Get Lost in Fears That We Make

[Amber Chou Wilson]

((Set before the Yule Ball))

After her fight with November in the common room, one thing had been made clear to Amber. She needed to talk to Flavio, and soon. Even though a part of her thought it was unreasonable, she couldn't help fearing November was turning Flavio against her. The Ravenclaw boy was one of the closest friends she had, and she wouldn't let November come between them even if they were dating. It felt like she hadn't seen Flavio without November at his side for weeks now, even though she knew that was probably an exaggeration. Right now she was waiting outside the Quidditch pitch, knowing the Ravenclaws were having practice right now. She couldn't help but feel a little annoyed with him for being so busy with November, but she was big enough to admit that she wouldn't have minded so much if his girlfriend had been anyone else. But not only had it been a while since the two talked, she also had something to tell him. Something she had only told a handful of people. Flavio wouldn't tell anyone if she asked him not to, not even November, so she felt comfortable telling him about things she had discovered about herself lately. Maybe she could even ask him for advice about the ball tonight. As long as he had time to talk to her.

 

[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Flavio was looking forward to the yule ball as it was going to be his first official date with November as his first official girlfriend. They were dates at the Halloween feast but that was when they were in an unusual limbo between friends and partners and now that they were exclusive their date at the yule ball meant so much more. He could not describe his excitement to be seen as a couple with her, dressed up and dancing together an entire year after their almost kiss at the previous yule ball. He was so excited in fact, that he found it difficult to easily focus on quidditch practice that day, having to intentionally focus on his role as a chaser so he did not risk becoming distracted over his excitement for the ball and risk making a mistake while playing.

Luckily, he managed to get through the practice without messing up and left the pitch with his practice gear still on and his broom in one hand, feeling confident in his abilities. It was also upon leaving practice that Flavio could think about the ball without worry of making a mistake at what he was doing that moment. He planned to return to his dorm, change into comfortable clothes, and spend the rest of the day relaxing before getting ready to spend the night with his girlfriend. Although when he saw Amber, of all people, standing by the pitch his surprise at seeing her interrupted his thoughts. He paused, inquizitively tilting his head at the sight of his Hufflepuff friend, before he strolled over to talk to her with a smile on his face. "Amber! Hello." He greeted. "How are you?" He then asked, wondering what brought her to wait outside the pitch that day. He assumed she was there to see Noemie rather than him but was happy to speak to her in that moment even if it was for a few minutes before Noemie arrived.​

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[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber was glad to see Flavio approach her, hoping he didn't mind that she was taking up some of his time. Somehow she had the feeling his mind was on November as it usually seemed later, and she couldn't help feel some irritation. "Hey Flavio," she said with a smile. "It's been a while. I was actually waiting for you, do you have a moment?" She asked, glancing around. "I just... I've wanted to talk to you for a while but you usually seem busy." Unable to stop herself, she added. "With November." Flavio knew the two didn't like each other, so she hoped he could understand why she tended not to approach him when he was with her. But still, she was his friend. "Congratulations, by the way."

 

[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

At first Flavio felt surprised when Amber said she was waiting for him, but when he took a moment to think about it, he realized he should not have felt surprised at all. They had not seen much of each other that semester, between classes, their roles as prefects and all the time Flavio was spending with November when he wasn't studying or practicing quidditch. Their lives had become so busy that it was difficult to make time to talk like they used to, and as Amber said he was always busy, he nodded. But he frowned as Amber added November's name to it all, averting his gaze to the ground. After shaking his head, he looked up to his friend again with a softer expression, thinking that it was best to focus on why she was there and not dwell on anything related to November. "I have free time now, so we can walk around and talk if you like." Flavio suggested, thinking that a walk with his friend would be a good opportunity for them to catch up on eachother's lives.
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[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber noticed that Flavio didn't seem to react much to what she said about November, and she felt a little bad. It must be strange for him to date someone one of his friends disliked, but she did wonder how he reacted whenever November mentioned her. She just hoped the blonde wasn't turning his friend against her somehow, even though she wanted to have more faith in Flavio than that. A part of her wanted to talk about November more, but she pushed the urge down. She just wanted to know what the boy saw in her, as she just seemed so unlikable to Amber. But she had to focus on her goal for this conversation, and perhaps her nerves about that made her want to talk about other things instead. It wasn't easy to put into words. She nodded at the idea of taking a walk. It would be best if no one was around. "That sounds good... I just want to talk about some things." She said as they started to walk together. "But first, how are you doing?" Maybe she was stalling a little, but she was also genuinely interested in Flavio's life.

 

[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Flavio usually did not like walking around in his quidditch gear for too long outside of practice or games, thinking that it drew too much attention to himself. But he was happy to walk with Amber that day in his gear, comfortable at least with the fact they were walking outside, near the quidditch pitch rather than in the castle. He listened as Amber said she wanted to talk about some things, then proceed to ask how he was, noticing that she changed the subject sort of quickly. It made him wonder if she was leading up to what she truly wanted to say. But instead of questioning it he responded to her, trusting that she would say what she needed to sooner or later. "I am doing great, though it is tiring to be so busy." He said. "It feels like I don't really have time to myself anymore, since when I am not studying I am helping other people study, or I'm practicing quidditch, at the wild patch, on patrols, working on brightstone weekends, or with November." Just talking about his schedule made him want to sleep for days. It surprised him that he was able to stay awake at all with so much on his plate. He shook his head again, then looked to Amber as he returned the question. "How are you doing?" He assumed Amber would have a similarly packed schedule.​

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[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber enjoyed walking with Flavio, and was honestly glad just to have a moment with him. Everyone seemed to be getting busier, but Flavio more than most people. She knew it wasn't fair to completely blame the lack of seeing him on November, but she couldn't shake the feeling that the other Hufflepuff was driving a wedge between them. Listening to Flavio list all the things he was doing made Amber feel bad for him, but it also made her glad she had lightened her own work load. She didn't have a job in the Brightstone weekends as her place of work was in Obsidian Harbour, and she had no quidditch practice. On top of that, she thought Flavio had at least three or four classes more than she did, which was hard to even imagine. Amber had always been an overachiever, but the previous year had shown her she had to set her own limits too. "That sounds like a lot." She said with a small frown. "Are you sure you shouldn't do a little less?" At the question in return she shrugged and looked ahead. "It's less busy for me. I dropped two classes since last year." She said, though the admission did make her feel a little bad. Like she was admitting defeat. But Herbology had become one of her least favorite classes, and muggle studies had seemed a little unnecessary with her muggle grandparents. "I'm doing well, actually." She said after a while. "Really well. I think." The thought of the yule ball tonight made her stomach clench in anticipation, adding more nerves to the ones she already felt about confiding in Flavio. "I'm going to the ball with someone." She said, glancing at him for a reaction. It wasn't exactly the news she had come to tell him, but it was related.

 

[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Flavio smirked, looking out to the distance when Amber asked if he was sure he could not lighten his workload. Having so much on his plate was a way for him to feel confident in himself and accomplished, allowing him to believe that he had a place in the world and that his life had significance. Though it was exhausting, being reliable, working hard, and having others feel confident they could depend on him made the effort worth it. He would not consider having less on his plate and actually wanted to do more around the school if he was able to without cutting into more the time he had to sleep. That was short enough already with the amount of time he spent studying late into the night. "I like what I am doing. It might seem like a lot, but it is rewarding." He said to his friend, glad when she changed the subject from him and spoke about dropping two of her classes. He nodded at her words though did not say anything until she mentioned how well she was doing, later revealing she was going to the ball with someone. Flavio looked to Amber, smiling a little as he spoke. "Oh, is it someone special, then?" He asked, raising his eyebrows curiously as he waited for her to answer. It would make him happy to know both he and Amber had someone special to attend the ball with so he hoped this was the case.
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[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber could tell her suggestion of dropping a few things wasn't something he wanted to consider. She herself hadn't wanted to at first either, but now she felt happier. It was less stressful, but she also got why Flavio kept doing all these things. It was nice to feel productive. "Just don't take on too much." She said with a small shrug. There wasn't much more to say. All she could do was trust that he knew his own limits.

Her heart was beating hard as she tried to muster up the courage to tell Flavio was what on her mind. The words were simple, but saying them was another matter. She nodded when he asked if it was someone special, slowing down until she was standing still. She placed a hand on his arm to stop him from walking further too. "Yes." She said softly. "She is." She glanced up at him, anxious. "It's a girl. And it's special, like... really." Her voice quivered slightly. "I like girls." She added, just to make sure he understood. She couldn't keep her eyes on him any longer, she looked away. A part of her wanted to tell him it was Ainsley, but she wanted to see how he would react to this first.

 

[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Flavio continued to walk alongside Amber as he waited for her to talk about her date in more detail, not realizing the heaviness of what his friend was bringing up until she slowed her pace to a stop. It was when she placed her hand on his arm, urging him to stop in turn with her that he clued in to the fact the conversation was more serious than he originally thought. He looked to Amber with concern, expression only softening when she said she was attending the ball with a girl and then when she outright said she liked girls. So that was what she had wanted to tell him, that she liked girls. He felt nothing but overwhelmed for a moment although in a good way as it was clear how much Amber trusted him if she was willing to share it before most other people knew. He was a mix of proud of her for having the courage to share it with him and happy that she seemed happy, and after leaning to place his broomstick in the grass he fully turned to face Amber and spoke. "I am happy for you." He said first and foremost, wanting to make it clear that he was nothing but happy about her telling him this. He moved his hand to her arm this time and smiled. "Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me, I am honored." He added, thinking it was important for him to express his thoughts as they were nothing but positive and he thought it was important that Amber knew he whole heartedly supported her.​

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[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber looked at Flavio nervously, but her expression soon morphed into a smile as he said he was happy for her. As he put his broom down, she expected him to hug her. When he didn't, she did it instead. "Thanks." She said as she squeezed him tight before letting him go. Telling Clementine had been terrifying, telling Ainsley even more. But telling Flavio just felt like a relief to her, and she smiled at him as she let go of him. A blush tinged her cheeks. "I'm going with Ainsley." She admitted. This was almost as scary to admit, since knew Ainsley very well too. "I'm not really sure if it's a date, but I think it is..." A nervous laugh escaped her. "I mean, I hope it is." Shaking her head, she sighed. It was hard to talk about these things, but if she could confide in anyone it was Flavio.

 

[Flavio Morales-Tipene]

Flavio continued to smile, and returned the hug that Amber gave him, still feeling proud of her for her honesty and happy that she was happy. When they pulled away and she admitted the girl she was attending the ball with was Ainsley, he felt even happier for her if it were possible. Dating someone that was your friend, who you already knew well had been a great experience for him and he hoped what he and November had, despite the fact their relationship was still fairly new, would be similar to what Amber and Ainsley would have if they did end up dating. He thought about telling her this but refrained from doing so knowing that Amber and November still did not get along well. He would not want to mention November now and risk making Amber feel anything other than happy in that moment. "Either way I hope it goes well for you too." He eventually uttered, nodding to Amber as he spoke. After leaning down again to pick up his broom, he asked "Do you think Ainsley also thinks it's a date?" It would be sweet for Ainsley to feel as excited yet nervous about the ball in the same way Amber seemed to be and Flavio hoped that is what was happening.​

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[Amber Chou Wilson]

Amber was glad she had told Flavio, now that she had it was a little less intimidating to talk about it. She knew her cheeks were probably still pink, but she felt her body relax slightly the longer she talked about it. "Thank you." She said softly. "I really hope it will be fun... and I hope you have fun with November too." The topic of November was always a little uncertain, but she figured it was safe enough to wish them fun together. At his question, she lowered her gaze and shrugged. "I hope so. I'm not sure." She murmured.