I could be yours, I could be your baby tonight

Topple you down from your sky 40 stories high

    Cyril was a busy person now. Between his job as a Healer and so many hours a day, and his studies for Lufkin with everything that entailed, and his work at Sugarplums and his night work and Niles? He barely had an hour or two to himself every day, which he used to mainly breathe or keep up with his appearance. At least now he had some more time, being off of university for the summer break. It was something. He had standards to maintain, after all, and he couldn't deal with looking any less than perfect. While it was true that he didn't care if his clients turned him away because of such shallow matters, he couldn't bear the thought of presenting Niles with anything sub par when it came to himself. After all, Niles was already putting up with so much when it came to him, he didn't want to give the man even more of a reason to leave him. This was something good in his life, something that made him happy in a different way than getting pretty gifts or succeeding in a job he liked. This was different because it made him happy, instead of making him feel happy. Feelings were fleeting, a state was permanent. Or, really, as permanent as it could be. He was, somehow, still waiting for the shoe to drop. Even if he knew that Niles had seen all the ugly sides of him and hadn't left yet, that it was unlikely he'd just up and get bored and leave one day... he was still afraid of that. It was unfair to Niles, really, because the other man had done nothing but sow him how utterly wonderful and caring he was and how much he truly wanted Cyril in any way that he could have him. It felt awfully ungrateful to be as insecure as he was.

    Still, he never mentioned it. He went about his days and did everything he needed to do and more often than not found an excuse to not spend time with whatever client might want to see him that night. Anything, really, to be able to see Niles more often. To avoid having to spend an entire hour scrubbing at himself to get rid of whatever smell the client might have, though he knew that it was unlikely Niles' lycanthrope nose would miss it. He tried, Merlin did he try. Why couldn't he just leave that blasted job? He hated it anyway. It was bad for him in every way. It was bad for his relationship. Why couldn't he? It was... natural. The natural order of things, when he started, and now it was hard to stop. Like something that belonged with the type of person than he was, like something he deserved. He was studying psychology, dammit, he knew that it was wrong and that he was just punishing himself. He knew that he should get help, but he didn't. At least he had started to replace that night job with another night job. Di's place. But it wasn't long. Just an hour or two a couple of nights a week in which he went and healed people up and then could go back home. Di paid him, though Cyril had told him he would do it for free anyway. Morgana, if this was the only night job he could keep... for Niles' sakes, if not for his own.

    Those weren't thoughts for right now. He wasn't supposed to think about that now. Right now, he was standing at the desk in a crowded candy shop in Diagon Alley, enjoying one of the many lollipops the store allowed him to sample during his work hours. All he had to do was smile at people, make smalltalk as he rung up their purchases, put them in a bag and give back their change. Nothing more and nothing less. There were enough people for him to keep busy and to stop his mind from going to problematic places. Done deal.

    Putting on a polite smile, he greeted the next customer cheerfully. "Afternoon! Found everything alright?"

TAG: OPEN ╳ Outfit: Pretty in Pink ╳ 689 words

ⒶⓀⒾ of Adoxography, Transit, and GS.

I know what the
boys want i'm
not gonna play

❧

Cora Marlowe had never worn heels as much as she had over the past few months. Hell, she’d never owned as many pairs as she did now. In a way, the represented a part of her that she hadn’t been in touch with for a very long time. Years ago, when she was still a kid, Diane Marlowe used to buy her dress-up outfits to play in. Princess ballgowns with little kitten heels and tiaras. Merlin’s beard, what Diane would have to say if she could see Cora now, waltzing to Dimitri Shostakovitch’s Waltz No. 2. Her mom would probably laugh — but at the end of the day, she’d be proud of Cora. She’d love to have seen her become a proper woman.

It wasn’t that she was changing who she was. No, Cora was still very much the same raised by a muggle woman girl that she’d been a year ago. But there was more to her now. There were layers to peel back. Behind her evening dresses and perfect makeup was a girl who liked to lay in the Slughorn’s library reading books on Astronomy and Astrology (and sometimes even Insurance Law if she was feeling particularly adventurous). Behind the perfectly manicured nails, was a girl who snuck off every so often to feed the Pegasi when the rest of the Slughorns weren’t looking. It was a different sort of life…but one that she had grown to enjoy.

Diane would’ve been proud of the organization that she’d chosen to be a part of: The Order of the Phoenix. Although she’d promised neutrality to the family she was marrying into, Cora couldn’t sit by and idly watch the unequal treatment of anyone in the Wizarding World. She was religious about attending meetings, sighting that she had an appointment at Lufkin that couldn’t be missed, or a lunch date with Belinda so they could catch up. She wanted to do right by the world.

She would do right by the world. And if the Slughorns found out?

Cora gulped. She didn’t want to think about it. The prospect of losing Alaric was…confusing to her. It’d been such a long time since she’d felt that way about someone. Cora had grown to enjoy Alaric’s company. Every time she put on a new pair of heels, Alaric was there to steady her with a hand on her arm. He was the perfect gentleman, but as she learned more about him, she realized he was so much more than that. He was a constant — strong, bright, funny (when he wasn’t trying so hard not to laugh at jokes). She’d grown to care for him…more so than she ever thought she would. He made her smile when she was feeling down. He made her heart do little somersaults when he reached out for her hand.

Alright, so the Slughorn’s just couldn’t find out, she thought as she grabbed a few sweets from the shelves and put them in her basket. Stress shopping always did her good. Maybe Alaric liked Licorice Wands…she threw a few more into the basket. When she was satisfied, and convinced she couldn’t carry any more, Cora retreated to the checkout line. She recognized a familiar face behind the register — a year ahead of her and a Slytherin, Cyril had always been one of her favorite people at Hogwarts. He was like a breath of fresh air when everyone else was so…stale. “Hi, Cyril,” she said, setting a galleon onto the counter and sliding it towards Cyril as she reached the front of the line. She’d always liked him. A year ahead of her, and a Slytherin, she’d always found him a delightful breath of fresh air. “Want to eat Licorice wands and talk about all the people we hate after you get off?”

@cyril | Outfit

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I COULD BE YOURS, I COULD BE YOUR BABY TONIGHT

TOPPLE YOU DOWN FROM YOUR SKY 40 STORIES HIGH

    In a perfect world, Cyril and Niles would have met on a regular night out, hit it off over a few drinks, and started like that. Or maybe a meet cute, running into each other at a book store, or a pet shop. Adorable shit like that which made him grow warm and gooey inside. Cyril would be a normal college student, Niles would be a normal college student, and they would fall in love instantly and spend the rest of their days spoiling each other. At least, that was what Cyril told himself over and over. Instead, Niles was a werewolf and couldn't go to college like Cyril knew he would have loved to do. Cyril himself had a night job that included pleasing people in a way that he would've preferred to only do for Niles, and he had no way of stopping. Was there any point in bemoaning any of it? No, but Cyril liked to do it anyway because he was a tad dramatic and it gave him an excuse to eat as much candy as he liked. Which he then had to go to the gym for because it wasn't damage that he would allow to last. Still, the point stood. He believed that even if things were completely different, he would still love Niles.
    Yeah, there, he said it. He loved Niles. This wasn't that little crush over that one bloke that had been nice to him that one time in a seedy bar. This wasn't the 'like a lot' he felt for the one lover that he didn't charge who looked at him like he was an angel. This was downright, head over heels, fell so hard I hit my head, kind of love and he didn't regret it. He admitted that the most likely outcome of this was that Niles would finally get sick of having to share Cyril's body and quit on him. Or that Niles would decide that he couldn't trust Cyril with his deepest secret and left him. Both things ended up the same, with Cyril heartbroken and never loving again. Yes, he was being dramatic, but it was true! He was certain that it was. After all, how could someone as wonderful, sweet, and loving as Niles want someone like him? In a perfect world, Cyril would be worthy of him sticking around and so he would and they would fall in love and end up together forever. This wasn't a perfect world and Cyril wasn't good enough.
    All he had to do now was wait it out. Go through his days studying and working and meeting people and appreciating him until time ran out. Like today. Just standing here and doing his job as a cashier, offering sugary sweet smiles and polite greetings and goodbyes. Summer was always a crowded time of the year and there was barely any time for polite smalltalk with any of the customers, but he was almost off. Another five minutes, or so the clock on the wall said. Good. 
    The sound on his name from the next customer's lips made him look up from where he'd just been scanning the package for a price tag. Oh- that was Cora. He smiled brightly, how could he not have noticed her? "Hi Cora! Long time no see." Still grinning, suddenly much cheered up at seeing someone he liked so much, he started to calculate  her total. It wasn't that he knew her all that well, she was several years younger than him, but he remembered her from school. Active, tough, general good person. What was not to like? Well, not in that way, but he didn't like girls. He just thought she was a good friend to have, if he could call her that yet. "Sure! I get off in five so you won't have to wait long."

TAG: @ cora ╳ Outfit: Link ╳ Word Count: nah

ⒶⓀⒾ of Adoxography, Transit, and GS.