(no subject)
Summer Holiday
Author: westwardlee and ceria_taliesin
Characters: Kingsley Shacklebolt / Gideon Prewett
Rating: PG
Summary: Boys making plans.
Author's notes: Written for the AWDT prompts, "Why won't you listen to me?" and "Let's go out for burgers."
The index of stories
Summer was such an interesting season for so many reasons. First, Gideon loved the warm weather. The first few weeks following the release of Hogwarts usually meant holiday for him and his team. Too many players had children coming home, and parents always wanted to be there for their little ones. At least for a week or two until the adults began to make excuses to return to practice.
Of course, this year also meant that Kingsley was done with school and Gideon, for the first time, had a reason to look forward to June. Fabian, damn him, hadn't stopped humming for days and Gideon knew that the closer it came to the beginning of Auror training, the happier his brother was. The prat.
Even so, he had some time to enjoy Kingsley to himself before their frantic schedules began and Gideon was looking forward to it. So much that at the moment, he was sitting at the Arrow's Pitch, impatiently waiting because Kingsley wouldn't have time for him until he visited his family.
* *
Kingsley finished unpacking his trunk and looked around: that was it, his old bedroom was, again, his living space. Until he was out on his own, at least. No more dormitories with other boys, no more deep midnight conversations about the meaning of life - which included anything from girls to a heated argument about Quidditch.
Because this was life now: adult life. A life with responsibilities. He was no longer a schoolboy, whose brash ways were easily dismissed and forgiven. In one week, he would start Auror training, with its long hours and rigorous demands.
He exhaled deeply, studying the room. The posters on the wall would have to go - the Quidditch players and the pretty, half-clad models, which had inhabited the dreams of the boy, had no place in the life of the man.
He could do it tomorrow, though. Today he had something much more important to do. He had to see Gideon.
He walked downstairs, with a restraint that was alien to him. Before, the staircase would creak under his bounding weight as he rushed down, always in a hurry to get somewhere. Today he counted the steps and, looking at the fireplace, Apparated to the door of Gideon's flat.
* *
Gideon touched the wound on his left bicep, which was, thankfully, almost healed. The myriad of bandages had dwindled to only one to keep the cut clean, worn mostly because the material of his shirt caught on the scab. Hopefully it would be gone before Kingsley had any reason to see it. A few months ago he wouldn't have worried about that, but now, things had changed between them - for the better - since Easter break.
Grinning to himself, he wondered how long it would take Kingsley to escape Maura and Mac's welcome home. It was a shame Gideon couldn't have just met Kingsley at his house. Just in case Kingsley did come sooner, Gideon had left him a note at his flat with his current whereabouts.
As it was, he was perched over the edge of the stands, idly tapping his boots against the side as he reviewed his last match in his head, correcting the mistakes and reviewing his scores.
* *
Kingsley let himself into Gideon's flat and immediately saw the note. He wondered why Gideon was at the Pitch, but folded it carefully and tucked it into his pocket. He focused on the location to Apparate there, not failing to realize that he hadn't thrown one of his old tantrums at all upon not finding Gideon at home. Strange, that. Normally he would be cursing about the change in plans.
He arrived at the Pitch and saw Gideon sitting with his back to him, facing the field. He strode towards him, grinning happily. It was great to see Gideon again, for more than one reason. He missed his lover and his best friend. Kingsley needed his physical presence.
Gideon was deep in thought and Kingsley bent down and kissed the nape of his neck. "Knut for your thoughts?"
"Kingsley," Gideon said softly, relief apparent in his voice. "I didn't expect you this soon." Straightening up, Gideon leaned back against him without saying another word. Reaching around with his arms, he tugged on Kingsley's hands until they were wrapped around Gideon's waist. It was easy enough to turn his head, greeting Kingsley with a kiss on the cheek.
"Summer holiday, is it?" he asked, curious why Kingsley hadn't complained about Gideon not being home, or any of the other things he usually greeted Gideon with. It was rather nice, Gideon thought.
Crouching down, Kingsley snuggled against Gideon, Gideon's back fitting perfectly against his stomach. "More like a week of peace before hell breaks out, I think. I have to report for Auror training next Monday. Are you off this week, too? I was thinking we could do something fun."
Nodding in agreement about the holiday, Gideon said, "Certainly. Whatever you would like to do is fine. How was your last week of school?" They had exchanged several letters the past few months, but it wasn't quite the same as being able to see each other. Even now, Gideon was unwilling to let Kingsley go. When did he turn into such a bird?
Shaking his head, he sighed and sat up straight, his back still pressed against Kingsley's chest. "How are your parents?" he asked absentmindedly, wondering how Kingsley had escaped them so quickly.
"Fine," was Kingsley's terse reply. His parents had been ecstatic about seeing him back at home but quite the opposite when he told them he would be going out to see Gideon. His mother had curtly asked him when he would be home and, when Kingsley answered he didn't know, she had simply informed him the family was planning a reception for him on the weekend.
"I thought we could go abroad for a few days. Greece. Or Spain, maybe? A beach place?" He hesitated. "I have to be back next Sunday; my grandpa is having a party for me. You know, for having finished school and making it into the Auror program. But we can go tomorrow and come back on Saturday. That'll give us almost a week." He nuzzled Gideon's neck. "And after that I start real life."
It was unnecessary to explain verbally how surprised Gideon was by the comment about his parents. He pulled away from Kingsley's embrace and turned around, swinging his legs over the side of the stands until Kingsley was between his knees. "Are your parents giving you a hard time?" he asked. At Kingsley's shrug, Gideon said, "All right. Let's try Spain first. And I promise to have you back on Saturday so your Mum won't complain."
"Great. Marbella? Or Torremolinos? We can rent a small place there for the week, in the Muggle part, right in front of the beach. And we don't have to pack a whole lot of stuff - just beach clothes and something casual to go out at night. It'll be brilliant, Gideon." Kingsley was getting really excited about spending a whole week with Gideon. They had made up, of course, but it had been quick, during Easter holidays. Since then, they had written constantly, but had not really spent any time together.
"Let's grab a bite now?" Kingsley had left home without lunch, anxious to see Gideon right away. "Let's go out for burgers in Muggle London, shall we?" He could feel his old excitement coming back. "Then we can buy some beach wear, too."
Why did Gideon have a feeling this trip would be the first of many for them? "Marbella sounds lovely." He had to admit; he wasn't hoping for too much, because while they had worked things out between them, there was still a war going on and Order missions. How in the world would he ever explain the Order to Kingsley? Yet there was no way he could say no, and it was only a week, after all.
"After that I need to talk to my coach and Fabian, all right? I have some arrangements to make before I can leave."
"All right." Kingsley thought briefly about it. "Maybe you'd better not tell Fabian you're going with me?" He had no idea how Fabian felt about the fact that he and Gideon were back together, but, judging from his family's reaction, he probably wouldn't be too excited about it either.
Slowly raising his fingers, Gideon touched Kingsley's chin. "I'll deal with Fabian, I promise. However, the question is your parents. How will they take this idea?" His brother would just have to accept the idea they were back together. Gideon knew that Fabian would not believe it could possibly work this time either, but Gideon didn't care. He wanted to try again.
"Gideon, I won't lie to you. You know I hate it. They're not happy and they won't be very happy with us taking off like this. But this is our lives, my decision. I'm an adult and they don't have anything to say about it." He leaned into Gideon's touch. "And I'm an adult in a dangerous profession during a dangerous war. I may drop dead on my first mission, who knows? I want to be happy while I can."
Officially, Gideon was only a hit wizard and didn't have a rank high enough to get involved with dark wizards. Unofficially, he was Fabian's partner on every mission that involved dark wizards. So yes, he understood the need to live your life as you could, for Gideon had no doubt he wouldn't have a long life at all.
"Very well then. Do you want me to go with you to tell them?"
In response, Kingsley held Gideon's face between the palm of his hands and kissed him gently. "Nah. I can do it. Let's have our burgers and plan our trip." He knew what the conversation would be like at home. A lot of 'Why won't you listen to me? He's not right for you,' from his mother and even more, 'But Kingsley, you like girls,' from his father. He didn't want to expose Gideon to any of that.
All he wanted to do was enjoy this fine day and hopefully a whole week with his- his boyfriend.
While they could.
Author: westwardlee and ceria_taliesin
Characters: Kingsley Shacklebolt / Gideon Prewett
Rating: PG
Summary: Boys making plans.
Author's notes: Written for the AWDT prompts, "Why won't you listen to me?" and "Let's go out for burgers."
The index of stories
Summer was such an interesting season for so many reasons. First, Gideon loved the warm weather. The first few weeks following the release of Hogwarts usually meant holiday for him and his team. Too many players had children coming home, and parents always wanted to be there for their little ones. At least for a week or two until the adults began to make excuses to return to practice.
Of course, this year also meant that Kingsley was done with school and Gideon, for the first time, had a reason to look forward to June. Fabian, damn him, hadn't stopped humming for days and Gideon knew that the closer it came to the beginning of Auror training, the happier his brother was. The prat.
Even so, he had some time to enjoy Kingsley to himself before their frantic schedules began and Gideon was looking forward to it. So much that at the moment, he was sitting at the Arrow's Pitch, impatiently waiting because Kingsley wouldn't have time for him until he visited his family.
* *
Kingsley finished unpacking his trunk and looked around: that was it, his old bedroom was, again, his living space. Until he was out on his own, at least. No more dormitories with other boys, no more deep midnight conversations about the meaning of life - which included anything from girls to a heated argument about Quidditch.
Because this was life now: adult life. A life with responsibilities. He was no longer a schoolboy, whose brash ways were easily dismissed and forgiven. In one week, he would start Auror training, with its long hours and rigorous demands.
He exhaled deeply, studying the room. The posters on the wall would have to go - the Quidditch players and the pretty, half-clad models, which had inhabited the dreams of the boy, had no place in the life of the man.
He could do it tomorrow, though. Today he had something much more important to do. He had to see Gideon.
He walked downstairs, with a restraint that was alien to him. Before, the staircase would creak under his bounding weight as he rushed down, always in a hurry to get somewhere. Today he counted the steps and, looking at the fireplace, Apparated to the door of Gideon's flat.
* *
Gideon touched the wound on his left bicep, which was, thankfully, almost healed. The myriad of bandages had dwindled to only one to keep the cut clean, worn mostly because the material of his shirt caught on the scab. Hopefully it would be gone before Kingsley had any reason to see it. A few months ago he wouldn't have worried about that, but now, things had changed between them - for the better - since Easter break.
Grinning to himself, he wondered how long it would take Kingsley to escape Maura and Mac's welcome home. It was a shame Gideon couldn't have just met Kingsley at his house. Just in case Kingsley did come sooner, Gideon had left him a note at his flat with his current whereabouts.
As it was, he was perched over the edge of the stands, idly tapping his boots against the side as he reviewed his last match in his head, correcting the mistakes and reviewing his scores.
* *
Kingsley let himself into Gideon's flat and immediately saw the note. He wondered why Gideon was at the Pitch, but folded it carefully and tucked it into his pocket. He focused on the location to Apparate there, not failing to realize that he hadn't thrown one of his old tantrums at all upon not finding Gideon at home. Strange, that. Normally he would be cursing about the change in plans.
He arrived at the Pitch and saw Gideon sitting with his back to him, facing the field. He strode towards him, grinning happily. It was great to see Gideon again, for more than one reason. He missed his lover and his best friend. Kingsley needed his physical presence.
Gideon was deep in thought and Kingsley bent down and kissed the nape of his neck. "Knut for your thoughts?"
"Kingsley," Gideon said softly, relief apparent in his voice. "I didn't expect you this soon." Straightening up, Gideon leaned back against him without saying another word. Reaching around with his arms, he tugged on Kingsley's hands until they were wrapped around Gideon's waist. It was easy enough to turn his head, greeting Kingsley with a kiss on the cheek.
"Summer holiday, is it?" he asked, curious why Kingsley hadn't complained about Gideon not being home, or any of the other things he usually greeted Gideon with. It was rather nice, Gideon thought.
Crouching down, Kingsley snuggled against Gideon, Gideon's back fitting perfectly against his stomach. "More like a week of peace before hell breaks out, I think. I have to report for Auror training next Monday. Are you off this week, too? I was thinking we could do something fun."
Nodding in agreement about the holiday, Gideon said, "Certainly. Whatever you would like to do is fine. How was your last week of school?" They had exchanged several letters the past few months, but it wasn't quite the same as being able to see each other. Even now, Gideon was unwilling to let Kingsley go. When did he turn into such a bird?
Shaking his head, he sighed and sat up straight, his back still pressed against Kingsley's chest. "How are your parents?" he asked absentmindedly, wondering how Kingsley had escaped them so quickly.
"Fine," was Kingsley's terse reply. His parents had been ecstatic about seeing him back at home but quite the opposite when he told them he would be going out to see Gideon. His mother had curtly asked him when he would be home and, when Kingsley answered he didn't know, she had simply informed him the family was planning a reception for him on the weekend.
"I thought we could go abroad for a few days. Greece. Or Spain, maybe? A beach place?" He hesitated. "I have to be back next Sunday; my grandpa is having a party for me. You know, for having finished school and making it into the Auror program. But we can go tomorrow and come back on Saturday. That'll give us almost a week." He nuzzled Gideon's neck. "And after that I start real life."
It was unnecessary to explain verbally how surprised Gideon was by the comment about his parents. He pulled away from Kingsley's embrace and turned around, swinging his legs over the side of the stands until Kingsley was between his knees. "Are your parents giving you a hard time?" he asked. At Kingsley's shrug, Gideon said, "All right. Let's try Spain first. And I promise to have you back on Saturday so your Mum won't complain."
"Great. Marbella? Or Torremolinos? We can rent a small place there for the week, in the Muggle part, right in front of the beach. And we don't have to pack a whole lot of stuff - just beach clothes and something casual to go out at night. It'll be brilliant, Gideon." Kingsley was getting really excited about spending a whole week with Gideon. They had made up, of course, but it had been quick, during Easter holidays. Since then, they had written constantly, but had not really spent any time together.
"Let's grab a bite now?" Kingsley had left home without lunch, anxious to see Gideon right away. "Let's go out for burgers in Muggle London, shall we?" He could feel his old excitement coming back. "Then we can buy some beach wear, too."
Why did Gideon have a feeling this trip would be the first of many for them? "Marbella sounds lovely." He had to admit; he wasn't hoping for too much, because while they had worked things out between them, there was still a war going on and Order missions. How in the world would he ever explain the Order to Kingsley? Yet there was no way he could say no, and it was only a week, after all.
"After that I need to talk to my coach and Fabian, all right? I have some arrangements to make before I can leave."
"All right." Kingsley thought briefly about it. "Maybe you'd better not tell Fabian you're going with me?" He had no idea how Fabian felt about the fact that he and Gideon were back together, but, judging from his family's reaction, he probably wouldn't be too excited about it either.
Slowly raising his fingers, Gideon touched Kingsley's chin. "I'll deal with Fabian, I promise. However, the question is your parents. How will they take this idea?" His brother would just have to accept the idea they were back together. Gideon knew that Fabian would not believe it could possibly work this time either, but Gideon didn't care. He wanted to try again.
"Gideon, I won't lie to you. You know I hate it. They're not happy and they won't be very happy with us taking off like this. But this is our lives, my decision. I'm an adult and they don't have anything to say about it." He leaned into Gideon's touch. "And I'm an adult in a dangerous profession during a dangerous war. I may drop dead on my first mission, who knows? I want to be happy while I can."
Officially, Gideon was only a hit wizard and didn't have a rank high enough to get involved with dark wizards. Unofficially, he was Fabian's partner on every mission that involved dark wizards. So yes, he understood the need to live your life as you could, for Gideon had no doubt he wouldn't have a long life at all.
"Very well then. Do you want me to go with you to tell them?"
In response, Kingsley held Gideon's face between the palm of his hands and kissed him gently. "Nah. I can do it. Let's have our burgers and plan our trip." He knew what the conversation would be like at home. A lot of 'Why won't you listen to me? He's not right for you,' from his mother and even more, 'But Kingsley, you like girls,' from his father. He didn't want to expose Gideon to any of that.
All he wanted to do was enjoy this fine day and hopefully a whole week with his- his boyfriend.
While they could.