Closed Trick or Treat

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lily had been shaking since Clifton led her out of the great hall. Why was she always like this? She had felt like she couldn't breathe, and thankfully he had followed when she lightly pulled his sleeve in this direction. It was silent as they walked through the grounds. The moonlight was soft but not so dim that they couldn't see in front of them. She had her arms wrapped around her torso, sniffling a little as she tried to calm the racing of her heart. She looked up as she heard the water of the lake, pausing and looking out at the star-studded reflection. She shivered, running her hands over her arms for warmth. "I'm sorry," She finally spoke, her voice soft against the night. "I'm so sorry." She didn't look away from the water, ashamed. "I messed everything up and I've ruined your night." She bit her lip to keep it from quivering, bringing a hand up to try and brush the tears from her eyes. "I just- I wanted to spend more time with you," She admitted softly, unable to look at Clifton.

 

[Clifton Ward]

Clifton had been terrified more times in his life than he could count, but he had never been afraid for another person like this before. Lily's reaction to the crowd had thoroughly thrown him, and Clifton had done his best to just get her out of the situation before things could get any worse. The air felt more breathable outside, without hundreds of Hogwarts students all around enjoying the festivities. The stillness of the lake and the freshness of the night helped clear Clifton's head, and helped him to focus on Lily, one arm gently around her to comfort her. His heart skipped a beat as she spoke, eyes widening. "No, don't apologise! Goodness!" Clifton said quickly, entirely flustered. She wanted to spend time with him? "I mean, it's fine! The feast was too crowded, it's nice out here. And I... want to spend time with you too." Clifton admitted, heart leaping into his throat. Without hundreds of students warming the space around them up, Clifton was beginning to feel the sting of cold on his face, and glancing down he realised Lily was far more exposed than him. "Here..." He said softly, withdrawing his hand so that he could take his jacket off, gently wrapping it around her shoulders. "You look cold..."

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Lilys heart beat painfully in her chest as Clifton spoke. She glanced up at him nervously. She blushed as he wrapped his jacket around her, bringing her hands up automatically to draw it closer around her. It was warm, and smelled like him. She shut her eyes and hummed lightly. "I-" she paused, her conversation with Mihail coming back to her. Could- could Clifton really like her, too? She swallowed nervously and bit her lip. She hesitated before turning more towards Clifton, looking up at him with fear in her eyes. "Clifton, I-I... I know I'm just... just, um, m-me," she stammered shyly, "I'm s-shy and, um, and awkward, and I'm n-not, ah, not good at much besides b-baking," she looked away, drawing in a shaky breath. "But I- I really like you, Clifton," she admitted softly.

 

[Clifton Ward]

The sight of Lily near-drowning in his much too big jacket was a kind of adorable Clifton had never known a person could be before, and it was almost too much to bear. He opened and closed his mouth, but before he could even dream of anything to say, Lily was speaking, saying things he couldn't fathom. Why would she think so little of herself?! He opened his mouth again to protest, to argue, to try and explain to her the angel he saw whenever she looked at him, but then Lily went on, saying words he was sure he must have dreamed. How in the world could Lily feel this way? He tried to figure out if he had said or done anything charming, but it just didn't add up. What could someone like her see in someone like him? He realised much too late that he had simply been gaping at her, mouth open slightly, for much too long. "That's... oh." He croaked, heart racing as he felt himself break out in a nervous sweat. "I'm sorry, I mean, I..." Clifton laughed nervously, unable to help himself. "I'm sorry. I'm really nervous. Do... you really mean that?" He asked, voice wavering and cracking with nerves. "I mean, you're so... beautiful and nice, it's... I don't see what on earth you would see in an oaf like... I mean... I'm sorry. I'm doing this all wrong." Clifton reached down impulsively, taking her hands in his own sweaty ones. "I-I like you very much, Lily. You're... beautiful and charming, and... so lovely, it's... it's almost unbelievable..." He stammered out, eventually trailing off weakly into nothing. As far as confessions of love went, Clifton was quite sure this had to go down in history as one of the worst, but here he was, and it was much too late to redo it the right way.

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

Clifton was silent for so long that Lily was sure she had just ruined everything. She took a small step back, sure her face was burning out of embarrassment. She paused as he started to speak, biting her lip and taking a few steps closer. "O-of course I mean it," She stammered, giving him a shy smile and brushing her hair behind her ear. She was sure her blush deepened when he took her hands in his. Oh, his hands were so much bigger than hers.

It was oddly comforting, that he was so much taller than she was. Could he feel the way her heart was pounding in her chest right now? "You... you really think so?" She couldn't help but smile softly, everything he said was just so sweet and it made her heart swell in her chest. "Clifton..." She couldn't help but giggle.

Feeling a little bit braver after what he said, Lily bit her lip and stepped forward. She took one of her hands back, but intertwined her fingers with his on the one he still held. She reached up, lightly touching her fingers to his jaw a moment before dropping her hand to brush her hair back again. "Do you... um... maybe, if you want to, um..." She bit her lip, looking away shyly and twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "W-would you, um, would you want t-to be, ah," She stammered, and had to stop and take a breath. "Um, I'm sorry, heh," She apologized, "I just- d-do you want to, um, maybe be my boyfriend?" She finally managed softly.

 

[Clifton Ward]

This felt like the most high-stakes conversation of Clifton's entire life, and he also was fairly sure he had entirely bungled it. How could Lily still have any interest in him after such a horribly fumbled confession?! Her hands were warm in his though and she didn't pull away, Clifton's heart skipping a beat as she laced their fingers together. Her fingertips on his jaw sent a jolt of electricity through him, and Clifton could hear his heartbeat in his ears as she spoke again. Hearing the words and accepting they were real, though, were two different things. How on earth had he been so lucky as to get to a point in his life where Lily was asking him to be her boyfriend?! "Are you sure?!" He asked nervously, unable to help himself. "I mean, yes! Yes, definitely! But... are you sure?"

 

[Lillian Lockwood]

((godmod approved))

Lily couldn't help but giggle at Clifton's reaction, squeezing his hand gently in her own. "I'm sure," She smiled warmly up at him, blue eyes sparkling. She opened her mouth to say more, but was interrupted as a gust of wind made her shiver. She shifted so she was pressed against Clifton's side, her fingers still entwined with his, and brought her other hand to rest lightly on his arm. "Do you want to head back to the dorms?" She asked softly, smiling up at him.

They talked quietly as they made their way back into the castle, in no real hurry to really get where they meant to go. Lily felt like she was walking on air. Clifton was her boyfriend. She was his girlfriend. They were dating. He was so sweet and kind, and gentle. She would occasionally slow, leaning into him for a moment to enjoy his warmth before continuing on again.

She paused as they reached the stairs to the dorms, reluctantly shrugging out of his jacket and giving it back. She smiled up at him, stepping away and onto the first step before pausing. "Clifton?" She turned, reaching out and placing a hand on his arm to stop him from leaving just yet. "I know tonight has been a little... crazy," She gave him a shy smile, tucking her hair behind her ear. "But... I had a really nice night with you." She hesitated a moment before using the added height from the step to lean forward and place a soft kiss to his cheek. "Good night," She murmured, smiling shyly before drawing back again and retreating to her dorm, heart pounding in her chest.