Monday, December 8
Outfit~

Oh the library... One of Eli’s least favorite places in the Hogwarts castle.  Quiet was enforced, making the overall atmosphere of the place quite drab and dull.  Drab and dull.  The smell of the library was also a thing to note.  It depended on where you were among the towering rows of books, but among the older editions one’s nose could not ignore the odor or moldy, old pages. Quite smelly.  Eli didn’t like smelly.  Neither did he like studying... and since this was a library, it automatically had a studious aura that suffocated people like Eli.  If there were any, that is.  So, the library contained Eli’s dreaded double D’s and S’s: dull, drab, smelly, and studious. 

Yet, despite all that, he couldn’t argue with the fact that it was one of the only places in which he could focus and get done the work that usually never got done if he were elsewhere.  Because of the quiet and uninteresting air of the library, Eli was less likely to be distracted.  No music, no loud sounds, no food, minimal talking....

”Isn’t that the guy who snogged Harper on the corridor floor the other day?”

“Really? Is he some kind of pervert?”

“Definitely....”

Eli rolled his eyes.  Of course, in the library you got your nosy gossipers who didn’t know what talking quietly meant.  When the person you are gossiping about can hear you, then obviously that means you’re not doing a good job.  The fact that these girls, Ravenclaw by the looks of them and younger, had called him a pervert wasn’t what bothered him.  Neither was the fact that they were talking about him ‘behind his back’.  He was practically used to it by now.  No, what pinched the Gryffindor’s nerves was the fact that they seemingly had spoken loud enough on purpose.... Like they wanted Eli to know what they thought of him.

Closing his Charms book, Eli stood up from the table he had been sitting at.  Hooking his hands behind his back, he walked gracefully up to the somewhat suspecting girls, a smile plastered on his fair face. 

“Sorry, ladies,” psh, tramps... “but because of both of your hippogriff-like voices, I couldn’t help but overhear.  You were talking about Erin Harper and I right? Well, just to clear the air, he had it coming.... And I could say he wanted it just as much as I did, so I guess that makes us both perverts, huh?”  The girls looked at him, shocked and speechless.  Okay, so Eli was stretching the truth, but hell, it was worth it seeing the looks on these girls’ faces, “I’ll give you a little advice before I go back to minding my own business,” Which I suggest you do too because I might not be so nice next time... “Beware the Gryffindor Pervert cause he’s a nasty piece of work. Rawr!”

Laughing and satisfied with the result (the girls had scurried away, looking like they had just seen a streaker), Eli returned to his table and sat down.

‘What else is there to do?’

Gossip usually didn't reach the ears of Kelyn Adda. At least, not until it was long ago old news and everyone had forgotten about it. Well actually, Delphi probably told him everything, but he learned how to tune out her pointless ramblings. Sure, he loved her and all, and they were extremely close, but no one can like every aspect of their family members. Really. And Kelyn had no reason to be interested in the ins and outs of the Hogwarts gossip circle, so why would he bother wanting to listen to that stuff? So, he had no idea that there had been anything going on between Eli and Erin.

Until now.

While he hadn't paid any mind to what the Ravenclaw girls were saying, it was impossible for Kelyn to not notice when the Gryffindor boy got up and had a word with the two. He was only sitting a table away from them, and naturally his eyes followed Eli when he saw movement going on near him. Eli walked right past him, and Kelyn felt himself follow the boy's movements, noticing just how well the backside of his pants fit the older boy...What the hell? Snap out of it, Kelyn.

He focused back on the conversation just in time to hear some very interesting words coming from Eli. "You were talking about Erin Harper and I right? Well, just to clear the air, he had it coming.... And I could say he wanted it just as much as I did, so I guess that makes us both perverts, huh?” Kelyn listened in more, trying to figure out if he was understanding it correctly. The look on the faces of the two girls confirmed that something had indeed happened, whatever it was. And from the tone of the conversation, it wasn't studying that occurred.

Erin and Eli? Maybe Kelyn should have paid more attention to what was going on around him. Perhaps he would have been able to figure out what was going on with himself if he paid attention to those who were already dealing with it. He'd known Eli for a little while, but nothing more than acquaintances, really. Kel didn't make a habit of hanging around Gryffindors. Not because he disliked them or anything, but their naturally loud nature usually attracted the attention Kelyn always tried to avoid. Like this situation, for instance. Kelyn would have been mortified if he was in the position of one of those two girls. It was pretty obvious that everyone in their vicinity noticed the exchange of words as the girls rushed out of the library. That being the case, his lack of interactions with the Lions, Kelyn didn't notice Eli's flirtatious nature, or the fact that he didn't go around just snogging girls either. 

Maybe Kelyn could talk to him, get to know him a little more. And if he got up the courage, actually ask Eli a few questions about this situation with Erin. It was worth a try. Kelyn had been trying a little bit to break out of his shell, but mostly had been unsuccessful. He was so used to being by himself that new interaction with people still brought on asthma attacks if the situation got to be too much. But maybe...he had to do something. It would be worth it if he was able to talk to someone about what was going on. Cause Kelyn knew he couldn't very well bring this subject up to his sister.

After taking a few deep breaths, Kelyn got up and walked over slowly to the table where Eli was sitting. About the time that he reached the table was the moment that he realized he had nothing to talk to the older boy about. Smooth move, idiot. By then it was obvious Kelyn was standing there, Eli would have had to been blind to miss him. Think, think. Kel couldn't just stand there and say nothing. Each second was making it worse, and he felt his pulse increase as worry set it. Eli probably thought he was a mute. Say something!

"Umm..hey...do you have an extra inkwell?"

Nice, Kel. What a great conversation starter. He mentally kicked himself for doing something so stupid. He should have never gotten up and walked towards the table. But he couldn't very well just turn around and leave. It was too late for that.

There was no point in Eli trying to open his book back up again.  He wouldn’t be able to study know that he had been distracted.  Now his mind was full whispering girls and Erin Harper.  Erin Harper.  Maybe snogging the guy wasn’t such a great idea after all.  Now everyone around school was talking about it.... Erin and Eli, Eli and Erin.  As if Eli was ever going to have anything to do with the Slytherin again!  It was just a snog.  That’s how it was for Eli...  Yeah, it was nice.  Erin was a very attractive person.  But it had been nothing more than payback... Eli wasn’t going to let anyone who messed up his hair go without some sort of retribution or.... exchange.  Besides, Eli was pretty sure Erin wasn’t normally into guys....

Whatever.  Gossip was gossip.  There was no way to stop it.  Those girls were just going to keep spreading the rumors and keep calling him a pervert (last time Eli checked, kissing wasn’t a sin...).  There was nothing Eli could do to stop it.  Though he couldn’t help thinking about Erin’s reaction when he heard that they’d been seen.  The young Slytherin probably was not going to like that very much.

It was then that Eli noticed that someone had walked up to him.  He turned his head and looked up.  Ah, a familiar face!  Though Eli and Kelyn weren’t exactly friends, he’d chatted with the younger Hufflepuff on occasion.  He was a good guy.  Really shy, not very social, but nice.... and cute.  Cute was always played a factor in whether Eli chose to approach someone.  He couldn’t help it if he liked good-looking people!  Again, not a sin!

Eli was about to speak up after a few seconds of silence passed, but Kelyn beat him to it.  "Umm..hey...do you have an extra inkwell?"

An inkwell, huh?  “Let me check....”  Eli picked up his Hello Kitty messenger bag, his personal favorite, and rummaged through its various contents.  Why on earth did he have three handheld mirrors in there?  Oh wait... he was always losing them and finding them again.  Stupid little things but he couldn’t live without them.  There was a pink money bag, a wad of parchment that had been doodle-ized during Charms, and AHA!  An inkwell!  Score. 

He took the inkwell out and held it out.  Wait, on second thought.... Eli pulled the inkwell back to him.  “I’ll give it to you on one condition,” the Gryffindor Scooted over to the far seat and patted the now-empty one next to him, “you sit here and keep me company.  I can’t focus anymore and I don’t like being bored.” 

Eli had found something to do: learn more about young Kelyn Adda.

Kelyn shuffled his feet a bit and tried not to stare as Eli searched through his bag for the inkwell that Kel "needed". A small glance back at the other table and anyone could see that there was  a perfectly good bottle of ink sitting beside a stack of books and parchments. It was a dumb thing to ask for, but the quickest thing that had come to his mind. For a brief moment, Kel considered darting away while Eli's attention was focused elsewhere. But he noticed that the searching stopped and looked back to see an inkwell waiting to be taken.

He couldn't just leave it there, since he had actually asked for it, so Kelyn reached out, but was too late as Eli retracted the offer. What now? Confusion crossed his face for a brief moment, followed by a small blush. Eli must have seen the ink sitting at Kelyn's table. He wasn't an idiot, that was for sure.

“I’ll give it to you on one condition,” A condition. Kelyn didn't like where this was going. He didn't work well with conditions and requirements. At least not when they had to deal with other people. He knew that conditions meant probably doing something out of the norm, that wouldn't be too enjoyable for him, more than likely. But then again, Kelyn had already jumped out of the "norm" by even going over and talking to Eli. Any previous conversation they ever had was always Eli-initiated.

“You sit here and keep me company.  I can’t focus anymore and I don’t like being bored.”

His eyes, which had drifted back to staring at the table top and at his own feet, moved up to meet Eli's gaze, before turning aside again. Eli wanted Kelyn to sit with him? That hadn't been in the plan. Honestly, Kelyn didn't have any plan when he approached the other boy, obvious from the lack of words coming from his mouth, with the exception of the pointless request for ink.

"Well...um...sure, I guess..." Kel slowly started to sit down, before getting nervous even more and jumping up to a standing position once more. "Let me uh...get my stuff, k?" The retreat to his previous table was hasty and determined, but once he got there, Kelyn took his time in arranging his belonging and sliding them back into his bag. He secured the top on his own inkwell before shoving it into the bottom of his bag. Hopefully it would stay hidden. It seemed he didn't have enough items out on the table because by the time that Kelyn had finished packing up his bag, he still hadn't mustered up the courage to decide to go back to the table. The library door wasn't that far from him; it wouldn't be too difficult to duck out the door before Eli could react. Of course, he'd surely have to deal with the boy later, but Kelyn could try and handle that when it came.

One more glance from where Eli was sitting then back to the library door, and Kelyn actually made a step in the direction of the exit. It was the easiest choice. And the one he was used to doing time and time again. But he stopped after just one step, determined to get a grip on his anxiety in this situation. It wasn't like Eli was going to bite his head off or anything. How difficult could one conversation be? So against all he was used to doing, Kelyn turned and returned to the table where Eli was still waiting. He took a seat at the still empty chair, setting his bag on the table in front of him. "Ok...got my stuff now." Kelyn made no mention of his attempted "escape" and didn't look at Eli, for fear that he might see the Gryffindor laughing at him for the way he was acting. "So...um....what are you studying?"

It occurred to Eli that perhaps his request was a bit much for Kelyn.  From what he knew of the younger guy, he was extremely shy and probably didn’t do this thing often.  Eli had never understood ‘shy’.  He didn’t understand how people could be more comfortable keeping to themselves than being around other people.  Razzy was one of those yet he seemed to be comfortable around Eli.... Maybe it just depended on who you were with?  Oh well, everyone was different.  Eli understood this very well.  And he also understood that pushing people out of their comfort zones wasn’t always a bad thing if you did it the right way.  This could be his way of pushing Kel out of his zone and perhaps getting to know him better.

"Well...um...sure, I guess...Let me uh...get my stuff, k?"

“Sure,” Eli watched as Kelyn quickly walked back to his table to get his stuff.  A small glass caught his eye and he turned his head back around.  An inkwell?  Why would Kelyn ask him to borrow his inkwell when he had one of his own?  A bemused smile snuck its way on to his lips as Eli’s thoughts conquered up various explanations as to why the younger guy would lie about something like that.  Was he maybe interested in Eli and wanted an excuse to talk to him?  ‘Keh, as much as I would like that... he doesn’t really seem like that type..’ Yeah, and neither did Erin Harper and yet the assumed ‘tough’ Slytherin had proven to be quite a good kisser. 

Whatever Kelyn’s reason, Eli was suddenly now more intrigued by the Hufflepuff.  The whole ‘can I borrow this even when I have one of my own’ act was, Eli wasn’t going to deny, cute, but it troubled him the slightest bit.  He hoped Kelyn didn’t think he had to lie just to speak with him!  That wasn’t the case at all.  If Eli had spotted him earlier, no doubt he would have been the one to approach him first.  Yet, in his annoyance with the gossip girls, he hadn’t seen Kel... Eli didn’t plan on letting Kelyn know that he knew he had lied.  That would probably only make the poor guy panic.  But he still wanted to try to get the point across that Kel could come to talk to him whenever he wanted.  Eli liked to consider himself an open guy, after all.  He didn’t think he was.... scary.

"Ok...got my stuff now."

“Welcome back! Here’s your ink, as promised,” Eli smiled as he slid his inkwell over to Kelyn.  ’I guess two is better than one, right? Tee hee hee!’

"So...um....what are you studying?"

Good question.... What was I ‘studying’?  Eli glanced at the title of the book in front of him.  He picked it up and flipped through the pages before a light bulb finally went on.  “The muggle Industrial Revolution!” He said, happy that he could remember that much, “And I thought Wizarding history was boring.... this stuff is an instant sleeping potion.  How about you?”

Kelyn managed to smile back as Eli pushed the inkwell over to him. See, it's not so bad after all. Not that he thought Eli was a scary guy or anything, it was just the whole situation of actually approaching someone and having a conversation. Especially when that person was quite intriguing to Kel in more ways than one. But...he couldn't just bring up the Erin situation right away. His heartbeat increased just thinking about it. Kelyn doubted that he would even manage to say something about it in this conversation. No, that had to be built up to. He had only just managed to successfully approach the boy on his own; there was no way he could ask about a topic that was still very confusing to him.

“The muggle Industrial Revolution!...And I thought Wizarding history was boring.... this stuff is an instant sleeping potion.  How about you?”

Muggle Studies was not a topic in which Kelyn had much interest. Mainly because he already knew a bit about the muggle world, from his father and all. But his father was also the reason Kel had no desire to study that part of the world. It hurt Kelyn pretty bad, that his dad could just up and leave while they were away at school. Granted, that wasn't exactly what happened, but the point was, he had left them. Kelyn never heard the complete story of why his parents split, but he wasn't sure he was ready to hear it either. The boy was just starting to get to the point where it didn't hurt so much to think about it. It was worse at home, knowing that his father still lived in the same town, but it was much harder for them to see each other, with Bran and Kai choosing to stay completely in the muggle world while Elain, Delphi, and Kelyn resided in the magical community.

But here he was, getting sidetracked by his own thoughts again, while Eli's question still went unanswered.

"Umm...I don't think I can be of much help against the boredom. Actually," Kelyn brought his books back out and onto the table, "I was studying History of Magic. So yeah...not much more interesting...." He trailed off, realizing that he had gotten out more than one sentence without being too nervous about sitting and talking with Eli. "But I do gotta finish reading this chapter before the test at the end of the week. So uhh, lemme just finish it real quick?"

Kelyn brought his eyes back down to focus on the pages of the book, trying to read but not really getting anywhere. He wasn't used to studying with people either. Delphi didn't count, cause she never made him nervous. After trying to read the same sentence three times, Kel gave up on it, and decided that if he wanted to ask Eli, the best time was now. Just do it and get it done with. "So....can I ask you a question?...." He hesitated, wondering if he should ask a different question instead. "Umm...what happened with you and Erin?"

Eli knew it wasn’t necessarily polite to stare at people.  It made the other party feel uneasy and most times awkward.  But there Kelyn was sitting... right next to him thinking to himself and Eli just couldn’t stop staring because his eyes were eagerly taking the other’s face in inch by inch.  Kelyn had a nice jawline, gentle eyes, and soft-looking lips.  Maybe he had a thing for the shy ones, cause Eli kept growing more and more attracted to Kel the longer he looked at him.  It was like that with Razzy, too.  Razzy was a quite kid, but the longer Eli was with him the more he seemed to open up to the older boy.  Perhaps this is what the people meant when they said ‘opposites attract’.  Because Eli sure wasn’t shy.... not in the least bit.  But people who were were intriguing to him.... like Kelyn.

"Umm...I don't think I can be of much help against the boredom. Actually, I was studying History of Magic. So yeah...not much more interesting.... But I do gotta finish reading this chapter before the test at the end of the week. So uhh, lemme just finish it real quick?"

“Don’t worry about it.  I don’t think anything can help when it comes to studying and boredom.  It’s incurable, unfortunately,” Eli shrugged, “But yeah, do what you got to do.... I’ll still be here when you’re done!”  He smiled and leaned back casually in his chair.  It didn’t take long for his mind to start wandering off into fairytale land.  Being a writer of such, Eli often found himself making up little stories whenever he was unoccupied. 

Once upon a time there was a very handsome prince living in a big, old castle in Scotland.  Also in the castle lived a very quiet servant who normally kept to himself.  The prince had noticed the servant on many occasions and was quite taken with him.  He could tell right away that the servant was special.  One day the prince chanced upon the servant reading alone in the royal library by the fireplace.  He looked so relaxed and serene.  The firelight danced, creating shadows that flickered across his pretty face.  The prince was absolutely mesmerized.  Before he knew it, he was standing right in front of the servant.  Very slowly he knelt down, lifted the servant’s head up, and placed his lips gently to his....

"So....can I ask you a question?....Umm...what happened with you and Erin?"

Snap out of it, Eli, you are not going to kiss Kelyn!  But, wait, whoa... He wasn’t going to kiss Kelyn, he was going to kiss the cute servant boy who..... looked exactly like the boy sitting right next to him.  Eli sat up in his chair, mentally telling himself to get it together.  He’d been asked a question.  A question about him and Erin.  Geez, they were a popular subject today, weren’t they?  Well, at least Kelyn wasn’t gossiping behind his back like those girls were earlier.

“Erin and I? Heh, well, fun story” at least Eli found it fun, “He threw a snowball at me in the courtyard which pissed me off.  I chased him down because he was being difficult, you know how Slytherins are, and we ended up on the floor and I kissed him.  It was supposed to be payback for the snowball, but then we kissed again...” Eli made sure to put an emphasis on the ‘we’ since the second time he hadn’t been the only one kissing, “and, yeah.... that was it...” and it was enjoyable and if Eli had a chance like that again, yes he would kiss the Harper boy another time.  But Erin Harper didn’t concern Eli at the moment as much as his self-control did, or his lack thereof....

It was a good thing that Kelyn didn't notice any prolonged looks coming from Eli. That alone would have made him nervous enough to not bring up the Erin topic, and probably give him enough reason to make up an excuse and leave the library all together. But he didn't want to leave really; the Hufflepuff was trying to enjoy the success of having a self-initiated conversation with someone.  That fact that it was Eli Park,- whom Kelyn could maybe, possibly admit that he was kinda cute- added as a bonus.

But Kelyn wasn't about to admit that he had those types of thoughts about a guy. He still wasn't sure if that's what he was exactly feeling. Eli was a boy.....Kelyn wasn't supposed to have feelings or emotional thoughts about someone from the same gender. Not that Kel necessarily thought it was wrong, he just wasn't one of those types of people. At least, he didn't think he was. But there were many things nowadays of which Kelyn was uncertain, this being the biggest one.

As Eli began to retell the event, Kel found himself actually suppressing his nerves enough to look back at the older boy and make eye contact. Until a certain point in the story, of course. "...we ended up on the floor and I kissed him.  It was supposed to be payback for the snowball, but then we kissed again...” His mouth might have dropped a little from surprise; Kelyn wasn't sure. But he did know that his cheeks felt warm again and he could no longer hold Eli's gaze. Sure, Kel thought that something of that nature might have happened, given the reaction of the two Ravenclaw girls, but he didn't think it was the best possibility. This just proved how little Kelyn did know about those around him and how much he didn't pay attention to the lives of the other students.

"So, you kissed....." Kelyn's focus had returned to the pages before him, even though he wasn't reading, and he took to fiddling with the quill in his hands."....a boy. What was it like?" What, Kel?!? How could you ask him that? Sure, it's the first thought that Kelyn had when the fact was revealed, but that didn't mean he wanted to say it out loud. "I mean...umm, well...do you kiss boys a lot?" Sure, like that's a much better question. Now he's definitely going to think that something's weird about you, if he doesn't already. This wasn't good. Here Kelyn was, having a perfectly decent conversation, and now he was losing it, all by his own doing.

It had a been two years since Eli discovered he liked guys.  Thanks to his wonderful sister, Jessica, he was able to quickly and easily come to terms with it.  He was open right from the start about his sexuality.  Then again, Eli was never a person to hide anything about himself.  His parents were a bit shocked at first, but then Eli explained he still liked girls and they seemed to be less frantic about it.  Telling them he still liked girls wasn’t necessarily a lie... he did but he preferred guys.... because guys could snog him and not expect a relationship out of it.  Most girls assumed that if you snogged, you were a ‘thing’.  That logic, to Eli, was a bunch of bullocks.  So, the reason he went around kissing mostly guys was simply because they were more attractive (to him) and were less complicated.

Kelyn’s reaction to his explanation didn’t quite surprise Eli.  He figured the boy wasn’t used to hearing about two guys snogging on a corridor floor that often.... but then again, who was?  Well, maybe it was more the two guys part.  Yeah, that could be a shocker if you weren’t used to hearing those things.... and didn’t know such things about the people around you. 

"So, you kissed....a boy. What was it like?..... I mean...umm, well...do you kiss boys a lot?"

Now this was something new for Eli.  He’d told stories before about his conquests but never had he been asked what kissing another boy was like and..... whether he did it often or not.  And he asked with such sincerity, like he was truly curious.  Of course, that did nothing to help Eli’s self-control.  The only thing that was keeping him from kissing Kelyn and showing him what kissing a boy felt like was the fact that he didn’t want to shock the Hufflepuff to death.  His sister would be proud of this show of self-restraint.

After a few seconds went by and Eli was able to tame his kiss-a-holic self, he nodded.  “I guess you could say kissing boys isn’t anything new for me,” a smile then appeared on his lips, “But as for what it’s like, well, that you’ll have to discover for yourself.”

Silence never bothered Kelyn before. He thrived on it; was surrounded by it during most of his day. It was the excessive noise that was more of an issue for him. However, in this moment, just those few seconds of silence were horrible for him. What was Eli thinking? What kind of answer was he going to give? It probably wasn't the most tactful thing for Kel to ask, but since he didn't talk much to people he barely knew, he never really had a reason to practice watching his tongue. And it's not like Kelyn was asking Eli just to poke fun at him or anything. He was curious. He just never meant to vocalize that curiosity out loud.

“I guess you could say kissing boys isn’t anything new for me,...But as for what it’s like, well, that you’ll have to discover for yourself.”

If it were possible for Kelyn's face to get any more red, it probably did at that moment. Luckily, he wasn't looking directly at Eli, but he would sure the older boy could probably tell how Kelyn had reacted. Him, discover for himself? Kel was sure that would not be happening for a while, if at all. He had only experienced one kiss in his whole life, and that was back in year two, during a game of spin-the-bottle. But even then, that kiss had been with a girl. Kelyn didn't think he'd ever be able to get up the courage to kiss a boy, no matter how much he had to admit that the prospect of such an act only made him nervous because it was kissing, not because it would be involved with someone of the same gender.

"I...uh, well..." He didn't know how to react, what he was supposed to say to a comment like that. Why was talking to Eli making him so flustered? "Umm...maybe I should...go. Go back to my dorm. And let you study. I don't wanna distract you." Truthfully he would love to stay and continue to talk; this really was a big step for him. But like with every other situation, Kelyn's answer in a time of nervousness was to retreat. It was still very much a part of his nature.

Eli noticed Kelyn’s face turn red despite the efforts of the other to try and hide it.  Agan, Eli couldn’t resist the fact that he found the younger boy’s shyness cute.  And the way he was acting all flustered and nervous... Eli couldn’t decide whether he wanted to kiss him or pinch his cheek like his sister would do to him whenever he pulled on ‘innocent’ act.

But was Eli the one making him so nervous?  He really wasn’t that intimidating was he?  I am attractive... and we are talking about kissing... boys Could this mean that Kelyn liked him? No, no, no... that was just him being full of himself and assuming everyone and their mother liked him.  No, their topic of conversation was not entirely conventional.  Any normal person would feel a bit... unsettled.  For a person like Kelyn, Eli could only conclude this was to be expected.  Wait... but does this make me abnormal? Because I like talking about boys and kissing?!

"Umm... maybe I should...go.  Go back to my dorm.  And let you study.  I don’t want to distract you.”

Kelyn’s words snapped Eli out of his thoughts.  Wait, go?  But they were having an interesting conversation!   He didn’t want Kelyn to go... He liked the younger Hufflepuff’s company.  And he was all shy and nervous and cute....

He raised a hand and placed it on Kelyn’s cheek, turning the boy’s head to face him.  His eyes locked onto Kelyn’s as his face drew closer to the other’s.  Tilting his head slightly, he pressed his lips on the younger boy’s, eyes closing as he savored the feeling of Kelyn’s lips.  It was all over too quickly, though, Eli thought.  He pulled away, not trusting himself to continue. 

“Don’t go.  Stay.”

Eyes focused on the table, Kelyn started to put his belongings back into his bag. He had reached the point where he knew it was time to go. The conversation was getting too personal, and making him too nervous. Kelyn was smart enough to know when to take his gains and be happy with what he had accomplished. And really, he had done a lot. Kelyn had approached someone, by his own will, and had a conversation with the person. Ok, so maybe Kelyn had lied a bit and him and Eli hadn't been conversing for that long, but it was still progress for him. And Kelyn had gathered enough information to know that if he ever did want to talk about what he was going through, Eli might be a good person to approach.

The Gryffindor had been nice to Kelyn the whole time and hadn't poked fun of his obvious nervousness at all. And Kel knew that Eli wasn't oblivious to what was going on; the older boy was just good at practicing tact.  And Kelyn was sure he was being nice in an attempt to calm the Hufflepuff's nerves.

Except that something must have caused a change, because Kelyn's anxiety increased when he felt Eli's hand on his cheek. He didn't have any choice as Eli turned his head and Kelyn found himself starting into the eyes of the older student- eyes that were getting noticeably closer. The nervous Hufflepuff swallowed, wanting to turn away, but it all happened so quickly that he really didn't have time to do anything but sit there and let it happen.

He started straight ahead, drawing in a short breath right before their lips connected. Kelyn couldn't think of anything, except to realize for a brief second that Eli's lips were quite gentle...and then it was over.

"Don't go. Stay."

Kelyn blinked, and finally let out the breath he'd been holding in. Now that it was over, he had time to realize exactly what had occurred. Eli had kissed him. Only the second time in Kelyn's life that he'd experienced a kiss, and it was from a boy.

In a library full of people.

People who had no idea what Kelyn struggled with when it came to boys and girls and feelings. Heck, Delphi didn't even know this part of his life, and her twin brother told her EVERYTHING. Panic set in his eyes as Kelyn quickly scooted his chair back and created space between him and Eli. This wasn't happening. This didn't happen. But it did, and it wasn't like Kelyn could take it back or anything. He glanced around the library, looking at the many faces that were now staring in their direction. Had they witnessed the whole thing? Truthfully, they were probably all looking there because of his sudden movements, but Kelyn was convinced that someone had seen everything happen.

"I....I..." Kelyn took in a deep breath, feeling the familiar tightening in his chest. "...should..*gasp*...go...*gasp*" His hands grasped at the latch on his bag, finally getting it open once more and pulling out a couple of books on to the table. At the bottom of his bad was the most important item of all, his inhaler. A few more gasps for air and Kelyn finally was about to take in a bit of the medicine, right as the room was starting to sway. He had to get out of there.

Not able to look at Eli, or the increased number of students who were observing the situation, Kel took hold of his bag, his inhaler in the other hand, and made a rush for the door, knocking over his chair as he stood up. He pushed past a couple students coming in the doorway and stopped right outside of the library, leaning against the wall in the corridor as he took another puff from his inhaler and tried to calm himself down. Kelyn didn't even notice that he had left books on the table. And he didn't care really. Breathing was a much higher priority over class books.

For Eli, Kelyn’s lips felt completely innocent.  Kissing him felt like a first kiss.  It was soft and gentle.  But it wasn’t until he saw Kelyn’s face that the realization of what he had done hit him.  The panic in his eyes... the way he scooted away from him...  It was like he was afraid Eli could strike again at any moment.  Eli opened his mouth, but nothing came out.  He watched Kelyn panic and all he could think about was that it was his fault.  He had crossed the line...  Now the poor kid was looked like he was going to hyperventilate and pass out... 

” "I....I...should..*gasp*...go...*gasp*"

Eli watched motionlessly as Kelyn took out his inhaler and put it to his mouth, taking in medicine.  Then he stood up and rushed towards the door, his chair falling.  That’s when Eli finally came back to life.  He stood up, hand stretching out, “Kelyn.... wait!” He shouted after the fleeing boy, but it was too late.  Kelyn was already gone.  Shit!....

He put his outstretched hand to his forehead, shaking his head slowly.  Stupid idiot... Scared him.... Now he probably won’t talk to you ever again.... Good going, ass!  Eli slumped back down into his chair and buried his face in his arms on the table.  The image of Kelyn’s panicked eyes kept coming back to him.  A kiss.... All over a little kiss... And because Eli had no self-control.... Maybe he really was a pervert?  He needed to be locked away in a dark room, mouth duct tape shut.  Only then would the world be safe.

Groaning, Eli shook his body around and then sat up, sighing.  No use thinking like that.  What was done, was done.  He would love to say ‘lesson learned’ but, that would be a lie.  Self-control was something that would take more time to learn.... he if ever did. 

Eli’s eyes looked over to where Kelyn had been sitting minutes ago and noticed his books still sitting on the table.  It seemed he had forgotten them in his rush to get away from Eli.  Lightbulb!  Eli collected the books and set them neatly in front of him.  He’d return these to Kelyn.  After a few days, of course.  And he’d try and make peace with the younger boy.  After all, he hadn’t meant to frighten him or make him panic.  He didn’t want Kelyn thinking he was a bad guy.  A part of Eli did like him and it would hurt if he thought he was seen as a scary person.

Yes, he’d set things straight.... He’d try and talk to Kelyn... and everything would be okay!  Eli absentmindedly pumped his fist into the air, a smile forming on his lips.  I’m Eli Park and I can do this!