[   plotted starter  !!  ]

                                   “ you have OTHER FRIENDS ?? ”

            before he can think about how that sounds it’s already come out of his mouth — and, well, it’s TRUE. an apology would draw too much attention to levi’s very un-hufflepufff question, so his expression does that instead, brows drawing together, lips turning inward, one eye squinting slightly more than the other in a brief moment of DISCOMFORT. 

           he slides off the counter, the pile of books he was supposed to be returning to their shelves instantly forgotten. the other hufflepuff looks almost afraid for having asked. levi musses blond curls in greeting, playful, a promise that he’s making no judgements. what an ODD question — but zach’s come all the way to flourish && blotts on a wednesday afternoon to ask it, so it must be important. oh, he’s already buzzing with excitement — levi must know who zacharias smith CARES about. “ it depends — hypothetically, i mean — who this person is to you. ” he begins, “ or, sorry, to your friend. you just have to, you know. show them what they mean to you. ”

                       ☁☁☁   (  @huffleprick​   )

                     «   alright, first off— »

                    zacharias is about to fight back and defend himself against this extremly rude accusation that is also absolutely true when he remembers why he came here in the first place and that he, maybe, wants to stay polite in the least. this is a serious topic, and he hates being forced to involved other people, but it’s a serious topic. he’s trying really hard to do the right thing here, for once in his damned life. 

                    so, his mouth, already open to start protesting, closes again— the pouting face stays, but there are no sharp words accompanying it for once, thankfully. he even resists stepping back when the other touches his perfect hair without permission. he’s setting a new record here, really, for literally the most embarrassing reason ever, in spite of not technically being under his own name.

          « bruce. bruce goddamn wayne. bruce!!! just wait— »

          he was rushing towards the other— soon bruce would turn around the corner and, well, stand in a hall full of peole, which meant zach would have missed his chance. so, he was rushing. not very fast, given the almost rude lack of leg length he was cursed with, but he was really trying his best here. bruce had better appreciate it. or at least wait for him. he had a bone to pick here.

          finally, he came to a halt in front of the ravenclaw, glaring up at him furiously. he could have just left it there, but no, this was not enough to express his rage properly. he soon knew what he needed, quickly taking the large trunk the other was holding into his own hands, placing it on the ground with everything but gentleness — what did bruce’s belongings matter anyway, they were in a school of magic, someone would know how to fix it — before climbing onto it. now, this was much better. for once, zacharias was actually taller than bruce. while he would have enjoyed that at any given time, it was especially perfect for this situation, because he was mad, and it was really hard being mad on someone who could only ever focus on zach being a whole head shorter than him.

***   「     HOGWARTS PROMPTS   → “ sorry, all the other carriages are full, i’m sitting here whether you want it or not. ”     」

            long legs stretched out, bruce’s feet rest on the seat across from him, he looks up from the book rested across his thighs. great. they’ve had a few classes together over the years; zacharias smith is OBNOXIOUS and the handful of exchanges between them have never been PLEASANT. but bruce was an easy target back then, one of the few people he could pick on without risking a black eye. 

           “ don’t you have FRIENDS or something ?? ” a pointed look, eyebrows raised just enough to suggest judgement. maybe he just didn’t notice these things before, but the hufflepuff is CUTE from this angle. eyes drag down, slowly, deliberately, and then back up again. even if he’s incapable of SHUTTING UP for the next few hours, at least he’ll be nice to look at. 

            tongue flicks out over his bottom lip before teeth sink in — an easy target, surely ?? bruce stands up, sets his book aside to move his trunk from the seat to the overhead apartment. “ fine, i guess, if there’s really nowhere else. ” 

            /          ✦       (  @huffleprick​  )    ✦  

          « that’s an awfully bold statement from someone sitting all alone in a jam-packed train, wayne— don’t you think? » zacharias let out a laugh that was only 50% about the mockery and 50% about his own unintentional rhyme. nice one, zach. ‘friends’? had bruce met him? people tolerated him, which he was just fine with, who even needed friends when what he was doing was far more amusing, but— it did indeed mean nobody was saving a place for him on this journey. but zach was alright with that, too. one could never have enough people with no other choice than to tolerate him, right?

          maybe he should stop randomly making people tolerate him, though, because what followed made him hesitate, his face suddenly confused. he couldn’t not notice the other’s gaze, and, well— what should he do? was this even allowed? this was not what he’d imagined to happen, ever. he contemplated turning around and leaving after all, but that would only look suspicious, and despite having absolutely nothing to hide, that was simply not the impression he wanted to give off.

VENUS

You’ve always been in the shadow of someone else and it’s something you know you’ll never be able to escape. You feel like you’ll never manage to live up to the person you’re supposed to be and nothing you do is going to be good enough - it’s just good enough to scrap by. The harder you try, the harder you fall, and you’ve fallen from the pantheon, darling. You’re lost in knowing where to go when you aren’t trying to be better than sometihng, prove that you’re worth it; it’s become an obsession much in the same way bracelets become. Pieces you wear like armor in public to hide how you’re adrift in a world that didn’t wait for you.