Greatest Fears PV Eyre Reeves Finished

Rose was glad to see Eyre visibly relax.
Half-blood mongrel. Rose snorted. "We can be half blood mongrels together, then."
She listened to his information about his real parents. His mom almost sounded worse than his "mom" that she had met this summer.
His dad... He sounded like a nice guy.
It really was a dilemma. Eyre asked her what she thought, what she would do.
"You don't have to do whatever I think," Rose added before she started talking.
A million answers rushed through her brain. The wrong answer could lead Eyre blindly toward more heartache- and it would be her fault. Though Eyre would be able to forgive her, she didn't know if she ever would. Eyre said it himself- he couldn't do that again. And Rose knew it. She could only imagine how scared he felt. But after a few seconds of deep thought, she stopped herself and listened to her gut feeling.
She took a deep breath.
And she started to speak.
"Nobody really expects you to trust him, to trust any kind of parental figure after what you went through. And there's this little part of me that says you shouldn't, that it isn't worth the risk. But the other part of me, my gut, my brain, says... you should go for it. That if he has tried this much, this hard, this long, to find you, his amazing son, that he can't... It seems silly to me to look for and try to reach your son for that long if you were just going to cast him aside once you were finished with him," Rose said sincerely. She really was enjoying how Eyre listened to her, cared about her own thoughts and opinions and feelings. "Plus, you deserve a chance at a good parent, at least one. And maybe..." Rose shrugged, her gaze thoughtful. In an even quieter voice than normal, she finished, "Maybe he deserves a chance to be a good parent."
It was silent for a beat, and Rose added, "And, you know, if all else fails, you can come live with me." she meant it more as a joke at first, but once she started thinking about it, the more fun she imagined it being. Him and her siblings would be able to bond, and she would be able to see him pretty much all the time. It really would be fun for them to live together. Rode noticed that Eyre hadn't met her family, and wondered if they could do that over one of the breaks in two or three months.

Interacting with @Rose Moon
Mentioning @Anastasia Beckett

Maybe he deserves a chance to be a good parent.

That struck a chord within him. Maybe it wasn't entirely fair to be comparing his dad to the parents that raised him. Sure, he had baggage. When his friend Ana had come into the picture with her own terrible parents and made him realize the faults that his own had, he became disillusioned with the thought that adults truly cared. He'd seen so many people, including himself, slip through the cracks because of bad parenting. Then again, Rose was right. His dad was clearly trying to reach out to him. It was a risk letting him into his life, but to willingly give up his second chance at having a proper family? He knew that he'd regret it.

Eyre smiled at the idea of the two of them living together. He'd never met her family before, but he'd heard good things about them. Then, he remembered something. Both Rose and his father lived within London, and he had absolutely no desire to come back home during winter break. In his head, he started to formulate a plan.

"...What if I were to stay with you during the break?" He asked her. "Not to impose, but, my dad does live in London... On one of the days, I could go out and meet him." A bit of nervousness radiated through his chest at the prospect, before he swallowed it down with a smile. "And, even if that falls through, at least I get to spend my break with the absolute loveliest girl that I could possibly spend it with." His words came out smoother than he anticipated, a blush on his cheeks.

"Sorry, was that too cheesy?"

Rose smiled at the idea of spending the entire break with Eyre. She smiled.
"No, that wasn't too cheesy, don't worry," Rose replied, blushing a little at his compliment. She laughed. "I mean, look who you're talking to."
To her, it was really sweet.
Rose's eyes brightened. "That's an amazing idea!" she exclaimed, a smile showing bright on her face. "Yes, we should definitely do that. I'll write my mom tonight."
Then, with a realization, Rose's heart sank a little, along with her posture. "At least three of the days on winter break I'll be in America with my mom's family there, so you would have to be with either your dad or your adopted family those three days," she said, an apologetic look in her eye. That is, until an idea sparked in her head. "Or," she smirked. "You could come to America with us." They used Portkeys to get to and from America every year, which, at first, had scared Rose, but now she was used to it. "Of course if you don't want to, you don't have to," she started, clearly excited. Her voice was fast as she talked, and she was sitting straight up. "My mom would definitely say yes, she would love for you to come. And once they get used to the idea of me having a boyfriend, my siblings would love you, too."
She made herself stop.
"What do you think?" she checked with him.

Interacting with @Rose Moon

"America? That sounds like lots of fun." Eyre nodded with a smile. "I've never been, actually... You'll have to keep me from eating all of the sweets." He teased, squeezing her hands. "...I hope I'll be able to get along with your siblings. I've seen your sister and brothers around, but I've never said hi."

Even with how much he'd changed since he started school, he was still nervous about just striking up conversations with random strangers. Especially with the baggage he had about his own siblings, he figured it was best to just leave them alone. But, if they were raised the same as Rose, he figured that they had to be pretty kind. After all, Rose was practically a beacon of positivity and light.

Eyre appreciated her a lot. Granted, they'd only been dating for almost a month, but he could tell that he could lean on her for support. He'd always been someone that his friends could look to for comfort when times were rough, but it was nice to have it reciprocated. He needed validation once in awhile, too.

Eyre scooched a little closer to her. "Hey... I'm glad I was at the right place and at the right time, so you didn't have to be so afraid about the boggart thing." He told her, gently rubbing the top of her hands with his thumbs. "You should be easier on yourself... You're by far one of the sweetest, kindest people that I know. Your mom probably feels lucky to have had a daughter like you. And if there is anyone who would likely get expelled out of the two of us, it'd probably be me." He said with a chuckle. It wasn't as though Eyre was a bad student, he was just hotheaded towards people that tried picking on him. (Which resulted in some bad fights...)

"...Honestly. I wouldn't be surprised if they made you a prefect, by the end of it. You're just...so great. I wish that more people realized that." He was still red in the face. Inside his head, he was starting to worry about being too lame, but he meant it. He felt very lucky to have her in his life, especially when things were so uncertain. He felt...comfortable. Like they were both in their own little bubble.

Excitement rushed her as Eyre said yes, and Rose imagined him being there with her family. Rose knew a select two or three that would be very protective of Rose while Eyre was there, but she was sure that the rest would love her. A pang of pain hit her as she thought about how her dad should be here. He should be able to meet his daughter's first boyfriend.
"You will," Rose reassured him. "They're really friendly " Normally. Rose didn't want to scare Eyre so she didn't add that last part. She didn't know how her siblings would react to her having a boyfriend- it had never happened before. They could be very protective or they could be really sweet. Or a mixture. "You should meet them sometime," she said, pondering it.
"I'm really glad you were... Are, I guess, too," she murmured as he came closer to her.
Then he started complimenting her.
"You should be easier on yourself... You're by far one of the sweetest, kindest people that I know. Your mom probably feels lucky to have had a daughter like you."
'Maybe I would know if she was around more...'
"And if there is anyone who would likely get expelled out of the two of us, it'd probably be me."
Rose felt her face heat up, and knew it was probably bright red.
Deep down, she knew she should be easier on herself, but those demons, those demons of anxiety and imperfection, they whispered in her ear that she could never slack- that people were counting on her. She needed to keep her grades up. She needed to be there for everyone, even if they weren't there for her. She needed to have it together at all times. And that meant no crying in front of other people.
And Rose would bend over backwards to do what they said, thinking they were right.
Even if they weren't.
So she would push that part that knew deeper and deeper down, ignoring it.
"You're just...so great. I wish that more people realized that."
Rose looked down, trying not to cry. She felt like she couldn't breathe.
Someone got her.
Someone saw her.
The way she was.
Rose realized nobody had really complimented her like this before. And it felt really really good.
A year managed to make it out of her eye, those trained walls of keeping it in.
Rose wiped it away, blushing even more. "I'm sorry." She took a breath, steadying herself, and then reunited her hand with his. "Thank you, Eyre. That really means a lot to me."
She shook her head and fought back another wave of tears.
And then she spilled. She spilled the feelings that she had carried around her whole life.
"I feel like we live in a world where everyone needs to input their thoughts and ideas as fast as possible, so much so that nobody stops to listen, to care about what other people are saying. So much of my life I've tried to blend into the background so my flaws didn't get noticed, and it is so amazing to have someone point out... The good parts."
She looked Eyre straight in the eye. "Call me crazy, but sometimes I get tired of being the rock, the steady person for everyone else, and I need a rock for myself. And then I looked around and noticed there..." Rose choked and avoided his gaze. "There was nobody there for me. That even though I made time for them, noone stopped to ask me if I was okay and really cared." Rose sighed and looked up at him again. "But I think I've finally found him."
Rose pulled in another deep breath.
Where to start? She squeezed his hands and rubbed them with her thumbs."You're so... sweet, and funny, and trustworthy... and you're really handsone, did I mention that before? And you trust me as well. You're not afraid to be vulnerable with me. You listen to me. And I can't say that about anyone else in my life right now." It really was true, and it made Rose feel vulnerable right to her core to say it. It was strange and new to her, the feeling of being vulnerable. She was used to being the secret keeper, not the one who told her deepest feelings to someone.
But Eyre was not just someone.
"And I'm so glad you trust me. Nobody really expects you to trust anyone after something like that turned your world upside down. I am really glad that I can be that person for you, I'm just really glad someone- you... That you can be it back to me."
She really wanted him to understand that he didn't have to hold it all in because she wasn't.
Rose was proud that she got that all out, and even with only one tear at the beginning.
She shook her head, "I'm sorry, I tend to ramble."

I did get a little carried away...

Interacting with @Rose Moon

Eyre knew how hard it was feeling like there was no one in the world that wanted to support him, especially now that Ana had backed out on him. He couldn't even imagine not feeling like he'd ever had someone in his corner to begin with, how isolating and sad it must've been for her.

But, now, she did have someone.

He blushed when she complimented him, but what really struck him was how she commended him for being vulnerable. It meant a lot to him after he'd been trying to push down his feelings since the train station. It meant so much that he caught himself wiping away his tears again, laughing it off and nodding.

"No, it's okay." He assured her, his hand meeting hers again. "I do trust you. I really, really do." It was hard, having faith in her, but he felt like he could. Granted, he'd been wrong before when it came to people that he could rely on. His parents had failed him, his closest friend had failed him, but Rose? He didn't even want to fathom it, because the concept of her hurting him felt almost intangible.

"Y'know, I've always been a realist." He said to her, his eyes trailing off to glance at the lapping waters of the Lake nearby. "Outside of magic, I've never really believed that anything happens for a reason. To me, things just sort of... happen. And the universe just sort of works it out from there."

He was lost in thought for a moment, until he made eye contact with her again. There was a sense of urgency in the way that he looked at her, as if what he was going to say might slip his mind if he didn't blurt it out immediately.

"...I know this is stupid, but since I've met you, more and more I start doubting that." He was clearly nervous by what he was saying, his eyes flittering back and forth between her and the lake. "I feel like, somehow, something out there knew that we like... needed someone in this point in our lives. Because everything is so messy and terrible right now, but somehow the universe just sort of pushed us together when we both needed support the most... you know what I mean?"

Somehow he felt a lot more vulnerable than he did when he told her that he liked her, his face flushing as red as it was when they first met at the BBQ. He looked up at her again, exhaling softly.

"I'm grateful for you, Rose. Really, I am. And I care about you, like, 99.9% more than everyone else in my life right now..." He laughed half-heartedly, a sad smile stretching across his face. "And I want to be there for you, too, like you've been there for me." His voice was soft and heartfelt. He hoped that she didn't take it as oversentimentality, but it was what he was feeling at the moment. And if he was going to rely on her for support, he had to learn to be completely transparent with how he felt.

OOC: No worries, friendo! I saw your original OOC message, and I'm glad that my reply resonated with ya on a personal level. :-) Also, can we plz appreciate how Eyre is lowkey acknowledging my scheme in this post? lmaoooo

Rose was so glad she could trust Eyre, and that he trusted her. A dark voice inside her taunted her that it wouldn't last, that all good things must come to an end. That it would all fall apart someday. But Rose ignored it. She would enjoy it while it lasted, and, who knows? They could date until they turned 21, and then get married and-
Woah, Rose, you're twelve, and have been dating for two weeks. Slow down.
There was a few seconds of silence. Most silence was awkward, but this silence... this silence was just... silence. Understanding echoed, and, for once, Rose was glad of this silence. It helped her think, to regather her thoughts.
Eyre turned his head to look at the lake, and her gaze followed his, to the lapping ripples of the lake. He confessed that he had always been a realist, and didn't really believe in fate.
He turned his gaze back to her and confessed that she was turning it upside down.
Awwwwww.
Rose nodded. "Exactly- Like someone knew we needed each other and..." Rose snorted at her next thought. "Made me pack burn cream, as well as made the sun target your skin." She made a reference back to the way they had met, and laughed a little. "If that's stupid, then that makes two of us."
And when Eyre wasn't looking, Rose mouthed a silent thank-you to whoever that wonderful person was.
She murmured, "And I'm grateful for you." And that he cared about her way more than anyone else, which made her feel all warm inside.
It was really really weird feeling vulnerable to someone like this, confessing things that had been gathering cobwebs, they hadn't seen the light of day in so long. She almost felt... weak? This was something that was new to both of them, and though it would be hard at first, Rose knew she would have to be honest with Eyre.
She could do that.
Her voice was barely audible, when she said, "Of course."
Rose wanted to stay there for hours, just sitting there with Eyre. They didn't have to say anything, just sitting, holding each other's hands, understanding.
But eventually, Rose murmured, "We should probably get back up to the castle." Eyre agreed, and they went back up to the castle, not saying anything in words, but simply... being.

Thank you Yessssssss