Closing In, Closer to You

[Harley Tsuji]

It occurred to Harley, as she scratched her initials into an old, beaten up desk, that even a year ago it would be unthinkable to her that she would be used to this. Sitting around in a classroom, waiting for Odette. It was rapidly becoming part of her routine though, slipping away from her friends to meet up with someone she could no longer reasonably call her worst enemy. Neither of them had said the word girlfriend yet, it felt.... strange, to apply a label to the time they spent together, stranger still to apply that label to whatever was between them, but whatever it was, Harley didn't want it to stop any time soon.

Harley was actually a little nervous about their meeting today though. She hadn't seen Odette in private since the rose deliveries, and the rose she had sent to Odette could only be described as a gamble. She had intended it as... something of a joke, as well as an apology for the stupid rose in first year, with a hint of genuine sentiment behind it as well. It was difficult to know how the other girl would interpret it though, and Harley did her best to distract herself from those troubling thoughts as she scraped away at the wood of the desk she was leaning on, waiting for her... something to join her.

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette felt strange as she headed to the abandoned classroom she and Harley had kissed in. Not only had she never really paid much attention to the empty, dusty parts of Hogwarts some of the more adventurous kids liked to explore, she had never thought she would be using it as a meeting place for Harley Tsuji of all people. Even though they had met up a few times now, it still felt new and fragile each time. Neither girl seemed able to admit anything was actually happening in words, at least, Odette didn't. She was lucky to have no friends anymore, she thought wryly as she headed into the classroom. At least she had no one to make excuses to when she slipped away. She could only wonder what Harley told her little group. Hopefully, not the truth.

Seeing Harley made her heart speed up as it usually did. At Valentine's, the blue-haired girl had sent her a rose. A red rose. At first, it had made Odette's heart sink. As she read the note, her eyes had darted to the name underneath it immediately. Had Harley misunderstood what they had? Had she? Kissing a few times didn't warrant a red rose, she thought. But as soon as she had read the message, she had understood. It wasn't a real red rose, it was a joke. A nice joke, a callback to a time when a similar rose had been used for a not-so-nice joke. "What did that poor desk ever do to you?" She asked as she noticed what the girl was doing. "Do you really have to mark your territory everywhere you go?" The smirk that came to her face easily had a softer quality to it than usual. It was more of a smile, really. A smile leveled at the girl she had once hated with a passion. The girl that just made her feel confused now. "Hi." She added, feeling somewhat lame.

 

[Harley Tsuji]

It still felt strange to Harley, feeling her heart lighten as soon as she heard Odette's voice. These moments between them were so new and uncertain, but something about being with Odette like this, just the two of them, made Harley feel alive and excited and at peace all at the same time. She laughed softly at Odette's comments, abandoning the carving project. "Hey, I'm an artist." She teased. "Making my mark is kinda, the whole thing of it." Grinning, she approached the other girl, the softness in Odette's smile warming her heart. "Hey." She said happily, then her grin slipped a little, nervous despite Odette's greeting, which she assumed would have been very different if the message had been taken negatively. "Did, uh, did you get my rose?" She asked, trying and failing not to let her nerves show.

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette rolled her eyes fondly at Harley's first comment. Before, she would have made some sort of comment about how the girl wasn't an artist, rather a vandal, but it wasn't true. Even if she sometimes did things that weren't allowed, her art was actually pretty nice. "Fine, I'll accept that excuse." She said with a small smile. She reached out a hand to brush some of Harley's blue hair back from her shoulder. The color still fascinated her, she wondered if Harley would change it again soon. Harley's question made her smile though she also averted her gaze. "Yeah, it was super cheesy." She said, though she didn't sound annoyed about it. "Though I definitely liked this one better than the last," she admitted. Hopefully, Harley didn't mind that Odette hadn't sent her one. The rose Harley had sent had mostly been a joke, anyway. It wasn't like they were confessing anything to each other through this silly delivery system. "I kept it, though." She said, shrugging as if she didn't really care.

 

[Harley Tsuji]

Meeting Odette's eyes, Harley couldn't help but grin at the other girl's reaction. Under old circumstances Odette rolling her eyes would have had Harley up in arms, but everything felt so different between them, but somehow still so natural. "Good, because art is my excuse for everything." She grinned, unconsciously leaning into the hand brushing through her hair. It felt good, to be so close to someone, feel so comfortable with casual touch. That person being Odette was strange at times, but the experience was so nice... Head tilted slightly, Harley smiled warmly as Odette talked about the rose, relieved to hear that it had been taken as intended. "Well, that's good. I thought this would be more to your taste than the rose in first year." Harley couldn't quite help the grin she broke into when Odette said she kept the rose. "Cool." She beamed, hesitating a moment before reaching out and taking the other girl's hand.

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette's lips quirked into a smile, glad the girl didn't seem to mind her playing with her blue hair. She pressed her lips to hers briefly before pulling back. "Is this art too, then?" She joked, though she really had just been looking for an excuse to start kissing Harley again. She always felt strange if they talked for too long, it was too intimate. Harley took her hand, then squeezed it briefly. "I hope you don't mind that I didn't send you one. Roses aren't really my style." She remembered she had once sent them to friends, or really, people she wanted to like her so she could use them later. "Well, they aren't anymore." She shrugged. "So... how are things?" It was a little awkward, but she really had no idea what was really going on in Harley's life. She wondered if they would run into each other during the holidays, she sort of hoped so. She still wasn't sure how she was going to survive living alone with her mother again.

 

[Harley Tsuji]

Harley hadn't been expecting a kiss from Odette so quickly but she returned the gesture, kissing the other girl back softly. Odette's comment made Harley laugh and she nodded. "Performance art." She commented, grinning, and gave Odette another quick kiss. When she thought about it, Harley had to suppose that her banter with Odette had always felt this easy and comfortable, it was only the antagonism between them that had changed. She had always felt comfortable around Odette, and things were... no different, really. She shook her head quickly, smiling. "I wasn't expecting a rose from you, I... figured if anything I was being kinda weird by sending one." She laughed awkwardly. "I almost didn't, but... I dunno, it was funny in my head." Harley smiled, running her thumb lightly along the back of Odette's hand.

She was a little surprised when Odette asked how things were - small talk wasn't usually their style, but the idea of just having normal conversations was... actually pretty appealing, and... given the amount of things going on in her life right now, Harley didn't really have anyone else she could talk to. "Well, I dunno. Kind of weird actually..." Harley paused, thinking. "I think Hayley's avoiding me, or something. She's been weird around me lately." Harley knew exactly why Hayley had been strange, but she didn't want to tell Odette that Hayley knew what was going on between them. Harley's best friend was still a sore subject, and the more she could keep her out of things with Odette, the better, Harley had decided. "And uh, Rory was in hospital wing the other day. She and Rose got attacked by this like, creature thing that was hiding in the school. She's pretty messed up about it." Harley paused, feeling awkward now that she had actually said how things were. "Uh, how... are things for you?" She asked, not really wanting to think about her own life anymore.

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette felt a strange feeling in her chest as the other girl joked with her and kissed her again. It wasn't entirely pleasant, part of it anxiety. This was too good. Too nice. Harley wasn't supposed to be this to her, and she had a feeling the universe was going to punish her for this sooner or later. She should try to keep her distance, at least emotionally, so she wouldn't be hurt when this ended. Despite knowing this, she couldn't help smiling at the girl. "It was funny." She agreed, nodding. "Thank you."

The small talk felt awkward, and Odette couldn't stop fidgeting with her bracelets even as they chatted. She felt uncomfortable hearing about Hayley, especially since the last time they talked about her it had turned into a fight. "It's weird." She said, remembering something related. "I actually noticed the other day that I hardly ever see her anymore. She's always out of the dorm before I even have my shoes on." Odette hadn't thought too much of it, the two had never been friends. She had honestly been glad to see even less of Hayley. Her eyebrows raised when Harley told her about Rory and Rose. "What, really?" She asked, frowning. "What sort of creature? I mean, is she hurt?" Odette didn't care about Rory, definitely not, but her mind flashed back to first year. When, for a short time, it had felt like they could have been friends. Until Rory firmly chose for Harley's side instead of hers. Odette wondered what Rory would think if she knew about this, assuming she didn't. "Did you tell them about me?" She assumed not, but suddenly had to ask. At Harley's question she shrugged and turned inward slightly. Things weren't good, talking to the counsellor was making that more and more clear to her. "They're... fine." She muttered, knowing that Harley likely wasn't fooled. She just hoped the girl wouldn't pry too much.

 

[Harley Tsuji]

Harley smiled warmly, relieved that Odette had enjoyed the rose, and gotten the joke. "You're very welcome." She said happily, brushing a lock of hair out of the other girl's face idly. It was nice to... talk and be close to Odette without the hostility, with... gentleness between them, instead of fury. Talking about Hayley was... stressful though, and she nodded. "I... suppose I'm not surprised." Harley said hesitantly, choosing her words carefully. "I think the... revolution stuff has been stressful for her. She's probably just trying to avoid conflict. Or... people in general, I suppose." Truth be told, it hurt Harley that her best friend seemed so unsettled by her choice of partner, it hurt a lot, but whatever this was wasn't about Hayley. It was about Harley, and Odette, and whatever this new phase in the back and forth they had shared for almost a decade was. It was a relief to talk about Rory's encounter instead, and Harley nodded quickly. "Really. It was a boggart, like, those fear eating things. Apparently it dug up some really messy stuff from Rory. We're all really worried about her." Seeing Rory in hospital wing, looking as pale and worn as she had had been nothing short of horrifying, and Harley struggled to get the sight out of her mind. Before she could dwell on it too long though, Odette asked the question Harley had been hoping to avoid, and she shrugged awkwardly. "I haven't told Rory and Rose." She said quickly, hoping that Odette wouldn't ask about Hayley. "They're dealing with enough right now. Even if we were like, telling a bunch of people this probably wouldn't be a great time for them."

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette didn't want to like Harley's smile as much as she did, but she couldn't help smiling back at her. She had to force herself not to flinch as Harley brushed some hair out of her face, and she was sure Harley noticed her tensing. Even though Odette wanted to scoff at the mention of Hayley's 'revolution', she held it in. Last time she had said anything negative about Hayley, they had argued. "I'll stay out of her way." She said with a small shrug. Hearing that the creature was a boggart was somewhat a relief. As far as she knew, they didn't physically hurt people. But she did remember the encounter during Defence Against the Dark Arts last year very vividly. It had been humiliating to see the thing turn into her mother right there in the classroom. She hoped Harley didn't remember it. "I hope she gets better." She said with a small sigh, but even to her own ears they felt like meaningless words. Rory wasn't her friend, and if Rory knew Odette had heard about this she would probably be mortified. Harley's next words made alarm bells go off in her mind. The specific wording of 'Rory and Rose' told her everything Harley wasn't saying. She tensed up, taking a small step back. "You told Hayley." She said, not bothering to turn it into a question as she knew it to be true. "The one person in your friend group I actually see on a daily basis, and you told her without consulting me at all." She felt her anger rise in her, felt the signs she had talked to Maria about. But she didn't want to ruin this with anger. Maybe Harley had a good reason. Maybe... maybe it wasn't the end of the world. She took a deep breath, unclenching her fists. "Why?" She asked, straining to keep any emotion out of her voice.

 

[Harley Tsuji]

It surprised Harley a little, to see Odette uncomfortable at her touch, but she withdrew her hand a little awkwardly, not wanting to do anything to actually upset the other girl. She was relieved to hear Odette say she would avoid Hayley, smiling quickly. "Thanks." She said softly. It seemed a distant goal, but maybe one day, Odette and Hayley could even be freiends. Maybe, if Odette showed other people the side of herself she was showing Harley... Harley nodded in response to Odette's comment about Rory. "Thanks..." She said a little awkwardly. "It's scary. I didn't think stuff like that could happen in the school. We're supposed to be safe here..."

Harley knew that her phrasing about which friends she hadn't told anything wasn't especially subtle, but it still startled her a little when Odette outright said exactly what Harley had been avoiding. She had known Odette wouldn't be happy about Hayley knowing, but she seemed far more furious than Harley had expected. "I'm sorry!" She said quickly, throwing her hands up in an awkward gesture. "I... look, after we first kissed I kind of freaked out, I didn't know what to do, I was like... damn, this is Odette, look at the history we have, I can't just want to kiss her, I was freaking out. I needed to talk to someone, and Hayley's my best friend. She was... kind of mad at first, but once she got over that she was actually really cool about it. She's fine with it, I promise..." Harley hesitated. "I think she thinks it's weird, but she's not, like, gonna make a big fight about it or anything. She just doesn't get it."

 

[Odette Madison]

Odette nearly rolled her eyes at the surprised expression on Harley's face. Did she really think Odette wouldn't figure out her real meaning? If she had wanted to avoid that Odette knew she had told Hayley, she should have just lied. She sighed deeply as she listened to Harley's explanation, crossing her arms in front of it. "Fine, It's okay. I get it." She'd had the same impulse, to talk to someone. The only difference was that Odette didn't have anyone to talk to. "At least this could explain why I felt like she had been avoiding me lately." She raised her eyebrows slightly. "Is she fine with it?" Hayley's feelings about them together hardly mattered to Odette, but she knew Harley would care. "Do you... mind that she doesn't get it?" She asked carefully, wondering if she should prepare herself for the end of whatever was between them. If Harley dumped her to avoid conflict with her friends, she wouldn't really even be able to blame her.

 

[Harley Tsuji]

Harley was both relieved and surprised that Odette didn't actually seem upset about her telling Hayley. She had hoped it would go fine, but worried that it was more realistic to expect the other girl to be furious. This was ideal though. "Sorry." She commented, in response to Odette's remark about Hayley avoiding her. "Or... you're welcome, I guess? I mean, if you want her to avoid you." Harley shrugged uncomfortably in response to Odette's next question, shifting a little. "I mean, she said she was fine, but she's been weird around me too. I think it's just taking her a while to get used to. It'll be fine." Odette's next question actually surprised Harley. Not because of what she asked, but because of the tone of vulnerability in Odette's voice. "I... look..." She said awkwardly, running a hand through her hair before reaching out and taking Odette's hand. "It's not my favourite thing that she's being weird around me. But we've been best friends for years. She'll come around. And I like... this." She squeezed Odette's hand gently, giving a nervous smile. "This is what matters right now."