Theme 10 - Rent
Theme: 10 - Rent
Fandom/Pairing: Draco/Gregory/Vincent
Title: Dues
Author: Lady Zip
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Please don’t murder me Ms.Rowling. I wuv you… ;_;
It took months for me to stop feeling as though I had to pay my dues. For me to see that I wasn’t here because of any such thing as owing or being owed. There was no balance of points that I had to maintain or a minimum price to dole out.
I think Greg noticed it - first and last - because I seemed so frantic when Draco would go off on his own. He just needed time by himself, and that was all, but somehow I felt like I should have been right over his shoulder helping, being there, paying him back… Being dismissed in any way by him, no matter how small, crushed me. I would work myself sick, feeling useless and unwanted until one of them asked for me.
Greg saw that transformation for the first time when we were sixteen. I asked Draco if he wanted any company out to the owlery and he shook his head as he put on his outdoor cloak.
“No, I’d rather go by myself. Did you want me to send anything for you while I’m up there?”
I shook my head and waited till he’d headed out before tearing open all of my desk drawers and beginning to scribble out some angry and disorganized sheet music. Greg frankly stared at me for a moment, then put down his book.
“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing.”
“Vin…”
“I’m fine, just…”
He put his hand on my shoulder, then his arms around me, cheek against mine as I trembled and tried to take deep breaths.
“Vince, calm down. What’s the matter?”
“Why does he do that? Dismiss me like that?”
“What, Draco?”
“Yes.”
“Vin, he didn’t tell you not to come with him because he’s mad at you or anything. That’s just the way he is. He needs his quiet sometimes, and we’re around him all the time. God forbid he just want ten minutes to himself to breathe a little.”
“So I’m smothering? Is that it?” My quill snapped in my hand.
He swung into the chair beside me and took my tools away, put my hands in his and squeezed them, made me face him.
“Vince it’s not about you. This whole place smothers him I think. He’s used to that big old house with just his mother and dad and him in it. Being trapped around so many people makes him antsy, he just needs time alone now and again.”
“I just…. I feel like I can’t do anything for either of you. He’s always keeping me from failing potions and getting me out of fixes and you’re always listening to me ramble and playing me rounds of chess and all that. And what the hell do I do to pay you back?”
He gave me a teasing grin.
“Well… that thing you do with your fingers is quite the charmer…” He commented, biting at one of my fingertips playfully. “But really, you’d think you’re renting us out or something. We want to be around you, Vin, so we are. If you appreciate something say ‘thank you’ or give us a kiss or whatever and that’s all we need. Nobody’s keeping score. If we felt that you didn’t reciprocate enough we’d say so.”
I felt my cheeks burn. “You promise you’ll say so?”
“What did you think we’d rather do? Stew about it and then tell you we’re breaking up with you because of some problem that we didn’t even tell you about?” He leaned forward then and kissed my mouth softly. “Stop talking like a crazy person. Everything is fine. You worry too much.”
The butterflies beating at my insides vanished in a rush at the touch of his lips and I felt my whole body relax against my better judgement. He slid his hands up my arms, stroked my shoulders and my neck.
“That’s better.” He said softly, and just a little bit, I began to believe him.
Fandom/Pairing: Draco/Gregory/Vincent
Title: Dues
Author: Lady Zip
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Please don’t murder me Ms.Rowling. I wuv you… ;_;
It took months for me to stop feeling as though I had to pay my dues. For me to see that I wasn’t here because of any such thing as owing or being owed. There was no balance of points that I had to maintain or a minimum price to dole out.
I think Greg noticed it - first and last - because I seemed so frantic when Draco would go off on his own. He just needed time by himself, and that was all, but somehow I felt like I should have been right over his shoulder helping, being there, paying him back… Being dismissed in any way by him, no matter how small, crushed me. I would work myself sick, feeling useless and unwanted until one of them asked for me.
Greg saw that transformation for the first time when we were sixteen. I asked Draco if he wanted any company out to the owlery and he shook his head as he put on his outdoor cloak.
“No, I’d rather go by myself. Did you want me to send anything for you while I’m up there?”
I shook my head and waited till he’d headed out before tearing open all of my desk drawers and beginning to scribble out some angry and disorganized sheet music. Greg frankly stared at me for a moment, then put down his book.
“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing.”
“Vin…”
“I’m fine, just…”
He put his hand on my shoulder, then his arms around me, cheek against mine as I trembled and tried to take deep breaths.
“Vince, calm down. What’s the matter?”
“Why does he do that? Dismiss me like that?”
“What, Draco?”
“Yes.”
“Vin, he didn’t tell you not to come with him because he’s mad at you or anything. That’s just the way he is. He needs his quiet sometimes, and we’re around him all the time. God forbid he just want ten minutes to himself to breathe a little.”
“So I’m smothering? Is that it?” My quill snapped in my hand.
He swung into the chair beside me and took my tools away, put my hands in his and squeezed them, made me face him.
“Vince it’s not about you. This whole place smothers him I think. He’s used to that big old house with just his mother and dad and him in it. Being trapped around so many people makes him antsy, he just needs time alone now and again.”
“I just…. I feel like I can’t do anything for either of you. He’s always keeping me from failing potions and getting me out of fixes and you’re always listening to me ramble and playing me rounds of chess and all that. And what the hell do I do to pay you back?”
He gave me a teasing grin.
“Well… that thing you do with your fingers is quite the charmer…” He commented, biting at one of my fingertips playfully. “But really, you’d think you’re renting us out or something. We want to be around you, Vin, so we are. If you appreciate something say ‘thank you’ or give us a kiss or whatever and that’s all we need. Nobody’s keeping score. If we felt that you didn’t reciprocate enough we’d say so.”
I felt my cheeks burn. “You promise you’ll say so?”
“What did you think we’d rather do? Stew about it and then tell you we’re breaking up with you because of some problem that we didn’t even tell you about?” He leaned forward then and kissed my mouth softly. “Stop talking like a crazy person. Everything is fine. You worry too much.”
The butterflies beating at my insides vanished in a rush at the touch of his lips and I felt my whole body relax against my better judgement. He slid his hands up my arms, stroked my shoulders and my neck.
“That’s better.” He said softly, and just a little bit, I began to believe him.