I'll Be There For You | Kinsey

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Last night had been one of the most intense nights of Riley Fudge's life. He had met an amazing girl, even if she was crying near the pond. He had helped her at least a little and he wanted to see her again. He left her last night in the common room after they got caught out in the rainstorm. He had never met someone not related to him that he cared about that much. Riley liked to consider himself a good person, but, he could be a little self centered. To him, people were puzzles for him to figure out, to solve. She wasn't a puzzle, well she was... but she wasn't a game. He was fascinated by people, and he loved learning about them, but she wasn't a research subject. And he had never really felt that way before. She was just a human, a human that maybe needed him. Or at least needed someone. How anyone could treat her badly he had no idea, but that being said, he didn't really know her. They had only just spoke last night, however, he had a gift for reading people and he could tell even with just the one interaction that she was a good person. She was someone who he wanted to know better. He felt himself drawn to her. So he waited in the common room near the door so he wouldn't miss her in the morning. He'd check on her and see if she needed anything, maybe walk her to breakfast if she would let him. He didn't want to make her feel weird or anything, he'd keep a careful eye to make sure he didn't overstep.

@kinsey

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Kinsey had a hard time sleeping that night. She tossed and turned and couldn't seem to get her mind to go to rest ... until she'd grabbed Riley Fudge's hoodie from the foot of her bed where she'd laid it and used it as a pillow. It was weird and she definitely wasn't going to tell him, or anyone else for that matter, but his jacket smelled like him and his smell calmed her. Probably because the first time she actually smelled him was while she was crying and he held her, making her feel safe as he did so. He was sweet and a part of her wished that they had gotten to know one another from first year, and wished that they were already good friends, but she'd take what she could get.

When she woke up the next morning, she'd had her best night of sleep in what felt like ages. She got ready for the day, careful to make sure that she took long enough that she'd be late to breakfast and most people would be gone. Large crowds were hard on normal days, so she avoided them. Even during meals. As she moved to leave her dorm, she grabbed Riley's hoodie. She needed to remember to return it to him. Maybe he'd still be at breakfast?

No, he was in the common room. Kinsey couldn't help but smile when she saw him, and blush a little. She was remembering how nice it felt to have his arms wrapped around her. Her smile widened as she looked at him. She wanted him to see that she could be happy, even with her struggles. The girl he met last night was normally tucked away deep inside of her. "Riley," she greeted, approaching him with a small bounce in her step, holding out his hoodie. "Thanks. I forgot to give that back to you last night," Kinsey said, though she was sure he would recognize it.

@riley

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Riley was glad that he waited for her, even if it meant missing most of breakfast, but when he saw her come in from her dorm with a bounce in her step and a smile on her face, he couldn't help but smile and return her positive outlook, it was infectious. He saw the blush in her cheeks and it sort of relieved him a little, he wasn't the only one happy to see her and glad that he waited around. "Good morning." he said though his smile. "You know... you have a beautiful smile." he admitted, hoping that she didn't find it weird. It was just nice to see on her after how they met last night. He had managed to make her laugh a little last night but the last thing on his mind had been how pretty her smile was, he had been overwhelmingly concerned and slept horribly thinking of how upset she had been and would continue to be. "Oh thanks." he said when she handed him his hoodie, he almost didn't want to take it back, he kind of liked that she had it. He stuffed the hoodie into his bag, he'd take it back to his dorm later. "Hey so I was thinking maybe you'd let me walk you to breakfast?" he asked hopefully. "You know, just two Ravenclaws heading to the same place." he teased.

@kinsey

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He was smiling back at her and Kinsey was surprised by how happy that made her. She liked seeing him happy and hoped that their interaction from the night before hadn't caused him any problems, though she figured it probably had. He seemed like the kind of a guy who would worry about others, especially after an interaction like that. He greeted her back, saying that she had a beautiful smile and Kinsey felt her blush deepen a little as something pleasant stirred near her stomach. He was complimenting her. "Thanks," she answered, trying to stay confident but not knowing how it sounded. He seemed to hesitate when she gave him the hoodie, but he took it and then looked up to her, asking if he could walk with her to breakfast. She was touched that he wanted to do that for her and her smile widened a little, "Yeah, I guess that'll be alright this time," she said with a small shrug. "Just don't expect me to always be ready at this time, if you're thinking of making it a permanent thing," Kinsey teased. She had no idea if he'd want to walk down with her ever again ... but she liked the idea of walking to breakfast with him. "Should we go," she asked after a second. He was between her and the door, so she couldn't go unless he did. 

@riley

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She took his complement well and he felt relieved by that. He noted, however, that her cheeks began to turn an even deeper shade of red and in a strange sense, he liked it. It made him sort of proud that he had made her happy and made her smile and blush. He took pride in it. "You're welcome." he said with a maybe slightly smug smile. Possibly letting his pride show through. She agreed to let him walk her to the Great Hall for breakfast and he was glad that she did. He knew that she decided she didn't want him to walk her everywhere, it was fair enough to not want a body guard and he didn't want to impose, plus, as adorable as he was, and as knowledgeable, he wasn't very strong, at least not physically, he was good at magic, however, but he wasn't exactly sure how he felt morally when it came to using magic to hurt someone else. He supposed in the name of self-defense or obvious defense of others it was morally acceptable. "Oh uh, yeah of course, let's go." he agreed, leading her out of the common room. He began to wonder, as they walked, if he should put his arm around her or maybe hold her hand or something, it had been so nice last night. But now, in the light of day, he supposed things could be different. "So how did you sleep?" he asked maybe a little awkwardly as they walked.

@kinsey

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His smile was different and Kinsey couldn't quite place what was different about it, but he was confident and smiling at her and she definitely liked it. It was nice, knowing that he wanted to see her and talk to her even though they weren't outside anymore and she wasn't crying. A part of her wondered last night if he'd even acknowledge her at all today and she tried not to get her hopes up. So finding him here in the common room, looking like he waited for her, was so nice. He turned to leave the common room and Kinsey followed close behind him. They started walking and her hand twitched toward his for a second, but she held back. She hardly knew the guy, she shouldn't go around holding his hand. People would talk. Surprisingly however, that wasn't much of an incentive for Kinsey. She missed the way she felt when he was touching her. She shrugged when he asked how she slept. "It was really hard at first, but then after a bit I-" she paused, realizing she was about to tell him that she used his hoodie as a pillow. She blushed a little. "after a bit I was able to get comfortable and fall asleep. You?" she asked, turning to look at him and not seeing a quill lying on the ground. She stepped on it and her foot instantly swiveled around underneath her. Kinsey squealed a little as she bumped into Riley and then started falling forward, toward the stone floor.

@riley

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Riley was glad to hear that she eventually got to sleep alright. He understood though that it took her a while, it took him forever to fall asleep, he had been up tossing and turning and just couldn't get comfortable. His arms felt empty and holding his pillow wasn't the same as holding Kinsey had been. Plus, he had been worried about her. Especially if there was nothing he could do. He wanted to be there for her and let her know that he was, but he didn't want it to be weird so he couldn't come right out and say it. He was a young master of nonverbal communication, there had to be the perfect way to show such things, he made a mental note to consult some of his favorite books later. "I had a hard time getting to sleep." he admitted. "But the sound of the rain on the windows and the thunder was really comforting." he added. White noise in the background was always a comfort. Then, something happened, all in a second her feet were getting out from under her, she bumped into him and then began heading for the floor, in quick, desperate attempt to for lack of better words, safe her, he grabbed onto her around the waist, keeping her on her feet even if she was leaning into him quite a lot. It was better than her smashing her face into the stone floor. "Whoa there, you alright?" he asked, concern in his eye.

@kinsey

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Kinsey's brow furrowed when he said he had a hard time sleeping. She didn't like that idea at all and started to feel slightly guilty. Was it because of their run-in last night, with her being an emotional mess? She didn't want to be the reason that he had struggles sleeping. That just wasn't her. She tried to tell herself he could have stayed up for any number of reasons, but she had a feeling it was because of her. And why not? She had a hard time sleeping until smelling his jacket. He added that the storm helped him fall asleep and Kinsey smiled. "I like storms too," she told him. "I think they're soothing." Then suddenly she found herself falling and then being caught. Riley grabbed her waist to keep her from falling to the ground and Kinsey instantly grabbed his arms, a surprised expression on her face as she tried to stay upright. She felt his concern and desire to protect her again and couldn't help but smile at him as she met his gaze. "I-I'm fine. Just surprised ... and a bit breathless," she admitted. She gave a small laugh, "Thanks for saving me. Again." She bit her lip when she realized that she said the last word instead of thinking it. What was he going to think of her flirting with him constantly? But she couldn't help it. She felt drawn to him and was starting to hope that he might feel the same. No, she couldn't jump the gun on this. She needed to move slowly.

@riley

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She grabbed onto him as well while getting back on her feet and then she looked at him, he could tell she was feeling flustered and breathless and in that moment of eye contact when she thanked him for saving her again he felt a very powerful desire to kiss her. She was already in his arms, they were pressed against each other and it felt so nice even though she almost got hurt in the process of getting to where they now found themselves. "Anytime." he insisted, resisting the urge despite what every bone in his body was telling him to do. However, it seemed a fine time to bring up what he was thinking about earlier. "Honestly. Anytime." he said again, hoping that she would understand that she could seek him out at anytime. He would drop anything to be with her and make her happy and comforted. If she ever needed him again. He held onto her the whole time, forgetting he had to let her go eventually.

@kinsey

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He was so close and Kinsey loved how it felt to have his arms around her, to be holding onto him. She knew that anyone could find them like this in the corridor and that she should let go, but she didn't want to. With Riley, it was easy to be herself and feel confident again. She was also starting to wonder if it was his amazing intentions that were drawing her to him or if it was something else. Speaking of intentions, his were changing rapidly each moment. Concern, protection, kissing, protection. Wait what? Kinsey's mouth fell open a bit as she looked up at him in stunned surprise. She didn't even know she could sense that, but apparently if someone intended to kiss her and was close enough, she could tell. She smiled up at him when he said anytime and then reinforced that. "Thank you," she whispered. It was the only thing she could think of to say to him for all he was doing for her. Then Kinsey made a decision. She hesitated for a moment, because this was not the type of thing she would normally do, but then she released Riley's arms before stepping close and wrapping her arms around his shoulders, pulling him into a hug. "I mean it, Riley. Thank you for everything. For last night, and now." She rested her head on his shoulder, not wanting to pull away even though she knew that she should.

@riley

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She looked up at him with a strange look on her face. Why was she looking at him like that? Her mouth twitched a little and he found himself very confused, she was showing similar signs on confusion. Had he said something that he didn't realize he said? He didn't think so, he would have noticed... What was so strange? It almost felt as though she could read his mind and found out that he had thought about kissing her... she couldn't read minds, surely. Otherwise she would have told him when he mentioned that he had a talent for reading people. Wouldn't she have? He tried not to dwell on it, she was a cute little ball of mystery and he appreciated her for it. "Your welcome." he said again, slapping a smile back on his face. She released him and instead wrapped her arms around his neck. He wasn't sure why he liked this so much. She was pretty, gorgeous, and so kind and fun and she constantly made him smile. He hugged her back, wrapping his arms a little tighter around the waist, giving her a firm squeeze closer to him. She smelled so good. Was he weird to notice? He really needed to read up more on social cues like that, he hadn't studied humans and how romance effected them much yet, he had pondered the effects of love potions, but that was about it. "I'm happy I was there." he admitted. Of course, he wasn't glad she was crying, but he was glad he had found her and that she eventually let him in. "I'm glad I stopped to talk to the strange girl on the bench." he smiled contently, loving the feeling of her safely in his arms.

@kinsey

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Apparently they were both surprised by his intent to kiss her, though Riley couldn't know that she knew because she hadn't told him about her gift. She couldn't tell him about it, she'd promised her family and they'd promised her back. No one was supposed to talk about Kinsey's gift to anyone. Still ... Dominic figured it out. At least parts of it. Was it too much for her to hope that Riley figured it out too? Kinsey smiled when he wrapped his arms around her waist. At least it wasn't a one-sided hug. When he squeezed her tighter, a chill went up Kinsey's spine and she shivered slightly, then sighing as she relaxed against him. This felt so natural and the amazing thing was, she wasn't even focused on his intentions. She was hugging someone and not overwhelmed with what they were meaning to do! Maybe that was because she was so focused on herself, or maybe it was because he was feeling the same thing she was. Then he said he was happy he was there, that he stopped to talk to the strange girl. So she was strange now? Kinsey laughed a little, "Good to know I'll always be remembered as the "strange girl," she teased, still relaxing against him. "I'm glad you stopped too."Her voice was soft, but she didn't understand why this felt so special. It was like they were both confessing something important, but at the same time they weren't. All Kinsey knew was that she wasn't going to be the one to pull away from the hug first. At least, not right now.

@riley

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"Good I'm glad you like your nickname." he teased in response. Of course, he had meant strange to meant stranger, because they didn't know each other and had never really spoke, not strange in the weird way. But to some people he would be seen as strange and he didn't really mind, so even if she was strange it would be nice to have someone to be strange with. Especially if she could read minds, then he wouldn't be the only one with the weird mental talents. She agreed and was glad that he stopped, which made him feel a lot better about the whole thing. He wasn't yet sure how often she felt the way that she did last night, or how often whoever-it-was was mean to her, but he wanted to be there as often as it was. He wanted to make it better if he could. He felt drawn to doing so, he felt a duty to do so and he liked it. He felt responsible for her happiness and was glad that he had such responsibility. He was distracted from this thoughts when an older woman cleared her throat nearby. "Hurry along now or you'll miss breakfast." the professor instructed the two. "Right." Riley said, unfortunately having to let go of Kinsey. The professor lingered for a moment and then continued on her way. "Should we continue down?" he asked, well aware that neither wanted to have let go.

@kinsey

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Kinsey rolled her eyes when he said he was glad she liked her nickname. He wasn't really going to call her that, was he? She thought he was teasing, but at the same time she wasn't quite sure. Still, she trusted Riley. After last night and him coming for her this morning, she had no reason not to trust him. She was sure he wouldn't do anything to hurt her. As they stood there hugging, Kinsey just stopped thinking and let herself feel. She had feelings for Riley, she was almost sure of it, though the whole thing was new to her. She'd never actually wanted to tell someone about her gift before, but she wanted to tell him. She couldn't, she knew that, but she wanted to. Out of everyone she'd ever met, she felt like he would understand. At least, she hoped he would ... though it didn't matter because she couldn't tell him even if he would understand. Ugh, why was this so complicated? She jumped when she heard someone clear their throat nearby and her arms tightened around Riley for a second. Then the woman told them to hurry or they'd miss breakfast. Kinsey started to pull away as Riley did the same. She glanced at the professor and her face blushed at the idea of what that looked like. A long hug without either of them speaking. Oh well. Riley spoke and Kinsey turned her attention to him, smiling as she nodded. "Yeah, we probably should," she agreed. As they started walking, she felt a strange sense of loss and wondered if it was because he wasn't touching her. To distract herself from those thoughts, she turned to him. "So, tell me more about you. I hardly know anything other than what you said last night."

@riley

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Riley felt the disconnect as soon as he let her go, she was giving so many cues saying that she hadn't wanted to get go either. He had never been a particularly physical person, extroverted and outgoing, yes, but he rarely hugged people unless it was to comfort them, which was why he was so hesitant at first last night to touch her because he wasn't sure if she felt a similar way or not. The feeling of need to touch someone, that was a new one. He began to wonder what had brought that feeling on? Was it just because he wanted so badly to protect her and ensure that she was okay? Or was it something different? Something more and new? He pondered the question as they walked a little. "About me? There's not much more to know than I told you. I'm the son of Pureblood parents, I have two siblings. one goes here and one already graduated. I began teaching myself to read people and situation when I was 8." he shrugged. "I have no idea what I'm going to do with my life." he added.

@kinsey