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slipping_away21 December 1996. Hogwarts during winter hols.
Theo actually kind of likes Hogwarts during winter hols; everything is quieter, softer even with the small parties the staff throw for the children. It's a little more somber as well, but Theo tries not to think about that. He just enjoys the solitude and the time with his thoughts.
It's Miles' choice to remain at Hogwarts. His father neither approves nor disapproves, but Miles sends the owl regardless and also sends one to his aunt, informing her of his decision. She responds with a small note and a gift that Miles receives that morning. He sets it aside, dresses, and walks to the Great Hall for the morning meal.
Even the small amount of companionship Theo has with Greg and the professors is more than what he would receive at home, and it's safer, to boot. He doesn't know where his father is, can''t expect him to be understanding--and quite frankly, he's not looking forward to the end of the school year, where his father would most likely expect him to take the Dark Mark. Theo envies the children, really, not having to make decisions like these.
Miles sits next to Theo, opposite of Greg, and greets them with a polite, "Good morning, gentlemen."
Greg grunts, and Theo gives Miles a nod. "Good morning." He wonders for a moment why Miles is sitting here, but there aren't any seventh years around, and he can't see Miles enjoying the company of some of the children.
Miles ignores Greg and turns a slim smile to Theo. "Fancy seeing you here, Theo."
Theo gives Miles a brief smile in return. "Even I have to eat, Miles."
"Yes, of course."
"I admit I didn't expect to see you out here."
"Likewise," Miles says with a nod. The corner of his mouth curls into a smile, and he unobtrusively squeezes Theo's thigh under the table. "But I suppose there are unexpected benefits to my decision."
Theo pauses at the warmth of Miles' hand on his thigh and contemplates stabbing him for a moment. The urge passes, and Theo smiles again. "The bacon is very good today."
Miles makes a sound of agreement. The rest of the meal passes pleasantly and with little conversation, and at the end of it, Miles takes his leave with a simple nod to both Theo and Greg.
Theo does his best to ignore Miles, going out for a quick walk before heading back down into the common room.
~*~
Miles is bored. The common room is empty and quiet, so he takes his book in there, choosing a chair in the corner. He's halfway through the text when his attention is drawn to the entrance.
"Hello, Theo," he says, and turns the page.
"Hello, Miles." Theo sees no reason to interact further, so he curls up onto the couch in front of the fireplace and turns his face to the heat.
Miles continues reading, but once he's finished the chapter, he stands, setting the book on the chair. No one's around, so he walks behind Theo, pushes his hand into Theo's hair and jerks Theo's head back. He stares down into Theo's face and pulls harder, his gaze darting briefly down to the angle of Theo's throat, the bob of Theo's Adam's apple when he swallows.
"Yes?" Theo's pleased his voice is mild, even with Miles yanking on him like this, even with his pulse hammering in his throat.
"You've been avoiding me." Miles tightens his grip in Theo's hair and trails the fingers of his free hand up Theo's throat. "I find it curious."
"Do you?" His skin rises in goosebumps at Miles' touch, and Theo wonders if this is what being absolutely fucked feels like. It's not like they're supposed to be attached to each other.
Miles flattens his hand against Theo's throat, the clench of his fingers quick and sudden, digging in hard against Theo's pulse. "I also find repeating myself tedious."
Theo's breath rattles in his throat, and he feels the strange urge to let Miles dig his fingers in and leave bruises again, accompanied by fear and wariness. He tries to get off the couch, but Miles grip is too certain, so after a moment, he stops and leans back again. "It was a rhetorical question."
"It was an unnecessary question." Miles stares down at Theo, silent, his eyes dark, and slowly squeezes Theo's throat, feeling the fight of Theo's pulse, the hard bob of Theo's Adam's apple against his palm. Then he lets Theo go, retrieves his book, and vanishes to the seventh year dorms.
Theo takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, rubbing his hand over his face. He doesn't know what he's doing, and he sure as hell doesn't know what Miles is expecting from him, because--it's all just screwed up. He thinks about finding someone to seduce, just to get this itchy feeling out of his skin, maybe a nice Ravenclaw girl or Gryffindor, but in the end he chooses to remain alone in the Slytherin common room, brooding into the fire.
He blames Miles for that, too.
~*~
There's so much silence in Slytherin now that Theo has taken to listening to WWN while he's alone, carrying the small radio with him as he listens to news bulletins about the destruction still around St. Mungos, and how You-Know-Who--and even Theo can't bring himself to say the name Voldemort--has undeniably returned, interspersed with songs from the Weird Sisters. Theo tries to focus on catching up on his school work, but even that can only hold his attention so long.
Miles spends the majority of his time reading, keeping himself isolated so he doesn't acclimate himself to the silence and emptiness of hols. All those students will be returning. He doesn't expect to receive an Owl from his father, so he's not surprised when he doesn't, but his aunt attempts to keep him abreast of the news as well as his responsibilities as a Bletchley. It's all very droll.
Theo has had several close calls with Miles over the day, but fortunately he was able to get out of sight before Miles saw him. It feels ridiculous, hiding from Miles Bletchley like there's actually a problem, but he does it anyway, calmer when he isn't around the other boy. Which is crazy in and of itself, and even worse, he keeps gravitating toward Miles like Hogwarts isn't a huge castle and there's only four rooms. He's circling, and it exhausts him. He can't wait for everyone to be back at school so he can at least have a distraction.
Miles closes his hand around Theo's throat and slams him into the wall, pressing full body against Theo, his expression otherwise passive but mildly curious as he searches Theo's face. "This is an interesting development in our game," he says as he closes his other hand around Theo's groin, lightly stroking the zip as he squeezes Theo's throat. "What are you planning, Theo?"
Theo stares at Miles, wondering where he even came from, hating himself as his body starts responding to Miles' proximity. "I'm not planning anything, at the moment."
Miles' smile is thin. "Of course not." He strokes the hollow of Theo's throat with his thumb and then presses it against Theo's Adam's apple in a slow choke. "Yet your clever choice of words doesn't hide the fact that you were planning something. I thought we had an agreement, Theo."
Theo keeps his breath slow and controlled, despite the way his pulse quickens. "We do, Miles. I'm not doing anything against you."
Miles' gaze sharpens on Theo's face, his dark eyes searching for something. "You certainly wouldn't be obvious about it," Miles says, voice soft as he tightens his fingers around Theo's throat and groin again.
"We have a truce," Theo says, relaxing now that he knows what this is about. "You have nothing to fear from me."
Miles leans closer, his palm grinding against Theo's cock and his fingers pressing hard into Theo's pulse. His smile is slim and sharp as he searches Theo's eyes, and then all at once, he lets Theo's go, straightens the cuffs of his shirt, and walks away.
"I don't care if you don't believe me," Theo finds himself saying, and he turns, purposefully walking in the other direction. Miles Bletchley is really rather barmy.
~*~
At breakfast the next morning, Miles joins Theo and Greg at the table, and Theo wonders for a moment if this is just part of his new routine, or if he just doesn't want to eat alone. Theo suspects that it's part of Miles' paranoia, because he's consistently sitting at Theo's side and unnerving him in the process.
Miles enters the Great Hall and instead takes a seat on the opposite side of the table from Theo. His greeting is polite but cool, and once he's finished his meal, he silently leaves.
Theo feels apprehensive, which is unusual for him. Mostly, he is just relieved Miles wasn't all but pawing him in public, but he wondered what that meant for their truce. Miles is a rather paranoid bloke--it could be that he thinks the end of their arrangement means the end of their truce, and if that's the case, Theo'll just suck up his own feelings about the situation and snog him, but it would be nice if they could be--'friends' isn't the word he wants to use, but perhaps 'friendly' is a good fit. Theo is kind of lonely, although he's loathe to admit it to himself, and even if the sex was getting frightening, it was still fun to have someone to banter with. Maybe he should try to get closer to Blaise and Draco. They might be loud and obnoxious, but at least they're fun.
Theo actually kind of likes Hogwarts during winter hols; everything is quieter, softer even with the small parties the staff throw for the children. It's a little more somber as well, but Theo tries not to think about that. He just enjoys the solitude and the time with his thoughts.
It's Miles' choice to remain at Hogwarts. His father neither approves nor disapproves, but Miles sends the owl regardless and also sends one to his aunt, informing her of his decision. She responds with a small note and a gift that Miles receives that morning. He sets it aside, dresses, and walks to the Great Hall for the morning meal.
Even the small amount of companionship Theo has with Greg and the professors is more than what he would receive at home, and it's safer, to boot. He doesn't know where his father is, can''t expect him to be understanding--and quite frankly, he's not looking forward to the end of the school year, where his father would most likely expect him to take the Dark Mark. Theo envies the children, really, not having to make decisions like these.
Miles sits next to Theo, opposite of Greg, and greets them with a polite, "Good morning, gentlemen."
Greg grunts, and Theo gives Miles a nod. "Good morning." He wonders for a moment why Miles is sitting here, but there aren't any seventh years around, and he can't see Miles enjoying the company of some of the children.
Miles ignores Greg and turns a slim smile to Theo. "Fancy seeing you here, Theo."
Theo gives Miles a brief smile in return. "Even I have to eat, Miles."
"Yes, of course."
"I admit I didn't expect to see you out here."
"Likewise," Miles says with a nod. The corner of his mouth curls into a smile, and he unobtrusively squeezes Theo's thigh under the table. "But I suppose there are unexpected benefits to my decision."
Theo pauses at the warmth of Miles' hand on his thigh and contemplates stabbing him for a moment. The urge passes, and Theo smiles again. "The bacon is very good today."
Miles makes a sound of agreement. The rest of the meal passes pleasantly and with little conversation, and at the end of it, Miles takes his leave with a simple nod to both Theo and Greg.
Theo does his best to ignore Miles, going out for a quick walk before heading back down into the common room.
~*~
Miles is bored. The common room is empty and quiet, so he takes his book in there, choosing a chair in the corner. He's halfway through the text when his attention is drawn to the entrance.
"Hello, Theo," he says, and turns the page.
"Hello, Miles." Theo sees no reason to interact further, so he curls up onto the couch in front of the fireplace and turns his face to the heat.
Miles continues reading, but once he's finished the chapter, he stands, setting the book on the chair. No one's around, so he walks behind Theo, pushes his hand into Theo's hair and jerks Theo's head back. He stares down into Theo's face and pulls harder, his gaze darting briefly down to the angle of Theo's throat, the bob of Theo's Adam's apple when he swallows.
"Yes?" Theo's pleased his voice is mild, even with Miles yanking on him like this, even with his pulse hammering in his throat.
"You've been avoiding me." Miles tightens his grip in Theo's hair and trails the fingers of his free hand up Theo's throat. "I find it curious."
"Do you?" His skin rises in goosebumps at Miles' touch, and Theo wonders if this is what being absolutely fucked feels like. It's not like they're supposed to be attached to each other.
Miles flattens his hand against Theo's throat, the clench of his fingers quick and sudden, digging in hard against Theo's pulse. "I also find repeating myself tedious."
Theo's breath rattles in his throat, and he feels the strange urge to let Miles dig his fingers in and leave bruises again, accompanied by fear and wariness. He tries to get off the couch, but Miles grip is too certain, so after a moment, he stops and leans back again. "It was a rhetorical question."
"It was an unnecessary question." Miles stares down at Theo, silent, his eyes dark, and slowly squeezes Theo's throat, feeling the fight of Theo's pulse, the hard bob of Theo's Adam's apple against his palm. Then he lets Theo go, retrieves his book, and vanishes to the seventh year dorms.
Theo takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, rubbing his hand over his face. He doesn't know what he's doing, and he sure as hell doesn't know what Miles is expecting from him, because--it's all just screwed up. He thinks about finding someone to seduce, just to get this itchy feeling out of his skin, maybe a nice Ravenclaw girl or Gryffindor, but in the end he chooses to remain alone in the Slytherin common room, brooding into the fire.
He blames Miles for that, too.
~*~
There's so much silence in Slytherin now that Theo has taken to listening to WWN while he's alone, carrying the small radio with him as he listens to news bulletins about the destruction still around St. Mungos, and how You-Know-Who--and even Theo can't bring himself to say the name Voldemort--has undeniably returned, interspersed with songs from the Weird Sisters. Theo tries to focus on catching up on his school work, but even that can only hold his attention so long.
Miles spends the majority of his time reading, keeping himself isolated so he doesn't acclimate himself to the silence and emptiness of hols. All those students will be returning. He doesn't expect to receive an Owl from his father, so he's not surprised when he doesn't, but his aunt attempts to keep him abreast of the news as well as his responsibilities as a Bletchley. It's all very droll.
Theo has had several close calls with Miles over the day, but fortunately he was able to get out of sight before Miles saw him. It feels ridiculous, hiding from Miles Bletchley like there's actually a problem, but he does it anyway, calmer when he isn't around the other boy. Which is crazy in and of itself, and even worse, he keeps gravitating toward Miles like Hogwarts isn't a huge castle and there's only four rooms. He's circling, and it exhausts him. He can't wait for everyone to be back at school so he can at least have a distraction.
Miles closes his hand around Theo's throat and slams him into the wall, pressing full body against Theo, his expression otherwise passive but mildly curious as he searches Theo's face. "This is an interesting development in our game," he says as he closes his other hand around Theo's groin, lightly stroking the zip as he squeezes Theo's throat. "What are you planning, Theo?"
Theo stares at Miles, wondering where he even came from, hating himself as his body starts responding to Miles' proximity. "I'm not planning anything, at the moment."
Miles' smile is thin. "Of course not." He strokes the hollow of Theo's throat with his thumb and then presses it against Theo's Adam's apple in a slow choke. "Yet your clever choice of words doesn't hide the fact that you were planning something. I thought we had an agreement, Theo."
Theo keeps his breath slow and controlled, despite the way his pulse quickens. "We do, Miles. I'm not doing anything against you."
Miles' gaze sharpens on Theo's face, his dark eyes searching for something. "You certainly wouldn't be obvious about it," Miles says, voice soft as he tightens his fingers around Theo's throat and groin again.
"We have a truce," Theo says, relaxing now that he knows what this is about. "You have nothing to fear from me."
Miles leans closer, his palm grinding against Theo's cock and his fingers pressing hard into Theo's pulse. His smile is slim and sharp as he searches Theo's eyes, and then all at once, he lets Theo's go, straightens the cuffs of his shirt, and walks away.
"I don't care if you don't believe me," Theo finds himself saying, and he turns, purposefully walking in the other direction. Miles Bletchley is really rather barmy.
~*~
At breakfast the next morning, Miles joins Theo and Greg at the table, and Theo wonders for a moment if this is just part of his new routine, or if he just doesn't want to eat alone. Theo suspects that it's part of Miles' paranoia, because he's consistently sitting at Theo's side and unnerving him in the process.
Miles enters the Great Hall and instead takes a seat on the opposite side of the table from Theo. His greeting is polite but cool, and once he's finished his meal, he silently leaves.
Theo feels apprehensive, which is unusual for him. Mostly, he is just relieved Miles wasn't all but pawing him in public, but he wondered what that meant for their truce. Miles is a rather paranoid bloke--it could be that he thinks the end of their arrangement means the end of their truce, and if that's the case, Theo'll just suck up his own feelings about the situation and snog him, but it would be nice if they could be--'friends' isn't the word he wants to use, but perhaps 'friendly' is a good fit. Theo is kind of lonely, although he's loathe to admit it to himself, and even if the sex was getting frightening, it was still fun to have someone to banter with. Maybe he should try to get closer to Blaise and Draco. They might be loud and obnoxious, but at least they're fun.