May we sing and dance 'til we lose our minds [Daryl]

[Deleted]

@jill16

Simone covered a yawn as she lay in front of the Gryffindor fireplace. A house elf had just stoked the fire, tossing in a few new logs. The flames crackled and grew, consuming the new fuel and filling the common room in a warm red glow and warming up Simone under her thin blanket. She was in her pjs, a pair of black sweats that had previously been owned by her brother and a equally dark t-shirt with the graphic of batman's insignia on the front. Whatever batman was. She'd found it at a thrift store during the summer. It was Christmas night, the night of the ball. Simone had, to no surprise, decided not to go. But she also hadn't gone home for the Christmas holiday. Dancing and partying just hadn't sound that appealing to her. With her father's work schedule going home for the holidays would have only left her home alone though. She really didn't mind, she'd spent the evening reading as she curled up in front of the fire. Her house mates had slowly begun to trickle in though as the night went on. Simone didn't pay them much attention, smiling and waving at her friends but didn't try to stop them as they wandered up to the dormitories, obviously exhausted.

By her estimates most of the house must be back, except for a few dawdlers. Naturally Daryl was one of them. It was likely he might not even return to the common room tonight, if he had his way. Simone knew her friend's antics and habits. He'd try to bed as many girls as possible tonight, which meant he could very easily be preoccupied at the moment with a pretty little thing. None the less, she was here just in case her friend got back. Cecelia, one of the female prefects, was extremely strict and Simone was Daryl's lookout to ensure he and Cecelia didn't cross paths. When Cecelia came in it would be Simone's job to try and make sure the older girl went up to bed, so that if Daryl came in after curfew no one would be there to catch him. So, you could imagine her surprise that, moments after yawning she heard the portrait open and saw none other than Daryl Thomas slinking inside. Immediately she sat up, still on the ground in front of the hearth and ran a hand through her messy hair. "You're early." She greeted as she covered another yawn.
(Just made up a random reason for all this, haha.)

[Deleted]

@simone
<3

What an eventful night. Eventful and...alone. Going into the night very confident in sleeping with many of the girls at the Yule Ball, he came out of the night, exhausted, drained, and still not laid. Though he had managed to stir up some drama with Grey Slater, his younger sister obviously had some of her own issues to work out. Daryl had conversed with another girl, her name still unbeknownst to him, yet she had been quite fun. And then, the ending of The Yule Ball had ended up with Daryl in the Hospital Wing with no other than Ondina Weasley.

He had taken off his dress jacket, and had his tie wrapped around his shoulders as he had begun walking up the rest of the staircases to The Common Room. If there was anything visible about Daryl Thomas, it was that he was frustrated. And not the type of frustration that most people would assume. After giving the password to the portrait and it swung open, who he saw inside he had not expected, but he forced a smile. Simone.

Daryl threw his jacket on the back of the couch and plopped down next to her, resting his head on her shoulder. "Unfortunately."

[Deleted]

@jill16

Well, that wasn't a look Simone saw often. She recognized it though as he tossed his jacket onto a couch, his tie already undone. Frustration. And not the usual sort. His night had undoubtedly not gone according to plan. By this level of frustration it must have not even gone slightly according to plan. And Simone knew exactly what those 'plans' had been. You couldn't exactly be friends with a womanizer and not know what he was up to. Personally Simone was probably the only one that could name every single one of Daryl's partners, if only because he'd never shied from telling her and she happened to know of a few that he didn't talk about...

Daryl immediately took up the spot next to her, head on her shoulder and sounding just as frustrated as he looked. "Want to talk about it?" It wasn't like they had anything better to do, or like he could go back out to find someone to take out his frustration on. Most people would be back in their common rooms by now, and those that weren't would be undoubtedly preoccupied.

[Deleted]

@simone
<3

He knew she'd realize something was off fairly quickly. Simone knew him through and through and whether Daryl wanted to admit it or not, there were too many things he'd never be able to hide from Miss Simone Higgs. It could be considered a bad thing, but Daryl knew he'd always have someone there for him to care about him and help him out when he struggled. That wasn't something he normally had. Daryl was very close to both his mother and his father, but...they didn't know everything about him. Especially things that related to girls and his sexual life.

"I don't know." Daryl shut his eyes and took a deep breath, before letting it out into a long, rough sigh. The other thing he loved about Simone, (even though he loved everything), was that he could cuddle up next to her and she didn't care. She was sweet and loving and Daryl didn't know where he'd be without her here. "The beginning of the night was good. Danced with a few girls, then I may have done something else..." He opened his eyes and looked at her. She wouldn't be happy about this one. "I kissed that Slytherin girl, Grey's sister. He wasn't happy, she wasn't happy, but, maybe he'll shut up about me from now on." He spoke with a slight anger, then shrugged and sat up. "Then, Ondina Weasley practically passed out on the floor and I had to take her to the Hospital Wing. That's where I've been for so long, and I just came back here."

[Deleted]

@jill16

Simone and Daryl had an interesting relationship. Even though he was a year above her they'd been best friends since her first year. Of course her fourth year things had been... strained. But after they'd both overcome what happened it's made them closer than ever.

She senses him relaxing against her, his eyes closing. Immediately Simone shifted just a little to be a little more comfortable herself and unwrapped her blanket from just herself. With ease she tossed it over them. Even though he'd said he didn't know if he wanted to talk about it, he'd begun to tell her about the nights events without much hesitation past that intense sigh. Halfway through he stopped to look at her, and she realized immediately that he was hesitating to tell her. It must be something she wouldn't approve of. None the less he continued. When he got it out Simone let out her own sigh and shook her head. "Addilyn." she put in. She knew who he meant. They were in the same year. Daryl and Grey hadn't gotten along at all recently but that didn't warrant Daryl dragging Grey's sister into it. She'd refrain from saying it though... at least until he finished telling her about his night. The last part, about Ondina Weasley surprised her, both eyebrows raising and thus side tracking her from addressing the Grey situation. "Passed out?"

[Deleted]

@simone
<3

He felt the warmth of the blanket suddenly surround him, and he sighed loudly. It wasn't as if his plans had gone terribly wrong, but here he was, cuddling up against the only person Daryl had ever fallen in love with. And the only person he'd EVER fall in love with. He learned the first time, love is bad, and it ruins you. Not that Simone had done so purposely...but it was a feeling Daryl would push away for the rest of his life if he found it necessary. "Yes, yes, Addilyn." He rolled his eyes. While he felt slightly bad about whatever issue she now had going on, he was glad her brother finally realized he needed to keep his mouth shut. "She's got asthma, but don't tell anyone that, Simone. I am not sure if she passed out from the heat, not enough water, I have no idea. But she was having trouble breathing."

[Deleted]

@jill16

Simone let out a slow breath as Daryl confirmed it was, indeed, Addilyn. Now what did he do that? As far as Simone had observed, Addi had never shown any interest in Daryl. Gotten along with, yeah, but nothing more then that. On the other hand, Daryl and Grey had been at each other's throats for a while now. "It isn't fair to bring his sister into your dispute with Grey." Simone softly chastised, not to firm though.

Asthma? Wasn't that a breathing problem? Something about your airways closing up. "Who would I tell?" She asked, with an eyebrow raised. Simone wasn't into gossip or anything of the like and tended to keep her distance from people like Ondina Weasley. That crowd of Slytherins was just bad news. "I hope she's okay. Haven't you been seeing her?" She finally finished asking, remembering that Daryl had been spending a bit of time with the blonde lately. Quite a bit of time, actually now that she thought about it.

[Deleted]

@simone
<3

He watched her facial expressions, knowing she was angry with him. But he smiled when he realized she wasn't as angry as he thought she'd be. Maybe it was because he was upset, which he hoped for. Otherwise Daryl was positive he'd be getting yelled at right now. "I know that, but I couldn't help it. I let my anger overcome my judgement." Daryl spoke honestly, knowing he shouldn't have. And he'd make sure to apologize to Addilyn, but as of right now, he had other things to deal with.

"I don't know, but I'm just making sure. I don't know how open she is about it." He shrugged. At least Daryl was trying to be nice towards one Slytherin that night. "I think she is okay, one of the Nurses was taking care of her and she was breathing on her own finally. And I haven't been seeing her, Simone. I've been bedding her." He spoke as if she was confused, but he knew Simone wasn't stupid. Daryl didn't want something getting out like that.

[Deleted]

@jill16

It was actually quite difficult to make Simone angry. The girl was quite even tempered in that regard. The only times you could really get under her skin was by bringing up her mother, or, as Simone had recently discovered, people she cared about being masochists (hint, it was the person she also happened to be crushing on). There were probably other times, of course, but none came to mind at the moment. So, Simone really wasn't 'angry' with Daryl. More like... disappointed. Lightly Simone flicked him on the shoulder. "You better hope Grey doesn't get the same idea for your sister, Daryl." She answered, reminding him that he had a younger sister that could be used against him as well. If Grey was ever willing to stoop to that level... Simone hoped not. Like both of them, she was an older sibling, and she'd hate for someone to mess with her brother in an attempt to get at her.

Simone smiled a bit as Daryl corrected her so thoroughly. Bedding, not seeing. Uh huh. "Fine, bedding. Either way I haven't seen you 'bed' someone this consistently in a while." Ever, actually. She couldn't remember him ever sticking with one person for more than a handful of meet ups. A few of them had been a little longer, but not like this.

[Deleted]

@simone
<3

Daryl rolled his eyes, but knew that Simone was right. If Grey ever tried to touch his sister there would be a hell broken loose inside Gryffindor tower and it wouldn't be the best sight to see. Granted, Grey let him off fairly easy for kissing his little sister, which was anything but shocking to Daryl. The guy didn't seem to have any type of loving bone in his body. "I'm sure he won't, he's not bold like that."

Her smile had Daryl wiggling his eyes at her in humor. He still loved Simone and always would, even if it wouldn't do him any good. Though what he did have in the back of his mind most of the time was her, even if that sounded obsessive. His eyes narrowed at her questioning of him sleeping with Ondina often. "So? Maybe she's just good. Is that a problem, Mona?"

[Deleted]

@jill16

"You won't know until it happens, Daryl. Just don't push him to a point where he'll surprise you." She mused thoughtfully. For Daryl's sake. She hoped he wouldn't get caught up in an even greater feud. The last thing she wanted was for her friend to get hurt. And if he kept at this pace? He would be.

Simone hesitated as his eyes narrowed and he asked if she had a problem with his and Ondina's relationship. Technically speaking... She didn't. Or shouldn't. Simone didn't return his feelings. At least not in the same way. She'd tried, fourth year, but that hadn't exactly worked out. It'd only made her own preferences known. She'd always known she was gay, that she was more interested in women then men, but fourth year had only proven those feelings right. And the worst part? Her best friend had gotten hurt because of her preferences. "No... It's not a problem Daryl. I just don't want you to get hurt." She softly answered as her gaze dropped for a moment, then raised once again to meet his own.

[Deleted]

@simone
<3

Daryl nodded his head, moving it in a back and forth motion immediately afterwards. It wasn't that he didn't agree with what Simone said, but he just didn't believe Grey would do such a thing. The guy was a walking, talking zombie who stuck his face in the newspaper instead of doing anything fun. Trying to go after his younger sister wouldn't be too good for him, considering their Aunt was also their Head of House. "Alright, Simone."

Her reaction to his question shocked him in the least, and Daryl shook his head. What was she thinking, him getting hurt. "Honestly, Simone, I don't think I'll ever get hurt. As long as I keep doing what I do, no one will get in." He'd only ever been so honest with her, which was kind of backwards. She was his best friend, but also the person who had broken his heart, yet Daryl continued to keep her around and keep on loving her. "Ondina's just another play thing."

[Deleted]

@jill16

Daryl's behavior, as a whole, could be quite destructive. Just enough arrogance and confidence to underestimate others around him, and emotionally distant enough to ensure that those that most people that might ground him didn't get close. As he put it, as long as he kept doing what he did he wouldn't get hurt. He also wouldn't let anyone get in. Wouldn't let anyone get close to him. And all anyone would see is the Daryl he wanted them to see, not the one that she knew. The one deep down, that he hid from the world. "If you keep doing what you're doing you'll hurt in other ways." She whispered. "Sometimes playthings break, Daryl. Just don't let yourself become one."

[Deleted]

@simone
<3

Simone seemed to be getting emotional, and it caused Daryl’s facial expression to waver for a moment. He knew she cared for him, just as he cared for her. He may care for her too much, much more than just his best friend, but he couldn’t help but love her. She was gorgeous, she knew him better than anyone else, any of his struggles or concerns. Simone was the person he gave himself up to, and in the end, it hurt him more than anything. And he didn’t want to be hurt like that again. Daryl looked at her and shook his head. ”She may break. But I won’t. I won’t be hurt again, Simone.”

[Deleted]

@jill16

Simone would probably always feel bad for what happened between them. For hurting him. For trying to be something she wasn't and letting him get caught up in it. If she hadn't... given into his advances that year maybe none of that would have happened and they wouldn't have that stain on their friendship. Where they knew he was still in love with her but knew she didn't like men. Maybe they could have remained blissfully unaware. Unfortunately that wasn't what happened. And now they had to live with those choices.

So, instead of dwelling on it, Simone shifted, and curled up next to him her head close to his chest. Despite the bad experiences he was, and always would be her best friend. Those actions hadn't changed that. "Okay." was her soft response, not wanting to continue the conversation further. Instead, she'd rather just enjoy the company of her best friend.

(dunno how much longer we want this to go? hahha)