Fic: Tangled Together (HP AU)
Title: Tangled Together
Author: lar_laughs
Fandom: Harry Potter AU (When Night Falls Again 'verse)
Characters: Alice/Sirius, Quinn, Cam
Prompt: 02. If you were a piece of wood I'd nail you to the floor for the If You Were Challenge at 5_prompts
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 849
Author's Note: This is actually an AU of an AU. My friend and I are writing in this world and when I thought of this prompt, this scene immediately came to mind. Just a tidbit to tide me over.
Written to Hearts on Fire by Scars on 45 (check them out here)
Quinn leaned against the wall, just outside the room and in plenty of shadow to be nearly invisible, and watched the two occupants of the room as they interacted with each other. It had only been a week since she'd been here, most of that spent in a darkened room trying to come to grips with the fact that this was real and she was really free of Ollie once and for all. In all that time, she'd never seen Alice and Sirius do anything more than stand shoulder to shoulder in a corner and watch every little movement as if they were analyzing for a possible threat. They'd been here for several weeks now but still hadn't been able to unbend from the stresses of their past. Not that she blamed them. No one did. Everyone just stayed out of their way and let them try to find a place in the group that made them comfortable.
Here, in this room right now, they had found comfort. One of the many couches in the room had been moved to their corner, probably by Cam who had muttered something last night about being tired watching them standing all the time, so that sunlight from the tall windows washed over the couple. They were tangled together, Alice leaning back against Sirius' chest, between his outstretched legs so that she was more on his body than the couch. In every way possible, Sirius was curled around her so that they were still very much an island. While Quinn couldn't hear what they were talking about, Alice had a huge smile on her face as she talked nearly as much with her hands as she did with her voice. Something made her laugh and that was a sound that Quinn could hear well enough. Instead of it making her want to laugh along, it brought tears to Quinn's eyes.
They were happy. No matter that their life had fallen apart, if it could even have been called a life to begin with. In this moment, they were together and they were happy. Theirs was not a pairing of convenience, just to get out of the school in one piece. These were two people who truly loved each other.
Quinn heard Cam coming down the stairs, his off-key humming always proceeding him these days. Before he could interrupt this scene of domestic bliss, she stepped over to intercept him. "Hush," she whispered before moving back to her original location. In a way, she was keeping them in place as much as she was keeping other people out of the way.
"What is it?" He moved to stand behind her, eager to see what had her so interested. She could hear his small laugh. "Never thought you were the voyeur type."
"They're so... beautiful together like this. They mean something."
Alice jumped and, for a moment, Quinn thought she had been discovered. "You cut that out, Sirius Black," the girl exclaimed before settling back into place, taking his hand in both of hers like a person who had done the same thing a hundred other times. Sirius smoothed her hair out of the way before putting his head beside hers, whispering things into her ear that left a pink stain on her cheeks.
"That's what I should have had." Quinn massaged her wrist, the old injury only hurting in her memory. It wasn't enough that Ollie had manipulated those times so that she doubted everything she'd ever felt. Now she had this couple to remind her that she'd been the one to run, leaving Caradoc behind. It was her own fault that she didn't have anyone who wanted to spend an afternoon on the couch with her.
"Wanna know the difference between what they have and what you have?" Cam's voice was so low she could barely hear him but every word made it to her ears. "That girl knows what she wants and goes after it. Not in a bad way, mind you. He wants her just as badly so no one is a loser here. They aren't letting anyone or anything tear them apart. There is no hesitation. They want so they take."
"I don't underst-"
"They want so they take," he repeated, emphasizing each word. "There is no fear. You have nothing to fear either. You never did." He was gone before she could say anything else. Before she could fight what he so clearly saw.
She was left to watch the blissful scene, one she could barely stomach. "Nail her to the floor. Don't let her run." But she wasn't sure if she was talking to the couple or to the man she wanted wrapping his arms around her at the moment. As she shuffled off to the kitchen for the cup of tea she'd originally come downstairs for, she tried to forget that she'd ever seen any of this. At this point in her life, she didn't know if she had it in her to change and she was still unsure of her reception if she decided that she wanted to fight for love.
Author: lar_laughs
Fandom: Harry Potter AU (When Night Falls Again 'verse)
Characters: Alice/Sirius, Quinn, Cam
Prompt: 02. If you were a piece of wood I'd nail you to the floor for the If You Were Challenge at 5_prompts
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 849
Author's Note: This is actually an AU of an AU. My friend and I are writing in this world and when I thought of this prompt, this scene immediately came to mind. Just a tidbit to tide me over.
Written to Hearts on Fire by Scars on 45 (check them out here)
Quinn leaned against the wall, just outside the room and in plenty of shadow to be nearly invisible, and watched the two occupants of the room as they interacted with each other. It had only been a week since she'd been here, most of that spent in a darkened room trying to come to grips with the fact that this was real and she was really free of Ollie once and for all. In all that time, she'd never seen Alice and Sirius do anything more than stand shoulder to shoulder in a corner and watch every little movement as if they were analyzing for a possible threat. They'd been here for several weeks now but still hadn't been able to unbend from the stresses of their past. Not that she blamed them. No one did. Everyone just stayed out of their way and let them try to find a place in the group that made them comfortable.
Here, in this room right now, they had found comfort. One of the many couches in the room had been moved to their corner, probably by Cam who had muttered something last night about being tired watching them standing all the time, so that sunlight from the tall windows washed over the couple. They were tangled together, Alice leaning back against Sirius' chest, between his outstretched legs so that she was more on his body than the couch. In every way possible, Sirius was curled around her so that they were still very much an island. While Quinn couldn't hear what they were talking about, Alice had a huge smile on her face as she talked nearly as much with her hands as she did with her voice. Something made her laugh and that was a sound that Quinn could hear well enough. Instead of it making her want to laugh along, it brought tears to Quinn's eyes.
They were happy. No matter that their life had fallen apart, if it could even have been called a life to begin with. In this moment, they were together and they were happy. Theirs was not a pairing of convenience, just to get out of the school in one piece. These were two people who truly loved each other.
Quinn heard Cam coming down the stairs, his off-key humming always proceeding him these days. Before he could interrupt this scene of domestic bliss, she stepped over to intercept him. "Hush," she whispered before moving back to her original location. In a way, she was keeping them in place as much as she was keeping other people out of the way.
"What is it?" He moved to stand behind her, eager to see what had her so interested. She could hear his small laugh. "Never thought you were the voyeur type."
"They're so... beautiful together like this. They mean something."
Alice jumped and, for a moment, Quinn thought she had been discovered. "You cut that out, Sirius Black," the girl exclaimed before settling back into place, taking his hand in both of hers like a person who had done the same thing a hundred other times. Sirius smoothed her hair out of the way before putting his head beside hers, whispering things into her ear that left a pink stain on her cheeks.
"That's what I should have had." Quinn massaged her wrist, the old injury only hurting in her memory. It wasn't enough that Ollie had manipulated those times so that she doubted everything she'd ever felt. Now she had this couple to remind her that she'd been the one to run, leaving Caradoc behind. It was her own fault that she didn't have anyone who wanted to spend an afternoon on the couch with her.
"Wanna know the difference between what they have and what you have?" Cam's voice was so low she could barely hear him but every word made it to her ears. "That girl knows what she wants and goes after it. Not in a bad way, mind you. He wants her just as badly so no one is a loser here. They aren't letting anyone or anything tear them apart. There is no hesitation. They want so they take."
"I don't underst-"
"They want so they take," he repeated, emphasizing each word. "There is no fear. You have nothing to fear either. You never did." He was gone before she could say anything else. Before she could fight what he so clearly saw.
She was left to watch the blissful scene, one she could barely stomach. "Nail her to the floor. Don't let her run." But she wasn't sure if she was talking to the couple or to the man she wanted wrapping his arms around her at the moment. As she shuffled off to the kitchen for the cup of tea she'd originally come downstairs for, she tried to forget that she'd ever seen any of this. At this point in her life, she didn't know if she had it in her to change and she was still unsure of her reception if she decided that she wanted to fight for love.