speaking in a whisper. "You're perfect. Without the blood in you, you wouldn' be standin' here right now. With out you here, I'd be lost" His breath would catch for a second as he thought about what he would say next. He had thought about dropping those three little words before but felt it wasn't right. If now wasn't the right time or place, let the world burn for all he cared. "I think I love you." The soft Irish lilt in his voice was soft and meek. It was like the antithesis of everything the boy was, but he was willing to open up just like the girl standing in front of him. It just felt right as the words rolled off his tongue. The loud thumping of his heart was the only thing he could hear, as he waited with baited breath for the prefect's response.

@Dealla Prince

Once her words had started coming Dee hadn't been able to stop, sentences running into each other, words tumbling. It was only when they ran out, her heart beating fast, that she realised that Jack still hadn't said anything, no joke, no comment of any kind, and she stiffened, fear racing up her arms and tightening in her chest, because clearly, Jack hadn't asked for all of this to be dumped on him out of nowhere. No warning, she'd just bulldozed him, abrupt and with no connection at all to what they'd been talking about.

She almost expected him to call her out on it, the change in topic had hardly been subtle. Instead, she felt a warm hand beneath her chin, and she allowed him to tilt her head up until she could meet his eyes, gaze questioning. Jack didn't speak, he just kissed her, and Dealla sighed softly as she leaned into it, melting against him. It was the first time she'd felt somewhat safe since she'd stepped into the pavilion earlier this evening, with Jack close, his arm around her. When he pulled away she tried to follow, eyes closed, unwilling to let the moment end. Thinking back, this would probably have been a better, easier distraction; one that didn't leave her so terrifyingly vulnerable.

But Jack had apparently decided what he wanted to say, and it was simple. Not practical advice like she'd gotten from Evelynn about her father, or secretive plots like the one she'd hatched with Jack Burnett to trap a hag, or even simple support or encouragement like she might have expected. It didn't have anything to do with her grandparents at all, only with her, and how Jack felt about her, even though she'd behaved like a lunatic tonight.

I think I love you. They were still close enough that she could almost feel the words against her lips, and it took a moment for their meaning to register, a few seconds in which her heart seemed unable to decide whether it wanted to stop beating or start racing, instead beating irregularly in her chest, yet so hard she could feel it in her fingertips.

She pulled back further to look up at him, teeth digging into her lower lip as the night air washed over her face. She didn't have words, or even thoughts; there was warmth swelling inside her, expanding in her chest, and a smile that spread on her face without her influence, brilliant and helpless and impossible to contain. Suddenly there was no room for her worries and fears, there was only Jack and the way she felt around him. She had little to compare it to, Jack was her first boyfriend and there hadn't even been noteworthy crushes before him. But it didn't matter, not here, not now. Despite everything, this was the happiest she'd been in a long time. "You do?"

Shifting, Dee let go where her arms were wrapped around him, reaching up to cup Jack's face. She didn't go on her tip-toes, instead pulling him down to kiss him again, smiling all the while. "You know," she whispered. "I think I love you, too."

@Jack Warren