Backdated || During Camp
Thread with Johannes Cyprian Ambroży^{@Astrea Soleil Neptune}

Everett was really over the food at camp. He missed being at home, with the massive amounts of fried vegetables, steaming seafood, and delectably delightful home recipes that he took pride in sharing with his friends. Well, not the recipes. But the food itself. He was taking a day to have a lunch away from anyone that had a habit of pestering him and ignoring him. He had a book in front of him that he was reading out of, a copy of Fahrenheit 451. The premise had been of great interest to him, despite being a muggle book about the future of education and the idea of reading being dangerous. Ideas outside of what was prescribed, being dangerous and forbidden. His eyes were engrossed in the material, idly stabbing food and robotically chewing it. At this point, he didn't eat for the taste here. It was all about keeping him sustained. It tasted like TV static to him.

A gentle summer breeze occasionally would turn a page for him which he would delicately turn back.
Great care was taken with his books. Words and knowledge were prized possessions for this Horned Serpent, which is unsurprising of his house that represents the mind. Occasionally the boy would look up and gaze around the food area, eyes scanning for anyone familiar that he needed to avoid before returning to the book. There were people milling about, talking, laughing. It was just something he wasn't interested in at the moment. He was incredibly tired of being here, as much as he enjoyed it at first. The rare moments of joy came from being with Rafael, and even those moments were quick and fleeting. This day was no different than the others, routine. Waiting for the quidditch match at the end of this incredibly long 20 day trip.

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playing as johannes cyprian ambroży
text colour #4d5c7f | outfit ref here
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interactions @Willow Anderson as Everett Brooks

As "riveting" as some people felt summer camp was, Johannes could tell you quite definitively that it ain't all it's cracked up to be. In between those big activities and stuff, it was a whole lot of mindless routine of 'get up, get ready, do whatever, have food, do whatever, have food again, do whatever, sleep, repeat.' And while Johannes usually functioned on routine even back home in Frankfurt, it was at least better than mindlessly staring out into the blocked horizon, a green turf surrounding them on all sides with multi-coloured tents set up every which way as if some circus minefield. That 'free time' they were given was a bland excuse to fill their days and while Johann had a history with being unable to merely 'do-nothing', a trait he shared with his great uncle and a good amount of family- er, as according to his grandfather- he didn't think it was going to be this bad.

So bad. The days seemed endless, every day a cycle of waking up and being unable to do anything substantial. Okay, maybe he was being dramatic, but you couldn't blame him. At Durmstrang, he had his lackeys, he had classes and a whole lot of school land to tramp around. In Frankfurt, he had errands to do, friends- technically they were friends? He hung out with them, they went to places, but he barely even knew them properly- to be with, a very insignificant job to work. And everywhere he went in between, he found something to do and somewhere to go when he had the time and freedom.

Asriel wouldn't have so much of a problem. What a bitter thing to think about. But a valid point, he realised during a lunch break. Asriel had the feeling around him that set you at ease, a gentle sort of niceness that belied years behind him of mischief- or so he had heard. It wasn't like his brother liked to talk to him anymore- all that kindness was probably fake anyway if he could look at Johannes like he was the most annoying thing ever, just because he had been chosen by his grandfather and great uncle. Asriel got the attention of their parents, of a good portion of people, just because he was lucky like that.

But wandering bored through the campgrounds, his hands full with a plateful of food who he really didn't have the energy to name, watching as people gathered into their little groups, talking all the while. Man, he hadn't been able to really talk to people just enough to 'develop a friend group', and it wasn't like people went up to him for that sort of thing. Ah well. Pressing his arm against his own chest in an attempt to get the oversized sleeve of his combat jacket from getting stuck on his rings, he took a bit of time to stare around for a relatively deserted area. And a relatively deserted area he found, occupied only by some dark-haired stranger, hunched over a book and methodically eating at their own plate of food. Might as well.

"Sup." Johannes stuck up a lazy peace sign in greeting and plopped into the empty seat right across from the apparent bookworm, really not expecting much of a response back from the other boy. The kid looked tired, tired but totally engrossed in the mystery book. Johann couldn't blame him.

WC 571

Interacting with Johannes Cyprian Ambroży ^{@Astrea Soleil Neptune}

Ah, he had almost escaped.

It took the bright boy a second to register that someone had talked to him, let alone just plopped himself right down in front of him. He stayed silent, giving himself the freedom to forget about politeness for the moment and finish up the last couple pages of the chapter. His mother would've smacked him upside the head for it, but she wasn't here. With a heavy sigh that someone had interrupted him right before he was reaching the prime climax of the story he noted the page number in his head for later. With a soft close, he finally looked up.

For once he wished he had given in to his family teachings of politeness. In front of him sat a brilliantly chiseled boy. Definitely not someone from his school, or else Rett would've already taken notice of the boy. Brilliant honey brown curls rested on his forehead and his grey eyes seemed to have a piercing gaze. Definitely not a Hogdork either, he was too beautiful for them. "Mm, was reading a book as you probably noticed. But, I can't say that the beauty of the words match the beauty that you have brought to this dull lunch." His southern drawl rolled out of his throat like the thick honey the other boy's hair reminded him of. "What exactly brings you here though? To this table I mean. We both know why we're here in London. But, coming and settling yourself down in front of someone who is obviously very busy. Quite bold, don't you think?"

Rett pulled his leg up onto the bench, since gays can never sit correctly, ignoring his food for right now in watching the boy in front of him instead. "Everett Brooks, Ilvermorny if you couldn't tell by my very non-European voice. Feel free to call me Rett. Or..." He paused, wondering if he should be as bold as they other one had been. He had always favored being bold in words, which wasn't a surprise due to his house. "Babe probably wouldn't be so bad coming from you either." He genuinely couldn't tell if this boy would even be into him. His gaydar wasn't exactly honed for being... 12. Well, might as well take a risk when he was only here for 20 days anyway. A time to explore. Make mistakes that he normally wouldn't since there was a good chance he would never see anyone at this camp ever again. Especially being from America. Lazily he grabbed a fry and popped it in his mouth before propping his head up in his hand.

Observe, listen, plan your next move. That's how to grab one's attention and keep it on you.

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playing as johannes cyprian ambroży
text colour #4d5c7f | outfit ref here
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interactions @Willow Anderson as Everett Brooks

As Johannes suspected, he didn't get a reply back. Merely ignored as the other kept on reading, taking in the events of the pages with just a bit less total focus as before. Perhaps because he had been a big clown and made the bad decision to corner someone into lunch together when they were clearly busy- maybe this wasn't the best idea to approach the obviously engrossed stranger, but by this point, he had committed. Nicely kept dark hair, swept off to the side neatly against pale skin. A heavy sigh of exasperation and the subsequent closing of the book- Fahrenheit 451, he caught- was the only signal he got before the other looked up, clearly not happy to have been interrupted, and suddenly Johannes was staring back into intelligent sage green eyes.

"Mm, was reading a book as you probably noticed." Alright, not a Hogwarts student. That slow drawl of a voice was nothing like the high lilting of the students he's heard from the English school of magic. At least that was out of the way. It seemed almost sarcastic in words alone. "But, I can't say that the beauty of the words match the beauty that you have brought to this dull lunch."

O-Oh. Good looking guy. Pickup line. Oh god. That was fast. "Huh." He let out a surprised huff of a laugh, the tips of his ears warming very suddenly at the boldness of the other as he shifted his posture to tuck one leg under him. It's literally been seconds and already he's put the pan in panic, half of his mind going to fast for his mouth and the other half speeding by faster than the other side. Suddenly the thought he had entertained in the past about getting his cartilage pierced seemed very unremarkable- it would only bring attention to his flustering.

To say that it gave him a little mental jolt was a total understatement, for he certainly wasn't expecting the guy to start off with that. Not that he didn't find it amusing- what a start- but quite usually, people weren't so forward. Quite usually, he'd be on the other side of this flattery parade. But as much as he was a total mess on the inside, internalisation was a godsend and as he settled himself down, the plate left forgotten near him, he slipped easily into the suave persona of a boy that he'd worked to cultivate since his second month of first year. "That was a good one, prettyboy. You know, you ain't so bad yourself. Bet, if you were words on a page, you'd definitely be what they call fine print."

"What exactly brings you here though? To this table I mean. We both know why we're here in London. But, coming and settling yourself down in front of someone who is obviously very busy. Quite bold, don't you think?" Johannes cocked his head to the sign at the southern boy, a cattish spark of impishness in his eyes as he looked the other up and down. "Bold, yes. But why not? Just playing to some curiosities." His words, twisted with mischief and softened with a slight German accent, were nonchalant as he stared up towards the other, his left hand brushing away hair from his line of sight. "It isn't like if anyone else was going to save a spot for me anyway, might as well share an uninspiring meal with someone who truly sparks the attention." And what attention.

"Everett Brooks, Ilvermorny if you couldn't tell by my very non-European voice. Feel free to call me Rett. Or..." Rett- because wasn't that a snappy name- trailed off, a slow type of ending to his sentence that reminded Johannes of dripping molasses, as dark as Everett's coifed hair and just as sweetly smooth as that pickup line. "Babe probably wouldn't be so bad coming from you either." A crooked smirk of a grin overtook him at the very suggestion and while his slight flush didn't leave him- the sun was warm alright?- the fact that Everett had been able to go out of their way to say such a thing. That took guts, and as much as Johannes' taste in guys usually revolved around a few different types, he couldn't deny that the American had caught his interest.

"Well, then I oughta, yeah babe? The name's Johannes Sauer, Durmstrang. Nice'ta meetcha." A wink, a pleasant tone. He was no Alexei- he didn't attract girls by sheer force of will- and he definitely wasn't as pretty as Kheanu- who he's heard swept up hearts by the baker's dozen- but he could be nice enough to this snack of a boy. Maybe this wasn't as much of a bad idea after all.

WC 795

Interacting with Johannes Cyprian Ambroży ^{@Astrea Soleil Neptune}

A satisfied smirk danced on the lips of the Southern charmer as he had obviously thrown off the boy in front of him. To cause one to fluster and flounder was delightfully satisfying, especially when the blush looked so good on them. At his own school he wasn't much of a flirt. His focus was always on his studies, never really having a care for the droll boys that seemed to wander the damp Massachusetts halls. But here, here there was opportunity with the wandering hearts of European boys who's looks could be found in modeling ads galore. While he had come with the intention to flirt with one specific Gryffindor boy, he didn't seem to reciprocate the interest and Rett wasn't one to hold on to fantasies that wouldn't come true.

His own smirk faltered slightly when this boy did reciprocate. As bold as he had initially been by settling himself down at the table. This was becoming quite the interesting lunch. A summer sweet blush radiated across his own cheeks. Stupid body reactions that he couldn't control. But how was a Horned Serpent supposed to react to being compared to a book? "You're welcome for bringing the spark to your lunch while you've brought the starlight to mine. I'm not used to seeing stars in the daylight, but here you are. Shining just as bright now as you would settled in the night sky for all to admire." He couldn't imagine that the boy in front of him didn't have admirers. With his looks and smart quips, people had to be chasing after him. Maybe that's why he was seeking a desolate table with a disinterested boy. What a lapse in judgement the other boy had made.

The smirk that was still resting mildly on his face with a small look of surprise when Johannes had followed the request of being called babe. His heart fluttered in a way that was unfamiliar. Something similar to how he felt when he was challenged by Rafa. There was almost no chase to this, merely a competition of who could get the other to flush quicker. This babe wasn't one to lose. With the wink settling the idea that yes, this was happening. Rett took the inability of gays sitting in a chair normally to the next level by using the leg he had tucked under him to push him onto the table. The food had already been abandoned from the moment he sat down so he didn't exactly feel guilty about gently pushing it aside to make room for him to settle close in front of the boy.

Everett wasn't exactly... short. So this put him at a decent height above Johannes, giving him a distinct level advantage in making the moves he wanted. With a second glance at the food, he realized his next attack. "Now, what a waste of food it would be if you didn't eat at all." Everett picked up the forgotten fork with a flourish and grabbed a couple pieces of food before positioning it in front of his mouth. "Besides, those hands have something better to do." His right hand came up to intertwine his fingers with the hand that Johannes' had previously used to brush hair out of his face. It was all lining up too perfectly. He had no chance against the Southern Charmer.

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playing as johannes cyprian ambroży
text colour #4d5c7f | outfit ref here
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interactions @Willow Anderson as Everett Brooks

"You're welcome for bringing the spark to your lunch while you've brought the starlight to mine. I'm not used to seeing stars in the daylight, but here you are. Shining just as bright now as you would settled in the night sky for all to admire." ...

God, Johann really was going to die here, wasn't he? It wouldn't be a bad way to go either if you'd ask his entire gay panic side of his brain, although all sense and semblance of pride he had raced too fast and too logically for him to comprehend. A pretty boy in front of him, backlit by sunlight with even prettier words drip, drip, dripping from his lips like gold, drawl liquid-smooth.

"Me, a star?" He quirked an eyebrow in disbelief, the fluttery feeling of pride and a conversation well-matched beating against his chest as he watched a slight look of surprise and a pretty pink blush cross the smugly smirking American. Pink looked good on Rett. Wasn't often that Johannes of all people was compared to anything as poetic as a star- he's been called things from a thieving fox to a wily mongrel by those he's hopped around to annoy- and definitely not by someone as charming as the boy in front of him. See here, he's a disruption at best and punk at worse. Bad influence. Too much mischief, too little care for things. "Doll, I'm afraid you're mistaken, for the most heavenly body is sitting right in front of me. You draw me in with a radiant wonder so rare that angels sing a chorus in awe."

It seemed that playing along with a wink was only the catalyst for things to get even more extra, for Johann was very pleasantly surprised when Rett pushed the forgotten food away and practically crawled up onto the table to meet at the halfway point. Unexpected, but he wouldn't complain. The Sauer's free foot swung back slightly to hook against the connecter of the chair's base- because his other leg was already tucked under him, and both legs on the ground wasn't a gay's way- as the brunette neared him enough to get some height advantage, brimming with mirth. What an adventurous move.

"Now, what a waste of food it would be if you didn't eat at all." And suddenly a forkful of whatever was on his plate was in front of him, held aloft by one pale hand. Oooh boy. The Polish-born German-raised pureblood was not one to back down from a challenge- 'specially not one so sweet as this- so it was quite the easy thing to do when he lunged forward slightly to bite at the offered food, staring up at the other with a daring gaze as his teeth clicked against the plastic of the fork and then retracted, the bait taken. The unappetising food tasted like white noise as he finished the bite, tilting his chin up to stare at Rett without peering up behind dark eyelashes, wholly unimportant compared to meeting those green eyes. Wasn't this a sight to behold. "Certainly was a good choice coming here. After all, wouldn't it have been a waste if I passed up the meal that's sitting here now, don't you agree?"

Weren't they a funny scene. Johann was sure that if rando others took the time to look around and just turn in their direction, they would be very much surprised. "-sides, those hands have something better to do." From the corner of his eye, he saw Rett's hand come in closer to intertwine with his left hand, the other's grip firm and confident. Not the hand he would have used for this exact reason, not the hand he would grasp at someone with- though it was his dominate- but he was not going to complain. From the smirk to the first move, it was very apparent that Rett was taking the role as the alpha male. For the tender age of nearly 13- nearly there, he would cross over into the beginning of true teenhood by the end of summer camp- the Sauer was at least half-acquainted with a fraction of how the heart worked, and at least a part of that was some figuring out and working things out. But that didn't mean that he would have his fun with it.

Squeezing the hand that entrapped his own casually, he brought the joined link closer still to clink the silver ring on his hands with the shiny loop thread through his earlobe. It made a soft noise next to his ear with a silent twist of the power dynamics. Babe had ventured over his way, taking the lead, but he could bring the motion closer still. "Is that so? I thought we weren't supposed to touch the masterpieces. You must be quite the thief, stealing away both my attention and all the beauty in the sky to keep." His tone was honey-sweet even as his back prickled from the proximity and the risk of wandering eyes. No chance against the Georgian charmer indeed, but two could play at that game.

WC 854

Interacting with Johannes Cyprian Ambroży ^{@Astrea Soleil Neptune}

While Rett appeared quite composed and more charming than ever, inside he was panicking. Despite knowing for a fact that he was gay, without a single doubt. He had never actually... even held hands with a guy. There were of course others his age that had taken his breath away but they had been completely uninterested in him, and Rett never had time to sulk. There was always something he had to do. Whether it be studying, learn about the history of his family and their business that had roots as deep as time itself, figuring out what he wanted to do when he was older. There was never time to stop and contemplate what it would be like to be held with such warm regard. Such tender compliments.

His blush was quickly growing and spreading across the skin dotted with the freckles of time under the sun, and what time he wished he could spend with Johannes. Even if he could live in the fantasy of a brief wonder of adoration for a day with him, he would be satisfied. If not a day, then just this lunch. His facade was quickly melting as the Durmstrang boy wiggled his way into his not so hardened heart. His smirk, completely gone with a small 'o' face as he continued to be surprised and thrown off by someone with a wit that matched his own, and was using it to praise someone like him. Someone that he never saw as that remarkable.

For a moment he wondered what it would be like to melt within the sickly sweetness of his words. They were so close. He could just... kiss him. He could do it, he was close enough. But there was a hesitation that stopped him completely. Maybe it was the fact that this would be his first kiss, maybe it was the fact that he didn't know the boy sitting front of him at all. Though he was absolutely and completely entranced, there was a sudden craving to open up the pages of Johannes and know him before making the most daring move of all. "So, do you sing my dear angel?" It wasn't a smirk that returned to his face, but a small smile. It wasn't a playful competition against each other, it was now a competition to keep Johannes just for the day. To live in the fantasy of mattering to someone as handsome and suave as him.

That didn't mean that the entire facade was cracked, he still wanted to keep him hooked on the game he was obviously playing. Even if for him it was only a game, Rett was determined to be his favorite player in it.

The feeling of Johannes' hand in his had his green curious eyes lingering on the touch itself, rather than the chiseled boy that sat in front of him. The feeling was soft, unfamiliar. Comforting. He watched as he brought the hand up closer to the soft curls that laid ever so perfectly on the top of his head. Everett was entranced by everything that he was doing. His hand begrudgingly released from his to run his fingers through the seemingly forbidden locks. Soft, sweet. His eyes drifting back to the wonder in front of him. It took him another second to realize that the melodic voice was making it's way back to his ears. "Consider yourself the artist of my smile, and of this fluttering heart." His hand moved and laid itself to hold the jawline that seemed like it could cut him for even daring to touch it.

"What's your story, my darling?" Everett decided to close the distance even more. Not wanting to be farther than he had to from this cunning new light in his life. Pushing himself off the the table once more he perched himself on the arm of his chair. His left leg dangled off the side while his right was once again tucked underneath him. As he moved, his hand had stayed on his jaw. Pulling it gently to look towards him. "Someone like you must have the entire school after you like bees after honey." Finally releasing from his face, he found his hand once more without breaking eye contact. The rush of the physical contact was new coming from a boy who's family barely showed physical affection. The concept was foreign, new, exhilarating. Even if people were looking, questioning what was happening between the two boys that had just met. He couldn't care. "So, why my table? Hm? Instead of one of your many admirers?" The doubt couldn't help but seep in of why this gorgeous curiosity had sat himself down with Rett.

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playing as johannes cyprian ambroży
text colour #4d5c7f | outfit ref here
╚═══════════*.·:·.☽✧ ☠ ✧☾.·:·.*═══════════╝

interactions @Willow Anderson as Everett Brooks

"So, do you sing my dear angel?" Johannes cocked his head to the side in mock contemplation, a distinct feeling of being caught in the belly of the beast intensifying with every second that passed, their eye contact unwavering and proximity drawing ever closer."Perhaps." Actually, Johannes was not much of a singer- as much as a few friends of his had complimented him over it before-, much preferring to stick to heavier instruments that he could get a grasp on, but listening to that voice that Rett bore made him wonder- "Though I think that listenin' to you alone would make churchgoers burst out in hymnals." Somewhere along the line, the smirk upon his face had shifted toward something more genuine, his words just a bit less than cheeky and more toeing the line at soft. Johannes had always been a touchy type of boy, but this- this was different. Rett's eyes lingered on their clasped hands as if entranced before slowly disentangling- Johannes lamented the loss silently- and went up, up, up. It seemed that only motion left in a hushed and reverent world.

He could not hide the hitch of breath and sudden still as fingers suddenly brushed through his hair- a move he hadn't allowed any to come close to in near three years- and then ran through the mess of curls crowning his head. Hair he kept soft and spelt purposefully darker only out of spite, hair he could never find the time or guts to attempt to tame, hair that he knew Asriel always envied him for because sometimes he caught his brother staring- never directed at him, merely slightly above with veiled disdain. A bitter reminder of the conflict between him and his father's side of the family because wasn't it some twist of fate that he- German-raised and secondborn- would be given the hair and surname of those he hated his allegiance with such vitriol that it tore apart his relationship with his brother in a way that would guarantee future estrangement.

His hair, his pride and joy and yet at least half the cause of his estrangement, run through with a wonder that Johannes fixated upon as his only hope in a desert of his own contemplation. It was fine. The American babe knew nothing of what plagued him. Most people didn't anyways. But Rett was just slightly bolder than most people, wasn't he? The touch was as gentle as it was admiring, a strangely nice feeling that left his scalp tingling pleasantly with every swipe. Johannes felt like melting, and by this point, he wouldn't be opposed to it either. "Consider yourself the artist of my smile, and of this fluttering heart." "If that is so then you must be the masterpiece I have been seeking, carved in ivory and beauty."

"What's your story, my darling?" Johannes leaned into the touch as Rett neared further to perch on the arm of his chair, a magnetising charm to the other that he dared try to keep as if nothing more than a selfish sinner seeking salvation. The cold feeling of eyes upon his back clashed so strangely with the warmth of his face and solidness of the boy beside him, and yet he could not risk the challenge. He did not want to. They were so close. So very close, it seemed as if the world had tunnelled into nothing more than their table and their conversation, a feeling he was more than happy to indulge in, especially with his warm hand grasping at his jaw with all the tenderness he did not expect. Rett looked so very lovely, painted in pretty pink and soft beginnings and he longed for nothing more than to capture this moment and let it live on forever.

"Someone like you must have the entire school after you like bees after honey." "One could only wish." His lackeys, troublemakers in the flesh, were at least half-devotees and half-allies looking for mischief and to join the ranks of his crew. Not much respect from the people he called his peers or instructors, no, but at least it meant that he was left with some sort of placement in the aggressively competitive student body. People liked to have specialities- Alexei was a playboy, a flirter. Kheanu was practically a siren, a conqueror of hearts. Johannes had staked his claim as a troublemaker long ago for a good reason and it wasn't like he was trying to shake it off. "Though I wouldn't be surprised if the same goes for you."

"So, why my table? Hm? Instead of one of your many admirers?" Johannes let out a little incredulous huff at the suggestion, the sides of his face in which Rett had taken the time to touch tingling as if he had been shocked and his hand once more caught in a grasp. "These people don't know anything about me, sugar. And like I said, why not?" Johannes did not regret venturing out to drift away from the chatter and bustle of all those who surrounded them, skipping out deliberately from the no doubt awkward encounter that would have taken him in its grasp as he attempted to make peace with strangers who already knew each other.

Choosing to make conversation with such a person like Rett- so this what it feels like to match wits with someone at your level- was merely a good choice out of a million of impulse demands running through his mind. His mind made up, Johannes squeezed the hand in his lightly, sweet conviction layered smooth in his very hold.

"Instead, I shall become your admirer."

WC 943

Interacting with Johannes Cyprian Ambroży ^{@Astrea Soleil Neptune}

This was all becoming very real. It was close, warm, mind boggling, and honestly a little bit terrifying. The way that Johannes had just unlocked Rett's complete and utter attention with a single line of compliments. He was usually not so easily won over, but there was something about the strong Durmstrang boy in front of him. Of course, the school came with a reputation. Their students were strong, dedicated, ambitious. Johannes was strong, dedicated... soft. Perhaps ambitious after Everett's own heart. One that he did not want to give away so easily, but it seemed to have already slipped out of his chest and into Johannes' warm grey gaze. Like the smoky haze that was filling Rett's mind.

For the Horned Serpent, having a fog exist within the mind was terrifying. He was acting on impulse, on a whim. He had crawled over a table and practically into the boy's lap. He was defying everything he had grown up to know when it came to manners. Everything that had been drilled within his mind to keep his cards close to his chest. In this case, he had folded. Laying his heart out as the bet that Johannes' had unknowingly won.

It was not hard for Everett to notice the halt of breath from other, wondering if he had crossed a line. But no, there was something else in the boy's eyes. Another reason perhaps, that Rett would later try to pull out of him. For now, he was melting within his gaze. The facade had not only been cracked, it had completely fallen apart. He couldn't hide the adoration and warmth emanating from his once cold green eyes. The softness in his touch as he took in every moment as if it could be the last with him. After all, either of them could choose to end the world that they now existed in. This tiny bubble of curiosity and longing. He felt like there was no gravity in this world, like he could easily float away. Luckily, there was gravity so he could continue to be held in this moment, this beautiful and serene moment. "Carved just for you, my dear. Waiting for the artist to come and give color to cold ivory. Might I say, you have done a brilliant job." His thumb swiped gently across the rose colored cheekbones. "I don't recall ever seeing such pretty shades of red until they showed up on you." Everything seemed to be more colorful, brighter even.

The feeling of Johannes leaning into whatever Rett did gave him a sense of comfort to lean into him in return. Both of them having fully accepted that the dynamic had changed into something sweeter, something realer than they initially had began. Snarky compliments had changed to genuine words to attempt to sway the other's heart in their direction. And damn, Johannes was possibly one of the greatest word smiths the boy had had the pleasure of meeting. Green eyes traveled back to the grasp they had. It seemed like their hands were created for the other's grasp, but maybe that was just wishful thinking. He couldn't help but be surprised that he didn't have a following. "I don't know if I'd wish for that. Then I would have to fight for your attention, not that I would exactly mind. But, you definitely don't have to fight for mine. You have it all." He didn't want the playful aspect of their original conversation to be completely lost. The smooth charmer brought the others hand to his lips, laying a gentle kiss to his knuckles as if to accentuate the point that he was making. Johannes could truly lead him anywhere, and he would follow without question.

An eyebrow was raised as he lowered their hands back to the position they were in, resting comfortably between them. Another person that was secretive of who they were, just like him. His hobbies of writing far off fictional stories, the quiet seclusion away from events and galas that he always came off in loving that he secretly hated, a moment with a stranger wrapped in sweet words and warm gazes. It only made him want to be closer, to know everything about him. To trap the knowledge in his heart of the boy he allowed himself to fall for, just for one day.

It was his turn for his breath to get caught in his throat with the squeeze of his hand and the blunt declaration of Johannes' admiration for the serpent beside him. "Then I in turn, will become yours." While his right hand was occupied with holding his other hand, his left came up to cradle his face once more. His heart was beating loudly in his chest, so loud in fact, that Rett was worried that the other boy could hear it. His nerves were suddenly so jumbled up in what they wanted to do and the ability to do it. He had never kissed anyone, despite reading about it so many times within the pages of his guilty pleasures of romance novels. The confidence was completely lost, only vulnerability remaining of his wide open heart when he stuttered through his next sentence. "C-Can I kiss you?" The other boy seemed just as flustered as he was, but nonetheless gave a small verbal consent. It was all Everett needed.

With only an extra moment of hesitation, his hand steadied on his pristine jawline. Rett let his eyes flutter close, and leaned in for the kiss. Soft lips met another's, a feeling that Rett wasn't expecting. How could he? He didn't even know how to kiss, yet it was happening. He was the one that initiated it in the first place, but was he doing it right? Panic was speeding through his mind as his instincts of being a perfectionist kicked in. But just a few brief moments after the initial contact, he let himself relax into the touch. He didn't know it, but his hand in his had tightened it's grip in anticipation. He let it relax, enjoying the moment. The hand that was resting on his jaw, slowly gliding to the back of his neck to entangle in the perfection that was his curls. The moment seemed to last forever, he was willing to live in that moment forever. But eventually, he had to break away.

Rett was now completely covered in a bright red blush, flustered beyond belief. In these first few vulnerable moments that he had ever experienced, he felt the urge to hide them once more. Quickly he moved to be able to hide his face in the crook of Johannes' neck, practically fully in his lap and embrace. A small, almost desperate whisper. "Spend the day with me."

Permission Given to Slightly Godmod Johannes

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playing as johannes cyprian ambroży
text colour #4d5c7f | outfit ref here
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interactions @Willow Anderson as Everett Brooks

Johannes felt like he was drowning, drowning in an endless sea of frozen time, caught in a singular moment of peace. Place them in resin for the years to pass by or carve them into stone to admire, there was no sense or semblance of time anymore. At Durmstrang, Johannes sometimes took great amusement messing around in the ways of the heart- snarky flirting was more a game than anything with half of them, dangerous to the heart but much more clever than the risk as they teased between classes- but he could never hold up to the antics of his fellow students. Not his style, to properly woo the small minority of the population who actually were receptive to talking, but Rett was something different. It had started out a familiar game with an unfamiliar stranger, a dance of wits and who could back down first, but somewhere along the line, the dynamic had shifted. How? He had no idea. But he wasn't going to complain about the intriguing and honestly captivating enigma that was the Ilvermorny child in front of him.

"Carved just for you, my dear. Waiting for the artist to come and give colour to cold ivory. Might I say, you have done a brilliant job." A thumb swiped over his cheek and god- he was never going to recover from this, was he? Melt him like candlewax with the heat of his blush and make a seal out of him, if only he could be the first impression of his family, the final touch to the nicely done letter. "I had received the most alluring of bases if that is the case, a perfect statue of elegance and charm." The American babe wouldn't have looked so out of place lit in soft orange candlelight instead of golden sunshine, inside an art museum rather than in something as boring as summer camp.

"I don't know if I'd wish for that. Then I would have to fight for your attention, not that I would exactly mind." A low hum of contemplation escaped Johann as he thought the situation over, Rett had a good point. Too many people. So much chaos, and not the good kind. Though the prospect of immaculate Rett fighting through the Durmstrang routine did seem very interesting- he could imagine the American diligently notetaking in the warmed classrooms and working his way up to secure a better room in the floors above, lit in sunrise gloom as they powered through the morning routine. But at the same time, it was so much more difficult trying to imagine the other in the snow-covered grounds, warm fur coat draped pristine white against red and a nipping cold teasing the tips of their noses as his lackeys fashioned crude snowballs to lob at each other on the shores of a frozen lake. If Rett shared the winter wasteland of a school he called a second home, Johann was sure they would be on opposite sides of the spectrum. But- the other didn't, so perhaps he didn't have to make the idea matter, hm?

The sheer honour of it all, to have something as darling and yet so simple as someone's attention, made something fuzzy in Johann sink even deeper into the pit of languid tenderness as Rett pressed a light, gentlemanly kiss to his knuckles. "Let me defend it regardless. There would be no battle, no debate- My heart is yours to keep." A foreign knight crowned by a mysterious fair royal, within the castle of sun and stranger land.

"Then I in turn, will become yours." And if his heart hadn't been stolen so long ago by the beaut staring down at him with the gentlest of expressions, it was this declaration that truly and utterly swept Johannes away. He had bet his wants against his logic when he ventured over to the lonely little place Rett had set up shop, traded flattery as if it was candy. But now, with those soft eyes of fine celadon, he had laid his self out for auction- maybe if the Ilvermorny had been a crueller type, this would have all been a joke in his expense but Johann so dearly wished it not to be true- in spite of his every teaching echoing otherwise. Rett leaned in even closer and his heart skipped a beat as the other stuttered out a question that Johann would have never anticipated being directed towards him. Tonguetied with nerves and half a lungful of syrupy hope, he could only breathe out a shy affirmative, his heart burning through his chest.

There were no fireworks, there were no whoops and cheers. Or if there was, he couldn't- didn't want to- hear them. Oh, there were butterflies, but that warm feeling in his chest did suddenly pop in celebration. Instead, it was a tsunami wave of feeling and realisation, swallowing Johannes with such force in a great crashing tide of flustered, preteen chaos. It filled him with such nervous energy he felt like he could fly, a crescendo of dread threatening to drag him down with worry as Rett stiffened slightly- perhaps he had chosen wrong, perhaps this was a mistake, perhaps Rett hadn't- before the other suddenly relaxed into the kiss, the grip of the American babe filled with anticipation. Time had long proven itself irrelevant in such a rare encounter as the one they had forged with very little time and so much sweet talk, slowing to a standstill for just a second as that firm hand trailed from his jaw to grasp at the back of his hair- as Johannes' spare came back to wrap around protectively against Rett's back as if he could somehow shield from the questioning outside world. It was a chaste, gentle thing and yet everything you could ask for as a first kiss.

It as if a fire had ignited within his bones, burning himself from the inside out as everything within him that had come from a long-dead star had suddenly become alive. 93 per cent stardust and 7 per cent chance, a soul made of flame and sugar, stardust with people names and hearts ever fuller, caught together in a fated trance. Perhaps he was only being dramatic- he had always been the sentimental type- but after they parted, he felt like a volcano ready to burst as he stared back at the boy now fully in his lap, the other glowing just as prettily under the heat of what had just occurred. Dazed as Rett all but buried his lovely face away within the hollow of his neck, a whispered plea against olive skin, he could do nothing but give to the other. "I would love for nothing more." And maybe he could allow himself to be selfish for once more in his sorry life, a devil-child with an angel held rare against him.

WC 1151