strings made me stumble and winds made me tumble [elias]

[Deleted]

Fred normally wasn't the one to overthink things. He lived and let live, he laughed and he cried and he felt everything as deeply as he could, in the moment. It was his way of warding off dying, he supposed - to live every moment like it was his last. Normally he didn't overthink things, or people, but somewhere along the way, that had failed with one person. Elias Greyback kept floating back into his head, and Fred had told someone that he thought he loved Elias, which didn't even make sense, because he barely knew him, just knew that there was something there. Something he wanted to figure out, maybe. The closest word he had was love, so he said that, when he could. And when he couldn't, he just shrugged to himself and hoped that another word could come along for Elias. But Elias didn't know any words that Fred had for him, which was why he was waiting in Hogsmeade, leaning against the walls of one of the buildings like he belonged there while he waited for someone familiar to walk past.

@jill6

[Deleted]

@fred
<3

Another Hogsmeade weekend in the books. Only having spent a couple of months at Hogwarts so far was great, and it was probably one of his best years of school so far, other than the pain of the tournament task. But having this break before the second task was enjoyable and he was having a good time and meeting many people he'd love to continue his future with, especially his siblings. He had on a pair of dark brown khakis, taller black boots, and a knit dark red sweater with a thick collar, almost resembling a scarf. It was much warmer today than most others, so he found a jacket to be useless, but he kept his long curls hanging down his back.

Elias supposed some last minute shopping wouldn't be terrible, but for now he decided to just walk along the cobblestone path. It seemed that every trip here, he met up with a certain person. It had become so natural that Elias began looking at faces, expecting to find this sharp eyes staring back at him. And finally, he found the eyes before they found him. Grinning, Elias snuck behind a couple of people and ended up right next to Fred. "Hello there, krasiv."

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Crowd-searching had never been Fred’s strongest suit. Most of the people he bothered looking for could be heard long before they could be seen, so it was weird to have to look for someone who wasn’t causing a stir in the crowd around them. Apparently Fred hadn’t been looking hard enough, because when Elias appeared, it wasn’t in the crowd in front of him, but rather at his elbow. The Durmstrang boy was grinning like the cat that had caught the canary, and Fred chuckled a bit at his smile. “I’m afraid I don’t speak Bulgarian, so you’ll have to translate that.” Fred said when Elias called him krasiv. “Were you looking for me?” Fred asked, hope fluttering unexpectedly in his chest. That was the only reason Fred could fathom that Elias had been able to find him without being detected. But his lack of observational skills also played a part in the whole thing, so Fred tried to squash the hope before it became too big. “I was looking for you.” Fred added, attempting to be casual in spite of all the twists and turns his insides were doing.

@jill6

[Deleted]

@fred
<3

He had been looking for Fred, he supposed. Hopefully that wasn't a bad thing, but Elias was liking the friendship that was growing between the two of them and he enjoyed Fred's company. As he questioned his Bulgarian, Elias laughed. "Well, that's the point, isn't it?" He was more so embarrassed, not wanting to tell Fred that he just called him handsome and would much rather tell him it was just another word for stranger. Oh! He was looking for Elias? He stood up straighter and rose an eyebrow, tilting his head. "Why were you looking for me? But...Yes, I was looking for you as well." Elias grinned again, trying to stifle his laughter.

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Fred shook his head when Elias asked if not understanding was the point of speaking another language. “I thought it was so you could whisper sweet nothings into my ear.” Fred winced, realizing that was probably a little forward. “But whatever. Don’t tell me. But know that I have my ways.” He could write…someone. Someone would know what the word meant. Fred repeated it in his head a few times so that he would remember it later, and then turned his focus back to Elias, who also seemed to be paying more attention now. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Fred had been looking for him. “Well, there’s this thing I want to tell you. And I’m gonna say it even if you don’t wanna hear it, so now’s your time to plug your ears.” He paused for a moment to give Elias time to do that, if he really wanted, and then got out with it. “I like you.” Fred placed as much extra emphasis on like as possible, to make it clear he wasn’t just professing to want to be Elias’s friend or something of that nature.

@jill6

[Deleted]

@fred
<3

Elias grinned and then his eyes widened. Sweet nothings? What did that even mean? He noticed Fred flinch slightly, and he snorted, not knowing how to respond to that. "I'm sure you do, send me an owl when you find out, krasiv." Elias gave him a toothy smile. Whatever Fred was planning, Elias wanted to know what he thought when he figured out what it meant. "Imash krasivi ochi, Fred." His large grin soon faded slowly as Fred spoke once more, but he decided to pass on covering his ears as he stared at Fred. Elias placed his hands in his pant pockets and became very nervous. The three words rang through his ears over and over again.

I like you.

His heart caught in his throat and he took in a deep breath. "You... Like me?" Here was the shock. What does he do? What does he say?

[Deleted]

Fred raised his eyebrow at the invitation to send Elias an owl when he found out what the word meant. Hopefully he actually could find out, otherwise that would be…awkward, to say the least. “If it’s an insult, then you’re not going to be receiving an owl.” Fred said flippantly. “I’ll find a way to get into Hogwarts and then I’ll come punch you in your beautiful face.” He smirked at that, trying not to roll his eyes that much. And then Elias said something new in Bulgarian, and Fred pulled a face. One word he could remember, but more than that was pushing it.

Elias didn’t cover his ears, which was a good sign, but then he seemed confused by the whole thing. “That’s what I said, isn’t it?” Fred said, shrugging a little to try to alleviate some of the tension in the air. “Just thought I should probably tell you at some point.”

@jill6

[Deleted]

@fred
<3

"Of course it isn't an insult! I couldn't insult anyone, really. Honest." If Elias was more open about himself and comfortable with who he was, he'd definitely tell Fred what krasiv meant. But he felt better knowing that Fred would find out on his own. And, maybe it would make him feel special and giddy inside. He did however feel bad about the longer sentence he stated, and before Elias even began talking, his face burned red. "The other thing meant 'You have beautiful eyes'." This couldn't be too difficult right? Just like speaking with a girl?

Fred said he had a beautiful face, and Elias' beautiful face then scrunched up in embarrassment and happiness. He shoved his hands deeper into his pockets if that was even possible. Oh he was such a teenage girl! Swallowing nervously, he looked up at Fred shyly and nodded his head. Well, Maria had told him that he'd know with dating and more practice right? So, he had to practice. Elias looked up again, his face blank and said, "Kiss me."

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Fred just nodded when Elias insisted that krasiv wasn’t an insult. He wasn’t entirely sure if that was the truth, but it wasn’t his problem. All he needed to know was that Elias probably wouldn’t insult him, and of that Fred was certain. And when Elias translated the second phrase, Fred became even more sure of that; you wouldn’t call someone an idiot (or something ruder) and then tell them that they had beautiful eyes in the next breath. “That’s probably because eyes are only as beautiful as what they see.” That was lame and didn’t make any sense, but it was the best that Fred had at that time.

Kiss me. “What?” That wasn’t how Fred had been expected to be answered at all, and his voice cracked on the single syllable. He had thought that, at best, Elias would politely brush him off, give one of those canned ‘I’m straight’ answers, but this!? What even was this!? Fred didn’t have time to complain, though, and he definitely didn’t want to give Elias the chance to change his mind. Fred stood on the tips of his toes, grabbing onto Elias’s collar so he could close the last inches between them and plant his lips on Elias’s.

@jill6

[Deleted]

@fred
<3

Elias couldn't help the large smile that graced his face. Fred was so cheesy, he hadn't realized until just now, and it was sweet. An amusing sweet, but Elias just assumed it was because he might be as nervous as he was. Hell, there were tons of people around them right now, and Elias only had eyes for Fred. The noise canceled out and all he could hear was Fred's voice, and all he could see was Fred's face.

And then, as Fred said what, Elias began laughing out loud. It didn't last long as he felt his collar being grabbed, his body being pulled down lower, and the warmth of Fred's lips on his. A quiet noise escaped his lips at the shock of the kiss and he kissed him back, bringing his hands to grab Fred's cheeks. Elias shut his eyes, hoping this was everything Fred hoped it to be.

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This was crazy. Or was it a dream? Even if it was a dream, it was a crazy dream. A crazy awesome dream, if you asked Fred. When he finally separated from Elias, Fred was left slightly breathless, staring upwards with a glazed look in his eyes. “So. Was that, like, real?” meaning, was this actually a crazy dream? Fred hoped that he was wrong, and that Elias didn’t misinterpret his question as doubting their kiss or his feelings or anything of this sort. Fred swallowed and tried to collect his thoughts, which was difficult when most of them continued to be Elias or his lips are really soft or other things along the same romantic but conversationally useless vein. Fred cleared his throat. “So, uh, wanna go on a date with me sometime?” That was what was supposed to happen before the kiss, really, but no one ever doubted that Fred Weasley lived his life on the wild side.

@jill6

[Deleted]

@fred
<3

Elias was feeling slightly dazed. Yeah, with Margaux it had been great, but he hadn't developed any real feelings for her. It was more of a, well, infatuation. Not that he minded. But, this...This was so new and crazy and wonderful. "I'm pretty sure." He smiled at Fred, his face still a light pink. A date? "I'd love to. Whenever." Elias could stare at those bright eyes all day long. But he didn't want to scare Fred away so fast, so he licked his lips and ran his hand through his hair, finally letting go of Fred's cheeks.

[Deleted]

Pretty sure? The next time Fred got the chance, he was going to change that ‘pretty sure’ into a ‘definitely sure’, but he was still working on catching his breath, so it would have to wait a little. Elias said they could go on a date whenever, and Fred nodded. “Now?” He asked, extending his hand to Elias. He had an idea of where he wanted to go, but if Elias had other plans for his weekend, then Fred didn’t want to keep him from his other plans. That was how you ruined relationships, he heard.

@jill6

[Deleted]

@fred
<3

Now...Why not? There was nothing holding him back. He was practically done with his Christmas shopping, and taking some time to just relax with Fred wasn't bad at all. Elias bit his bottom lip and looked around. Hopefully Maria hadn't been stalking him and following him. That would be terribly embarrassing. But he couldn't see her, so he looked back at Fred and nodded, taking his soft hand in his own. "Now." Elias smiled brightly, squeezing Fred's hand.

[Deleted]

Elias agreed to go on their date as soon as possible, and Fred beamed at the other boy. Elias’s hand was warm in his, and Fred felt more than a little giddy as he pulled the Durmstrang boy through the crowded streets. Not that many people were at the train station, Fred was glad to see. It made it easier to get inside, and a soon as they were, Fred dragged Elias over to the destination board, where all of the different places the Hogsmeade line went to. “These are all the places we’re going to go someday.” Fred told Elias confidently. He had never had much of wanderlust, but it would be nice to see the world with someone by his side. Fred winced a little internally. Maybe that was moving a little too fast. Just as he was about to show Elias a hidden corner in the station that may or may not have been perfect for a tryst, a whistle sounded, announcing an incoming train. Fred whipped his head around, beaming. “Look!” He told Elias urgently as a scarlet engine rolled in.

@jill6