Collar Full

[Corey Clairoux]

Corey crunched his sleeves in his fists as he walked. He felt exhilarated, alive. Like the world was in the palm of his hand. During graduation he was restless, fidgeting until the second he got up to leave. Today he woke up full of energy and didn't waste a second trying to figure out why. His mind was working so fast, jumping from one thought to another so quickly that the entire day passed in the blink of an eye. Did he even bid a greeting to his parents at graduation? Probably not, he left as soon as he got the chance. He paid no mind to their existence today. They were the two people in the world that stifled his freedom, and now with the revelation he had finished school for the rest of his life, he wasn't going to give this new found freedom away now. A toothy grin appeared on his features as he apparated to Dan's apartment building, a mix of excited, anxious and overwrought. For a while he had been seventeen, of age, but never felt like an adult until the moment he left the school grounds for the last time. He finally felt ready to make his first adult decision, never mind it was brash, and completely out of the blue. He swallowed hard, attempting to calm down before letting himself in Dan's apartment. It was usually unlocked. He didn't need to worry about knocking or ringing a bell. When his eyes didn't immediately find Dan or his room mate, he paused in the living room, frowning as he called out. "Dan!" Before moving another muscle, he shouted once more. "Get out here!" He sounded distraught and to a degree he was. There was so much going on in his head, and he could barely handle it all.

Before he had the chance to breathe he already captured Dan in a hug, smothering the other boy's face in kisses. "I love you." He said, not hesitating to repeat his words over and over between kisses. Corey and Dan were seeing each other in the loosest of terms. They went on several dates, but rarely showed affection barring the occasional hug and use of a pet name. He was aware of how slowly their relationship was progressing, but chose to ignore it all. All he knew was that he loved Dan, he had always loved him. His mind just wasn't clear enough to realise it until now. "I really do love you." He stepped back, intertwining his fingers with Dan's. This morning when he woke up Dan was the first thought to cross his mind. On most mornings Dan was the first thought to cross his mind. Every second they were together he thought of Dan, and every second they were apart he longed for Dan's presence. Whether Corey knew what love was or not, what he felt for Dan wasn't nothing. He had never felt this way before in his life, and he wanted to keep it that way. The other boy was his rock in every sense of the word. When Corey was an anxious, self concious wreck at the beginning of the year Dan had spent time with him, and helped him become the person he was today. By no means was Corey confident, or even self assured. But he was slowly getting there. Nothing was going to stop him from clinging to the most amazing person he had ever met.

He inhaled sharply, failing to notice how irregular his breathing had become. So much was happening all at once. There wasn't enough time process one thought before another popped up. He had a primary focus, but found it difficult to get his words out while his head felt like a tornado. After a short silence he finally blurted his thoughts out. "You're my everything." His shaking hands matched his shallow breaths. He wasn't only nervous, but also overcome with excitement and happiness. It was difficult for him to adjust to all the emotion he suddenly felt. It was a surprise he could even get on one knee, let alone get his words out. "Will you marry me?"​

 

[Daniel Clairoux]

Daniel had only been up for roughly an hour, maybe an hour and a half. He didn't like sleeping in on most occasions, as he had to be doing something and felt that he slept the day away. But today just seemed like a lazy day, and Robin was embracing it. To his knowledge, Batman had gone out while he slept, though he didn't know where he was, he wasn't that worried about him. Jonathan was somewhat reasonable, and Daniel knew that he didn't have to worry about him going out on his own - he was probably with a girl, anyway. Or seeing Rose. Then again, she was a girl, even if Daniel did forget sometimes, but he would never say that to her face. She was definitely hex him.

Robin yawned as he threw on some fresh clothes and some cologne so he didn't smell. He had just recently had a shower and was now planning to go for a walkabout to buy some food for the turtles. They were not empty yet, but he liked to make sure that they had plenty of food at all times, just to make sure that (Spirits forbid) he or Batman forgot to get them food. He walked to the door and pulled it open, onto to realise that he had yet to put shoes on. Shaking his head with a soft smile, Daniel walked back to his room to get some shoes.

He dropped the shoes, however, when he heard Corey in the other room. He sounded agitated, to Daniel, and he immediately began to worry about whether he was okay. He knew that his graduation had happened today, and Daniel wasn't allowed to go because Corey's family was there, and it would be a bad idea if they were in the same room together. He quickly moved towards Corey's voice, and was caught somewhat by surprise at the reception he was given, finding himself covered in kisses and having Corey repeatedly tell him that he loved him. And, while Daniel was by no means knocking this, it was odd, and out of character for Corey, who was normally so placid and a little bit of a nervous wreck. They had been in what Daniel called a relationship for a while now, and barely held each other's hands. "Corey," he said, managed to speak between the attack of kisses. "What happened?" It must have been something very good if he was this happy. He squeezed his lovers fingers softly, trying to urge him to explain himself and whatever this was. Corey's breathing grew increasingly worse, to the point that Daniel was beginning to get very, very concerned about his health. He grabbed Corey's other hand, finding them both to be shaking and stared at him. "Are you okay?" Was he going to faint?

The wizard's eyes grew wide as Corey began to go down on his knees. What was he doing? He wasn't going to propose. Definitely not. He had a loose shoelace or something. Right? RIGHT? Daniel stared at Corey for a minute or five, only blinking occasionally as the words and their meaning sunk into his head. This was beyond unexpected. He had no idea why Corey would even want to marry him and the thought that perhaps this was a joke had crossed his mind but Corey looked very, very serious. Too serious to be faking this, well, so Daniel hoped. "Umm," he wasn't going to say no, but cause he loved Corey, and thought that this was possibly the greatest day of his life, ever, but he still found it hard to actually say yes, so he nodded frantically, and pulled Corey back into a hug. And only then was he able to find his voice. "Yes! Of course, yes!"​

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[Corey Clairoux]

Even through shaking hands and shallow breaths Corey noticed the silence. The ringing of his unanswered words in the air and Dan's blank expression spoke than any actions could. Before he knew it, he felt his little world crumble around him, the fantasy he had with Dan slowly dissolving away. The seventeen year told exhaled, knowing no word could rescue the predicament he'd thrown himself into. In this moment he wished he thought about this rationally, considered the pros and cons before showing up unannounced and proposing to the guy he could barely call a boyfriend; let alone a fiance. The excitement of graduation and impending freedom clouded his thoughts to a fault. His mind felt entirely clear but even now his decisions were fuzzy. He couldn't do anything right and now the crushing situation weighed heavily on his meek shoulders.

He swallowed, opening his mouth to speak although his dry throat couldn't, wouldn't formulate anything. Not that he had any idea what to say. Their lines of communication were always so open and honest. Their conversations never fizzled away and the silence between them now is what stung the most. Was it possible, in every true sense that his feelings for Dan weren't mutual? That Dan considered him as more a friend than a lover? Between lonely nights at school and repressing his feelings at home Corey built an idea of Dan, and an idea of their relationship. It was all he held on to, waiting, wishing and hoping for the day he finally left school with the freedom to finally live out his dreams with the one person he felt understood him. In the short space of three minutes he had questioned everything. Numb to the touch, he found himself unable to meet Dan's eyes as he was pulled into a hug. Too lost in the idea Dan had rejected him he assumed the other boy was apologizing, attempting to soften the blow before ultimately saying no. He refused to think about it, however listened to Dan's words anyway, brow furrowing in confusion before the realization hit him.

Dan said yes?! He could hardly believe it. Merely brushing over the idea seemed surreal, though he played the words over in his head, repeating them like if he didn't they would suddenly cease to exist. This could easily be a dream, a fabricated fantasy that was too perfect to be real. But of course it wasn't. Corey was really wrapped in the arms of his new fiance and nothing felt more right. His lips curved into a wide smile as he buried his face in Dan's neck, fighting tears and breathing in his comforting scent. He felt happy, too happy to believe any of this was real when it was all happening around him. With his whole heart Corey loved Dan, he loved everything he knew about him and everything he would come to learn. He could say without any doubt this was the happiest moment of his life. "I love you so much." He whispered into Dan's neck. Still caught in a mess of emotion, his words were just as difficult to get out.

He didn't know how long they held each other, but when they finally moved away from the hug the light had dimmed. Fighting the urge to pinch himself, Corey chewed his lower lip. They had been together less than a year, had only kissed twice and once in a blue moon displayed affection. Now Corey had confessed his love, proposed, and became engaged in one afternoon. To some their engagement would seem sudden, stupid or even pointless but Corey didn't care. Dan was the reason he felt the happiest he ever had this past year; they were in love and nothing else mattered. "I don't have a ring." He admitted, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around Dan's waist before placing an affectionate kiss upon his lips. Their bodies were parted for less than a minute and he already begun to crave the warmth. "But we're engaged and I love you."
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[Daniel Clairoux]

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<SIZE size="50">The affects of his silence had not quite hit Daniel as particularly harsh to Corey. He had been surprised, and while the surprise had been a big one, in the end it was a pleasant one. In fact, it was much more than pleasant. While he had never felt quite confident in where they were going, as he was not sure if Corey realised what a proper relationship was judging by his behaviour when they were together at times, it was crystal clear to Daniel now that it did not matter. They were together now, and that was it. Corey had graduated, Daniel was currently looking for a job and had a stable place to live with good friends that he knew he could rely on, everything seemed perfect to the young wizard as he squeezed who he could now safely call his fiance. It felt really serious, and really grown up. To Daniel, it somehow legitimized everything they did now and it had been a feeling that Daniel had been craving for some time.

With his finger tips in his fiance's hair and arm around his back, he could only vaguely grasp what Corey had uttered into his neck, since he seemed to have been overcome with emotion. Daniel too, was feeling overwhelmed with emotion, but it showed itself in a redder than red face, a large smile that was seriously about to cause his face to crack in half, and him hold Corey tighter than he ever had, as it to try and protect him from danger that was not there. The only thing that could ruin all of this was hi losing Corey, and that was not something Daniel planned on letting happen. No, now he had to be a little more serious and get their lives on track so they could look back on this moment one hundred years from now and know that it was the right choice - the best choice either had ever made in their entire lives. "I love you too, Corey," he responded finally, placing a kiss on the side of his head.

When the light began to dim, Daniel released Corey, and pointed his wand at the door as he had neglected to close it this entire tie as it was not important. Corey was important. Not the front door. He watched Corey, smiled slightly as his new fiance chewed his lip for reasons he was not sure on, but he was positive that it wasn't out of regret. They had not been engaged long enough to feel regret - that Robin was sure on - in fact, he was perhaps a little too sure. "What's wrong?" He tilted his head slightly at the response he received made him shake his head and smiled, accepting Corey back into his arms and playing with his hair once more. He didn't care whether there was a ring or not. They didn't need rings, or necklaces, or anklets or any piece of jewellery to be exchanged between them, quite frankly, as he felt that then everything would be weighed on the expense of that one item. Would their engagement be worth more or less judging by the size of some symbolic rock on their fingers? Robin didn't think so.

"I don't need a ring, Corey," he said, nudging Corey's nose with his own. "I just need you. And that's all I'll ever need."​

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[Jon Phillips]

Education had never been Jonathon's strong point, so after graduating Beauxbatons he made a point not to waste time with school again. Making the most of being a free man, not confined within social and educational norms was paramount to his everyday life. Not once did he think he'd spend another day sifting through math worksheets, crumpling them between his palms and throwing each to the floor but as Rose's exams loomed around the corner his need to please shifted to aiding her study. Jon was once an average student turned prankster who possessed no drive to succeed or even learn, so he found reclaiming motivation a task. Though he tried desperately to focus for her sake. "x isn't even a number!" He exclaimed, attempting to make sense of the equation written on the page. Each question seemed to double his confusion as they delved deeper into the curriculum, adding further to his frustration as each equation rolled over. Studying was nerve wracking. Why Rose decided to continue education after Beauxbatons he would never understand. "They're bringing the alphabet into this. I f*cking give up." In a huff he crumpled the paper between his hands and threw it to the floor. Another sheet for the pile, another equation unsolved.

Staying in Rose's dorm a minute longer would surely drive him insane. Between frustration and boredom, his exhausted brain concluded a break was in order. Balancing the last three hours of study with three hours of video games seemed like a fair exchange. It was the least Rose owed him after such torture. "We're going to my place, I can't handle studying any more." Insisting to leave, he stood from the floor, dusting the remains of paper torn in frustration from his jeans before offering a hand to his friend. "I'm not taking no for an answer." As Rose gripped his hand the pair apparated to the hallway outside his apartment. The change in air immediately relaxed Jon's otherwise stiff shoulders. Home, finally. Rose's dorm was too sterile, lifeless compared to his own apartment so his dramatic change in mood was expected but welcomed all the same. Jon was surprised to find the door shut and locked, but chose not to question it and empty his pocket to find his keys. "I'm kind of hungry." He spoke, musing to himself as he fumbled with the metal key in his hand before opening the door. Too caught up in the sudden hunger pang in the pit of his stomach, the realization he and Rose walked into a special moment between Dan and Corey didn't register until far too late.

"Hey guys." He greeted the couple all too casually, ignoring the obvious parallel to the first time he walked in on them. By now he was well accustomed to the idea of Dan being gay. After originally being alerted to the fact, their six month long fight was beyond over, friendship and trust mended enough for their lives to return to normal. "Is there any pizza in the fridge?" He opened the fridge and eyed the shelves, words forgotten in the atmosphere of the moment they stumbled upon. "Dude, is there any pizza in the fridge?" Slightly bewildered at the fact he needed to repeat himself, Jon's gaze shot from the inside of the fridge to his roommate. Only now the importance of the situation decided to become apparent to his mind. "Oh." Head ajar, he chose to query the couple. "What happened?"
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[Rosalie Leydon]

The moment of truth. Rosalie peeked at the answers in the back of the book only to groan and fall backwards onto the floor. She was a pretty good student usually, but when it came to muggle mathematics, which was not as much like Arithmancy as she would have hoped, her entire intelligence caved and she was just as clueless as the rest of the world. Her dependence on this course and her eventual graduation were paramount to the emotions that welled up inside her whenever she thought about the possibility of failure. For Rose, that was just not an option and so enlisting the help of Jonathon, had been a kind of last resort. She didn't like asking people for help, there were many reasons as to why and many examples of why it never ended well, but she needed someone, anyone, to be with her whilst she struggled down the path of eventual fail. Of course in a perfect world, Jonathon would be exactly what she needs, but judging on his mood right now and the addition of his avoidance of all things educational, Rose garnered that there was no god and that her study session was doomed to fail. Of course it had been said that teaching the ignorant helps to study, because the human brain retains ninety percent of what it teaches and Rose could only hope those figures were true, because she was sick and tired of numbers by now.

She sat back up as Jonathon exclaimed and she rubbed her temples, "It is a number, it's just hidden away and I have to find it's prime and it's pair." Algebra, calculus, she didn't care what it was anymore, she wanted to murder which ever Greek mathematician had come up with it all those years ago. Unlike Pythagorus, he was her friend. She could marry that man. "It's existance depends soley on the balance of 7 and 3." She pointed to the paper and the equation, going over it in her head as she said it. Explaining things to him was making it easier, but she honestly didn't believe she was going to be able to remember all the damn formulas. There were just so many. Rose didn't even care that Jonathon kept throwing all her papers away. She was feeling just as frustrated as he was and she was the one with the exam. As soon as Jonathon offered for them to go back to his place, Rose didn't even need to think about it, because she was just as done with this session as he was and she was ready to just take a million year break. Her brain was hurting and she was so done. Though at least she had most of it all finished. She would be able to finish it off tomorrow, or maybe later that day, if she had time. She took his hand and laughed slightly as they were apparated to the corridor outside of his apartment. She had grown used to the feeling over time and now it just made her laugh. Though she had to wonder if pregnant women were allowed to apparate, or was it not recommended. She was going to have to look that up. Not that she was ever going to have a baby, but she did wonder how her mother got around all the time when she was pregnant with her.

"Pizza would be good, but i don't want it cold, so we're heating it up." She was hungry too, which made sense seeing as she had spent so long stuffing her brain full of numbers that she'd not had a chance to eat anything. She knew the boys had a love affair with pizza so it was usually always in the house. It was a safe bet that they would have some locked away in the fridge somewhere. Walking into the house however, Rose stopped as soon as she caught a proper look at the two other occupants of the place. She blinked for a second, not quite sure what she was seeing. She continued to look between both Dan and Corey. Dorey, as she had started to call them in her head quite a time ago. She had felt bad initially with everything that had happened between the two roommates when Corey had come into the picture, but it was all fine now, so she wasn't worried. She cleared her throat, "Um, i think they might have something to say... don't you think?" She wasn't sure what was happening, but she could maybe guess, just from the way they were acting. She didn't know what to say though.
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