Chapter 5: What was that?
Later that night, in the Dragonheart common room, Tucker, Isaac, Jason, and Beckett pulled an all-nighter to finish homework they had put off all weekend but mostly played games.
"So, what was going on with Quinn in the hallway earlier?" Tucker looked up from his game of exploding snap with Jason, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at Beckett.
"I dunno what you mean," replied Beckett casually. He didn't meet Tucker's eyes, frantically scribbling as he tried to finish off his last-minute charms essay. The heat from the fireplace beside him dried the ink quickly and disguised his pink cheeks. Beckett fought a smile at the memory. He was always flirting with Athena; of course, he'd had a crush on her for years, and the fact that she didn't want him only made Beckett want her more. It was only that he wasn't usually so … proactive. The moment in the hallway, as he tried to convince himself, was just that—a moment.
A moment where you very nearly tried to kiss her, Beckett thought bitterly. True, they occasionally had those kinds of moments, where they would pause mid screaming matches and just stare at each other for a second. Those were the moments that the possibility of kissing her hit him harder than any lineman ever had before. The only thing stopping him was the knowledge that she would most likely hex him senseless. But that moment tonight in the dark hallway, when she hadn't done anything when he moved closer, hadn't said anything when his gaze dropped to her lips. She didn't object at all, which made Beckett think that maybe, just maybe, she wanted to kiss him too. So perhaps things had changed between them recently. They weren't as hostile as they used to be towards each other, probably because they were spending more time together than usual. There were nights when they were the last ones in the common room, staying up until they were glassy-eyed and half asleep to finish their homework.
A while back, they had started helping each other. He would help her with Transfiguration, and she would help him with just about everything else. Beckett would sneak down to the kitchen to get post-midnight snacks, and Athena provided the fizzy muggle drinks that made him feel like bouncing around the room. The study sessions were a secret; they never talked about it, not to anyone. It was something that was just between the two of them, something special. And Beckett wanted to keep it that way.
"Ebony, we all know you're whipped," said Issac from his armchair beside Beckett. A herbology textbook was open on his lap, but he hadn't looked at it once. Instead, his eyes were glued to the pretty girl reading in the corner, her spill of raven hair touching her knees and falling over her face as she sat crisscrossed leaning over her book.
"Says the guy drooling over her best friend," Beckett shot back, nodding towards Jezebel.
"Grow a pair and go talk to her." Isaac flamed red, his purple under-eye shadows standing out even more. He started stuttering and stumbling over his words, blinking over and over again as he tried to compose himself.
"I-I can't … Ebony, I just -Y-you don't-" Isaac stuttered.
Tucker rolled his eyes. "For the love of… HEY, ARGENT," he yelled across the standard room, causing Jezebel to jump a little as she snapped her head up in the direction of the boys. "MAVERICK THINKS YOU'RE HOT." He smirked as the entire room went silent before a chorus of excited chatter and appreciative laughs erupt. Beckett and Jason stared at Tucker disbelievingly. The red in Isaac's face slowly bled out into an unhealthy, chalk white.
"I - crap," Isaac muttered as he tried to hide behind Jason as Jezebel gracefully stood up and made her way over to the group of boys.
"Isaac?" Jezebel said, peeking around Jason, her voice delicate in tone. Isaac cringed as he came out from behind Jason, facing her, sure she was angry or embarrassed to have been put on the spot like that. Surprisingly, her eyes held none of the furies he had expected to see, but instead, she had a look of curiosity on her face. He visibly relaxed when she smiled at him, her dimples popping adorably.
"Do you zink that I'm hot, or was Winston being an ass?" She cocked her head to the side, toying with the hem of her shirt uncomfortably. Isaac stared at her, opening and closing his mouth, but no words seemed to come out however hard he tried. Mute, he simply nodded his head with a deep flush on his cheeks. Jezebel beamed, standing on her tip-toes to press her lips to his cheek softly.
"You're cute," she told him happily, turning on her heels to sprint to her dorm room. Cheers erupted as Isaac stood dumbfounded, watching her till he could not see her anymore.
"Well," Tucker laughed, "that went way better than I thought it was going to."
Isaac and Beckett exchanged a look. All Tucker heard was Becket mumble one word, "Invisibilia funem," and all of a sudden, Tucker was suspended upside down in midair by some sort of invisible rope, Beckett's wand appearing by his side, as if from nowhere. He swore and thrashed about violently as Beckett smirked at his handy work.
"What the heck, Ebony! I was just messing around! Let Me down, would you?" Tucker squirmed some more and glared at Beckett, who looked at Isaac for an answer. Isaac shook his head with a vindictive smile, signaling not to let him down yet. A delighted spark lit up in Beckett's eyes.
"We." Beckett addressed Tucker, flicking his wand up and down once so that Tucker bounced violently, his long hair whipping him in the face in the process, "do. not." He did it again, punctuating each word with a flick of his wand. "Embarrassment. Each. other."
He let Tucker down, giving him a minute to adjust to the dizziness before he spoke again. "Apologies," Beckett ordered Tucker, crossing his arms over his chest. Tucker glowered at him, his hair still a mess. "Sorry, Maverick," he said sulkily. "Good," said Beckett, sitting back down with his essay. Isaac couldn't stop smiling, his cheeks still glowing pink with happiness.
"Anyways," Tucker said with annoyance, returning to his seat on the couch, laying down because he was still very dizzy. "Athena's pretty hot, so I completely understand your infatuation with her, Ebony." he continued with a devilish smirk on his face. Beckett looked at Tucker very unamused.
"As if she is an annoying smart alike, I would never want to get with her," Becket said with disgust. He didn't think of her that way, but he couldn't let the boys know that.
"More for me then," chirped Tucker excitedly.
"As if she would even come within an inch of your grimy hand," said a woman's voice sounded from behind them, causing them all to look up questioningly. The boys turned, and it turned out to be Carson.
"What's your problem Carson, nobody asked for your opinion on the matter," Tucker scoffed, obviously annoyed.
"I just came over here to tell you meatheads to stay away from my friends," Carson said, exuberating confidence as she approached Tucker, who was sitting in front of her.
"And what if I don't," challenged Tucker. He stood to meet Carson's eyes. They were almost the same size, both with enough sass and confidence to fill an entire room with no problem. They had always butted heads because they both saw themselves as the alpha males of their groups, willing to get in a fight with anyone to defend their friends. Sometimes it seems like they like each other, but they are back to hating each other after that split second.
"You don't want to find out," Carson snapped back at him.
"Asseoir," Carson mumbled as she pulled her wand from her back pocket, causing Tucker to be flung back onto the couch where he had previously been sitting.
"Will everyone please stop using their magic on me!" Tucker screamed with frustration as he tried to stand back up, causing the room to go silent once more. Realizing he could not stand, he shot Carson a look that could kill. "Let me go, you insufferable brat, you will regret this," Tucker spat with hatred.
"And what if I don't," Carson said, mimicking his line from earlier, giving him a thousand-watt smile before walking towards her dorm. Tucker, still stuck to his chair, swore and cursed under his breath. As soon as Carson shut the door to the girls' dormitory, the spell was broken, and Tucker shot out of his chair.
"I'm going to bed," Tucker huffed, storming down the hall to his dorm slamming the door behind him.
"I think they like each other," Jason said out of nowhere, breaking the silence in the room, causing everyone to burst out laughing. The room returned to its lively inaudible chatter.
Weekly Power Status
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