Closed Cross Purposes

[Finn Madison]

Finn loved the time before Valentines, the anticipation of the fun to come. He hadn't made any plans for the dance this year, figuring he would just go and see what came along for him. He enjoyed going to dances with dates, and he had certainly had fun at the Yule Ball with Sawyer, but sometimes it was more fun to just spend time by himself. He turned the thoughts over in his mind idly as he settled more comfortably into his seat in the courtyard, having brought his things out of the arts room to enjoy the summer sunshine. He was grateful to have remembered sunscreen, feeling the heat strong on his shoulders as he leaned over his canvas, applying paint in strong, decisive strokes. Finn didn't have a plan for this piece yet, just enjoying the process of creating.

 

[Sawyer Carnahan]

Sawyer knew there was a line between just looking at someone and staring creepily and he was sure he was well past the former and barrelling dangerously close to the latter. Gathering his courage, he forced himself out into the courtyard proper where Finn was working on some sort of art, running through want he wanted to say one more time before he reached him. This little flirtation with Finn had been really fun, but after the holiday break where he'd thought about pretty much nothing but Finn saying he wanted to go out again sometime, Sawyer needed a little clarity.

"Hey- That looks nice- Do you have a second?" He said, looking around for a minute before awkwardly settling himself on the ground hopefully out of paint splatter zone. "I just wanted to ask about like.. Us? I guess." This was definitely not coming out as organized as Sawyer had hoped, but everything he'd practiced in his head sounded far too formal now he was actually in front of Finn. Hopefully it would be a short conversation, Sawyer could figure out if Finn was actually his boyfriend or not, and he could go on his way happy.

 

[Finn Madison]

Finn hadn't realised he was being watched until he heard Sawyer's voice, grinning as the younger boy approached. He had enjoyed their date to the Yule Ball, and was glad to be becoming closer with someone on the Quidditch team. Even if he was terrible at the sport, maybe he could get some friends out of the whole debacle. "Hey." Finn said warmly, moving away from his canvas as he returned Sawyer's greeting. He was going to ask how the younger boy was doing when Sawyer beat him to it, with a question that chilled Finn's stomach. Us. "Oh..." He said hesitantly. Finn liked Sawyer, liked hanging out with him, and certainly thought he was cute. But Us... "What... did you want to ask?"

 

[Sawyer Carnahan]

Sawyer tried to smile and lessen his own nerves. "Sorry that came out super dire, I just..." Sawyer trailed off, waving a nervous hand in the air. He tried to remind himself it wasn't a big deal, Finn clearly liked him, he liked Finn, they'd as much as said they'd wanted to see each other at Yule. "I just needed some clarity I guess," he finished with a sheepish shrug. "Like, at the ball you said you wanted to hang out again and stuff and I was wondering does that mean like- Could I call you my boyfriend or something? Officially? That's how that works right? We uh, hang out and there's kissing and flirting and all that good stuff so we're... Dating?" Sawyer wrung his hands, having mostly been talking to the ground, eyes skittering over the painting Finn was working on before chancing a glance back at Finn's face, forcing himself to stop talking for a moment on the off chance Finn might actually want to chime in on this conversation Sawyer was having with himself.

 

[Finn Madison]

Finn relaxed slightly when Sawyer apologised, though as the younger boy went on he tensed up again, realising quickly that his fears hadn't been unfounded. "Oh..." Finn said hesitantly, trying to figure out the kindest way to say this. He supposed it had been a matter of luck, the fact that so far nobody had actually tried to pursue a serious relationship with him. Finn liked flirting, liked going on dates, but beyond that, the thought of commitment, of a label... "I, um, I'm sorry." He said hesitantly, trying and failing to think of a good way to explain. "I don't... do relationships. I thought you knew. Like, I like... hanging out and flirting and kissing and all that stuff, but... I don't... I've never been someone's boyfriend, I don't... really think I want that. With anyone." He shrugged uncomfortably. "Not... right now, anyway. I'm really sorry."

 

[Sawyer Carnahan]

Sawyer wasn't sure he liked the pause that followed his question, though he hoped Finn was just as awkward about talking about this sort of stuff as he was. His heart sank when Finn apologised though, bracing for the worst. "Oh, uh. Yeah, nah, it's cool," he said hurriedly, stomach twisting even as he offered Finn a weak smile. "Good thing I asked, aye," he added with a shaky laugh. "Would have been really awkward," Sawyer said, nodding a few times to try and cement the sentiment in his own mind, even if the rejection was making him feel sick. Technically, Finn hadn't rejected him; he'd made it clear he liked hanging out with Sawyer and flirting and kissing and all that, but he just didn't want to be Sawyer's boyfriend. Or anyone's boyfriend apparently. He turned the idea around in his head for a moment before setting it aside. Sawyer couldn't do that, even if Finn was a really good kisser. "I don't think I can.. do the casual thing. But I guess uh. We can still be friends and stuff?" He offered, even though his current instinct was telling him to run and never look at Finn again, maybe he could at least try to be grown up about this.