I've Been Waiting To Smile (Xan)

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Break. Vacation was finally here and Hugo felt so relieved. He didn't have to worry about more attacks at the school. It was weird, how he didn't even realize he was worrying about it all year until he left. The fear that someone would attack while other schools were visiting was high, but in the end they were attacked as they left and Hogwarts was left alone. It was terrible and a part of him felt guilty that he hadn't seen it, that they couldn't prevent this from happening somehow. Four survivors. That was all that was left. A part of Hugo knew it wasn't his fault, but it was hard to listen to that part always.

However, now he was on vacation and Xan was there and he could just relax. He didn't need to worry about attacks or anything except for where he was now. He went to Xan's room at the place they were staying and knocked on the door. "Xan are you in there?" he asked? "How do you feel about a walk?" There was a beach nearby and he wanted to go, to just talk and spend time with his girlfriend there. Hopefully she was actually in her room right now. If she wasn't, he had no idea where she'd be.

@xanthippe

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Xan had been looking forward to this vacation for what felt like forever. So much had happened over the school year, and Xan knew that, in more ways than one, she was lucky to be alive. There was no better place to appreciate being among the living than on the beautiful islands of French Polynesia with some of her favorite people – her boyfriend and his family, which also happened to contain her godmother. She knew that the whole point of being on vacation was to relax, but Xan had to admit, it was hard just to sit around and tan, especially since she had spent the better part of five months doing nothing but sitting. She had been putzing around her room, unpacking to give her hands something to do, when she heard a knock on the door. Xan managed to open the door right as Hugo asked how she felt about a walk, and Xan gave him a bright smile. “A walk sounds great!” She said brightly. “I don’t even need to get shoes!” She said, half to him and half to herself. Last summer they had gone to New Zealand, and it had been cold by virtue of the fact it was in the opposite hemisphere. It was weird, to think about last year’s vacation, because that was when Xan and Hugo’s relationship had officially started. It always seemed like just yesterday that Xan had found the love of her life, but it had been a whole year. Weird.

@hugo

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The door opened as Hugo asked his question and he grinned at the expression on Xan's face. She looked delighted and he was glad. He was just excited to have the chance to spend so much time with her during this vacation. "Good," he said, laughing when she mentioned not needing shoes. "Does that mean you're ready to go right now?" he teased, smirking at her as he started to back away. Hugo was almost certain that it did mean she was ready and he wasn't in a particularly patient mood at the moment. He just wanted to get out there and start enjoying himself. "You're all ready for me to throw you into the water, right?" he asked her, chuckling softly to himself. He was too happy to be here right now. He was probably coming off as giddy, but Hugo didn't care. 

@xanthippe

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Hugo asked if she was ready to go at that moment, since she didn’t need any shoes, and Xan stuck her tongue out at him playfully. “Unless there’s something that you think I’m missing?” She teased, spinning around in place to show Hugo that she was fully clothed and ready to hit the beach. Technically she could change into her bathing suit, but what would be the fun in that? Hugo made a joke about throwing her into the water, and Xan bumped her shoulder against his. “Only if you’re prepared for me to pull you in right after.” She said with a laugh. She didn’t mind getting her clothes soaking wet, but if Hugo was going to dish it out, then he would have to be prepared to take it. Xan led the two of them out of their rental house and onto the beach, sighing happily when she stepped into the warm, tropical air. She wiggled her toes in the sand, looking over at Hugo. “Perfect.” She said happily. Xan had her beach and her boy, and she couldn’t imagine a better day.

@hugo

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Hugo laughed when Xan stuck her tongue out at him and then shook his head. "You're not missing anything. You're perfect," he answered without hesitation. He would think she was perfect no matter what she was wearing, of course. This was Xan. He loved her, even though he knew most people would think he was too young to be sure of his feelings. He grinned when she mentioned pulling him in the water right after he threw her in. "I know you'll try," he teased, wiggling his eyebrows at her. "We'll have to see how successful you are." He followed her to the beach, hardly able to believe that things were back to normal. Granted, he knew all along that she'd be fine, but it was strange to think they were past it all. Strange in a good way. She said it was perfect and Hugo reached over to take her hand. "It is," he agreed softly, smiling at her. "So do you want to walk or do something else? I'm all yours." He just wanted to make her smile and laugh and for them to have fun. Hugo didn't care how.

@xanthippe

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Hugo said that there was nothing missing from her outfit, and that she was perfect, and Xan rolled her eyes at him, pretending to be annoyed by his sappiness. It was difficult to stay annoyed with Hugo for long, though, even in jest, so Xan finished with her eye rolling and then gave him a bright smile to show that she was just kidding. Hugo said that he knew she would try to pull him in the water with her, and Xan narrowed her eyes at him. “Do you think I can’t take you, Hugo Weasley?” She asked, putting up her fists in a mock fighting stance. “I’ll have you know I have an excellent right hook.” Xan teased. Not that that would help her drag Hugo into the water, but still – he would be surprised by how strong she was getting following her holing up in the hospital wing for the majority of the year. Hugo asked if she wanted to do something other than walk, and Xan shrugged. “I could show off and do some handsprings, but I don’t think we should do anything other than walk.” She said, nudging her shoulder against his in a lighthearted manner.

@hugo

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Xan rolled her eyes and then grinned and Hugo beamed back. He knew that it wasn't easy for his girlfriend to be angry with him, even when she had a reason. Since she didn't have one now, he was fine and he knew it. "Oh, I know you can, Xanthippe Meagle," he teased her right back. "Have you thought that that might be what I want?" Then she mentioned having a right hook and he backed off, holding his hands in the air even though he was still smiling. "Woah, woah! We're on vacation. No need for right hooks right now." Sure, he knew she was teasing, but he didn't mind a bit. Honestly, he was just happy to be here with her. He laughed when she mentioned doing handsprings and then rolled his eyes as he nudged her shoulders back. "Maybe we should hold back with the handsprings. I can't do those with you." He made his way over to the edge of the water, squatting down and touching the wet sand with his fingers before looking up at his girlfriend.

@xanthippe

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Xan just gave Hugo a sunny smile when he said that he knew that she could take him in a fight – that was more like what she expected from her boyfriend. He asked if she had considered that was maybe what he wanted, and Xan gave him a confused look. “You want me to beat you up?” She asked, her voice slow as she enunciated every syllable, trying to understand what he was saying. Xan didn’t think that was quite what Hugo meant, but at least now he had the opportunity to elaborate on what he meant. He said there was no need for right hooks, and Xan continued to smile at him. She wasn’t actually going to punch him, but there was no reason not to keep him on his toes, right? The only way to keep a relationship as old as their growing was by changing things around a little. Hugo said he couldn’t do the handsprings with her, and Xan laughed. “I didn’t think so.” She wouldn’t be opposed to teaching Hugo some of her gymnastics stuff, but Xan didn’t think that a beach was the best place to learn that. Hugo walked to the edge of the water, and Xan followed him. “We could build a sand castle.” She suggested. Juvenile, yes, but sand castles were also horribly fun.

@hugo

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She looked slightly bewildered and asked if he wanted her to beat him up. Hugo laughed, unable to help himself. "No, maybe I want you to get in the water while trying to beat me up." He knew she was a good fighter, but he also thought a water fight could be fun. He was just kidding about the beating up part, but he was sure she knew that. He never wanted to seriously fight with her, much less on such a great vacation. She didn't say she wouldn't punch him and Hugo took a step away, pretending to be a little nervous even though he wasn't really. He grinned as she laughed, saying she didn't think he could do handsprings. He didn't mind that. It was just a fact of life that she was much more flexible than him. She suggested a sand castle and he nodded. "How about over here," he suggested, moving a little closer to the water before sitting. "Now are we building one together or making our own?" Hugo asked, letting her choose since it was her idea.

@xanthippe

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Xan heard Hugo’s laughter, and she couldn’t help it – she laughed, too. There was something infectious about laughter, but especially about her boyfriend’s laugh; there was no way she could not be happy when Hugo was. The day was beautiful, and they were together, and Hugo was happy. Every time she thought of it, the thoughts stunned Xan a little more. When she was young she had imagined a life like this, spending vacations with the person she loved, but she had never thought that it would happen so soon, or that her love would be so… complete. Like there was absolutely nothing missing in the world as long as she had Hugo and his laughter. The Gryffindor found a site for their sand castle building, and asked if they were going to build one together, or separately. “Cooperation is better than competition on vacations.” Xan said, bumping her shoulder against Hugo’s. “And architecture is not one of my skill sets, so I might need a little help.” Xan dabbled in sculpting, but building something from the ground up was a different thing entirely.

@hugo

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Man, Hugo loved the sound of Xan's laughter, especially after all they'd been through this last year. He was going to have to find some way to show his mother how grateful he was that she brought them all here. He grinned over at her, not knowing how to show her how happy he was in this moment. Hugo honestly couldn't imagine anything that could make it any better. He nodded when she said they should cooperate with one another. "I'm definitely game for that," he agreed instantly. Hugo knelt down on the sand, reaching up to tug on her hand so she'd sit next to him. He cocked his head to the side as he looked at her. "Soooo do you want to go a traditional route and use buckets and stuff or do we want to find a more creative way to do this?" he was teasing her a little, but Hugo was very excited just to spend time with his girlfriend.

@xanthippe