Closed Friends Gather

[Charlie Helkovaara]

Charlie had been talking to Parker for a little while, and it had stirred up some... confusing feelings, to say the least. Parker never seemed to be a simple subject for him anymore. He'd comforted his friend for a while, just while he was waiting for Rune to show up. Charlie had sent the other boy a note asking if he wanted to hang out at the dance. He'd honestly been starting to think that either Rune hadn't gotten it or that Rune wasn't coming when he finally spotted the older student by the drinks. Excusing himself gently from Parker, Charlie got up from where he'd been sitting and walked over to Rune, coming up next to the boy. He smiled brightly at his friend, sticking his hands in his pockets and looking up to the boy. "Rune! Hey, I'm glad you came," He greeted.

 

[Rune Sanderson]

Rune had thought the note he received was some sort of joke. Why would Charlie want to hang out with him at the dance? To be honest, Rune had not attended any of the dances at his time at Hogwarts. He had briefly showed up at the Halloween party once but had not made that mistake twice. It was just rather awkward to go to these things alone. He just never could find anyone he felt brave enough to talk to. Spending the whole time alone at the drink table, eating some snacks and being his normal awkward self.

This was different. Someone had asked him to go, well to hang out with. At least he was going through. That made his mother happy, even if she wanted Rune to find a date with one of the 'nice' girls in his year. Like that would ever happen. But it was certainly a step forward. Rune loved hanging out with Charlie, the musical kind Hufflepuff he had met in the common room. They had spent quite a while talking in their time together, Rune was starting to feel more relaxed about the younger boy, but still this new environment created more nerves than he had expected; the butterflies fluttering angerly in his stomach.

Rune stood in front of the mirror, giving one last look at himself. He never had to dress up before. He felt like a grown-up playing dress up. His suit was fitted, and he chose to wear a bow tie. It just felt right. He hoped he wasn't overdressed though. Since it was just friends, should he be wearing a simpler outfit? Rune doubted everything as he looked in the mirror. He did not even realize that he was running late. Oh no. Now Charlie is going to think I don't want to go He worried as he gave one last look at the mirror, fixing his hair, before rushing towards the Great Hall.

The note never said where they were meeting. That made him a little more anxious as he walked into the Great Hall. Rune looked around for a while, awkwardly standing near the entrance. People started to pile up behind him, so Rune walked a little farther into the Great Hall. He noticed Charlie speaking to another boy. Maybe the note had been a joke after all. A little worried that his theories were right, Rune walked over to the drink table. He grabbed a cup and took a few sips.

To his surprise, Charlie walked up to Rune where he was standing. He had wanted him to be there. A smile fell on his face. "Oh hey Charlie" Rune began relieved that he had not been the victim of a terrible prank. "I've actually never been to one of these things" Rune said, wondering if that sounded lame. "But I'm happy that you invited me." Rune added truthfully. He was happy to be a little out of his comfort zone, thankful that Charlie pushed him to do this.

 

[Charlie Helkovaara]

Charlie smiled as Rune turned, taking a moment to take in the way the other boy was dressed. "Really? I've been a few times," He offered unthinkingly. "I've been with friends and a date a few times, it's fun," He looked back up to Rune with a smile. "I'm happy you came. You look nice. I was starting to think you weren't coming."

He attempted to nudge Rune's arm with his own before turning to grab a drink. "I was just talking to one of my other friends while I waited, Parkers' date from the ball showed up with someone else, he was upset," Charlie explained idly. He'd noticed Rune seemed to do better when he gave the boy more to respond to. "I know the feeling, I went to dances a few times with this one boy but he just didn't find me important," Charlie sipped his drink.

 

[Rune Sanderson]

Rune was not surprised that Charlie had been to a few of the dances. He seemed a lot more social than Rune, willing to branch out. Maybe Rune could learn a few things from his new friend. Did this make them friends? Rune honestly hoped to. They were hanging out outside the common room, so maybe Charlie wasn't afraid to show people that he talked to Rune. Another relief in the nervous boy's mind.

The Hufflepuff boy could feel his cheeks turn slightly pink as Charlie complimented him on what he was wearing. "Honestly that's why I was late. I wasn't sure it was all too much. Marlow said I should wear a normal tie, but I didn't quite know if that was right." Rune said a little shyly. As he reached out absentmindedly to adjust his bow tie, still a little uncertain about his choice. Rune tried not to think too much about it. It wasn't like he could change it now. He looked over what Charlie was wearing. "I think your choice of suit much better though. It feels more you" Rune said, not sure if that sounded strange. "I mean it's just I feel like I'm playing dress up. Your's suits you." He added, hoping to clear up what he had meant, no pun intended.

Luckily, Charlie knew how to hold a conversation. He explained who he was speaking to before this moment. Rune instantly felt bad for Parker, even though he did not know them. "That was nice of you to comfort him. I couldn't even imagine" Rune added. He probably would have died of embarrassment. Rune took a sip of his drink, thankful that the situation did not happen to him. Which made him feel even worse just thinking it.

The next comment from Charlie caught Rune a little off guard. He had to think about it for a moment. He went with another boy that didn't find him important. Rune repeated in his mind, taking one more sip of his drink to try to avoid an awkward silence. Must have been a terrible friend not to find Charlie important. . "Well some friends are just not worth it I guess." Rune said, not quite knowing the feeling. He wasn't swimming in friends or anything. "You have to stick with the ones that care about you." He added "Or so I hear at least" The last part more of a whisper tone. Look at him giving friendship advice when he was barely social at all.

 

[Charlie Helkovaara]

Charlie smiled and looked over Rune's outfit again as he mentioned it. "Aw, what are you talking about? I think you look really nice!" He tried to compliment the older boy. "It fits you well. It might be a little fancy, but it looks good on you," He tried to reassure his friend. "The bowtie is a nice touch." He agreed. He smiled as Rune mentioned his suit, straightening his jacket.

Charlie peeked back to Parker, hoping he was doing okay. "Yeah, he's a good guy. I don't like when people hurt my friends," He ran a hand through his hair, meaning to catch up more with Parker later. He turned his eyes back to Rune. "I think right now he needs some space. Besides, I wanted to spend some time with you tonight," He smiled brightly.

Charlie blinked at what Rune said. "Oh, we weren't friends. He was my date. I brought him flowers and everything." He shrugged. "He didn't like me though, so it was whatever I guess." He looked out over the dance floor, hoping to spot Eugene. "But you're right, you stick with the people that care. You should meet Eugene, he's my best friend, I'm sure he'd love you," He chattered idly. He looked back to Rune and smiled, stepping in a little to try and catch his eye. "Hey. You've got that look again. I'm still right here," On impulse, Charlie reached out a hand, trying to brush his fingers against Runes', looking for permission to hold his hand.

 

[Rune Sanderson]

Rune knew Charlie was trying to make him feel better about his outfit. He knew it all meant well, but the word fancy did make him feel like he was overdressed. The thoughts swirled in his mind, as Rune tried to mentally force then to the back. He could worry about it later. Right now, he wanted to enjoy his time hanging with Charlie. Adjusting his bow tie once more, it was becoming a habit. He had never worn one before. It kind of felt like it was choking him slightly, but he assumed that was just how it was supposed to be. And Charlie said it suited him, so that was that.

Rune listened as Charlie seemed so concerned about his friend. He was going to offer that Charlie could spent more time with Parker, when the younger boy mentioned he wanted to spend time with Rune. A smile spread on Rune's face; he just could not help it. That was probably the nicest thing anyone at Hogwarts had ever said to him. "Well cheers to a good night then" Rune said raising his cup to do those awkward cheers action that most people decided to do when they wanted to celebrate something.

Looking at Charlie, Rune could see that he had made that common mistake he always feared he would. He had said something stupid. The younger boy was kind enough to correct Rune nicely, but it did definitely catch Rune off guard. Not that he had anything against taking a guy to a dance; he honestly just had not thought about it. It never crossed his mind, not only for Charlie but ever. His mother had always hounded him to get a girlfriend, like that was the only option.

"Oh that was nice. Well nice that you bought him flowers. Not so nice he turned out to be awful." Rune spoke, a little too fast. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to react right now. He could barely give friendship advice nonetheless relationship advice. Especially with the feeling that came with Charlie telling him about his previous date. He did not quite know what this feeling was. He felt bad for the boy that it had not worked out, but somewhere in that feeling was a feeling of... relief.

Rune was happy to move on with the conversation. If only he could stop being so ridiculously lame all the time. If he wanted to keep friends, he had to try not to be.. well so him all the time. Rune smiled as Charlie discussed his friend Eugene. Rune highly doubted that another person would like him, but it was a nice thought. "He sounds awesome. Maybe we could all hang out sometime." Rune suggested, not thinking that would ever happen. Trying to be better about keeping a conversation going, he continued; "Is he in Hufflepuff too?" Rune asked. He hadn't really spoken to many Hufflepuffs outside classes.

Rune could catch himself getting lost in his own thoughts. Worried about what to say next. Not wanting to make any more mistakes. He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt Charle's hand brush against his. Rune didn't think much of it as he put his full focus on Charlie, facing him completely and setting down his cup on the table beside him. "Sorry. I get lost in thought a lot." He said knowing that was not a great excuse. And it did sound a little crazy. "I'm glad you're right here. You make these types of things a lot easier. You know just being with someone I can have fun with." Rune said honestly giving Charlie a bright smile. "If you weren't here, I'd probably just be stuffing my face with all that food over there. And that is certainly no way to spend a dance. Even well if I can't dance" Rune added with a slight laugh.

 

[Charlie Helkovaara]

Charlie watched as Rune straightened his bow tie again. Was he nervous? Charlie made a mental note to try and help the other boy calm down. He chuckled lightly at the cheers, grabbing a drink to return it. "And cheers to a great friendship," He countered, before taking a sip of his drink. He set his drink on the edge of the table, keeping his attention fully on Rune.

He smiled gently as Rune tried to compliment him about the flowers, letting it pass. He could see the uncomfortable look on Rune's face. He liked to think he was starting to understand the other boy pretty well. He nodded at his question. "Yeah, Eugene is one of my dorm mates," He replied with an easy smile. "He's a musician, he likes guitar. He's a great guy." He added.

Charlie unintentionally straightened a little, pulling his hand back as Rune turned to face him. Charlie wasn't the type to push affection. He smiled easily at his friend. "You don't have anything to apologize for, Rune," he reassured his friend. "I still think you're a really cool guy." He promised. He blushed a little as Rune said he was glad to have Charlie there, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, we could. We could get some snacks if you wanted. Or we could go and dance a bit," He smiled, and leaned in to whisper conspiratorially. "I can't dance either, maybe if we both act like we know what we're doing we could pull it off," He laughed and winked playfully at Rune.

 

[Rune Sanderson]

Rune nodded as Charlie spoke. His own mind racing a million miles per hour it seemed. He had so many questions. So many thoughts, but none of them were to be spoken aloud. He wanted Charlie to like him after all. Certainly, Rune could not ask a dumb question and ruin any chances of Charlie finding him to be a friend. He tried to brush it all off, but as he noticed Charlie straighten up, Rune worried he had done enough damage. Pull yourself together already He thought, mentally reprimanding himself.

Charlie did not seem to feel the same way as Rune's thoughts were suggesting. The younger boy mentioned that Rune did not have to apologize, even going as far as telling Rune he was cool. The Hufflepuff knew this was not true, but it made him smile nonetheless. Maybe he hadn't ruined this as much as he thought.

Rune even let out a laugh as Charlie leaned in to whisper about the dancing. Dancing certainly was not in Rune's comfort zone, not even close, but for some unknown reason, he wanted to give it a try. Normally he would not even consider the thought, but Charlie had a way of making Rune relax, almost believe in himself just a tiny bit more. Rune repeated the action, leaning in close to Charlie's ear to whisper, his hand on the side of his mouth as if he was telling a secret no one should hear. "If we pull this off, no one has to know we both have two left feet" He said, a smile falling on his lips as he stood upright again. This time he extended his hand to Charlie. "No harm giving it a try." He added, hoping that Charlie would accept. Worring that he would look like a complete fool, but for once, that was not the most important thought in his mind.

 

[Charlie Helkovaara]

Charlie, still in complete denial about everything that had happened with Parker, took Rune's hand eagerly and smiled. He tried to pull the other boy with him to the dance floor. Not very far in, really, more on the edge of it all, but soon enough he'd released Rune's hand. Not because he wanted to, but more because he was expected to. Rune's hand had been warm. Charlie tried to get into the music, dancing around like an idiot and trying to pull the older Hufflepuff into his actions.

 

[Rune Sanderson]

Rune felt a surge of happiness as Charlie grabbed his hand, leading him to the outskirts of the dance floor. Rune followed a little nervous, significantly less than if he was doing this alone. Of course, in reality, he never would have had the courage to do this alone anyway. As Charlie let go of Rune's hand, he felt the little bit of confidence fade. But of course, Charlie had to let go. How were they going to dance holding hands? Wouldn't people stare? Think they were more than just friends?

Rune's thoughts began to come to the surface again, pushing their way to the front of his mind. He had to calm down. Just let go. Although that was something that was always very difficult for the young Sanderson twin. He awkwardly moved along to the music, not quite dancing, just moving. He didn't really know any dance moves. He watched Charlie, smiling brightly as he tried to mimic a few moves. The longer they danced, the more comfortable that Rune was starting to feel. He did not think about how people where probably watching him, nor if they thought he looked like a fool. Instead, he just tried to enjoy the moment.

Feeling a rush of something, courage perhaps, Rune decided to do something that he rarely ever did in public. It was a dance move that him and his sister Marlow often did around the house when they were trying to make each other laugh. Something he had never shown anyone due to its completely ridiculous nature. Rune started the move, using his leg to do most of the action. His sister had always called it the crazy leg. Laughing quietly to himself as he did so. A few moments passed before Rune started to dance normally again, well as normal as he could. "And now you see why I can't dance" He added with a small chuckle. Did he just make an idiot of himself in front of the one person that wanted to be his friend?

 

[Charlie Helkovaara]

Dancing with Rune was... nice. Charlie was quickly lost in the music, and any lingering thoughts he had about what had happened with Parker were buried. He knew it would resurface once he'd gone back to his dorm, but right now, Charlie only wanted to focus on Rune. He had asked the boy here, there was no way Charlie could let it show that he'd just had his heart broken- again- and ruin the first dance Rune had been to in ages.

Charlie had a whole arsenal of stupid moves. The macarena, the sprinkler, jumping up and down and slightly banging his head. He smiled brightly as Rune did the crazy leg. He laughed brightly, bouncing closer and trying to knock his hip into Rune's. "You can dance better than me!" He shimmied his was back in front of Rune, doing some weird nonsense with his hands and shaking his hips. "Every time I try that one I fall over!" He laughed, actually having a good time. He was hyper-focused on the moment, but that was alright.