Open Hide Your Feelings

[Sawyer Carnahan]

Sawyer had been feeling antsy all day. He wasn't even sure why he was at the dance when he would probably be far better off hiding up in his dorm. But despite his lingering paranoia, or possible because of it, that Ivy had somehow figured out he'd sent her a pink rose, he'd found himself at the dance, rocking on heels near the edge of the dance floor.

He hadn't been ready for what would happen when he actually saw Ivy however, and the second he locked eyes with her, he panicked. Apparently in the age old question of fight or flight, Sawyer was a flight champion. Before he could think, he'd ducked away, dodging around a nearby couple and skidding to a stop so he could duck under one of the heart-shaped tables near the edge of hall. After a moment to catch his breath, heart still pounding, Sawyer's brain caught up with his legs and he groaned. "Idiot," he hissed under his breath, dragging a hand down his face. "Oh you idiot she definitely saw you," he said, resisting the urge to knock his head into the nearby table leg to see if he could dislodge the stupidity that had caused him to run off like that.

 

[Harper Alston]

Harper had never been a fan of just how pink the Great Hall looked during Valentine's Day, but she wasn't about to let overly mushy decorations get in the way of a night of music and free food. Though she didn't have any grand plans — no dates, no dramatic declarations of love — she was looking forward to spending some time with her friends, dancing away.

That is, if her friends ever showed up. Harper was waiting for them at a heart-shaped table by the snacks, knowing that she'd spot one of them eventually. In the meantime, she was watching with amusement as Newt, covered in flowers, started to shout something into a bullhorn. Before she could make out what exactly the older Gryffindor was saying, a figure barreled towards her, causing her to flinch. She briefly caught a glimpse of one of her classmates before he dove under her table.

Suddenly, a flower-covered Gryffindor was no longer the most interesting scene of the night. Harper glanced around, trying to figure out who Sawyer was running from, but there was no one else headed their way. Still, she decided to be discreet. Rummaging through her bag, Harper fished out a pen and grabbed a paper napkin. who are you hiding from? she wrote, barely suppressing a smile. Beneath that, she added (it's Harper btw). Harper reached for a sugar cookie and carefully wrapped the note around it. Keeping her gaze straight ahead, she lifted the tablecloth off the floor and tossed the napkin-covered cookie under the table along with the pen. She didn't know Sawyer well, but hopefully the bribe would convince him to satisfy her curiosity.

 

[Sawyer Carnahan]

Sawyer nearly jumped out of his skin when the tablecloth moved and he sat there for a moment, perplexed at the sight of biscuit and a napkin before slowly dragging it over to investigate it and the pen. At the sight of the note, Sawyer chewed his cheek, trying to decide if he could stomach admitting what he'd just done to one of Ivy's roommates before making up his mind. "Hey, Harper," he called sheepishly, hoping his voice carried from under the table. "I'm an idiot so I've exiled myself under the table," he explained, getting up the courage to lift the tablecloth enough to peer at her in case she wasn't alone. "I uh.. Saw someone I liked and ran off," he told her, eyes darting around the hall again in case Ivy was still nearby and dropping the tablecloth again in a hurry. In for a knut in for a galleon, he supposed, tucking himself back into his hiding place. At least he had a snack now.

 

[Harper Alston]

Harper had been expecting a note, so she startled at the sound of Sawyer's voice. Well at least this was way easier than passing notes back and forth. She glanced down, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at his explanation. He was clearly not in the greatest state if he'd decided hiding under tables was his best option. "I guess that's one way to deal with a crush," she commented mildly.

It was getting kind of weird talking to a tablecloth, so Harper lifted it back up after making sure no one was looking their way. "Are you planning on staying down there all night?" She couldn't imagine it made for a very comfortable hiding spot. "I don't think anyone's coming our way, so if you wanted, you could probably make a run for the exit right now. I could cause a distraction," she offered, only partially joking. She didn't think a distraction was necessary, not when there were fighting couples and winged house elves roaming the room, but creating one would certainly be fun.

 

[Sawyer Carnahan]

Sawyer just groaned pathetically at Harper's response. She was right. It was definitely one way to do it. The stupid way.He sat for a moment, breaking the biscuit she'd tossed under the table in half and watching morosely as the crumbs went everywhere. He'd shrugged at first to answer her question, but realized belatedly that Harper couldn't see him. "I dunno, staying here forever is pretty tempting. Maybe the house elves will adopt me as one of their own," he said with a sigh, peering out at Harper as she lifted up the tablecloth.

Sawyer sighed again, giving himself a few more seconds of self-pity under the table before slowly climbing out, trying to subtly glance around the hall for Ivy without making it too obvious who he was looking for. "Can you pretend you never saw all that?" he asked her, resisting the urge to stand so he could use Harper to block him being seen, giving her a sheepish but appreciative smile at her offer to stage a distraction.

 

[Harper Alston]

Harper smiled at his statement. "You might want to check out what they're wearing before you wish for that. I'm not sure you could pull off the wings and heart-print toga look." It was kind of cute that the elves dressed up for the school dances, but their costumes usually made them look more creepy. And Harper already found them plenty creepy to begin with.

As Sawyer climbed out, he seemed to scan the Great Hall, still on the lookout for his mystery crush. Harper tried to follow his gaze, but the room was so crowded it was impossible to tell who he was trying to avoid. "Hmmm," she said, tapping a finger to her chin. "I guess, but only if you give me my pen back," she said, pointing to the ground. Harper gave him a friendly smile, hoping he'd know that she didn't actually plan on telling anyone. Besides, she'd just spotted what looked like a flamingo out of the corner of her eye. At this rate, she wouldn't be surprised if Sawyer's predicament was barely considered gossip-worthy by the end of the night.