Quidditch Tackle

[Mervyn Strangewayes]

The second Leda caught the snitch, Mervyn shot out of his seat and made the long descent down the stands, knowing that by the time he reached the bottom both teams would have all their feet on the ground. Mervyn was always proud of his best friend, but he had never been so proud of her as he was in that moment. After the disappointment of her last two games, she deserved a win - and he'd always had faith that she would get one. Spotting her unmistakable red hair, he raced across the pitch, not caring whether he was allowed or supposed to be there. What he meant to do when he reached her was pick her up and spin her round; what he actually did was lift her half an inch off the ground, stagger backwards a bit and drop her again. "Bloody 'ell, you weigh a ton," he said. "I fink I just pulled a muscle in me ribs. LEDA! YOU ONLY GONE AND DID IT, DINCHA?! DIDN'T I TELL YOU YOU WOULD?"

 

[Leda Layton]

Leda was still in a state of disbelief that she'd managed to catch the snitch and win an actual game for Slytherin, and she'd barely made it to the ground before she looked up to see a familiar face headed in her direction. As she was squeezed and somewhat lifted into the air by her best friend, a large grin appeared on her face finally, and she looked up to Mervyn who seemed to be proud thst she'd managed it. It was too bad that the one time she did something note worthy that her sister wasn't even here to witness it, bit she was especially glad that her Gryffindor counterpart was around for her. Throwing her arms round the boy and squeezing him tightly as he tried to lift her up, she was delighted as the reality of the situation kicked in. Odette seemed pleased with her efforts and even if they hadn't won the cup they were better off than they had been before the game. Once Ledas feet were firmly on the floor once again, she pressed both hands against the cheeks of her best friend, holding him in front of her as she smiled at her own victory. 'I actually did it." She repeated, unaware of just how tightly she was pressing her hands. "I DID IT!" Her voice suddenly at a decibel that only cats would hear, her excitement beginning to take over.
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[Mervyn Strangewayes]

Mervyn quickly forgot his sore ribs as Leda pressed her hands to his cheeks and shrieked with excitement. It was the most adorable thing he'd ever seen, and he never wanted her to stop being so happy, so proud of herself. For a second, all he heard was the blood thumping in his ears; all he saw was Leda's face, full of joy, and beautiful in a way he hadn't really noticed it being beautiful before. Then he leaned in and kissed her. He didn't even think of the other team members on the pitch; his world had reduced to only what he could feel in front of him. Maybe it was a stupid thing to do. It was definitely a stupid thing to do, given that he didn't even know if he liked kissing very much, and given that Leda was his best friend. But somehow, it just needed to be done - even if only once.

 

[Leda Layton]

Leda had been so caught up in the moment, thinking about how she'd done something for her team and something she could be proud of, that she barely registered the fact that Mervyn was in such close proximity to her. The next thing she knew he had leant forward, his lips pressed against hers and every muscle in her body seemed to freeze completely out of shock. Shed never kissed anyone before, and never had had a reason to, but as she felt her best friend so close in her personal space it was oddly comforting. For a few seconds she met him and pushed back a little, hands still on either side of his face as her eyes closed briefly as she found herself lost in the ease of him. That being said, almost as quickly as it it had happened, the Slytherin opened her eyes and pulled her head away from Mervyn to peer back into his eyes, a small frown of confusion appearing on her face. "You just kissed me." She said simply, matter of factly, although not entirely sure what she expected him to give as his excuse. They were best friend weren't they? Kissing wasn't something best friends did. What if Mervyn thought of her as something else? Releasing her hands, the third year took a small step back as her heart rate increased, her mind suddenly going into overdrive and considering that if she were to lose her best friend, she really wouldn't have anyone she could trust at all.
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[Mervyn Strangewayes]

As Leda pulled away, Mervyn braced himself for a slap. When it didn't come, he slowly opened his eyes, blushing. He couldn't read Leda's expression - or at least, didn't want to read it, in case his suspicion that he had done a bad thing was confirmed. "Er - yeah," he mumbled, the closeness between them suddenly turning awkward. He thought he wanted Leda to step back until she did - then he wished she'd stayed where she was. Suddenly he was aware again of the people around them, watching. "Sorry," he added, because apologising seemed like the right thing to do. "Dunno why I did it. Just came over me, like. " He was vaguely aware of a slight Welsh lilt nudging back into his voice, but didn't care enough to correct it. "It didn't mean nuffin', did it? I don't fink... I'll just... You should go and get changed or summink." Changing the subject seemed like the only way out of the hole Mervyn had dug for himself, though he knew what he'd done would have lasting consequences. Why did he have to be so impulsive?

 

[Leda Layton]

Didn't mean anything. Didn't mean anything?! Leda may have been conflicted on her feelings but hearing that her first kiss didn't mean anything at all hurt her more than the idea that she'd been kissed in the first place. Not really knowing what to think and being more than aware that her teammates were still around her, her heart was dropping in her chest more than it ever had before. Usually if she struggled with something she'd turn to Mervyn or Olive but neither seemed to be available for her in this instance. Trying to stop her face from giving away how she pained she really felt, she shrugged, aiming to give the impression it was no big deal while she felt as though her world had just been crushed around her. She never even considered that he would want to kiss her, but maybe shed been wrong about the type of friendship they had. "Alright. Yeah" usually lost for words, Leda looked to the floor, a mixture of many emotions running through her head but unknown to her which was the strongest, meant that the Slytherin felt like a fish flailing around in a shallow pond. With her heartbeat hammering in her chest, both missing the closeness of Mervyn but simultaneously unsure of what it meant, Leda felt more alone in that moment than she ever had since joining the school. She looked up to her best friend with conflicting feelings running through her veins. Anger taking over harder than she realised until it was too late. "Why did you do that?!" She asked loudly, giving his shoulders a sharp nudge as she spoke, not really caring if her housemates heard her. She took a step closer towards him, her voice this time much quieter as though she was grasping at any answer he could give her. "Why did you do that?" Her green eyes bore into his and she wasn't letting him escape quite so easily. She would follow the others out shortly but right now she needed to know what was going on in his head
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[Mervyn Strangewayes]

For a brief moment, Mervyn thought that was going to be it - Leda would go and get changed, he would leave, and they would never talk about this awkward moment ever again. He had barely had a chance to feel relieved when she pushed his shoulder and began demanding to know why he'd done it. What could he say? He didn't know! She'd been so close, and he'd been so excited. Did he have to have a reason beyond that? And did Leda want there to be a reason beyond that? It was all too confusing, too complicated, with too frightening repercussions if he said the wrong thing. "I dunno!" he exploded eventually. "All right? I dunno! It was just a stupid fing! It don't 'ave to be a big drama. Just forget it even 'appened." This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Leda was supposed to be celebrating her victory. Mervyn had ruined her moment and now probably hurt her as well. He just couldn't deal with all the feelings.