Taylor, the Latte Boy (Kegan)

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As Taylor walked through Hogsmeade and into Madam Puddifoot's, autumn leaves crunched at their feet. It was one of those days where they hadn't been able to figure out which gender they were. With as many layers of clothing as they had had to put on that morning to keep warm, it didn't matter as much as it usually did, however.

The tea shop was much warmer inside than the weather outside of it, and it wasn't very crowded, either. Taylor still wasn't used to being in Hogsmeade on days that weren't filled with Hogwarts students. They knew that it would take them some time to adjust to being apart from everyone else their age, but it was for the best that they were working and not in school.

With their pick of the tables in the kitschy little shop, they took one by the window. If they hadn't had the day off, it would have been a slow day for ice cream, which was why Taylor was prepared to deviate from what would have come naturally to them and order a hot beverage.

Tea was Taylor's beverage of choice, if they had to choose one, and Madam Puddifoot's had never had any shortage of it. They weren't particularly fond of coffee, which they found to be far too bitter for their tastes. If they were going to have something, it needed to have some sort of flavor—preferably sweet. Looking over their options, Taylor saw that among them was a pumpkin spice latte. They couldn't recall having had one before, but pumpkin spice would have been nice on such a chilly day. It couldn't have been very different from pumpkin juice, they thought, going ahead and ordering one.

@kegan

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Kegan had sources. Sources that told xem exactly when the best time to see Taylor Fortescue would be. Kegan still felt horrible for the way xe had argued with Taylor, even worse for the kiss, and even worse than that for the half-baked love confession that had followed. Xe hated not talking to Taylor, especially since Kegan knew Taylor needed xem. Well, xe hoped they needed xem. When Taylor’s day off came, it was a matter of process of elimination. First Kegan had visited the Fortescue home with some excuse about telling Rosie something, and when that turned up no results, xe had gone to Hogsmeade. A search through Honeyduke’s had turned up nothing, same with The Three Broomsticks and even – Kegan shuddered – The Hog’s Head. When Kegan walked passed Madame Puddifoot’s, xe was surprised to spot Taylor through the window. Xe hadn’t thought of the tea shop as Taylor’s style. Either way, Kegan marched in, head held high. Xe ordered a drink – well, actually, xe told the waitress to copy Taylor’s order. Xe figured that if xe made a scene it was better if xe had at least purchased something first. Mystery drink in hand, Kegan strode over to the table Taylor was occupying, trying xyr best not to show fear. “We’re going to talk now.” Xe announced, sitting down without asking permission. Kegan took a swig of the drink to fortify xemself, and nearly spit it out. “What the hell is this?!”

taylor

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Taylor was minding their own business when Kegan Lloyd sauntered in. After xe had admitted that xe was actually in love with Rosalie, Taylor hadn't known what to say to xem. How could they stomach that the person on whom they had been crushing was actually in love with their older sister? It had been easier to erase Kegan from their mind completely, until they were given no choice.

“We're going to talk now,” Kegan told them, and it didn't look to Taylor as though they had much of an option, either way. Xe had become increasingly hostile towards them ever since xe had learned that they had dropped out of Hogwarts, though Taylor had hoped that the embarrassment of that kiss had worn off and made Kegan more tolerable. (Not so, apparently.)

They had been given their own drink, and—looking at Kegan's—they knew that xe must have ordered the exact same thing as they had. Kegan took a sip of xyr latte, and Taylor considered themselves lucky that xe hadn't spit it all over them. “What the hell is this?!”

“That's a pumpkin spice latte, Kegan…” Taylor commented, not sure if they wanted to take a sip of theirs after having seen Kegan's reaction to it. It was coffee, but it couldn't have been that awful. Muggles enjoyed them, from what they had read.

Warily, Taylor sipped at their own latte. They probably wouldn't order one ever again, but it wasn't revolting. They weren't even going to ask Kegan why xe wanted to talk to them this time; they knew that they would be getting an earful from xem at any minute.

@kegan

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Taylor answered Kegan’s question – which xe had assumed was rhetorical – and xe made a face. Whoever thought that pumpkin deserved to go in a drink was off their rocker. Kegan liked pumpkin seeds, roasted with a little bit of salt, but that was the only part of a pumpkin that xe could stand. The rest of it deserved to rot and burn and die. Yes, the hatred really was that strong. “I can’t believe I trusted you.” Kegan muttered, not sure whether he was talking to the drink or to Taylor, since xe had copied their order. Since xe had proclaimed that xe and Taylor were going to talk, Kegan decided just to give up on xyr drink, pushing it across the table to Taylor, if they wanted a little bit of extra caffeine. Kegan probably didn’t need it – xe was already a little strung out on Pepperup Potions, not that xe was going to mention anything of the sort of Taylor. “Do you not want to talk to me anymore because I might love your sister?” Kegan asked bluntly. Xe wasn’t even sure about how xe felt about Rosalie. During their first meeting, there had been something, but the longer the two were apart, the more uncertain Kegan became. Maybe it had just been a momentary thing, Kegan searching for some sort of familiarity and comfort in a world that hadn’t been kind to xem. Whatever happened, Kegan didn’t want Taylor not to come to xem because of something that might not even exist.

taylor

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“I can’t believe I trusted you,” Kegan said, and Taylor had no question that the comment—although not specifically directed—was meant for them.

They didn’t say anything to rile Kegan up any more than xe was already. Xe pushed xyr cup over to them, though Taylor chose not to take it. They had their own pumpkin spice latte to choke down; they didn’t need another one. Instead, they waited for Kegan to say whatever it was that xe had wanted to get off of xyr chest.

“Do you not want to talk to me anymore because I might love your sister?”

Taylor couldn’t pretend that finding out that Kegan liked Rosalie hadn’t hurt them. They swallowed, glad that it was only their saliva and not more of the latte. If Kegan actually pursued a relationship—a romantic one—with Rosalie, Taylor feared that it would change their relationship with one another, too. (As if their dropping out of school hadn’t done that already, they thought bitterly to themselves.) They had liked Kegan, and they had looked up to xem.

Now, all it seemed Kegan did was nag them about this or nag them about that. Taylor was tired of it; they were tired most days, anyway, from work and their father’s health issues. When their father died, Taylor hoped—because they could hardly say “if” anymore—they wouldn’t become as angry as Kegan had become since the death of xyr parents.

“I…” How could they explain what they needed to without sounding like a fool? Taylor didn’t want to ruin anything that Kegan had with Rosalie, but, at the same time, they couldn’t just Obliviate their crush on xem. “Do you love her?”

@kegan

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Taylor didn’t touch the pumpkin spice latte that Kegan had pushed to them, which meant that it was going to go cold and then be thrown away when Kegan left the tea shop. Taylor took a while to formulate an answer to xyr question, which worried Kegan. It should have been an easy yes or no type thing, but Taylor was agonizing over the answer. And then the answer wasn’t an answer at all, but rather, a question for Kegan, one that xe balked at. “I – I think so?” Kegan asked. That probably wasn’t what Taylor wanted to hear, because being uncertain was worse than knowing xe absolutely did love her. “I don’t know. I mean, I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and –” And thinking wasn’t supposed to be how you figured out you loved someone. “I’m really messed up, Tay.” Kegan sighed. They probably knew that already, but at least now it wasn’t the elephant in the room. “And when she’s around…I don’t know. I feel less messed up.” Kegan didn’t pretend to know much about love, or emotions in general. Xe understood how people worked, but that was all from a purely logical standpoint, and the ability to analyze tons of data extremely quickly. When it came to xyr own heart, though, Kegan was just as clueless as anyone else.

taylor