Mikael was not a fan of balls and dances and parties. Somehow, in the last few months, however, he kept finding himself in these things. He blames Eurydice and Elio. He swears the two have been conspiring ever since they both started attending the school. His peaceful Hogwarts life had been over the moment they stepped through the doors of the castle. And yet, he couldn't find it in himself to be truly frustrated or irritated as he stood in the hallway outside of the Gryffindor Common Room. It was hard to be when he was waiting to head to a school dance with his boyfriend. He had finally had enough of the Gryffindor's nonsense during the holidays and their small argument had somehow ended in a kiss. They'd not told anyone yet, or at least Mikael hadn't told anyone yet. He wasn't quite sure how his parents were going to take it, but he knew that he wasn't really going to let that affect his decision to be with Elio. He just didn't want to have to share Elio with anyone yet. So he'd been a little discreet aside from walking Elio to his classes or waiting for him outside of them. Tonight would probably change that, though, because this was most definitely a date. Now, he just needed to wait for his boyfriend to come out of the Common Room.
It's not that Elio doesn't want to go to the dance, it's not even that he doesn't want to go to the dance with Mikael (because he absolutely does) but he doesn't want to go to the dance with Mikael after being told to go, rather than Mikael actually asking him. After their kiss over the holidays, Elio still isn't sure how he feels about the whole situation and he can tell that Mikael seems to have his whole life figured out - yet Elio hasn't even told anyone. Again, not because he doesn't want to, but more because he's not entirely sure what he's telling people. Are they a couple, or are they not? Is this just exploratory for Kael? He's never thought Kael has any interest in him before and actually he thought for ages that Kael hated him even though he might have considered the cynical git to be his best friend before anything else so this really should be easy... and yet it's not.
Elio looks at himself in the mirror and nods, "see you take me out in this you big jerk," he says to himself in the mirror as he pulls the colourful jumper over his head. When Kael can act properly instead of demanding things maybe this conversation will be different, and besides, he still isn't entirely sure what their relationship is so he's not about to make things easier on him. He still refers to him as the headache, so Elio is going to happily be a headache. He heads out of the common room and grins as he sees Mikael. "Are you going to a funeral?"
Mikael didn't know what he'd been expecting Elio to be wearing for their first ball as a couple, but he was pretty sure it was not whatever Elio was currently wearing as he stepped out of the Common Room. He could feel a headache coming on. He knew Elio had clothes fit for events such as these, considering he was dressed well during the Yule Ball. And the Nightray Ball. So why he'd chosen now of all times to come in his pajamas, Mikael had zero idea. Or maybe he'd decided against going and just hadn't seen fit to tell Mikael until now. The Slytherin didn't know how to feel about that. Then again, he supposed this was par for the course, considering his boyfriend just relished in making his life difficult. "I thought I was going to a dance," though he supposed half the time they felt like attending funerals anyway. This one, he wouldn't admit it, but he'd actually been looking forward to attending just a little. "I take it you changed your mind about attending," he said as he looked at his boyfriend, which was a shame but he wasn't going to let his disappointment show. He supposed he could still go and terrorize the Gryffindor who had the audacity to ask his sister to the dance.
If he didn't know any better, he might think that Mikael looks disappointed, but that doesn't make any sense. "We are going to a dance, that's what you said, isn't it?" he's a little salty that he wasn't asked if he wants to go, but he also doesn't really want to argue the point since they are together now, so they might as well go. He doesn't want to drag the night on and Kael considers him a headache anyway. Sometimes he's not even sure who kissed who at this point, but it doesn't really matter he thinks because it won't be relevent, unless someone asks him who made the first move, but he doesn't think that is very relevant either, so it doesn't hardly matter. "Do you want to go, or shall we stand here all night?" Sometimes he really can't tell what Kael even wants from him, and he makes things so difficult. He doesn't know why he can't just come out and say what he's thinking because then Elio doesn't have to guess and repeatedly get it wrong. Not that he's any better actually, since he does the exact same thing.
Mikael’s eyes narrowed as Elio confirmed that they are going to the dance. Apparently while Elio was in his pajamas. He sighed, this was what he got, he supposed, for liking such a headache-inducing person. And why is he even saying it like Mikael was forcing him to go. Mikael asked him nicely. And Elio had agreed. He wondered if the Gryffindor in front of him would ever cease to be confusing. Probably not. But that was fine he supposed. Elio wouldn’t be Elio if he wasn’t trying to throw Kael straight into an aneurysm every now and then. “We’re going,” he said brusquely as he moves away from the wall and starts walking towards the Great Hall, grabbing Elio’s hand as he does.
Mikael walks in silence, Elio’s hand in his the whole way from the Gryffindor Common Room to the Great Hall. He thinks it will be an interesting night at least. Or well at least until chaos started erupting just as he and Elio walked through the doors. Chaos that involved apparently someone proposing and getting rejected. Idiots. He sighed. “Punch?” He couldn’t be blamed for moving away from this, could he? He stares at the scene and shakes his head only to find a kissing booth. Was it too late to leave?
As Mikael grabs his hand, Elio entwines their fingers together as he's tugged along the corridors and down to the great hall. He's not sure why Kael insisted on coming all the way up to grab him when they could have met at the great hall, since it would have meant that he had to go up and down the stairs twice when he didn't need to. He's been doing it since they got back from the holiday and he can only assume it comes with the territory of somewhat being in a relationship with him. Not that he understands it very much, because up until this point they'd spent almost no real time together... well, not really. Thinking about it lately he realised they spent a lot more time together than he thought, just most of it was with other people. Perhaps that is why it had taken them until the Nightray ball to do anything about whatever it was between them.
As they step into the hall he looks around at everyone there, making a face at the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain and his boyfriend who... oh boy... that didn't look like it was going his way. Clearly the poor Captain was taking a lot of losses this year - something in Elio hopes their relationship can survive something like that, but another more dramatic part of him also kind of hopes it doesn't, because he doesn't like more of the Gryffindors anyway. Not that he knows Raawhiti very well actually, but he does know Bailey, and by extension Veronica and so he's not pleased about her being passed over for the team by a second year and he doesn't even really care about Quidditch anyway. He doesn't even really watch it because he thinks it's kind of a silly game despite both Ai and his mother playing and half of Mikael's cousins too. Also Taylor. So many Quidditch players. He turns back to look at Kael as he asks if he wants punch and shakes his head. "No, I'm sort of enjoying watching sh*t go down actually. I don't like Raawhiti very much."
Apparently it was too late to leave because Mikael’s boyfriend was also a gossiper and he was pretty sure was also a busybody. He wasn’t particularly invested in the sufferings of the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain and he was pretty sure the other boy is a Ravenclaw. Such an unnecessary spectacle and to make a fool of one’s self too. He supposed he can’t blame the Ravenclaw for having brains. Mikael raises an eyebrow at his boyfriend getting enjoyment from this. “Making enemies in your house. In your first year,” he supposed it wasn’t all that surprising. Elio tended to get into all sorts of things. Not that Mikael could talk. He doesn’t like a lot of people.
"I don't just have enemies in my house," although he's not sure enemies is the right term. "I have some in yours too," he says, thinking about everything that went down with Snow and Cassius before she had transferred out, or at least he assumes that's what happened, since he hasn't seen her back. He doesn't know if Cassius knows it was him or not, and he's really not game to find out, maybe he should tell Kael about it, but it was before the break, so... he doesn't want it to cause any problems between them, but he should probably say something right?
"Do you remember Snow... she was dating Cassius Styx, who's in my year," he says casually. It doesn't mean anything because he doesn't even like Snow in that way, he just likes the kissing thing, like what happened with Bailey. It was all before Kael anyway, but... he's never sure how the Slytherin will take things. "They broke up because he saw her kissing some guy..." he says, trying to get a good read on Mikael before he continues.
Mikael’s eyes narrow as Elio admits to having enemies in Slytherin. And he was pretty sure he didn’t hear that right because why and how is his boyfriend ending up making enemies in Slytherin. There weren’t even many Slytherin upper years to make enemies with and he somehow doubts Elio’s enemies are Eurydice’s age. He gives a small nod at the mention of Snowdrop. Mikael was familiar with her, would even consider her an acquaintance if she hadn’t just upped and left the school without notice. Cassius he was more familiar with since the older boy is a Slytherin prefect. Mikael did not like where this was going. Of course he’d heard about that breakup. It was hard not to really when everyone knew about them. No one knew though who Cassius had seen. No one except for apparently his boyfriend. Who was apparently the culprit. He looked away, jaw clenched at that new information. He was not going to say anything about it. He just had to remind himself that he and Elio weren’t together at the time. “Okay.”
He doesn't like the way Kael has sort of just... one worded him. He doesn't like it when Kael does this, not that this is a common occurrence since their whole relationship is very new. "Please don't do that, I'm telling you so you hear it from me before you hear it from anyone else," though he hopes he doesn't hear it from anyone else because otherwise that will mean that he might be hearing it from Cassius, or maybe Cassius might hear it from someone else too and he doesn't want to spend the rest of his school days looking over his shoulder to make sure the Styx boy isn't trying to throw him out of a window or something. "I honestly didn't think anything of it at the time, you know I just like the affection, but it was before you, I swear, I don't have any intentions of kissing anyone else."
Mikael did not dare to look at Elio as he tried to process this new information. He didn’t want to explode on the Gryffindor for something that - he is reminding himself - happened before they even got together. It was hard though. To know that he had been … affectionate … with other girls in the last semester. Mere weeks before they got together. “I know,” he says, squeezing the Gryffindor’s hand in his. They were fine. He was fine. What’s important was there was no one else but him now. That he wasn’t going to suddenly be fighting some other person for Elio’s attention because he didn’t know if he would want to even fight should Elio decide he’d want other’s affections. Mikael knew he wasn’t affectionate. Possessive - yes. Protective - maybe. Obsessive - some would say. Affectionate - he doubts anyone would agree. He was trying - only because it was Elio - but figuring out what he’s supposed to do and say as a boyfriend was difficult. “It’s fine. We’re fine.” He most certainly didn’t feel fine about it but they were going to be because he wanted them to be.
Elio doesn't like the look on Kael's face. Honestly he feels like cr@p for having said anything at all, but he didn't want to lie either. It meant nothing then and it means nothing now, but he can sort of understand why Kael might be upset about it. Things have happened really fast between them and maybe Kael just doesn't feel secure in their relationship. Not that Elio really understands their relationship himself, it had all sort of happened so fast. Some days he keeps expecting Kael to turn around and realise Elio is not what he wants, and he wants to be prepared for when it inevitably happens. Still, until then, he can at least try to make things better. "Hey," he says, reaching his free hand that's not in Kael's up to his face and stroking his cheek. "I mean it," he says, the thumb on Kael's cheek letting him know Elio wants to kiss him and giving him the chance to say no before he leans in and presses his lips to Kael's.
Hinata had not been planning to attend the Valentine’s Dance since she’d been planning to study for her OWLs instead. But a combination of nudging from Eurydice and her own dad had her deciding to just go. Well, she would mostly be going to assure her dad that she did not drown in schoolwork. Though it would be cute to see Eury with her date even if she was pretty sure Kael was not happy about the whole thing. What she did not expect to see was Kael and Elio in the dance. Together. Together-together. They were standing together and holding hands and OHMYGOD they were kissing! That made her blush. She was trying very hard to not squeal and cheer for her cousin and friend so she just kind of backed away, grinning like a loon. She was definitely going to be teasing Kael about this later on.
It wasn’t easy to focus on the fact that he and Elio weren’t together when Elio had apparently been affectionate with Snowdrop. Mostly because he knew she wasn’t the only one he had been kissing in the last semester. But Mikael was used to shoving his emotions down into a neat little box to be dealt with at a later time. And he would deal with it. Maybe. Just not here and not now. He finally turns his head to look at Elio as he calls his attention, he didn’t know what expression he had on his face but he had been trying to school it into neutrality and not reflect the roiling inside of him. He likes to think no one would notice. “I know,” he repeats solemnly, as he subtly leans into the touch, his gaze remaining on his boyfriend. He didn’t know what other assurance he could offer that they were fine, but Mikael would make sure that they were. His eyes close as Elio’s lips meet his and he relaxes - not even noticing how tense he had become. He kisses him gently. Sweetly. And then he pulls away - mostly because he didn’t want Elio to get in trouble tonight. So he just leans in, his forehead against Elio’s. “We’re okay,” he whispers.
Elio believes him and he sighs a little as Kael presses his forehead against Elio's. He doesn't like that he's made Kael feel like there's something not quite right, he hates to think that Kael might leave the dance wondering. Nothing else has happened since the night of the Nightray ball, but maybe that doesn't matter, Kael knows what Elio has done in the past, and the fact he was found in that storeroom with Bailey, but it's not like he has dated either of them. It would be silly to think there could be anything else. Not whilst he is with Kael, he's fully committed, he doesn't believe in cheating, despite what his mother might have been doing when he was born, he doesn't agree with it. In his mother's defence of course she was young, but he doesn't know if he considers that a good excuse or not. It's certainly not a good enough one for him, since he's young and he doesn't have any intentions of kissing anyone other than Kael now. "Good, because I plan on coming back to this dance next year too, and it would be a shame if it wasn't with you."
Kael would have happily stayed like this with Elio if he were allowed, stealing kisses and just enjoying his company. They didn’t have that much time to spend with one another since Kael was still an OWLs student and Elio was an overachiever taking every possible class he could. So this was appreciated. Now, if only they weren’t in such a crowded place it would be all the better. But they were in a dance - a dance that apparently his boyfriend was hoping to be a recurring thing. “I would be quite cross if you’d decided to attend with another next year,” he says completely deadpan before pulling away and turning to look at the spectacle the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain had made. Mikael was over it. “Dance with me,” he says gesturing towards the spot in the dance floor with barely any people.
He laughs as Kael mentions he would be cross if he attends the dance with anyone else. "Well, what are you going to do when I graduate?" He asks curiously, because he can't see Mikael attending on his own. Maybe he won't come at all and that kind of makes Elio sad, because how is he supposed to go to his last dance alone? But he can't not go because it would be the last one, and Elio wants Mikael to enjoy his last year, everyone should enjoy their last year. Elio is certainly going to, so now thinking about how he's graduating next year, he's worried about what he's going to do for the year he and Mikael will be apart. Is he just supposed to go and work and pretend like his boyfriend is not still in school? How does that even work? Will he have to live at home with his mum and Bryce, or should he go and find an apartment or a house or something on his own? Does he even want to stay in New Zealand? Does he want to move to London? He doesn't know because up until this moment he has not thought about it, because he thought he had a lot of more time, but the year is fast approaching it's end and in only seven months, he will be a seventh year. It doesn't seem like enough time.
Hinata may or may not be discreetly watching her cousins and their respective dates while she snacks on the finger foods. Her cousins were quite cute.
That was a weird question to ask but Mikael answered anyway. “Take my NEWTs. Help Hinata with hers,” he started as he stepped away a little and begun to tug along his boyfriend towards the spot in the dance floor he’d gestured to. He supposed the NEWTs alone would take quite a chunk of his time. But he’s not worried about his NEWTs - not really. He certainly wouldn’t need them for his career choice. But that last year would be crucial because he would be getting ready to challenge some of the heirs to secure his own position. He hadn’t told his parents yet but he’d been exchanging letters to Felicita for a while. More urgently now to make adjustments to the initial plans he’d had. His final year at Hogwarts would be quite busy indeed. “And maybe terrorize a Gryffindor named William,” he glares as he catches sight of his sister and her date. The word disgusted him even just thinking it and he’s contemplating the pros and cons of cutting in and disrupting that.
Elio doesn't really know what to say about any of this if he's honest. How is Mikael so calm about it. He doesn't even know what he wants to do when he's graduated, but maybe Mikael just wants to take over from his father with some aspect of the Nightray business, well, that would make sense, Elio doesn't have anything like that to take over from his mother. She travels a lot for work, that's true and the only real reason he has anywhere he calls home now is because his mum moved in with Bryce, but that's sort of not all it is either. At least he will be here when Rhys starts so that's nice, but not Luca and Nova. He misses them a lot actually, but he will be able to see them more once he graduates because... well actually, what if he doesn't stay in New Zealand, what if he moves away, how will he see his siblings then?
He barely registers that Mikael has moved them to the dance floor, but wraps his hands around Kael's waist so that they can dance as his mind swirls with the possibilities. He doesn't really know what to do at all and all he can think of is that he has no plans, or too many plans and not enough understanding of what he wants those plans to be. He's thought about what it would be like to be an auror before when he spoke to Hinata, but now he thinks his plans might have changed, he wants to understand things, but he's not sure he understands what he wants to understand and without that how is he supposed to make more plans.
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Out of Character: 
