Please say sike ¦ Lulu

[Arlo Bletchley]

Herbology Greenhouse; The Week prior to the start of the Christmas Holidays 

After their awkward exit from their meeting at their Pitch, thanks @catsie , Arlo and Lulu hadn't seen all that much of each other. It was now a month later, and two weeks into December. There was one week until the Christmas Holidays and Arlo was very ready for them. This end of term he had burned himself out and he wasn't really able to keep pace anymore. His concentration had slipped and although he hadn't totally abandoned his obligations and gone and camped out in the Broom Shed, he had kept some momentum. Though Quidditch had mostly wound down for the winter due to the bad weather, the team still ran drills in some of the bigger dungeons to keep their fitness up, just without the other teams. Their practices didn't overlap anymore and he didn't see Lulu all that much or have any excuse to hang around to speak to her. They'd shared some classes, but other than some glances and shy smiles here and there, Arlo had been too scared for anyone to pick up on anything, and had kept it to a minimum. His minimum being; just staring at the back of her head when he sat behind her in classes, or staring at her front on only when he was sure he wasn't gonna get caught.

It was their last Herbology class of the term, and their Professor had all but given up. Instead of actually teaching the Sixth Years anything they had set them a simple task of pairing up and weeding out some of the planter trays. Easy enough. Arlo always did well in Herbology thanks to his inherited green thumb, this would be a piece of piss he didn't have to particularly concentrate on even. Nothing worth getting grades for, just simply doing some housekeeping.

As their Professor decided that they needed to pair up, Arlo decided he would stay alone if he could. Maybe he could get away with putting his earphones in and finishing one of the creepy murder podcasts he had come to enjoy recently. Looking around briefly, it seemed everyone was paired up and he was in luck. Excellent. Ducking under the table he started reaching for his bag to pull out his phone and line the podcast up. That was when he realised a shadow was cast over the table and he froze, hoping it would keep moving.

lulu anne blishwick

[lulu anne blishwick]

Lulu scurried into the Herbology classroom a second before the final bell rang. She sat in her seat, huffing and puffing from running from the staircases to the greenhouses so she wouldn’t be late to class again. Professor O’Callaghan threatened to have her repot various plants with dragon dung as a punishment if she was an offender with tardiness again before the year ended. She didn’t want to risk it. The purple haired snake didn’t enjoy Herbology particularly because she didn’t like to get her hands and nails dirty..and there were too many…gross smells. She wasn’t prissy in any shape or form, she just didn’t find it enjoyable like some of her peers did. Lulu was only enrolled in the class because her parents made her.

After the Professor explained the simple activity they were doing today, instructing them to pair up, Lulu turned her body to face Arlo, who was a table or two back. He looked…distracted. And no one approached him or was standing beside him yet to be his partner. That was weird. Well, she knew an opportunity when she saw one…

Lulu beelined toward the broad shouldered heart throb and stepped behind him as he dug into his bag. She stood on her tip toes to tap his shoulder. ”Hey!” she greeted with a slow spreading smile. Lulu wasn't sure how he'd act today. She swallowed hard, realizing that she was just barely done panting from that dash from the staircases. Lulu attempted to meet his gaze, if he'd allow her to today. "Be my partner today please, Arlo!" she demanded with an eyebrow waggle and a goofy smile. She wasn't sure what she was doing because she saw him and sort of just went for the fixated target, but she was pleased that he was towering above her now. 


Arlo Bletchley

[Arlo Bletchley]

When the shadow didn't move away, Arlo frowned. Too small to be Professor O’Callaghan. It was odd. Usually when he made it clear he wanted to be alone, people gave him a wide berth and let him get on with it. Not this time. As he began to straighten up, he had a sinking feeling on who it might be. He wasn't completely thrilled on the idea of it if he was sure. He didn't hate it, but his stomach was a pit of anxiety over it all. He had gone this long avoiding her and in some ways it had been good. It had given him room to think.

However, now Lulu was standing up in front of him, he was filled with a sense of wonderment. Excitable, volatile butterflies started ricocheting around his stomach and he found no amount of deep breathing would calm them. Her touch even more electrifying. 

Straightening up to meet her eye, a bashful smile spread on his face "Hi Lulu.." his tone was unsure, dubious. Giving a quick look around the classroom, he realised everyone was already paired up and not actually taking much notice of them. After a short pause, filled with almost intimate eye contact, his lips pursed and he nodded. "Alright then, yeah" If anyone said anything about him being partnered with Lulu, he'd just say it was a last resort. He wouldn't freely admit it, no matter how much he actually would enjoy her company. Looking down at her where he stood over her now, he eyed her almost mischievously and kicked the leg of the spare chair beside him. At least they were working today on the two seater desks and he could just melt into their little bubble without feeling too much judgement from others.

"Sit down then Lu.." Starting to shuffle himself along he now moved to sit back into his own seat and wait for him to sit with him so they could start.

lulu anne blishwick

[lulu anne blishwick]

Lulu was a little surprised how easily Arlo gave in. She watched as his eyes flickered across the classroom and then back to her to tell her to sit down.  ”Wicked!” she smiled widely, scooting onto the bench beside him eagerly so that their sides were practically touching. It wasn’t in a flirtatious way, yet, she was truly happy he allowed her to sit with him without a fight. She had no problem using her knowledge of comic books against him as blackmail if she had to. It looked like today wouldn’t be the day. Luckily, for Arlo.

Her eyes fell over the greenery that was practically under her nose. A dissatisfied sigh pushed past her lips as she pulled on a pair of pruning gloves, tossing a larger pair of gloves at Arlo. ”I’m gonna be honest and say it, I don’t like Herbology much, but I’m gonna do my best because I refuse to be a shit partner at anything.” she told him truthfully. Lulu wasn’t particularly fond of group projects for that reason. She typically loved people and her peers, but she didn’t always work nicely with them when their minds had to come together.

As she sat beside the Lion, she couldn’t help but notice how close they were sitting. She had never been that close to him, ever. She could actually smell him. He smelled quite nice actually. The purple haired snake felt herself wanting to scoot even closer to him in that moment, but she refrained.

Pulling out a clump of yellowed leaves, she turned to Arlo slightly so she can look at his face. In that moment she noticed how perfect his loose curls were, she couldn't hide the small twinkle in her how. ”Who’s your favorite quidditch team?” she asked easily, trying to learn something about him, and not completely throw him off guard today. 


Arlo Bletchley

[Arlo Bletchley]

Arlo caught his gloves easily and studied Lulu's unimpressed face. Once she gave her explanation he chuckled quietly, and rolled his eyes as he pushed his hands into the first glove. "Right, well, Lucky I've been doing this with my Mum since I could walk then innit?" Quirking an eyebrow, he dropped his gaze and pulled on his second glove and grumbled.

When she moved even closer, he wasn't sure how he felt, but he didn't shy away. Acutely aware of just how close they were now, he let his top lip slide over his second and bit gently down. Momentarily he wondered if other people had noticed, but then in that moment he decided he didn't care that all that much. It was nice to have her just there at his elbow. There was something exhilarating about having her that close to him. It was calming. Well, for about half a second that is, until Lulu started to yank out random yellow leaves from the first plant pot. Eyes wide he dived and pulled the pot away from her, scooting it along the desk and settling it in front of him instead. "Leave it to me, maybe?" While he did appreciate the sentiment of her wanting to not be a shit partner, she didn't exactly need the poor plant suffering at the hands of Lulu. "You can just chill I'll do it." Sinking his teeth into his bottom lip again, he shot her a small sideways smile trying to put her at ease.

When he looked up and found her staring straight at him, his shy became much more shy and bashful. "What?" Pausing mid cut, he held up the shears and stared back, before her question tumbled out of her mouth and instantly he relaxed. Quidditch. A subject he knew how to talk about. With another sheepish smile, he looked back to the plant, giving her little smiles here and there between pruning. "Well League wise, probably the Arrows. Internationally I'd have to say England though obviously. Family Bias and all that." Now it was his turn to sparkle a little bit more mischievously. With another pause, he looked more directly at her again, wondering what brought this on.

"What about you Lu?" The nickname tumbled off his lips for a second time so carelessly, even if he was chewing the inside of his cheek as nerves got to him. With Lulu it felt a strange mix of easy, and yet like he was on edge and he was going to mess up at any minute. He didn't know what the fuck it was, but he didn't exactly like it. It left him uneasy and had him feeling twelve years old all over again.

lulu anne blishwick

[lulu anne blishwick]

Arlo pulled the plant away from Lulu’s reach and situated it in front of him. The purple haired snake shot him a funny look as he grabbed the yellow piece she threw away. The Lion insisted he do the work and she watch. Her eyes widened with a guilty smile, ”I’ll never learn how to not kill plants that way.” she protested as she scrunched her nose, but she chuckled along as she watched him in his element. If he insisted to do most of the work, at least it meant she got to watch him like a creep. That actually sounded like a good deal now.

When Arlo had asked her the same question in return, ending with calling her ‘Lu’, she liked the sound of that. It made her smile. She was caught in a small moment admiring his attractiveness, so her eyebrows raised, ”Same, actually.” she answered, somewhat surprised. Another common interest. Bobbing her head along at the thought, she watched as he carefully pruned the plant. Somehow he didn’t make a mess, even while actively conversing. Lulu loved to have a reason to watch him.

She sucked a breath in before continuing. ”Consider yourself lucky to have ‘family bias’, I suppose.” she stated thoughtfully. Lulu looked down, adjusting the oversized gloves on her hands, ”My father makes brooms but my family doesn’t have any interest in quidditch. It’s a load of bollocks honestly. My parents are sexist and have never been supportive of me playing because they think it’s ‘barbaric and dangerous’.” she shared with an eye roll as she flicked a bit of dirt off of his sleeve absentmindedly. She didn't know why she told him that, maybe it was her turn to have a case of word vomit.

Her eyes flickered away after thinking about her parents disapproval of her playing. She swallowed, ”I don’t want to get in your way…so just tell me what to do when you need it, I guess.” she said with an easy going shrug. Lulu was trying her best to behave today.


Arlo Bletchley

[Arlo Bletchley]

Giving Lulu another sideways glance and smirk, Arlo laughed quietly "I'll do the plant care don't worry. I enjoy it" Which was true, although it was never his favourite thing to begin with, when he did get stuck helping his Mum it had turned out quite therapeutic. Hence his plan to use it as a decompressor today, too bad Lulu had interrupted that plan and replaced it with something a lot more exciting.

When Lulu admitted her teams were the same, Arlo cocked an eyebrow in her direction. "Really?" They had more in common than at first glance he realised. "That's cool" he settled on quite simply, not sure what else to say. "My Dad played a season for the Arrows too, but then a bad Bludger to the shoulder ruined him. Never the same after that. So he Took a Consultancy job with them instead, and worked his way up to coaching the English team now. He's not head coach or anything, but one of them." Shrugging, again he wasn't sure of why she needed details, but the chat was easy with Lulu. And she seemed to return the feeling as she opened up about her parents hating her playing. Pausing in silence, he grimaced at the idea. His whole house was Quidditch focused. Even his Mum who threw up at the idea of flying managed to get them sorted each year with new kit for the upcoming season, and even went as far as attending some of their bigger games when she remembered to take her anti sickness pills and not look up too much.

"That sucks. You can come hang out at my house instead. We're all Quidditch mad" Shooting her a small reassuring smile, he immediately paused internally wondering why he had just invited Lulu Blishwick to come to his house, but howenever maybe it would make her feel better. Settling into a silence he began to chew on his bottom lip again as his hands worked quickly to prune the various plants in front of them. When he felt Lulu hovering again, not really speaking but her eyes firmly on him, the tips of his overgrown ears began to redden. She could feel her eyes watching him. Thank Merlin she did eventually break the silence. With a coquettish smile and another sideways glance he off-handedly threw out a comment as he concentrated on a particularly stubborn piece.

"You don't have to do anything. Just sit there and look pretty Lu, maybe pretend to take notes if O' Callaghan comes around" It was only after, as he laughed quietly at is own throw away humour did he realise what he had actually said. The butterflies in his stomach raved on, and his ears only darkened, pinkness now blanching into the tops of his cheeks too. Pointedly he avoided her gaze for a few minutes, forcing himself to overly concentrate on the task at hand until the redness died down once again.

lulu anne blishwick

[lulu anne blishwick]

Lulu couldn’t believe she was sitting beside Arlo Bletchley in Herbology class. The distracting heartthrob chaser with the big ears was proving to be quite interesting, she felt like she was absorbed in their personal bubble where time was moving at a slower pace. Lulu loved how easily the light conversation was flowing, it was quite the contrast to their chat on the pitch a couple of weeks ago. She learned his father played for the Arrows and now consulted for them. The purple haired snake felt herself get excited over that information but she feigned a more nonchalant expression. ”Shut up!" she exclaimed in disbelief, her eyes widening as her jaw dropped. "That's Wicked!”

Arlo shared that his family was ‘quidditch mad’. She wondered what that looked like. She also wondered what his family was like. That was a weird thought. She was still attempting to hold her joy in after he invited her to his house. Lulu smiled sweetly, a hint of bashfulness because she didn’t want to say anything stupid, but she quite liked that idea. ”Quidditch mad family sounds like a dream. You’ve won the lottery, mate. Hold that near and dear to ya.” she told him before asking, "How many siblings do you have?"

Often she wished her father was more like his brother, Uncle Jimbo. He didn’t talk badly about quidditch and he supported her to follow her dreams no matter how wild, even allowing her to work for him for some extra cash at his Matchmaking services until his pizza joint opened. She pulled herself away from thinking of her family. She couldn't help but notice Arlo was starting to pull back a bit. Lulu wanted to reign him back in but she didn't know how to yet. Hell, she wished she could shove a comic book in his face to see some sort of reaction from him.

Arlo told her to sit there and look pretty, and to write some notes if O’Callaghan came around. All she heard was ‘just look pretty, Lu’.

Ahhh, Lu. Pretty.

The corners of her lips slowly curled upwards and she looked down at the plants. After a couple of moments of marinating in his words, "So, you think I’m pretty, Arlo?” she asked quietly in a comical tone seeking confirmation. Well, he was the one who said it, not her, she just enjoyed getting him a bit frazzled. Since she could already feel him pulling back, she figured what the hell...


Arlo Bletchley

[Arlo Bletchley]

"Yeah he mostly works with the English team moreso now. But we still have season passes and get march and stuff.." Shrugging it off, he felt it was no big deal. Just something his Dad had always done for work, that his Mum didn't exactly like, but supported anyway. Arlo counted himself lucky that his parents supported him no matter what. They hadn't been exactly supported to follow their own paths by their parents, but they did a lot to make sure their kids were. Sometimes Bryony found it boring that all they wanted to do was Quidditch like their dad, but little did she know Arlo had more on his mind. He wasn't sure yet, but he was acutely aware that like his Dad one bad knock could finish him for good. Spencer Bletchley put no pressure on Arlo to follow in his footsteps, but Arlo still felt sentiment that he would be better received to continue a Quidditch Career outside of Hogwarts. Outside he smiled and nodded, saying of course he did, but the reality was his heart wasn't really in it. Eventually he just nodded in agreement to Lulu's sentiment. He was lucky to have his family, he knew that much. He just didn't know what to say to that after she had divulged the opposite. Instead she was glad for the distraction.

"Just one baby sister. Well..." A small grin played on his lips. "She's not that much younger. There's only eleven months between us. I was a surprise definitely, but Georgie was a bigger surprise when I was two months old." He gave Lulu a wicked grin again before going back to pruning. "She's in fifth year. Plays for Huff. [Position yet to be determined by OOC player Whoops but insert something here lul]. What about you?" The easy conversation kept up. Batting back and forward with simple conversation. That was until it shifted again.

After calling her pretty he had tried to keep a low profile, and not draw attention to what he had done, but once Lulu had picked up on it that seemed fairly impossible. Lulu was pretty. Not in the same way other girls in their year were. She wasn't tall with striking girly feminine features like he usually went for. She wasn't blonde like he always seemed to gravitate towards. But she had a sort of wild beauty to her, something that excited him. She was quirky and weird looking in some sort of intriguing way that Arlo had never really noticed before, but he liked it. It drew him in and made him want to know more. Not looking up from the plants, he easily slid the pots on their table, switching one completed one out for the next one as Lulu spoke. He could hear the smile in her voice. Purposely he avoided her gaze again and concentrated on what he was doing. As he tried, his cheeks only darkened, and the indent on his bottom lip became more prevalent as he ground his teeth into his flesh. When she directly questioned it, repeating it out loud, Arlo felt his stomach drop out his arse. Had he really said that out loud? Loud enough for others to hear? It had been a slip up of his mind. He obviously felt too safe in their own little bubble. For a split second he froze, his brain back pedalling somewhat out of anxiety. Quickly he looked up, and glanced around. Once she was still sure nobody was paying them attention, he softened just slightly, but still didn't look her way. It was definitely a little easier that way.

"Well yeah..." he began, stumbling over his words, unsure of where he was going now. "I guess you are...pretty that is." Shooting his eyes to the side, he hoped she wasn't still watching him. That she didn't catch him looking at her, especially now his high cheekbones were so dark. But it was enough to distract him, the shears cut into his thumb, through the gloves.


"Ugh! For fuck sakes Lulu!" It of course wasn't really her fault at all, but his own. It didn't stop him snapping at her though. He didn't really mean to snap at her. Truthfully he was angry at himself, for letting himself be distracted by something so stupid. For feeling like this over a girl. He didn't need this. Scowling, he pulled off his left glove and uncovered a nasty cut on his thumb, his capillaries now pumping bright red blood out. Initially he sat there for a moment, grimacing and unsure what to do.

lulu anne blishwick

[lulu anne blishwick]

Lulu listened as he shared about his sister. She was somewhat taken aback when he shared that she too played quidditch on an opposing team. It was sweet how he talked about her. She wished she had a better relationship with her brother some days but she knew that meant she had to talk to them and they didn’t get along well. ”Two younger brothers. Year 3 and 4. They’re kind of nerds.” she shared with a chuckle and smile.

As Arlo confirmed calling her pretty, she felt her cheeks start to warm up with an almost dreamy smile. ”I think you’re pretty c-” she was going to return the sentiment, but Lulu was pulled from the moment when Arlo angrily yelled her name, yanking the glove off of his hand with agitation. Her head slowly tilted to the side with confusion, then, her eyes widened out of shock at the sight of blood. ”WHATDAFUC” she blurted quickly, leaning away from him on the bench with a surprise fueled disgust as she took the scene in. She nearly flew backwards on the bench but caught herself with a white knuckled grip to the tables edge, kicking her feet up to catch her. Her eyes furrowed to the center of her forehead to look at Arlo and her body froze, ”Fuck. I didn’t do it!” she exclaimed to him in a guilty tone. That was the Lulu Blishwick everyone knew.

Lulus arms flailed out in front of her as she shot up from the bench to grab Arlo a roll of paper towels on the opposite table. In the frazzled moment, she tripped over her robe and nearly knocked the plant Arlo was previously working on onto the floor, but she caught it with an involuntary squeal. She was a mess.

The outburst immediately grabbed Professor O’Callaghan’s attention, who cocked his head back to look at her and Arlo. Lulu was the usual suspect in his class, he knew she had a penchant for talking when she wasn’t supposed to. The purple haired snake faked a nonchalant smile and wave for the Professor before he turned back to the student who he was offering assistance to before he was interrupted.

Her icy saucers darted around the crowded greenhouse but they had still gone mostly unnoticed. ”Uh-” she stared at Arlo stupidly, feeling flustered by the moment now. Lulu bundled up a couple of paper towels and reached to grab his hand without question to apply pressure to it to stop the bleeding. Her expression faltered, seeping concern. ”I’m sorry.” she said quickly, ”Do you need to go to the hospital wing?


Arlo Bletchley

[Arlo Bletchley]

Usually Arlo was pretty okay with blood and squeamish things. He enjoyed Podcasts about Murders and many a fucked up things. He didn't mind a bit of gore, even if he still wasn't really able for horror movies. But when it was his blood it was a different story, especially when he was so distracted emotionally. Slowly he blinked, watching the blood trickle down his finger. While he still felt mad irritated and vexed, as he watched his blood drip, there was a level of disassociation where things seemed to move in slow motion as he started to feel a little light headed for no reason at all. He'd had way worse injuries on the pitch. Odd.

All he was vaguely aware of was Lulu trying to fix things and actually making things worse. He didn't really need to give O' Callaghan a reason to mark him down so late in the term. It was unlikely he would, he wasn't a bad guy like that who would let one small incident mark Arlo's record, but still. Hypersensitive of his grades as always, Arlo wouldn't risk it. He let Lulu wave him off, just like he let her press paper towels around his finger so frantically. While he tried to force his brain to speed up and react, he sighed. He didn't push her away, not at first. But once his brain clicked back into place and remembered what had been going on; it also remembered how exasperated it was with Lulu.

"Lulu, Stop!" Her faffing had become too much. Snapping at her a final time he yanked his injured hand away from her. As soon as he realised how acidic his tone was, and how rough he had been; pretty immediately guilt seeped in. With a quiet sigh, he paused to tear another paper towel off the roll and push it against his finger. He didn't mean to be angry with her. He was angry at himself of course, too easily had he lost the run of himself today and let her in. Let her get closer to him and burrow into his brain. Taking a deep breath, he looked up at her finally, internally grimacing. He didn't need to see how much he had hurt her. If at all. But then, he thought, he'd been such a dick, there was no way she wouldn't be upset with him. "I'm sorry" He mumbled, cheeks darkening again. This time with shame. Looking down he noticed the bleeding had started to subside. It was then she showed more care for him and asked did he need to go to the Hospital Wing. "Probably. I'm alright, but god knows where that shears has been" muttering again he was scared of being loud or raising his voice at her in any way again.

Giving it a second before he looked up and met her icy gaze, he took another quick look around the Greenhouse. Still nobody was paying attention to them. Good. They had privacy. Sinking his teeth into his bottom lip, he hesitated for a moment before giving in and doing something he would likely regret later. In a snap decision, he pulled Lulu's purple covered notebook towards him from her side of the table and started scribbling something in it. His tone was low, and his gaze still adverted as he explained what it was. "It's my address, and phone number. Come over during the holidays and we can..." verbally and physically stopping for a second, he searched for the words, still staring a the page. What was he doing? "we can hang out or something." The 'or something' hung in the air as he finished writing in her notebook and slid it across the table back in her direction. "Just like text me or owl me or something before you come up to make sure I'm there or whatever I guess" And in case he had other friends over that he didn't want to be seen with Lulu in front of. 

He didn't say anything else. He didn't know what to say and he wasn't quite sure anything would be enough even if he did. So instead he gave her one long lingering look with a tight lipped smile for another moment before swinging her backpack over his shoulder and making his way to O' Callaghan's desk to explain how he'd have to go to the Hospital Wing and get some medical attention, because really, only Merlin knew where those rusty shears had been.

lulu anne blishwick

[lulu anne blishwick]

Lulu froze when Arlo told her to stop. Well, more like yelled at her to stop. The look on his face alone made her want to hide under a rock. But when he yanked his hand away out of a fit of anger, it surprised her how bad it made her feel. The lovely moment between them had completely dissipated and she felt herself yearning for more, kicking herself for ruining everything. Lulu remained silent as she digested what had just happened. It all happened so fast.

Her expression faltered as he followed with apologizing. She could tell that he was feeling remorse with how he spoke to her and there was some sort of inner battle going on inside. She didn’t want him to feel that way. Ultimately, she knew she was distracting him…maybe it was her fault. Lulu pulled a serious face as she bit down on her lip. Now she was afraid to look at him because she wasn’t sure how her face looked. Fuck, she didn’t want Arlo to be upset with her!

Arlo's face was beat red as he grabbed for her notebook, writing his personal details in a neat boyish scrawl. She was very confused, watching quietly with her hands folding in front of her awkwardly. He mentioned the holidays and to contact him to hang out or something. She didn’t know what ‘or something’ was, but she wanted to find out. Maybe it was comic books, or maybe it was sucking face. Surely, there was a glimmer of hope out of the situation, somewhere.

Lulu nodded slowly, ”Uh-Yeah. I'd like that.” she finally answered carefully, afraid she would explode if she said anything more. Her eyes met his, softening, ”I’m sorry.” she told Arlo with a weak smile. The look on his face showed her that he knew it before he turned to make his way up to Professor O’Callaghan's desk.

A sigh slipped past her lips as she looked over the scene. Now she had to do everything alone. Lulu used Arlo’s first plant as an example of how the finished product should look for the last couple of plants she'd have to prune on her own, hating every moment of it.


Arlo Bletchley

[end]