What'd I Miss? (Grey)

[Deleted]

It had been awhile since Finn had seen his old pal Grey. Sure, he had been busy with Auror training and Grey was preparing for his last year at Hogwarts, but that didn't seem to stop Rai from talking about him. Literally, all the dang time.  Finn had had a hunch the last year or so at school that there was something more than just friendship buzzing about between them, but neither had acted upon anything.  So when Rai went on about how she'd seen Grey in Diagon Alley just this past week, Finn decided that enough was enough.  It was high time to find out how Grey felt about Rai.  But he had to be stealthy about it; he wouldn't get it out of Grey by outright asking him about things, so he'd play it cool.  So he had sent an owl to Grey wanting to meet up for pints at the Fountain of Fair Fortune on Horizon Alley.  It was never as crowded as the Leaky Cauldron, the go-to spot for students and adults alike, so they'd have a bit more privacy.

It was nearly five when Finn reached the small pub; he settled himself in at a booth by the corner window to wait for Grey.  He ordered a gillywater while he waited; he'd indulge in some mead when Grey got there.  As he sipped his drink, he finally saw his friend enter and grinned.  "Grey, my man.  Over here!" he called, flagging him down. 

grey xavier slater

[grey xavier slater]

The Monsters

walk among us

It wasn’t often that Grey received an owl from someone, especially one from Finn. Just the week before he had bumped into Rai in Diagon Alley while wandering around and ended up getting lunch with her, and now he was grabbing drinks with Finn. It definitely was strange to happen across both of his friends and former housemates like this, especially since they were in the middle of Auror training. Regardless, Grey had responded with an owl of his own and was now on his way to meet Finn at the Fountain of Fair Fortune. He had never actually been to the joint before, but had passed by enough times to know that it was extremely popular. Typically Grey avoided these busy spots, unless he was invited, like today, or if there was nowhere else to go. As he approached the front of the establishment, Grey hesitated slightly, hoping there wasn’t a huge crowd inside.

Entering the small pub, Grey was met with a pleasantly small amount of people. That was good. He could have a decent conversation with Finn that way. The two of them had a ton of stuff to catch up on. Grey really wanted to get his thoughts on the Auror training as well, having a relatively good chat with Rai about it the previous week. He was probably guaranteed the same response from Finn, mostly because the two of them were attached at the hip when it came to practically everything. Looking around the room, Grey caught sight of Finn sitting in a booth, waving at him and calling his name. “You haven’t changed one bit.” He said, smiling at Finn as he went to join him at the booth. The waiter came over and as Grey sat down, inquiring if he wanted anything to drink. It was too early in the day to have anything too heavy, so he settled for a pumpkin juice. That was sure to do the trick on a warm summer day. “How’s being an Auror? Hunt down any crazies yet?”

grey xavier slater & @finn
341
Urban Pineapple by OMFG
notes here.

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[Deleted]

Finn laughed as Grey mentioned he hadn't changed. "Only different when I'm in training; can't go changing me that easily," he said proudly as his friend ordered a pumpkin juice.  He figured he'd let Grey finish his first drink before getting into the nitty gritty of what his feelings for Rai were.  "Auror training is going fantastically; they just announced yesterday that they will be posting a good dozen more Aurors at Hogwarts this year after what happened last year, and possibly first year trainees too," he said, sounding excited.  Poe had been adamant that he would not let any of the trainees he felt weren't ready be stationed at Hogwarts, and Finn believed him.  He and Rai had worked very hard though, and had bonded with Poe the first day of training; hopefully they both would prove worthy of the post.  It didn't hurt that the prospect of being able to see Dominique again on a regular basis would be part of the post at Hogwarts.

Finn finished his water and asked for a hard cider; it wasn't too early in the day for that.  Training that morning had been rigorously intense; so much so that Poe had given them all the afternoon off.  "So, Rai let me know that she had seen you last week in Diagon Alley?" he started conversationally.  He wanted to gauge Grey's reaction to mentioning Rai, so he knew where to go from there.

grey xavier slater

[grey xavier slater]

The Monsters

walk among us

The waiter returned shortly after Grey got settled in with his pumpkin juice. Thanking him, Grey turned his attention back to Finn as he described how training had gone so far. So far everything seemed to line up with how Rai had explained it to him. That was good. Taking a sip of his drink as Finn continued to talk about how some of the trainees could possibly be stationed at Hogwarts, Grey looked up from his glass. “So both you and Rai could be at Hogwarts again?” He definitely wasn’t expecting to hear that, especially since Grey had assumed he wouldn’t get to hang out with either of them again until he graduated and joined them as an Auror. “That would be amazing…” He said, putting his hand to his mouth, contemplating all of the crazy things they could do again. Obviously both of them had to be assigned there first, and if they were they still had to do their jobs instead of screwing around with Grey all day. But he could definitely get away with wandering around at night with those two around. Hell, they’d probably join him on his little insomnia filled escapades.

Still dwelling on this thought as Finn ordered another drink, Grey couldn’t help but a giddy feeling that this upcoming year was going to be special. It wasn’t often that he looked forward to things, but the more he talked to his friends and other students, the more it was becoming aware to him that he really did enjoy going to school at Hogwarts, as well as doing things with the people there. Throw Rai and Finn into the mix for his last year there, and well, Grey was sold on going back to school. It would be an understatement to say that he wasn’t elated about the whole thing. Hearing Finn mention Rai pulled Grey out of his thoughts. “Oh yeah, she did. Kind of jumped me in the middle of the street, you know how she is.” Grey mimicked a headlock that she was known to put him in from time to time when they were going at it. He continued talking as he was making the motion, “Then she kidnapped me and forced me to eat muggle food. And wouldn’t let me pay! Can you believe that?”

grey xavier slater & @finn
387
High Tide by Grant Bowtie
notes here.

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[Deleted]

Finn laughed good-naturedly.  "That it does, but it'll be based off of seniority I think then volunteers.  Who knows, maybe some of the older Auror have some nostalgia and want to go back to Hogwarts," he said, trying not to get his own hopes up.  Poe had said that only three or four trainees would possibly be stationed at Hogwarts; the rest would be seasoned Auror veterans to better ensure the safety of the students.  While Finn did feel he and Rai were doing quite well in training, Poe never showed any favoritism.  "We find out next week, about three days before September 1st," he informed his friend.  "And that does really sound like Rai, she never lets me pay either if she can help it," he added with a smile.  

Finn felt his stomach rumble and stood up.  "To order food here we have to go up there; the waiter only serves drinks," Finn instructed, and excused himself to put in an order with the barman.  Feeling peckish, he ordered fish and chips; after a moment he added a sausage roll to start.  It was his favorite and he had just gotten paid for the first time by the Ministry; he could afford it.  As he made his way back to the table, he gestured for Grey to go up and put in his order.  "Bear in mind I ordered two things," he said laughing.  He figured Grey would have assumed that, but wanted to emphasize that he hadn't changed much yet since entering the Auror training program.  "She's gone on about seeing you here all week you know; she won't shut up about it really. I think she met up with your sister too," he said casually, wondering what Grey's reaction would be.

grey xavier slater

[grey xavier slater]

The Monsters

walk among us

“So pretty much random selection huh?” That was too bad. Unfortunately that narrowed down the chances of both Rai and Finn getting to come back at the same time greatly. To be honest, Grey either wanted both or neither of them. It just wasn’t the same. It would selfish he said it out loud of course, but Finn and Rai were a duo, and Grey had never really seen them at top notch without the other. “Well, hopefully you both pull the lucky straw then, eh?” From the way it sounded, both of them were hoping to get the chance to go back to Hogwarts. Hell, Grey would go back in a jiffy he was offered another year at the school. It would be insanely fun to wander the halls without consequence and not have to take classes. In a way, that was his dream come true.

As Finn stood up to go order, Grey contemplated doing the same. He really hadn’t eaten yet today, and if Finn was going to be both eating and drinking, Grey felt it would be a little awkward if he wasn’t doing either of them. A little time went by and Finn came back, gesturing for Grey to do the same. Giving in, he got out of the booth and headed to order food. He didn’t want something too heavy, so he ordered a sandwich with crisps. Nothing beat a good sandwich. Returning to the booth as well, the two continued their conversation as they waited for their food.

“Really?” Grey blurted out as Finn mentioned how Rai wouldn’t stop talking about him. That was surely surprising, right? Then again, they had only just seen each other a few days ago, and it did feel like they cut their meeting short. It was too bad that he had to get back home. There were so many more things that he wanted to talk about and catch up on. “You know, I think I heard about them meeting up from Addi. In passing of course. She wouldn’t give me a straight answer without me doing a favor for her first.” That little girl really got at him some days. He knew that she cared for him, but sometimes her sisterly love came across as blackmail to him. “So what has Rai been saying exactly?” He kind of wanted to push the topic further, since it seemed like that was where they were headed anyways. It didn’t hurt to show that he was interested in knowing anyways.

grey xavier slater & @finn
421
California by blink-182
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MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

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How interesting, Finn thought to himself as Grey blurted out 'really', then tried to recover.  If there was nothing but friendship, he would have assumed Grey to have just laughed it off and say how silly Rai was, and moved on to another subject.  Very interesting.  "What kind of favor was worth the information?" he asked, chuckling.  Rai had mentioned her time with Addi as pleasant; he had never really interacted much with Grey's younger sister, so he couldn't say much to her personality.  Perhaps it was a sibling thing, again something he wouldn't know due to being an only child.  "Oh you know Rai, she was just saying how great it was to see you and how much she's missed hanging around you and how she's excited that you'll be hopefully joining us as Aurors when you graduate.  You must have left some impression on her," Finn told him, trying not to make his best friend sound obsessive, but more excited and happy.  After all, Rai had not yet confessed how she really felt about Grey, but Finn had a bit of a sixth sense about these things.

The waiter brought over the food all at once, Finn immediately picked up his sausage roll and tucked in.  He was quiet for a few minutes while he polished off the roll, then after washing it down with a swig of cider, he spoke again.  "So..what do you plan on doing this year without Rai to distract you?" he asked in a teasing manner, wondering if the other boy had picked up on the insinuation.

grey xavier slater

[grey xavier slater]

The Monsters

walk among us

“The kind of favor where she’d be twisting my arm behind me.” Grey said jokingly. Technically that wasn’t true. Addi wouldn’t exactly blackmail him like that; it was more like she would encourage him. And Grey hadn’t the time for that this close to the new school year. Plus that was her own personal business, and he really shouldn’t have a say in who she hung out with on her free days. That aside, the conversation had turned back to Rai again, since Finn was so intent on talking about their friend. “She was definitely excited to see me. Remember the part earlier where I mentioned she jumped me in the street? That was enough to convince me.” Grey laughed again at this, remembering his witty responses to the guessing game she had put him through that day. It had definitely brightened up his day to run into Rai in the middle of the street, especially since he was so used to always seeing her in the Great Hall or in the common room. Grey believed that meeting friends outside of school unplanned would always lead to great conversations and memories. There was something special about it. “Trust me, I’m just as excited to join the two of you as well. It’ll be like old times.”

As he finished talking, the waiter arrived with their food. A low rumble emanated from his stomach as the plate was set down in front of him. He wouldn’t have figured he’d be this hungry, but now that there was an opportunity, Grey took it. Taking a big bite of his sandwich, he thought about Finn’s next question, and what he would be doing without Rai around. Swallowing his food, he cleared his throat. “Hopefully getting some quiet time to study.” That had almost been impossible in the common room the last few years, and he had needed it greatly. “In all seriousness though, I think it’ll be a little strange without her there.” Grey took another bite of his sandwich before continuing. “You too, of course. And then I get thinking about how it’s my last year too, and well, you know how it is.” Grey had already started to mentally prepare himself for the onslaught of his seventh year. He knew there were loads of things he wanted to do, as well as spend as much time remembering the great things about Hogwarts. What a great seven years it had been.

“You’ve been asking a lot about Rai today. What gives?” Grey inquired, taking his third, extremely large bite. Rai and Finn were always together. The two were so inseparable that Grey had initially thought they were dating back when he had first met the two of them. It surely had to look like that to bystanders if it did to him, right? Chewing slowly, he thought about it more. Both of them were now also in training together, and Finn was now grilling him about their meeting. Maybe they actually were dating now. That would definitely be interesting. “The two of you aren’t, you know, a thing are you?” Grey said, staring at Finn. It wasn’t like he hadn’t thought that was a possibility in the past, but if it was true, well, Grey had never contemplated it making it to that point.

grey xavier slater & @finn
552
Me, Myself & Hyde by Ice Nine Kills
notes here.

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[Deleted]

Finn had been leaning back on the back two legs of his chair when Grey asked if he and Rai are a thing. The laughter started, first a low chuckle then escalating right up to near-hysterical laughter that he nearly fell over. “Oh…sorry mate I don’t mean to laugh,” he managed to choke out, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. “Rai is like my baby sister; if I ever saw her that way I think we’d see the sun setting in the East instead of the West,” he said. Still chuckling, he thought of Dominique and immediately smiled. “Besides, I have a certain reddish-blonde haired Weasley that I have on the mind lately,” he confessed, without telling Grey who she was. It was still a pretty new development and he liked having the secret to himself. And Rai, of course Rai knew. She had guessed pretty much five minutes after he’d returned from his visit to Dom earlier this summer.

“I was just curious about you and Rai actually. I’ve always wondered if there’s something going on there,” he said casually, wiggling his eyebrows. He was serious though; Rai talked about Grey nearly every day, and he could tell Grey enjoyed that idea. Was there something going on between the two of them? Did they just not realize the mutual attraction? He had the feeling the answer was no; Rai was definitely too stubborn to admit anything, and Grey didn’t seem to get where the conversation was leading to.

grey xavier slater

[grey xavier slater]

The Monsters

walk among us

Grey wasn’t expecting the reaction from Finn that he got. Shocked wasn’t exactly the right for it, more frightened, by how fast his friend processed and laughed out loud about the whole thing. If that wasn’t an answer, Grey didn’t know what was. He knew there was no way the two of them could have been dating. Finn was right, they were more like siblings than significant others. It was worth asking though, because Finn’s reaction was golden. Grey’s eyes widened when Finn mentioned he had someone else in mind. “A reddish-blonde Weasley? That definitely narrows down the line-up doesn’t it?” He joined in the laughing, knowing that almost every single Weasley both at Hogwarts and graduated practically fell in that colored hair category. Finn was pretty obvious sometimes, maybe unknowingly, but when he wanted to be discrete, he could. “Good luck regardless. Those Weasleys are a wild bunch.” Grey was glad he had such a small family. Having numerous cousins, siblings, and whatnot had to be beyond hectic. At the same time though, maybe such a large family would have gifted someone that could understand his struggles with his sisters.

Curious about him and Rai? What was that supposed to mean? Grey muddled over the statement a few more times, trying to figure out how to answer that. He wasn’t sure. Obviously they got along, there was no denying that. And he did always have a good time when he was around her. But that was what was supposed to happen when around friends, right? As he was about to answer, Grey stopped himself to gather his thoughts one last time before continuing. “Well, I definitely look up to her, I think that goes without saying. But I don’t think it’s much more than admiration.” The gears in his head were turning faster now. Was that really all he thought about Rai? He was definitely happier with her around, but wasn’t that because he was comfortable in her presence? Grey wasn’t exactly sure how to answer his own questions, let alone Finn’s.

grey xavier slater & @finn
343
Feeling Sorry by Paramore

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Finn chuckled. “Sorry mate, but a man does not kiss and tell, at least until both parties are ready,” he said smoothly. Not that he and Dominique had kissed or anything; they had hugged a few times, and he had kissed her on the cheek once, but they had not gone further than that. She was still healing after Ethan’s death, and he liked her too much to not respect that if anything were to happen, it’d be slow and steady. It surprised Finn when he found he had all the patience in the world when it came to her, as it was highly unlike him. He was a go-getter, an impulsive extrovert. There must really be something about this girl to make him change.

He raised a brow when Grey went off on saying how much he looks up to Rai. He strongly doubted that it was all Grey was thinking, but if that was the way he wanted to play it for now, then so be it. “I see,” was all he said, suppressing a small smirk. If he ever decided to tell Rai about this little meeting, she’d probably be a bit huffy over what Grey had just said. He ate the rest of his meal in silence, and washed it down with another swig. “Well friend, I better be getting back. I had just over an hour of lunch and we’re just about there,” he told him, checking his watch. He reached out and clapped his friend on the shoulder. “On me,” he added, setting down some gold on the table to take care of the bill. With a cheery wave, he flipped his jacket over his shoulder and exited the pub, leaving Grey alone with his thoughts on what had been discussed at this lunch.

END FINN

grey xavier slater

[grey xavier slater]

The Monsters

walk among us

He laughed loudly when Finn said he wouldn’t tell what Weasley it was that he was interested in. There were too many different options for Grey to choose from, and being socially inept person he was sometimes, there was no telling which ones were and weren’t already in relationships. In other words, that meant it could literally be any one of the Weasley clan. Grey didn’t even know how many of them there were, which said a lot about Finn’s little game. If he couldn’t figure it out on his own, he’d just grill Rai the next time he saw her to try and figure it out. There was no way Finn hadn’t told her already. The two of them were more than attached by the hip. “Guess I’ll let you off this time. I swear I’ll figure it out one day. Just you wait,” Grey said, challenging his friend, all the while pointing a fork at him. While he was the editor-in-chief for the school paper, he still had journalistic abilities that could be used for reconnaissance if necessary. Plus he had an army of writers and journalist wannabes at his disposal. Ask a few questions with the right people and he’d have everything he needed almost immediately. For Finn’s sake though, Grey would go to Rai first.

As Grey talked about what he thought of Rai, he couldn’t help but notice how intently Finn was watching him. What was he playing at? All these questions about Rai…it was strange because it had never been brought up when all three of them were at school together. Was there enough distance between all of them now that Finn felt comfortable talking about Rai without having her an arm’s length at all times? Thinking about this more Grey couldn’t figure it out. Suddenly Finn stood up and said he had to go. “Sorry to keep you this long. Training is a little more important than talking to little old me.” Grey said winking at his friend. As Finn started to leave, he placed money on the table. “Are the two of you ever going to let me pay?” Grey yelled at Finn as he walked out the door.

grey xavier slater & @finn
367
Little Giant by Roo Panes
GREY OUTTTTT!!!

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