Closed Hiding on the Sidelines

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas had been hoping to have a good night, but being here by himself wasn't very fun, especially not with Connor and Kas going together. Lucas had spotted them earlier and had quickly walked the other way. He still liked being around Kas, but he couldn't put up with this stupid charade they had going on. Lucas knew it wasn't a real relationship, but he still hated it. He hated seeing Connor and Kas together like that, and he had almost been tempted to ruin the whole joke by simply telling Connor's brother what was going on. But... Lucas didn't want Kas to hate him, he had problems enough with his friend group. So, instead, Lucas moved around the Great Hall in an attempt to avoid the two. He appreciated the new decor, it was nice that things were a bit different than normal. It definitely made more sense for how Lucas had grown up, as Christmas had never been a winter thing for him. He grabbed himself some punch and sipped it, looking at the dancefloor wistfully. He wanted to dance with someone, but he didn't have anyone he could ask. Then he spotted Nikko, and his heart did a half-hearted little jump. He was mostly over his crush, but the boy still looked very handsome. Lucas remembered suddenly that Nikko had also dated Connor, which had ended badly. He had only heard Connor's side of the story, but now that he knew Connor wasn't entirely reliable, maybe he should get Nikko's side as well. Lucas hesitated, before walking over to him. "Hey." He said, smiling slightly. "Been a while." He said, not adding that he had been avoiding Nikko after he and Connor had broken up out of loyalty to Connor. A loyalty he now knew to be entirely misplaced.

 

[Nikko Blackwood]

Nikko pulled on his tie as he walked around the great hall. It was warmer than he expected and put up his hair quickly, since he had actually decided to wear a suit this year. Usually he got by with a button down shirt and nice enough pants but his cousin had gotten married over the break so he had been forced to get a real suit. He hadn't planned on bringing it but his mom convinced him at the last minute. He had to admit it felt nice to be as dressed up as the rest of his classmates for once. He had just paused to look up at the enchanted ceiling when he heard Lucas greet him. He stood there for a moment a little shocked that the other boy wanted to talk to him. They had gone to the ball together last year and while Nikko had misread the signals they had had a good enough time. But then Connor happened and everything got so much messier. He had been stunned to hear Lucas had started dating Connor not long after his own break up. It had hurt a little but he knew he didn't have much of a right to be upset, at least with Lucas anyways. "Yeah." he said with a light laugh when Lucas mentioned it had been a while. He wasn't sure when Connor and him and broken up, not that it mattered. They had something unexpectedly in common now and he was glad to talk to him again. "So how have you been?" he asked reflexively, since that was usually how conversations went. Nikko closed his eyes for a moment, feeling like a complete idiot. He could probably guess how Lucas might answer that but he let the other boy speak for himself.

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas knew Nikko probably knew he had dated Connor, and he felt a certain awkwardness between them because of it. He smiled hesitantly, glad it seemed like Nikko wasn't angry with him or anything. Lucas shrugged slightly at his question, not sure how much detail he should get into. "I've been alright." He said, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "For the most part." He added with a small shrug. There was no use in hiding it, as Nikko probably knew he and Connor had broken up. "I just want to say sorry for being distant. With... the whole Connor situation I guess I just kind of assumed he was right about things and avoided you on his behalf." He said quickly. "I now see he's not uh, perfect." He said, then grimaced. "Or even all that reasonable."

 

[Nikko Blackwood]

Nikko noticed how uncomfortable Lucas seemed and it made him feel kind of bad. He hated that being friends was so hard now. “No, it’s alright.” he tried to insist right away as Lucas started to apologize. “I didn’t really handle everything great either.” Nikko said when he was done, and he laughed when Lucas said Connor wasn’t perfect. He couldn’t agree more. Even with Connor apologizing, he still didn’t trust the older boy and doubted they could ever be friends if he wanted. “He has a way of seeing things the way he wants to.” he added after Lucas said Connor was unreasonable, since that had been the main reason they had broken up. “I also wanted to say sorry for not...” he started but hesitated. How was he supposed to apologize for not noticing his crush for what it was and then going off to date someone else. “I got your rose. Last year.” Nikko said, starting again, and feeling like his face was on fire. “I’m sorry for not, I don’t know. Being kinder I guess.” he finished and rubbed the back of his neck. He was regretting putting his hair up now since it gave him no way to hide his probably red face.

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas shrugged, wondering what Nikko meant when he said he hadn't handled everything great. But he didn't want to pry. He smiled slightly when Nikko said Connor had a way of seeing things the way he wanted to. He laughed softly. "That's... one way to put it." He said with a small sigh. He cast a glance in the direction of Connor and Kas, frowning a bit. But as Nikko started to apologize, Lucas turned to look at him again. He realized what he meant after a moment and his cheeks heated up. He had completely forgotten about that rose. Or at least, he had convinced himself Nikko had never received it. "Oh." He said, letting out a nervous laugh. He ducked his head. "It's fine. You were with Connor- I didn't expect anything." He said hurriedly. "I'm over it now." He added. "Sorry if it was... creepy." He said, looking at his feet. This was pretty humiliating, and Lucas was scrambling for a change of subject. "Er, do you like the new decorations?" He asked quickly.

 

[Nikko Blackwood]

Nikko felt a little relieved when Lucas seemed to agree with his comment about Connor. "Yeah?" he said and looked curiously at the other boy. "How would you put it?" he asked with a playful grin. He usually didn't condone talking about people behind their back but for Connor he could make an exception. At least for tonight. Nikko felt a little bad when Lucas seemed to be embarrassed about the rose and he regretted bringing it up. "No, not creepy." he said quickly but earnestly. "It was nice. Even if I didn't exactly deserve it." he said with an apologetic shrug. He took a deep breath and let some of the awkwardness of their conversation slip away. "It's nice." he said clearing his throat. "Yule always felt a little different from Christmas for me. What about you? Do you like it?"

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas laughed softly. "A bit less kindly." He admitted. "Connor is someone who doesn't know what he wants... and doesn't always pay attention to what other people might want or feel." He paused. "Sorry, he really hurt my feelings." He shook his head. "I'm trying to get over it." He ran a hand through his hair. It was still a bit embarrassing to talk with Nikko about the rose he had sent, especially because it didn't really sound like Nikko ever felt that way about him. "You were fine." He said quickly. "You didn't do anything wrong." The talk about the ball was a lot easier, and Lucas smiled curiously. "What do you mean?" He asked as Nikko talked about Yule feeling different from Christmas. "I like it. It reminds me a lot of Christmas at home." He sighed softly. "I wanna get some barbecue later."

 

[Nikko Blackwood]

Nikko laughed with Lucas and agreed with him completely. But he frowned when Lucas apologized. "No I get it." he said quickly and was starting to really appreciate having someone he could talk to about this. "He has a way of making you feel special until...he stops. And it sucks." he added and gave the Hufflepuff a sympathetic look when he said he was trying to get over it. "It'll happen." he said with a shrug. It had taken him most of a semester and all of break to really get over it but now he could say it was true. He hardly thought about Connor anymore. Nikko appreciated Lucas saying he didn't do anything wrong, but regardless he was glad to clear the air. He laughed a bit sheepishly and tried to figure out how to explain the Yule vs. Christmas divide he created in his head. "Well at home we don't exactly celebrate Yule." he explained and realized his dad would probably freak out if they ever tried. "So it's always been a school thing. I know they're the same thing, basically but no completely." Nikko rubbed the back of his neck again and hoped he didn't sound crazy. He nodded excitedly when Lucas mentioned barbecue. "For sure. It smells great."

 

[Lucas Fletcher]

Lucas nodded at Nikko's description, his eyes widening slightly. "That's... exactly it." He said, a bit shocked at how well that fit how he had been feeling. "It's like... he just stops feeling that way and expects you to stop as well." He said, sighing. "And then he moves on." He said, gesturing to where he was with Kas. He knew it was all a lie, but if anything, Connor should be thanking him for making it seem more realistic. Lucas listened to Nikko as he explained what he meant with Yule and Christmas. He thought he understood a bit but wondered if it was a wizard thing too. "I see." He said, hoping he sounded less unsure than he felt. He grinned when Nikko agreed to go with him to get some food. "Let's go." He said, "I'm kind of tired of watching lovey-dovey couples dancing."