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Post by maplesurple on Oct 26, 2010 3:09:18 GMT -5
Most people loved the idea of flying. Several authors had written praise about the freedom of flight, how it was an exhilarating experience (and Matthew had read plenty enough books to know that it was commonly seen as one of the greatest gift to wizards everywhere). People crammed into Quidditch arenas all over to marvel at the flying feats of men and women matching their skills on brooms against each other. Flying was a top form of transportation. Little children everywhere dreamt about the day that they would one day experience it.
Matthew, however, rather hated the idea of flight.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t fly. He was capable on a broom. Yet the Canadian was the type of person who preferred to keep their feet grounded. While others gushed about their skills in the air, Matthew was content just to do well enough to earn a passing mark. Flying, after all, was not an academic subject, and therefore held little of the Ravenclaw’s interest. So far he had managed to find reasons not to attend the class.
First it was an excuse of exhaustion from the trip to the school. Then it was a claim of eating a bad batch of pumpkin snaps. After that the excuse was a splitting headache (though that one was authentic, even if it might have been partially his own fault for staying up so late reading with very little light). Now Matthew had run out of potential options for why he should continue to not attend the class. If he missed it any longer than it would effect poorly on his overall grades, and that was something the Canadian simply couldn’t allow.
So he ended up coming out with the other members of his class to the Quidditch Pitch. He’d heard the rumors that the school had a skilled instructor. Matthew had overheard members of his House gushing over the Professor – and not just for his flying capabilities, if the annoying squeals of the female Ravenclaws were any indication of the man’s looks. Not that the Canadian ever paid much attention to the antics of his more hormonal Housemates. He was less worried about what their instructor looked like and more occupied with willing the class to be over with as soon as possible.
The only time that he’d ever even enjoyed flying on a broom had been brief. Only during a few months of the summer season, and probably only due to the private tutor who had been giving him lessons. Matthew’s parents had made the arrangements for him. Though it had been the Canadian who had gone alone to receive those lessons. Of course, those few months hadn’t just been all about flying or lessons. Matthew felt his fingers twitch around the handle of his broom as his mind dwelled on memories of the summer months and the brush with romance that he’d experienced, a blush creeping up over his cheeks as he thought on that time. It was unfortunate that his preparations for school had prevented him from extending the budding romance a little longer – it had had so much potential. Then he had gone off to Hogwarts without even the luxury of being able to say goodbye.
If anything, Matthew supposed that he could use those memories to bolster himself through the class. He would perform as well as needed, call it good, and go on to a class that was more enjoyable. The Canadian smirked privately at the idea in his mind. He turned around as the whistle was blown to indicate the start of glass, Matthew shuffling up into line with the rest of the other students. Though as soon as he laid eyes on their instructor, the Canadian’s smile vanished from his face seconds before his broom fell right out of his hands and clattered loudly on the stones beneath Matthew’s feet, violet eyes staring wide and disbelieving.
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Post by Lars Hofstee on Oct 28, 2010 11:10:24 GMT -5
Lars carried a large chest to the Quidditch field. Inside were all the balls the game needed. Though they wouldn’t play it today. The past few lessons he had been giving the students several flying exercises to improve their skills, which would come in handy when they actually started to play Quidditch in his lessons.
As far as he knew, the class enjoyed his lessons so far. Though his class hadn’t been complete yet. There was one boy who hadn’t managed to make it to his lessons each time. It was quite a surprise when he heard the student’s name. Matthew Williams. Now, that name brought back good memories. Of course it couldn’t be the same Matthew. It wasn’t an uncommon name, so it wasn’t all that strange that he would meet another person who was called that.
‘Matthew is to tired to come to class.’, ‘He ate some bad pumpkin snaps.’, ‘Matthew has a headache.’ They all sounded like poor excuses for not attending the class to Lars. He would’ve expected some better excuses from a Ravenclaw, at least. He was rather curious how long this boy would be able to keep it up. If he wasn’t going to show up today, Lars was probably going to look for him. After all, he was also wondering what the student would be like. Upon hearing his name, he had already managed to get the Dutchman’s interest.
Lars shook the thoughts off and focussed on starting the lesson. He put the heavy chest down, opened it and took the Quaffle out. He blew his whistle to tell the students the class had started. “Okay, listen up!” He started once the students had gathered around him. “Today we’re-” He was interrupted by the clattering of a broom against stone, and his head snapped in the direction of the sound. He spotted the broom on the floor. So careless, he thought as he got ready to scold the student for handling their broom like that. They could’ve damaged it! But then his eyes went up to see who the culprit was, and his words froze on his tongue.
A couple of things went through the Dutchman’s head at that moment. The initial disbelief and joy he felt upon seeing his summer lover again was quickly followed by confusion and the thought ‘what is he doing here?’. But if the scarf in the colours of Ravenclaw around the boy’s neck, and the fact that he was standing among the students were any indication, that meant Matthew was a student here as well. A slight feeling of betrayal settled in the pit of his stomach. No, he had never asked Matthew his age. There didn’t seem a need to. But he hadn’t expected him to still be in school either. He thought he was… a little older at least.
In his realization, the Dutchman’s jaw had started to hang slightly ajar. He was confused. The urge to take the boy away from the class and question him was big, though at the same time he knew he couldn’t do that. He slowly started to notice that people were staring at the two of them, the class becoming a bit restless. The Dutchman struggled to get into ‘teacher-mode’ again, trying not to lose his authority. “Is…” He swallowed, since his mouth had gone dry. “Is there anything you want to tell us, mister Williams? Seeing you wanted our attention so badly you felt the need to drop, and possibly damage your broom.”
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Post by maplesurple on Oct 29, 2010 1:51:43 GMT -5
Matthew was pinned to the spot by that gaze that reflected his own internal shock, the jolt of that feeling leaving him simultaneously numb and filled with a rush of nervous energy. His returned stare was unwavering, unable to tear his gaze away from the figure that was now questioning him. The Canadian barely noticed the restlessness of his fellow students; their curious looks could not penetrate the sudden jarring connection that linked him to the sight of the all-too-familiar Dutchman watching him now with expectation.
His face filled with color, a contrast of scarlet to the hues of that scarf, as the teen’s eyes dropped down to the fallen broom at his feet. He felt everyone’s eyes upon him as Professor Hofstee called him out for having lost his grip on the damnable thing. Matthew knelt hurriedly to scoop it back up, black robes pooling momentarily as he retrieved that broom from the stones beneath his feet. The distraction of reclaiming his broom provided the Canadian a few precious seconds to allow his racing thoughts to find some focus as he attempted to ground himself back into the present.
What were the odds? How could he have possibly foreseen this outcome? His summer months had been a blur of warm evenings spent under the stars, deep and heartfelt conversations over casual dinners or late-night coffee, the first blossoming thrill of touching and kissing, a steady hand on his back or the comfort of a warm arm holding him close. All sparked by an instant, unavoidable attraction to someone years older. And he had been the guilty one by not admitting that detail that had seemed minor in the lazy rush of summer but now appeared to be a major omission. Being a student. Being just shy of that magical ‘adult’ age that would have made this entire awkward situation less of a shock to his system and more like the pleasant, sweet surprise that he’d imagined in his mind.
He hadn’t lied. He hadn’t been completely honest, either. Now the fact that he had not confessed his age to this particular man had come back to haunt him in a major way.
Matthew swallowed thickly himself against the lump that had formed in his throat from his nervousness, his voice not quite managing to operate like he wanted it to. The Canadian fought through that verbal block as he straightened up again with his broom in his hand, violet eyes returning again to lock on the eyes of the Dutchman in front of him as he stammered, “N-no, Professor. It just slipped out of my hand. Sorry.”
The Canadian forced himself to turn away with the other students. They were waiting for the class to start and their moment was stalling everything. Matthew turned away with a deliberate spin, clutching his broom so tightly that his knuckles were white. Perhaps the worst part was that he was now stuck in this situation, unable to excuse himself or leave. He would have to wait through the entire class. The Canadian had wanted it to go by fast before it had started. Now Matthew willed it to be over faster than ever, though he knew that not only would Lars have the opportunity to approach him during the lesson – he had the authority to make the panicking Ravenclaw stay after. Then all those things that needed to be said, that he would be expected to explain to the Professor, would be forced to come out.
Matthew squeezed his eyes shut, hearing the eagerness of the students around him to get started with playing Quidditch, while he himself stood there stiff and uncomfortable and wanted nothing more than for the ground to open up beneath him and swallow him whole.
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Post by Lars Hofstee on Oct 30, 2010 13:42:30 GMT -5
This was not the way he had hoped to meet the Canadian again. Not in the slightest. The feeling in the pit of his stomach, which buzzed with excitement upon seeing his lover again, didn’t seem to have caught up with his head yet, which told him that this was wrong. He should have known. How could he have thought Matthew was older? He had been telling himself that Matthew just looked a bit youthful, it had nothing to do with age. The boy had appeared very mature. Lars just… hadn’t been thinking.
Then Matthew began to stammer, and god, he was just as adorable as always. The Dutchman barely registered what the boy was saying because of it. Though he nodded before he spoke again. “Stay after class, mister Williams. I want to have a word with you.” Lars gave him a look that would tell him exactly what he wanted to talk about. And it sure wasn’t about the lesson.
Then the professor turned his attention towards the rest of the class again. They seemed excited to start. Good, it was always nice to see people so happy to get up in the air. “Today we’re going to play a simple game.” The Dutchman started again, raising his voice to make sure everybody heard him. “You’ll be divided in two teams.” He held up the Quaffle for everyone to see. “The Quaffle will be thrown to people on your team. The other team will try to take it from you. Try to not let it get into the hands of the other team. No physical contact, and no holding onto the Quaffle for more than five seconds.” He stated the simple rules. “The winner will be the team with the most Quaffle possession through the game.”
He picked up some brightly coloured straps of fabric, orange and green, and handed them out to the students, deciding the teams as he did. “Tie these to the front of your broomstick. That way everybody can see in which team you are.” He explained. As he walked past Matthew, he paused for a moment, looking down at the boy. Then he dropped an orange strap of fabric in his hands and turned away, shaking his head the slightest bit to get rid of certain thoughts again.
Once the teams were decided, Lars got on his broomstick and took off smoothly. When he was at the right height, he waited for the students to catch up with him and took a stopwatch out of his pocket. The device was enchanted, so it was a lot easier to keep track of the time each team possessed the Quaffle. Once both teams were ready, Lars blew his whistle and threw the Quaffle up. Once the first person had caught it, the game had started.
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Post by maplesurple on Oct 31, 2010 21:46:01 GMT -5
Hearing the Dutchman give that order to him, Matthew winced and knew that his fate was sealed. There was no way for him to avoid the confrontation. Sneaking away was too cowardly. Even if he did manage to slip out amongst his fellow students, the man could just track him down no matter where he went. Matthew figured that he might as well resign himself to the idea and start phrasing his explanations for when he would need them.
The Canadian turned back to the group as Lars began handing out those strips of fabric. His eyes rose up to lock with the taller man’s, imploring him not to be angry with him, as he cupped his hands to receive that orange ribbon. He blinked at the color, knowing that it was significant for the Dutchman; the older man’s favorite. Matthew had learnt much about what the man liked and how important the reminders of the Dutchman’s home were to him. The fact that Professor Hofstee had given him that orange one and not the green left the Canadian touched. It was these small gestures that had endeared the man to him in the first place. Matthew took a moment to bring that strip up to his face, the orange lingering up near his mouth for a few seconds as he smiled secretly.
Then he caught on that he was behind everyone else and quickly moved to tie it onto his broom as they prepared to start, distracted from his efforts by watching Professor Hofstee take flight. The man was impressive on a broom. Matthew had to prevent himself from staring again.
Climbing onto his broom, the Canadian hurriedly hovered into the air with the other students so that they could begin the game. He had only heard bits and pieces about how the event was supposed to go. Regardless of the rules, it would be something that Matthew did not excel at. These sorts of activities fell a little beyond his skills, not as comfortable with such physical feats as his classmates, more suited to shifting chess pieces around than tossing Quaffles. Professor Hofstee was present, though, and with that came pressure to try and do well.
Matthew tried to follow the game as best he could. Luckily, most of his housemates knew that the Ravenclaw was miserable at these things and avoided passing it to him very often, though the Canadian would scramble to catch the Quaffle and toss it away from himself as fast as he could whenever it came his way. He kept moving his broom on the outskirts of the crowd, until Matthew glanced over beside him and realized that he had managed to end up hovering not far away from the Dutchman.
This was different from the times that they had spent in the air during the summer, not surrounded by students and a flying Quaffle. Yet Matthew still found himself getting caught up in looking at the older man as memories of those times played through his mind. Eventually his cautious face softened as the Canadian continued to gaze at Lars, the smile that he gained as sweet as it had always been when they were together.
Though his smile and that moment was shattered as a Quaffle suddenly came flying into the Canadian. His eyes widened with the unexpected collision, broom wavering dangerously as he struggled to catch the Quaffle before it could fall to the ground below, sacrificing his more certain grip to avoid losing the game for the team members relying on him. Matthew managed to snag the Quaffle, swinging it wildly up to save it from dropping, while he himself tried not to fall off.
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Post by Lars Hofstee on Nov 6, 2010 23:46:43 GMT -5
Lars hadn’t failed to catch the small smile that had formed on the Canadian’s lips when he had handed him the orange strap of fabric. It was a smile that haunted him even as the moment had past and they were up in the air. He had to force himself to keep his attention to the game, but his eyes kept drifting towards the broom which carried his (former?) lover. Thank god for the enchanted stop-watch, else the Dutchman would’ve lost count of the time each team possessed the ball already.
The orange ribbon at the front of Matthew’s broom fluttered in the wind as the game went on. It wasn’t a coincidence that he had been given that colour. A small sign to show him he wasn’t really angry with him. Maybe just a bit, but not a lot. He was mainly… damn, he didn’t even know what he was. Confused, maybe? He shook his head, trying to make the thoughts go away, though that was not an easy task.
He attempted to follow the game again, but the knowledge that Matthew was here, so close, made him scan the crowd of flying students again for the more than familiar face. He spotted him not far away. Staring at him. The concentrated and strict expression on his face softened considerably after he saw that smile directed at him. It carried so many memories from the summer. Lars even gained a small smile of his own, momentarily forgetting about the situation they were in.
Though their moment was abruptly interrupted by that flying Quaffle. Sudden worry struck the Dutchman as he saw Matthew struggle with catching the Quaffle while trying to stay on his broom. Though soon after that, a bit of pride mingled in with the feeling as he saw the way Matthew did manage to catch it and throw it away. Looks like his lessons hadn’t been in vain.
The Canadian was still struggling to stay on his broom though, and Lars didn’t feel like chasing after a falling student so soon into the school year. So he quickly flew over and grabbed the boy by his robes, preventing him from falling off. “Williams! Pay attention!” He strictly instructed, even though he had been just as distracted himself.
The Dutchman’s expression softened again as he realized the position they were in. He should fly off now, he knew that. But this was the first time they were so close since their last lesson together. And at the time he hadn’t even known it was the last one, he hadn’t been able to say goodbye. Which, looking back on it, was probably a good thing, else he’d probably gone even further with the boy, and he would kill himself for taking advantage of someone so young like that, even though he was willing. Anyway, Lars felt strange, being this close to him again with this new knowledge. It felt good, yes, but a feeling of guilt was nagging at the corner of his mind.
He loosened his grip on the back of Matthew’s robes, and rubbed his hand up and down his back a few times. He knew that if they weren’t surrounded by students, he would’ve gone straight for the Canadian’s lips. Instead, he forced himself to tear away his gaze and fly away to the other end of the crowd to focus on the game again. Luckily the other students had been to caught up in the game to notice anything off.
Usually Lars enjoyed teaching and flying. And it wasn’t as if he disliked it right now, but this was the first time in a long while that he wished the lesson to be over as soon as possible.
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Post by maplesurple on Nov 8, 2010 17:40:46 GMT -5
Matthew felt his heart pounding in his chest, not just from the span of time where he thought that he was going to fall off his broom, but also from when he found himself being seized by his robes and steadied by the Dutchman’s arm. That hand on his back flustered him more than it should have. It took everything that the Canadian had just to avoid giving himself away with a yearning look towards Professor Hofstee. Then that touch was gone as Lars flew away quickly, leaving Matthew to clench at his broom as he tried to get his thoughts and feelings back under control.
The rest of the game dragged on with agonizing slowness, as the phantom imprint of the Dutchman’s hand still left his spine and his face uncomfortably heated. Matthew noticed that Professor Hofstee put a considerable distance between them after that close call and closer contact. Not that he could blame the man for wanting to stay away from him. Trying not to let it bother him, the Canadian returned his focus to the game.
Finally, the distant bells chimed from the school as the lesson came to an end, and Matthew had no choice but to follow the rest of the students down from the sky. His feet touched onto solid earth with reluctance now. The torture that had been haunting him throughout the entire game was now finished, yet there was a whole new set of worries to occupy his mind. Matthew stared after his fellow students as they all filed away from the Pitch in the direction of the school, while he himself had to linger behind. He used every distraction available to him to prevent having to face the Dutchman right away, especially now that they were alone together under clear, blue skies.
The Canadian kept his back towards the older man, clutching his broom as he began to silently untie the orange ribbon around the front of it. He knew that Lars was nearby. It was like he was hyper-aware of the man’s presence now that there was no one else around. Matthew finished untying the ribbon with a thick swallow to try and force his nerves away, clenching the strip of fabric in his hand as he turned around to finally face his summer love, keeping his voice as low and casual as it had been those many days ago as he forced all nervousness from his tone. “Hello Lars. Er, Professor Hofstee. This is… as unexpected for you as it is for me, I’m sure.”
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Post by Lars Hofstee on Nov 10, 2010 20:31:22 GMT -5
As Lars flew away from the Canadian, he noticed his own heart rate had sped up as well. He had enjoyed to feel Matthew under his hand again way to much. And he hadn’t really want to stop touching him either.
He was having second thoughts about if it really was such a good idea to let Matthew stay after the lesson. Because having that talk with Matthew would result in having confirmed that he was to young for him. He knew that already, obviously, since dating a student just wasn’t right. But now they hadn’t talked about it yet, he could still somewhat deny it.
Lars shook the thoughts off for now, focussing on the one thing that could distract the man: Quidditch. Or at least the game that the students were playing now, which was just an exercise to prepare the students for the real thing. He watched the students play and occasionally shouted instructions or encouragements to keep the players active. He couldn’t prevent noticing Matthew flying by from time to time, since he was a part of the game. Though he just tried not to give it any thought right now.
When the school bell rang, Lars blew his whistle to end the game. He descended until his feet touched the ground again and dismissed the class. As most of the students left the field, his eyes settled on the one that was told to stay behind. The boy had his back turned to him, but he kept staring until everyone had left and Matthew finally turned around to face him.
Normally he would greet the Canadian with a hug and a kiss, sometimes even with a quick grope. Now he had to hold himself back from getting to close to the other.
It was a bit weird to hear Matthew address him as a teacher. Over the summer they hadn’t bothered with formalities like that. Lars also didn’t feel completely comfortable with addressing Matthew as if he was just another student. Simply because Matthew was not just another student. He didn’t have affairs with ‘just students’. But he did with Matthew.
Unexpected? That was an understatement. This wasn’t what Lars had been counting on as he travelled to the school to teach there. The Dutchman slowly shook his head. No, he hadn’t expected this in the least.
But even though they hadn’t seen this coming, it did happen, and they had to deal with that. He took a moment to look Matthew over. Still the way he remembered him from the summer. That wasn’t strange though, since it wasn’t all that long ago. He kept his gaze focussed on the Canadian while he asked the first question that came to mind, the thing that had been bothering him since he laid eyes on Matthew at the start of the lesson.
“How old are you, Matthew?”
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Post by maplesurple on Nov 11, 2010 15:49:10 GMT -5
It took much of Matthew’s own willpower not to drop his broom and launch himself at the Dutchman. The old urge was still there to touch the older man, to reclaim those warm hands and warmer lips. This just wasn’t the time or the place since he did not yet know for certain how Lars was going to respond to this situation. If he had sought that contact from the Dutchman and been rejected, it would have dealt a considerable blow to his pride and his heart.
The Canadian kept himself reserved. He did approach the taller man after Lars voiced that question, violet eyes lifting to the Dutchman’s as he came closer, robes brushing against the older man as Matthew stood near enough for the warmth of his body to pass between their figures. His head tilted, fair hairs sliding to the side as Matthew sighed and answered. “Seventeen. Eighteen in a few months.”
After admitting his age, the teen followed up with a rush of words, trying to appeal to the older man. “I didn’t mean to give you the wrong impression about how old I was. It never came up as an issue when we were together. Since you didn’t ask, I guess I just assumed that you felt I was mature enough to know what I was doing.” Matthew bit down on the corner of his lip, worried. The hand not clutching his broom reached out tentatively, his fingers curling in the front of Lars’ own robe as he was unable to keep from touching the Dutchman any longer. “Though, honestly, I wasn’t thinking much about the difference in age during the summer. All I could think about was you and how happy I was just being with you.”
Matthew sighed again, eyes dropping to stare at Lars’ chest. “If you’re beyond angry with me, I understand. And if you don’t want to talk to me again except when you have to during class, I’ll understand that too. It would hurt to not be able to be with you anymore like we were this summer, but that is a punishment that I deserve.”
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Post by Lars Hofstee on Nov 12, 2010 18:43:52 GMT -5
Even as the Canadian came closer, he felt like he had to try to keep some distance. Though Lars found himself unable to take a step back. They were alone now. No other students around to see whichever forbidden things they might do. He tried to hold himself back, but it was so damn hard. Specially considering Matthew was now standing so close to him.
A soft “oh god.” left the Dutchman’s lips as he heard the other’s age. The ‘eighteen in a few months’ didn’t help. In a few months he would turn twenty-four himself. Six years of age difference. That was a big gap. He had seen people being together with a similar age difference before, but that was people who were in their fifties. It was acceptable then. Not when you were in your late teens and early twenties.
Before he could say anything more about it, Matthew spoke again, seemingly trying to convince him that he hadn’t kept his age a secret on purpose. He looked the teen into his eyes, unsure how to feel about all this.
Lars’ heart stopped for a moment. Matthew’s hand was clinging to the front of his robes, while he was telling him how happy he had been to be with him. And the Dutchman wanted nothing more than to say he had been happy too, and still wished to be with him. No, he wasn’t angry with him. It was his own fault for not paying attention and getting head over heels with a minor. He wanted to tell Matthew that it was okay, but he couldn’t get the words to leave his lips.
When Matthew suggested just not talking to him again unless he had to, Lars swallowed hard. Losing Matthew after their summer together had been difficult already. But losing him once more, right after finding him again, would possibly be to much. Specially since he would still be around. Lars could still look at him. Stare at the teasing way Matthew moved sometimes without even noticing himself, tempting the Dutchman.
Lars felt so indecisive, having to chose between his desire to be with Matthew and his morals. Slowly, and very carefully, he put his arms around the teen, almost as if he was afraid to break him. Though once he had a hold of him, the arms around him tightened, pulling the Canadian close in a loving embrace. But the words he spoke next said exactly the opposite of his actions.
“You are seventeen years old, Matthew. You are my student. I can’t do this.” Not because he didn’t want to though. But a teacher dating a student, that was just wrong. Even if they felt so right together. And even though deep down he knew he would be disappointed if Matthew just accepted his rejection. He may possibly kind of want Matthew to convince him that they could be together. Just maybe.
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Post by maplesurple on Nov 16, 2010 12:53:26 GMT -5
Matthew relaxed his body into the arms that came around him. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the warmth and strength in them. It was so nice to feel them again – Matthew had been devastated by the thought that it was an experience he might never have again after he’d been forced to part from Lars during the summer. The Canadian smiled and lowered his face to nuzzle against the Dutchman’s chest just as he had done several times back then.
He looked up hurriedly when Lars spoke, face lifting to frown up at the other man. It did hurt to hear the Dutchman say those things – Matthew felt his heart twist painfully. They had just reunited and Lars was putting an end to things? That was what he had feared was going to be the outcome when Matthew had been told to stay behind. Violet eyes became darker from the emotion, disappointed and feeling like Lars had plunged his heart in ice.
Then he elevated his chin, stubborn and becoming filled with determination. People who had gone through his situation did not bend so easily in the face of such obstacles. Matthew firmly shook his head in a way that would have suited someone far older as he began to speak in an informative tone, like a typical knowledgeable Ravenclaw. “I can’t accept your reasons, Lars. The issue of my age is irrelevant from a legal standpoint – I am well over the age of consent in several countries and studies have shown that entering into relationships at a young age is actually good for social development. If my age were going to become an issue than you would have already witnessed signs of my inability to handle a committed relationship. Yet we both know that I conducted myself maturely and showed how capable I am of handling our odd circumstances.”
“Secondly – being your student.” Matthew’s head tilted as he considered that particular issue. “Technically, my lessons with you qualified as a credit for this class. I am only taking Flying this year as an elective since it isn’t required for me. If the issue is that I will be in your class and you are concerned about favoritism, I can just switch to a different elective for the rest of the year. Then you wouldn’t have to worry about showing me favor over others.”
Definitely working to punch a hole through any defense that Lars might have come up with as an excuse for why they couldn’t be together, Matthew frowned and added: “Lastly – there is nothing at all in the Code of Conduct for Hogwarts stating that dating a student is an offense to be fired for. I think they figure that since most teachers are too old and the students are too wrapped up in hormones towards each other then there is no cause for it to happen.” The Canadian tapped at his temple. “Photographic memory. I read the rules when I came here. It surprises me exactly how many people don’t.”
The Canadian went quiet, dropping his hand back to his side as he stood in the Dutchman’s embrace. He studied Lars’ face. Then he spoke again, softly. “There is nothing that should keep us apart but your own desire to be apart, Lars. I want to be with you. You want to be with me – I know you do. You might think that this is wrong but I don’t. So… don’t break us up. Stay with me, be with me, and let me show you that this can work.”
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Post by Lars Hofstee on Nov 25, 2010 17:00:48 GMT -5
Catching Matthew in that embrace had been a bad idea. The way he fit perfectly into his arms and nuzzled his chest like that, oh god. He could already feel his determination to break his relationship with the boy crumble. The look Matthew gave him when he told him he wanted to break up also didn’t help. He couldn’t stand seeing the Canadian sad. And he hated it even more that he had been the one to make him feel that way.
Though soon Matthew’s expression changed into a determined one. Lars’ heart did a little leap as he was told that his reasons were invalid. As Matthew told him exactly why, Lars laid eyes again on the mature and bright Matthew he had gotten to know over the summer. Seeing him like this, there was no way he was merely a student.
He listened to Matthew’s arguments and found himself running out of arguments to counter with pretty quickly. Though the thing that surprised him the most was that there was nothing in the rules of the school about dating a students. Being a teacher, of course he had read them. Though he hadn’t paid special attention to spotting that particular fact in the rules. Because he hadn’t thought it possible himself either that he would end up dating a student. Though it had still happened. That argument was also the one that made the biggest impact on what his decision would be.
When the boy had finished speaking, Lars didn’t know whether to be amused or not. Simply because it was such a… Matthew kind of thing to do to try and convince him like that. Really, things like this made him even more fond of the boy than he already was. Eventually, his rather blank expression changed into a small smile and he hugged the Canadian closer, burying his face in the scarf around the other’s neck. “So freaking typically you.” He mumbled as a chuckle escaped his lips.
“You might be able to handle me, but I’m not sure if I can handle someone your age.” He continued after leaning back up to face Matthew again. “Even if I’ve been doing so all summer. It’s different.” Lars quickly added, in case Matthew was going to use that against him. And it was different. Despite that this was still the same Matthew he knew and loved, he suddenly seemed much smaller, and more fragile. He felt like he had to be so much more careful with him from now on.
He was just so young. Maybe someone of his own age would be better suited to be his lover. But Lars knew that if Matthew would get someone else, he would become very jealous very quickly. So after a moment of silence, the teacher spoke again, but still a bit doubtfully. “…I’m willing to try though.”
The Dutchman lifted a hand to Matthew’s face and stroked his cheek. Now he had sort of decided to go on with this relationship, the shock from earlier was fading away, making place for that pleasant feeling he always got when he was around the other, the emotion being amplified by this being the first time in a while that he got to enjoy Matthew’s presence so close to him. It made it pretty hard for the Dutchman to keep his hands to himself. And it wasn’t long before he found himself pressing a short kiss to the other’s lips. “I’ve missed you.” He mumbled, pulling not quite away enough for their lips to stop touching. Then he caught Matthew’s lips with his own again. This time the kiss was harder and more passionate, trying to get across just how much he had missed the blonde.
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Post by maplesurple on Dec 3, 2010 17:19:37 GMT -5
Lars relenting to everything that he had said made Matthew relax, relief coursing through him when the older man finally admitted that he was willing to try out their relationship, even if it was different now. The Canadian let himself lean in the Dutchman’s embrace since he preferred just giving himself over to that familiar, warm strength. It was much better than being tense and trying to argue with Lars over them staying together. He lifted his face when Lars stroked his cheek, leaning his cheek into it with a smile, a soft gasp of delight escaping him in the moment before the Dutchman kissed him.
“I missed you too, Lars.” He whispered back in the span of time before the Dutchman reclaimed his mouth in that deeper, more intent kiss. Matthew snuck his arms around tighter, squeezing as best he could around Lars’ body. The Canadian shivered as he returned that passion. The older man seemed to have plenty more experience with these things than Matthew did. It wasn’t difficult for Lars to do things like this that left the poor Canadian dizzy.
In fact, he was sure that he held bells ringing as Lars kissed him and held him.
Then Matthew broke off the kiss, lips reddened from their passion, as he realized quite suddenly that it was the first bell that warned students that their classes were about to start again. Though Lars was a teacher, therefore having the authority to make him stay late and miss the beginning of another class, the Ravenclaw knew that he was going to be absent for the rather fascinating opening lecture in Transfiguration. “Oh no. I’m going to be late!”
He darted away from where Lars was standing, scooping up his satchel with his books for his next class, weighted down far more than many of his fellow students. Flushed in the face and panicked with his haste, the Canadian rushed back over and pressed a quick kiss to Lars’ mouth. “I’ll miss the lecture – I’ve been waiting all week for it.” His hand remained clasped on the Dutchman’s for another few moments as Matthew tried to think of a way that he could see him again, and soon. “…Meet me in the Library before Evening Meal starts. I will think of an excuse to miss it. The Charms Section – see you there!”
Then the Canadian went running, as he hopped onto his broom for that extra speed to get himself back to the castle faster, and hurried off to leave the Dutchman to prepare for his next class, seeing the students coming just as he was leaving. Even if having to leave so abruptly was stressful, Matthew still couldn’t avoid smiling to himself like a lovesick fool. Lars was here. They would be able to see each other the whole year. And with luck they could pick up from where they had left off during the summer. If he could find the courage and the right timing, then the Canadian thought that maybe he would finally be able to confess his feelings of love to the Dutchman like he had not managed to do over the summer.
Hopefully things would actually work out in his favor for a change.
(And I believe we decided to cut this thread here, unless there is anything more to say. <3)
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