dead but delicious

The pair were contently studying together. She her books and he the taste of her neck. Soft, warm and delicious. He’d finished his homework the night before, never one to sleep when he didn’t want to. He rarely wanted to, because when he finished his homework early he got to be responsible for distracting this beautiful girl for as long as she’d allow. He was toying with her hair, biting gently on her neck with a small chuckle. He grew a bit more serious and pulled away. It was something he’d been thinking of a lot lately. He wouldn’t forgive himself if he didn’t offer it up. “I could, uhh...” he cleared his throat, pressing a small kiss to her neck before he pulled away. “I could do that for real. I mean... bite you, you know. So uh... you know... so that you couldn’t be hurt anymore.”

“Hey, not to go for the cheap vamp joke, but shit’s getting batty around here, don’t you think?” 

where: the far end of the Hospital Wing when: january 4th, 5:36 pm who: anyone

Amelia hadn’t even gone to the Hospital Wing for treatment - there was only one thing on her mind. And that was finding her family and friends. She hadn’t even given herself time to think about what she had just witnessed, the horrors she had just seen. And frankly, she didn’t want to. She just wanted to find her family. Thinking about them was safe. Easy. It gave her a purpose and a drive that would let her think about them and nothing else. She refused to let herself dwell about how tired she was, or the ache in her shoulder that she hadn’t realized there was before. Which must have been a mistake on her part, because the moment she stepped into the Hospital Wing two very determined mediwitches ushered her to a cot on the other side of the already crowded space before she could even open her mouth to protest. She hoped that would be the end of it and she could sneak off to find her family once the two women turned away, but they were adamant, refusing to leave Amelia’s side until she took one of the brightly colored pain potions. The effects of which were immediate - she was rendered feeling loopy and numb enough to allow the two witches to set out healing her shoulder with little complaining from her end. She hadn’t even realized her injury at the time. Funny, that was. Being so occupied by the battle that she hadn’t even felt herself get hit. 

The dark haired girl saw someone approaching and quickly swung up from the cot, her legs dangling off the sides. A wince crossed her features as she momentarily rested her weight on her arm, forgetting about her injured shoulder. “Don’t worry, It looks a lot worse than it actually is.”

Lorcan had never known a hunger for blood until he was covered in it. Until the lives he took and the blood he’d drank meant that violence could end violence. He had never known pure terror, either. Until he’d looked in a mirror and seen the flickering reflection of himself - the only thing staying solid in the glass being the blood that covered him. He’d turned into exactly the kind of monster his father fought to keep him from becoming.

And yet, none of that weighed on his mind as heavily as Amelia. Amelia. Where was she? Where had she been? What would she think when he came to her looking like that? Surely she’d be disgusted, hate him for everything she ought to hate him for, and all of that was assuming she was even alive. For a moment, a thought flickered through his mind, as fleeting as his own reflection. He thought of his fangs sinking into the soft flesh of her neck, but not in the way that filled his dreams and mid-History of Magic class wandering thoughts, he thought of it because it would make her immortal. She would live through an attack like this, likely as unscathed as Lorcan had been able to. He tucked the thought into the back of his mind as his legs took him around the castle, asking where Amelia was. In the eyes of students who he had always been friendly to, he saw fear, and he couldn’t blame them. Without an answer they were useless and he looked like the scene of a murder - an accurate statement considering his teeth had been the weapon. Finally someone explained that Amelia was in the Hospital Wing, and before they could finish their sentence, Lorcan was there. 

“Mi amor,” he whispered, his hand caressing her forehead and gently moving her back into a horizontal position. He feared seeing her reaction to his current state and could only hope she trusted him enough to know he hadn’t hurt anyone who didn’t need to. Mentally, he corrected himself. Silly boy, he thought. You killed them. He hated having to think about that. “I was so scared, I found you as soon as I could I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you, look at you, mi sol.” My sun. His fingers brushed against her jaw now, and he bent his head down to kiss her cheek. “Tell me where it hurts, mi vida, and I’ll kiss it better.” 

Who: Liliane, Lorcan, & Professor Flitwick ( @lorcndeth & @fl-twicks ) Where: Hogsmeade Village When: January 4 around noon

Liliane had been enjoying herself at Hogsmeade; coming with Beau lent an entirely different air to the whole visit, and she quite liked it. But they had split up for a few minutes, and in those few minutes the entire world had gone to hell. There were white-robed people everywhere, and spells were flying, and Liliane was not a fighter. She could defend herself, and she honestly was decent at it, but it wasn’t her favorite thing, and there was so much chaos that she couldn’t focus on anything. She’d run into Lorcan and they were doing all right together, she thought, when she noticed Professor Flitwick.

As well as she and Lorcan were doing, she would never turn down help and she loved Professor Flitwick. But  her relief was shortlived, as the attackers turned on him. Liliane couldn’t tell what they used, but she saw the professor go down. “Lorcan!” Without waiting to see if he had noticed, she began running toward Flitwick; her gaze fell on a nearby pile of rubble, which would be perfect for what she needed. “Oppugno!” A quick wave sent the rubble flying at their attackers but she ignored it, instead directing her attention to the next spell she wanted to attempt - she wasn’t sure if she could manage it, but she had to at least try. “Protego duo!” Dropping to her knees beside the professor, she scanned him to see what sort of damage had been done.

Fear, death and devastation surrounded him. It surrounded the young boy from all corners and he wondered how people could look at someone like himself or his father and spit out Monster like a Hex when people like this were free to live. He didn’t know who killed his father, but he knew what monsters looked like, and monsters looked like these strange men and women in white outfits. Not his father who had been shredded to bits and pieces because of his gray skin and fangs that hadn’t touched a human’s blood in years. Suddenly, Lorcan wanted to show them what a real monster was. 

He didn’t know what he was doing, but in the blink of an eye, his body was directly in front of one of these pitiful soldiers. As if that was what they could even be called. Falling into the Army of a despicable man. “A vampi-“ The females voice was cut off in agony as Lorcan sunk his teeth into her wrists, slashing them both with his fangs before throwing her to the ground. Fuck, it tasted good. He didn’t expect it to taste so good, so warm and sharp on his tongue. He saw another monster cornering a small child, he couldn’t be any older than a Third Year for fuck’s sake. In the next blink, there he was, slamming the man into the brick wall he’d been using to terrorize the child. “A baby?,” he taunted, flashing his fangs in a not-so-discreet way. “Is that what you call a fair fight?” He nodded to the kid to run off before his jaw clenched around the tall figure’s jugular - sharp teeth piercing supple flesh before his mouth was flooded with the almost enchanting taste of the man’s blood. 

Before really putting much thought into it, he was fighting beside Liliane. Damn, she was a good fighter. And these people? The people were cowards who cornered children into brick walls to score another death. Lorcan took plenty, either by wand or by fangs, he was winning. It wasn’t until Liliane disappeared that he stopped his rampage. He didn’t have time to think about how disappointed his Mia would have been if she’d found out what he’d done, he saw Flitwick and Liliane, practically unprotected from the onslaught of killers trying to reach them. “Dad,” he whispered, looking up at the sky before flickering off to continue his victorious streak. “Forgive me for what I’m about to do.” 

Amelia wasn’t sure why, but she felt herself leaning into Lorcan’s touch. She usually hated it when anyone played with her hair - it was why she kept it pulled back in a neat braid most of the time. But Lorcan was different. With Lorcan, she experienced a phenomenon she didn’t with much of anyone, save for a select few. An ease. Amelia wasn’t comfortable around most people, she wasn’t blessed with the self-confidence or the extroverted ways of her older brother.

She could never help the grin that seemed to plaster itself across her face whenever they spoke, how quickly she found herself in peals of laughter at his jokes or how her heart fluttered every time he smiled at her when they spotted each other in the halls. Fangs and all. But she couldn’t help but worry about getting too attached to him because she knew that once their little prank against her brother had ceased, they would part ways. And Amelia didn’t want that. But he had confirmed it- he liked her too. Not only that, he really liked her. Amelia felt her heart leap up to her throat, the only response she was able to muster being a small smile that quickly spread across her features. Amelia knew that she would probably make mistakes, but for the first time - she didn’t let that phase her. “Okay.” She nodded. “Yes - I like that, learning, that is. Together.”

Amelia thought too much. About everything. Some might even say that she tended to overthink, even when the situation didn’t call for it. Now though, her mind was clear. She wanted to do one thing, and one thing only. Amelia leaned into the older boy, a hand grasping at his suit collar, and let her lips crash into his.

Pleased with Amelia’s answer, Lorcan finally allowed himself to be nervous about the situation. After all, he was nothing but a monster - it seemed that everyone but Mia had realized that truth. She didn’t know what he’d done in his rage after the news of his father’s death. Hell, he didn’t even know everything that he had done in that time, having blacked out with anger after disappearing into the forest. If he had woken up to a pile of dead bodies in his room he wouldn’t have been surprised, solely because he only remembered bits and pieces of that time. Not to mention his primary source was providing everyone from the bottom of the social chain to society’s elite with drugs of his own creation. She was so pure - so good... And he was a monstrous thing, unsure if he could ever be the man Amelia deserved.

Still, she was pulling him into a kiss and Lorcan wasn’t going to stop her. In fact, he had been hoping she would do just that. He was a good boy - he tried to be, tried to make his father proud, so he didn’t know if he would have had the nerve to kiss her first when she couldn’t even stand up. So he took the opportunity to kiss her back, and kiss her like he’d never done before. Before, when they were nothing but an act, he could put on a show, but he could never really sell it as much as he was capable of. Now, however, that they were official, his hands moved to her waist, gripping it tightly, but gently all at once. Just enough so he could convey that he wanted this. Oh boy did he want this. His thumbs slid along the fabric of her beautiful dress which he hadn’t quite recovered from seeing her in and one hand slid up her back to hold her closer, his strength making it practically effortless. He lost himself in the taste of her lips, the feeling of her hands on his body and the way her nose brushed his cheek. 

“Wow...,” he finally murmured after pulling back. His thumb reached to brush gently along the skin of her jaw and he would be lying if he said it didn’t tug at his heart when he took in how beautiful she was. How did he get so lucky? With a smile (and a rather smooth move), Lorcan lifted her up, gown and all, and cradled her in his arms. “Why don’t we get you to the Hospital Wing, yeah? I’ll make sure to tell Madame Pomfrey you fell for me,” he said with a wink, easily making his way to the Infirmary, holding her carefully the entire way. On their way there, he couldn’t help himself, he peppered kisses along the top of her head, her forehead, her cheeks, her lips. He’d never had anyone who he could kiss like that. So freely, so carelessly and for the sole purpose to kiss them because he could. They reached the Hospital Wing, and he laid her carefully down in the cot, pulling a chair up beside her. “Alright maravilloso, let’s get you all healed up, yeah?” 

“Galleons,” Marlene echoed, eyebrows raised in surprise. “Merlin’s fuck, how? Cleary, I need to get in on the business of dealing. In the meantime, pass me one of those joints. I only ever hit Ludo’s shit because he loves me enough to supply mostly for free. I need a comparison before the new year is here.” 

“Ha! That’s... adorable, Marls, but nobody else wants to get in the business when they’ve got me for competition. Sorry but I’m the best Herbology student there is and it’s not because I give a shit about Gillyweed,” he teased before looking skeptical. “I dunno... once you try mine you might not be happy with Ludo’s, and mine’s free for one night only...” 

“I hope you’re at least a little bit high,” Ludovic murmured, “Because I feel like I’m bloody roasted. I think I might need another drink to get back towards the drunken side of the spectrum.”

“Man I’m uh - I gotta be honest with you I’m fucked up man, I accidentally took some of my Nimbus batch and my glitter batch I was just flying through sparkles for like a solid 15 minutes before it wore off. So. uh, yeah, I could use a fuckin’ drink.” 

Amara arched a brow at the man, biting back a remark on how strange she found it that he would use his own product. Growing up the sister of a squib had enlightened her a little bit to the plight of those who weren’t what society wanted them to be, and she had never judged Lorcan for being what he was due to that enlightenment. It was his seedier projects that he wasn’t fond of. “I’ve no intention of doing that, Mr. D’eath” she breathed, “now, what actually brings you over to me? Or were you intrigued by the plants?”

“Intrigued by the plants?” He hadn’t even realized he was staring at a large bush full of leaves. “Woops. Well y’know I’ve got a knack for Herbology obviously. However, if you aren’t interested in my dealings or wheelings, just a friendly hello,” Lorcan said with a smile as he bowed his head. “One Ravenclaw to another.” 

“Mate ━ I heard your shit was good, but talking to yourself in the middle of a crowded room good, I did not expect.” Otto let out a laugh at the sight of Lorcan, before taking a look at his goods spread around the corner the Ravenclaw mentioned. “I’ll be sure to enjoy it, yeah. Anything you recommend in particular?”

At the sound of a voice, Lorcan turned to see an older man standing there. He chuckled. “Shit I really thought I was having a conversation with someone... is that a fuckin’ fern?” He shook his head at himself before clearing his throat. “Well it’s mostly samples today, but I got all the shit you could want. Mostly weed, but with different effects y’know. This shit makes you see sparkles, this one makes you fall asleep ASAP - so I wouldn’t recommend that. This one - haha shit I kinda like this one - makes it feel like it’s day time in summer no matter where you are. You name the feel I got the deal, whatcha thinkin’?”

Edgar burst into a loud guffaw, shaking his head incredulously at Lorcan. “You’re absolutely toasted, mate.” He said loudly, clapping his hand down on Lorcan’s back. “You’re giving out your marijuana for free?” Edgar asked, his laugh dissolving into a chuckle, “That’s not a very good business model, is it?”

“Bruh,” he laughed, patting Edgar’s shoulder back just as much as he had. “I am baked like a goddamn cake I’m fuckin’ tellin’ ya.” He laughed, shaking his head. “Someone gave your sister a fuckin’ brownie, too. Wasn’t me. Swear to Merlin mate, I’d like to whoop the person who did. That’s my girl now y’know shit like for real bro that’s my girl!” He laughed again, shaking his head. “Man fuck business models it’s New Year’s Fuckin’ Eve and I don’t have a fuckin’ dad. People deserve that shit for free!” 

Amelia had hobbled over to one of the large stone columns, seeking to assess the damage she’d done to her ankle. She winced as a finger traced alongside the pale purplish bruises that were already beginning to form. The sound of dress shoes on cobblestone caused Amelia to slink down the column in fear of being found out. Lorcan. Shit. Stupid vampire speed. She’d forgotten about that. Her eyes widened as he knelt down next to her. 

Amelia couldn’t help it - she found herself laughing. It was odd, this effect that he had on her. Even now, when she was in a complete state of distress, he would only have to say a few words to make her break into a smile. The two had grown closer than Amelia ever expected they would when she first approached Lorcan a month ago. With her and her brother not speaking and Emmeline busy with her own relationship and Dorcas off worrying about said relationship this past month had found Lorcan become a constant presence in Amelia’s life and a welcome one at that. 

Ducking her head down, Amelia brushed a strand of hair that had fallen on her face behind her ear and glanced at Lorcan. “No - no. It’s not that.. it’s… it’s just.” Amelia let out a deep sigh. “I’ve never done any of that before - the.. the non-platonic stuff. My whole life, I’ve never really… thought about that sort of thing. Just school, mostly. And - and now I feel like I shouldn’t have, because I don’t know anything about how any of this works, and I hate that! I hate not knowing how to do any of it and I don’t want to be bad at it because - because I think I like you, Lorcan. I think I really like you.”

When Amelia expressed what her true concerns were, he couldn’t help but be relieved. His first thought was that she’d finally realized what he really was - the things he was capable of an all of the anger still bottled in his heart over his father that he was scared could burst at any moment. He wasn’t scared that she wanted to be friends. If that had been the case, he would have accepted the answer and moved on as he promised he would. Sure, she’d been the first girl he’d ever actually woken up wanting to kiss, the first girl who he thought Merlin it would be lovely to hold her hand and mean it, but he wasn’t the kind of guy who thought feelings like that meant he deserved such things. 

However, she was afraid she wouldn’t do it right. At her concern, he scoffed a little, playing with the strand of hair she’d fixed. He didn’t even mean to reach out and begin toying with it, but there he was. “Mia,” he said in his soothing voice. “I hate to tell you, but the only thing you can to wrong - in my eyes at least - is run in heels, so let’s try to avoid that from now on... maybe?” He laughed, running a thumb down her jaw line. “I think I really like you too, Amelia. And I’m going to let you in on a very well-kept secret of mine. I’ve never really done this before either.” Had he been on dates? Yes, plenty. Had he kissed quite a few girls in his life? Also plenty, and boys too. Was he a virgin? No. 

None of that meant he’d ever felt like this before. None of that meant that he’d ever felt his stomach flip when he saw someone enter the room - but it did whenever Mia walked into the common room or their classes or anywhere, really. “I really haven’t. I don’t know how to wow a girl, not for long, at least. I know how to charm someone with a song or two, but no one’s ever really stuck around. So... maybe... if you’re up for it... we could learn how to make this work together.” 

Amelia found herself lost in the music, lost in the feeling of being in Lorcan’s arms. The calm did not last though, and Lorcan’s question made her chest go tight and her heart drop to her stomach. She had avoided thinking about his question all week, regarding the nature of their relationship. And whether it was moving in a non platonic direction. 

What the hell was she thinking? She’d never been in a relationship before, she’d scarcely even gone on a date before! What if - what if she was bad at it? What if she was a horrible kisser or forgot important dates, like his birthday? She was going to disappoint him. And then he was going to break up with her. Amelia had never experienced heartbreak, she’d only read about it. Oh Merlin, what if she ended up flinging herself in front of a train like Anna Karenina? She blinked. “I … I have to go.”

Amelia suddenly let her hands fall from Lorcan’s and quickly bolted out from the ballroom, ducking past dancing couples and stragglers on the dance floor. She ran until she felt the cool air brush her bare shoulders. Until her blasted heel caught in the cobblestone, propelling Amelia forward towards the ground. She heard a Snap and a jab of pain flare up in her ankle.

“Shit. Ow.”

This had to be a first, Lorcan thought to himself as he stood there, watching her and her perfect blue dress disappear into the crowd. For a moment, he was confused, then upset, then amused. Merlin, he didn’t think he’d terrify her so much with something as simple as a kiss. They’d shared such moments before. Sure, it was under the guise of being a couple to try irritating Edgar, but he didn’t see much of a difference. Instead of rushing after her, he thought it best to allow her to breathe. 

In the blink of an eye, he was near the punch bowl, chugging down a large glass quickly. In the next blink, he was out of the Great Hall, following the sounds and the light scent of Amelia’s perfume until he found her hiding on the ground. Was she really hiding?

“Darling,” he said softly before crouching down to be beside her. “I meant it, you know, when I said that I’d be very fine with nothing but a friendship. I’m telling you right here and right now, if you just want to be friends I’ll drop it. No questions asked, no protests made, I’ll be your friend. I’ll be just as happy platonically dancing the night away with you as I would anything else.” He paused, baring his fangs so they sparkled just a bit in the moonlight. “It’s the fangs isn’t it? I don’t blame ya,” he said with a hearty laugh. “I’d be kinda scared t’kiss me too.” 

“Am I a little bit high?,” Lorcan asked with a soft chuckle, unsure if he had been asked the question or if he was even talking to a person. “Umm... yeah. But the smoking corner’s right over there and for one night only all my shit is free. And I usually sell that shit for Galleons. So enjoy it while it fuckin’ lasts.” 

Merlin’s sagging ballsack he called her mi amor. And he asked her to dance. Amelia was a fine dancer. Good, even. Her mother had her and Edgar take classes when the two of them were little, and Amelia found it very easy for her to get lost in the music. And plus, she attended enough balls and functions throughout the year that she received enough practice. The thought of dancing with Lorcan terrified her. But she didn’t want it to!

She took the drink that Lorcan offered to her, drowning it quickly (champagne, not nearly as alcoholic as she would have preferred but it did the trick) and let the bitter liquid wash way her nerves. “Yes!” She exclaimed, a bit more excitedly than she would have liked to let on. “I’d love to dance.”

A grin spread across his cheeks as she took her hand gently, raising it up in the air before placing his other on her waist. He pulled her closer, relishing in the peace she provided him. He never knew a human to be as peaceful as his Mia. He took one step forward with his left leg, then one to the side with his right. He loved dancing - loved the feeling of music pulsing through his body, making him feel something nothing else in the world could compare to. 

He loved the way their bodies seemed to move without thinking too much about it. “I was wondering, considering the capitalization of your most recent response, how much thought you’d given my very non-platonic proposition, because I think sometime soon I might like to kiss you. If you would like that as well...” 

Amelia: "Feline legend" - I'm sure my cat would love to hear that. I still don't know how the two of you haven't met yet! I think I'm going to try and sneak him up with me when I come and visit today if that's alright with you. Lorcan, don't be silly. Of course, it's fine! Hand holding can be a completely platonic activity.

For the first time in a long, long time, Amelia was having fun. True, careless, not -thinking-about-the-implications-of-the-next-day, fun. And maybe that had to do with the shot of firewhisky Emmeline had given her when she was getting ready earlier with her and Dorcas, but still! She was surrounded by people she loved, wearing a pretty dress, on an actual date with a nice boy and the pastries they were serving were amazing. Amelia stood on the edge of the dance floor, watching as the band finished her song. She looked over her shoulder as a figure approached, a sunny smile crossing her features. “Isn’t this wonderful?”

Lorcan felt stiff, still. His emotions were ten times stronger, he sometimes thought, than that of his fellow students. He still felt the burning, stabbing loss of his father every time he stopped to think about it, but his friends made it better. Fabian, Ludo, Emma, Amelia. They made him feel less alone and after losing the only person who he believed would ever truly understand him, he thought he would be destined to be alone. But he wasn’t. “Darling,” Lorcan spoke smoothly, holding a drink out to Amelia upon reaching her side again. He enjoyed how well he fit beside her. “Only wonderful because you agreed to join me. Shall we dance, mi amor? I’ll even let you step on my feet if you’re not all that nimble on your toes.”

Amelia: Lorcan!! Yes!! I would love to go with you. Thank you for asking me - I was planning on spending the night alone with Hamlet (The cat, not the play) - and it's so nice to be able to go with a friend. I think I have something blue stashed away to wear. I'm so excited!

PS. I'm coming by after dinner - do you like brownies or gingerbread cookies better? Completely random question, by the way.