⫶ corridor

@－ ❛ ʀ ❜：maël clair。⁰² it was subtle but she did notice the shift in his behavior. that worried her. she liked to think she was mindful of others' boundaries but even she messed up from time to time. the young hufflepuff tried her best not to frown at the feeling of guilt seeing his tight smile. not wanting to pry further, she smiled back. “that makes sense. i enjoy muggle art and literature as well, but i’m a bit biased considering that’s what i grew up with,” she chuckled. as dazzling and majestic as the wizarding world was, the warm memories of muggle books and shows from her childhood—ones that often took her imagination on magical adventures—left her often reminiscing about the good ol’ days. “since i had technologically illiterate grandparents who lived on the opposite side of the world, hand-written letters were the best way to communicate with them. they never had the patience for phone calls and forget about sending them emails. i enjoyed sending them letters since i got to decorate them with watercolors and fun stamps. honestly, the owl post is a rather neat concept and the owls are awfully cute. unfortunately, my parents never warmed up to it after a certain pellet incident on our kitchen table…”

she smiled with mirth. “perhaps using a scouring charm would’ve been a better method to get the dirt out,” she teased. “by strings, do you mean string instruments correct? what instruments do you play?” music was something she thoroughly enjoyed but had very little knowledge or skill in the subject manner. musical talent was a trait that she both admired and was intrigued by. “yes, close indeed! and that’s true, it’s always a lovely birthday gift to see the snowdrops bloom.” she couldn’t help but blush, shrugging awkwardly. “oh, i’ve never had many, er, any suitors during the valentine’s season… but i don't mind fake flowers. not everyone has the time or the skill to take care of real flowers so the fake ones are a good alternative. they do collect dust rather easily though.”

[ no worries! i’m super sorry for the delay as well ^^; ]

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：cassian faye。⁰³ if he could fall over, he would – weakened by his eyes, and by his smile. it was a feeling he never felt before, to want someone so badly and not to have them, it was very unlike him. the waiting was killing him inside out, he expected to welt like the prettiest flower – or to fall, like a star. he was so beautiful, mal’s eyes could not leave him, not even for one second. what if he was just a dream? a made-up image of a perfect statue? the one who calls him home every night in his dreams. cass felt a lot like home – but not the one he grew up with. a better one – a field of sunflowers, maybe a field of stars. his mind was blurry, but he knew that if anyone could eat up stars, that would be cass. cass with his pretty eyes, and the glitter that fell on his cheeks. or maybe with his beautiful lips, the ones mal’s eyes followed like a melody – he wanted to kiss them so badly. he parted his lips, he wanted to speak – he wanted to tell him just how much he wanted to make this wall between them collapse. but he could not.

tongue-tied, he followed cass inside the common room. his mind registered his words, and he had to smile. yes, he was freezing, but he would gladly do so if it meant cass was warm. “is it not obvious?” mal looked at him, he wanted to tell him so much more. but he resorted to a few words, and a lot of staring. “I did not want you to be cold,” he looked away for a second, distracted by a sentiment he did not feel often. he got a little shy, even though there was no reasonable explanation for it. and there it was – the reason he was pulled back to him, as if they were two planets who were meant to meet. different, yes. but somewhat the same. mal took the cup of hot chocolate, failing to notice how cute it was at first. because his eyes wanted to look at him, to follow him, like a lost pup – he swore that he will lose his eyeballs if he keeps staring like that. he did not want to make cass uncomfortable, so he tried his best to look away at times. he grabbed cass’ wrist before he left, pulling him just a little closer. “I give you pretty names too. but your name is already the prettiest,” mal smiled, two can play this game – and he was definitely not going to back down, even if cass’ cheesy lines were superior. “I will try my best not to die, because I will miss you so much,” he teased, but there was truth behind his words. he snuggled up in his seat and drank the chocolate. he even had some cake, even if he knew he should not have sugar this late in the afternoon.

he loved the heat, he wanted to stay there for longer. at some point, he closed his eyes. and he almost fell asleep thinking about stars, planets, and cass. he was brought back to reality when his ‘date’ came back. it was fair to say that mal did not even notice his makeup was almost gone. because to him, he still looked stunning. much like the night sky that they will gaze at, much like every beautiful painting mal admired. in that moment, mal knew that he can no longer keep cass at a distance. and while they spent time together looking at the stars, he thought about where he would like to take cass for their first (romantic) date.

[ end of thread. this thread is followed by the hogsmeade date, timeline-wise! ]

@－ ❛ ʀ ❜：maël clair。⁰² Imagination was a dangerous thing and his daydreaming was running wild again. There in the embrace of his friend with his hand on his cheek, for a brief moment, he had seen something akin to longing in Mal's eyes, something tender and wanting. But how could he depend on his eyes when everything in his life seemed out of focus...how could he hope to receive anything more than a surface-level adoration from his friend? If something was to happen, it would have already, Cassian had to remind himself. That is why he pulled back, closed the window on the rays of false hope, and blocked out the treacherous light that threatened to distract him from the dull reality. “I didn’t expect for us to hang out tonight, not going to lie” he saved the navy sky with its golden stars in his mind. He would have to draw it later, bring the beautiful imagery onto paper, a dream that he would keep to himself. Too far gone inside his own head, he failed to see the mood change in Mal but his voice did reach him and soon the younger was by his side again. Almost as if they could not stay too far away from each other, before the gravity pulled them together.

Cassian placed his hand on the small of his back as he guided him inside the common room, head whipping around to look at him with wide eyes. “you’re freezing too? why did you give me your coat?” he said his name scoldingly, sitting him down by the fireplace and covering him up with the fuzzy blanket draped on the arm seat of the couch. No plans to return the coat to its owner, at least not for a few days, or until Mal would ask for it. Then he could come up with an excuse of having planned to wash it before returning it..he shook his head and smiled at the other. “I give you such pretty nicknames and you call me snotty, how is this fair?” he inhaled deeply, “prince I’ll grab you a hot chocolate before I go to change, hm?” not staying long enough to hear the reply, he walked to the kitchen and warmed up the milk, meanwhile looking for the large cute unicorn mug that he drank in whenever he wanted to feel better. Weird how there was a correlation in the shape of the mug and his level of enjoyment of whatever drink it contained, he stopped questioning it long ago. Remembering he and Henri had made a strawberry cake earlier, he prepared a tray with a plate of cake and mug of steaming hot chocolate on it, walking back in the room to place it on the table beside the couch. “I’ll go now, don’t miss me too much while I’m gone.” he rushed to his room as if he was to stay idle somewhere longer than a few minutes he might get lost in thoughts again. He would rather do anything other than acknowledging the shadows creeping up on him and grabbing onto him from every dark corner of the room. He rushed through the changing too, eye makeup not completely cleaned and hair messy from when he roughly pulled the hoodie over his head. Soon he would get out of here, soon the darkness would be filled with stars and moonlight and he could breathe normally again.

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：cassian faye。⁰³ his touches took him everywhere and nowhere – in a dark room, where he hung all the stars up for mal, all of them in a new order. he made a new sky for him, one that was only known by them – and out of that sky bloomed colours, the navy he was talking about and the gold that was his breath and his lips. the soft petals that were his lips, like snowdrops in winter – buried so deep under the snow, one could miss them. mal never had his lips, but he missed them terribly. he swore he wanted it so badly, his heart hung like those stars – only it hung lower, and lower. he leaned in his touch, he felt safe and warm despite shivering, he felt like home was possible with him. he had to bite the inside of his cheeks to prevent himself from leaning even more, he had to move away with a heavy heart. he wished he would have said something – he usually knew what to say, and when to say it. he never hid his desires, but for some reasons, right now, he could not tell him ‘I want to kiss you’.

he was glad he moved away, it was too much to have him so close and know he will not kiss him. whatever his mind wanted to make of it, it did. it made it all those stories he laughed at, where lovers cried for each other – he did not understand, he still does not. he thought romeo and juliet were plain stupid for dying the way they did – but with him, poison seemed like the only escape. with him, mal will be tristan dying because he looked at another, dying because he could not give him everything. the sudden realisation overwhelmed him so much he forgot how to breathe, he even felt lightheaded. he did not want to alert cass, so he pretended everything was alright – his knees were weaker. he saw this before, in a dream maybe – him reaching a hand out, mal failing to grab it. he looked at cass, and moved a little too fast, a little too desperate. “yes, please. I am freezing,” it was not a lie, but it was not the whole truth either. he shook some of his thoughts away. “I like it when you call me prince. it has been your thing, ever since I told you I like ‘le petit prince’,” he chuckled, and leaned a little on cass, maybe for some support. “if you get snotty, I will call you snotty. is there any other word for it?”

[ apologies for the delay! ]

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：winifred rhee。⁰¹ she might not have noticed that that particular question struck a nerve, or a chord. he was wary of any conversation about the past, but especially those that revolved around his childhood. he would have admitted, he disliked most things from his childhood – so immersing in such surface delights was his only escape. he tried to stay positive, he did not want to break down in anger or worse tears. he smiled at her, though it was not really genuine. “I had more friends at hogwarts, so naturally I stuck around the wizarding world a little more. did not forget about muggle things, I particularly enjoy muggle art and literature,” he hummed, yes he loved those things. not the other stupid reasons why he hated being the way he was – never in one place, never fitting, a mistake. he had to thank his mental condition for making his mind brighten up at the rest of the conversation, otherwise he would have sunken deep into his past – something he really did not want to do. “and here I am, being amazed at the fact that you sent letters. I do not think I sent a letter before hogwarts, so owl post is actually the only post I know,” he chuckled, it was silly to think any other method of sending mail should be employed. muggles were weird, but wizards were weirder.

“one day I scrubbed so hard my nails needed a whole week to recover!” he exclaimed with a note of exaggeration. he only scrubbed and waited a day for his nails to recover, but hey, that left a mark. “so, I said no to re-potting. besides, my hands are better at other things. like strings, I can do that better,” he has not played an instrument in a while, but he still remembered chords and strings particularly well. “that is so close! but sometimes snowdrops bloom around your birthday, at least you have them. they are quite reliable flowers,” he smiled. “oh, valentine’s perhaps? or, around that time. you must get a lot of suitors lining up! I hope they do not bring you fake flowers, those are just upsetting.”

[ apologies for the delay! ]

@－ ❛ ʀ ❜：maël clair。⁰² winifred smiled, feeling rather pleased with herself that she guessed somewhat correctly. “oh that’s neat! honestly, i’m rather envious of you, maël. growing up with both magical wonders like chocolate frogs and muggle treasures like winnie the pooh must’ve made your childhood very colorful, to say the least. did you spend your time equally in both worlds or did you immerse yourself in one world later in your life?” she asked. “i can’t say i was judgemental but i was indeed gobsmacked to find out that winnie the pooh wasn’t a childhood staple for pure-bloods. but then again, perhaps that’s how they felt when i told them that i was used to sending letters through a mailbox instead of an owl.” even after all these years at hogwarts, there were certain wizarding traditions and customs she struggled to adjust to. the young hufflepuff gave the older ravenclaw a sympathetic look as he talked. “i don’t blame you on that one. dirt under the nails can be such a pain to get out. observing plants is both relaxing and very clean.” while she loved tending to plants, she could live without the mess that came with it. unfortunately, getting dirty was inevitable and she was now used to finding dirt on her face or her clothes. she listened in earnest as he described his love for spring. he spoke about it so beautifully that she couldn’t help but nod her head in agreement. “you make an excellent point. spring flowers are truly something else. they must be the perfect birthday gift from mother nature herself. i wish i was a fellow spring child but alas i’m not,” she answered. “you’re not too far off. my birthday is in mid-february, near the end of winter.”

@－ ❛ ʀ ❜：maël clair。⁰² So he was not imagining it and he was cold enough that even Mal looked alarmed when touching his skin.. he had hoped the other would not notice. Normally he would notice if the cold was due to anxiety or excitement or the weather..but there were too many emotions for him to discern what was happening. He was at too many places at once; his back against the wall in the dim-lit corridor, his eyes flitting between the fine lines on Mal’s forehead and the tapestry hung on the wall behind him, his mind conjuring intimate images of them in every possible setting and environment, and his heart..his heart did not break but slowly corroded alike to a window of a wrecked ship in depths of the ocean. Cassian watched as Mal took off his own cardigan and wrapped it around his broad shoulders, it was very unlike him to let others wear his clothes but maybe he was worried? Cassian smiled at that, feeling touched. “you’d let me wear it? my prince~ I’m fine though, thank you” he said while snuggling into the cardigan which faintly smelled of white sages.

Drawing the moon on his face..oh. “that sounds like a great idea,” his left hand came up to trace an invisible line across Mal’s cheeks. “I will draw them from here to here hmm I’ll paint the background a dark navy blue.” he poked at the mole he had been staring at, from there he would start drawing small stars and they would come down the soft cheeks, scatter everywhere on the prominent nose and one would even be under his eyebrow arch. Cassian's dreamy smile went away together with the touches as he took a deep breath and pushed off the wall, slowly disentangling himself from the other. He would have to be fast with changing into something more comfortable, and perhaps he would grab a fluffy blanket too. Who knows how long they will stay up and the lack of sleep in the past few days was catching up with him. “eww don’t call me snotty.. but yeah if we’re going to the astronomy tower, I would definitely need to wear something warmer. I would wear this more often now that I know.” he took small steps backward toward the dorm door, hand on the door handle he looked up to meet Mal’s eyes who was still standing in the corridor. “will you wait here? you could come in and wait by the fireplace.. it’s cold out here. come on.” he pointed at the door with a head tilt.

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：cassian faye。⁰³ was it supposed to hurt? his breath clung onto every available escape, yet his heart was unforgiving – beating against his chest louder and faster. he loved his laugh, the timber and pitch. even when it was half-meant, he could stay there and listen to it all over again. he wanted to – his laugh was his melody. he absently dragged his thumb over cass’ adorable dimples, smiling as he did so. he would have kissed them or touch him more, but he felt as though he has already crossed one too many lines today alone. if he found it easy to break into intimacy with mint, or the rest of his (boy)friends, cass was a little different. they kept each other at a distance for long, perhaps fearing their chemistry will either hurt them or work too well. mal felt his heart slowing down, whispering words he did not want to hear – it was alright to feel like this towards friends, he told himself. a lie he liked to repeat to avoid being disappointed. the way cass looked at him though – as if he was everything, as if he will look like that forever. mal did not believe in forever – but cass made it a little plausible.

when cass announced he will remove his make-up, mal looked a little disheartened. he could not blame cass, this was very much not him – but mal loved to look at this side of him, the artistic side he perhaps loved a little too much. he let out a sigh, his hand falling on cass’ shoulder – it wanted to be lower, on his waist, to pull him closer, to keep him close. the cold skin alerted him, his eyes widened and he impulsively removed his loose cardigan. he was someone who disliked cold – and around this time of the year, he wore multiple layers. even without the cardigan, his shirt was thick enough to keep him warm for a while. he put the soft item on cass’ shoulders, it was quite cold in the hallway, he should have thought about it. but he got way too excited about everything – and he decided to focus on that excitement. “I think the moon suits you,” mal smiled, his hand on cass’ cheek again. they were so close, yet so far from having a perfect kiss. mal stopped himself – he would have, he would have kissed him right then and there, and he would not have stopped. but he did not, and that hurt him. “you should paint the moon on my face, that would be cute. like the moon phases as freckles? I think I saw something like that before! but,” he rubbed cass’ shoulders, then tapped his nose shortly. “you go dress up first. we could go to the astronomy tower, even if it is quite chilly. as much as I love this on you, I do not want a snotty cass,” he would have taken care of him regardless, he did not need to say it out loud.

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：winifred rhee。⁰¹ mal’s nod was a little exaggerated but he found her argument very true. he told pure-bloods about a lot of muggle things, and they usually stared at him in amazement. it usually gave him a reason to tell everyone he invented something muggles did only to chuckle with his half-blood and muggle born friends over how silly the pure-bloods were. “I am a half-blood. I spent quite a lot of time in both worlds, so I know plenty references from the muggle world and the wizarding world. besides, winnie is a classic! I am not saying I am judgmental, but I am definitely judging pure-bloods who do not know the bear,” he said it more as a joke, but he was kind of questioning their childhoods. he smiled at her, he thought of his plant lover friends fondly – he would have told her he was actually acquainted with most latin names for plants, but maybe that was a talk for another day. “yes, and no. unlike them, I like to observe them more than I like handling them. getting my hands dirty is not really something I do fondly,” but seeing one of his (boy)friends with mud on his cheeks was definitely something he lived for. “you are quite right, but still I cannot help but long for spring. I am waiting for the first snowdrops to give them to someone special. and I am looking forward to my birthday too, it usually falls in the middle of spring so there are plenty of flowers to surround myself with. am I right to assume you are also born in spring, or am I really far off?” she seemed like a spring child, maybe just because of her brightness. but then, his plant-lover friends were born far from spring.

@－ ❛ ʀ ❜：maël clair。⁰² to have those sharp cat-like eyes stare at him with adoration and the way Mal bit his lip absentmindedly, it felt good but at the same time overwhelming. They stood still there unmoving yet Cassian felt himself falling apart more and more to the point that the laugh he let out at the joke sounded choked. He managed to clear his throat then but was not so successful with clearing his mind. "painting on you? I uh," he chuckled again -wondered for a second if laughter was a defense mechanism of his- and agreed to the suggestion even though having to look at Mal's face and feel the softness of his skin against his hand while he painted, sounded like a recipe for disaster. 'let me paint on your body with my lips' he would slap himself for that thought if his arms were not locked around Mal, his fingernails dug into his palms instead and the pressure stopped himself from doing anything rushed and downright stupid.

Being complimented on his face and make-up reminded him of the yule ball, where they had been physically close just like now. Mal had looked at him in a similar way too, with an intense interest yet looking a little lost. His breath did not smell like alcohol this time though, Cassian noted, nervous as he had been by the end of the ball when he had to push the other away. That night he had left abruptly and retreated to the balcony, breathing in the cold air and exhaling out his repressed pain in the form of a cloud of fog that caught onto his eyelashes, wetting his eyes. He had hoped for a shooting star to appear so that he may wish for his pining to end. The night sky had remained clear and he had found no energy to feel offended for it. Coming back to reality, he blinked. "no need to retouch my makeup. think I'll go back and remove it soon anyway" he would rather change into something more comfortable as the leather of his shirt was not thick enough to keep him warm nor was the jacket doing much. His body jolted every now and then as if his insides were shivering. Laid bare. He guided them backward, taking small penguin-like steps until he felt the wall behind him and rested his head back against the solid surface. One less part of himself to keep upright with effort..now how would he protect the heart of glass in his chest.. "moonshine..that was cute by the way. I really like the moon. have I told you? I would draw the moon on your face." he said, smiling weakly while looking at the mole under Mal's eye.

@－ ❛ ʀ ❜：maël clair。⁰² she nodded her head in agreement. “the pure-bloods—well the ones i’ve come across—absolutely had no clue; however, a good lot of half-blood wizards and pretty all muggle-borns like myself know about the yellow bear. i’m guessing you’re one of the latter?” hopefully she wasn’t prying too much but she was curious. she always got excited when people made muggle references, perhaps since she was often homesick and thus embraced the nostalgia. “i see,” she said in relief, considering his words. based on what she had observed, it did seem like his mind was rather preoccupied but she couldn’t blame him. she often was distracted by the endless ideas swirling around in her own head. “so you are surrounded by other plant lovers? that sounds quite nice! did their passion for plants rub off on you?” his obvious affection for his friends was sweet and she couldn’t help but grin back. “yes, the weather is rather dreary isn’t it? i look forward to spring as well but i don’t mind the long winter either. you know, some of the prettiest flowers bloom around this time such as the christmas rose and the winter pansy. it’s fun to spot out the little pops of colour amidst the white sheets of snow.”

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：winifred rhee。⁰¹ he got distracted by a small leaf he found in her hair, he wondered if he should tell her about it. it looked rather cute with the rest of her attire – herbs really suited her, he thought. maybe she was a flower herself, the thought of it made him smile. he missed spring so much, it felt as though winter was never coming to an end. it was exhausting, really. he listened to her, even if his mind raced in other places like it often did – like the small water drop on her shoulder, or maybe it was just another leaf? he could not tell. “muggles would do that, yes. I doubt many wizards know of winnie,” he smiled, he realised she could have not known about it either. but he was glad she did, they were off to a wonderful start. “I have a very hard time focusing, I stopped counting at two. so you have nothing to worry about,” he nodded, it was true. the moment he reached number two, he called it quits. the cobbles were too small, and too many to actually keep count. “that is beautiful! one of my roommates really enjoys plants, so does one of my close friends,” he grinned, thinking about finch’s beautiful plant sketches, and cassian’s beautiful smile – he could not afford getting lost in the latter. “I like observing, and I love flowers. it is so sad we have such a long winter, I would prefer an all-year-round spring!”

@－ ❛ ʀ ❜：maël clair。⁰² winifred always prided herself in having a keen eye, especially when it came to another person’s body language. from the distracted look in his eyes to his slightly disheveled attire, she could tell that the ravenclaw was, for a lack of a better word, rather frazzled. of course, she was not one to judge since she was in a similar state. between the recent dementor attack to the neverending load of schoolwork, she was feeling a bit knackered herself. keeping up appearances wasn’t in her top priorities. in fact, she was fairly sure she had bits of dirt in her hair from her plant-tending endeavors earlier, yet she was too tired to check.

her shoulders relaxed as she sighed in relief at his answer. if there was one thing she hated more than anything, it was wasting someone else’s time. “that’s right. you know, winnie the pooh was actually one of my childhood nicknames. my muggle classmates would often hum the theme song when i was around,” she said wistfully. she hadn’t heard that nickname in a long while since she attended hogwart. “i see. hopefully, i didn’t interrupt you at a high number like two hundred or something.” she blinked in surprise at his question. plants weren’t exactly the most riveting of subjects and few shared the avid passion she had for them. “a couple of flutterby bushes and some rose mallow seedlings. i’m trying to grow the latter without any magical assistance since i want to further develop my green thumb.”

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：cassian faye。⁰³ it was difficult, if not impossible to hide his adoration for the other. he has always looked at him in a certain type of way, a mal way, adoring and worshiping, like one looks at art. the pain in his chest burned his throat – like alcohol. cass was his whisky, and he wanted to drown in it – glass, after glass, until he could not move anymore, until he did not have to think anymore. but feeling has always been a little out of reach, for obvious reasons. cass was so alive, in his ripples of crystalline red – mal really want him, all of him, for some selfish teenage fantasy, and for some selfless adult reality. control was harder to exercise – they promised, he told himself. it was a long time ago that they ‘shook on it’. maybe because at the time they harboured a lot of dislike for one another. the longer mal stared at him, the more certain he was that the dislike has been nothing but a hallucination.

and cass was his fever dream, his high – his peak in france, where strangers worshiped his body like a work of art, just like he worships cass’. and what if the glitter got all over his fingers? cass’ pretty face was not ruined by the motion, it look sweeter when messy. perhaps, it was his sadistic side that called for a resolution – he wanted to destroy him, inside out, and make him even prettier. he had to brush those thoughts away, as they were contradicting his meadow fantasy. he got so lost in images of cass being there and all over him, of cass placing small flowers on his bare body, of cass engulfing in everything he had or did not have to offer, that he stared a little too long, too deep. reprise: he was alive, he felt so alive – even made of ivory, his skin was hot, his lips hotter. mal bit his tongue for wanting to utter three words he vowed not to.

he had to pull himself out of it pretty hard, he wandered too far, too fast. he heard cass’ words and smiled, he could not help it. “all here, moonshine,” a natural response to the pet name, which took him a little off guard. he did not show it though. he looked at cass again, he never really looked away. he cleaned a patch of skin that had smudged red on, and hummed a bit. “in your bedroom,” it was not really a joke, he meant it as a playful, flirtatious remark. he never hid his attraction, not even when they were less close, and he did not plan to start now. “yes, please. all of the above, or any of the mentioned. oh! you can paint my face if you want to, so I can match yours. I should probably retouch your make up, I have been touching it too much and now it looks inconsistent. mind you, still pretty because it is on your face,” the words rolled off his tongue naturally, and a little boldly. but mal did not think much about it, he loved complimenting cass.

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：winifred rhee。⁰¹ when the girl arrived, mal’s lack of focus got shattered. sometimes his mind chose to pick on things that it should not – too many things at once, if you ask him. so it often seems like images are dissipated, shattered – her outfit, for example, its colours were all over the walls. maybe he was a little tired, or too excited. he tried his best to focus in hopes that he will not make a fool of himself in front of the first year. people who knew him were aware of his tendency to be everywhere an nowhere at the same time. given he never really interacted with this particular hufflepuff before, he did not want to reveal how much of a mess he actually was. but if there was any indication of his artistic chaos, it was probably his outfit, which, as usual, was a little messy given he did not have time to get properly ready. he was like that nine out of ten times when someone wanted to meet him unexpectedly.

he smiled at her, moving closer. she was a cute girl, petite and bright – she looked kind, he liked that. he had no idea if he waited long, he hated waiting in general, so even one minute could feel like years. “yes, that is correct. winifred, right? sounds a little like winnie the pooh,” he chuckled a little, the bear alter ego suited her. “not at all, I was just counting cobblestones. I lost count though,” he realised he stopped counting after ten, it was just like him to start and never finish things. “what plants were you tending?” he asked curiously, his ears perked.

@－ ❛ ʀ ❜：maël clair。⁰² ( H ) It was difficult to explain what was happening with his body the longer he stood still, racking his brain to come up with a scientific reason he must have read something in muggle studies. But his mind was like a bird that flew from one branch to another, a bee that could not decide which flower to land on. The least he knew was that he was feeling an unnatural high. If his heart palpitation and the tremble he felt under his skin was anything to go by. At the same time, he wanted nothing else than to pull them both down and lay on the floor, to rest his head on Mal’s shoulder. In the end, he remained still, just as Mal wanted him to. Like a statue to be worshipped.

“If you’re my Pygmalion, then I’ll come to life for you.” Cassian smiled softly, glancing down to see the red glitter on Mal’s fingers and chuckling. “you’re ruining my makeup. It’s not glued to me, you know. It comes off easy.” he couldn't care less what happened to his make up. ‘ruin me.’ he thought out of nowhere. His thoughts betrayed him more these days. They had gone rogue in spite of Cassian trying his best to suppress the temptations for months. His mind carried a weapon now and its choice of ammunitions were imaginations. He knew it was wrong to imagine wrapping his mouth around his friend’s fingers and swallowing the ruby sparks..or he’d wipe the glitter off of his own face and drag it against Mal’s lips. He wanted to kiss him so badly it hurt.

When his head cleared -perhaps because the sudden dizziness that took over did not allow him to go on imagining unholy things- he looked at Mal and noticed the faraway look in his eyes. He wondered, how long were they standing in the middle of the hallway, staring at each other? He tilted his head, “hey, sunshine.. are you still with me?” he chuckled, tucking Mal’s hair back behind his ear. “where did you go?” and maybe his thought processing was not yet under control, because he did not wait for a long answer before blurting out “we should paint together sometime, or sculpt..or anything.” he shrugged, puffing his cheeks. “Wouldn’t that be fun?” Cassian would regret asking this in the future, tonight, however, it seemed like a spectacular idea.

@－ ❛ ʀ ❜：maël clair。⁰² ( H ) winifred was keeping herself busy in the hufflepuff common room as she waited for the ravenclaw second-year to stop by. who knew that posting about loose leaf tea would lead to her interacting with so many people whom she’d never would cross paths otherwise. while she wasn’t a recluse by any means, she usually kept to herself and a select few. it was a refreshing, albeit somewhat nerve-wracking change of pace to put herself out there and meet up with someone new. she tapped the screen on her phone and her eyes widened at the time. a good five minutes must have passed since his arrival and here she was, letting her mind wander. after quickly checking her bag to make sure the tea blends were inside, she rushed out of the common room and into the corridor.

“maël, correct?” she asked as she approached the ravenclaw. “sorry, i lost track of time while i was tending to some plants.” her tone was apologetic, a slight furrow in her brow. “i hope you weren’t waiting for too long.”

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：cassian faye。⁰³ maybe he was dragged in a daydream or two, trying to find his way out of the glistening water rolling over the cold ground. there was a cobbled path under the sea – where his voice resided, as if part of this aquatic realm. sometimes, mal focused on his syllables, the way he spoke suited him so well. his s rolling off like a waterfall at night, his a at peak when it reaches the ground – and then, a name. he did not have to speak it right now, mal heard it loud and clear – maybe like an echo in his mind (in his heart). he loved the way he spoke his name – and the strong, bitter-sweet tone it was engulfed in.

his scent reminded him of a meadow on a summer day, a little too busy with flowers and too warm for shoes. he did not have to move, he did not want to. he fell in his arms, as if his life depended on it – maybe it did, he could not tell. and maybe his voice will reach him – like a cello, or gentler, like a harp. sometimes drenched in salt water, sometimes coated in sweet water. it took him a while to bring his mind right back on track, he opened his eyes again – but they were not there, not really. cass was surrounded by summer light – he was standing right there, not moving on mal’s summer meadow.

mal touched him again, the back of his hand running down his warm cheek. “if you are a statue, I shall forever be your pygmalion,” it was a thought caught in a net of ivory – and his red glitter stuck to his fingertips. if they had to be marbled like this forever, he was glad he had his colour all over him. his touch lingered, just like his thoughts – caught in a singular moment, like a wave, one that did not crash yet. but when it does, mal wants to feel it drown him – because if it does not take his breath away, it is not cass’.

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：winifred rhee。⁰¹ the thought of receiving new tea to try was exciting to say the very least. his love for tea was almost ridiculous. one would ask, how much tea can a human possibly drink? mal would answer at least three times a day! tea was his energy, his sleep medication, and his water. and the tea blends the hufflepuff girl posted on her instagram looked exactly like something he would keep in his collection. sometimes he got such nice blends, that it was a shame to finish the whole batch. it was not often that someone, who could potentially provide him with a refill, appeared in his path. he was thrilled to try the girl’s creations, not only because of his clear interest in tea, but also because he thought blending tea was an art only few managed to perfect. creating the perfect mix – it was like a potion, and he for one, was not very good at potions. he arrived in the basement corridor in record time. he had a small box of chocolate with him to drop at his (boy)friends’ door, and some blank label stickers for the tea. sometimes he disliked that common rooms were not readily accessible, he would have just walked in. but he waited, and waited, pacing from cobblestone to cobblestone.

@－ ❛ ʀ ❜：maël clair。⁰² ( H ) Cass tried not to show his disappointment when the arms around him drew back and the sudden turn was almost enough to make him dizzy. “The basement corridor is my personal runway, didn’t you know?” he saw Mal checking him out, and he closed his eyes as his cheeks were cupped - even with his closed eyes he could still clearly imagine the awed expression on the other’s face. He considered the possibility that Mal was not complimenting him for the sake of being a nice friend, after all his compliments had started to sound more and more sincere with each day. Cassian’s body buzzed with a strange energy, vibrating his whole being from within at the small thought that his friend found him attractive.

He opened his eyes at the soft contact of lips against his cheek, his mismatched eye contacts irritated him enough to want to close his eyes again, but he blinked and fought back the urge. It had been a long day and Mal’s touches were slowly driving him insane. “Want me to stand still like a statue then? For you to take all this beauty in?” he chuckled, surprised at his own sudden burst of confidence. Tonight was one of those nights, when he felt like risking everything and for what...who knows, he did not need a particular reason.

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：cassian faye。⁰³ the laugh that mal let out was probably too loud to belong on the corridor, and he only realised after the deed was already done. he released cass from his embrace just to circle him, like a predator would his prey. “did you really have to put on a show too? I am already without it,” he said, quite honestly. he had no reason to hide his attraction, especially not towards cass. he was a lover of all things pretty – on cass, off cass, it really did not matter. right now he was looking so beautiful, mal could barely believe his eyes. not to mention taking his eyes off of him was out of question. he cupped cass’ cheeks to inspect his impeccable make up, and he made a mental note to give henri some love for it.

he let out a musing sigh, lowering his gaze to observe all the other details. after a while, he was finally able to speak again. “you really outdid yourself with this,” he said, then leaned in to press a brief peck on cass’ cheek – he did not want to ruin his make up. he smiled at him, then wrapped his arms around him again – he wanted to be close, and he did not plan on letting go. “they can make us statues here, I am not moving without you,” he mumbled after a while, burring his face into cass’ red artificial pelt.

@－ ❛ ʀ ❜：maël clair。⁰² It was pretty clear to him that he perhaps was playing with fire, letting Mal come over at this hour to see him all dressed up. He was after all an artist that had an eye for pretty things and tended to get more touchy with Cass every time he dressed in nicer clothes or did his makeup intensely. The rush of excitement that came with their reckless decision thrilled Cass enough to not overthink what their small rendezvous meant. Once he unlocked the dormitory door and walked out, he pocketed his phone and looked around, expecting to already see the other. No one was in sight, and he had a sneaking suspicion that Mal was hiding behind a pillar.

As he walked down the corridor he heard the loud whistle and immediately bit his lip, failing to hide his wide grin. Never had he imagined being catcalled and in the corridor of their university out of all places! For a moment he played along, twirling in place and strutting down the hallway, then turning around to walk back the way he came, acting as he was on a catwalk. Though he couldn't help but to laugh soon after. Too distracted and flustered, he didn’t have time to turn around before Mal’s arms were wrapped around him. “hmm let’s see. who would hug me tight enough to make my lungs feel like they’re being crushed? only one name comes to mind, mal.”

@－ ❛ ʜ ❜：cassian faye。⁰³ it did not take much longer for him to arrive in the corridor after hanging up, he had to catch his breath a little. his heart was pounding and it was threatening to come out of his chest, especially with the image of cassian very vivid in his mind. he took a moment to calm down, and fixed his rather messy outfit. he kind of wanted to look a little out of place, he thought it would match the y vibe they had going on. he did not put too much thought into it, cass was a close friend, and mal liked to get touchy. he did not enjoy restraining himself, but he did restrain himself whenever he thought it was inappropriate to touch people. with cass, there were moments in which he knew fair well the boy does not wish to be touched. right now, he was asking for it. and mal will growl if he has to, and howl too to assert dominance. an idea popped in his mind, and he hid behind a pillar to spy on cass. he waited for him to come outside, just so he can catcall him. he was already smirking at the thought.

when he saw his friend come out of the common room, he had to bite the inside of his cheeks. he did not expect the real deal to look even better than the pictures – even if he considered that cass was rather photogenic. he took a deep breath, and started whistling, still hiding away in an attempt to scare cass or at least confuse him. once he turned to look everywhere, mal took it as his cue to approach very quickly for a jump scare. he ran up to cass, and wrapped his arms around him quickly for a back hug. “guess who,” he said in a playful tone, tightening his embrace.