Royal Pain Fin

✦ Interacting ✦
@Elsian Cox

Dori had spent the last few hours primping and preening to make sure they looked, well, cute. They were 15 and looks were becoming more and more important to them, especially since their looks began a bigger part in feeling comfortable in their body as a non-binary teenager. Puberty was brutal to say the least, but luckily the muggle invention of binders existed and they had one underneath their whimsical ball outfit. Howl’s Moving Castle was the inspiration. Specifically Howl Pendragon himself. A blue and white coat hung over their shoulders, a flowy white shirt underneath. Black velvet pants and light blue shoes to match. It was certainly a take on Howl, rather than a replication.

This was the first time they had worn makeup since they started their gender evolution, and they had half a mind to take it off. If it weren’t for them already running too close to not being early for their taste, it would already be off. Of course the final step was showing Buttons the outfit for his approval, which to their delight received a chirp and a belly up towards the sky. “You really think so Buttons?” With a final belly rub, a pat of the pants pocket to make sure their wand was there, and a smoothing of the coat and shirt they were off towards the ball.

Balls had never been that fun for Dori. They had been abandoned during one, attacked by a mosp, roped into a plan that caused a rift between themselves and Opeila, pulled a Percival Gray out of a collapsing tent situation, found something out about Flash that they didn't expect, and out of all of them had one dance. All Dori really wanted to do was dance, and eat, and laugh. Something always went wrong. They always left by themselves (except for the mosp situation), they usually ended up crying, and most of the time they were hungry. There was an element of trust in Elsi's hands that Dori was putting. A very large element. Every time Dori swore they would never go to another one, and every time they came back. The ball was like a siren song that always pulled them to the depths of their loneliness.

The loneliness seemed to strike again when Dori showed up to the designated meeting place and Elsi still wasn't there. They shrugged it off easily, knowing that Elsi was usually late. But for this one event they had hoped he would be on time. Well, they were still relatively early anyway. They watched as passersby went to enter the ball, and that sweet siren song called them on. They were distracted from the merrymaking by something moving in the grass in front of them. A familiar looking creature that had Dori start to lean down for a closure look. "Kitty?"

It was show time! The Gryffindor grinned, quite ready to jump down and announce himself maybe-

Sea green eyes landed on Dorion, unable to turn away as they walked into the middle of the courtyard as his breath left him.

Oh wow…

They were…Dorion looked positively magical. The warm sunlight seemed to make the gold trimming of their coat glimmer and shine in the afternoon sun, the blues cool but enough to soften the glamor of the gold until it was a perfect, magical look that seemed to curl around the other. They looked like they wore the ending of spring and the beginnings of summer. They positively glowed but in a soft, warm way that made something in his chest stutter.

They were perfect. They were perfect and even now when he could only see their back and a bit of their sideview when they slightly turned he still knew they were and he-

Oh, oh he’d been too slow! How had they not seen him it was-

He caught sight of Kitty as Dorion spoke the spider's name aloud. Kitty was drawing their attention. That perfect wonderful little spider and he- he paused, just jumping down to startle and tease the other didn’t…seem right. No. It wasn’t good enough.

This moment was different.

And Kitty had given him an opportunity to make the others entrance all the more magical.

Elsian grinned; good spider. Pulling his wand from his sleeve the boy leaned over as far as he dared, whispering the words for the flower conjuring spell as he moved his wand in a circle. Flowers, the small blue blossoms specifically, a perfect match for his magical looking date. The wand was slipped back into his sleeve as Kitty skittered just within touching distance of the other student, slowly crawling towards Dori’s shoes, distracting, and Elsian internally thanked her as he crept down. One foot carefully placed in the foothold of the roots and branches climbing the stone walls and as a strong, sudden burst of wind blew past him, ruffling the free white fabric of his outfit and hair he threw almost all of the flowers in the air with one hand.

Flowers of blues and yellows scattered on the wind. Flying through the air and some of them slowly drifting down in a shower of petals around the other with the slowing breeze.

Jumping the rest of the way down in a flurry of delicate white fabric like a mockery of something from a fairy tale he walked towards the other, colorful, delicate pins decorated and embroidered to look like moths out of some magical far off fantasy along with torso and peppered along the rest of his outfit. Unable to keep the happy smile off his face, nor contain the tiniest bit of laughter that surely gave him away, he dangled a simple white daisy slightly over their head and in front of their face to see.

“Thought you were first didn’t you?” he crowed wrapping his arms around the other in a mockery of a hug and quite literally swept them off their feet in the most inelegant way ever, spinning them around once, twice with a laugh before setting them back down, “there, that’s how you're supposed to sweep your date off their feet right?” He asked, teasingly as he let go.

“A delicate flower for a strong tree.” He demurred, and Kitty, like the oddest animal sidekick ever scrambled past towards him, to hover near his feet as he made a dramatic bow to the other, offering the flower with a grin as he peeked up. “Or something like that~” A tease, their words thrown back at them as the flower was given.

But as he finally got to see them up close he pondered if maybe he was the one supposed to be swept off their feet, the image of Dorion, dashing, elegant, handsome, he suddenly felt off kilter in a way he hadn’t before. Eyes widening just the smallest bit he tilted his head at the other, an odd look on his face as he took the other in as his heart seemed to rattle against his chest, pulse jumping from nerves he hadn’t felt till that moment and mind gone blank. Never before, never in his life had the boy been rendered speechless until that moment.

It was truly different seeing them up close.

“You're so handsome.” He said, something akin to wonder in his tone.

Immediately his pulse jumped, the boy fighting off the blush trying to claw to his cheeks upon realizing what he’d just blurted out but…it was the truth. What was so bad about saying it aloud? ‘Nothing,’ his mind whispered back, ‘there was nothing wrong with that.’

So he smiled, feeling a bit more brave, a bit more calm and plucked a petal from their shoulder as he said again, “you look handsome, Dori. Absolutely magical.”

Then, eyes glittering with mischief even as his tone went calmer and demure, “I feel like I just took your job from you, feels like you were the one supposed to sweep me off my feet.” A sniff, as his hand went to his chest, “I’ve been robbed, tricked out of what was rightfully mine!” A glance away, hand going to his forehead as he glanced towards Kitty on the ground, “Oh Kitty, how ever will I cope? I’m ever so devastated.”

✦ Interacting ✦
@Elsian Cox

As they leaned down to scoop up the spider that had somehow, surely not, become lost, they heard something behind them. In a dramatic moment that movies wish they could capture, everything seemed to slow down. Their cape dramatically swishing up as their hand went to their wand to protect Elsi's spider with their life if it came to that. But they were met with an alternative sight, blue eyes widening to match the flowers of blue and yellow that were blowing past them. Something they couldn't have dreamed of experiencing, they were a character in a Ghibli movie surely.

This boy that was late, tired, lazy. The one that was also thoughtful and made sure to get them gifts for every season even when they forget. The one that seemed to exist more naturally in afternoon sunlight than Dori did. Where sunsets seemed to envelop him in a warmth that simply could not be emulated. The one that Dori didn't expect to stick around, was here. Gracefully he stepped down from his hiding place as the petals floated down around the two of them. His tiny laugh lifting any worries that Dori had, their hand falling back down to their side.

He looked- well, amazing. This was the boy that Dori usually saw disheveled and tie half done walking into class. He cleaned up well. Both of them different images of a fantasy. The colors of the beautifully made moths accenting the flower of the outfit perfectly, though Dori would be remiss to not notice the one that obviously had a battle with a hungry spider. He was regal and poised and everything that Dori could've wished to have in a ball date.

"Well-" They went to retort, facing screwing up in faux disgust as Elsi could ever imply that Dori would expect him to be late before they were swept up in a spin, just like he did when he asked them. Their arms wrapped around his neck for security and laughs bubbled up against his neck. "I believe that's how its done yes." They returned his bow with a half bow-curtsy thing of their own. Being androgynous was hard. Dori delicately took the flower and placed it in the coat pocket to keep it close, hoping to preserve it later when they returned to the dorm.

When blue eyes met green a bright blush quickly took over their face as they caught the way Elsi was looking at them. They tried the old habit of pushing hair behind their ear, but it was a failed method. They were pretty bald. Usually there were jokes spat between them affectionately, teases volleyed back and forth like it was a game. But this time Elsi was just- looking. It was almost an achievement to get the boy to stop talking when he wasn't sleeping or in class. Dori's breath caught when he called them handsome. It was the first time anyone had ever said that. "I- Elsi." Tears threatened to mess up their makeup, but they quickly blinked them back. "And you look beautiful, ethereal even. Something out of a movie." Dori took his hands in theirs, a soft smile pulling at the edges of their lips.

Something had changed between them. Dori didn't know when, or how. But something was different and they couldn't quite place their finger on it. For now, they were comfortable to sit in the affection and warmth that Elsi brought them. The fluttering that seemed to only grow louder in their chest threatened something else. Feelings. Feelings they had felt before but never this strongly, never so comfortably and naturally. Not now. Their brain whispered. They didn't want to leave this night by themselves again.

Their smile turned into a smirk as the teasing returned. "You don't think I came empty handed did you? For how often you shower me with fifts and truly sweep me off my feet, I thought I might return the favor." With one of his hands still in theirs they lifted it up to initiate him into a small spin. Their free hand dove into a pocket and returned with a small maroon box. Decorated with shimmering gold ink 'To Brownie Bite'.

Reducio

Inside the box was an embroidered and beaded pin in the shape of an anatomically correct heart that looked like the sky with blue and gold accents. "I had to make sure that we matched." It would probably be around this time that Elsi, hopefully, noticed the matching black and light blue floral heart on Dori's collar on the left side of the white shirt. "I made yours with a magnet so you wouldn't kill me for putting holes in your shirt." They stuck their tongue out at him while reaching up to place the pin on the right side of his shirt so that when they walked side by side they were in between them. "If you don't like it you can throw it away forever after this, but I figured it might be cute for tonight. And the box is yours. It was something my grandma used to keep her jewelry in."

Elsi would know how much Dori missed their grandma, how much she meant to them. But Elsi was starting to mean just as much, and it seemed appropriate that he have a piece of her too.

“I thought so, any other way would be terribly dull,” he snickered, as he let go. This was how things were meant to be. Fun and memorable, the furthest one could get from the boring and mundane as they sprinkled in jokes and magic and enough fun they would never risk forgetting it.

There were no hands wiping away the others' tears this time, though the boy, for a small moment, had to fight the urge to try and help when the others' eyes had a suspicious shine to them. He would have surely smeared the others' makeup, ruined the no doubt hard work Dori had put into their appearance…besides, they didn’t need a knight or prince charming to help. That much was certain when they seemed to straighten, taking his hand; they were like someone right out of a fairytale.

He preened at first, batting his eyes dramatically at the other as they held hands, bringing a hand to his mouth as if some damsel about to gasp. But any chance of lightening the air was lost with the next gust of wind fluttering the others coat and ruffling Elsians hair, he was at a loss, the words shriveled up like a flower in winter and stuck in the back of his throat at the others words. In that moment it felt too real. Too much. And Elsian had never felt quite as seen in his entire life as he was in those few seconds.

Suddenly his hand wasn’t there for dramatic effect. It was there to help hide the sudden embarrassed blush rushing to his cheeks, covering the small shy smile he had on his. “I-” what? Elsian didn’t know what to say. The boy had- he’d never been so seen before, never had that sort of look aimed at him; what look he couldn’t even begin to guess, all he knew was that it made his heart race and the smug confidence shy away and give to something hopeful and frail. Creampuff… no, Dorion had never looked at him like this before, something had changed, seemingly small, insignificant enough he hadn’t noticed until now but…

He didn’t dislike it…



“I-” He had to force himself not to pull away, shy away from whatever this was. That small, embarrassed, shy part of him making his hand twitch before he could get a bloody grip.

“I don’t know about ethereal,” he tried to tease, but it sounded off. Weak and it made the small blush he’d been fighting down rush to his face, the boy ducking his head to look at their hands when he couldn’t bear to look at the soft smile on Dorions face.

Kitty seemed to pick up on his mood, resting on his shoe and it brought the smallest bit of courage. “But I’ll take beautiful,” he finished with a tiny laugh, hand dropping to reveal a smile. Feeling more brave he looked back up at them, a small playful gasp leaving him as he put his free hand to his heart.

“A gift? For me? Aww you shouldn’t have~” Laughter when the other lifted their joined hands to spin him.

Of course nothing he imagined could have prepared him for the truth of what Dorion had in store. Maybe a flower crown, he’d thought. Perhaps even a silly spider pin. Something simple but sweet maybe silly as most things the boy received were. Giving things, carefully thought over and chosen was his way of showing he cared, the way he showed he was thankful, but not everyone was like him. He had no disillusionment with that even as he smiled brightly at the pretty maroon box and shining gold ink with his wonderful, glorious title only Dorion was allowed to call him. But of course Dorion had to- how could he have expected this? He’d never thought… He couldn’t have expected this, not this…

Not in a million years.

His heart squeezed painfully at the sight, eyes darting to the matching pin on Dori’s collar. A matching pair.

A small snort of laughter escaped him at their words, the mood around them seemingly lighting up; they knew him too well. “But you adore the sound of my voice.” He huffed, sticking out his own tongue in retaliation with a snooty look before it melted away.

He…

An odd look came over the boy. Something soft and subdued as he stared at the small box in his hand. Dorion would probably never know what it meant to the boy. But Elsian couldn’t bring himself to feel anything but a bittersweet warmth as he carefully pocketed the box with a soft smile. “I love it.” He said quietly. It was perfect. “Promise I’ll keep it safe.” It held weight, a weight he’d never be able to fully understand, but he could tell somehow it was more than the other was saying.

“Just like I kept that little jade crystal you gave me during our first year.” He admitted, hand going to the tiny heart on his chest as he remembered that day, “the worry stone.”

Then with a smirk, face teasing he added, “still put it under my pillow. So honestly, it’s probably your fault I sleep like the dead Dori. Shouldn’t have given me something that makes me more calm and peaceful.” The boy said with a smug flutter of the eyes. But it calmed back into something softer as he looked at them again.

“It’s perfect Dori.” And he meant it. “Consider me officially swept off my feet~”

He reached out again to grab their hand, beginning to pull forward, “but don’t think you win quite yet!” It was said with the utmost seriousness, but despite his tone a grin was firmly in place. The boy looking excited in his own subdued childish way, “we have a ball to get to after all. Plenty of time for me to out do you~”