i'm after a prize tonight! — Tag: Abraxas Malfoy

[dashiell jameson peakes]

The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees. It was late, and ill-advisable that any students of Hogwarts should be lurking among the grounds of old, secretive castle. The prefects that lurked along the castle occasionally watched the entrances and exits of the castle, but many of them weren't quite as... knowledgeable of all the obscure ways there were to travel the castle, such as the pathway through a passageway full of portraits of Glanmore Peakes, the wizard who had slayed the Sea Serpent and whom Dashiell Peakes's family claimed for a namesake. In fact, Dashiell Peakes passed through this very same tunnel shortly after curfew should have otherwise been enacted. In all truth, Dashiell had never been a fan of the curfew and had twice been caught roaming the castle in the dark. Both times he'd had no real interest in any one destination or meet-up.

The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon among the cloudy seas. Almost as to increase the forboding aspect of leaving the castle in the night-time, the aforementioned moon was nearly full, with only a dire sliver missing from the spectral orb. Its shiny light illuminated a single face amongst the black, as Dashiell scurried through the dark like a small wolf on the hunt. To be lit by the moon might be deemed a romantic notion, but on this night Dashiell Peakes did not look like a dashingly mysterious boy; very much in the opposite direction, the moon seemed to suggest that the boy were ill, giving him a ghastly glow that could rival the most luminescent of school ghosts — even on his summer-tanned skin!

The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor. The path that Dashiell would ride was unknown to him the night before, when he'd first arranged the idea to get Abraxas to sneak out of the castle with him. He'd wanted to site in the courtyards, but he quickly found that the gameskeeper tended to drift about, and one could never know where he planned to go. Such a sudden appearance of faculty had shocked the boy, and he made a complete one-sixty turn, with his face now set to the south. Here he found an end at the lake. He'd not wanted to hang so closely to the end of water with an inability to see. Turning his attention further along the south-east until the boathouse became a familiar sight. It was locked when he came to the door, but a simple spell gave a satisfying click.

Now that Dashiell was again inside the boathouse, he cast Lumos and sat down on a ledge, with the water a few feet below him, the sound of the constantly moving fluid echoing eerily off the walls of the subterranean boathouse. There were no great news to tell Abraxas, he'd simply wanted some alone time with his friend. The last week or so he'd barely seen Abraxas outside of classes. He'd found himself swamped with those stupid practicals that actually require he practice his spells. At night he'd seem to be whereever his Malfoy friend was not, although he sought him out like gold. Now, he was getting a little too annoyed by their inability to talk. When Dashiell did have the chance to have had spoken with Abraxas, it was during class and a classroom was never the place to talk to a friend about anything that truly mattered. Instead he waited, feet kicking idly, dressed in his very cleanest shirt.

[abraxas scorpius malfoy]

Abraxas was surprised he hadn't had a nervous breakdown over the past few days. It had been about a week since he'd been able to spend much time with Dashiell and the absence of his friend made him feel rather lost. He had managed to keep his sanity in check by hanging around with Loki or Max when the other Gryffindor was nowhere to be seen. Brax didn't wonder if his friend had abandoned him as he knew that if he didn't have so much to do then he would have been there with him. Of course, they'd had lessons together but with homework starting to increase now that they'd settled back into the school routine, especially as they'd be sitting their OWLs later in their, much of the free time they'd had before was taken up by essays and practicing spells. By the time they were both in the dormitory at the end of the day, the two of them were far too tired to talk. It was almost as if the professors, and the other students too for that matter with their constant presence, were collectively trying to keep them apart.

Luckily, they'd had a moment alone yesterday evening and Dashiell had proposed that they sneak out after curfew. It made perfect sense to Abraxas to seize this opportunity to spend time together as the only hours when they knew they'd be able to talk without interruption or being overheard were spent sleeping. He'd started to feel slightly tired during his last lesson of the day and kicked himself for it. There was no way he'd be calling off tonight and he wouldn't stand to be tired through it. Once the lesson had ended, he'd taken a nap until the evening meal in the Great Hall. Once he'd eaten his fill, he had returned to the common room and cracked on with homework until everyone had gone to bed. He then went up to the dormitory and slipped into bed, waiting for everyone to fall asleep before slipping out again and into the castle. Fortunately, the prefects weren't the type to go looking for secret passages and so many of them could be used without getting caught half way down. Not knowing that his friend had passed through the very same place just minutes ago, Brax hurried down the Glanmore Peakes corridor and made his escape into the cool night air.

He made a speedy beeline for the boathouse and not wanting to draw attention to himself with Lumos, he instead had to run towards it in the dark and naturally found himself tumbling towards the grass a few times. Abraxas eventually made it to the building and in one comfortable piece. The unlocked door suggested that Dashiell had already arrived and so he pulled it open, slid inside and closed it behind him. Once he turned around, there was Peakes by the water's edge. A wide smile spread across his face as he walked over and sat beside him. "You're a bad influence on me Dashiell Peakes," he said, knowing full well that there was little influence required to persuade Brax and it would have been welcomed anyway. He would have told Dash that he'd missed him but decided against it, deeming it to sound too weird. "So did you have anything in particular planned or were you just dying to see me?" he asked instead.

[dashiell jameson peakes]

Dash's heart leapt when he'd heard the door open, for he'd half-expected to find himself in the sight of some professor or another. He'd a knack for having a master plan, such as tonight's, and them all going terribly wrong. Once he'd planned a trip down to the kitchens and was caught running from a whole slew of prefects who had heard his footsteps. One Slytherin had even thrown a couple of leg-locking jinxes at him, which Dashiell was luckily able to duck around a corner in time. Again his body reacted in the very same way as he saw Abraxas enter the boathouse. His best friend's blonde hair looked spectacularly silver in the silverlight. Abraxas's eyes were not anything to Dashiell, but it was almost as if he were seeing them for the first time under finally opened eyes. He'd never realized how they seemed to go on forever. Deep within Dashiell a carnal need had been ignited. He didn't quite understand what it was or why, but it craved interaction with he who had been absent these weeks.

Now that Dashiell had Abraxas in his grasp, he was quite like any cartoon supervillain who'd finally accomplished his goal, only to find that he'd really no idea what to do next. Frantically — for otherwise Dashiell would find Abraxas bored with him and eager to spend time with Maximilian or Loki — Dash got up from the place on the ledge above the waters where Abraxas had come. He walked around the rough, unpolished stone floor until he found several flat stones. He'd find somehow to keep Abraxas's mind from becoming bored with him. Whatever it took, he would manage. If skipping stones off of water would keep his friend entertained, then he'd be at peace. After all, he'd called Brax down to the boathouse so that the two could be together without Dashiell having to share him. If his friend was still thinking about being somewhere else, then he'd not truly have all of his attention. That possibility dug at Dash like a knife in his abdomen as he sat on Abraxas's right, shoulder to shoulder.

"I just wanted to talk. I've not been able to hang out with you at all lately, and classes don't count. I mean actually be together, you know. Without having to pair off with other students, or having to practice something, or read something..." Dashiell ran his words together like it were essential that he say as much as he could, as he poured the hand of rocks on the ground to his right side. . He imbued unnecessary excitement into his words, as if he was telling Abraxas that he'd just discovered a pathway directly into some cavern under the lake. "I thought maybe we could talk about anything that's on your mind. Unless, you feel like you'd rather go do something. That's fine too." He looked over at Abraxas, and then tossed a rock into the water; normally he'd have had a steady focus and the rock would have skipped along the surface of the water, before settling at the bottom. Now though, his mind and heart were sparking and igniting like flint and iron, each coinsiding conflict causing a passionate fire. That was understandibly distracting when doing work such as skipping stones. It was a wonder that he'd been able to unlock the door to the boathouse. Smiling crookedly, Dashiell rocked self-soothingly from left to right, all too aware of his contact with Abraxas.

[abraxas scorpius malfoy]

Abraxas watched as Dashiell collected several stones from around the area and was certainly aware of their physical contact upon his return. Before their conversation several days ago, he would probably have subtly moved away so as not to tempt his thoughts. Now that Dash knew of his interests, and had settled Abraxas' uncertainty by being so relaxed about it, he wasn't quite so worried about it. The contact sent mixed messages to Brax's brain but not so complicated that he found himself panicking. Though he had sworn to himself that he would permit any thoughts of a romantic or sexual nature towards his best friend, it felt... nice. It made him start to wonder what it would be like if anything were to happen between them but he quickly suppressed these thoughts. For one, they were friends and hoping for anything more could just shatter it all. There was also the added complication of Dashiell having no interest in males whatsoever, thus rendering anything intimate impossible and just resulting in false hope. Abraxas would just leave the contact as it was. If Dash had a problem then he'd move away. Until then, he wouldn't complain.

"If sneaking out in the middle of the night is the only way to go about it then so be it," he replied, genuinely not caring that that Dashiell had planned their meeting during his normal sleeping hours. Abraxas would much rather spend time with Dash than sleep any day and considering how much he enjoyed sleeping, that was saying something. It had felt extremely weird spending so little time with someone he usually saw so often and so Brax was glad that they had tonight. He hoped their schedules would relax enough for them to regain their usual interactions but there was no guarantee of that happening. As such, he would savour every last second of their current meeting in the hope that it would tide him over until they next got an opportunity like this.

"Doing something would be cool, nothing really springs to mind to talk about. I guess there's that I'm thinking about telling Loki at some point but there's not a great deal to say about that?" When he came to think of it, there probably was quite a bit they could say but only as far as to whether it was a wise decision. Dash had said upon first hearing about it that it would probably be best to keep it between the two of them but Loki was his friend too. He could also relate to Abraxas seeing as he was also interested in boys and so it could be beneficial for them both to have someone to talk to that knew what the other was experiencing. As supportive as Dashiell was, he couldn't fully empathise with Brax as he hadn't had the same 'problem'. He reached across his friend to grab a couple of the stones and made an attempt at skipping one, which he gathered had failed when he heard it plop straight into the water. His second attempt was more successful though it still only bounced twice before sinking like the first.

[dashiell jameson peakes]

"Sneaking out in the middle of the night is more fun! I mean, we could talk in the common room, but then we'd have everyone else jumping in to say something. I didn't really want any of that. It's too loud. I've had a killer headache lately. Way too much homework, I think." Dashiell had a habit of looking around this night, the whites of his eyes glowing faintly in the shining of the moon as he observed a rock... Abraxas. The waters below. Abraxas. A set of stairs leading up from the water below to where they were sitting. Abraxas. Abraxas. Abraxas. The name thumped in his head like the heart in his chest, pumping fresh, strong thoughts through him with each pulse. It was hard for him to hear his original thoughts, within that beat, each thump delivering him a little closer to a point of no return. When he'd realized that he was feeling withdraw symptoms from their lack of interaction, Dashiell was determined to have them meet in some way. Now, his breathing was steadier than it had been; his pupils were slightly dilated. Before he'd left the castle he'd practically been a mess. He'd felt like the room were falling on him, the pressure building on his chest as he'd laid on his bed. Finally he'd been able to will himself up and get prepared, although it wasn't until he was actually inside the cold air that he felt any better.

Break! With a snap, Dashiell's control — his undeniable possession — was taken from him and tossed into the waters below, similarly to the first rock of Abraxas's which had sunk depressingly against the bottom. He'd faltered for a second, unsure of what he could do. If Brax were thinking of telling Loki about what they'd discussed so successfully in the showers, well, then... then Dash would have to share Brax's secret with Loki and therein share a very important piece of Abraxas with another person. If it hadn't been Loki— if it hadn't been a close friend —he would have urged Abraxas not to share that with another person. He'd have been able to pull off claiming he'd heard that person was a terrible gossip and couldn't keep his mouth shut. Now, though, he knew his best shot wasn't to be so successful. "What would you like to do? You can choose?" What Dashiell should have liked to do wasn't to be done in a boathouse.

"Great job!" When Abraxas had thrown his rock and successfully bounced it across this next time, Dashiell took his chance. As if congratulating Abraxas on succeeding in creating peace for all, Dashiell grinned widely and clapped his friend on the leg. Patting just above Abraxas's right knee, Dash knew that he could potentially make his friend uncomfortable. He was, however, willing to risk that if it meant he wouldn't lose him. He couldn't stand the idea of being alone like he had the past week. Everyone else seemed to him ghosts, and Brax was the only solid thing he could latch himself to for safety and comfort. Therein, when he had stopped congratulating his friend and let his hand linger a good halfway up the top of Abraxas's thigh, he said nothing, but leaned against him with renewed feeling. His head seemed to be reeling these days, but now it floated rather than spun, high among the ninth cloud. He was high upon the contact, the scent of his friend so close, the feeling of Abraxas's warmth on his cold fingers.

[abraxas scorpius malfoy]

Abraxas certainly agreed that sneaking out to see Dashiell was far more exhilarating than simply sitting with him in the common room. He by no means objected to the latter but there was the issue, as his friend had pointed out, of people interrupting them. "That's the only problem with being so awesome, everybody wants to talk to us," he replied, hoping that Dash would know that he meant they were both awesome although if he had to make the sentence about just one person then he would have awarded it to the other boy in a heartbeat. He often spoke of how amazing he was, out of humour rather than arrogance, but knew there would be no weight to his words without Dashiell. Especially after having known him for four years, Brax knew he would end up a complete bore if it weren't for Dash. He was his life-support machine and Abraxas hoped with all his heart that nobody would pull the plug.

The only thing Ab didn't like about telling Loki was that it would mean sharing such a precious part of him with more than just Dash. While he hoped Loki knew that he would never make a joke at his expense, there was a nagging in the back of his brain that Loki might not realise Abraxas was being serious and instead think that he was making fun of his sexuality. That wasn't like Brax at all. While the five of them would joke about each other, it was never allowed to progress past the point of innocent teasing. They knew which buttons could be pressed without causing upset and were always careful not to push the wrong ones. Though he had managed to reassure himself that Loki would be as supportive as Dashiell had been, Abraxas couldn't help but want to keep it a secret with the latter. It was something special that only they knew about and it was nice to have that addition to their friendship. Each day that passed with everyone believing him to be completely interested in women built on the trust he had placed in Dash. Though he wouldn't have thought it possible, it had brought them closer.

"Erm... I'm not sure? I know it's not much help but I lack the imagination to come up with something we can do in a boathouse." Of course, there were plenty of things that they could potentially do if Dashiell were that way inclined but as he wasn't, Abraxas wouldn't permit any thoughts of that nature to pop into his head, let alone leave his mouth. What happened next however made him wonder if he'd been right in his assumption. The congratulation was normal enough, as was the pat on the knee, at least to a certain extent. He hadn't quite been expecting Dash to leave his hand on Brax's thigh. In fact, he hadn't been expecting it all. But as with the shoulder to shoulder contact, there was something nice about it though perhaps a little too nice. 'Think of naked goblins,' he urged himself, not wanting to put Dash in the embarrassing situation of having aroused his best friend.

"Thanks"? he replied with a nervous smile. Their shoulders were still touching and as much as he'd been wanting to avoid such a thought process, Abraxas couldn't help but wonder if Dash was also less straight than he appeared to be. It would explain why he had been so relaxed upon being told but then wouldn't he have said something about himself too? It was all very complicated and he expected Dashiell would move his hand away in a second anyway. But the seconds kept passing and there was no sign of movement. Brax hoped he hadn't got it into Dash's head that as the only person who knew, it was down to him to... pleasure him. They were alone in the boathouse in the middle of the night after all but that wasn't what he'd had in mind when he'd revealed himself to his friend. "Umm, Dash? Your hand's on my leg," he told the other Gryffindor, deciding that it was probably best to make Dashiell aware of it. His response would surely settle Brax's mental debate as to whether or not they had another thing in common.

[dashiell jameson peakes]

To laugh would have been the ­normal response in such a situation. Dashiell clearly knew that his hand was resting on Abraxas's leg, and for his friend — his friend — to point it out was a bit telling of his... experiences in such situations. Despite Dashiell's knowledge of his friend's life, he was still shocked to find Abraxas seeming so unsure. Had he truly never acted on any feeling before? So, while Dashiell didn't laugh at Abraxas for his question, he also didn't play along. He could easily have made an awkward laugh and claimed his mind was on the snacks his mother had delivered to him, and that he'd have finished had they not been charmed to duplicate, but instead, Dashiell decided to test the figurative waters. He didn't take his hand off of Abraxas's leg; he didn't move it in the least bit. He turned his body so that he were facing more toward Abraxas and spoke with a mischievious voice.

"Does that mean you want me to stop? Because I can.... or..." His hand had been still practically from the beginning of the time Dashiell had patted him, but now Dashiell let it move in a slow petting motion, from just above the knee to back where he'd been the earlier time, "I could not stop. Whatever you want." The words were hollow. Dashiell knew what he wanted, and he was determined to get it; he'd like not to disturb Abraxas in the process, but it he was asked to stop he'd just attempt to get his friend's affections on another date. He didn't dare to stray to far into "personal territory" with Abraxas. He wanted possession over Abraxas- no doubt. Some deep part of him was refusing to let himself be too curious, too dominant. In a moment of strength it was able to lay claim to his mind, and return his hand to where it had been where Abraxas popped the question.

There was a dry tension in the air, Dash could feel it along with a cool breeze that swirled around his ankles. It was a clean current of air, bringing with it the cold of the October evening. A cloud passed in front of the moon and the boathouse dimmed momentarily before lighting up once more.

[abraxas scorpius malfoy]

A giddy rush was sent flying to Abraxas' head as Dashiell left his hand where it was, even after being notified of it. The fact that he didn't move it then made it quite clear that it was deliberate and no matter how hard he tried, Brax could only come up with one possible explanation for it. Had it been a little lower down his leg then it could have been passed off as friendly contact but as it was within inches of his crotch, the chaser highly doubted that it was just friendly contact anymore. Was he over-analysing again? In this one situation, he didn't believe he was. Seriously, when did you touch somebody in such a way if you didn't want to be more than friends?

The tone to Dashiell's voice as he spoke was enough to say that although he was offering to stop, he didn't want to. In all fairness, Abraxas didn't really want him to either. "But you're not..." he began anxiously, a lump forming in his throat as Dash started to move his hand. No number of goblins could help him now. He deemed it pointless to try and finish his sentence when the motion across his lower thigh would have contradicted it. Had he intended for this to happen when he'd asked Brax to sneak down to the boathouse? What exactly was 'this'? It would have been hard for him to misinterpret it but was Dash working towards something more?

Then his hand stopped moving. Almost instinctively, Abraxas' own hand moved towards the one on his thigh. It felt incredibly strange to Ab to be in this situation, let alone with his best friend. His thoughts were forming a messy argument with himself. 'No, you promised you wouldn't do this but then who better than the person you trust more than anyone else? He's your best friend! Trying to push it any further will just ruin it, do you want that?' His mental rambling came to a stop as he found himself speaking. "No, it's fine. It's definitely fine but you're going to have to tell me what page we're on because I can't keep up."

Abraxas attempted to apply some logic to their situation. Dashiell was straight, of that he had always been certain. If he'd been glancing at their teammates too then he would have said something before now. But then what possessed a straight guy to start stroking his not-entirely-certain best friend that was also a guy? One possibility was that he was just trying to make Abraxas happy, in which case there was no need because his happiness was based on far more than any physical pleasure. The only other thing he could think of was a love potion. Of course, that was ridiculous. Anyone that wanted to give him a love potion would have done it so that he wanted them, not Abraxas and he knew he hadn't been giving out any love potions recently, or at all for that matter.

[dashiell jameson peakes]

Dashiell's eyes still sat upon his face with a mischievious smirk, although the eyebrows raised as Abraxas began to talk. He left his statement quite unfinished, letting Dashiell knew that his animalistic intentions had won the battle over Abraxas's attention. With any luck, he'd be able to both have Abraxas's affections and his attentions as well. After all, if he were too busy giggling and thinking about Dash and himself to have room for any extraneous thoughts or ideas, he wouldn't even have Loki on his mind. It wasn't Dashiell's initial intention, but it was a delightful side-effect. Like a prized diamond, there was no such thing as sharing. You simply had Abraxas or you did not, and Dashiell was far too competitive to lose Abraxas to a Slytherin... friend or otherwise.

When Dash felt the Malfoy boy's hand on his own, it was a far different feeling than when Dash had laid his hand on his leg. The first contact with him had left Dashiell warm and hungry, unable but to need Abraxas's contact, thirsting for him singularly, selfishly. There'd have been no choice for him, Dashiell was quite certain to get what he wanted. Now, though, contact with Abraxas's hand gave an entirely different response; rather than a smooth, hot feeling rushing through Dash's stomache and chest, a chain of electricity seemed to shoot from the nerves on the back of his hand and spread through his body in an icy-hot fashion. It made his brain have a reverbation quite unfamilar and sharp. It reminded Dashiell of the time he'd touched a cut wire at his Uncles house, not knowing that it was dangerous to do so. That experience had been painful, but this one was invigorating and unexpected, like the first time he'd eaten ice mice. There had to be some sort of taboo on this sort of interaction, and this danger only served to further Dashiell's interest and intent.

"You can never keep up." Of course, this was something that Dashiell had always told Abraxas, whether in walking or writing bluffed essays, or while flying. "What page are you on?" Dashiell's eyes showed that he wasn't at most interested in conversation, but he was open to whatever Abraxas wanted, and so gave it a chance, feeling his rough fingers intertwined in his friend's. "I'm on an open page." He said poetically with a laugh. Dashiell was quite beside himself when it came to the humour of the night. Why he'd suddenly thought to say something so flowery was beyond him. "Why are you so worried?" Abraxas hadn't yet mentioned Loki again, and this made Dashiell full of glee.

Still holding Abraxas's hand, he stood up, half-dragging Abraxas along with him. "If you want to talk, we should walk. I hate to sit still." It was true, oh so true. On a normal day, Dashiell would have had a stroke before he'd sit still in class. This night was obviously not normal, but was a traveling of sprites into unknown territory. He'd been able to hold himself in one place for a while, under some reservoir of patience and hunt, whereas now he'd gotten finicky once again.

[abraxas scorpius malfoy]

If he hadn't been the one to initiate the bare skin contact, Abraxas would probably have jumped away wondering what the hell had just happened to his nervous system. He was amazed that such an innocent touch could have such a profound effect on his entire body. It was both warm and cold, sharp and smooth, foreign and familiar. Brax didn't know if that happened all the time or if it was just Dashiell. Part of him wanted to believe that anyone he was intimate with could produce such a reaction but another part wanted it to just be Dash and another thing that only he could provide him with.

"Honestly? I have no bloody idea anymore. I was good with just friends but that... that was definitely a different page," he replied, clearly referring to Dash's previous gestures. Abraxas hoped that he wouldn't think he wanted nothing more than friends. Any chance to get closer to Dashiell would be rejected only by a fool and Brax didn't consider himself a fool. He just wondered if it was a wise move to make. He'd heard the stories of best friends that tried to have a relationship and they never seemed to end all that well. It always turned out that they loved each other like siblings and that just made it awkward. Did he see Dash as a brother? In the sense that he could talk to him about anything, yes, but that was all really. Would that make any difference?

"Worried? I'm not worried. Just... exploring a rather new territory." Was Dashiell aware that he'd never exactly been in a relationship? He'd thought he'd been interested in a girl in his second year but she'd declined. When he came to think of it, that was the closest he'd ever been to being taken. Now he was holding hands with a boy he'd known well for four years and now that he allowed himself to think of him in a different manner, he recognised that he was startlingly attractive. He'd noticed before, of course, but only now could he take more than a moment to look at him. The beautiful depth of his brown eyes were just the start of it and it would have taken Abraxas forever to detail everything he liked about Dash.

He scrambled to his feet as Dashiell stood up, careful not to let their hands fall apart. "Could we make that a walk back up to the dormitories? I'll be getting tired soon and it's far easier to get up all those stairs while awake." Though he would have liked to spend the whole night with Dashiell, Brax knew it was impractical. It would have been nice to just lay in the boathouse with Dash and head back up in the morning but it was far too cold to be sleeping outside with no real means of staying warm. There was also the added complication of where he stood with Dashiell. He would need the night's sleep to think it over and figure everything out.

[dashiell jameson peakes]

Dashiell was still possessive, but in a fashion different from previous thoughts. Indeed, his spectrum had shifted slightly. Instead of being very unstable, with time he was gaining serenity. Now he was possessive like a canine. That is — he found himself enamoured to Abraxas as an infinitely complex person who he'd been friends with for many days. He'd been trapped in the spot of a simple friendship for years, but now things were changing. It was almost as if he'd taken a potion of clarity, letting his mind finally open to the ideas and possibilities that were always there, but never truly acknowledged or humoured. Now he was blossoming out from being a great friend into being a questionable romance. After all, where had his sudden interest sprung from?

"It could be a different book altogether. You won't know this story." Dashiell said, quite more wistful than he normally was. If any professor had heard him, they'd first have tested him for some sort of spell having been cast over his free will, before congratulating him on his use of symbolism. After all, Dashiell'd just told one of the professors the last week that metaphors and other literary skills were simply... not needed and a waste of efficiency. Now that life was in a rosy shade, he could see the power that such words had on the atmosphere.

"Exploring new territory shouldn't make you so nervous. I can feel it in you. Just relax." Dashiell had always been rather intuitive, although usually this was limited to his interaction with other Quidditch players or simply noticing when one of his friends was upset. It was possible that he was just bluffing, but in his mind, Dashiell thought that he was able to see Abraxas's smaller movements, the pressure from his hand in his. Every so often the spark would come back to Dash, retelling the story of the connection. It had him wondering now, though. If caressing hands was to cause such a feeling, and laying his hand on Abraxas's thigh caused such fierce warmth to wash over Dashiell, there was of course the question, "What would any other touch cause?" It was an exciting thought that was only interrupted by Abraxas's talking. Dashiell was quite aware that Abraxas hadn't broken their hands as he'd stood, even though he could have. This was far more telling than anything words could say.

"Yes, we can walk back up to the dormitories... but we'll have to sneak back up. We don't need to be caught." It wasn't clear as to whether Dashiell didn't want to get points deducted from Gryffindor, or didn't want to be embarassed. Either situation would be uncomfortable and most likely, either both or neither would have happened. "I could always have carried you up the stairs." Dash was sure that had it been anyone else, the seven or so flights of stairs would have been hell to climb whilst carrying someone, but Abraxas... Brax would have been weightless. Despite his energy and interest in what was happening around him, Dashiell's body thought it was the perfect time to let out a yawn, as he led the conjoined couple to the boathouse door.

[abraxas scorpius malfoy]

Dashiell was being strangely poetic this evening. If it hadn't been for the fact that entire situation was strange, Abraxas might have given this a little more thought. "I'm gonna need to get a copy of that book then." When he'd come out to Dash in the showers, because that was essentially what he had done, this had been the last thing he'd been expecting to come out of it. Was there even a thing though? All Dash had done was make some sexual contact and hold his hand. Though he was no expert on relationships, Brax was pretty sure that didn't quite constitute as being together or anything on that level. It was perhaps a hint that he wanted things to head in that direction but until then, it had just been a touch, no matter how much Abraxas had liked it.

Abraxas was surprised he wasn't physically shaking. He didn't normally get so nervous about new situations but this was a step further than he was used to. He'd never done anything with anyone before, let alone a male that also happened to be his best friend. His words relaxed him slightly but not enough to completely calm him. There were still so many questions he wanted the answers to and now Dash could help him with some of them. "So when did you figure out that you're... like me?" Brax wasn't quite certain himself what he meant by 'like me'. He had been so sure of his sexuality up until his fourth year and that had to count for something, right? But was he still interested in girls? He'd been far too caught up between school and his own thoughts that he hadn't even considered that.

He nodded as Dash pointed out that they'd need to sneak back up. It sounded as if he was concerned about being caught for something other than having broken curfew and he had a feeling that it pointed towards Malfoy. He smiled at the ground as Peakes told him that he'd have carried him up the stairs. There were a lot of steps and getting up them with the added load of another person wouldn't have been easy, especially if a professor popped up and a quick getaway was required. Though he was far from fat, Brax knew he was heavy enough to slow Dash down by a considerable amount. He walked with Dash towards the door and held it open for him.