stargazing. [ rhys ! ]

[levi]

♥ ♥ l e v i.
heaven bend to take my hand
and lead me through the fire
be the long awaited answer
to a long and painful fight

Slowly, softly, a pair of feet climbed stair-by-stair up to the highest point in the castle. The converse's plastic bottoms were barely audible as they tapped against the stone, allowing the boy a nearly silent trip up the staircase. He wanted to be alone, and he could only hope and pray that there wasn't someone else lurking in his favorite place. He doubted that there would be; after all, it was already a couple hours past sunset and Astronomy class had ended for the day.

Levi had attended the class just as he did every evening of the school week, and then he had retired to his Common Room momentarily to change out of his school robes. Now, instead of the heavy black-and-yellow uniform that he was required to wear to classes, the boy was dressed in tight, bright blue jeans and an oversized, black, Nightmare Before Christmas-themed hoodie. His lip studs were in for the first time recently, and his hair was messy and uncombed. Levi hadn't put much effort into making himself look good tonight -- he was just planning to spend a while with the stars, anyway, and they weren't known to care much about his appearance.

The boy's hands were hidden in his hoodie pocket as he walked, his blue eyes cast toward the floor and his pace rather leisurely. He was in no hurry; there was still plenty of time until curfew called him back to his Common Room. He was just planning on staring into the sky, perhaps meditating a bit as well, and taking advantage of the clear night tonight. During Astronomy there were only a few slivers of cloud present, and the Hufflepuff could only hope the conditions were still as good as they'd been the previous hour.

Finally reaching the top and stepping into the room, Levi looked through glass that covered most of the walls and smiled. The sky was beautiful; all traces of clouds were completely absent, and hundreds of stars could be seen speckling the dark canvas. Indeed, tonight was an optimal time for stargazing, and the boy was thrilled to notice that he was the only human being in the room. He preferred solitude while visiting the Astronomy tower, and since he normally found himself up here with his class this opportunity to gaze alone was pleasing. No whispering voices tonight; only his own breathing and the almost-noiseless fluttering of his pet's wings would be heard.

Glancing up at Calixto's dark form darting around the room, Levi hoped that the bat wouldn't slam himself into the glass or anything. He'd done that last time and the Hufflepuff had been dead scared that he'd hurt himself, but luckily the small mammal hadn't hit the window too hard and was fine besides being a bit dazed. He'd wanted to leave Cali behind for this visit, but the bat absolutely hated his cage and wouldn't approach Levi once he'd learned of his owner's intentions. Bats weren't meant to be kept in cages -- they weren't even meant to be kept as pets -- and Cali was able to retain his freedom from the jail most of the time.

[rhys]

Rhys had been in his Common Room for quite some time, wishing against his better judgement that Jasper would somehow come up and talk to him again. Not that he had much chance of that, the other barely sought him out these days. It was painful, it made him cut a lot, but tonight he had a purpose, tonight he had a reason to stay sane for a change.

Ever since Kristian had told him that there was someone who liked him, who cared more for him than even Jasper did, Rhys had been unable to focus his thoughts on anything else. At first the older Ravenclaw had been hesitant to divulge too much information, but eventually he had seemed to decide that it couldn’t do much harm. Rhys...well he just wanted to know who it was. He was the quiet kind, not someone who would immediately confront the person that was crushing on him – if he ever would.

Hearing that it was Levi made him feel strange. Not in a bad way, it was just weird. He had never expected his friend to like him, like that. Sure, they hung out, they shared a part of their lives, but it had never even hinted at anything more. The Ravenclaw had spent quite some time in his bed, looking at the ceiling of his four poster and wondering what he should do with this information.

It had taken him a few days, but he had finally decided to seek out the Hufflepuff, spend some time with him. In a way he was being selfish. In a way he just wanted to feel loved again, not cast aside and rejected like Jasper always seemed to make him feel these days. And then there was this part of him that he simply couldn’t put into words. The part that just made him feel thrilled and excited. And nervous.

Having changed back into his regular clothes – dark jeans and a matching hoodie – he had gone up to a place he had found Levi before. The boy wondered whether or not his friend would like to be disturbed, but figured that if Levi wanted to be alone, he would simply bid him goodnight and return to his Commons. It wasn’t a big deal, was it? Talking to Levi, spending some time with him...Why did he feel like Jasper would disapprove? Be angry with him, even? It was ridiculous. If Jasper could throw himself at Gale like that, without any consideration for his best friend, then surely Rhys would be allowed to spend some time with his other friends.

[levi]

♥ ♥ l e v i.

heaven bend to take my hand
and lead me through the fire
be the long awaited answer
to a long and painful fight[/right]

Drifting toward the glass, Levi leaned his forehead softly against it and lifted his hands to press against the cool surface. Wide eyes peered down at the shadowed ground for a moment, admiring how the moon almost made the snow appear to glow, and then they lifted into the sky. Millions of white specks smiled down on the Hufflepuff, gently twinkling, and the the bright moon shone proudly. A few satellites skittered throughout the universe, a few airplanes blinked on by, and the rare shooting star would plummet every now and then across the background. Yeah; tonight was the perfect evening to be here.

Silent, the boy only stared, enjoying the peacefulness that seemed to rest within the room. Thoughts flickered through his mind, though he tried to keep them away as best as he could, and Levi continued to stand against the glass. He wasn't going to think about his problems right now; he wasn't going to think about his emotions, confusion, nervousness, or anything else. Right now, he was going to ensure that his mind remained empty and still.

Minutes past without much of a sound at all, but nevertheless there came a point when the light footsteps of someone else could be heard approaching in the distance. The steps hollowly echoed throughout the staircase and snuck their way into the Astronomy tower, their voice a mere whisper. Levi heard this, of course, and he shut his eyes for a moment, a tad bit upset that another human was coming to disturb his alone time. He thought about turning toward the entrance so that he could see the other person right as they entered, but instead Levi remained pressing against the window, staring into the dark world outside. Perhaps the other person would leave when they realized someone else already occupied the place.

The footsteps grew louder until the Hufflepuff heard their owner enter the room and pause. Another breath joined his own, but Owens waited a moment, pretending to remain engrossed in his stargazing and curious to see if the other would leave. When a good amount of time had slid by and Levi still hadn't heard the retreat of the newcomer, he turned, eyes instantly snapping open when he recognized the face. Rhys.

"Uh, R - Rhys! W - What are you doing here?" He said in an all-too loud and startled voice, feeling extremely self-conscious and nervous all of a sudden. Kris had to have told him by now. Rhys probably knew.

[rhys]

Rhys smiled as he saw Levi standing in the Tower, his face pressed against the glass. He looked so peaceful there, and a part of him was longing to share that, to spend some time together without having to say anything. Jasper usually knew how to make him feel that way, but he was trying this new thing where he wouldn’t focus on his best friend and the boys boyfriend all the time. He knew that his friend would most likely get upset with him cozying up with another – which was partly why he hadn’t mentioned Remy – but Rhys figured that he wasn’t allowed to comment on that either. Live and let live, right?

”Hi” His voice was soft, as was the smile on his face as he took a few hesitant steps into the others direction. ”I came here to see you” The brunette flushed a little, eyes focused on those brilliant blue ones that belonged to Levi. The older boy wasn’t completely sure how to go about this, but he knew that at some point, he’d have to address the feelings that were playing between them. He figured, maybe he did like Levi, on some level. The thought of the boy being somewhat into him had made him feel something other than pain for the first time in days. That had to mean something, right?

”I was hoping we could spend some time together” It was half formulated as a question, wondering whether or not Levi would actually appreciate him being around. If the other really wanted to be alone, he’d leave, but for now he watched the bat rather than his friend, because that was the only way he didn’t end up blushing.

[levi]

♥ ♥ l e v i.
heaven bend to take my hand
and lead me through the fire
be the long awaited answer
to a long and painful fight

”Hi. I came here to see you. I was hoping we could spend some time together.”

Rhys wanted to spend time with him? The boy Levi liked had specifically come all the way up here just to see him?

The Hufflepuff didn't quite know how to respond or even whether to believe that his friend was standing right in front of him telling him this. The situation was too much like something that the smaller boy had been daydreaming about over the past couple weeks. Was there a small possibility that the Ravenclaw returned some of the feelings? Levi couldn't think of any other reason for his marching up the ridiculously long staircase at night, when most students were chilling in their Common Rooms, but he also couldn't quite bring himself to seriously consider the possibility that Rhys might like him back. Levi didn't think of himself as the least bit likeable.

As the other boy took a couple unsure steps toward him and then redirected his eyes to the bat zipping around the room, Levi's lips curved into a shy smile. 'Be brave. You're fifteen. You're not a kid.' He lifted a hand and brushed his bangs to the side before subconsciously raking his fingers through his messy locks, all of a sudden wishing that he was more presentable.

"You..did?" he asked quietly, unsure if approaching his friend and hugging him would be a good idea at the moment or not. Levi normally hugged his friends in greeting, but he had a feeling it might be rather awkward given the current circumstances. He glanced down at his hands, fidgeting nervously, and spoke, "Um, thanks. I'd...I'd like to spend some time with you, yeah. That would be..." He paused, forcing himself to stop with the nervous hand movements and lifting his gaze to meet with his friends. "I'd like that a lot, actually." Levi ignored the fact that he was probably unintentionally flirting with Rhys. Instead, he simply remained focused on holding onto his courage and beating back his fears.

[rhys]

Rhys smiled at him again, wondering why Levi hadn’t come up to hug him yet. It was something he usually did, and unlike with most people, he didn’t mind nearly as much when the little Hufflepuff embraced him. Wondering whether or not things would change now, he toyed with his hair, standing there awkwardly in the middle of the Tower.

”Yea...Kris told me that you like...me.” It sounded almost surprised, and a little confused. The Ravenclaw hadn’t meant to throw it into the conversation like this, especially when they had only finished saying hello, but it was on his mind a lot, too much to ignore even at the present point in time. He flushed, realizing that he might have been a little more tactful in bringing it up, and smiling sheepishly at Levi.

Taking a step closer to the boy, he flushed even more at just the thought of saying what he was about to say. ”That...made me happy. Hearing that.” Rhys wasn’t sure if he should say something else on the matter and just continued to fidget a little, hoping that he didn’t sound too stupid. He really did want to talk to Levi and hang out with him, whether or not it would lead to anything wasn’t even important.

[levi]

Rhys wasted no time in directing the conversation onto the topic of Levi’s feelings, and consequently the Hufflepuff looked aside. A furious blush swept across his cheeks and he shifted nervously, looking out at the stars. The boy wasn’t sure how to react – his instincts were telling him to admit it but make it seem like it wasn’t a big deal, but his head was telling him to let Rhys see just how much of a deal it was. He could let the subject slide and hope that anything weird about the two of them would go away, or he could actually do something about it.
”That...made me happy. Hearing that.”

Levi pulled his blue eyes away from the window and rested them upon his friend again -- Rhys had been happy when he’d heard that the Hufflepuff liked him? Levi’s smile crept back, though it was still nervous and unsure. Did that mean that Rhys liked him back?

The Hufflepuff shifted again, trying to quickly decide what to say or do, and ended up whispering, ”It…did?” He bit his lower lip softly, clenching one of his lip studs lightly between his teeth. He held his friend’s gaze, and then took a few awkward steps toward him, pausing halfway there as if he was about to change his mind. ”Um, that – then…” The boy looked at his feet. ”What does that mean, then?” He asked softly.

[rhys]

Rhys had taken several deep breaths after pretty much admitting to liking Levi back. He hadn’t full out said it, but it was implied in the words all the same, and he hoped that the Hufflepuff would understand that. It wasn’t easy for him to own up to his feelings, let alone discuss them with someone else. If someone were to ask him exactly what he thought of Levi, whether or not he was falling in love with him, he wouldn’t know what to answer.

There were feelings there, he liked spending time with the younger male, and hearing that he was liked made him happy. He just hoped that it would be enough for his friend, because he honestly had no promises for him. They could take a leap of faith and see where they ended up, and just to put that into words was hard enough. So when Levi asked what it meant, he bit his lip, shuffling his feet before looking back up at the other.

”I’m not really sure...I think.” He wasn’t even sure about being sure, as stupid as that sounded. Rhys noticed that Levi had stepped closer and unconsciously relaxed, leaning slightly towards the younger male. ”Do you want it to mean something?” That was the main thing, wasn’t it? Whether or not Levi actually wanted to go somewhere with this. As soon as they’d tackled that hurdle, they would see where to go from here.

As much as Rhys claimed to be a-sexual, he knew that he wasn’t. Not really. It was an easy way out for people that wondered why he wasn’t dating those lovely girls that Hogwarts seemingly had to offer. One reason was that there were already enough males flocking around them, another that nobody had ever seemed to catch his interest. Even if he might have some ideas about his sexuality, he didn’t feel that they were anyone’s business.

[levi]

”I’m not really sure...I think. Do you want it to mean something?”

Did he? Levi blinked, still staring at the other with as calm of an expression as he could manage. He didn’t think it was a good idea to make it mean anything, but at the same time he thought it sounded like a great idea. He’d never dated anyone before and he was already fifteen – the Hufflepuff thought it was about time for him to start, and here was the perfect chance. At the moment, it didn’t matter that Rhys was a guy and that Levi still insisted that he himself was straight; right now, all that mattered was that he really liked someone and that someone happened to like him back.

”I…” he began, watching Cali for a moment as the bat stopped flying and landed on the ceiling, ”If you want it to mean something…” His words were soft, quiet, and it had taken so much bravery to force them out. Levi’s heart was pounding loudly and he wanted nothing more than to shut his eyes and hide. He hoped that Rhys did want it to mean something.

Still, Levi was afraid of getting hurt. What if they became something and then ended in drama and heartache? All relationships had to end sometime…right? Levi didn’t like the whole idea of breaking up, and imagining that he and his friend might have to go through that some day, if they got together in the first place, was completely unwelcome. It sounded too painful. He didn’t want to hurt Rhys, and he didn’t want to be hurt by Rhys.

[rhys]

”If you want it to mean something…”

He figured that that was as close to a yes as they would ever come, and Rhys nodded, closing the distance between them and awkwardly reaching for the younger males hand. It took about all the courage that he had left, and his face felt like it was on fire when he carefully locked eyes with Levi. He had to breathe a fair few times, swallowing something that was thick and settling in his throat.

”I think I would like to try...” The Ravenclaw said softly, biting down on his bottom lip as his eyes traveled up to the ceiling, where Cali was hanging. Sort of like mistletoe, Rhys couldn’t help but think, and he smiled a little. This holding hands thing seemed to go fine. Maybe dating Levi would’t be so different from being his friend, except that the boy would cuddle him, spend more time with him, and become his in a way. Yeah, Rhys liked that idea.

He’d talked to Jasper, and though they were still figuring out where they stood, the boy knew that this wouldn’t go over too well. At the same time though, if Jasper was allowed to date Gale, surely he was allowed to try for something with Levi? It wouldn’t change anything about their friendship...he’d still belong to Jasper. Just in a different way. ”You’re very sweet, and you make me happy.”