June 1st - June 19th
It's almost summer! The last few weeks of school have come, and students will need to study hard for their final exams! Don't let up yet, or your grades won't be what you want them to. Of course, the weather is almost perfect and pristine, in attempts to lure students away from their studies.
Slipping Away [02.21.09] ISO: ArmandWarning: Hey! This thread is going to deal with some heavy stuff, so if you are under the age of 14 or so I reckon that it's best if you don't read this thread. There isn't anything that actually happens, but the ideas behind this thread are heavy and mature.
Lucian took a deep breath, closing his eyes and breathing in through his nose, exhaling through his mouth. It was chipper and cold, and the wind was still howling in the last throngs of winter. Soon it would officially be spring again. The snow would melt, flowers would start popping up all over, and the sun would shine upon their rosy cheeks that were chapped with the winter cold. It had been a hard winter, harder than Lucian had ever known. He could never have dreamt that anything that had passed ever would. His struggles with Armand had brought him close to a breaking point, but he couldn't afford to break. He had to be the strong one, and it paid off. They were happy now. At peace. Lucian felt closer to Armand than ever before. Maybe because he knew more about Armand, and was being allowed into the other boy's life on a level that he hadn't known in the past. Lucian sent Armand a long sideways glance, his hand slipping over to grasp Armand's lightly. They were going to be okay now. Armand's life was being put back together, and Lucian was going to be there for him.
Lucian hadn't been to Hogsmeade for quite some time, and he was thrilled to be out and about with his boyfriend. The past few months had been like trudging through mud, but now they could move around again. The angry glares they got had died down to a select few that still refused to tolerate their relationship, but for the most part, people were okay with the couple. Now that they were in Hogsmeade, they were getting a few strange glances from people wandering around, but that could be attributed to the fact that they had never really taken their relationship beyond the castle walls of Hogwarts. It was nice and refreshing to be in a new place, particularly Hogsmeade. Lucian had always desired to walk down the cobbled streets with a significant other, because there were so many small shops and buildings where couples could go and be intimate without being stared at. Like the coffee shop... They might go there later and make fun of other couples oogling each other... After Lucian checked out the broom shop, that is. The two had some very different tastes, so Armand would probably want to check out the Magical Music shoppe while Lucian drooled over brooms.
"I don't even need to ask where you want to go." Lucian stated warmly, snuggling up to Armand's forearm. He pulled his winter coat closer, because it was still nippy, even though the sun was beaming down through the clouds. He had on his usual winter white hat, with the matching mittens in his pockets. His ginger hair was still damp from the hasty bath he had taken earlier that morning, so it clung to his face a bit. His Hufflepuff scarf was wrapped around his neck, covering the black sweater turtleneck, with the tassels falling somewhere around his waist. He had gotten the turtleneck for Christmas from his big sister Amy (a big step up from the usual bows and skirts she tried to force upon him when he was younger). "You're headed straight for the music shoppe, right?" He nudged Armand lightly before loosening his hold. Lucian sent Armand an affectionate glance before his dark eyes fell on the Quidditch shop. Not that he minded going to the magical music store, Lucian just didn't really see any point in going because he was a vocalist. He didn't need anything for an instrument, because his voice was his instrument. He played a little guitar, but only enough so that he could strum out a few basic notes when he needed to.
"Well I want to check out the latest broom cleaning equipment." He exclaimed as he looked back at Armand. Merlin... Now that he was closer to Armand, more than he had ever been before, he couldn't help but notice the fact that his heart kept speeding up whenever he was around the older boy. He felt such an intense feeling for Armand that he could hardly recognize it for what it was. Love. He hadn't told Armand yet, but he knew that it was there, and that's what the feeling was. He himself had just finally admitted that he was really in love with Armand a few days ago, so he was nowhere near ready to confess such a thing to the seventh year. What if Armand laughed at him? Deep down, Lucian knew he wouldn't, but he couldn't help but worry just a little bit. The only person Armand had ever really loved was Bobby... What if he didn't feel the same way that Lucian did? Lucian tried to ignore his worried as he gave Armand's hand a squeeze. He was just happy that they were out of the dark waters they had been in during Christmas.
As much as Armand had enjoyed the snow and the cold and the snuggling by the fireplace, he was glad to see that spring was upon them. The winter holidays were always a tough few weeks for Armand, and this year had been particularly tough. The year before, he'd spent most of the holidays wasted so he hadn't had to deal with the drama that came along with Christmas and whatnot, but the Slytherin was sobering up. Or he was supposed to, anyhow. He'd managed to get himself fairly wasted and stoned during the holidays due to a few unwanted letters, but Armand had pulled through, thanks to Lucian. No one would have ever thought that, for once, it would be Lucian saving Armand. Armand had been the one knee-deep in water, unable to get out and Lucian had come to his rescue. He'd been there for him and helped him through those tough weeks, and Armand was grateful for it.
And since then, their relationship seemed to get better and closer. The entire ordeal had made Armand willing to open up and less afraid to let someone into his life. He'd managed to tell Lucian about his family life and his troubling and inconsistant past. He still had some trouble talking about Bobby, but he managed to give Lucian the general idea of what had gone down and what their relationship had been like. The bond between the two boys seemed to have only gotten stronger after the trials they had had to endure during the winter holidays, and it showed.
As he felt Lucian grab his hand, Armand returned the grasp, smiling at the Hufflepuff. He subconciously moved closer to him as they walked, content and, for the first time in a while, really and truly carefree. Having told Lucian everything was a weight off of his shoulders, not to mention that now, there was nothing standing in the way of their relationship. Armand had let down his emotional barriers and the two were rapidly growing closer. And the populace of Hogwarts were starting to grow weary of taunting them as well, meaning the two had to spend less time rolling their eyes at the insults and strange looks. Many had accepted the relationship and people who previously thought it just a weird phase seemed to believe that what Lucian and Armand had was real. There were still a few skeptics and cynics, but not enough to make an impact. Armand and Lucian were home free.
"I don't even need to ask where you want to go."
Armand grinned as Lucian snuggled into his forearm. "I go to the same place everytime, don't I?" he replied, equally warmly and somewhat playfully. "I mean, if I went somewhere else, that might upset the balance of the earth and we might go spiralling in the opposite direction. Wouldn't want that now, would we?" He laughed lightly, bringing Lucian's hand to his mouth and kissing his knuckles gently. The two usually went everywhere together, but Hogsmeade was one place they usually split up, at least for a few moments. Armand wasn't all that into Quidditch and flying, so he didn't quite enjoy wandering through the Quidditch Supply Shop. In fact, the only reason he stepped foot into that shop and onto the Quidditch Pitch was due to Lucian. Even though he wasn't exactly fond of the sport, the Slytherin supported his boyfriend and was willing to do a few things he didn't necessarily want to do just so he could be around Lucian.
But today, he didn't feel like he was in the mood to be dragged around the supply shop.
"You're headed straight for the music shoppe, right?" The musically inclined Slytherin nodded. "Well I want to check out the latest broom cleaning equipment."
"As usual," Armand replied teasingly, smiling at Lucian as he watched the boy glance over at the Quidditch Supply Shop.
His expression was soft and loving; an expression that usually was not seen on the face of Armand D'Angelo-Crestemere. Well, not unless he was looking at Lucian. Lately, Armand was feeling quite close to the boy after all, and he was starting to realize how much he really cared about him and what he was willing to sacrifice for him. When the Slytherin first started feeling that way, he immediately knew it was love. Despite not having really loved anyone aside from Bobby, Armand was never one to deny what was there. He knew what he felt and he knew it was real. Admitting it aloud was a different story, of course, seeing as Armand had never really told anyone he loved them. Not seriously, at least. Even when he was with Bobby, the two boys had never really told the other they loved them; they seemed to have some sort of mutual understanding that love was there and had felt no need to announce it. It would have been better if they did, but they were young and, although they would never admit it, afraid. Even know, Armand supposed he was afraid of those words and perhaps that was why he had yet to tell Lucian. He also didn't want Lucian to feel pressured. If he told Lucian he loved him, the Hufflepuff might, in turn, feel pressured to say the same without meaning it, which would, perhaps, be worse than not saying it at all.
"Well, how about we do what we usually do? Meet back at the Three Broomsticks in thirty minutes. Sound good, love?" Armand asked. He probably could have wandered around the music shoppe for hours, but he could condense that into half an hour if he had to.
"I go to the same place everytime, don't I?" he replied, equally warmly and somewhat playfully. "I mean, if I went somewhere else, that might upset the balance of the earth and we might go spiralling in the opposite direction. Wouldn't want that now, would we?"
"Mm-hmm." Lucian replied with a cheeky grin, pinkening with delight as Armand kissed his knuckles, "Merlin, who'da thought that the great Armand would be so predictable!" The very thought of someone like Armand being predictable, or heaven forbid, tame, was almost laughable. Even so, they were all creatures of habit in one way or another. Merlin. Lucian had changed so much in the past few months, that a year ago he wouldn't have recognized himself. Spending so much time around Armand was bound to influence anyone, especially for someone like Lucian, who still had so much potential locked inside of him just begging to be opened. There was so much in store for Lucian, and his talents had just barely been tapped by Armand.
"As usual,"Lucian grinned at Armand, "Well yeah! I mean," he began eagerly, "they have so many new things in! I was reading Quidditch weekly, and they said there's this cleaning kit that will take your speed up 3 percent! Can you believe it? 3 percent! That's absolutely massive! Humongous! Gargantuin! And then tiny bludgers, little miniature ones that are as big as my fist! And there's a book that I haven't--" Lucian caught himself in mid-sentence when he realized that he was beginning to ramble... His cheeks flushed with embarrassment and tugged habitually at the edge of his white knit hat, since it was too awkward to push at his hair since his hat was covering the top of his head. Lucian always did his best to keep from rambling. He was sure that the last thing Armand wanted to do was listen to him talk about Quidditch like a little kid. He gave Armand's hand another loving squeeze before he looked down at the cobblestones beneath them. Being together like this, walking, laughing, holding hands. it was a nice, and refreshing change from the dark months before. Armand's drug use was no longer hanging over their heads, and the prospect of his father was no longer looming above them in the near future. They could finally be at peace together, and there was nothing more for them to stress and worry about. All they had to do was worry about spending too much time together and neglecting their studies... Things were going to get busy with the OWLs and NEWTs, so it was important that they spend as much time as possible together now. Before their lives became hectic again.
"Well, how about we do what we usually do? Meet back at the Three Broomsticks in thirty minutes. Sound good, love?"
"You read my mind." Lucian piped cheerfully, grinning up at Armand. "Half an hour then." He leaned up and gave Armand's cheek a light kiss, pressing his cold nose against the Slytherin's upper cheek before falling back onto his heels, "And don't spend all your money, or else I'll have to buy you a butter beer, and then you'd be in my debt." His dark eyes reflected the amusement that his serious tone hid, and he reached up to give Armand another light kiss. Lucian could probably stay in the Quidditch shop all day, but he wanted to spend time with Armand and shop. "I'll see you in thirty." He added, smiling gently up at Armand, adding a mental, I love you, because he was to fearful to actually say it out loud. He gave Armand's hand one last squeeze before finally letting go and heading in the opposite direction.
Lucian popped into the Quidditch shop, his eyes wide as he glanced around, smiling at the familiar little jingling bell at the door as he stepped in. There were so many whirling spinning noise making toys and gadget for enhancing your flight experience that Lucian could stay in the tiny shop for hours. But as it were, he only had half an hour to browse and to buy. Most gadgets that helped to make your broom faster were illegal during matches, but were fine for practicing on molding your technique. Lucian wouldn't be surprised if soon, there would be a virtual broom simulator, so that you could practice without ever leaving the ground. Not that Lucian really needed flight enhancing gadgets. He had been a natural, from the first moment he swung his leg over the broom. His family attributed his flying ability to the fact that he had been in love with flight before he ever touched a wizard broom. Nevertheless, there wasn't a single book that Lucian hadn't read on improving technique and cutting down on wind resistance. Which attributed to Lucian being very knowledgeable about broomsticks and the cleaning kits that went along with them. With the right cleaning kit, one could drastically enhance their speed, even on an old broom like Lucian's Nimbus 2000.
Lucian wandered the store for a moment, his eyes the size of saucers before he finally came to the Quidditch Cleaning kit that had gotten five golden snitches rating in Quidditch Weekly. Lucian placed his hands on top of the glass and let out a giant sigh as he stared down at the kit. This was what he really needed. It took all his self control to keep from drooling all over the case at the thought of increasing his speed by 3 percent. 3 percent. Merlin. He'd be so fast with this kit... He shoved one hand in his pocket, fondling his galleons for a moment as he counted them up by feel... Merlin.. His face fell for a moment. He didn't have enough money. There was a large price card beside the kit. He was short a galleon and three sickles. He sent a saddened glance around the shop before moving onto the next item. There were plenty of other things to blow his money on... Like the miniature Bludgers that had been released to the public last month.
Lucian approached the shelf with little boxes with bludgers printed across the top. A few of them were struggling in the casing, while others remained placid. His eyes gleamed with happiness as he watched the boxes for a moment, picking a few up and weighing them in his hands. He could afford one of these. He simply had to get one... His mind was made up. He picked up one of the bludger boxes and looked it over for a moment, pulling two Galleons out of his pocket, along with a few sickles and knuts. he had enough for one of these, which was all he really needed to practice. Lucian wasn't half bad at Quidditch, especially now that he had taken up a bit of personal training to stay in shape. When things with Armand exploded, Lucian had let things slide a little bit, and his arms had grown weaker over the past month. He needed to stay in shape if he wanted to remain a beater on next year's team.
He went to stand in line for the register, glancing around at the extremely full shop. It was full of elders, teens, and young kids who couldn't buy anything anyway. Lucian was sort of envious of kids who were born to wizarding families. They knew of Quidditch and flying all of their lives, and Lucian had only found out a few years ago... Once he got up to the front and bought the mini bludger, he declined a bag and shoved it into the pocket of his coat, glancing around. He caught sight of the clock and made a mental note of the time. He had a few more minutes to browse before he should head over. He loved being early... But he loved Quidditch more.
Thirty-five minutes passed before Lucian finally left the shop, the sounds of laughter and chatter muffled by the door as it closed behind him. He glanced around for a few moments, trying to spot Armand before putting both hands in his pockets, kicking a little mound of snow down before stepping off to the side of the Shop, leaning up against the wall. No doubt the older Slytherin was just as late as Lucian was... Maybe he'd see Armand heading over so they could walk back together... Little did he know that he was being watched by a group of older males, leering at him from several feet away, measuring up how much of a struggle Lucian would put up.
"Hey." Lucian looked up in surprise as someone called out to him. He hadn't seen anyone approaching him. It was an older boy with light hair and eyes, giving him a friendly smile. "I saw you looking at the Quidditch cleaning kit. Are you a Quidditch buff too?" Lucian nodded silently. "Yeah, I read all about it in Quidditch weekly. Three percent. Crazy huh?" The boy continued, undaunted by Lucian's quiet response. Lucian was still nervous and shy when it came to people he didn't know, especially when he didn't have Armand's strength beside him to encourage him. "Yeah." He murmured, staring down at his feet. "Wicked." The other boy replied. "So you play Quidditch? Are you a Seeker?" Lucian shook his head, "No," He began nervously, "I'm a Beater." "A beater?" The boy exclaimed, laughing, "No way. I thought you might be a seeker since you're so small, but I guess I owe my friend A galleon.... Hey, Charlie," He turned over his shoulder and beckoned his friend over with a wave. Lucian's eyes locked onto a darker boy heading their way, grinning with triumphant victory. "I was right?" He called as he neared them, several friends behind him, "Pay up, All of you!"
"Charlie here has an eye for beaters I guess." The fair boy explained, fishing a Galleon out of his pocket and tossing it into Charlie's hand. "I'm Jeff, by the way. That's Bilius, you already know Charlie, and then that big guy with freckles in Drew. We're all mad about Quidditch." "You too, right?" The big freckled Drew grunted. Lucian nodded shyly, his eyes flitting between the boys. "Merlin, you're quiet." muttered scrawny Billius, who quickly spat on the snow. "Hey, be nice Billius, he's just a kid! Can't be older than... Fifteen! Right kid?" Jeff quickly responded, sending Lucian a goofy grin. Lucian shook his head, "No, I just turned sixteen." Charlie shook his black hair out of his eyes and laughed, "Close Jeff, close. He's a real ace when it comes to guessing ages. He got me right on the head when we met two years ago. 18 and three quarters. Right on the head." Jeff shrugged, "We all have our gifts." Bilius let out a loud snort before spitting on the ground again. Jeff sent Bilius what Lucian recognized as a warning glance. "So what's your name kid? You know ours." Drew finally asked, trying to bring Lucian's attention away from Bilius. "Lucian." The Hufflepuff muttered. "Lucian!" Jeff exploded enthusiastically as he began to ignore Bilius, "Great Name!" "Ace name!" Charlie added. "Mmm." Lucian replied, watching them all.
Lucian's brow furrowed slightly, "Well, it was nice meeting you, but I have to go, I'm meeting someone in a few minutes and I wanted to be early."
"Leaving already kid? You can't go yet! I was about to show you something great!" Jeff exclaimed in dismay. Lucian shifted uncomfortably. The group had gathered around him in a half circle, with his back pressed against the wall of the shop. "It's the backdoor to the Quidditch shop. If you go in through there, they'll give you discounts and everything. It's bloody wicked!" Jeff continued quickly, a cheery grin on his face. "I really should get going." Lucian murmured timidly, tugging at his hat. He was growing very uncomfortable with the situation, and wanted to get over to where Armand was probably waiting by now... "Come on," Drew implored, "You'd be mad to turn this down!" "A raving loony." Charles confirmed quickly. A wooden point pressing into his side made Lucian gasp and look down. Bilius had his wand jutting into his side, "And if you don't go I'll hex you into next week. So come on." Lucian paled and stared at the group, "Hey, guys, come on. I really need to get going."
"We're not messing around." Bilius hissed under his breath, "Now shut it, and get moving, or I'll use a forbidden curse on you." Lucian stared at Bilius, his eyes drifting over to Drew, Charlie, and Jeff, who all now wore solemn, but twisted expressions. "I--" Lucian began, "Come on Lucian." Jeff murmured in a soothing voice, "Just ignore Bilius. He's a Pratt." he slung his arm around Lucian, keeping a tight grip in his shoulder. "We're not going to curse you, not if you cooperate and don't make a peep." Lucian felt suddenly numb as he was brought into their circle, completely blocked from the crowds of Hogsmeade as they led him into a back alley. "Guys," Lucian began weakly, "Really, I'm not joking, I have to be somewhere." "Merlin, he's cute Jeff," Dark Charlie commented as they continued to pull the Hufflepuff down the alley, "He actually thinks we'll let him go. Think he's cherry?" "Why do you think I picked him eh?" Jeff laughed, "It's no fun if he's experienced. He's only sixteen. You'd have to be pretty corrupt if you weren't a virgin at this age."
The hair on the back of Lucian's neck was standing on end as they continued to laugh and joke, making crude comments to each other. From what he gathered about their conversation, they were all at least 19, and a judging from the grip Jeff had on his shoulder, they were all a lot stronger than he was. After about twenty more paces down the dark Alley, they stopped walking. "Sorry kid," Jeff began, "This is our stop." He gestured toward a door that Lucian hadn't seen a second before. Drew unlocked the door and opened it, stepping in to reveal a dark room with decaying furniture, scraps of trash, and boarded up windows. "I--" Lucian gulped, staring at the room. He didn't want to go in there. He couldn't go in there. "Aahh--" Jeff shoved him forward, sending him flying into big Drew's chest, where he was quickly enveloped into a bear hug. "Who do you spose he was meeting?" Charlie asked as the all entered the room and locked the door behind them.
"You got a girlfriend Lucian?" Jeff asked in a taunting tone, beginning to pull his shirt off. Lucian gulped and tried to wriggle out of Drew's hold. "Merlin, he's stronger than he looks." "Cause he's a beater." Charles commented offhandedly, "What can I say, I thought he was a seeker." Jeff replied, tossing his shirt on the ground. "Now we're going to have a little fun, Lucian." Jeff began in a scholarly tone, "Whatever I take off, you have to take off. And you can scream all you want, but we're completely detached from the public."
Lucian's heart was racing, and dread was clutching at his heart. He already knew what was going to happen... But it couldn't. Not to him. Not now. Not when things were going so perfectly... Lucian gulped as his mouth ran dry. Jeff took a few slow steps over to him, "Let go of him Drew, he can't go anywhere." Drew released his crushing hold on the younger boy, and Lucian nearly fell over. His arms and his legs were shaking, but he couldn't move. "You cold?" Asked Jeff, "Well, don't worry, we'll have you warmed up in a few minutes." He put his hands on Lucian's shoulders, rubbing them for a moment before pulling off his coat and tossing it on the floor. Lucian could only quake more, hugging himself where he stood. Jeff smirked and ripped off Lucian's white knit hat, tossing it on top of the coat. "He's pretty slender for a beater." He observed as he slipped Lucian's scarf off. "You should be a seeker, kid." Lucian stood there for a moment, watching Jeff with wide, blank eyes.
"Hey Jeff," Bilius snorted, "I think you broke him. He's not saying anything. Aren't you scared kid? You know what we're gonna do right?"
Fear and hatred took hold of Lucian's entire body, and there was only one thing he could think of saying, but he was desperate. He needed to get free... But he was too scared to move. Lucian shook for a moment, staring unseeingly at them before finally speaking. "Fuck you--" he choked, leaping forward and slamming against Jeff, knocking him down and racing toward the door. "Woah--" Jeff exclaimed from the ground, "Grab him!" Bilius yelled, and Charlie was quick to oblige, his arms swooping around Lucian and pulling him back from the door, pinning his arms to his sides so he could only kick and flail harmlessly. "Tut tut tut." Charlie murmured, his lips enveloping Lucian's ear. "Aah--" Lucian gasped and tried to yank his head in the opposite direction. Ohgodohgodohgod---He might die here. Without ever seeing Armand again.... "If you play nice." Jeff growled as he stood up, "We'll let you go when we're done..." Lucian stopped struggling, turning to stare at Jeff, his tearing eyes full of hate. "Do you swear?" He asked quietly, "Do you swear that you'll let me go?" It was stupid to trust them, he knew. But if there was a chance that he could live through this to see Armand... They could easily kill him with a forbidden spell, and no one would ever know about it...
"Scouts Honor." Jeff replied with a twisted grin. Lucian gulped and closed his eyes. "Well guys, I think that's a 'go ahead' if I ever saw one!" Jeff exclaimed cheerfully, rubbing his hands together. "I do believe it is." Charles affirmed, nipping Lucian's ear as Drew moved forward to put his hands on Lucian's waist. "Move your arms Charles." Drew grunted, and Charlie did so. Lucian's turtleneck was off with an instant, and he began to shiver and shudder out of cold and fear. "Hey!" Drew exclaimed suddenly, "He's pretty fit for a kid." "It's the beater in him." Charles murmured proudly, his words contorted because his mouth was still attached to Lucian's ear. Drew nodded and stepped back for Jeff, who walked over and began to trace the lines of Lucian's abdomen and chest, smirking triumphantly. "I must say, I've got a good eye." Lucian recoiled slightly into Charlie, away from Jeff's touch.
"I don't think he likes you!" Drew laughed loudly, pointing at Jeff. "Shut it fatty." Jeff scowled, "I have first go. Then Charles. Then Bilius. And you're last, for that comment." Drew shrugged. "Easier for me. All the fight will be dead by then." Lucian tried to drown out their voices with his thoughts. Maybe... Maybe if he could pretend it was Armand--things would be okay... Armand.. Lucian whimpered quietly as Jeff's thick, leathery hands caressed his sides. There was no way he could pretend they were Armand's hands... "Sshh.." Jeff murmured next to Lucian's other ear, as Charlie didn't seem to keen on letting go of his other one. "Just relax kid." He added as one hand slid up his chest and neck to toy with his ginger hair. "You'll thank us for the experience later." Lucian squeezed his eyes shut and cringed, struggling for a moment, but Charlie and Jeff held him, sandwiching him and keeping him from moving. "Shhh. It won't hurt. I promise." Lucian gulped, his saliva sticking in his throat and causing him to cough a little. Maybe he could find a corner of his mind where he could retreat until it was all over.
Jeff's bare chest was now pressed up against his, sending a cold chill through out his entire body. "We'll give you back to your girl soon." Jeff hissed into Lucian's ear, his hands winding down to Lucian's belt. "If you work with us, you'll be free in no time." Free. If he wanted to be free... Lucian took a sharp breath. Freedom. They weren't giving him any other choices... It was Four against one. The odds were hardly in his favor. But was he supposed to just lay there and take it? He craned his neck over Charlie's shoulder to see Bilius guarding the door, wand at the ready to blast Lucian if he tried to escape. He couldn't scream. He couldn't run. He had no other options... A pitiful whine escaped his lips as Jeff began to kiss the side of his neck. "Just make our jobs easy and you'll be free." Lucian shut his eyes again, his heart throbbing painfully against his chest, his stomach gripped by fear.
"Come on guys." Jeff grunted, as they moved into some sort of formation. Apparently they were used to this. How many other young boys and girls had they lured into this very room? Lucian stared around at the dank walls, spotting details he hadn't noticed before. Fingernail marks, horrific stains. Lucian let out a whine and began to struggle against Charlie and Jeff, who were still holding him up. Jeff scowled, "What did we tell you," He growled through clenched teeth, "Don't. Struggle." He ripped Lucian from Charlie's hold, and whirled Lucian around so that he was facing Charlie and the door. "Four Against One Kid." Drew said with a smirk. Lucian glanced around wildly as the group began to form a sort of upside down star shape. They were certainly experienced with this sort of thing. Lucian tried to take a step backward but Jeff caught him by the shoulders, his fingers digging into Lucian's skin, so that the point of contact began to bruise, "I was going to be nice about this." Jeff growled. Nice. Lucian thought bitterly, Like you know the meaning of the word. "If you're going to be nice," Lucian hurried, "Then let me go. Just let me go and--I won't tell anybody--Just let me go--" He held his breath as Jeff inched his face closer, "Let you go? Now where would that get us?"
Suddenly, Jeff shoved Lucian backward. Lucian's body was stiff and it was almost impossible to move. All he could do was trip over himself and fall backwards onto the hard, cold floor. "Aah--" He exclaimed painfully, about to get up when they descended upon him. Charlie grabbed wildly for his arms, latching each hand onto the wrist and pulling them above Lucian's head sharply, pinning them to the ground.Bilius and Drew latched onto his legs, and were holding them down. "Now," Jeff spat, "I'm going to have to be mean to you, kid." Lucian stared up at Jeff, before trying to search for a kind face among the people acting as his chains. Not a glimmer of goodness was among them. Not even a glint in the corner of an eye. They were too callous now to realize how evil their actions truly were. Lucian lay there for a moment, in complete shock. They were going to make this as brutal and painful as possible. Lucian began to try and thrash and bite, doing everything he could to struggle free as Jeff stood over him.
Lucian's heart was pounding, and the roaring sound of blood rushing to his ears made him deaf to the noises around him as he tried to yank his arms and legs free. This wasn't going to happen. It couldn't happen.
Re: Slipping Away [02.21.09] ISO: Armand "Mm-hmm." Lucian replied with a cheeky grin, pinkening with delight as Armand kissed his knuckles, "Merlin, who'da thought that the great Armand would be so predictable!"
Armand put on a face of mock horror as he looked at Lucian. "Predictable? Me? How could you even suggest such a thing?" he asked as if genuinely insulted. Of course, he knew that Lucian knew otherwise and laughed lightly. It was so funny to think about how a few months ago, Lucian probably would have gotten red, turned his face to the ground, and apologized after Armand made that comment. In fact, a few months ago Lucian wouldn’t have even dared to joke about anything. He’d been so quiet and reserved. It amazed the Slytherin a bit the amount Lucian had changed simply by hanging around him. Although he wasn’t as arrogant as many of the snakes were, Armand was fairly certain most of the changes were due to Lucian being around him. Aside from Armand, there had been little change in Lucian’s life and if there were changes, those changes were because of his newfound relationship with the Slytherin rocker. And Armand had a feeling those changes were not going to stop anytime soon.
For instance, the amount that Lucian talked nowadays. Before, Armand had to practically open the boy’s mouth to get him to talk, but now, when he was talking about some things, the Slytherin could hardly get him to shut up. Proof of that was when Lucian began rambling about broom cleaning kits and whatnot. Armand never really understood why people were so anal about their brooms and keeping them clean and yadda-yadda. He thought that as long as the broom flew and flew well, it was good. What else did they need? But then again, Armand had never been a sports person. Even when he was younger, he’d never been interested in going out for soccer or whatever. The only sports that he watched on TV at home was Muggle ice-skating and that was just to laugh when one of the figure skaters took a face plant into the ice. Mean, yes, but oh-so amusing.
"You read my mind," Lucian replied to Armand's preposal of meeting in half an hour. "Half an hour then." He then leaned up to give Armand a light kiss on the cheet, to which the Slytherin couldn't help but grin. He couldn't even begin to express how much little things like that meant to him. "And don't spend all your money, or else I'll have to buy you a butter beer, and then you'd be in my debt."
The Slytherin put a pout on his face. "Aw... But so many bands have released new albums this month! How do you expect me to continue being musical if I don't blow all of my cash on music?" he asked.
"I'll see you in thirty." Armand nodded, squeezing Lucian's hand back before the Hufflepuff set off in the direction of the Quidditch Supply Shop. The older boy stood where he was for a moment, watching as Lucian walked off into the crowd. He frowned slightly, suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable about letting him walk off on his own. Armand wasn't sure why he felt that way. Perhaps it was because ever since they'd gotten together, they were together every moment they could spare. Armand was attached to Lucian, not to mention extremely protective. He wasn't protective to the point of not letting Lucian socialize with anyone, but he worried about the younger boy. Armand thought himself a bit stupid for being paranoid, but he just didn't know what he would do if anything happened to the Hufflepuff boy. Lucian had already proven that he was a big part of Armand's life and served as somewhat of a lifesaver to the slowly drowning Slytherin, and Armand was afraid that if he lost Lucian, he would drown and never be able to resurface.
Maybe that was why he was afraid of telling Lucian he loved him. Armand was a highly independent person and the fact that one person was keeping him above the water scared him.
Shaking the thought off, Armand turned around and headed toward the music shoppe. He casually walked inside, smiling at a few people he recognized before heading toward the album section of the store. He walked around, glancing at some of the newer editions before heading over to the instruments. Armand had a decent amount of money, but he knew better than to blow it all on a new bass or guitar. Still, he couldn't help but walk over and torture himself by looking at the new bass guitar the shop had on display. Practically drooling over it, Armand tentatively picked it up and plucked some of the strings, listening to the low, humm of the bass. The sound was like heaven to the Slytherin and he wasn't sure why he was torturing himself by even touching the beautiful instrument that he would never be able to afford.
As he wandered through the shop, picking up a few things, Armand lost track of time and by the time he went to the check out desk, he realized it had already been half an hour. He swore under his breath as he grabbed his bag of merchandise and raced out of the door. He knew Lucian wouldn't leave or anything if he was late, but Armand just didn't want to be late. He didn't like the thought of Lucian waiting for him alone in front of the Three Broomsticks. So, he jogged through the streets of Hogsmeade before coming across the Three Broomsticks, expecting Lucian to be waiting for him. But the Hufflepuff boy was nowhere in sight and Armand furrowed his brows as he glanced around for any sign of Lucian. He didn't see the ginger-haired boy though and shrugged, thinking that perhaps the boy he already gone inside and saved them a booth. But as Armand wandered through the pub, he saw that Lucian wasn't inside either and soon walked back outside, beginning to get worried.
He probably just lost track of time, Armand told himself as he walked quickly toward the Quidditch Supply Shop. But the Hufflepuff wasn't in there either and now Armand was beginning to panic. Where was Lucian? Did something happen? Did he get lost?
Okay, calm down. Breath, Armand thought, coaching himself and trying to straighten out his thoughts. But he couldn't help but feel worried and panicked, and gathering his thoughts didn't seem to help at all, for a few minutes afterwards, he was running through the streets of Hogsmeade, trying to find Lucian. He even went up to a few strangers and asked them if they'd seen Lucian. He asked nearly ever Hogwarts student that he passed, but no one had seen him. The Slytherin chewed on his lip as he walked out of the Hog's Head, wondering where the hell Lucian could be. His mind was racing as he glanced around in a panicked manner. Then, a thought suddenly reached his head. He took out his wand, lay it flat in his palm and murmured, "Find Lucian." The wand spun and pointed in a direction and the Slytherin was off again, murmuring the spell several times to get into the right direction. Finally, the wand pointed toward a dark alleyway and Armand replaced his wand back in his pocket before jogging over to the alleyway, praying Lucian was there. He didn't even think about what Lucian was doing in an alleyway and was just relieved his wand had been able to tell him where the Hufflepuff was.
But as Armand turned into the alley, he noticed it was empty. There were no signs of human life and Armand looked around, confused. He was fairly certain he'd done the spell correctly, yet he didn't see Lucian. Cautiously, he stepped into the alleyway, glancing around as he did so. He continued down, praying he'd find Lucian somewhere, and then as though his prayers had been answered, he saw a door. It wasn't a very friendly looking door, but it was a door and that meant it led somewhere. Even if Lucian wasn't in there, maybe someone else was and could help him find the Hufflepuff. But as he neared the door, he began to hear voices and, not wanting to bust in, Armand moved closer toward the door and put his ear to it, trying to make out what was going on.
"Now," Armand heard, though it was a struggle to get the exact words. "I'm going to have to be mean to you, kid."
Mean? Now that didn't sound good. But Armand was no hero. He wasn't one to help people just for the sake of helping someone and liked to stay out of other people's business. But just as he began to pull away, he heard sounds of a struggle and amongst the sounds, he heard something familiar.
Lucian.
"Merlin..." Armand said, wide-eyed with horror. Without a second thought, Armand pointed his wand toward the door and blasted it open. The door was unlocked and easily flew off its hinges before landing on the floor on the other side. "Lucian!" Armand yelled and looked frantically around. His eyes soon fixed upon the boy, half-naked, pinned to the floor with four older boys standing around him. It didn't take long for Armand to comprehend the situation and his look of desperation turned into a look of crazed rage. "You bloody fuckers--" he started, but really didn't have a chance to finish, because the next thing he knew, he was smashing his fist into the head of the guy who was standing above Lucian. Armand didn't even bother to think about what was going on. He didn't want to know. All he wanted to do was beat the living hell out of every one of these guys. He would beat them to a bloody pulp. No mercy.
Re: Slipping Away [02.21.09] ISO: Armand
There was absolutely no way out of this situation. With his arms and legs pinned down, there was nothing Lucian could do but try to wrench himself free. He jerked his body back and forth as Jeff stood over him, almost laughing at the boy's obviously futile attempts to be free. Lucian was torn between fear and hate. He was petrified of what was about to happen, but he was furious over the fact that there were people like this in the wizarding world. The only evils that he had thought existed in the paradise where magic reigned were Death Eaters and dark lords. But it was apparent now that muggle corruption had seeped into the wizarding world as well. After all, all wizards were human, and all humans were tainted. Not everyone used their corruption as these four obviously did on a frequent basis... Jeff stood over Lucian, giving him a harsh nudge with his shoe, "You really want to make this rough on us eh kid?" He grunted in a tone of sick enjoyment.
Lucian didn't respond. There was nothing he could say or do to free himself from this situation. Lucian had never felt so utterly helpless before. He was fit, because he was a beater, so he could usually hold his own in little tussles with Armand, but this was completely different. These guys meant business. They were going to get what they wanted, and they weren't afraid to use hurtful force against Lucian, whereas when he wrestled with Armand, things never got too serious to a point of physical pain. What do I do? His mind was racing frantically, almost as fast as his heart. I can't do anything... If only I could get an arm free... or a leg.. or anything.. I could do something.. Lucian knew that if he got even one foot free he could kick the other one holding other foot and then knock Jeff over and try to free his hands... But as long as he was completely bound by their hands, he was helpless.
An eardrum shattering blast startled everyone in the room. The blast was followed by the sound of the door falling off of it's hinges and crashing to the floor. The light streamed in through the giant gaping doorway, blinding Lucian for a moment. "Lucian!" Relief swept over Lucian in tidal waves. He nearly felt like bursting out into tears at the sound of Armand's voice. "Armand--" He choked, struggling harder against the older boy's loosened grips now that he had been found. His chest began to throb with the pain of his heart beating rapidly against his chest. Armand was there--the situation wasn't completely hopeless. Armand was larger than Lucian was, and he was certainly stronger. He had proven that time and time again when he had wrestled Lucian into a position of helplessness. Two against four wasn't half as daunting as one against four... Sure, their opponents were larger and older, but Lucian was so relieved he wasn't even thinking about that.
"You bloody fuckers--"
Judging from the words coming from Armand's mouth, he had figured out what had been about to happen. Without warning Armand jumped forward, slamming his fist into the side of Jeff's head. "Jeff!" Drew exclaimed, obviously unnerved by the new arrival. They hadn't counted on someone showing up. If anyone had arrived, they assumed that it would be whatever tarty girl had been waiting for Lucian to show up. Not this obviously borderline insane male. Jeff, completely taken off guard by the punch, fell forward across Lucian, slamming into Charles as he fell. Charles was knocked away by Jeff's body, and his hold on Lucian's wrists gave way completely. Instantly, Lucian brought his fists to his chest, shoving Jeff's lower half off of his chest before the older boy had a chance to react. Lucian reached forward for Drew, kicking and struggling in an attempt to free his legs. Bilius completely lost his hold on Lucian's legs, falling backwards slightly before jumping to his feet and rounding on Armand. He whipped out his wand and held it threateningly, tip pointed towards Armand. "You son of a bitch--who the HELL are you!?"
Using his freed leg, Lucian kicked Drew twice in the face with all the force he could muster. Blood began to spurt from Drew's nose and lips. "Nng--" He grunted thickly, his hands flying to his face. Lucian kicked again, crushing Drew's hand against his face. The boy let out a sharp wail of pain before Lucian flipped over to his stomach, getting to his feet. He was completely aware of the fact that he was half naked, but he couldn't stop to think about that. Jeff and Charles were on their feet again. Jeff was obviously a little dizzied and stunned from the great crack he had taken to the head, but Charles was fine, and absolutely fuming. Should he and Armand make a run for it?
Re: Slipping Away [02.21.09] ISO: Armand
Most of the time, Armand had a good handle on himself. As long as he was sober, he had a fairly logical thought process, at least to himself. He did have a tendency to be a bit eccentric and had a devil-may-care attitude, but there was still some semblance of control. Armand didn't exactly go jump off tall buildings just for the heck of it -- he always had a reason, good or bad, to do something and when he did, he did have a tendency to think before he acted. Unfortunately, this wasn't one of those cases. There were very few things in life Armand really cared about and when anybody attempted to take those things away from him, the Slytherin usually grew very, very angry. For instance, when Bryce had taken a stab at his sexual orientation, that had really riled Armand up and Bryce insulting Lucian hadn't made things any better. In fact, Armand had ended up breaking Bryce's nose. This case was something fairly similiar, except magnetized infinitely. Armand was no longer angry, he was enraged. Furious. On the brink of insanity.
This wasn't an Armand people wanted to face.
The blood boiled inside of him and Armand didn't care what he was doing anymore. His mind was focused on two simple things: protect Lucian and beat the crap out of these guys. It was almost as if Armand had been reduced to a primal state, acting completely on impulse and not thinking about consequences. He wasn't thinking that he could possibly be hurt or that he could seriously injure someone. On the contrary: he wanted to seriously injure someone and Armand wasn't about to give up until someone was punished. While he wasn't a hero, Armand was a Slytherin and Slytherins did enjoy their vengence. As non-typical as Armand was, the Sorting Hat had placed him into the house of the serpents for a reason and those reasons were becoming blatantly clear.
Dark, animalistic eyes flickered from Jeff to Bilius, who was scrambling to his feet. In an instant, the guy's wand was up, pointed at Armand. The Slytherin froze for a moment, contemplating his options.
"You son of a bitch--who the HELL are you!?"
"Expelliarmus"!" Armand roared, his wand in his left hand, pointed at Bilius. His wand went flying from his grasp and skidded across the floor. Bilius' eyes widened as he watched it fly, but Armand's eyes were focused solely on his opponent and, taking two steps forward, slammed his right fist in the side of the guy's head, sending him tumbling to the floor. Armand gave Bilius a swift kick in the gut before snarling, "I'm someone you don't want to fuck with." He gave punched him again just for good measure and whirled around, searching for Lucian. He found the boy scrambling to his feet and moved to approach him. "Lucian!" he called, but before he could get their, two of the guys were on their feet and clearly not happy. Well, that was good, because Armand was clearly not happy either and he was sure his anger was much greater than theirs. Their anger was just indignant rage, why Armand's was, in essence, borderline insanity.
His eyes flickered over to where Lucian was standing. "Are you alright?" he asked. "You're not hurt?" Armand's eyes soon flashed back to the two guys who were standing, and the two who were groaning on the floor. "Get out of here, Lucian," he hissed. "I got this." His voice was low, threatening, intense, just like the gaze he had focused on the two older boys. But before he could leap forward, Bilius, who was on the floor near him, grabbed his ankle. Armand snarled as he was put off balance, falling to the floor. The two other boys leapt at him, and Armand did his best to fend them off. He punched, kicked, bit, and scratched, doing whatever he could to both free himself and hurt these boys. But even with two of them dizzy from being punched, three against one wasn’t quite fair and Armand soon found himself being overpowered and before he knew it, he was being pinned, facedown against the floor of the room. He felt a panting breath next to his hear.
“What is he to you, anyway?” the voice snarled. “You must be some friend to risk getting beaten up like this.”
Instead of replying, Armand slapped his elbow up sharply, and received a sense of grim satisfaction when he felt it collide with the guy’s chin. The young man grunted in pain and reared, enabling Armand, face and hands bloody, to wiggle out of their grasp and scramble away to a better vantage point. He could have made a run for it, but Armand wasn’t about to run. Running wasn’t an option. He would make these guys run. He would make them run screaming away from him and make them never want to see his face again.
Re: Slipping Away [02.21.09] ISO: Armand
Lucian had never seen Armand so livid. The older boy was enraged to a point of having no self-awareness. It was as though he had no idea what sort of danger he was putting himself into by throwing himself onto Lucian's attackers. Secretly, Lucian had been desperately hoping that someone--Armand--would come and save him from the mess that he could clearly not get himself out of. Now that Armand was here, however, aside from fear, Lucian felt incredibly foolish. He was overcome with feelings of shame and inadequacy. How stupid could a person be? Letting a bunch of strangers approach him like that... Allowing them to corner him without even realizing it until they had him at wand point. Lucian's dark eyes grew strangely vacant as these thoughts passed through his mind. If Armand hadn't arrived, what would have happened? Lucian knew exactly what. He had a vivid imagination, and given his surroundings, there wasn't much that the older boy's hadn't intended. This only made Lucian realize that he owed everything to Armand. If Armand hadn't shown up...
"Expelliarmus!"
Lucian nearly jumped out of his skin when he became once more aware of his surroundings. This was possibly the worst place where he could get lost in his thoughts, but he had succeeded! He had to be the stupidest wizard in the whole of the United Kingdom. Lucian ducked away from the battle for a moment, trying to calm his pounding heart. Now that things were becoming rougher, Lucian felt as though his blood was rushing through his train like a locomotive. What could he do? Lucian's eyes were flitting between Armand at the other boys, and Lucian didn't see how he could help at all. He wasn't good for anything. If he was, he could have gotten out without Armand's help... And here he was, just standing there as Armand fought on? Lucian started forward when something stopped him in his tracks. There was an invisible mental barrier between him and the fight. He couldn't go over there. He couldn't help. If he did, what happened when they won? What happened when they knocked Armand down. Lucian stood there, completely frozen, one foot forward as though he intended to move, but he couldn't. He couldn't bring himself to move further a single step.
"Lucian!"
Lucian stared at Armand for a moment before he saw him. "Are you alright?" he asked. "You're not hurt?" Lucian shook his head, before he realized that Armand might not catch his subtle response. "No--" He choked, realizing with a start that his voice was working. "No, not really, I don't think so.." Lucian hadn't had a chance to stop and look himself over. Especially because things had been so accelerated since Armand had taken the group by surprise and helped Lucian out of the terrible situation he had been in... "Get out of here, Lucian," he hissed. "I got this." Get out? Lucian stood frozen where he was. Get out? Even if Lucian had wanted to get out, he still felt as though he were rooted to the spot he was standing in. Was he supposed to just leave Armand there? As if he could ever abandon someone who had just saved his life... "Like hell!" Lucian replied heatedly, clenching his fists. There was no guarantee that the older boys would just bend and crumple under Armand's rage... They might turn the tables and do something terrible to Armand... They could even kill them if Bilius got ahold of his wand again.
...Bilius.. Lucian's eyes instantly gravitated toward the boy, who had been thoroughly thrashed by Armand. He was rolling over onto his stomach, stretching out desperately to reach for his wand. If Bilius got his wand again, he wouldn't hesitate. He wouldn't stop to ask questions or to find out what Armand's motive was. Without thinking, Lucian lunged toward the wand that Bilius was inching towards. Lucian slid against the worn floor, snatching the wand up in one hand and shifting so that he was on his back, almost up against the wall. Without another word he brought his hand back against the wall, smashing the wand against it in an attempt to break the wand. Lucian could have attempted to use the wand, but he was sure that he would have been jumped and beaten before Bilius ever allowed something like that to happen. His best bet was to destroy the wand and render the boys magically-useless. None of the others seemed as wand-happy as Bilius was... There was no telling if they even had their wands on them.
When Bilius saw what Lucian was trying to do to his wand, his eyes widened, becoming wild as he lurched forward on his stomach, grabbing almost blindly for the wand. Lucian slammed the wand against the wall at an odd angle, causing it to snap with a satisfying crack. "YOU LITTLE---" Bilius shrieked, trying to lift himself up to lunge at Lucian. Lucian yelled and scrambled out of Bilius' way, rolling away and dropping the now useless wand. When he stumbled unsteadily to his feet, Lucian looked around for Armand, who was worming his way out of the grasps of Charles and Jeff. Lucian was panting slightly as he jumped away from Bilius' ever-reaching hands again before he spotted his shirt and coat in a pile on the floor. He swept his coat into his hands before tossing it on top of Bilius' head, successfully disorienting the older boy completely.
Meanwhile, Drew, with blood running down his chin from his nose and his lips, got to his feet. He was clutching as his mouth for a few moments before spitting and lowering his hands. He clenched his hands into fists, standing for a moment as though he were unsure of who he should attack. Lucian had been the original target, but Armand was more of a threat. If they made sure he was out of the way, then it would be no trouble to subdue Lucian... It had been easy enough the first time. Surely the lost of his friend would only make him easier to deal with. Drew shot the dizzied Jeff a look, who was sharing that same exact thought at that very moment. If they ganged up on Armand, everything could pick up in a matter of minutes. As they thought, Lucian stumbled over to Armand's side, grabbing him by the arm. "Let's go--" He implored, "I can't leave you here but---" Lucian already knew that nothing he said could change Armand's mind about this, but he had to try... He was like a caged animal, and Lucian knew enough about animals to know that when they were caged, they didn't respond to reason.
"--we can't just stay here and--AAH--" Bilius had thrown off the coat, and grabbed Lucian by the ankle, tugging as hard as he could to bring Lucian down to his stomach. Lucian hit the ground hard, and it was all he could do to ignore the crunching pain of his arms and knees against the hard floor. Lucian could feel Bilius drag him sharply back, before the other hand latched onto the back of Lucian's knee.
Re: Slipping Away [02.21.09] ISO: Armand
Armand had no time to get lost in his thoughts. He had no time to think. No time to do anything except push forward. It was times like this that drew out the completely animalistic part of Armand. While some people may have thought him uncontrollable normally, it was nothing compared to this. The adrenaline was pumping through his veins and the fury was feeding that adrenaline rush, making Armand unable to stop. He just want to keep pushing forward, going and going until he got what he wanted, and right now, he wanted to break some arms. He wanted to cause these guys pain, for all the pain they'd caused Lucian and in turn, him. Armand didn't care if he himself got beaten up in the process. His own pain really wasn't his concern at the moment and he wouldn’t think about it until he could no longer move or until this was all over, whichever came first. It was like he was in complete berserker mode, hacking and slashing until everything around him just stopped moving, giving him the time to calm down.
But there was no time to try and cool down and stuff some rational thought into his mind at the moment. Right now, everything was just a big blur as he punched and kicked wildly, hoping to hit something. And while he didn’t have the advantage of numbers, Armand somehow managed to hold his own. But, of course, this wasn’t the first fight he’d been in. The wild Slytherin wasn’t a stranger to fights and while he never really initiated them, he still managed to get himself into a few squabbles, such as the one he’d gotten himself into with Bryce. He wasn’t a kung-fu master, but he knew what he was doing for the most part. That still didn’t change the fact it was him against four older boys. He’d had the upper hand before because he’d managed to catch them off guard, but he no longer had the element of surprise. He’d managed to stun them a bit, but they were regaining themselves and if given the time to organize, Armand knew he wouldn’t last too long. But he had to keep them occupied. He had to give Lucian a chance to get the hell out of place and maybe get help. As long as Lucian got away, Armand wasn’t concerned about what happened to him. As long as Lucian was okay, Armand would be okay.
That’s when it really hit him. He loved Lucian. He was willing to sacrifice everything so Lucian would be okay and if that wasn’t love, Armand wasn’t sure what was. While he would have liked to think that he would have fought this hard for anyone, it wasn’t true. The reason why Armand was being so brash and crazy was because he loved Lucian and he wouldn’t be able to survive with the knowledge something had happened to Lucian and he hadn’t been able to do anything about it. Yes, that was love. Love was about self-sacrifice and that was what Armand was doing. He wouldn’t have cared taking Lucian’s place as long as he knew Lucian would be okay and that was what love was to him. That was love, and that was what Armand was feeling, and it gave him strength. He was finally acknowledging the fact that he loved that boy and that made him all the more determined to save him.
After escaping from the clutches of Jeff and Charlie, Armand scrambled to his feet and turned so that he was facing the two boys. He was breathing heavily and he was spattered with blood, both his own and from the other two boys. He wiped some blood trickling down from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes never left them. Armand knew better than to turn away from his opponents and his dark eyes stayed on them, looking at them with hatred and a vicious ferocity. He waited and watched, wondering if the two of them would make their move first. Armand didn’t want to charge at them, knowing it would be risky if he just charged in between the two of them. So instead he waited for them to attack first. But before they got a chance, Armand felt a tug at his arm. His eyes flickered to the side and Armand saw Lucian, grabbing his arm and telling him that they should just get out of there. But Armand couldn’t leave. He couldn’t let these people go unpunished. They had wronged him and Lucian and they deserved to be hurt. He couldn’t just let them walk.
"--we can't just stay here and--AAH--"
The hand was suddenly gone and Armand, momentarily forgetting that Jeff and Charlie were still in front of him, turned to see what was happening. “Lucian!” he cried out, turning to try and grab the Hufflepuff’s arm. But before he could make a move, Jeff and Charlie made their move, ramming into Armand full force. The Slytherin let out a grunt, and dropped his wand and watched as it skidded toward Lucian. He was soon on the floor and the wind was knocked out of him. He gasped for air, but he felt a heavy body lying atop him, pinning his hands behind his back, his face smashed against the floor again. Armand struggled as best he could, but he couldn’t get out of Jeff’s grasp this time. The two boys lay there, breathing heavily, one trying to escape, the other trying to contain. But finally, Armand stopped moving, pausing to catch his breath.
“You’re an aggressive bastard, aren’t you?” Armand heard Jeff growl at him. “Why the bloody hell are you still here anyway? Why are you wasting your time with this pansy?” He nodded his head toward Lucian. Armand began struggling again, but Jeff had him pinned down good. Finally, he turned his head so he could look Jeff in the eye and simply looked at him, gaze intense and completely serious. Jeff furrowed his brow for a moment, as though trying to understand the look, then a look of realization passed across his visage. He then smirked. “You two--?” He laughed. “Well, I never would have guessed you were a pouf.” Armand heard Charlie and Drew give a laugh. He then felt Jeff’s heavy breaths against his ear. “Then little Lucian over there should have enjoyed what we were going to do to him…” he murmured, before running his tongue over Armand’s ear.
The Slytherin shivered in spite of himself as his body reacted and he let out a frustrated yell, beginning to struggle again, trying to liberate himself. But Jeff just laughed and he just pressed himself down on Armand, resting his weight on the boy so he couldn’t get up.
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