Transition ((Col))

[Bradley Jameson]

Featuring Georgia.

Two weeks. Bradley stared at the back of Colin's head as he struggled to tie a letter to Jethro's leg (because even after all these years, Colin was still as clumsy and awkward as ever in his gangly long limbs). Two weeks of this - whatever 'this' was. Bradley wasn't quite sure anymore; not that he'd been sure at the very beginning. Colin had trapped him (with the help of 'angelic' Angel) in a cupboard ('room' was definitely an overstatement, and frankly, 'cupboard' was generous), Bradley had been forced to admit his feelings (to his utter mortification), Colin had made a move, and somehow, they had left the cupboard together together. The only conclusion Bradley could summon from that day besides Angel is a devil and I love Colin is ...What?

Bradley wasn't sad anymore, or angry, or mortified, or desperate. He was none of those things now that he had accepted his feelings, confided in Colin, and ensured their friendship had emerged unbroken. However, he was still damn confused about everything. What was their relationship status now? How much did Colin really feel for him? Was he gay at all? Was Bradley himself gay? Was Bradley going to ever come clean to his father if this continued (and it had to, it had to, because Bradley couldn't imagine a world without Colin, and he would lose him if 'this' didn't work, if he didn't make it work)? The infinite questions circled Bradley's head until he felt dizzy with the unanswerable madness. He was too proud to admit weakness to Colin, and too 'manly' to open up and just talk about his feelings.

So two weeks had passed by in confusing peace. Bradley and Colin's friendship had remained the same - strong, inseparable, co-dependent. Bradley still copied Colin's Potions notes and Colin still kept Bradley's ego grounded. It was as though nothing had changed, even when everything was different: Bradley and Colin were by unspoken terms 'an item', and their friends were aware of this. Angel couldn't stop smiling at them with typical girly sap, Santiago kept giving them relationship advice, and Katie was always smirking as though to say I knew all along, boys, I knew all along (that damn Katie). Still, Bradley and Colin's new-found relationship remained a secret to the rest of the world. Bradley was glad it was this way; he doubted he could deal with everyone else right now when he was struggling to cope with his own friendship group.

Bradley was, in all honesty, too terrified of breaking the friendship mould with Colin, and crossing the line into 'boyfriend'. They hadn't discussed their relationship since Cupboard Day, and Bradley was afraid of bringing it up again. He was also scared of moving things forward too fast - too terrified he'd unnerve Colin when this was so new and fresh and foreign. Bradley wasn't afraid to push Colin as a friend - if he wanted something, he'd bug the hell out of Colin until he got it - but their relationship dynamic had changed 180 degrees, and Bradley didn't know where he stood, or if Colin was even on the same page as him anymore concerning them. Bradley was submissive and scared in a relationship he cared about, and he didn't want to face his fears, fears that involved losing Colin forever.

"Hey," Bradley suddenly said, breaking the silence and stepping forward, a hand resting over Colin's and pushing it away. "Let me." With quiet deft motions, Bradley tied the letter firmly around Jethro's leg. "Tell Caroline I say hi," he murmured to Colin's owl, and let the black-feathered bird leap away out of the window with a small smile. He turned back to Colin, only to draw his hand away quickly when he noticed he still lingered in Colin's. Their eyes met across the fresh silence, and Bradley realised there had been too many silences over the last two weeks - mostly due to Bradley's quiet behaviour, pondering and worrying over their relationship and his feelings. A wave of guilt washed over him; he knew this was hard for Colin too, and he wasn't helping. "Hey... I'm sorry," Bradley suddenly said, looking into Colin's eyes sincerely. Not for the first time, he fought the urge to close the distance between them and kiss Colin; he'd not allowed himself to cross that line again since Cupboard Day, and he didn't know when he would be able to without fear pulling him back.

[Colin Morgensen G7]

Colin didn’t often lose his temper nor have his inimitable patience tested by what was, admittedly, something so ridiculous that he shouldn’t even notice it. Truly, to be Bradley Jameson’s best friend was to be in possession of a calm temperament that couldn’t be shaken by immaturity or prat-like behaviour. He could handle Bradley’s tantrums, his need for attention or whatever else Bradley had always thrown at him over the years. Colin had had many years of practice in being in close quarters with his best friend. Never before, however, had he encountered the undeniable fact that Bradley was ignoring reality. He still talked to Colin and Katie and everyone else just as he had done before, but that was the problem. Nothing had changed. Despite Colin’s and Angel’s efforts to force him to speak, despite the confession that had been slowly torn from Bradley, despite the resolution they made together to accept this new change without letting it ruin them, nothing had changed except that Colin felt a sudden tentativeness from his best friend that had no right to exist.

Angel, bless her soul, had tried her hardest to help. She had gotten Colin as far as pulling the truth from Bradley and he couldn’t expect much more from her. She had her own life to live, her own boyfriend to worry about. Colin’s life was his own to sort out, messed up beyond recognition as it was. So Colin hadn’t spoken to her about this new development any further than the small smile he had sent her way, exclusively for her and the secret alliance they shared in breaking down Bradley’s barriers against Colin, while he and Bradley had stood together to stiffly admit to the altered state of their relationship. She hadn’t stopped grinning at them since though, the expression proud and emotional and so bloody girly that Colin found himself torn between the rising grimace and the urge to laugh. Katie had much the same reaction still, although she smirked smugly instead of smiling at them with sweet sentimentality. Colin would never confide in Katie either, not about his fears, not about something so personal that he wanted to keep it all to himself. She would just whirl into the Gryffindor Common Room like a protective angel, fierce and vengeful with that almost motherly protectiveness that she seemed to have for Colin sometimes, ready to extract truth from her cousin regardless of whom was watching or what he was doing at the time.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, Colin had haltingly shared some of his concerns with Santiago. His fellow Gryffindor had been one of his first friends in Hogwarts, even before Bradley had put aside the childish feud he had stirred up against Colin. Besides, as the only one out of the three boys who had been proven capable of staying in a stable relationship for a reasonably lengthy time, Santiago was doubtlessly the best person to ask about irrational behaviour after kissing. Unfortunately, Santiago’s advice had grown to him doling it out in front of Bradley and the girls instead of just to Colin in the time between the two of them waking up and Bradley (the lazy sod) rising from his bed. Colin had experienced one long heart-stopping moment of panic and terror before realising that Bradley hadn’t made the connection between Santiago giving out advice and Colin having asked for it. That didn’t mean that he hadn’t hissed his protests at the dark-haired Gryffindor boy later, communicating his displeasure over the head of a sleepy Angel only to receive an enigmatic slow smile as his sole reply. Bloody Santiago. He always thought he knew everything.

Jethro twisted his head to stare at Colin with harsh, unblinking dark eyes. Colin sighed regretfully, petting his owl like he could gain absolution for his clumsy actions from the simple expression of his affection for his avian companion. If nothing else, Jethro had been more truthful company than Bradley over the past two weeks. To say that Colin was slightly annoyed at his best friend would be nothing less than complete honesty, if an understatement of amazing proportions. He had been content to tell Katie and Santiago about their changed relationship, even pleased to confirm that their plan had worked when he had seen Angel. Life had been good only two weeks ago. Then Bradley had reverted back to that odd, almost shy character that most certainly wasn’t his best friend or even the person that had kissed him in an extraordinarily small room that Angel assured him was entirely acceptable for private conversations. Colin had even been eager to tell Uncle Richard and his mother though he had restrained himself; telling his family that he was apparently gay would probably not be news most appropriately shared through a letter. He had convinced himself to wait until the summer, when he had Bradley at his side to back him up. Now Colin contemplated the possibility that the only news to share would be that Bradley had ran away from his personal feelings, and so from Colin himself. The thought was not one that he enjoyed.

He hated to admit it but the feeling of Bradley’s hand brushing against his and, even better, staying in contact made his breath catch unnoticeably, just as any contact between the two of them had done for the past fourteen days. “Don’t worry about it,” Colin assured Bradley quietly, somehow knowing with his usual instinctive sensitivity to Bradley’s thoughts what his best friend was trying to express. The two of them didn’t always need words. Summoning up his courage (and helped enormously by recalling what Bradley had told him when Angel had locked them in together: ’You have permission to... touch me. Whenever.’), Colin recaptured Bradley’s hand with a shy smile. He didn’t have his best friend’s confidence that would allow him to push Bradley against a wall and kiss him but he did have self-assurance enough to rest his forehead against Bradley’s, breath feathering against his lips with every word. “You can’t keep running, Bradley. I need some sort of constancy, so you need to make your mind up: d’you want to kiss me or not, you prat?”

[Bradley Jameson]

Bradley blinked as the he felt Colin's fingers brush against his again, and he ignored the reflex of jerking away in surprise. His emotions were written clearly in his eyes, though, as he stared widely at Colin, until their foreheads were bent intimately together, and then he found himself closing his eyes automatically and just listening, feeling the breath of Colin's words against his face. "I'm sorry," Bradley echoed again, still with feeling, and felt his voice catch in his throat from sheer emotion he didn't realise he'd been holding onto. Reluctantly, he drew his head away again to look Colin in the eye as he said with a rising blush, "Of course I do, but... damn it, it's not that easy, this... this transition between before and now. I don't know how fast I should take it, and we never talk about it, so..." Bradley paused for breath and realised that by now, he probably looked akin to a ripe summer strawberry, which was mortifying, so he chose to ignore this fact.

"I just want to know you're okay with everything I do. I'm too scared I'm going to cock things up or something..." Bradley sighed heavily and ran his free hand through his hair, his other hand grasping on a little tighter to Colin's, desperate for the reassurance. "I want to do things right," he concluded quietly. He looked at Colin, searching for his reply, and used their joined hands to pull him closer, so they were almost nose to nose. "I do want to kiss you. A lot. In fact, all the bloody time, and that's the truth." A shred of a smile darted across Bradley's lips, quirking upwards at the edges and crinkling his eyes. "I want you, Col, haven't I made that clear enough already?"

Bradley knew, though, that at the end of the day, he'd been the coward the last two weeks; it'd been him who'd pretended nothing had changed, who hadn't accepted truly that Colin had agreed to be his. Bradley had been, and was, overjoyed, but with that joy came burdens - responsibilities, pressures, worries. Bradley hadn't anticipated them, and he was drowning with the desire to do things perfectly despite his fears. Bradley was only human at the end of the day, and he was flawed; he could not be perfect even if he knew how to be. With the guilt stuck like a lead bolt in his chest, Bradley felt an overwhelming desire to make it up to Colin; to make him happy, to make him smile. "I really am sorry," he whispered, apology said for the third time when normally, Bradley wouldn't even say it once every year thanks to his pride and cocky personality.

Bradley leaned forwards to cut away the last few centimetres separating himself and Colin, pushing their noses gently against each other, until their mouths were so close they were almost touching. Bradley's eyes were half-closed when a voice suddenly cut through the weighted silence, causing him to tear himself away from Colin in a heartbeat and stumble backwards gracelessly. "Bradley!" a girl's high-pitched voice came from beyond Colin, and he looked past Colin's shoulder to see unmistakeably familiar blonde hair and a wide, wide smirk. Automatically, Bradley groaned under his breath ("Bugger!"), and thanked his lucky stars that he and Colin had been positioned so that they hadn't just been caught in the act of almost kissing and such gossip being spread around the School in less than half an hour.

"Georgia," Bradley greeted politely after collecting himself and stepping beside Colin once Colin had turned himself around to face Bradley's most recent ex-girlfriend from their sixth year. "What a coincidence." What a bloody nuisance, more like, Bradley muttered resentfully in his mind, cursing Georgia Mogg for her impeccable timing and ruining a perfectly perfect moment between himself and Colin. Goddammit. "What brings you to the Owlery?" he continued as genially as possible, fake smile plastered all over his face and resisting the urge to step closer to Colin for reassurance. For now, they had to play innocent; that was the case with everyone except their closest friends. "Let me guess? Letter."

"Well aren't you a smart one, Bradders," Georgia mocked with a smirk, stalking forwards with an owl on her arm, regal and white, "always the joker. I see you haven't changed a bit." Bradley resisted a harsh retort just to rile the conversation up a little; he always wondered what he'd ever saw in Georgia, who was very Slytherin and everything he'd always despised. He had to put it down to sheer insanity and a lot of bad judgement (and Colin would never let him forget it, because he'd tried all the time to point out Georgia's flaws, but Bradley was an idiot and needed to make his own ridiculous mistakes before the truth hit him smack in the face). "Hello Colin," Georgia proceeded to greet with a careless wave of her hand, face turned away and busy with attaching a letter to her owl's leg. "I see you two are joined at the hip as usual. Really. Nothing changes around here. How boring."

Bradley couldn't help but roll his eyes emphatically, hoping Colin would catch the motion and find some amusement out of this horrible situation. Georgia, too, would always be Georgia: spoilt, proud, arrogant, and very condescending. The only reason Bradley had dated her was because she was admittedly rather pretty, he'd wanted to prove he could deal with and even date a Slytherin, and he'd been a little desperate to forget how Holliday had managed to blind him after trying to get over Angel. Later, Bradley had found out that the only reason Georgia had agreed to Bradley asking her out and succumbing to his 'horrific' flirtatious advances was because her father had encouraged it because of the Jameson's family name. Georgia's family were also very famous and wealthy pure-bloods, but from a line of Slytherins; no doubt Mr Mogg was smart and wanted to bring the two families together despite their differences. Bradley would have none of it once he'd realised; but whether or not he would've continued dating Georgia, his father would never have wanted it much either. Arthur had much better plans and ambitions.

So the idea of his son being gay was impossible. Bradley ignored this thought and focused on Georgia's irritating presence. He was extremely relieved she'd seen or heard nothing, for she was a big gossip with a lot of contacts in the wizarding world; one whiff of his and Colin's relationship and everyone would know, and in a flash Bradley would be disowned and lose everything. Feeling discomfort rattle in his chest, Bradley nudged Colin's side subtly and gestured towards the exit, mouthing Let's go. However, before either boy could make a move, Georgia's owl had taken off and Georgia herself was prowling intently towards them. "Still handsome as ever, Bradley," she smirked, circling him like a hungry vulture with beady eyes. "Have you dated anyone recently? I haven't heard anything so I'm guessing no. Well good. I'll always be the best you ever had. The one that got away." She batted her eyelashes melodramatically and trailed a finger down his chest without caring for Colin's presence beside them. "You'll always regret you lost me. I guarantee you that."

[Colin Morgensen G7]

They would be alright. Relief raced through Colin at the realisation. Far too many times this year had he doubted that he and Bradley would last through these new developments in their lives. Every time, they managed to struggle through, albeit with maximum fuss and trouble. He needed to start having some faith. Their friendship had promised him forever. Colin was now left with little choice but to desperately cling to the belief that this new relationship would offer him no less. “It’s not easy for me either,” he confided quietly, longing to say more but cutting himself off before the words could properly form in his mouth. It would do no good to resentfully spit out that life was always simpler and less troublesome when Colin knew that Bradley was on his side; an assurance he had been lacking while his best friend drew away in his attempts to sort through his own thoughts. Dependent on each other they may be, but they were still separate entities.

“Right now, the only thing I’m not okay with is you not doing anything. It makes me doubt everything that I thought we had already clarified.” It was on the tip of his tongue to mock Bradley about sounding like a girl, just like he had accused Colin of, but he bit the words back before even really thinking about it. It just seemed wrong somehow to tease Bradley like a best friend when they were nestled together like something far more intimate. The lines were blurring yet again and Colin still didn’t know how to classify them. There was no straightforward compartmentalisation for their relationship; maybe there never would be. “No,” Colin breathed lowly, oddly entranced by Bradley’s proximity. “You haven’t made it clear enough. Maybe you should show me again.”

Much to the steady destruction of his pride, Colin needed a few dizzying seconds before he regained the level of coherency needed to properly rebuke Bradley. “You won’t mess anything up,” he told his best mate firmly, tone clearly leaving no room for argument. That was an excellent mimicry of his mum’s best scolding tone (reserved for when Colin had gotten into real trouble as opposed to just messing around as all children had a tendency to do). Hopefully it would have a similar effect on Bradley to the one it always had on Colin. Even now, that tone could make him cringe and flush like a guilty seven year old. “And even if you do, nothing really bad will happen. I’m not leaving; you can’t get rid of me that easily, Jameson. Anyway, I would’ve thought you would say that I’m more likely to mess up, being me and all.”

Colin scowled, not bothering to edit his expression to something less irritated and, quite frankly, murderous as he faced Georgia, shoulder to shoulder with Bradley as they always had been. Possibly even more so than Holliday, he despised Georgia. Both girls had essentially taken advantage of his mate when he was foolish and vulnerable, not that Bradley’s pride would ever allow him to admit to such a thing. Irrational as it was, Colin couldn’t help but to mentally accuse the blonde Slytherin of deliberately interrupting the moment when their world was finally righting itself again. There was some good in the girl, Colin reminded himself hurriedly. Buried far, far down, perhaps, but still contained within her obnoxious and brash body. Somewhere.

Was Bradley being serious? Colin barely resisted the urge to turn clearly disbelieving blue eyes to his best friend. He was honestly asking what Georgia was doing here? In the Owlery? Subterfuge and subtlety clearly weren’t defined aspects of Bradley’s personality, which Colin had admittedly already known. Brute force and blunt action was more Bradley’s style; Colin would always be the one of the two of them who found working behind the scenes more to his style. That didn’t change the reality of the situation: that in trying to act innocent, Bradley was making them appear more guilty, like they had something to hide. Cursing mentally, Colin waited for Georgia to turn to her owl before pinching Bradley’s arm and shaking his head with a disapproving frown. Let me handle this, he told Bradley wordlessly. Let Georgia think that Colin was overstepping his mark by speaking to someone who thought too much of herself, let her think that Bradley couldn’t stand the sight of her, let her think anything but the truth. Colin didn’t care, just so long as the interfering girl didn’t come to the conclusion that Bradley was open to more manipulation.

“Hello Georgia,” Colin drawled slowly, pouring in more of his Irish accent to balance out the acidic bite that slipped out along with the girl’s name. Miracle of miracles, the right words came to his mind at the right time (for bloody once, Colin enthused, but why couldn’t it ever happen when he was arguing with Bradley?). “Some things do change though, and one of them is hovering right in front of me.” Very pointedly, Colin raised his eyebrow and tilted his head in Georgia’s direction, not sparing a glance for Bradley. He had to act the protective best friend, not the jealous boyfriend. Not that he was jealous; Georgia was nothing to Bradley. She wasn’t. Except that she was his ex-girlfriend. And that he had liked her enough to ignore that she was a Slytherin. Bradley hated Slytherins. “Added enough peroxide to your blinding locks there? I think my retinas aren’t completely burnt through.”

Oh, that girl had to go. Now. Colin had grinned widely and nodded in response to Bradley’s suggestion that they leave (while they still could, the pessimist in Colin had added gloomily) but Georgia had fixed her beady eyes on them before either could even twitch. This sort of jealous, protective, furious urge rising up inside him had never occurred with Laura, but then no one had ever tried to so blatantly flirt with Laura while Colin had been standing right next to her. His eyes narrowed fiercely, trained on Georgia as if he could force her to leave through sheer willpower. Nothing happened. If willpower and determination was enough to force something to happen then Georgia would never have entered their lives in the first place. Discontented, Colin twisted his head to stare at Bradley expectantly. Wasn’t Bradley going to tell Georgia to get her greedy, grasping hands off him? They weren’t publically together, sure, and Colin was fine with that. They both needed time to adjust. That was fine. It did not, however, give Bradley an excuse to have his ex-girlfriends hanging off him like limpets.

[Bradley Jameson]

Bradley knew Colin Morgensen better than he knew himself sometimes, but he'd never witnessed this Colin Morgensen - a Colin who flirted and batted his eyelashes (probably subconsciously, or at least Bradley hoped it to be so). It was disconcerting because it was unfamiliar and different, but Bradley found he couldn't complain, even if he was shocked into silence and wide-eyed staring. This was a new side to Colin - a part of his best friend he knew he would find funny and endearing, and it would make him love Colin more than he'd ever loved him. Truth be told, Bradley hadn't been expecting such a revelation; he thought he knew everything there was to know about Colin, but evidently he was wrong. Surprisingly, he didn't feel aggrieved or upset by this at all; rather, he was pleasantly pleased and even excited about getting to unravel this new Colin like a peppermint sweet.

Bradley cracked a brief grin when Colin claimed he wouldn't mess anything up. He appreciated the sentiment, and it gave him confidence - Colin always gave him confidence, even if he concurrently managed to put a dampener on Bradley's sometimes-out-of-order ego. "Nooo," Bradley drawled, teasing as he chuckled lowly, "I recall you telling me I kind of suck at relationships. Look at my exes." Bradley could laugh at himself now, but at the time, he'd been fiercely protective of Holliday and Georgia from others' ridicule. Now, obviously, with hindsight, he realised as he cringed that he had been an idiot, but Angel called him 'sweet' for it. Bradley had always been a possessive boyfriend.

Talking of exes - Georgia. Bradley was rather surprised to find Colin extremely hostile all of a sudden. Not that Colin had ever liked Georgia. At the beginning he'd thoroughly disapproved of her - as had everyone else, but Bradley had ignored all of them stubbornly as usual. And then Colin had found out she'd kind of used Bradley, so he'd turned rather cold. But even then he had never treated Georgia with disdain, and that was how Bradley would describe Colin's current behaviour. He was so surprised he was struck speechless for a few minutes, watching the two communicate with narrowed eyes and down-turned mouths. Bradley wondered for the briefest moment if Colin was jealous - but no, Colin had never been possessive or protective of Bradley, it had always been the other way around, and Colin hadn't acted like that around Laura either. Colin was always so nice and calm and nice. This was something else that was new, and Bradley couldn't help but stare at his boyfriend / best friend in awe.

And then suddenly, Georgia was upon Bradley like a cat, and his stare was averted to her and those familiar blue eyes. "Georgia," Bradley warned testily in an impatient voice. Nothing deterred her, though, and she continued to poke him in the chest childishly.

"What's his problem?" Georgia demanded, referencing Colin without even looking at him, instead, choosing to try for an answer from Bradley. "It's not like you're his or anything, Bradley." Georgia gave a pearly-white smile (more like smirk), and flicked her very, very blonde hair. "Daddy says he sends his regards to Mr Jameson, just so you know," Georgia continued, unfazed by Colin's cold glares and Bradley's unhidden expression of disdain.

"Great. Thanks," Bradley quipped, before adding with more annoyed intent, "but don't drag Colin into this. What is it with girls always dragging my best mate into whatever problem they have with me? Colin's not me, for Merlin's sake!" Bradley narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the expression on Georgia's pretty face, at the same time noticing the easily-read look Colin was sending him from the side that screamed Let's go. "Look, Georgia, we have to go," Bradley said, sidestepping his ex-girlfriend and pushing Colin in front of him and forwards with a strong arm on the small of Colin's back, almost wrapped round his waist but still hidden from Georgia's view. "As much as I'd like to stay and chat with you till sunset, I have a life to lead - without you." With one last blank look at Georgia, Bradley left the Owlery at a quick pace with Colin in tow.

At the end of the day, Bradley and Georgia had parted by mutual agreement. Bradley hadn't kept much of a vendetta against Georgia for using him, but he still disliked her, especially because of her house roots, and did not like to see or spend time with her. It was surprising how Bradley had somehow not spent the rest of his life hating his exes who had treated him so poorly, considering his capability for bitterness and desire for revenge. Secretly he thought it was down to his own guilt of using them in his own way (since one of the main reasons Bradley had even approached her was because of a stupid bet), so he could hardly hold a grudge for something he was also guilty of. Bradley pondered Georgia in his mind for a few moments, still dashing as fast as possible from the Owlery, but quickly remembered Colin by his side and turned to look at him with an apologetic but curious look. "Hey," he said, stilling Colin to a halt along one of the outside passages with views of the castle around them. It was empty for the time-being, and Bradley wanted to use it to his advantage. "What was that about?"

[Colin Morgensen G7]

Delighted by Bradley’s reaction to his flirtation, Colin chuckled quietly. He hadn’t really flirted with anyone since Laura and, well, it was nice to know that he could affect Bradley so much. As a best friend, Colin knew the extent of his influence on Bradley. He couldn’t force his best friend to do something that he didn’t want to, but nor did he want to have that power. Colin was quite satisfied with being allowed to gently prod Bradley in the right direction, which was otherwise acknowledged as firmly smacking Bradley around the head and scolding him for being a prat. Even when they had been childish adversaries, Colin had soon mapped out how far he could push Bradley before events escalated into too serious of a situation. With the boundaries changing yet again, Colin became determined to explore these new limits and how he could affect Bradley. It was only natural curiousity.

Colin squeezed his best friend’s hand reassuringly, his upturned face bright with a smile. There was truth in what Bradley had said: Colin had never made any secret of what he thought of his best mate’s girlfriends. As far as he was concerned, Bradley had extremely bad taste in females. Quite fortunately, that wouldn’t have any impact on their relationship. “You don’t suck as relationships,” Colin disagreed wisely. “You’re just really bad at picking out girls to be in a relationship with. Luckily for you, I’m not a girl. As an extra bonus,” he added dryly, unable to resist the chance to tease even while in the middle of a serious conversation, “I’m also reasonably sane, unimpressed by your father, not interested in your money and I know you better than anyone else. Except maybe Katie. She always seems to understand some things that I take a while to get.”

If Georgia didn’t disentwine herself from his sort of boyfriend then Colin was going to pull her off himself, preferably by the split ends of her obnoxious blonde hair. Everyone would back him up if Bradley protested the treatment. Katie, Santiago and Angel had never liked Georgia either. Bradley must just be really bad at realising when people had very little goodness in them. Actually, now that he thought about it, Bradley had always been quite protective of Georgia, possibly even more so than he had been when Holliday had been his girlfriend. Colin’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully, surveying the Slytherin with intense dislike. Had Bradley felt more affection for her than he had let on?

After a moment, Colin exhaled shakily, laughing silently at his own stupidity. Of course Bradley didn’t still like Georgia. He couldn’t stand the girl. Even if he wasn’t exactly trying his hardest to detach Georgia from his chest, Colin was still certain that Bradley couldn’t stand her. It was just his personality, Colin told himself resolutely. Bradley was just choosing the wrong time to be somewhat like a gentleman. Katie would tell him so if he asked, he was sure. Bradley’s reluctance to remove Georgia from his body had nothing to do with their shared past, or the peek down her blouse that he was probably receiving. It was just...good manners and courtesy. Or something.

The hidden reference to Michelle succeeded in making Colin grimace slightly. He still hadn’t really forgiven the black-haired girl for trying to come between Colin and Bradley. He hadn’t even come close to forgiving himself for nearly letting her succeed in her aim. Bradley hadn’t helped though, with his avoidance of Colin and hiding his feelings and making Colin think that their friendship was already half-over, which was his only true comfort in that entire situation. It hadn’t been exclusively his fault, which was always nice to know.

Finally, they were leaving. Warmed by the silent strength of Bradley’s arm against his back, Colin very nearly gave into the urge to shoot a smug smirk over his shoulder to Georgia. It wasn’t a competition, of course, but if it had been then she had doubtlessly lost while he had soared to the winning place. He didn’t succumb to such an immature action, but only because it would look slightly suspicious for a best friend to feel such triumph over an ex-girlfriend being snubbed. He and Bradley weren’t anywhere near prepared to take their relationship out into the open. They hadn’t even sorted it out between the two of them yet.

Although Colin had been mentally remarking on how lucky Bradley was that Colin had long legs when the fast pace being set was taken into consideration, he hadn’t really wanted his best friend to tug him to an abrupt halt. Especially not for the sort of conversation Bradley’s opening words suggested that it would be. With a long-suffering expression (one which Colin had had plenty of opportunities to perfect during his years at Bradley’s closest friend), he shook his head and continued walking. How ironic that now he was doing exactly what he had complained about Bradley doing only a few short weeks ago: walking away from the problem without letting his friend even know what the problem was. “I don’t know what you mean,” he answered mildly, not once breaking in the lengthy stride he had set for himself. “You know that I’ve never liked Georgia. She’s not your girlfriend anymore so I don’t see why I should be forced to tolerate her. She annoys me.”

[Bradley Jameson]

Bradley listened to Colin with a fond smile. "That's because she's a girl," he told Colin in a sage but mocking tone of voice. "Girls are different creatures altogether." Bradley had learnt this from a very young age, being brought up with the eccentric, rebellious Katie. She had always been a feisty, individualistic child, even more so than her older sister, Emilia, who Bradley was not fond of at all. Even though Katie had him wrapped round her little finger, it was Emilia Bradley would never dare annoy; she was quietly dangerous, he was sure of it.

Once outside, though, and finally away from Georgia, much to Bradley's relief, Bradley realised boys were as complicated and difficult to understand as girls were - or maybe it was boys he was in a relationship with. Not that Bradley was gay. But anyway - Bradley focused his attention on Colin, who looked sulky and annoyed as he answered Bradley's question.

"I'm not forcing you to tolerate her," Bradley replied equally mildly, glancing back with a little anxiety stemming from the paranoia that Georgia would appear out of nowhere yet again and interrupt an all-important moment between himself and Colin. "Hell, I can barely tolerate her. She's a scary Slytherin snake, Col, and I don't want you to tolerate her." Bradley's face broke into an amused grin. "Actually, I thought it was funny to watch. I just didn't know what had happened to make you so pissed."

Suddenly, a thought struck Bradley's rather oblivious and dense mind, and his eyes widened as he stared hard at Colin. "You weren't... jealous, were you?" he asked in disbelief, a grin quirking at the edges of his lips and threatening to engulf his entire expression. "You were jealous, weren't you, Col?" Before Colin would reply - protest, agree, or whatever - Bradley added firmly, "Look, Georgia's nothing to me. You should know that better than anybody, you helped me get rid of her. Don't let her bitchiness get to you."

A fond, warm smile lit up Bradley's face and his eyes twinkled. "But you being jealous over me is... well, it's... cute," Bradley added, pink dusting across his cheeks as he took Colin's hand and squeezed it in his reassuringly.

[Colin Morgensen G7]

This was true, Colin knew. Although he had grown up pretty much surrounded by boys and with little female interaction (not that there had been a shortage of girls during his childhood in Armagh, but simply because Colin and Will had early on come to the conclusion that girls were weird and therefore to be avoided lest it be contagious), knowing Katie and Angel for so many years had taught him that, indeed, girls were from an entirely different place. Luckily for Colin, he hadn’t ever been on the receiving end of Katie’s sharp tongue. Apparently, according to the two girls, he was too adorable to be disciplined in the way that Bradley was. They preferred to pet him like a cat. Not that he was complaining, for while it was annoying at times, there was always satisfaction to be found in Bradley’s disgruntled look when he was being scolded while Colin received affection by whichever girl wasn’t lecturing. It was good to be gangly and awkward sometimes; it meant that Bradley was always the corrupting force in Katie’s eyes.

Personally, Colin rather reckoned that Bradley’s insistence that he couldn’t stand Georgia would have been more believable had he not dated the girl. For days; even weeks. “She annoys me,” he stated again, ignoring the fact that he probably sounded like he was lying and just trying desperately to stick to the story he had created. “And she interrupted us just when I was about to tell you off for being a prat again. If she had her way then you’d still be stealing my textbooks and trying to get me into trouble.”

“Jealous? I was not! I would never...I wasn’t...I...” Due to the inexplicable feeling of being caught in the act (which he really, really wasn’t because Colin was most certainly not jealous and Bradley was a prat to even suggest that he could be), Colin found it hard to do much more than splutter out a somewhat less than convincing denial. He flushed uncomfortably, his expression still sullen. “If either of us is more likely to be jealous then it’s you,” Colin pointed out hurriedly, crossing his arms over his chest before coming to the dismal comprehension that he had to drop Bradley’s hand to do so. “I mean, you weren’t exactly friendly and chatty when I was talking to Michelle, were you? I wasn’t even dating her or anything; we were just friends, you hadn’t even admitted that you were interested in me at the time and yet you were still mean. That’s jealousy, my friend; you were jealous.”

[Bradley Jameson]

"Georgia annoys everyone," Bradley pointed out. "Except her father. Her father spoils her rotten." Bradley scowled; true, Bradley had been spoiled himself, but that had only been materialistically; he'd never been showered with love and attention, unlike Mr Mogg with his only daughter. Bradley would never admit it, but he resented Georgia for her upbringing, even if she had turned out hundreds of times worse than he had. He had scars; what scars did Georgia have?

"I'm not jealous, just... possessive," Bradley protested, pouting like a hurt puppy when Colin's hand left his to cross his arms over his chest. "There's nothing wrong with that. And that was different," Bradley sniffed haughtily, "I knew what she wanted, and it was you. That's why I was mean. You weren't dating, but that was what she was going for. You didn't notice 'cause you're as dense as a brick, mate." Just thinking about Michelle made Bradley's skin crawl; there was just something not very... right about her.

"Okay, fine," Bradley finally acquiesced, crossing his own arms and mirroring Colin's stance. "I was jealous. A little. But I had reason to be; you should've seen the two of you, all cosy and sappy. You might as well have been dating." Bradley scowled bitterly. "You're mine," he added with a low grumble, knowing Colin might not appreciate the sentiment of being referenced like an object without opinions or feelings but ignoring that thought stubbornly.

[Colin Morgensen G7]

Startled, Colin’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline, his grin equally mocking. What right did Bradley have to complain about anyone being spoilt? Bradley Jameson was the most spoilt person Colin had ever met; his father would give him anything. Except his time or his love. So, really, having a father and wealth was nothing to be envious of. Despite his poor background, Colin was truly much better off than Bradley. Or he would be except that his mother adored Bradley like a second son. If he had been claimed by his father, Colin wondered, would he have turned out like Georgia or Bradley? He could have been just another mindless drone obsessed with his own importance and inherited power. He certainly wouldn’t have been in the right position to smack Bradley for being a prat, that was for sure.

Was there a difference between jealousy and possessiveness? Didn’t they fundamentally boil down to precisely the same thing, bar that one was a longer word? Colin shrugged, clueless now as he was so many other times. “It’s not different at all,” Colin protested before rethinking. “Actually, it is. There’s a different tie between us now than there was when Michelle was trying to come between us. So it’s worse for Georgia to try it. And I am not as dense as a brick, you blond prat.” He still didn’t know how to classify their relationship, which bothered him. Colin didn’t need a nice, tidy little box to sort them into but a few clues about how to refer to them would be helpful. In public, they were best friends as they had been for so long but what about times like now, when they were alone, or when they were with Katie, Santiago and Angel? What were they then?

He should probably be more than a little bit annoyed about essentially being categorised as a mere object, like he was just another plaything for Bradley to discard at his leisure. His pride certainly bristled at the insult before settling back down into submission, soothed by the warm wave of emotion that swept through him. It was reassurance that he so desperately needed; he couldn’t pretend to be offended. “I don’t mind. Being yours isn’t the worst fate that I can imagine. Just as long as you realise that it works both ways.” Colin met Bradley’s eyes squarely, knowing that his message would be received and understood: if he was Bradley’s then Bradley had to be his; they had to be a partnership of the most equal standing in that if nothing else.

[Bradley Jameson]

Bradley's eyebrows knitted into a confused frown. "But Georgia doesn't know that we've changed - that anything's changed. She's not psychic. That's just Katie." He smirked at Colin's indignation; Bradley had always found flustered Colin rather amusing, and would never pass up an opportunity to ruffle his feathers just a little more for laughs. "No, you're right. You're not as dense as a brick; you're as dense as a tool," Bradley joked lightly, "but only with girls, mate. You're all right in terms of everything else. That's not bad." Considering how often Bradley was accused by his friends (okay, by Colin and Katie mostly, Angel and Santiago actually had manners and cared about Bradley's very sensitive feelings), Colin should feel lucky he wasn't denser than that. Bradley didn't think he was a dense or 'oblivious' individual, but apparently his cousin and best mate knew him better than he did, and he'd long since given up arguing about it (because it was totally unfair, two against one, and Angel and Santiago were so bloody neutral and mature).

Bradley met Colin's steady gaze and realised with a start what Colin was asking of him. Bradley blinked, took a deep breath, and said, "Isn't that what I've been saying all along? See, you are dense." Bradley's brief smug tone of voice faded immediately, though, and his expression remained serious. "I want you to be mine. And I'm yours. All of me. I always have been." Bradley allowed himself to step forwards to eradicate the last stretch of distance between them, so their chests were now pressed gently together, and their noses close to brushing. Bradley continued to stare into Colin's eyes, nerveless. "I never want to be anyone else's," he added softly, "if you'll have me."

Quickly, Bradley shifted his gaze to glance around, and then returned to Colin. Before Colin could react, Bradley leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss to Colin's lip, barely touching, much to Bradley's annoyance, but they were out in the open, with a chance of being caught, and he wasn't ready to risk it yet. "I swear I'll be less... scared to show how I feel from now on," he whispered, drawing back to let Colin breathe, but a hand still rested possessively on Colin's hip, squeezing. "I'll try. Don't expect me to talk about my feelings all the time; we're not all girls," he added teasingly. "But I'll always be honest, and if you don't like something, I won't do it. Simple as. Okay?" Bradley sought for reassurance in Colin's eyes. He didn't want to scare off his boyfriend, nor did he want to push him away either; Bradley needed to find a balance, make it work - he was desperate to.

[Colin Morgensen G7]

Colin closed his eyes slowly, resigning himself to the inevitable reality of Bradley not ever understanding. Georgia might not know that the relationship between Bradley and Colin had changed but they knew, and that changed everything. Bradley would never make that fine distinction though. As Colin had so often thought before, subtleties simply were not a part of Bradley’s mindset. His best friend was brash and open and, well, to steal Katie’s indelicate phrasing when she was truly annoyed with her cousin, he was more than a little bit of a stupid oaf when he didn’t take time to think. Bradley was the representation of everything that Colin should probably hate since he rather suspected that his father held the same social status, the same wealth as the Jameson family. Perhaps he was even an associate of Arthur Jameson, though that was a bit too stomach-churning for even Colin. The point was that they had been raised differently, that their minds worked in very different ways. They might be able to predict and counter what the other was thinking but there were still times when Colin glanced at Bradley in pure puzzlement or through the dark shield of his hair, chilled with the reluctant acceptance that Bradley would never completely understand him.

Good. Colin experienced a short flash of utter satisfaction. Bradley understood somewhat. Not the entire thought process perhaps but at least the general feeling of it. No matter how many times he was reassured, there was always the unhappy suspicion lurking at the back of his mind that maybe their connection was fractured by this new development between them. It would take a while, Colin knew, before he was secure enough to believe in their resilience. His hand grasped Bradley’s automatically, clinging to him like Bradley was Colin’s only hope of not being drowned by the choppy, powerful waves of a vengeful ocean. “I’ll always want you,” Colin breathed quietly, blue transfixed by blue as he met Bradley’s gaze squarely. There was no shame in admitting that he loved his best friend differently than everyone expected. Not when the feeling was reciprocated.

It felt like the brush of their lips lasted barely a second, much to Colin’s annoyance. They were...boyfriends now. He deserved more than what he got. Bradley was nervous and more than a little scared about the prospect of being caught. Colin knew that, he could even accept it since he had felt the same way when he had initially entertained the idea that maybe Bradley was more than just a friend to him. He too had been terrified of how he felt, hasty to draw back from everyone except his closest friends because surely they couldn’t understand. Now though, with people proud and unashamed to be seen with whomever they were dating (in particular, Colin had paid close attention to that dark-haired Slytherin sixth year, Lennox, who always had a different person, boy or girl, attached to his mouth everyday), frustration was starting to set in. He wanted to be allowed to kiss Bradley whenever he wanted to, damn it, not just whenever they could find an abandoned part of the castle. “Alright,” Colin accepted, a smile flickering at the corner of his mouth. “Same deal then. If I do something you don’t like then tell me. Because we can always talk to each other, yeah?”

[Bradley Jameson]

Bradley's eyes widened by a tender fraction, almost unnoticeable if it were not for the addition of gaping lips and surprise like a flashing neon sign on his normally composed, handsome face. He stared at Colin dumbly, blown away by the quiet words his best friend had just spoken. "You do?" Bradley eventually managed with a tight voice, cursing his throat's betrayal. Bradley knew Colin like the back of his hand, but ever since this whole gay epiphany, Bradley had doubted Colin's commitment to his role as Bradley's boyfriend. It'd seemed too good to be true - that Bradley would all of a sudden decide he harboured romantic feelings for a guy, his best friend - strong romantic feelings for a guy who was his best friend; and that Colin would, after a brief moment of panic, decide, with calmness and quiet conviction, that he reciprocated these feelings.

Bradley hadn't believed it; hadn't been able to believe it to be true even a few minutes ago, because he couldn't believe his luck, and he had been telling himself repeatedly that the only reason Colin was going through with this - whatever this was - was because he didn't want to lose Bradley's - and Katie, Angel and Santiago's - friendship (because no doubt their friendship group, deeply bonded together over many years of laughter and tears, would break with the strain of a permanent detachment between two of its five), because he didn't want to make anyone unhappy (which was so Colin, it made Bradley want to cry with frustration).

But no. Apparently Colin reciprocated these strong, ardent feelings all of his own accord; not forced, not pretend, just real. Bradley could see it reflected in Colin's eyes, bluer and truer than ever, and he'd never felt so foolish. He should never have doubted Colin; Colin wouldn't lie to him, even subconsciously, that was why he was Bradley's best friend. Bradley wanted to apologise for himself, for being so stupid, but the constricting rope around his throat forced him to remain silent. Instead, Bradley stared into Colin's eyes intensely, attempting to portray every shred of emotion in him right now: relief, joy, hope, love.

Bradley wished he could say I love you, with Colin so close and face open with sincerity and truth. It was perfect. Only, Bradley's voice couldn't make a sound, and he settled for leaning his forehead on Colin's, relishing the shared warmth and intimacy. He breathed in deeply, noting the familiar scent of Colin with a fond smile, and trying to still his heart that had taken off at double speed. Bradley didn't need to say I love you yet; it was too early anyway, and he'd practically admitted it to Colin when he'd first confessed his alarming feelings for him.

"Yeah," Bradley forced out in agreement to Colin's question. "And... if you want something..." He trailed off, musing for a brief moment, before catching Colin's eye and making Bradley blush. "Just ask," he finished tightly before Colin could tease the hell out of him. Bradley wondered over all the things he'd ask of Colin if they were not standing in open space right now, and half grinned, half balked over is thoughts. Shaking his mental mind, Bradley regained his physical senses and squeezed Colin's hand to tug him along after him. "Come on," he said with a soft smile. "Let's go." And together they meandered back to the Common Room together, smiling secretly.