Procrastination. {Open}

[Oscar Flynn G7]

Drumming his fingers against the window pane in irritation, Oscar watched the rain slide down the glass on the other side. His eyes glazed over slightly as he slipped away from concentrating on his Transfiguration homework and instead allowed his mind to drift to thoughts slightly less academic. He was thinking about the holidays. Christmas to Oscar had always been a happily festive time and he wasn't one to play Scrooge. However it would be the first time his parents would meet Theo as his boyfriend rather than just his friend. Eventually, Oscar had told Heather and Isaac Flynn about his relationship with a boy. He and Theo had agreed to tell their parents in the Summer but Oscar hadn't been able to, and lied to Theo by saying that he had. Theo still didn't know he had lied. But Oscar had explained everything in a letter to his parents just one week ago, and knew they wouldn't have any serious qualms about the situation. If they did, he and Theo would see for themselves when they went to visit. It was an awful plan, Oscar knew, but he didn't know how else to approach the situation; he had never had to tell his parents something so big. He could only hope that they didn't bring up the letter directly over Christmas, for fear that Theo would realise he had lied in the Summer.

Turning back to his work, Oscar eyed the stack of blank parchment pieces before him and scowled. Transfiguration was his favourite subject. He adored it and knew he was great. Although he and Theo had vaguely agreed to travel together after school, Oscar had started wondering if teaching Transfiguration was what he wanted to do. So although he loved the subject, everytime he thought about it he could not help but be bombarded by a series of questions, doubts and worries. He wasn't used to being such an anxious person; normally Theo was the one who thought ahead of time while Oscar just went with 'the flow'. He still didn't know if he wanted to work in the muggle world or in the wizarding. All he knew was that he wanted Theo in his life, but that was the only concrete thought in his mind.

He flicked his quill impatiently against the parchment. His task was an extensive draft essay on the development of Hester Gamp's secondary theories following his discovery of Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. It was easy enough, but Oscar felt the need to procrastinate. Flicking his quill again, he eyed the student opposite him and cocked his head. He knew he was being irritating. But he was a seventh year. And Quidditch captain. He was allowed to annoy others. Plus, his boyfriend was head boy.

[Finn Miles H7]

Finn loved the rain, at least on most days. Rain meant that he'd have an excuse to cancel Quidditch practise. Perhaps it was a weak excuse, but it was an excuse nonetheless, and anyone who knew Finn, or the Miles family in general, might laugh at the thought of rain keeping them off the Quidditch pitch. That didn't stop Finn from sending owls to the entire Hufflepuff team, letting them know that they'd now have the afternoon free. They'd worked hard a few days before, and with the Gryffindor match quickly approaching, he actually thought that a good rest might do his team better than a grueling practise. He believed that there was such a thing as overdoing it, though his father, and probably Wyatt, would disagree. As Finn walked through the library, he caught a glimpse of Oscar, the Gryffindor captain, and wondered if he'd disagree.

Finn considered Oscar a friend, despite their upcoming match where their teams would be pitted against one another. Plus, until recently, Oscar and Theo had both been captains of their respective house teams, and they managed to have a relationship on the side. Surely Oscar wouldn't hold Finn's captaincy against him. Or, Finn hoped that was the case as he approached the table where Oscar was sitting, seemingly irritated as he tapped his wand restlessly.

"Anxious about the upcoming match?" Finn asked with a friendly grin. It'd be a lie if Finn denied his own anxiety. He took a seat opposite Oscar, noting the pile of Transfiguration books and parchment in front of him. It didn't seem like Oscar was getting much work done, which could only mean a few things. Either his mind was preoccupied with something else, or he simply was trying to avoid the work, or perhaps a combination of the two. "Should be a fun one," he added, careful not to seem overly confident. Finn was happy with his team, but he knew that it would be ridiculous to expect an easy win. No matter how good Hufflepuff was, he knew that you could never underestimate your opponents.

"So, how's Theo?" Finn asked, curious to know why the Ravenclaw had been replaced as the Quidditch captain. He'd been meaning to ask Ephraim if he knew anything about the sudden change in lineup, but Finn hadn't really had the opportunity. Plus, he didn't like being nosy, despite the urge to want to know why.

Thinking about Oscar and Theo made Finn think about his own relationship, or lack thereof. Things between himself, Cass, and Merrick were surely a tad on the confusing side, and every day Finn seemed to find himself on a different side of the scale, never able to really see the situation clearly. "Can I ask you a question, Flynn?" he asked, realizing he'd just questioned a question, thus negating the need to query in the first place. For that reason, he didn't really give Oscar a chance to respond. "I know we've talked about this before," he jumped in, remembering the walk that the two of them had about a year ago after finding a dead lake creature on the grounds. "But I was just curious again about you and Theo." Finn wasn't normally one to ask such personal questions, but his own feelings had been eating him alive for the past few months. "Did you always know that you were... into guys? Or... how do I put this...? Were you ever attracted to girls as well?" Finn hoped Oscar wouldn't reach across the table and deck him, after all, his question was quite personal and somewhat out of the blue. It felt good to get it out there though, and Finn figured Oscar was probably the best person he could ask, given the situation.

[Oscar Flynn G7]

The fifth year Slytherin that Oscar had been looking at shifted nervously under his unusual gaze. After a moment, she threw him a dirty glare and swept up her parchment pieces in her arms, transferring quickly to another table nearby. Although he felt immature and a little rude, Oscar chuckled lightly to himself. He didn't understand why Slytherins - or rather, why girls - felt the need to squirm and shift just because of a watchful eye.
Thoughts such as these made Oscar even more aware of just how little work he was getting done.

A shadow crossed over his parchment then, and Oscar glanced up to see the familiar grinning face of Finn Miles. Instantly the expression was reciprocated; Oscar liked Finn. He was sincere, something that the Gryffindor was learning to appreciate more and more. Plus, Finn had been one of the first people to accept Theo and Oscar's relationship so readily. As his friend sat in the chair just evacuated by the fifth year girl, Oscar chuckled at his question.
"Anxious? Naw. We're ready for you, mate. Nothing to be anxious about..." He was teasing, and hoped that Finn caught it. Hufflepuff had a great Quidditch team, and it was no secret that Gryffindor was struggling to fill the empty positions after Cassie's departure. "How about you? Any secret tricks up your sleeve I should warn the team about?" He grinned again. Already, Finn's presence had lightened his mood. He nodded to Finn's comment on his expectation of the game, agreeing instantly. To Oscar, every Quidditch match was fun.

"Theo... Theo's good." Oscar's smile twitched slightly. "His parents are out of town for Christmas so we're crashing at his. You should drop by if you can make it, actually. We might invite some of the others over one night too; nothing big, just a small gathering. Or do you have plans with the family this Christmas?" He asked the question lightly. He was excited for the holidays and was grateful to the Darke's for allowing the two boys to stay in the house while they were away. In truth, Oscar hadn't exactly told Theo they would be throwing a small social gathering for Christmas in his house, but that wasn't really all too important. And it wasn't like Theo could refuse Oscar.

Finn caught his attention again with his request, and Oscar listened with interest as the Hufflepuff spoke. The question surprised him and this was clear upon his face as his brows travelled a little higher up his forehead. He leant forward slightly and grinned at Finn. "Why do you ask?" He doubted Finn was having... feelings for another male, but then again who would have suspected Oscar of loving Theo?

Pausing to think before he replied, Oscar lowered his tone a little. "Nah. I've... well, I've always liked girls. I've had a girlfriend. And I think some girls are still attractive and endearing, and sexy. It's just..." He hesitated again before speaking. He hadn't really talked in such depth about his feelings for Theo to anyone but the Ravenclaw himself, at least not recently. "- it's just that Theo's more attractive. He's more endearing. And he's definitely sexier." Oscar laughed. Theo and Oscar certainly had a vivacious physical relationship. But Finn didn't really need to know that. "I don't really know if I'm gay. Because I know that I've felt strong and true feelings for girls too. But right now, I don't look at anyone in that way but Theo. I can't see myself being with anyone but Theo either. I guess, if..." Oscar stopped himself. He was about to say 'if something happened, and we broke up...' but the words lodged in his throat and he swallowed them. It would have been a hypothetical situation, and yet it still hurt to think about it. "So yeah. Does that answer your question?" He smiled once more at Finn across the table and scratched his neck absently. He was comfortable talking about this with Finn and wanted to help answer his friend's question. But he was still unsure how to phrase his attraction for Theo properly and so doubted that what he had said fully suggested the feelings he was trying to convey. But he knew that it all just took a little getting used to.

[Theo Darke]

((Hope you boys don't mind Theo's joining (well, Oscar can hardly complain! ;D), I have been hoping for a post with Finn for ages, but it's never happened, and this seemed like a good opportunity for Theoscar with a friend. (:))


Being Head Boy wasn't as easy a task as most imagined it to be. There were a lot of responsibilities that came with the title; not only roles he needed to play and events he had to be present for, as well as act as a leader of his fellow students, but he had to be a good role model for the younger pupils, and those of his age too. Theo was constantly under scrutiny, so it was fortunate that he did not mind. He had always thrived well under pressure, which made him a stellar candidate for Head Boy. Theo hadn't expected to be given the honour; although it hurt to think it, and it should not be a factor, his sexuality had always been a thoroughly explored topic with the rest of the school, purely because not many people were openly gay, and Theo was realistic enough to know many people disliked him for it. He didn't care for their opinions, but he had not expected the Headmistress and professors to choose him to be Head Boy simply because of a conflict of interest amongst students. Some still followed him without a bat of an eyelid; others scowled and feigned contentment. It had not deterred Theo, though, once he had been made Head Boy. He had been delighted, with only a dot of apprehension, and he had grown into the role with confidence.

One of Theo's responsibilities was organising the other prefects of the school. Having just run one of their important meetings with them, Theo was now heading towards the Library, knowing that his boyfriend would be there. They hadn't previously agreed to meet up, but Theo's meeting had finished early, and he wanted to surprise Oscar (and inevitably distract him from his work, but Oscar did that well enough without Theo around). The meeting with the other prefects and the Head Girl, Ruby, had gone well; just the usual, going over duties before the Christmas break, as well as those after, when students returned in January. Theo did have quite a bit of work to do too, though, what with this year being his final one, and his NEWTs exams looming close before graduation. Theo was determined to do well in them, even if he wanted to spend all his time with Oscar. As much as he loved the other boy, Theo also loved his grades; not so much so that he was competitive and arrogant, but he always wanted to do the best he could with what he had. If he didn't do well, he would be extremely disappointed in himself, so in the next few months, Theo could foresee him and Oscar spending significantly less time together. Therefore, it was best to make the most of now.

Theo entered the Library and scoured the room for the familiar curtain of dark hair. He didn't see Oscar right away, but passed Florence, Lori's sister, as he moved searchingly around. Theo greeted her with a smile, until his eyes found Oscar, and lit up brightly. He recognised Finn sitting with him, the Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain and a close friend of both Theo's and Oscar's. With a grin, Theo bade Flo goodbye and quietly approached Oscar and Finn's desk. They were engrossed in quiet conversation and did not notice Theo, until he was hovering right above Oscar's back. Finn obviously saw him, but Oscar was completely oblivious. With an amused grin, Theo bent down and nuzzled Oscar's neck, pressing a light kiss to skin and murmuring, "Hi." He pulled himself up again, show of affection over, and cheerfully greeted Finn too. "Hi Finn. Sorry for interrupting. Mind if I join you?" Theo pulled out the chair next to Oscar's and made himself comfortable. "My meeting finished early," he explained to Oscar, finding his hand under the desk and squeezing it gently, eyes sparkling and fond. "What have you two been up to? I'm guessing you haven't done anything," he admonished half teasingly, glancing at Oscar's untouched work.