Closed The Fastest Way to the Heart is Through the Stomach

[Hamish Reid]

Hamish was sitting on the steps to the courtyard, a box of freshly made jalapeno poppers in his hands. He was letting them cool a bit, wanting to eat them fresh but not burn himself. He had his chin propped in his hands, just watching the clouds as they rolled by. Despite whatever else was going on, he loved to cook. He couldn't wait to graduate, get a place with his brother, get into culinary school. He was daydreaming, thinking of how life would be when they graduated. Maybe he might even find someone. He wasn't interested in dating here at school... but he was noticing more and more that he was interested in boys, too. He almost wanted to experiment a bit, but he wasn't sure how to go about that. Seamus was the charming one. Hamish wasn't exactly the most desirable boy in school. He sighed, trying to think of ways he could go about drawing in more people.

 

[Caleb Thorne]

Caleb laughed as his rat nuzzled into the collar of his shirt as he walked into the courtyard and stretched his arms over his head. The castle was getting so stuffy as the weather started to warm up. Soon he'd be able to spend his time by the lake instead of cooped up inside. He still went to his lessons but he was putting in even less effort than he had before, which wasn't a lot. He was ready to be done with this place and to start making a name for himself. He was on his way to the lawn to get some sun when a smell caught his attention. The food at school was good, better than his mother's cooking at least, but wasn't anything truly remarkable. This was different and eventually he found his way to the source. "Now what is that?" he asked and leaned closer to the boy who had a box of fried things next to him. "Are you keeping treats for yourself?" he asked a bit mischievously.

 

[Hamish Reid]

Hamish looked up when someone approached, giving an almost shy smile. "Just some snacks," He offered, before trying to be a bit less awkward. "I may be willing to trade some," He gave a more impish grin this time, picking up the box and putting it in his lap. "I might consider trading one for your name," He suggested, thinking that was a good place to start, an easier ice breaker. Right? He almost wished Seamus was around to ask about it, but Hamish couldn't expect his brother to get him out of everything.

 

[Caleb Thorne]

Caleb's face lit up as the other boy seemed willing to share whatever smelled so good. "Just a name?" he asked. That was easy enough to give but as he took a closer look he could have sworn they had met before. "Do I have to give something else to get your name too?" he asked and reached out to take one, even though he hadn't answered the question yet. "Aren't you in the same house as me?" he asked, wondering if this was some kind of joke.

 

[Hamish Reid]

Hamish laughed lightly at the question, but before he could answer the boy had asked another one. Hamish' smile faltered and he sighed. "No, that would be Seamus. We're twins." He offered, running a hand over his hair. "He's the charming one. I'm Hamish, Ravenclaw," He clarified, feeling oddly put out. It wasn't often that he felt like he was living in his brothers shadow, but he thought it would be nice if at least sometimes he could just be himself.

 

[Caleb Thorne]

Caleb's eyebrows raised when the boy introduced himself and mentioned he was a twin. That made a lot of sense now as things started to click into place. "Hm, I don't know if I'd call him charming." he said with a shrug. Maybe he had spent to long around Louis' unwavering confidence but Hamish's self deprecating demeanor made him want to do something about it. "He is cute, but you have that in common." he grinned. "And I'm Caleb." With introductions out of the way he finally took a bit and let out an involuntary pleased sound. "Oh wow, this is really good."

 

[Hamish Reid]

Hamish blushed a little, chuckling and rubbing the back of his neck. He couldn't help the warm smile when Calen tried his food. "I should hope so. I may be a seeker but Seamus is the athletic one. Food... well, the kitchen is where I thrive," He ran a hand through his hair. "You should join me sometime, I could make you something totally delicious," He was trying to brag a little, but he was trying to make a friend and he wasn't sure how else to do that.

 

[Caleb Thorne]

"I wouldn't sell yourself short." Caleb said still grinning. He wanted to make some comment about quidditch but he never paid attention to the games and couldn't remember how Ravenclaw did in their last game so he decided to keep it vague. "I'm sure you're equally athletic." he shrugged. "But you must be on to something cause these really are incredible." Caleb agreed. "Don't think I've ever been to the kitchens before." he thought out loud. He wasn't much of a cook so he never saw the need. "I guess it would be a shame if I graduated with out stopping by."

 

[Hamish Reid]

Hamish blushed. He wasn't sure what to do with compliments- was that a compliment? He shrugged it off, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. He chuckled as the subject moved back to food- something he was really passionate about. "You really should," He offered. "If you tell me your favorites, I could really whip you up something good. If you wanted to come by I could show you how to make it, I could teach you or you could just keep me company," He mused. He always enjoyed having company in the kitchen.

 

[Caleb Thorne]

Caleb finished the rest of his free snack and grinned at Hamish's insistence. He fought to keep his smile amused and to not outright laugh as the other boy rambled. He didn't want to discourage him but his almost instant eagerness seemed funny to him. Caleb shrugged and tried to seem only half interested in the idea, even if someone making him exactly what he wanted all the time did seem nice. "I'll think about it." he said playfully but stood up straighter as Peach started to wiggle impatiently. He grabbed the rat and held her gently in his palm, remembering they were supposed to be off to the lake. "Maybe I'll see you around." he shrugged as he started to walk away backwards towards the rest of the grounds.

 

[Hamish Reid]

Hamish hadn't noticed the rat at first, and he smiled softly at the sight. He kept forgetting to talk to Seamus to see if they should get any pets. He'd have to ask him later, but at the moment he was a little distracted by Caleb, and the way the sun was bouncing off the boys dark hair. He smiled shyly. "Yeah, sure, maybe," He agreed, giving the boy a shy wave. "See you around,"