Prelude to a Kiss

[Wyatt Finch]

The closer it got to the Yule Ball the more nervous Wyatt got because he wanted to ask Amber. He'd gone to the ball with Marisol before so it wasn't like he had missed out on going with a girl but somehow it felt different because at the pit of his stomach he knew that there was a line with Mari but it was a bit different with Amber. He really liked the Hufflepuff she was smart and funny and so pretty. It was actually really nerve wracking to think about asking her with how great she was. The boy was worried though that the more time they spent together that maybe she would want to kiss if they went to the Ball. Wyatt was fairly certain that such a thing was still disgusting because of the health risk it posed. He knew that both his friends thought he was absurd to feel this way but he couldn't help but be nervous knowing all about meningitis as he did. So with this on his mind he waited for his certainly platonic friend to arrive so maybe she could convince him it would be fine to ask Amber. After all, he didn't even know if she wanted to be a friend or more but he didn't feel this way about his friends. Except Asaiah. Wyatt sat on the cliffs edge chewing on his bottom lip and throwing nearby rocks over, watching them fall until he couldn't see them anymore.

 

[Marisol Woods]

The past month had been a whirlwind for Marisol she didn't know how to feel from one moment to the next. Now the only constant was her best friends and she was grateful for that. When Wyatt asked to meet her at the cliffs she agreed and headed that way as soon as she was done with class. Marisol didn't know what he wanted to talk about but she was curious as always. "Hey you," she said softly as she finally reached the top of the cliffs. She ran her fingers through his hair and ruffled it as she approached him before carefully taking a seat next to him on the edge. "What's up?" she asked, looking over at him as he threw rocks across the way. Something seemed to be up with him, but then again that wasn't entirely uncommon with Wyatt.
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[Wyatt Finch]

Wyatt smiled but didn't turn his head as Marisol approached - he was already more comfortable with her around and as if he were a cat or a dog he leaned in subtly as she ran her fingers through his hair because it felt relaxing. He handed Marisol a spare rock before he said anything because maybe it would distract her from how funny she was probably going to find his distress. "You can't laugh, okay?" he asked looking into her eyes now because he was sure that she would find it just brilliant how nervous he was about all of this. "There is this girl," he started and swallowed hard. "She's pretty and nice - I like like her," he admitted with a bit of a laugh at himself because he felt stupid telling Marisol about this. "I want to ask her to the Yule Ball but I'm scared because what if she likes me too? What if she wants to kiss and stuff?" Wyatt asked, now he was blushing profusely at the thought of it because the idea was quite distressing and this was from a boy who really enjoyed discussing disembowelments. This was when he threw another pebble over the cliffs waiting to hear what Marisol would have to say. Maybe it would be something to discourage him or just to tell him to get over himself. Either way he didn't know what he wanted to hear.

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol smiled as she took the rock from him and flipped it over in her fingers for a moment as she listened. She nodded her head when he asked her not to laugh, but as soon as she heard the word 'girl' a huge grin erupted on her face. "Finally!" she commented, shaking her head a little. She tried her best to school her features and not laugh as he had asked her, so she bit her bottom lip to stop herself from grinning anymore and looked out at the scenery as he spoke. She took her time throwing the rock into the open space and then turned to look at him with a patient smile. It was a little weird talking to Wyatt about liking a girl because for the tiniest moment she thought she had a crush on him, but it had gone away as quickly as it came and now she was just glad he was finally interested in someone else so he could stop thinking they were gross. "If you like this girl, don't you want her to like like you back?" she questioned, not sure what the problem was. "Do you think she likes you back?"

She did chuckle a little at the mention of kissing but she hoped it didn't sound like she was laughing at him and said, "You know kissing is not as bad as you think it is. None of us have gotten sick from it so I think you'll be fine too," she nudged him. "Unless it's germs you're not worried about this time," she added, wriggling her eyebrows at him playfully. She was curious to know who finally got Wyatt to stop thinking dating was dumb and asked, "So who is it?! Do I know her?"
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[Wyatt Finch]

Wyatt frowned at Marisol's reaction to him bringing up Amber. Her excitement over this was a bit strange and it felt a bit disheartening because there had been a time when he'd felt these things bubbling up for Marisol though he had pushed them down and away. Crushes like bad feelings were meant to be pushed far away as far as he could tell. But maybe he was wrong to do that with Amber. "I guess but still. What if she wants to hold hands and stuff?" he asked, feeling a bit strained at the idea of it all. His face went red and his stomach flipped a little. The idea was so beyond him that he forgot that he and Mari held hands sometimes too even if that was very different in his mind. "Yeah, I think so," he said though he wasn't entirely certain. On one hand he hoped that Amber liked him yet on the other he was afraid she would too. That was a lot of pressure to put on the fourteen year old.

As Marisol claimed that no one had ever gotten sick from kissing the boy scoffed. "Haven't you ever heard of mononucleosis?" Wyatt asked but didn't give her a chance to answer. "You can get really sick. Your lymph nodes swell up. It's disgusting," he said getting flustered and worried as he looked at Marisol. The boy didn't even know about the possible wizarding diseases they could catch and share through kissing but he knew mono and meningitis could easily be spread through kissing and he didn't want either of those.

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol chuckled but smiled patiently at her best friend. "Wyatt, we hold hands all the time, it'll be the same thing!" she pointed out calmly. "Except I guess if you're nervous your hands might be sweaty and that's gross so make sure you wipe them clean before you decide to hold hands," she added as an afterthought, trying to help him out. She shook her head as he brought up medical terms in relation to kissing again and said, "I'm just saying, Asaiah and I have been kissing other people for a while now and not once has either of us gotten sick - at least not from kissing related stuff," she shrugged her shoulders as if that fact proved his theory wrong. "It's really not that bad, I promise. You might like it," she said cheekily. "I just think maybe you're hiding behind all the germ stuff because you're nervous about kissing her!" she said suddenly as the possibility popped into her head. "That's it, isn't it?" She noticed he had completely ignored her questions about who the girl was but she hoped she could get it out of him sooner or later.
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[Wyatt Finch]

Wyatt scowled at the girl beside him for pointing out an obvious flaw in his logic. Then rolled his eyes because the two really were very affectionate. It was probably a bit much but he never minded too much. "Yeah well - it's different with us," the boy said as if he was pointing out the obvious. "You're my best friend - can't date you. I mean Asaiah sure but you... definitely not," he said with a chuckle because it had become a long running joke that he and Asaiah were a couple and truth was Wyatt thought his friend was pretty good looking and wouldn't mind terribly if it wasn't for the fact that he definitely was not attracted to guys. Somehow Asaiah became the exception. The Gryffindor picked up another pebble and chucked it over the edge ignoring what Marisol had said about how they'd never gotten sick. He knew the risk of it and the symptoms so maybe none had caught it yet but it was bound to happen. Especially with the amount of people constantly making out at the school. Even first years! He hoped Stella would stay away from them because the idea of it made him feel a bit queasy. "I'm not nervous," he said too quickly and too firmly for it to be the truth. Amber made him very nervous and that was written all over his goofy face. "I just don't want to die," he said though saying this felt like a revelation.

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol chuckled weakly when Wyatt said it was different between them. She knew that would be his rebuttal, and he had a point, but she had hoped it would help him feel less nervous about holding hands with the girl. Marisol laughed openly at his joke about Asaiah, nodding her head in agreement. She eyed him skeptically when he claimed he wasn't nervous but shook her head as she laughed again. "Maybe you should kiss Asaiah to prove that you won't die," she joked, nudging him. Even though it wasn't a serious suggestion for him to kiss their male best friend, Marisol still tilted her head to the side and bit her lip in thought. "Hmm," she began, "what if you - what if we -" she stopped herself, shaking her head. She didn't know why she was suddenly nervous. She inhaled and turned to look at him squarely, smiling softly at him. "Look," she put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm going to kiss you so you can see for yourself it's perfectly safe, okay?" she said boldly. She was half telling him, half asking but she didn't lean in just yet in case he was set on having this girl as his first kiss instead and she didn't want to ruin that.
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[Wyatt Finch]

Wyatt didn't have any words to reply to what Marisol had just said. He felt frozen - somehow this shocked him more than her being a werewolf. Why would she even want to kiss him? He had a million thoughts running through his mind, like about her boyfriend Octopus or whatever his name was but mostly he felt uncomfortable having that pressure put onto his shoulders. This was why people their age shouldn't date. It was scary and illogical but at the same time he looked at Marisol and wondered why he hadn't thought to kiss her after their time at the Yule Ball. He hoped he would remember to kiss Amber - that is if Marisol didn't kill him. "Is this a joke?" he asked hesitantly because he didn't want to say anything strange before he knew if she was toying with him or not.

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol laughed but shook her head at Wyatt's question. "Of course not!" she replied calmly. She just wanted to help her friend out because he seemed so nervous about all this. "Think of it as an experiment, and we're testing out a hypothesis," she laughed at her own analogy, hoping since he was so medical that he would appreciate her approach to this with logic and 'science.' She beamed at Wyatt encouragingly and shook his shoulder softly to shake him from his nerves, she could feel how tense he was. "It'll be fine," she said warmly.

With one final look at him, Marisol leaned in and closed the distance between them, closing her eyes as she softly pressed her lips against his. She had only ever kissed Octavian before, but she and Octavian were no longer together so she didn't feel guilty for kissing Wyatt now. Even though this was just for Wyatt to get practice in for the girl he actually liked, the idea of kissing someone new was still thrilling so Marisol felt her stomach doing flips. She didn't want to let the kiss go on for too long in case Wyatt was uncomfortable, so she leaned back after a short moment and then smiled at him. "There, no so bad right?" with a small chuckle.
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[Wyatt Finch]

For some reason Wyatt didn't shove Marisol off when she tried to explain why it was a good idea. Sure, he trusted her but kissing was still gross and Marisol was his best friend. This could be beyond disastrous. With all these thoughts racing in his mind he didn't have time to protest before he felt her hand on his shoulder and lesser still before she leaned in. Wyatt's breath hitched as Marisol leaned in close to him. He was just as nervous as he had been about Hogwarts when he'd first arrived but instead of his stomach in knots he felt it flip and his chest felt tight all in the second before their lips touched. But when they did he relaxed. Marisol's lips were soft and a sort of gentle he had never expected from a girl like her. He put his hand on the small of her back like he'd seen done in movies before but this was different because Wyatt wasn't disgusted. He was enjoying this much more than he thought he would but before long the kiss was over. With red cheeks and an embarrassed look in his eyes Wyatt opened his eyes and looked over Marisol and bit down on his bottom lip. Stunned into silence the teenager suddenly realised his hand was still on Marisol's back so he snapped it back and then ran his fingers through his hair as if he was playing it off although it was quite obvious that it had come from a place of discomfort. Wyatt cleared his threat and said uncertainly, "No, not so bad." If it wasn't for the fact that he felt pretty certain that Marisol would shove him off the cliff face he would lean in again because he had really enjoyed himself, which made things confusing. "So... how long have you liked me?" He asked, teasing the girl because making jokes like this was his only way to cope with the uncomfortable moments of life.

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol didn't think Wyatt would push her away or anything, but she was not expecting him to place his hand on her lower back the way he did. The movement was so natural for someone who had never kissed before and Marisol laughed nervously when he belated pulled his hand away and tried to play it off casually once he had realized it himself. She laughed when he said it hadn't been so bad and then jokingly said, "Please, I'm a great kisser!" She was still chuckling at her own joke when she heard Wyatt's own joke and she didn't know whether to protest or laugh but her cheeks felt hot either way. "Oh shut up," she settled on, laughing out loud and shoving him lightly in the process - not as hard as she normally would given their location. She shook her head as she got a fit of the giggles, thinking about the idea and said, "You wish!" through her taunts. After having broken up with Octavian not too long ago Marisol was certain she had no other feelings for anyone at the moment.
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[Wyatt Finch]

Wyatt arched an eyebrow as Marisol told him she was a great kisser. He really hadn't been able to tell and in truth because he was pretty distracted by the idea of a kiss in general. It never really occurred to him that someone could be a bad kisser. God what if he was a bad kisser? Amber was so pretty, of course she would want someone who knew what they were doing! That was not Wyatt Theodore Finch at all. So the boy chewed his bottom lip which still tasted like her lipgloss and then looked back at Marisol and said, "You know... when you're trying to prove a hypothesis you have to test it multiple times to make sure the first success wasn't a fluke, right?" He smiled cheekily and this time it was him who leaned in to kiss Marisol. This was all for the sake of science, though. The boy had always been very physically affectionate with his friends giving them hugs and holding their hands and leaning on them or playing with their hair but as he had leaned in Wyatt and pushed Marisol's soft brown hair out of her face it was entirely different. The boy didn't care. He just was happy to feel Marisol against him and he gladly lingered against her before he managed a laugh at the pair of them. "Okay so the experiment was conclusive," he said formally with a awkwardly chuckle as he slung an arm around Marisol's shoulders and put his chin on top of her head. After a moment of silence Wyatt thought of the girl's boyfriend and how pissed he would be if someone kissed the person he was dating - even if it was for science. "Is Octopus gonna end up beating me up now?" His fingers tapped gently on Mari's shoulders nervously as he thought of how best to deal with this possibility because he had never been in a fight before, really.

 

[Marisol Woods]

Marisol turned to look at Wyatt when he first began talking, because he was drawing out the first two words to get her attention. But she didn't know whether to laugh or protest again his statement. She barely had time to nod after considering it and the next thing she knew, Wyatt was leaning in for another kiss. Marisol felt her stomach somersault as Wyatt gently pushed her hair back and kissed her softly. She smiled against his lips because she knew this meant she had won the years-long argument that kissing was fun! Even if it was with his best friend and not the girl he liked.

Marisol laughed at his response and nervously tucked her hair behind her ear, trying not to blush because that would be embarrassing. "Technically, the experiment is not done," she began. "How long until the germs kick in and start infecting you?" she said, looking down at her wrist as if she was checking a watch. "What symptoms should I look out for?" she teased. She relaxed against him as he put his arm around her, this felt much more natural between the two of them than kissing and was going to try and get his crushes name out of him when he asked a question first. Marisol shifted uncomfortably beneath him and grabbed a few rocks from the ground and threw them over the cliff one by one as she stalled to answer. Finally she sighed and said, "We broke up a little while ago." She didn't want to start crying again and she didn't know what else to say, so she remained silent after that, continuing to throw the small rocks.
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