Closed Something Familiar

[Arvel Ayers]

Arvel had finally done it. He'd finally moved out. Granted, his new flat consisted of two cupboard-sized rooms and cost him two-thirds of his paycheck each month, but it was his, and most importantly it was miles away from the little shack in the woods with his parents. When he looked out of his kitchen window, he saw people instead of birds, cars instead of trees. Traffic sounds drifted up from the street below like music. It couldn't have been more ideal.

And Arvel hated it. In his eagerness to leave he had not prepared himself for the crushing loneliness of independent living. With the window shut, the noise of the street became a distant hum, and in the quiet he grew more aware of the absence of many sounds: his father closing doors a little louder than necessary; his mother shouting up the stairs to tell him dinner was ready; the rattle of keys in the wooden bowl every time someone left or returned. Oddly, he even missed his father's reproofs. What would he do, now that there was nobody to tell him to stop wasting the weekends away and look for a proper career?

His mother had told him it was the perfect opportunity to find himself and discover what he really cared about. He held onto that, replaying the memory in his mind, letting hope flutter around in his chest like a spring butterfly. But hope couldn't change the fact he'd flunked his NEWTs. Even if he found his passion, who ever would hire him to do it for money?

He got up from the beanbag on which he had been lying for the last hour and looked around the room. He had unpacked the essentials but very little else. No amount of decorating was going to make this flat feel like his home, so he wasn't in any hurry to start. Instead, he pulled on a faded red jacket and left the building, descending the front steps to the street. Brightstone was only a short bus ride away, if you knew where to get off - and Arvel did. From there he walked the rest of the way into the village. It was a pleasant day, though clouds crowding in from the west suggested it wouldn't be for long. He picked up the pace and soon arrived at his destination: a dark oak door. Before he could give himself time to chicken out, he knocked.

 

[Onyx Derouin]

Dont be such a wimp, Onyx. You've kissed. You've gone out. Just go over. Onyx had been debating with himself all morning. He had honestly thought that once things really got going with Jamie, things would be better. And in some ways, it was. He had somewhere he could go, someone he trusted and wanted to be with. But romance just... Hadn't been the magical cure all he'd thought it would be. He'd been feeling low all day, and he just couldn't make himself go to Marsielle.

It was stupid, really, but in the end he'd decided to try and handle this alone. Again. Jamie wouldn't want to see Onyx so down like this, he was sure. Onyx didn't want to just be some constant source of drama and despair, he wanted Jamie to want him and miss him and be happy when Onyx was around. Popping in whenever he felt lonely and sad wasn't going to win him any favors.

So, instead of going out, he had stayed home alone. Lost in his mood, he'd dug out dozens of candles, turned up the sad songs, and had been dancing in the candelight to the music of his radio. It had helped a little, but he wanted something more. Well... Someone, but that wasn't an option. He'd thought finding someone to love would have helped his loneliness, not intensified it into a fierce longing. He buried it, going out front and hijacking a bottle of wine.

That was when he heard the door. He hesitated, before going to open it. "Oh, hi. You're... Sapphire's friend."

 

[Arvel Ayers]

For some reason, Arvel hadn't expected to see Onyx. It made sense, really. He and Sapphire lived together. But he'd thought so infrequently of the Gryffindor since their graduation that to see his face now was a surprise. With some curiosity Arvel noted that the sight of him no longer elicited a shameful twist in his stomach. Perhaps it was the passage of time soothing old wounds, or perhaps his empathy toward Onyx now simply overpowered his ego, but any petty resentment he had once harboured for him was completely gone.

"Yes," he replied curtly. His softened feelings had had no effect on his manner of speaking. "Is she in?"

 

[Onyx Derouin]

Onyx smiled a little, pleased he'd been right. "Oh, its just me right now actually." He told Arvel, showing him the bottle of wine without thinking. "I'm just hanging out in my room, would you like to come in? I have wine," He offered, stepping back and gesturing for the guy to come in.

 

[Arvel Ayers]

Arvel took a step back, preparing to leave. Then he frowned. It didn't sound like a joke, yet Arvel couldn't think of a single serious reason Onyx would invite him inside for a drink. "OK," he said after a moment, having decided it was a risk worth taking. He flattened his back to the doorframe as he passed Onyx. "Do you want me to take off my shoes?"

 

[Onyx Derouin]

Onyx smiled a little. Company was always welcome. He didn't really remember who this was, but he was cute, and he seemed nice. Onyx could use more friends. He shrugged. "I don't really mind. Um, I'm Onyx, by the way. I... Can't recall if we've met, " he admitted with a sheepish smile.

 

[Arvel Ayers]

Arvel stared. Had they really never spoken to one another? It occurred to him suddenly that everything he knew about Onyx had been imparted to him by Sapphire, and though he was quite familiar with what the boy had gone through, Onyx knew nothing about him. "We have," he said. "You were rude to me once at Halloween." Perhaps he wasn't completely over it. Indeed, he quite clearly recalled the way Onyx had dismissed his presence, crushing him with the validation of something he had already suspected: nobody actually enjoyed his company. But Onyx was inviting him inside now. Was that because Arvel was worth his time? Or was he just so desperately lonely that even Arvel would do?

He took off his shoes. "I can hear music."

 

[Onyx Derouin]

Onyxs smile faded as Arvel said he'd been rude. "What? I'm sorry," he apologized sheepishly. He smiled a little as Arvel took off his shoes. "Yeah, it's just me right now. Come on," he motioned for Arvel to follow him down the hall, humming and knocking the door open to his candlelit room. "I've just been drinking wine and dancing. I can turn the lights back up though and we can sit and talk," he offered with a friendly smile.

 

[Arvel Ayers]

Arvel followed Onyx through the house, saying nothing. When they came to a candlelit bedroom he broke his short silence. "Must we?" Onyx seemed perfectly nice, but Arvel couldn't imagine what the two of them had to talk about. No doubt he would resort to asking something insensitive simply to fill the awkward lulls.

 

[Onyx Derouin]

Onyx chuckled, opening his wine and taking a drink. He offered the bottle to Arvel. "Well. We could talk, or we could dance." He offered, smiling. His mind automatically jumped back to dancing with Jamie but he tried to ignore that. "I'm not as fun as my sister, but I'm cute, I can keep you company until she gets back. She's due back soon anyway," he shrugged.

 

[Arvel Ayers]

Arvel accepted the bottle and took a swig. He was not impressed by his first taste of wine, but that didn't stop him having a second swig before he handed the bottle back. "I don't dance." Having no interest in being persuaded otherwise, Arvel went to Onyx's bed and sat down. He gazed at the flickering candle, and as his eyes relaxed, so did his better judgement. "Why did you invite me inside?" he asked suddenly. "Do you really want me here? You never seemed to like me."

 

[Onyx Derouin]

Onyx moved to sit on his couch, giving Arvel a bit of space. "That's alright," he reassured, crossing his ankles. He blinked at the mans question, considering his answer. "I... Don't remember," he answered slowly. "I don't remember not liking you. I remember seeing you around and with Sapphire, and thinking you were cute for a bit, but I don't remember ever disliking you." Onyx shrugged. "I invited you in because you're Sapphires friend and I'd like to know you. " he replied easily, giving him a friendly grin.

 

[Arvel Ayers]

Arvel flushed, but he was too annoyed to be flattered. If Onyx really felt that way, why hadn't he said so? For years the Gryffindor had let Arvel believe he disliked him. Well - perhaps there was a bit of projection on Arvel's behalf, and, in retrospect, Onyx had had no way of knowing how Arvel had felt. Still, he felt Onyx should have said something, no matter how unreasonable this expectation. "Have you got anything else to drink?" he asked.

 

[Onyx Derouin]

Onyx, not sensing anything wrong in the slightest, shrugged at Arvels' question. "Water, juice, pop. I just felt like wine. I can get you something else if you'd like?" he offered, giving the other man a friendly smile. He moved over closer to Arvel, gently reaching for the wine in hopes of getting a sip.

 

[Arvel Ayers]

"I meant something alcoholic," Arvel said, offering the bottle back. He pulled his legs up onto the bed and crossed them under him. "Just not wine. But it's fine, I don't need anything." That was a lie, but Arvel already felt he was imposing on Onyx's kindness without making additional requests.

 

[Onyx Derouin]

Onyx coulda smacked his head. "Ohhhh, of course, I have some, ah, here," Onyx leaned over the side of the bed, pulling out a small bottle of whiskey from under the bed. He sat up, hair falling in his eyes a little. He brushed it back, smiling impishly. "Here, is whiskey better?" Onyx had gone for the wine, it took longer to get to his head than the whiskey did. He offered the bottle out to Arvel with a smile.

 

[Arvel Ayers]

"Thanks," Arvel said as he took the whiskey. This he was more familiar with. His dad usually kept a bottle of the very same sort under the stairs. He sipped it slowly, appreciating the warm burn in his chest. "I don't dislike you, either," he said after a moment. "In case you hadn't noticed, I'm not very good at making friends." All the ones he had seemed to leave him. Well, Analei hadn't left him, as such, but sometimes it felt as if she had left him behind. And Sapphire he figured was only a matter of time. "Do you like living here?"

 

[Onyx Derouin]

Onyx chuckled softly. "I'm glad you don't dislike me," he smiled at Arvel, taking another swig of wine. "I'm not good at making friends either, it's okay," he reassured the other boy. Ever since Isla's betrayal, Onyx had struggled really letting in anyone. He was still worried things with Jamie were just a good dream he was going to wake up from. He tried to push aside his worries as Arvel spoke. "It's alright, I like my room. I'm thinking of moving out on my own, though," he admitted, sipping his wine again. "Do you live on your own?" he asked, curious.

 

[Arvel Ayers]

Arvel found that a little difficult to believe. Onyx was charismatic, and attractive, and brave. If he had trouble making friends, Arvel was screwed. "Don't," he said. "It's not as fun as you think it will be." He thumbed a speck of dust from the neck of the bottle. "I moved into my own flat last week. It's cold, it's quiet, and I hate it. I'd be just as comfortable living in a cave, and I wouldn't have to pay."

 

[Onyx Derouin]

Onyx thought over what Arvel said, sipping his wine some more. "Have you thought about a pet?" he asked, "Like a cat, maybe, they're really independent, or a dog, they're really cuddly, then it wouldn't be so quiet. Have you decorated at all?" He asked, thinking of ways to help. "I can help you decorate if you want."