Closed His Past, Your Future

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot had been mulling over the end of yesterday's game all night. And for once it had nothing to do with how annoyed he was that Blake was such a good seeker. Much like everyone else, he was rather more preoccupied with everything that had happened after the game. With Blake and Lars. In his mind, all Elliot could see was Alice and how miserable she’d been after Blake broke her heart. Or even Lars himself, back when they’d been younger and Blake and Tyler had zeroed in on him as some sort of weakest link to tear down at any opportunity. He couldn’t figure out what could have possibly changed to make those parts of Blake just disappear and it made his brain hurt trying to imagine this would end anywhere even close to well for Lars.

"Hey, do you have a sec?" Elliot asked, dropping into an open seat across the table from Lars and fidgeting with a water goblet. He had so many questions about all this. Like when, and how, and why, but he couldn't ignore the niggling feeling that he'd given up all rights to asking about Lars' love life a few years ago when he'd also managed to break Lars' heart. He also figured Lars knew exactly why he wanted to talk to him, trying to keep his eyes focused away from Lars face so Elliot wouldn't lose his nerve.

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars had been very distracted by yesterday's events, not really able to focus on anything else. He was poking at his lunch distractedly, glancing over at the Slytherin table for any sign of Blake. But he didn't spot his boyfriend (boyfriend!) anywhere. Well, he'd see him later. And maybe they could go on a walk outside, hold hands... the options were endless. Lars smiled, a small sigh escaping him. But then he dropped his fork the moment he saw Elliot drop into the chair opposite of him. He had thought he'd have a bit more time to prepare for Elliot's reaction, but apparently it was happening now. One part of Lars thought Elliot had no business having a reaction, but he also knew that Elliot knew like no other how bad Blake had been in their first few years. He swallowed. "Uh, sure." He said, trying to sound casual. There was no way this was not going to be awkward.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot honestly wasn't sure if he was glad or not that Lars didn't try to brush him off. If he even got a hint that Lars wasn't comfortable having this conversation, Elliot would take the excuse and run. He still wasn't certain he wanted to have the conversation himself, but the visions of Alice so miserable after breaking up with Blake kept lurking in the back of his mind and Elliot knew he wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it till he said something.

"So... You and Blake," he managed, letting Blake's name hang heavy between them, glancing up from where his fingers were toying with the goblet. He was dancing around the subject, but somehow diving straight into it seemed dangerous. Perilous. "That's a.. Thing now. Is it?" Part of Elliot almost hoped Lars would say no. That it'd been a joke or some new way Blake had found to mess with Lars. Not that he wanted Blake to be back to picking on Lars, but it would easier, in a sense. A known quantity. Blake and Lars together was something Elliot couldn't even verbalize, but it made him uneasy, his own feelings a tangled knot he wasn't even sure he was allowed to unpick considering his own history with both of them.

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars knew what was coming but still winced when Elliot brought up Blake. He forced himself to look at the Hufflepuff, not wanting to seem like he was ashamed of his answer. "Yeah." He said. "It is a thing. Did the kiss tip you off?" He tried to joke, but it came out a bit more strained and defensive than he had expected. "I know what you're thinking, but he's changed a lot over the past few years." He added, even if he knew that wouldn't be enough to convince Elliot.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot knew Lars answer was coming, he'd asked after all, but he still had to spend a few moments staring while he digested it. Elliot managed a smile that he was sure came off more like a grimace, withdrawing his hand slowly from the goblet as Lars continued talking. "Okay, okay but..." Elliot trailed off. But what? As your ex-boyfriend I don't think you should date someone like Blake? As someone dating Blake's ex I don't think you should date Blake? As a sane human being with eyes I don't think you should date Blake. Elliot scrubbed a hand through his hair. "Has he?" he ended up asking instead, his voice pitching up higher than he'd intended from the tension. It was none of his business, he thought furiously, but still, Elliot had to check. He couldn't stomach seeing Lars end up just like Alice or Lily. "It's just- I mean you remember how he used to act, right?" How he stilled acted as far as Elliot was aware, but he'd give Blake the benefit of the doubt for now. If only to stop this entire conversation from imploding immediately.

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars felt increasingly defensive, even though he knew Elliot wasn't wrong for having doubts. It just felt frustrating, coming from the boy who had actually broken Lars' heart and hurt him. He tried to remember he meant well, but couldn't help the frown when Elliot questioned him. "He has." He said firmly. "I'm not stupid, Elliot. And not naive either. Not as naive as I used to be. " He said, pointedly. "And yes, I do remember. Considering he acted that way to me, I think I can recall." He said coolly. "Trust me, Elliot." He added in a softer voice, looking at his friend. "I know him, I know what I'm doing."

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot's stomach sank as Lars rebuffed him. It was fair that Elliot didn't really have the right to talk about this, something Lars didn't seem to have an issue reminding him about, but it was still beyond bizarre to hear Lars actually defending Blake. The idea that Blake was now someone Lars cared for so much, more so than Elliot, stung in a way Elliot couldn't quite parse out. Breaking Lars' heart hadn't been fun, but Elliot knew, more now than ever perhaps, that he'd definitely got the better end of the emotional stick on that one. Things had shifted now in such a way that Elliot wasn't sure how to respond for a moment.

He was aware he was more worried about how Blake had treated Alice than he was about Blake's older habit of bully Lars, but common sense told him bringing up Alice right now was just adding fuel to a fire he very much wanted to put out. "I know, I know. I'm sorry, I believe you it's just," Elliot shrugged, abashed and almost certain he should just stop talking. But the doubt still lingered, "I just don't want you to get hurt. Again," Elliot said giving Lars a tight smile.

 

[Lars van Houten]

Lars took a deep breath, nodding and closing his eyes for a moment. He knew where Elliot was coming from. "The kid who pushed me down and destroyed my paintings isn't the same person Blake is now." He said finally. "Believe me, I know." He ran a hand through his hair. "This has been building up for a while, Elliot. And Blake is really trying to change for the better." He said softly. "He's gone around and apologized to a lot of people he hurt." Lars shook his head. "I don't think he'll hurt me." He said quietly. "And if he did, it wouldn't be on purpose." He hesitated, then glanced at Elliot. "And I've learned I can live with being hurt when it's not on purpose." He said quietly, showing Elliot in his way that he no longer resented him for what had happened between them.