leviathan

     there were times cole was mildly jealous of the life levi lived. it was as if fate was so cruel to give him a friend that had freedom he so wanted but he could NOT hate his friend. not at all. he could only be sad for his own circumstances and he was happy that levi did not suffer the same fate as he had. however, he hated disappointing levi, which was often something that happened whenever the marcellus’ patriarch put his iron fist down on the table and cole somehow, could not get around it.

     he could not help but smile at his excitement. despite the obvious let down of an answer he had given, levi was still ever optimistic about his plans. he did not mention to levi that he had to lower the volume of his phone so that his father would not barge in. his friend’s suggestions were nice and cole could only stare up the ceiling of his room, deep in thought, as to what he preferred over the suggestions.

     ‘ picnic by our backyard sounds very appealing! it would mean i’m home and dad won’t ask where i’ll be and who i’ll be with! ’ he told the other, a grin on his face, happy that his friend understood his circumstances.

    It wasn’t dread that settled in the pit of Levi’s stomach as Cole chose his favourite option out of those his friend had suggested. More like a quiet resolve and the kind of stress that often came with knowing you’d be under close scrutiny. Of course when compared to his own father almost every adult seemed strict in Levi’s eyes, but the head of the Marcellus family even more so.

   “Then picnic it is,” he still replied bravely, grin still on his face. He hung out with petty criminals all day – if he thought about it more he was pretty sure some of them dabbled in drug dealing – so a friend’s father shouldn’t scare him so much. At the same time, Levi’s dubious choice of relationships better not come to Mr Marcellus’ attention, or the man could very well force the two friends apart. In a way, Levi would understand that. “What would you like to eat? I’ll bring everything since you’ll be hosting. Then even if we can’t use your backyard tomorrow everything will be ready for another day.”

       ( he would suggest cutting class for a lengthier, more secretive picnic, add some thrill in their lives, but knew better than to drag Cole into that kind of trouble. )

LEVI.

     collin has had an unappetizing dinner. although majority of the attention was handed to his older brother ( he was fine with that, he could have ALL the attention and he wouldn’t mind ), his father had not spared him the reminder of taking military school in the near future. it wasn’t what he wanted and he could only stare back at the apologetic stare his mother sent him, only a small smile was his reply to her, grateful for his mother’s understanding.

      he had not much and so he would always leave his phone almost anywhere he put it down on. this time, it lay on his bed, waiting to be touched. as soon as he opened the lights to his room, he had grabbed the nearest school book to study on and opened it. not after reading one sentence, his phone started to buzz. and although confusion lit up on his face, he knew EXACTLY who it was.

     a grin was sent to his phone as soon as he accepted the call, a familiar view appearing on his phone. “levi!” he exclaimed, letting his friend know how happy he was to be called by him. “pizza? i’m not sure if i can leave the house so suddenly…” his voice was lowered, eyes darting towards his door, afraid his father would overhear the almost clandestine request of his friend. “can it be in the morning?” he asked meekly, knowing his request sounded dumb.

       The two friends had discussed their families at length, or as far and wide as they could, so Levi knew how strict Cole's father was. It saddened him, who was allowed so many things to the point of being unwise in his choices sometimes ( okay, a lot of times ), to see Cole's smile wither away as they'd try to make plans. Tonight was no exception, and Levi couldn't wait for the day his friend would go study somewhere far away from his father so he could finally get a taste of the real life.

      "Tomorrow night, tomorrow!" He said again. Levi knew he spoke too fast when excited, but hardly ever remembered to tone it down. "Would that be okay? We could do it after school and have an early dinner, so you could get home by whatever time is acceptable. We could even have like a picnic in your backyard or something? Uh, if that would be feasible. If it's not we could always have one at my place one of these days."

      It would certainly be less awkward or tense, he thought; from the sound of it there wasn't much in Levi's personality that he'd voluntarily let slip in front of Cole's dad if he wished to be welcome in the Marcellus household again.

Levi and his sisters had grown closer in the recent months. He hadn’t made the same progress towards acceptance with all of them, but having a little brother dumped on them out of nowhere must have been quite the shock and so he couldn’t blame their initial reluctance.

While things were easier as of late and he found it almost easy to confide in them, none came close to Collin in Levi’s book. His closest friend had sat through hours of Levi bemoaning the state of his love life, offering advice and comfort whenever Levi needed it most. Through it all the unlucky boy had grown almost dependant on his friend, as shown by how quickly his hand darted inside his pocket to retrieve his phone the second he had closed his bedroom door behind him when he got home.

“Cole, Cole, Cole, Cole, Cole,” he started to chant while waiting for the Facetime call to be answered. “Cole, Cole, Cole, Cole– Cole!” He exclaimed when his friend’s face came into view. “Hey dude, I miss you! Do you wanna have pizza tomorrow night? How are you?”

Cypress stopped sketching and dropped his head into his hands, a loud unpolished cackle leaving his mouth. That was quite rare that he paid attention long enough to listen. He took a moment to try to collect himself into the unfeeling facade he loved to show off. “A mud-…m-muggleborn is going to tell me I have no manners? You’re telling me how to act?” A peal of laughter left him again, taking away all of his composure. It was utterly ridiculous. Being told what to do. He imagined telling any professor he was simply trying to finish his art would get him out of any punishment the mudblood bestoyed. 

Oh, boy, this was not going to be a good day. And people thought Milo should be avoided at all costs? The worst evil of this school was the one hiding behind a pretty face – it didn’t matter Cypress had refrained from calling him a mudblood, the word was well into his vocabulary, enough that he would think to use it first. Like Levi didn’t have enough to deal with back in the muggle world. His feet took him back to where Cypress was sitting, even though the Hufflepuff didn’t know what exactly he planned to do to the disgusting excuse for a human being he saw. Somehow his body had him covered, it seemed, as one of Levi’s hand flew to cup Cypress’ face, grabbing onto his cheeks and making sure he was looking straight into Levi’s eyes. “This mudblood,” he spat, “is telling you you are a nothing thinking he’s worth everything, and that? Isn’t pretty on anyone.” He released the blond’s face, rubbing his fingers together like he had been tainted by the physical contact. “Careful,” he said, “is that mud on your face?”

To be really honest, Milo wasn’t planning on anything sinister today. The male just wanted a good time and his time with his little debaucheries wasn’t enough to supply him with the so-called human warmth he craved. He knew no one else other than Levi that could tolerate his crazy — heck, Levi was the only person in this whole castle sane enough to trust him. But he never really disclosed to anyone that Milo needed human warmth, everyone just thought he was crazy for his schemes and potions. 

His smile softened to let the other know that today wasn’t the day for crazy schemes and nasty potions. “Don’t get me started on plans, no, no, no.” He said, shaking his head per syllable of no he uttered. “Today is the day for peace, it only comes once a year, so don’t worry. We will just enjoy a good breakfast!”

As Milo’s smile softened, so did Levi’s heart. Even if he had been able to refuse anything to his friend, that smile would have broken down his last line of defence like a knife in melted butter. “So, nothing but breakfast? That’s good, I could get used to it,” he laughed. He was aware of his prefect badge weighing down on his chest, and while it was different when someone not in Hufflepuff broke rules, he still didn’t like having to take points from Milo – which was why he seldom did it.

“Do we get what we need from the kitchens? We eat by the forest?” He pressed his arm against Milo’s and started to walk, not really seeing anyone else at the moment. Maybe because people tended to not stay in Milo’s way too much.

Was Levi crouching a bit about his height and nothing to due with the fact that Cypress was currently sitting? At least it removed to tall boy from most of the light. It enabled him to continue his sketching, ignoring most of what Levi said. “My horse isn’t here currently, Levi. It’s at home.” Had the mudblood ever even seen a horse? “What is the point of you doing all of this? Are your rounds boring? Do you need a friend? I can’t help you in that respect. Goodbye.”

Was that boy even listening to him? Jeez, the nerve some people had! And what was that about all the rich aristocrats in that school? Levi understood it mostly had to do with long lines of wixen making it easier to pile up ridiculous sums of money, but most of them sounded so proud, like they had done more than being born into it. “I understand very well that you’re completely incapable of making anyone feel anything for you but scorn, or a visceral need to drive your head through something solid.” He stood back up, preferring to retreat for the time being. He had never truly experienced anger before and wasn’t desperate to start. “Next time a prefect asks you a question,” he said as he turned around to take his leave, “you better answer it straightaway and with proper behaviour. Wouldn’t want people to think you have no manners, would you?”

As far as Milo was concerned, he never really asked for Levi’s presence. His constant sniffing around his business made it hard for him to deal with almost illegal doings in the school premises. What even made the teachers cautious around him to send an almost perfect boy to sniff around him? Was it the smile? How funny it was for them to judge him based on the smile he gave out to people. But they were mostly right, the only time he smiled was when he was thinking trouble. Didn’t think that this Hufflepuff would be a problem - a problem he didn’t want to solve.

He eyed the other’s prefect badge, something he wanted to take out from the other. Not that he wasn’t proud but the fact that he was a prefect made him some sort of a teacher’s pet. And even if it wasn’t his choice to be, teachers would always rely on these prefects to do the good thing. It disgusted him. The comment made him give him that shark smile he was observing, a little too big of a smile - it made it seem like he was gonna ask for them to go to the Forbidden Forest. “I’d rather eat breakfast outside… where there aren’t any…” he looked around, glaring at those who passed by, “…onlookers.”

The sentence most spoken in Levi’s household was ‘try to understand’. Not between Levi and his dad, they got along perfectly. At first it had been about Levi’s mother, whom he had never known; then it had been about a troublemaker Levi had befriended in his early school years; later on directed at people outside the house, asking to know what had happened with the Kowalczyk child, again and again. Compassion had caused nearly as many waves as magic, back in the day, but it was the former that had been Levi’s downfall when it came to Milo.

The too-big smile the Slytherin wore was a sure sign of trouble, but it just so happened to be what Levi liked best about his friend. One thing nobody could take away from Milo was his creativity. That he used it for unsavoury matters was but a detail, one Levi was all too happy to sweep under the rug. “Outside it is. Be careful though, it sounds like you’re planning something nasty… again.”

With Milo knowing that he didn’t need anyone to be his anchor whenever he felt the urge to burn someone alive with whatever potion he concocted, he certainly did not think that for some reason, he’d be waiting outside his dorm room waiting for him to feel that he’s close by. Also, of all dorm rooms he’d be waiting on, it was the Hufflepuff one. How surprising. 

Before, he’d enter unknowingly, never speaking that he was present, surprising him that he was there. But after the days - years  - had gone by, Levi was used to him going there (all a Hufflepuff would gain when trying to go near the dungeons was more Slytherins trying to bully them and Milo did not want anyone doing that to his dear Levi) so Milo knew, that somehow, the male had felt his presence there.

Fiddling with the fidget cube he had gotten last Christmas, he waited for Levi to get out of bed and sense his presence and luckily enough, he did. He released a chuckle to the other’s comment and replied with a small smirk, “How did you know I hum the Jaws theme?” He never really did though, but it was an amusing thought.

Back when he had first been assigned Milo to chaperone, Levi had had to put in some work to feel like he was accepted by the Slytherin’s side. Not only did Milo not want the supervision, it was also a ploy on the teachers’ part to dangle the prefect badge under his nose like a trophy. Keep that one in check, and you’ll get the badge, they said without words. But Milo was a big boy who knew how to keep a low profile, and while Levi had found out some less than tasteful things about the redhead, he hadn’t needed to protect him or testify against him. It had taken some work, but eventually they had become friends.

At times like these, when Levi got out of his dorm room and saw Milo there, while feeling the crease in his robe where his prefect badge was pinned, he felt quite satisfied with himself. Better yet was the smirk he was granted. “Something about your shark smile,” he quipped, sliding closer to his friend as a way to silently ask if it was okay to start invading his space yet. Just because Levi could live glued to other humans didn’t make it okay to hog all of Milo’s personal bubble. “What are you doing today? Do you want to take breakfast somewhere other than the hall?”

Levi woke up everyday feeling pretty much the same: content, cheerful, and ready to welcome the day’s challenges and surprises with open arms. He rarely got mad or anxious for too long, as a result every day felt roughly the same.

It was easy, then, to notice when something different was going on; at the moment it was a pinprick at the back of his neck, something that made him want to turn around and steal glances under cover of yawning. Yet that, too, had become part of his emotional scenery. Stopping in his tracks (which had been slow, as he had been trying to find something in the mess that was his school bag), he leaned against the wall, looking left and right until he found what he had been looking for.

Or more precisely, who. “Hey, Milo. Come closer instead of playing the Jaws theme to yourself.” Which, probably he wasn’t, but the creeping always reminded Levi of that bloody tune.

“What?” Levi always had to speak about Muggle things as if they had any importance or relevance. “Are you done?” Cypress raised an eyebrow, half a step away from standing so he could tap his foot in impatience. He wouldn’t leave due to the prefect’s constant need to be a thorn in his side but he might report him. “Don’t you need to stop a first year from wetting themselves? I’m working. You’re impeding on the progress of my education. Go.”

That attitude was the exact reason Levi wished Cypress had been mute. Maybe he could arrange that with a quick spell, but that would get him in trouble. Instead he crouched down by the blond boy, feeling annoyance punching at his chest in an attempt to get out, get acted on for once. “You know, I really wonder sometimes, who do you think you are to talk down to people like that?” He asked in an even voice, no superfluous feeling getting in the way, but for once he wasn’t smiling. “Just because this is a castle and you live in it doesn’t make you royalty, Cypress. Get off your high horse, you’re just another kid.”

“Wonderful. It wasn’t blocking my light? You’re still standing in the way.” Of course Levi would be dull enough to interrupt him. He had no concern about his attitude towards the prefect. Why would a top student, a verified prodigy in Herbology, ever be written up for having a bad attitude? That would never be the case. “If I haven’t turned around to look at you, do you suppose I’ve spared anyone else a glance?” Huffing, Cypress shot Levi a glare. “I’m trying to finish my work. Do you have the ability to move or are you simply a low rent auror?”

The haughtiness Cypress frequently (constantly?) displayed was nothing really new for Levi: some people looked down on Hufflepuff as a house, and he was well aware of how yet others perceived people with a blood status such as his. Regardless of his opinions on both topics, the Ravenclaw was still a snob, which was a let down considering how handsome he was. If only he could stand around and never open his mouth, he could be great company. “Given that you don’t tolerate a shadow, I supposed you wouldn’t tolerate any kind of smoke, either. Do you have the ability to pretend to be part of the school or are you simply an Amazing Spider-Man film?” he asked, not moving an inch from his position.

Cypress let out a sigh. The plant he was attempting to draw was now cast in shadows, thanks to someone’s rude interruption. What was the point of open hours in the Greenhouses if he couldn’t have them by himself? Did people even think? Without bothering to glance, at who could be preposterous enough to enter during his well known time, he spoke. “Go smoke your gillyweed somewhere else. The first place the prefects check is here.”

“Oh, that’s– that’s what I was doing, actually,” Levi nervously replied. Physically, Cypress wasn’t exactly intimidating. If one made sure not to look at his face, because the haughtiness of his chin and judgement in his eyes made Levi want to yell and throw whatever he had in hand at the blond like it was a hot potato. Just to give him something to do that wasn’t piercing his soul with his stare. “Hm, has anyone- have you told anyone else where to take their illicit smoking habits? Someone who was actually smoking?”