Closed How You Look in the Light

[Nixon Mercury]

Set after this thread.

Nixon was rushing as he ran out of the hall pick up his camera, the few minutes he spent during his second dance with Tristan cutting his schedule close enough for him to be late in taking photos for the yearbook. It would have been a worry inducing experience, the chance he might let the other yearbook members down by being tardy something he would usually try to avoid. But caught up over the warmth in his chest and overwhelmed by the feeling he was free for the first time since he could remember, he hardly had the capacity to care, showing up to the hall in a state of giddiness rather than worry. Soon enough he saw his yearbook buddy Caro, and approached her with a wide smile and a shade of blush on his face. "Hey, sorry I'm late." He greeted, picking up his camera hanging from his shoulder and adjusting the settings, eager to get started so the night would be over quickly and he could lose himself all over again in his rendezvous with Tristan. Bringing his camera up to his face to get a feel for the lens he was using, he noticed Caro's red dress and smiled. "Your dress is stunning, by the way. It's basically sparkling." He said as he lowered the camera again.​

 

[Caro Taylor]

School dances never went well for Caro. She had never once been asked to dance, watching through the lens of her camera as other people lived the lives she wanted. It felt monumentally unfair at times, that her entire teenage experience was hidden under this shadow of obscurity. Everyone loved Lizzie, nobody saw Caro, it was a tragedy any way she looked at it. The two and a half years remaining before she could escape this place seemed to stretch endlessly ahead of Caro, nothing bright in her future until she was finally, finally free of Hogwarts.

Almost nothing, that was. The one thing that had been filling her with hope sometimes felt almost silly to think about. Nixon had sent her a rose last year, the first person to ever bother doing so, and it had sat in the back of Caro's mind ever since. It had been yellow, sure, but could he have meant more by it? Maybe he had been too shy to send a pink one. Nobody had ever noticed Caro before, and she had been dwelling on the rose ever since. So when Nixon had asked if she could help him taking pictures of the ball for Accio she had quickly agreed, making sure she looked her absolute best for the event. It had sunk Caro's heart a bit to see Nixon dancing with an older boy while she took pictures for the Monthly waiting for him to be ready, but she tried not to dwell on that. Nixon was leaving that boy to spend time with her. Surely, that meant something. She waited at the area they had agreed to meet at, smiling brightly when she saw Nixon approaching. "No problem." Caro said quickly, pleased that he would at least take the time to apologise to her. Did that mean anything? As she was making sure she had everything ready to go, Caro's heart skipped a beat as Nixon complimented her dress. He had noticed! "Thank you!" Caro said quickly, her face flushed. "You... you look very handsome." She grinned shyly. It was certainly the truth - Caro didn't think she had ever seen Nixon in a suit before, and she couldn't believe how good he looked. It was difficult to tear her eyes away.

 

[Nixon Mercury]

Nixon's own outfit was of a darker colour than Caro's and considerably less eye catching, a sentiment similar to the rest of his appearance which he hardly considered handsome. In his own words he would describe himself as neat at best, and much like earlier he lowered his gaze, unable to accept the compliment returned to him but he did appreciate the gesture even if he did not believe the words. Caro had always been someone Nixon enjoyed working with on both the yearbook and the school paper, because they were able to get their individual tasks done without too many distractions and with a polite facade such as mutual compliments. He didn't expect anything different from this event, and this was pleasing as he simply wanted to get all the photos for the yearbook captured so the night could end and he could meet with Tristan more privately. Lifting his camera to his face again, Nixon said "Give me your best pose." To Caro, snapping a photo of her in her dress. It was as he lowered his camera again he decided it was time to quit dawdling and begin working. "Alright, where should we start? Over by the christmas tree?" He asked, assuming it would be easier to take photos of the decorations before they focused on each student.​

 

[Caro Taylor]

Caro wondered if her compliment had been too forward, but to her delight, Nixon responded by asking to take a picture of her. Face flushed, she smiled brightly and tried not to look awkward as she posed for the photo. She knew it was for the yearbook, but Caro hoped he had been compelled at least a little by how beautiful she looked tonight. She tried not to linger on her crush though, when Nixon turned his attention to business. She nodded, looking over where he had indicated. "That's a good idea, you can get a good angle on the dance floor from there." She said, looking around the Great Hall as she headed over to the tree with Nixon. As much as she wanted to stay and talk more, they had work to do.

 

[Nixon Mercury]

Nixon nodded in response to Caro, before getting to work and heading to the christmas tree alongside her, snapping photos as he walked. On his way, he made sure to take a photo of the atmosphere of the hall and the tree from afar, not wanting to miss the bigger picture and scope of the hall in favor of capturing smaller details. He of course always tried to capture quality photographs rather than just a quantity of them, knowing the yearbook was one of the most important school publications that would be read by not only current Hogwarts students, but future students in generations to come, and tried to make sure each image he did capture was usable in some way. It was a bit of a burden to bear knowing how important his photographs were but it also motivated Nixon to try his best for the sake of everyone else and the reason he practiced taking photos around the school so regularly. When he reached the christmas tree, Nixon leaned in to get a close up of some of the decorations, looking from his camera and to Caro after he was sure those images were good enough. "Is there anything else around here you think I should take a picture of?" He asked, turning to glance out to the hall again with his camera at the ready.​

 

[Caro Taylor]

Trailing after Nixon, Caro tried to turn her mind to work. They had a lot of photos to take tonight for the yearbook, and the evening was sure to fly by faster than they could keep up with. She looked around, trying to see if there was anything special going on that they should capture. The hall was so busy, it always felt like there would never be enough film in the world to capture all the moments. Looking around though, Caro's eyes fell on the decorations hanging above them, and her heart leaped into her throat. Mistletoe. Could that have been why Nixon led them here?! All thoughts of the yearbook vanished from her mind as she stared up at the leaves, nerves rushing through her. No part of Caro even remembered that Nixon had come here as someone else's date. He had led her here, under the mistletoe, and now here they were. She pointed up, heart racing, trying to sound casual, as though she hadn't figured out his plan. "Look... We're under the mistletoe." She commented, looking up at the plant, and then down, nervously at Nixon's face, eyes lingering a moment on his lips.

 

[Nixon Mercury]

At Caro's words Nixon looked up, bringing his camera to his face again in time to take a quick picture of the mistletoe she was pointing out. Photographing the mistletoe was not an idea Nixon would have thought of himself, but one he thought was genius as such a photo would fit well next to all the photos of the various students that were on dates that night. Satisfied with the photo he had taken, Nixon lowered his camera and looked to Caro with a smile. It was as he focused his attention on her that he noticed Caro's gaze lingering on his lips, and he realized what it really meant for them to be standing underneath the mistletoe together. "Ooohhhh." He said, looking away from Caro for a moment to adjust his camera strap and gather his bearings. Kissing Caro was not Nixon's intention but given the mistletoe and being in a giddy mood from earlier it only seemed natural, and it would at least tide him over until he could meet with Tristan again. When he was sure his camera wouldn't get in the way, Nixon turned to Caro and moved his hands to gently touch her arms. "Is it okay if I kiss you?" He asked, waiting until Caro had given him an indication of 'yes' before he leaned in to press his lips softly against hers.​

 

[Caro Taylor]

Caro's nerves seemed to fill her entire body as she waited for Nixon to respond. Surely this was what he had wanted. He was the one who had taken them right here, to this spot, standing under this bushel of mistletoe. Her heart sank though, as Nixon looked up, taking a picture of it. Did... he not understand at all? Realisation seemed to spread over his face after a moment, though, and she was relieved. Maybe he was just trying to play it cool, pretend he hadn't planned this. Caro nodded quickly when he asked if he could kiss her, her heart racing. This was really happening, Caro's first kiss. She licked her lips nervously before Nixon leaned in, hoping her breath wasn't bad. Caro's heart fluttered as Nixon's lips pressed against hers, her hands coming to rest lightly on his shoulders as she kissed back, leaning closer. Caro wasn't really sure how to kiss well but just pressing her lips against Nixon's felt better than she had ever imagined, and she hoped this moment would never end.