yule peter parker | arlo & lulu

[lulu anne blishwick]

Winter break had officially started. Lulu waited a couple of days into break to allow Arlo to settle in with his family before contacting him. Since Lulu had a free day from the pizza joint she knew exactly where she wanted to spend it. Arlo had given her his information on the last day of Herbology before holiday started after a mishap with shears in class. Her mind replayed the scene in the greenhouse over and over and she couldn’t help but feel embarrassed and nervous to see the Lion again. Seeing him outside of school made things seem so much more real.

Lulu had an inner battle over the first days of break on whether if she should take Arlo up on the offer to 'hang out or something'. She decided that she wanted to. Lulu didn’t want to let an opportunity slip between her fingertips from a sudden case of shyness. After reaching out and getting a response from him, she felt that weird feeling in her stomach again. There was a weird mix of fluffiness and dread.

The purple haired snake made her way down the drizzly street she had saved in her phone with Arlo's information. She was surprised how close they lived to each other in London, only Arlo was in a more posh neighborhood lined with swanky townhouses and elegant museums. She felt a bit underdressed, but she knew she wasn’t, she just had the jitters from the unexpected before seeing Arlo. She wondered how he would act today. Hell, she hoped she knew how to act today. That thought alone made her nervous.

Lulu took a breath in before climbing the steps to the Bletchley residence front door. Her stomach dropped to her ass as she raised her hand with a small fist to knock on the door, she didn't want to ring the doorbell to make a grand entrance. She swallowed, feigning a more relaxed and nonchalant smile as she shoved her hands into her hoodie pockets. Merlin, she hoped Arlo answered the door and not one of his parents or sister.

Arlo Bletchley

[Arlo Bletchley]

Arlo had been lying in his bed in his boxers playing video games when the text from Lulu had come in 'on de way'. He had waited for it of course, butterflies in his stomach since he had given her his number. He had left the ball in her court and was actually a little disappointed when she hadn't texted him before that. To be honest, it was just a number that had texted him, with no sign off, and really it could have been anyone. But two days into the holidays, he knew it could only be her.

Jumping up, he tried to shake himself up and wake up a bit. Yes it was a little after twelve, but other than getting up to bring a coffee back to bed, he hadn't gone far or done much. When Lulu's text had come through it had given him a reason to do something and get up. Sprawling to life it hadn't taken him long to venture to his en-suite for a shower and slouch back into the room, foraging for some clean-ish clothes. Eventually he pulled on some lazy sweat pants and comfy thick socks. With the towel he took the heavy wet out of his curls with minimal effort, but lazily left it damp. After a second her pulled one of his hoodies off the floor and gave it a small sniff, clean enough he supposed. After a quick spritz of deodorant he pulled the Vintage Arrows zip up hoodie he had stolen from his dad on and zipped it up just enough over his bare chest. He knew he probably should have put more of an effort in, but he never did when he was just at home. Home, especially in his bedroom, was his comfort cave. He didn't have to put up any walls, or pretend to be something he wasn't. Sometimes he was over enthusiastic about Quidditch to Georgie and his Dad when he wasn't really feeling all that arsed, but that was the largest extent of it.

When the house elf had started yelling to alert him his guest was here, Arlo shushed him quick enough. He had started to make a hasty effort in cleaning up his room somewhat; straightening the duvet and dark sheets on his bed, and placing the piles of comic books on his bedside lockers together so they didn't look so scrappy. But now Lulu was here, he had to abandon that.

All but shoving the house elf out of the way on the stairs, Arlo skidded to a halt before the front door. Hesitating, he stopped to give himself a quick look over in the mirror on the wall by the door. Mussing up his damp curls, and tugging at the zip on his hoodie slightly he pulled it up, exposing less of his chest, suddenly quite self conscious. With a quiet sigh, he realised this was the best he'd get and he needed to open the door before Lulu thought there was nobody home, even though he had texted her to say he was.

Eventually he pulled the heavy door open and took her in. Slowly a shy smile began to break out on his face as he looked down at her from the doorway. Watching her, he realised those pesky butterflies in his stomach started to party again, and his mind lost all reasoning, like inviting her in from the cold. Instead he just stood smiling like an idiot.

"Hi Lu." As his cheeks pinkened, he eventually he stumbled over the words of a greeting. After another moment, he realised what an idiot he was being, and hurriedly stepped back to let her in "Uh, shit sorry. It's cold out, come in"

lulu anne blishwick

[lulu anne blishwick]

Lulu’s breath hitched when the door finally opened and Arlo appeared on the other side. His figure in the doorway, smiling down at her, caused her own smile to widen at his greeting. ”Heeeey” she greeted in a sing song tone, feeling her smile get too big because she felt slightly awkward. Fuck. She wasn’t sure what she was doing here.

As Arlo welcomed her inside, she stepped in with a chuckle, drawing her hood down before crashing into Arlo for a warm but friendly hug. She wasn’t trying to make him awkward, but in that moment she realized they hadn’t ever hugged before. She felt herself melt into his touch and scent before forcing herself to quickly pull away. He smelled clean and felt warm and cozy from being inside, in contrast to the ugly weather outside. The tip of her nose was a tickled hue of pink from it.

After she pulled away from the embrace, she noticed the cool quidditch sweater he was wearing. She hadn’t seen that style hoodie before. Must’ve been vintage or something. Lulu feigned nonchalance,  ”Wow. That's mad cool!” she gestured to his attire while nodding with approval. Yanking playfully at his zipper with a goofy eyebrow waggle and smile. Since they were standing in the doorway still, she hadn’t noticed how elegant the inside of the enchanted townhouse was with an adorable Arlo towering over her. 

Lulu swallowed, an attempt to calm her nerves. ”Hows your hand?” she dared to ask him softly in an uncharacteristic shy tone as she shoved her own hands into her hoodie pockets in front of her. Not wanting to make things awkward since the last time she saw him was at the greenhouse, but she genuinely wanted to know.

Arlo Bletchley

[Arlo Bletchley]

In a daze his eyes hovered over her. As his smile grew, he clamped his top teeth over his bottom lip, trying to stop it getting too big. He had a serious talk with himself in the shower and made sure he still wanted to at the very least try to play it cool. Eyeing her lilac hair closely with his green eyes, there was no hiding his smile. A hazy dream like state took over as he watched her step inside and moved to close the door behind her.

He had barely turned back from pushing the heavy door closed again, when he felt Lulu's cold little form crash against his. The hug had caught him massively off guard. There was a split second of uncertainty, but then instinctively his arms wrapped around her midpoint and pulled her into his chest. It was surprisingly pleasant. More than pleasant actually. He wasn't quite ready for her to pull away as quick as she did. Trying to cover it on his face, he could only hope Lulu didn't pick up on how much more pink is cheeks had gone. Instead when she turned her attention to his half zip, he latched onto that and nodded

"Oh. Yeah it is, thanks." With a shrug, he stepped back and awkwardly shoved his hands in the pockets of his baggy sweats. "I took it off my dad innit? He has loads of old stuff he doesn't fit in anymore. So I just take it. Have some nice older England team stuff too" With a more wicked grin, he shrugged again trying to play it down. He knew it was cool and he knew she would be impressed, maybe that was why he had chosen it subconsciously. When she asked about his hand, his eyebrow cocked in surprise. "My hand? Oh right yeah." Taking his hand out of the pocket, he held it up and shook his head "Yeah it's fine. Wouldn't even know anything happened it" That was a lie of course. There was already a scar forming but he wouldn't tell Lulu that and make her feel even worse. Instead he kept his hand moving quick enough so Lulu couldn't focus on it.

"So er..." Deciding to try and change track again and not let Lulu feel any worse he began awkwardly, holding his hand up and motioning down the corridor towards the kitchen "Do you wanna go get some food or a hot chocolate or something? Or do you wanna go upstairs and hang out in my room? There's nobody home so it doesn't really matter, we don't have to worry about being interrupted or anything" As he realised how that sounded his cheeks flushed "Er I don't mean it like that or anything, I just mean like, you don't have to say hi to my parents or anything.." Trailing off, he frowned, scrunching his face up uncomfortably. "Sorry that sounded really bad it's just that where my comic books and stuff are....so er.....up to you I guess.." It was then he decided he had probably been staring a little too intently at her. Letting his head drop forward as an awkward laugh escaped. He gave in basically admitting how embarrassed he suddenly was and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, purposely not looking at her till he gathered himself again. 

lulu anne blishwick

[lulu anne blishwick]

”Woah. Vintage!” she nodded with approval, admiring the stitch with her eyes as he shared about taking them from his father. The purple haired snake tried to keep herself from gushing, but if there was one thing Lulu loved it was expressing herself through clothing. ”I like that you’re giving all of this old quidditch memorabilia a second chance.” she told him but they were quickly moved onto his hand. Lulu didn’t get to get a good look at his hand but she believed him by his reaction and tone. She felt like everything was going at hyper speed but slow motion at the same time. She hoped she didn’t have a stupid smile plastered on her face.

Arlo started to babble awkwardly, which she watched with yet another slow spreading smile. He stumbled over his words because they sounded a bit inappropriate while referencing to his bedroom, but she knew what he meant, while the naughty part of her wished he meant the inappropriate. A small laugh slipped past Lulu’s lips as his head fell forward awkwardly, Lulu swatted away his sorry and grabbed his arm to stop him, ”Nah, don’t worry I know what you meant.” she reassured him with an easy going smile, releasing his arm gently. She chuckled again with a twinkle in her eye because it was quite amusing, and awkward, but she was willing to move past that.

Lulu was too nervous to eat or do anything really. She knew she wanted to see Arlo’s room because it was a true glimpse into someone’s life, personality, and their interests. These days she found herself wanting to learn more about Arlo without annoying him by having to ask him a million questions. But she still would. The last time they spoke she learned that he had a sister and quidditch crazy family, and they liked the same teams. That meant something, right? All before he cut his hand from her distracting him with more questions. She told herself she’d behave today, though that day she was trying to behave and he ended up in the hospital wing.

Throwing her hair over her shoulder and faking a more relaxed smile, she shrugged, ”Well…I wanna see your room if that’s where you hide your comic books and cool things.” she told him easily with a smile. Her head tilted to the side as she attempted to hold a straight face ”So, can I say “Spider-Man” here or are you-” she stopped mid-sentence when she got glimpse behind Arlo.

Lulu’s jaw dropped when she finally digested the very large home. ”Oh, woooow.” her eyes widened out of surprise at the large foyer and corridor leading to know Merlin knew. She closed her mouth again, awkwardly, hoping he didn’t think she was acting like some peasant in his palace. An awkward laugh slipped passed her lips, ”Well. I feel underdressed now.” she admitted with a weak smile and slightly widened icy saucers.

Arlo Bletchley

[Arlo Bletchley]

With another small smile, his chest puffed out. He had impressed her, mission accomplished. "My Mum wanted to throw them out years ago. So he hid them in my wardrobe, but forgot about them till he saw me wearing them then. I don't think he likes it but they're mine now" With a small wiggle of his eyebrows, he smirked. It was one of the very few evil things he had done in his life. 

Arlo didn't know that Lulu would have liked the other version of what he had suggested, but when she began to explain she knew what he meant, it did ease him slightly. I mean he had still made an arse out of himself, but at least she was okay with it. Merlin, the way she touched his arm had his cheeks lighting up again. The feel of her touch was electric to him, but it was taken away just as quick as the hug was. A part of his brain sparked up that maybe he should tell her he was okay being touched. Maybe she thought he didn't like it and that was why she drew it away so quickly all the time. In reality he was actually quite a touchy feely person, but only with people close to him. He didn't think it was really common knowledge and Lulu definitely wouldn't know it.

He was just grateful she didn't take his stupidity to heart. Good. He could have done with a fresh coffee, but whatever, he'd go with what she wanted. Anything with Lulu sounded good to him. Not that he'd so freely admit that around other people, but he had gone as far as telling Georgie he had a friend coming over. That was probably why she had cleared off so willingly, but she'd be surprised later on to find out who that friend was he guessed.

"Yeah you-" He had been beginning to give her a little nod, and even starting to chuckle about her question over saying those magic words out loud, when her face dropped. "What?!" He asked quickly, worried something had happened, before the cogs in his brain began to turn and he realised that wasn't what was going on at all.

As he turned towards the dark wood grand staircase, he rolled his eyes and let out a chuckle. "Oh shut up Lu. This is just my house" Cheeks pinking slightly, he tipped his head back towards the upstairs. He knew his house was impressive. He knew it was 'old money'. He knew for the most part people he went to school with weren't this well off, but he also knew they usually didn't know there was such a stark comparison because of his more humble side. "You don't need to change to fit in, but if your hoodie got wet, you can borrow one of mine to warm up." He wasn't sure why but the idea of her in one of his hoodies seemed pretty cosy to him, and now he was starting to mentally scan his drawers to think of what one he could give her as he moved to start taking the stairs and leading the way to his room "Come on then."

lulu anne blishwick

[lulu anne blishwick]

Lulu couldn’t believe she was standing inside Arlo Bletchley’s beautiful home. She felt her mind going completely blank from the moment she stepped inside, butterflies in a complete frenzy in her stomach. It was a different kind of feeling and Lulu decided at that moment she liked it. A lot.

The redness in Arlo's cheeks was a true sign of his humbleness. She found it adorable. The corners of her lips slowly twitched upwards as she attempted to match his emerald gaze. ”It all makes sense why you’d make a fuss over the locker room showers now..” she teased him playfully with small fit of giggles. An attempt to break the ice since she could still feel a slight tension between them. Or maybe it was a static. It was hard for the snake to identify.

When Arlo said that she didn’t have to change to fit in, she wanted to say something clever back about how he didn’t have to hide his love of comic books from people to fit in at school, but she had just arrived. She’d hold back for now.

Plus, she was slightly overwhelmed with the offer of a change of hoodie to warm up. 

As if magic didn’t exist and they couldn’t fix a soggy hoodie that way. Then again, Lulu liked the idea of wearing Arlo’s hoodie. She had never worn a cute boys clothing before and the thought alone made her heart soar out of her chest. She had to stop herself from staring at him and his curls for too long. "Uh-er-You're sweet. That sounds lovely. Thank you, Arlo.” she said, a sudden burst of shyness from his chivalry. It was her turn for her face to go red this time. She looked down, hoping he didn't notice. After he told her to follow him, she followed suit with a pep in her step, climbing the grand staircase as fast as her short legs would carry her.

Lulu turned to Arlo, finding herself wanting to grab him again but she wouldn't. She smiled up at him instead. "How has your break been so far?" she asked him curiously in a more conversational tone as they made their way down a long hallway. Lulu wondered if he was the type the laze around, or use the time wisely to get ahead for school, or maybe his family enjoyed travel. The anticipation of seeing his bedroom was truly killing her.

Arlo Bletchley

[Arlo Bletchley]

"I just like my comfort" he reiterated with a wry smile. "The pitch showers are glorified hose pipes and the water is always cold" He wasn't wrong, but as someone who was generally soaked through with rain, or up to his oxters in mud from crashing out, he should be less picky. It was hard though, when you were brought up with a diligent skin care and a whole bathroom full of lotions and potions of different things. The apple didn't fall far from the tree he supposed. It was nicer to warm up after a training session by having a bath and resting his aching muscles. Not standing in a drafty changing room with cold water raining down on him.

Moving up the dark wood grand stair case, he continued on through the maze till they hit the third floor. The floor himself and Georgie shared. Up another was their parents suite. This floor consisted of their room and their bathrooms. There was a small shared study/library between them, but when he was home for shorter holidays Arlo didn't tend to use it much. At the top of the stairs was the study, to the left Georgie's quarters, and to the right was Arlo's. Continuing along, he glanced back at Lulu now and then to make sure she was keeping up as he moved. "It's been ok I guess. Not up to much so far. We usually have lots of parties and stuff to go to but there hasn't been any yet. And it's my birthday in a few days so I guess some family will come over or something maybe" With a shrug he brushed it off as no big deal. His mum usually made a bit of a fuss of their birthday's, making them have a fancy family dinner, but he didn't see much of a big deal bar the thoughtful gifts they got him. "How about you?" Politely he returned the question, hoping he wouldn't latch on to the fact it was his birthday soon.

Instead they had now reached an equally heavy and impressive door. Giving her a small smile before turning to it again, he turned the handle and pushed the door before stepping aside and letting her in. The dark panelled walls gave the massive space a much cosier effect, making it feel smaller. The balcony window across from the door in from the hall bathed the place in a dull winter sun lighting it up just enough. Across from the Queen Sized bed carefully made with white sheets was a TV hung on the wall with an array of game systems hooked up to it, below a console where he stored said games, a pod style coffee machine and a mini fridge with some other treats he liked. Beyond the end of the console was a bookshelf overly packed with a mix of novels, graphic novels, and comic books, as well as some shelves of general knick-knacks and ornaments. The dark wood door next to it was ajar and the porcelain bath tub in the en-suite was visible. Once Lulu had stepped into the room, Arlo moved to the built in sliding door wardrobe to give her a minute to satisfy her curiosity he knew she would have. There he began to rifle through shelves to pick the perfect hoodie for Lulu.

Eventually he settled on one of the Appleby's new bright turquoise pull over style hoodies with 'BLETCHLEY' emblazoned on the back. It had come in a press pack not so long ago, but he had pretty much worn it to death since he had gotten home from Hogwarts the other day. He paused, not even sure it was washed, but he supposed Lulu wouldn't mind. She would like getting to try out some of the new Merch maybe. "Here, a new one"

lulu anne blishwick

[lulu anne blishwick]

Arlo explained liking his comforts and she nodded along, ”Okay, okay, that’s fair.” she agreed with a flicker in her eyes, matching his smile with a chuckle as she trailed behind him up the stairs easily. Honestly a young man who knew who to take care of himself wasn’t a bad thing. Especially because they smelled good. Recently she learned that Arlo smelled fantastic. He explained that his break hadn’t been anything special, but his birthday was coming up. Her eyebrows raised upwards, surprised, ”Wait. When is your birthday?” she asked excitedly with interest, already mentally trying to figure out what his zodiac sign was. ”Its been good. I have been helping out at my Uncles pizza place most of the time. Been nice sleeping in though.” she shared easily with a shrug of the shoulders. Lulu liked how easy it was to talk to the lion, the conversation flowed and she couldn’t get over the way he smiled at her.

As Arlo pushed open the massive, elegant, wooden door, she hesitated before stepping into his space with a small smile and curious eyes. She took in his living space silently in complete wonder. The dark walls, comfy bed with crisp white sheets, tv accompanied by various gaming systems, and so much more to take in. She barely knew where to start. As Arlo dug through his drawers in search of the perfect hoodie for her to change into, her eyes flickered away from the various shelving with nick-nacks and turned to look at him.

Arlo held out a turquoise Arrows hoodie and she reached for it willingly. As it unraveled from the neat fold, her fingers traced the raised letters of “BLETCHLEY” in a dazed moment. ”Thank you.” she told him with a bashful smile and nervous laugh. She didn’t know where it was coming from…

Lulu yanked her soggy hoodie over her head, placing it on a chair with her things. In that moment, she realized she probably should have excused herself to the luxurious restroom in front of her, but she had already gone too far. Reality hit her hard that she was standing in Arlos bedroom adorned in nothing but a black sports bra and black leggings. Suddenly feeling slightly self conscious with her half nakedness, pale skin and form out in the open.

With a fluid motion Lulu pulled the turquoise hoodie over her head, instantly greeted with warmth and coziness. Her nostrils flooded with his scent, again. She had to refrain from rolling her eyes back into her skull and smelling the collar like a crazy school girl. Instead, she smiled sweetly, enjoying the fact that she was swimming in comfort. ”Thank you, Arlo. That’s much better.” she said again with a gracious smile.

Her head tilted as her eyes got a better look at the gaming consoles lined up with the television. ”Wow!” her eyes widened as her eyebrows furrowed into a more curious expression since she wasn’t sure what she was looking at, ”What are those?” she asked quickly, gesturing to the various game systems. Lulu had seen one or two of them but never played.

Arlo Bletchley

[Arlo Bletchley]

The tips of his ears began to turn pink once he realised his throw away comment had in fact not gone unnoticed. "Oh er..." He wasn't quite sure why it embarrassed him. Maybe it was something about drawing attention to himself which he only sometimes used to do. Only ever on his terms. This was one of the things that weren't totally on his terms. "The 23rd. December 23rd" Well duh. It was December. Silently cursing himself for making such a dumb comment, he decided he'd leave that there. Subconsciously he felt his teeth drag along his bottom lip again, maybe his body was trying to stop him saying anything else more stupid. Instead he decided to smile and concentrate on something else. "Love that place. Love Pizza. I go get some every time I'm in Hogsmeade." Which wasn't a lie. A good amount of the Bletchley-King fortune had definitely been spent in that pizza place keeping Arlo's belly full whether in the Village or by delivery.

Watching her take the hoodie, he gave her another small smile. The Turquoise and silver lettering would look good on her. Like some sort of Tropical Mermaid. Except, he had to remind himself, it was Christmas. So maybe more like some sort of angel? "No worries" Mumbling he let his fingers brush hers just slightly as his hand fell once again. He wasn't quite sure why he continued to watch her, but he did. He hadn't been quite prepared for the lack of any clothing under her hoodie though, eyes widened while he took it in. It was more than just his ears pink now, and yet he couldn't exactly tear his eyes away. It was ridiculous. He'd seen her in a sports bra before at group events and scrimmages, and yet he was still mesmerised. What. an. idiot. But, he supposed, that was with a group of people, not alone in his own bedroom. Not when there was nobody else in the house with them. Now he felt almost indecent. Standing here with a girl in his bedroom. For a split second he thought self consciously how he should not be having the indecent thoughts he was about Lulu Blishwick of all people. She was the Loon of the year. Loony Lulu some people called her. She'd never much been on Arlo's radar really, until now. Once he had noticed her, that's when his brain had started imploding. At school he could of course never give in and actually be seen with her, but then, hadn't those walls started breaking down already? Even if it was completely by accident. He was alone now. There wasn't anyone here to judge him or see him hanging out with Lulu and make fun of him. He could so easily step in closer and give in to what he was thinking about; pressing his lips to hers. For a moment his mind even dared wonder what she'd taste like, before sense kicked back in and he took a deep breath in an attempt to regain some control on the daydream going on inside his brain. 

Eventually he was able to tear himself away as she started to pull the new arrows hoodie over her head and he blinked slowly, realising he had totally been staring. Self-consciously he peeled his eyes away to instead check himself over in the mirror. His whole face and neck was bright red, of course he had known that. But other than that he wasn't too bad. He looked ok today. Now in a sort of matching casual style to Lulu. Pausing he eyes his hair. He liked the length his hair was at. Although his Mum hated it on the longer side and gave out about it pretty much every time she saw him, Arlo liked it. It covered his ears for the most part. Ugh he hated his ears. Mussing up his hair, he tried to cover them up some more before he heard Lulu thank him and he realised she was decent now and he could look again. Giving her a small nod he couldn't help but smile. It was swimming on her, but looked comfortable anyway. "Looks good, even if it is a little big"

Raising an eyebrow, he continued grinning at her curiosity. "My consoles. For video games. X-Box, Playstation. Nintendo Switch." Sheepishly he shrugged, now a little embarrassed that he was actually admitting all this to someone. Especially Lulu. Letting her in to his inner sanctum had made him uneasy at first, but now there was a strange comfort to letting her in. "I mostly play the Switch to be honest. I play Zelda. Or Mario Kart with Georgie. Or then I've a Spiderman Game on the X-Box. And sometimes I like the Witcher." It was all as good as double dutch to Lulu, he assumed. But as he watched her, his smile became a little more confident, but it was clear he was thinking something over. 

"I think you'd like Mario Kart actually. Sit down and chill I'll show you how to play" He motioned to the bed for a split second before he turned his back on her to set up the console. "Just take your shoes off before you get on my bed." He was only half teasing as he looked over his shoulder for a brief moment. Anyway they could get more comfy that way. 

lulu anne blishwick

[lulu anne blishwick]

The embarrassment about his birthday was quite apparent on his face. She really didn’t want him to be. ”Oh, you’re a Capricorn!” she exclaimed excitedly, nodding her head knowingly, as if it all made sense now. ”Happy Early Birthday!” she wished him with a smile from ear to ear before he shared being a frequent customer at the pizza parlor. That made her excited. She hoped she’d see him there sometime and find out what his favorite pizza was. ”Really?" she smiled wider, "I started there this month because I thought it would be more fun, or fast paced at least, than the Matchmaking services.” she shared. The thought of birthdays or pizza had dissipated after her hoodie was pulled over her head though.

Lulu felt Arlo’s eyes on her but it didn’t make her feel weird or uncomfortable. It gave her a sense of yearning for something she didn’t even realize she wanted until it was presented to her on a silver platter. She really, really, liked it. The purple haired snake feigned nonchalance, wishing she could get into her typical Lulu groove, but was finding it hard with Arlo because he made her abnormally nervous. Now that they didn’t have the distractions of school or their peers, it was just their own little bubble in his room. She shoved her hands into the hoodie pockets happily, enjoying the warmth it provided as he told her she looked good in it. God. He was making her face hurt from smiling so much. She felt stupid around him.

As Arlo spoke about video games and his set up, she listened with true undivided attention. He appeared like he truly enjoyed those things.  "Wooow!” her icy saucers widened with enthusiasm. Lulu’s lips tugged at the corners, ”Everything you’re saying sounds so interesting, but I’ll admit I don’t know what any of that is.” she admitted with an honest laugh. She didn’t know who Mario was, but if Arlo thought it was something she’d like, she was more than willing to give it a try…especially since Arlo was inviting her to his bed now.

Shit. Things just got real. She knew that it wasn’t in a sexual sort of way, but she still couldn’t help herself from thinking about resisting to temptation. It was almost too easy knowing his parents weren't home but she didn't want to succumb to typical teenage antics. "Okay, show me who this Mario fellow is.” she agreed, obediently kicking her shoes off with a giggle as she plopped onto his bed back first. Her hair splayed out on the crisp white duvet as she raised her feet in the air to present a very festive pair of Christmas Spider-Man socks on her feet to him. ”Taaa Daaaa!” Lulu sang in a dramatic announcement, dangling her feet in the air to show them off proudly. "I wore these bad boys for you." she told him honestly with a laugh, not trying to make it sound too salacious, so her awkwardness resulted in her erupting into a fit of giggles. 

Arlo Bletchley

[Arlo Bletchley]

Raising an eyebrow, he frowned slightly "I am?" He had never known much about star-signs. Or what one he was. Or why it mattered. "I don't know what that means really, but thanks I guess." He made a mental note later to look it up, and then instead he took note of the fact she hadn't been working at the Pizza Parlour that long. Interesting. Well now she was there, he'd definitely have to go more often.

As he fiddled with the machine and getting it set up, he continued to glance back to her as she got settled on his bed. If he was any way smart like Georgie he would have had some sort of couch in a corner for his friends when they came over. But then he wasn't smart and he hardly ever had friends over. He tended to go out and meet his friends. Or else if people did come over they'd hang in the Greenhouse or the Kitchen, or even the Den. Not in his bedroom. Watching her climb on to his bed now, a red rose in his cheeks. Maybe this was way more intimate than he had intended. Or maybe, a small voice said, it was just the right amount and he didn't realise it was exactly what he wanted. He hadn't realised he'd been watching her fuss again, until the controller buzzed in his hand and pulled his attention away from her.

Instead he finished setting up the second player's controller, and couldn't help but burst out in a laugh when he turned and saw her feet right up in the air. It looked comical but the reasoning soon became clear. Watching her, smile wide and almost dazedly happy, he got that love drunk feeling again. "For me?" Moving back over to the bed, he raised an eyebrow, and knee by knee climbed up beside her as he held a controller in each hand, careful to not fall over and squash her all together. Once he was halfway settled, his gaze moved to scrutinize her feet more closely. Now he could see them better, his smile grew even bigger, along with his eyes.

"Spiderman!" They weren't just amess of blue and red and green. They were cool christmas spiderman socks. For a split second, Arlo was jealous he didn't have cool socks like that. Maybe he should try get some. But then a warm fuzzy feeling washed over him. If he had any level of self awareness he would have realised this was the moment he had gone from just being smitten for Lulu to have instead totally fallen for her. Though sadly Arlo had never had much self awareness. Continuing his goofy grin, he could feel the tips of his ears going red again, no matter how hard he tried to avert it. "That's really cool Lu. I love them" Stumbling as he moved to finally settle himself, for a moment his face was unbearably close to hers, before he straightened up again. Cheeks bright red he pointedly turned his eyes away and mumbled "Er sorry about that.." Now biting down on his bottom lip out of nervousness again, he sheepishly moved to put some distance between them and lay back against his mound of pillows. Holding out the player two controller he was embarrassed again. Though this time it was more a shamed feeling. In the brief moment he had been so close to her face, he had found himself wanting to close the distance between them and land his lips on hers. The fluttery feeling in his chest that had become so unwelcome when Lulu was around had reared it's ugly head again and once again he found himself questioning his sanity. In his six years at the school he had never given Lulu Blishwick a second look, never mind actually wanting to kiss her. Other girls sure, and he had. Kissed them and more. But this was a different feeling, this was more of a yearning for her rather than wanting to just act on a physical impulse.


Giving his head a physical shake, as he realised he had gone quiet and it was much weirder when it was jus the two of them one on one, he wanted to physically shake the thought away and concentrate on something else. Leaning towards her just slightly, he hurriedly ran through the controls for Mario Kart and gave a lame shrug "It's like a broom racing game, but they're little car. You'll get it once you play it I think" Pressing a button on his own remote, he turned away from her, hoping the pink in his cheeks wasn't too noticeable, and that he hadn't gone too weird, and started the first race. "Ok lets start"

lulu anne blishwick

[lulu anne blishwick]

As Arlo crawled onto the bed beside her, she felt the butterflies go crazy in her stomach as he acknowledged the Spider-Man socks, stating that he ‘loved’ them. Okay, she’d never take those socks off now. When Arlo stumbled slightly while settling in, his face was so close to hers she almost debated taking the chance to kiss him. There was some weird eye contact there that made her wish she did, but she didn’t want to make things more awkward for him since he was apologizing. His ears and face were already a sweet hue of red, something she found so endearing about him. Lulu laughed softly. "It's okay, Arlo." She offered a forgiving smile as she pushed herself up from the mattress, sitting straighter with her legs in a criss cross position. Lulu wanted to sit closer to him but settled with her knee just barely touching him. Even that felt forbidden.

Arlo handed the controller to her and she dared to allow her fingers to graze his again, feigning nonchalance as she did so. She knew she was sending him itty bitty signals everywhere. Maybe a smoke signal would have been more effective.

Pressing the knobs and buttons curiously, she gripped the controller in her hands with a smile and flicker in her eyes. The feeling of the triggers under her fingers were foreign and exciting, she barely knew what they did, but figured mashing a bunch would be a good start to finding out. Lulu was almost ashamed she had never played video games before! After selecting a cute mushroom as her character, she turned to shoot Arlo a smile before turning to face the tv again. The only flaw to this activity was the fact that she couldn’t look at him anymore.

The purple haired snake wasn’t expecting the controller to vibrate to life in her hands so she let out a squeal out of utter fright, reacting as if a bolt of electricity went through her as she dropped the remote into her lap with wide eyes. It was similar to what her phone would do, only she wasn't expecting it. ”Oi-I wasn’t expecting that.” she giggled excitedly, picking up the remote controller again before her eyes returned to the screen. ”Should I be pressing all of these buttons n thingies!?” she asked frantically before her character flew off the rainbow road after swerving into a banana someone threw at her. ”FUCK.” she stated in agitation, ”Those bloody bananas!!” the purple haired snake exclaimed with a giddy excitement when she was dropped back onto the course. Arlo was right, she loved it, even if she sucked at it.

Since she barely knew what she was doing, and Arlo looked so cute and focused fixated on the screen, she shot her arm toward his controller in true Slytherin form to sabotage his game playing by mashing his buttons buttons in a fit of giggles. And of course it was a reason to get in his personal bubble once again..

Arlo Bletchley

[Arlo Bletchley]

Usually by now Arlo would have sprawled out on his bed. He adored his bed, especially when reading his comics or playing his video games. It was his happy place and his ultimate comfort. Except now he felt he couldn't relax. His head was floating; fuzzy as if filled with cotton wool. His heart was pounding. His stomach churning with abashed anxiety. And all because as he sat up in a position mirroring Lulu's; their knees were touching. The closest they'd been in a position that wasn't a Quidditch match, or Herbology class. The closest they'd been when they were alone. Truly in their own little bubble.

He played the game with her, bashing the buttons, and smiling and laughing here and there as she either careened off the side of Rainbow Road, or else over took him. Arlo was on autopilot though. Only half paying attention to what Lulu was laughing at, or laughing instinctively when he felt it was necessary. In reality his mind was elsewhere. In his mind he was thinking about how soft her lips were, or how nice it would be to run his fingers through the purple of her hair. Or maybe even wrap his arms around her waist like he had very briefly earlier when she had thrown herself at him in a hug. That would be nice. The very thought of it made an unknown fuzzy feeling start seeping through him, as his cheeks started to pinken again just slightly. His fingers instinctively kept pressing the random buttons, but his stare had drifted from the screen to Lulu's face instead.

As she reached across and started mashing the buttons on his controller, he jumped slightly, not expecting it. Too distracted by her.

"Oi!" Startled he came out of his love-druken stupor with a laugh. "Cheater! I was already trying to let you win" Eyes widened he continued to laugh, jerking his controller out of her reach reflexively. Slowly his laughs petered off to nothing, and he was just left staring at her with a goofy smile on his face. They were much closer now since she had lunged forward to sabotage him.

"Uh..." As a flush crept up his neck, touching the tips of his ears, he knew he should stop staring at her. And yet he couldn't tear his green eyes away from her icy ones. His little grin was still evident, even if it was dimmed slightly.

Eventually he uttered in a much lower, more serious tone. "Hey Lu?"

lulu anne blishwick

[lulu anne blishwick]

Lulu was having fun but she couldn’t help but feel abnormally nervous. She was on edge since she sat down on his bed. Her heart was racing, beating wildly like a drum against her chest. They shared a laugh when he exclaimed that he was trying to let her win. ”Don’t just let me win!” she protested with a giggle, biting down on her lip. The thought made her break out into a smile. He was such a gentleman to consider that, it almost caught her off gaurd.

The lighthearted moment fizzled after a moment of them staring at each other. She realized they were very, very close now. Her hand was on his arm after the button mashing but she was quick to retract it again. Just like all of the other times. Suddenly the game was the last thing on her mind. Especially after he called her 'Lu' again.

Arlo’s tone was more serious as his gaze stayed glued to hers this time, his goofy smile turning darkly alluring. She felt him looking at her. Honestly, his attention was something she found herself craving these days, but she didn’t know what to do with herself now that she had it undivided. It felt sacred, she didn’t want to ruin it. Hell, if she could stay in that moment for a while, she'd be okay with it.

Lulu felt the mood shift in the room. Her heart had a burst of adrenaline as she met the lions emerald eyes. The look on Arlo’s face told her he was going to say something, only maybe he wasn’t sure how to say it. There was a look on vulnerability she couldn’t seem to shake.

Feigning nonchalance, deep down in her core somewhere. ”Hey Arlo?” she asked him back slowly with a curious spreading smile. Her stomach hit the floor as she dared to look at his lips. Butterflies fluttered madly in her chest as her gaze met his, wondering what he would do next.

Arlo Bletchley