Fandom Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (rp)

Otto said he wasn’t a pureblood and that he didn’t know the answer. Ren blinked expectantly.

“But you're a Prefect.” Ren stared, waiting. “You know everything.”

Ren’s misconception had been the original prompt to follow Otto around at night and ask questions. If not for such an odd assumption he wouldn’t have spoken to the prefect in the first place. Intelligent as Otto might be, the shorter male had the audacity to complain about the cold. Ren almost slipped over by how fast he turned.

“You wanted to come here!” He was annoyed that only now Otto was starting to see sense. Only now, after they had trudged to Hogsmeade, frozen to death, destroyed a store, fought the snobby Ravenclaw and were walking all the way back with an injured Victor, had Otto started seeing sense. Ren was miffed, turning away and grumbling about these hindrances.

Maybe these two fools would think twice before they wanted to go out for another little Hogsmeade trip. At least it was nice to be in their company.

Otto joined in on the teasing, only encouraging Ren to continue. He parroted a very calm, "Victor how could you?". It was entertaining to see the taller male getting so adamant about such a dumb topic.

“Victor likes the nurse.” Ren ignored the protests. “He is shy.”

“She smells like mandrake and she’s older than Salazar Slytherin himself!”

“Old. You like old people.”

A weak punch found his arm, prompting a glare and a fleeting thought of tackling the taller male into the snow. Would have gone through with it too, if not for those blasted knuckles.

“Otto.” Instead, Ren was going to snitch. “He hit me. It hurts. Give him detention.”

The safety of Hogwarts could not have come soon enough, relishing in the regular temperature of inside. Finally back to where he was comfortable. As Victor requested, it appeared they would be making a detour for an outfit change. Ren begrudgingly followed, evident they weren’t going to get anywhere by arguing. The pureblood wanted to look clean and pretty.

It was a hassle to have Victor care so much for his appearance, but there were rewards. For example, when one appears in a sheer material and black pants.

Ren was now holding Tomodachi, reunited with the fat bearded dragon that had been sitting on the couch. He glanced up to register the arrival with regular inspection; Blunt slide of his gaze over what was worn. Then reached out to drag a hand along Victor’s waist. In a polite manner. Just curious.

It appeared that the outfit wasn’t finished.

“Where's the rest of it.”

Surely something would be worn overtop, a vest or a coat to cover the transparency. When none came, the appreciative stare quickly turned disrespectful.

“But-“ He didn’t mind if Victor walked around in outrageous fancy outfits, however this was breaching even Ren’s laidback attitude. There was a need to stop the male from walking around in something so sheer, stop anybody’s unwelcome eyes from travelling. “- But it’s-" Ren didn't know the word for it, instead tensing his jaw and going silent.

Typical that instead of worrying about the cold, he was worried that maybe Victor was trying to impress the mandrake lady. What a horrible thought.

“...Do you like the nurse?” It was mumbled sensitively with a frown, now anxious if the teasing held a flicker of truth. Ren didn’t want to take him to the infirmary anymore. They could sort it out themselves. Luckily Victor had the same idea, for other reasons, but all the same there’d be no infirmary. No mesh shirt out in the open. No need to get clingy about it.

“I agree.” Ren cut in, eager to keep Victor inside the dungeon and away from prying eyes. One sheer item had successfully changed his stubborn mind.

Ren went to pull the wand then stopped, having second thoughts.

He had zero expertise in that type of magic, more suited for destruction than well-being. Not one to study anything he didn’t like, healing spells included in that long list. In fear of rearranging all of Victor’s bones or snapping the wrist in three different places, he very quietly put the wand back. His ego to do everything was limited when endangering his friends. While he wouldn't admit he didn't know how to cast any, he wasn't about to maim Victor either.

“I don’t want to do magic right now. My hand is cold.” A poor excuse. “Otto, you do it.”

"Yes I am a prefect. But I don't think prefects know everything in the whole world."

Otto pointed out as he fidgeted around with his cold, pinkish tinted fingers. He was complaining about it being cold and Ren was harshly reminding him that he himself had wanted to come here. The Slytherin prefect couldn't help but retort out a "I didn't think I would get this cold!" at Ren as he fumbled with the sleeves of his wet, cold sweater. He really needed to change clothes and put on something more warm and cozy before his fingers and toes froze off. He muttered a few things under his breath as he felt his legs start to grow cold and he wanted to curl up in their warm bed with warm blankets in warm clothes.

"Victor? Shy? Oh my, never thought he would ever be shy." Otto managed to coax out with shivering lips as he managed to smile. "Detention for Victor for hurting our beloved Ren." Otto teased, he wasn't really going to give Victor detention for that but he was just playing along to get Victor all flustered up because he was enjoying this way too much.

When they got to the dorms, Otto was relieved to see Naomi, his black cat, curled up on their bed. The prefect emptied out his stuffed pockets full of shoplifted sweets from Honeyduke's before plopping himself down on the floor in front of their bed to grab the bag of sweets that was hidden so well underneath. Otto busied himself with stuffing his loot into the bag, hoping the other two wouldn't try to take it away for him or else he would probably pitch a fit. He grabbed a licorice wand and put half of it in his mouth before hopping up onto his feet and he began to change out of his wet, cold clothes. Otto took off the green sweater, looked at it and flung it at Victor with a "Cover yourself with that!" in a playful tone of voice before quickly adjusting his binder. With his binder adjusted, Otto put on an oversized, thick green sweater with a pair of whitish beige pants to go along with it, slipping on some black socks as well. Flat on his back, Otto reached for Naomi and began to pull the fluffy black cat onto his chest so he could lazily hold her.

Otto hummed in relaxed content, hugging his cat close to him and watching Victor get dressed in completely absurd clothing. "You're supposed to wear a coat with that!" Otto called out from his place on the bed and he wasn't planning on moving from this spot anytime soon. Otto chewed and orally stimmed on the licorice wand, half of it hanging out of his mouth lazily as he stared upward. "Don't be running off with the nurse Victor." Otto teased Victor some more about the whole nurse thing and he probably wouldn't let Victor live that down. He sure wasn't letting Victor see the nurse in the clothing he was wearing because some unwanted eyes might stare at Victor! Victor would get unwanted attention! His eyes fluttered shut, hearing Ren say something about Victor loving the nurse or something and that they should heal Victor's injured knuckles themselves. Good.

It's just that... he wasn't expecting to be the one to do it. "Do I have too? My hands are full." Otto mumbled out a complaint, sitting upright with arms wrapped around his cat and he began to slowly inch himself off the bed and over to the other two. He switched hands so he had one hand and arm supporting Naomi. He grumbled and complained about having to get off the bed when he had already been making himself comfortable.

"Don't know why it has to be me." Otto murmured softly under his heavy breath and he used his free hand to pull out his wand since his other hand was preoccupied with supporting Naomi up in his hold. He knew a few healing spells which was good because he wasn't letting Victor go out to the infirmary in those kind of clothes.

"Episkey"

Otto said, waving his wand in the movement of an almost full circle before flicking it in the direction of Victor's injured knuckles.

It was official. River was already on Rikki's shit-list. You would die slowly, pinky. The only thing that was stopping Rikki from fighting right at this moment was Nikolai. Lucky bastard, it took every ounce of self-restraint not to headbutt River full force for that head bonk. Leaning back from the awkward encounter, River spouted out more nonsense for the two of them. Somehow, it seemed Nikolai could completely understand the seer. A feat that completely alluded the Slytherin. Words bounced around his head like a group of sugar-high kids in a bouncy castle.

It was easier to listen to Nikolai's responses to gather context clues. But this did not make things better. While Nikolai 'explained' the prophecy to him, there was clearly something more being left out of the equation. Now everyone was with their secrets, just as Rikki kept to himself most of his own thoughts and ideas that were applicable to others as well.

What he didn't like was when something clearly involved him and was being avoided. This wasn't like some secrets passed around in a whisper. It was talking code with Rikki right there. He knew there was something about it; but he couldn't understand a lick from one, and the other was the one keeping it to themself. And with a little warning to 'behave,' it was tossed aside. Not to mention, being far more bothersome coming from someone you actually cared about, not that Rikki would admit that out loud.

Like hell Rikki was going to let that go. But he needed the right scenario to dig in deeper. Perhaps he could get someone to gossip with the Veela, she might drop it in conversation with the proper bait. He'd have to look into someone to use for that, someone who could be bribed and convincing enough. The blond's eyes narrowed as he looked over the two figures, fawning over the items from the joke shop and apparently speaking about River's day. Annoying. If he hadn't seen the tail end of the fight, he wouldn't have had the slightest idea what this was about.

Just about the only words he understood from this encounter was that River was asking what the two of them would like to do. No weird allusions in that one to make Rikki feel stupid. He tore the glare away, just watching the random people run along outside. Completely pissy as normal, nothing odd about his reactions.

Voice quiet with some hesitance, but clearly not enough to stop him from insulting the Ravenclaw. That would probably get another scolding from Nikolai, but firewhiskey was not worth keeping his mouth shut for this.

This was probably the catalyst for that mention of Rikki going to trick his friend. Maybe not. Who knew. But it was definitely in his head now to get him back in some way or another. Not that unnatural for a vengeful Slytherin who just lost the attention he wanted.

“-Our beloved Ren.”

He liked the sound of that, feeding into his already burning ego and warming his chest. It’s not like polygamy was particularly easy for Ren, especially when arguments broke out and he expected the third member to side with him. He could become vicious and terrible when the pair were against him.

A poly relationship wasn’t ideal for someone so suspicious about everything, granted there had been slow improvement. For Ren it was a very high trust environment and he wasn’t accustomed, requiring a lot of self restraint to not act petty after finding them hanging out without him.

Victor grumbled a threat. Now it was Ren’s turn to hit him in the arm.

“You cannot hurt me.” A bold claim, not unusual for the wizard. “I am The Beloved.” He would be riding that ego booster for the next week or two.

Like a cat watching a bird he saw Otto throw the green sweater to Victor, then it was thrown back. If neither were going to wear it then once again Ren would be mooching articles of clothing. He shuffled a step closer to Otto in silent request. Ren wanted the sweater. He reached and gave the item a gentle pull to try and charm it from his hands, manipulating. Realistically he could just ask and get the same result, but that would require verbally admitting he wanted it and verbal admittance was everything Ren hated.

Pulling the sweater from Otto with gentle tugs, he was soon wearing it overtop of the black outfit. The fabric, still warm, was bound with Otto’s scent. Ren was content for about a minute. It appeared Victor was going to act dismissive, as if they weren’t wearing a thin transparent shirt in the middle of winter.

“The rest of it.” Ren repeated, a bad feeling that this was the outfit in its entirety. “Immodest.” Victor looked nice, it’s just a shame other people existed. Ren glared, jealousy brewing. Other people existed who had eyes. Ren didn’t like that. He will have to blind them. Perhaps a Disillusionment Charm or a Bedazzling Hex.

He was reminded of the chocolate frog in his pocket, fishing and setting the new friend down on the neighbouring bed. Ren was very chuffed with his loot; One chocolate frog, currently intact and hopping across the blanket. He left the frog to its own devices, one could only hope it didn’t find its way into someone's mouth or near the fire.

Ren was envious of what Otto had changed into, casting a dark look from the oversized sweater down to the black coat he was wearing. The snow had melted and wet the fabric, leaving Ren chilled to the bone. He figured he should change into dry clothes yet spite was still going strong. Changing outfits may give the other two the impression he was cold. Which he wasn’t. He was never cold.

At least now he had Otto’s sweater to help. Ren sat down next to the prefect who was laid out on the bed with his cat. "Do I have to? My hands are full."

“Tomodachi will get upset if I put him down.” Ren countered, digging his heels in stubbornly. “You do it.”

Tomodachi was sitting on his lap, the lizard slowly moving his head to look at things. A very lazy pet who only appeared to come alive in the presence of food. At the current time the lizard was staring at Naomi the cat, omnivore hungry. It opened its mouth as Otto sat up, maybe in preparation to try to bite a chunk off the feline before it was out of reach. Tomodachi could be bitey towards other pets, and it’s not like Ren made any effort to keep the lizard in a tank or cage. His opinion was that it's ‘inhumane’ and that his Friend liked to ‘Stretch his legs and travel around the Slytherin dungeons’.

Tomodachi didn’t do much travelling. Tomodachi liked to sit on the couch. Eat grapes. Be fat.

Ren watched warily as Otto fixed up Victor’s hands, exhaling a breath he didn’t know he had been holding once the spell was deemed successful. No maiming. Good. He felt Victor fall onto the bed, glancing over to check the knuckles. With the ink pot pulled from the coat pocket and lack of any quill, Ren realised the item hadn’t been paid for.

“Don’t steal. You will go to Azkaban.” An intense warning for a student stealing ink, but it was pointed towards Otto as well. Ren’s moral compass had suddenly arrived, displeased with the two committing such petty crimes while in Hogsmeade. Both had shoplifted.

Ren had as well, but Ren was allowed to steal. Victor was a pureblood and Otto was a prefect, they had some standards to uphold. With casual hypocrisy he reached over to Victor’s coat and pulled the Toothflossing Stringmints from a pocket. The mint candy he had stolen from Hogsmeade.

“Here.” Ren held them out to Otto. “They are for you.”

Otto might have his stash of sweets, whereas Ren’s interests lay elsewhere. Unlike a certain somebody’s feathered brain that was drawn to anything remotely shiny, Ren’s tastes were a bit… higher. Real gold, specifically.

He supposed, as he stood and left the lizard on the bed, that he could trust Victor with a mere quill. Ren moved across the room to where his bed was, neat and left untouched for weeks. He usually slept on the common-room couch or beside the other two-- unless mad at them.

Ren pulled the trunk out from under the bed and searched through the contents. Clothes, some bottled potions that probably shouldn’t be in his possession --he couldn’t read half the labels-- , books never even opened and lastly, a neatly folded white robe that twisted nauseating resentment through his entire being. It was a brief hesitation, feeling the cold fabric in sullen recognition before bitterly moving it aside to locate the stash of stolen pretties underneath.

“Do not lose it.” Ren stood, roughly pushing the trunk back under the bed with his shoe and returning to the pair. “Or I will be mad.” He held the quill out to Victor, black and gold. A gift had now been given to each of them. “Don’t be disorganised next time.”

Unhappy yearning had arrived, vehement homesickness riddling his mood. The bearded dragon was back in his arms, being patted while Ren sat back on the bed.

“It was rude of you to compare the Ravenclaw to Bowtruckles.” Ren’s love for creatures could get ridiculous at times, pet chocolate frog for instance. He still had an issue over what Victor had said, as if taken personally. “They are nice.”

He turned to Otto, bringing forth not the most joyous of conversations with an overhanging question. If Ren had known Otto’s apprehension about it, he’d never have asked.

“Will we get expelled?” If Ren was to be kicked out, he’d like to know some direction of what to do after. To be prepared for the worst, know what school to try next. “I heard Durmstrang teaches the Dark Arts.” He slowly laid back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling in thought.

“Beauxbatons has attractive people.” As if that was the sole reason to choose a school, he sighed dramatically. “But I’d have to learn French.”

"Yeah Victor. Ren is The Beloved One, you cannot hurt him at all."

Otto was done with the teasing for now at least. He might start the teasing back up again.

With Victor's hands healed, he grinned at the ruffling of his hair, and he relished the praise. Merlin, he loved it whenever his two boyfriends praised him. Since the healing was done, he set his wand somewhere and he proceeded to set Naomi down on the bed, her immediately curling up and falling back asleep quite quickly. Now, he could really settle down just for some alone time with the other two, forget about what happened in Hogsmeade and forget about the fight with Grayson, forget about the Potions professor that he definitely hated now. This was their time, not anyone else's time.

The brunet was taken aback by Ren's sudden(?) want of his sweater that he had just taken off. He eyed Ren with a rather curious look, fingers holding onto the sweater and feeling the gentle tugs of Ren. Ah well, might as well let him have it then. He released his grip on the sweater and let his boyfriend have it even though it honestly wasn't all that dry anymore but he wouldn't want to say no to Ren. He also watched amusingly as Ren slipped on the sweater over his current clothes. Otto had settled himself back onto the bed, taking his usual spot next to Victor, immediately latching on to the taller male and he didn't plan on letting go anytime soon this time. He wanted cuddles.

"Your shirt is absolutely awful." Otto murmured softly to Victor, laying down next to him and immediately going in for cuddles and hugs now that they were in private and nobody could eye them or say anything to them. The fabric to the sheer shirt was rough feeling, and Otto would've loved it much more if it was soft and smooth, perfect pillow material. He didn't have any extra quills, even if he did then he probably wouldn't let Victor have one of them and he would let Ren do it. His eyes watched as Ren left the bed to go over to his own and got out a trunk. Otto's breath hitched, thinking Ren was going to pack up clothes in case he was getting expelled, he was on edge but was ultimately relieved when Ren only pulled out a quill. This made Otto relax and he went back to his cuddle session with Victor.

He fumbled with the string of candy floss that Ren had given him, chewing on it out of habit and balling it up in his mouth. It was sweet on his tongue and he was grateful that Ren had picked it up for him. "I don't think you could ever get Victor to stop stealing anything that is shiny." Otto let out a breathy laugh, still huddled up with Victor and clinging onto him.

Otto noticed Ren had turned to him and had asked a question that made his heart drop into the pit of his stomach, making him feel a little queasy.

Otto tried his best not to cry at Ren's question on what if he and Victor got expelled. Ren shouldn't have brought that up, he should've told Ren not to say it. But he didn't think Ren would actually say it. It crushed his mood, made him fear that expulsion would happen and no more sharing beds with Ren and Victor. Otto didn't want to think about it but his anxiety, his nervousness kept stuffing mental images of Victor and Ren leaving Hogwarts into his brain and it was taking all of his willpower and strength not to break down right in front of his two boyfriends. He didn't like it whenever either of the two, or both of them, caught him crying or having his own emotional meltdown. Otto's facial expression twitched and faltered as he buried his face into Victor's shoulder, focusing on the strong scent of parchment, bergamot, sandalwood and he adjusted his breathing to be more shallow, not wanting to give away his anxious state with his breathing. Victor's scent was still calming as ever, mingling in with Otto's own sweet scent and he let out a labored, shaky breath.

Otto wasn't sure if that question was directed directly at him, but he wasn't going to answer it. His heart ached and clenched in his chest tightly, throat muscles tightening and his anxiety was enveloping him even though all he wanted to do was relax. The prefect did his best to take in a breath and make it seem like it was alright. That everything was alright.

"You're not getting expelled." He forced out the answer, keeping his face buried into Victor's shoulder even though the shirt Victor wore was absolutely hideous. Guilt gnawed at Otto's heart because they were supposed to have a soft private time together filled with cuddles and hugs but he was ruining it with his anxiety.

It took all of his willpower not to utter out a sob.

He swallowed the candy floss.

“Do you want me to just take it off then?”

With no filter for what was on his mind, a very calm, “Yes.” was the response. Teasing or not Ren was going to be honest.

He watched Otto bunk down, the two looking comfortable and warm. Otto was cute, swathed in his oversized sweater and cuddled into the soft Victor. As envious as he was, Ren didn’t join them just yet. He still wanted to talk about things, knowing as soon as he laid down he’d be asleep within minutes. There was no talent for staying awake once cosy.

Just like Otto said, it was near impossible to stop Victor’s stealing ways.

“Azkaban doesn’t have shiny things.” He shot a scowl at the pureblood for the stupid ‘miss me’ comment, setting Tomodachi onto the floor to go about his day. “I will tell them.”

Ren wouldn’t. He would miss him.

Victor explained the use of the Bowtruckle comment and extended a hand. Ren didn’t move, blinking and waiting for the following sentence.

“I’ll never insult them like that again.”

That was enough for Ren, the issue was remedied. He moved forward and hesitantly took Victor’s hand and pulled it to rest on the side of his face, settling into the affectionate touch.

It was difficult to get PDA when the other two were so against it, making Ren rather greedy when opportunities arose. It was why he despised leaving the dungeons, forced to act friendly and withdrawn in the midst of others. Being someone who was so open to what he wanted and what he liked, Ren hated and struggled with the secrecy of it all.

On one hand he accepted the other two couldn’t be seen romantically with males for their own personal reasons. On the other hand Ren just wanted to feel loved sometimes. Despite not being easy to embarrass, at times he felt ashamed to be kept hidden.

It was unfair.

Otto took a while to reply, leaving Ren waiting for the answer he sought. He hadn’t caught onto the upset, ignorant as his insensitive streak continued.

"You're not getting expelled." Was muffled from Victor’s side.

“You don’t know that.” Ren didn’t understand how Otto could be so certain. Doubt fuelled from past experiences was making him push the issue further, to argue against the response. While he physically showed no sign of the distress, Ren was troubled. Unable to voice how he was feeling he instead began contemplating packing his things. “We shou-”

A glare from Victor made him frown and fall silent. Ren pulled the hand from his face and moved back out of reach, now irritated.

Listening to the comforting words he felt inclined to call Victor a liar. He was lying to Otto. Ren bit his tongue and glared off to the side to stop the accusation from flying.

To no surprise the pureblood seemed confident with the situation, a respected family name that could get away with whatever- or be accepted into any school. Ren could feel a spark of malcontent, stewing horrible jealousy for it. The blood status that so cruelly kept them apart was also a reminder of how much better he was. Otto would be here alone unless the prefect withdrew from Hogwarts and followed them, but it would be selfish to ask the boy to do such a thing. He would never ask Otto to give up Hogwarts.

“I don’t need your help.” A sharp retort and a sign of Ren’s anger, annoyed to hear Victor would vouch for him. He didn’t want anything from the pureblood, especially not assistance. It wasn’t meant to be snapped so harshly but Ren was feeling horrible.

Without another word he crawled higher in bed and settled down on the other side of Otto. There was a shuffle to get closer, resting his face into Otto’s back. From Victor’s need to comfort the boy, Ren now knew the prefect was upset and he felt guilty for being the cause. Ren wasn’t good at verbal affirmation or emotional matters, staying still in decision of what to do or say. Saying sorry would be the obvious course of action.

A shift of movement and Ren was leaning over to press a soft kiss to Otto’s temple, nestling into his warm neck. An apology, before laying back down for a nap. He laced an arm over his waist to pull him closer, bundling fingers into the baggy sweater with an uncomfortable shiver. Ren was cold and damp, eager to draw warmth and eager to sleep the conversation off.

As annoyed as he was, the fingers laxed on the sweater, reaching out to the pureblood in silent request to hold his hand. He didn’t want to look at Victor right now but he didn’t want to nap without the consolation of him being there.

The day had been going well until now. He thought it would be a good day, but now he was seeing just how wrong he was.

Otto forgave Ren, the other probably didn't know that the statement would make Otto feel so distressed. It didn't help though because he was still in distress. His breathing was hot and ragged, sucking in deep, hard breaths that hurt his chest and he felt his head throb slightly. As much as he had loved Grayson beating up, it was just now dawning on him that he might lose them. Grayson would torment him without Ren and Victor around... probably, and he dreaded the torment and verbal torture from Grayson. The negative thoughts made Otto's grip tighten and he kept his face buried in Victor's warm, comforting shoulder and invited the welcoming strong scent that wafered off.

His breathing slowed down, welcoming Victor's gentle, affectionate touches and there were the fingers that were stroking his hair, it made him melt because he loved it when his hair was played around with. The brunet adjusted his head, now simply resting his head on Victor's shoulder instead of having his face buried right into him. "Please... Please promise me you won't leave me." Otto begged the two, he wasn't sure if they could keep the promise but he just wanted to hear them verbally say it to him. Otto sounded distressed, anxious, and overall a nervous wreck. Yeah, he might be overreacting but he couldn't bear the thought of losing them and seeing them having to pack and leave.

His eyes fluttered shut, eyelashes wet and tears clinging onto them. His breathing was shallow as he focused on Victor's scent, soon finding Ren's scent as he felt Ren against his back. A kiss to his temple, him accepting this apology. He forgave Ren and wanted to squirm around to cling onto Ren, latch onto him but he restrained himself and remained right next to Victor. Otto felt Ren pull him closer and he welcomed it, not minding it but he still hung onto Victor, he couldn't let him go. His energy was drained, but he couldn't sleep yet. He didn't need to be sleeping in his binder because things would go bad quickly whilst he slept. His eyes remained shut, fighting sleep for now since all he wanted was to simply relax for now. He had hoped for a relaxing snooze with his boyfriends when they got back, but they're back now and things aren't going according to plan. His plan had been to change into warmer clothes that weren't wet, settled down to the right of the bed since that's the side he usually slept on, and cuddle before dozing off. Here? He's crying and having an anxiety attack about the possibility of Ren and Victor getting expelled from Hogwarts. "I can't..." Otto paused for breath, "I can't stop thinking about it."

Otto's face was slick with sweat, face glistening slightly and eyes wet with tears that threatened to pour out at any minute. He clutched onto Victor, feeling safe with his two boyfriends, but he was still upset. So upset that tears started to slowly roll down his cheeks and he uttered out a small sob. He didn't need to be ashamed of crying in front of them, he knew that he could talk to them about anything basically. But, he was hesitant now because he was so sure that the headmaster was going to expel them. He was paranoid that the Potions teacher might persuade the headmaster into considering expulsion, and it only fed his growing anxiety. Him, losing his boyfriends, spending the rest of the year alone, he couldn't take it.

"I cant... I don't want to lose you two."

Otto whispered to them, now resting his head on Victor's chest, unsure if Victor would get upset if the flowing tears ruined the sheer, black shirt. Otto didn't care, he just clutched onto the fabric and he bunched up the fabric in his hands whilst he let out yet another sob. He attempted to be quiet as to not draw any unwanted attention but he had some pent up emotions that he just had to let out.

Otto would probably cry himself to sleep tonight.

Rikki's eyes kept trained on the people around, trying to tune out the scolding and conversation. It wasn't working. While a pretty light comment, Rikki could feel the weight behind 'not having earned' his gift of fire whiskey. Then Nikolai offered them up to join River on his adventures. He didn't want that at all, he'd rather get the shit beat out of him by Victor just as Grayson had earned. Even if he wasn't so pissed off about the interruption and scolding, he couldn't understand most of what River was saying. How was he supposed to manage that?

Like.. Aphrodite's envy? His brows furrowed as he tried to place what that could mean..... Aphrodite, goddess of love? He couldn't imagine something like a love potion or something. And it was about her envy anyways. Something with beauty-

Rikki felt mildly impressed with himself for getting this far. River probably means clothes or something then, right? Or hair dye. Or makeup. Either way, about aesthetics! Yes, that was his best guess here. So, River wanted to go out shopping for that of vanity.

There was still venom to his words, but his closed off body language and avoidance of eye contact was a win for Nikolai. Sort of. Hard to call it a win when now there was this tension between them. Even without looking, he could feel Nikolai's warning glare and it further sent his stomach dropping down. At least, that was the goal now. He doubted he was earning any fire whiskey, and there was nothing like shaking off whatever this feeling was with spending money.

All while he could find out what was so damn important about this weirdo. He'd size River up, figure out why Nikolai liked him so much. Of course, the sentiment wouldn't be scared but he at least wanted to understand.

Pretty much repeating what River had said unknowingly about Helios' chariot. Definitely still a work in progress with understanding the language.

For someone with a crush, Bean really made things difficult when Mishka was trying to help her. Not that he had too much of a problem with it, on the contrary, it was hilarious. Watching her order him around, call him weak? Comedy gold! And the fact that he was going along with it too. Sure, they were real things to check to make sure the beating practically didn't give him brain damage. But seeing the lanky Ravenclaw do them just looked ridiculous. Mishka couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

Oh, but the fun got even better. Snow beans. It was impossible to hold back his laughter at such a ridiculous claim. The fight must've really shaken Grayson up to be going off on such ridiculous tangents. Lima and pinto, bears and raccoons. Mishka couldn't put together what any of this was about.

He asked Bean, giving Grayson's side a poke, knowing very well he got himself hit around there. He suggested as a second option. Man, seemed they really did need to get him checked out. He'd have to save most of the gloating for later.

But it got so much worse. Bean mentioning the professor unleashed a beast. The dumbass prefect almost made them fall back in the snow. What was the issue now? Luckily, Mishka was such a fast talker himself, he caught the long-winded words like they were nothing. That didn't mean understanding them though. Because Grayson was just making no sense at all. What? How did he even get test from that?

With a huff, Mishka continued to pull Grayson along through his struggling. Mishka hissed out, surprisingly strong for his short stature. He still was an athlete after all, and Grayson the complete opposite despitte his impressive height.

But fate had other plans.

As he felt the weight shift again, this time he let go of Grayson to allow him to tumble to the ground, no way letting the Ravenclaw pull down with him. His eyes moved to the fake gasp from the culprit, Mishka already knew what was up with this. He didn't try and intervene, just watched with a quirked brow as Valencia had her own revenge. This guy really had too many enemies. Understandable sentiment. Grayson was an ass. He watched in mild amusement as he was hauled right back up with a bit of force. He clearly had no qualms with Valencia causing more damage.

He sneered, though face flickering quickly to check if Bean was okay from having the tall man shoved into her. Mishka moved beside to help out so they all wouldn't tumble to the ground. Of course, that didn't mean he was on Grayson's side. Only more proof as he scooped up some snow and stuffed it down Grayson's shirt.

His gaze then traveled to Valencia. His eyes were watching carefully, not too happy about the shove into Bean but definitely not against her harassment of Grayson. Lie. He said it in normal voice on purpose for Grayson to hear. He wanted to get the prefect a little on edge. He'd mess with him another way that was far more unexpected.

“I wasn’t asking.”

Victor was lucky Ren didn’t pounce him for that, try to bite him or push him off the bed. Instead he had sulked off beside Otto for a cuddle, nestling down against the boy's back. It was a clash of prides and Ren had been wounded, hiding away to protect and nurse himself.

As much as he liked Victor, Ren didn’t want anything from him but his company. Didn’t want his money or his prestigious reputation and certainly not any of his help. Ren didn’t want anyone’s help, that meant he was weak.

He felt the touch and interlacing fingers, soothing back some of the nasty emotions. It didn’t remedy the situation but it was comforting to know Victor didn’t hate him for snapping. It was nice to finally have physical touch from those he cared about, something he’d waited all morning for.

He didn’t respond to Otto’s words, remaining silent and unmoving, absentmindedly grazing his thumb against Victor's hand. He feared anything he’d say would upset Otto more, nothing positive or comforting coming to mind. ‘We can send owls' or ‘We can talk through the Floo Network’ wouldn't make anyone feel better about the possible expulsion. Emotions had never been Ren’s forte, not knowing what to do other than lay there and listen to Victor's calming tone.

Ren had messed up. In the span of only a few minutes he had snapped at one of them and upset the other, the other who was now sobbing into the sheer shirt. Otto asked for a promise. Ren did not respond. He was still annoyed with Victor but could feel gratitude hearing the comforting. Up until, “It is a wondrous thing to be struck by Eros,”

There was a quiet snort from Ren, not understanding what the fuck that was meant to mean. Out of spite he went back to angry silence. He wasn’t meant to laugh at Victor right now. He was mad.

Ren closed his eyes, resting and listening to the two talk. Otto was warm and smelled nice, easing back the rise of homesickness from earlier. These two were his new home, something he dreaded to be parted from. Victor apologised for hitting the Ravenclaw which he thought unnecessary. Grayson deserved to get hit. Victor must be feeling very bad. He heard movement, glancing up to see the taller Slytherin now had the nerve to apologise to him. Ren felt the squeeze of his hand, a replica to the feeling of his heart. He was meant to be mad with Victor, but the fact that the pureblood out of all people was feeling the need to apologise, Ren realised he must feel incredibly guilty.

“I wanted to.” He responded, pushing down irritation of the ‘vouch’ remark. Ren didn’t know why the Slytherin would say sorry for the fight, perhaps a sign of just how distressed he was about all of this. It was unsettling to see a remorseful Victor.

Both of the two were upset, leaving him with the inescapable need to fix the situation. Ren, the most emotionally incapable, had tasked himself with making sure the two were okay. It was a repeat of what happened last time and he couldn’t deny he was scared, memories and feelings emerging that were never confronted. It also meant he had experience, something the other two could rely on and find comfort in. Ren was going to fix it.

He slowly pulled his hand from the hold, reaching up to card it through Victor's curls.

“We do everything together.” Ren didn’t like the word ‘sorry’. Hated the word when it came from these two. “Do not apologise to me.” The hand combing the curls lowered, cupped the side of Victor’s face and grazed a thumb against the cheekbone. “You’re attractive when you’re grumpy.” Ren gave the reminder, “Not sad.”

He stared at Victor for a long moment, hesitating to force the next sentence from his lips.

“I am proud of you.”

Ren recoiled the touch and sat up, perhaps deciding he wasn’t tired anymore, that all of these apologies and emotions had gotten the better of him and he wanted to flee. But he couldn’t leave with Otto still sad. Instead of getting off the bed he was suddenly climbing on top of Otto, straddling the male with intentions to remedy the next upset.

Ren had stubborn ambition for what he wanted, and what he wanted at this moment was for the three of them to be okay.

“Stop crying.” While his words were not kind, Ren’s actions were sweet-tempered. He reached to tilt Otto's face towards him and gently dabbed the sleeve of the sweater against his face. Damp wool wasn’t a good feeling yet he was doing his best to be careful with the scratchy fabric, meticulously patting the wet lashes dry. Even if Ren opposed dishonesty, in this moment he realised it was important to lie. Just like Victor.

“We won’t get expelled.” Liar. Ren expected the worst like usual. “It’s only a fight.” Only a fight which landed them in this situation in the first place.

“They won’t expel Victor.” Because he’s important, is what he wanted to add. He held off, malcontent with the blood status. “And they won’t expel a harmless foreign student.” That one didn’t compare to an influential family, but it was the only reason Ren could think of that could get him to stay. Working off the pity of others, Ren was very good at fake crying.

“We aren’t leaving.”

That was the extent of his verbal comfort for the two, expression cold and focused as he went about drying the boy's face. Troubled to see Otto so sad and wishing to stop the gloomy vision before him. Once fixed the sight to the best of his abilities he offered a faint smile. Fake, yet an attempt to soothe Otto. To show that he was calm and okay and unbothered by the threat of expulsion. To show that he was as confident as Victor with the lies they had spilled.

Internally he didn’t feel very confident. He was scared, a tension working itself in his jaw.

“You are okay.” Ren said as if trying to convince Otto and himself, delivering a brush of his fingers through the fluffy hair. “Otherwise I’ll kill you.” There it is.

Guilt was clawing its way into his heart, he felt so guilty for making Victor and Ren have to comfort him and calm him down. He forced himself to look at Victor, his face blotchy and red from crying, cheeks stained with wet tear trails, and his eyes red and watery, he truly looked pitiful and awful. His hands bunched up the sheer fabric of the shirt, trying to take comfort in Victor's words. He knew Victor was trying to comfort him and make him feel better, he wanted to believe that they weren't going to leave him. "If you and Ren get expelled, then I'm leaving Hogwarts to come with you." There was absolutely no way he was staying here by himself, where Victor and Ren went... he would go too.

It is a wondrous thing to be struck by Eros

Victor's words confused him at first before his brain slowly caught on to what Victor was implying. His lips twitched into the ghost of a smile at the words but it didn't last very long. His breathing ragged and his heart pounding. "N-No, you did great. He deserved it, he did. But it would have been better if nobody had intervened." It was just anxiety fueled prattle but it was true. Nobody should have stopped the fight because Grayson needed it. His heart pounded against his chest and he just clung onto Victor for more comfort, "I trust you." Otto murmured softly yet also tiredly. Merlin, he wanted to sleep but he couldn't no matter how much he wanted. He needed to be calm, relaxed, and in a comfortable position first.

He trusted Victor's words, he was sure that Victor would not break the promise that he had just made. His eyes remained fluttered shut, eyelashes wet and it looked like he was starting to come back from his emotional meltdown. Well until he suddenly felt Ren on top of him, making his eyes flutter wide open and he was rendered startled by the sudden movement. Startled, wild eyes watched Ren, thinking Ren might be angry with him for crying and overreacting about the whole situation. Otto screwed his eyes shut, letting Ren pat at his eyelashes and eyes, before slowly reopening them to watch Ren. He was kind of scared because Ren didn't promise him that he would not leave him, and it made a few distressing thoughts stuff themselves into his brain. "But the Potions teacher might get you expelled. He might convince the headmaster to expel you." Otto spoke softly and timidly, slowly becoming distressed again but he was fighting the urge to cry again. He needed to be strong for Ren and Victor, he needed to. Otto didn't like Potions class nor did he like the teacher.

And then something else drilled itself into his brain. His prefect role. Otto felt like he was a horrible prefect and that Grayson was better than him, did a better job than he did. And it made his lips twitch and his facial expression twitch and falter. Yeah he was goofy, funny, and comical but he literally let people off the hook. Did that make him a horrible prefect?

Otto's breath was shaky but it seemed like he was slowly starting to calm down, chest heaving and wild eyes fixated on Ren. Slowly but surely, Otto was calming down, sniffling loudly but the tears seemed to have abruptly stopped. Otto went quiet save for their breathing and they were attempting to grab onto Ren, not about to let the other Slytherin get out of bed, he didn't want Ren to leave him so he just attempted to have a grip on the sweater, needing Ren close to him. His eyes went closed again, sighing peacefully at the hands in his fluffy hair which made his taut body ultimately relax. His hair... he really did love it when fingers carded their way through his hair and he hoped Ren wouldn't stop with touching his fluffy hair.

But then he said something... something fueling his anxiety again.

"I'm a horrible prefect."

Otto had whispered it softly under his breath. And there he goes again.

Ren watched Victor lean into his hand, the closing of the eyes peaceful and gentle. Much like a dog, he noticed. Victor really was like a dog, enthusiastic for doing good things such as beating the shit out of Grayson, gloomy when affection was withdrawn.

Thankfully Ren liked dogs.

Ren was given a compliment in return but he didn’t care about that. Victor letting him hold his hand and touch his face was more important than any words shared.

As much as Victor being cute was appreciated, Otto’s upset required attention.

The surprise and apprehension for Ren climbing on top of him was evident. Despite this, Otto allowed him to pat the face dry. Ren didn’t want to make a promise. Not only was it an oath he would be held to, but he’d also be lying to Otto again. Breaking a promise held more consequences than just being wrong about something.

Otto was worried about the potions professor. Ren didn’t know what else to do. Emotions were hard. Comforting words were hard. When Ren was upset he just hit people or burrowed away like a hermit, recovered by himself in the isolation. To see Otto sad was making Ren fret as to why nothing was working. He cast a nervous look to Victor, filled with uncertainty and a request for help. He didn’t know how to handle it and was instead making it worse, regretting that he even tried in the first place. Ren should’ve known he wasn’t equipped to deal with any of this.

Victor thankfully took the lead, but Ren had a hunch that Victor liked Potions class. Little liar.

He watched Otto, brown eyes meeting the timid blue that were glossy from the breach of tears. A warm current blue and a replica to that of cornflowers. Or sapphires. Ren liked those. Expensive and pretty, but not the time for Ren to be admiring Otto’s eyes.

Returning to the problem at hand, a sleeping spell could always work-- however Otto may be angry about that, and it would only be a short-term solution. A calming draught potion was good for emotional outbursts but Ren didn’t have any. He could try to steal some from the potions class or brew his own, however a crocodile heart wasn’t an easy ingredient to gather. That’d have to be stolen as well.

Ren was caught up in his thinking for alternative ways to help when he focused back into the shaky breathing. Otto seemed to be calming down, if not for the hands grasping at the sweater to keep Ren there. Victor was doing his best, admittedly far better than what Ren could do as Otto began spiralling into another grievance. Being a bad prefect.

Ren watched the two and waited patiently. Granted, even if he wasn’t the one crying he still wanted affection. It was only fair to receive equal treatment.

“And the number two beater,” Bastard. His eyes narrowed, yet didn’t protest. Not until Victor had leaned forward to deliver the kiss. Now, with the reward and chest feeling warm he could happily complain.

“Take it back.” Ren wanted to be first, reaching out and prodding a finger into Victor’s shoulder. “Take it back now. I am the best.”

He glanced at Otto, going quiet in thought. He was still worried about him. After a while he pulled the boy’s hands away and climbed off the bed without another word. Ren was leaving, finished with the topic and now fleeing from their company. Maybe suddenly set off from all the emotions and wanting to be alone.

It had only been around a minute when Ren came back, the chosen medicine in hand. He knew Otto liked holding Tomodachi, always eager to handle the Bearded Dragon. Hopefully this would make him feel better. He returned to the bed, climbing on and presenting the pet.

“Tomodachi does not like when you are sad.” He set the lizard down on Otto's chest, Friend content to be seated on the baggy sweater. The beady eyes closed, tranquil and unbothered to have been brought here. "That is his worried face.” Ren added quickly, noticing how lazy the lizard looked. “He is very stressed.”

Tomodachi was not stressed in the slightest.

“Oi.” Ren mumbled, frowning that the lizard wasn’t concerned about Otto. “Look worried.” Not even a blink was given to the scold. Miffed with the pet, Ren’s hand returned to Otto’s hair and combed it back lovingly.

“When I am-” Sad, “-Unwell,” Meticulous word choice, not wanting to admit that he was affected by such emotions. “I hold Tomodachi.” The Bearded Dragon often comforted Ren, not only with homesickness but negative feelings too. He hoped it would have the same effect on Otto, wanting to share the pet’s company and calming nature. He wanted Otto to be happy, and one of the few ways he knew how to feel okay was by offering the lizard.

It was also easier to talk through a Bearded Dragon than directly verbalize his own feelings.

He leaned down to give Otto a brief kiss, plus another to his forehead before moving to get comfortable. What started as assumedly Ren only trying to find a spot escalated into weaselling his way into the middle.

“The Beloved goes here.” He had nestled, now pleased at the warmth from both sides. No longer would he have to shiver from the cold clothing he had spitefully chosen not to change out of. Awfully smug to have snaked his way to such a comfortable spot.

Otto really did think he was a horrible prefect, and Victor's words didn't make him feel better, it made him feel worse. He couldn't imagine getting his ass kicked by Victor, it made him feel bad and it didn't help put his anxiety away. He had nearly drilled the 'I am a horrible prefect' into his own brain, and as much as he didn't want to... he believed that Grayson was better than him despite Grayson being the one to take the beating.

The sweet, tender kiss from Victor caught him off guard but he eagerly accepted it, he craved it exactly. Otto eagerly kissed Victor back gently until the kiss was broken and Otto was left feeling more relaxed and calm. Finally his anxieties and worries seemed to absolutely melt away. He snuggled up close to Victor, staring off into space as his nostrils were filled with Victor's strong, calming scent. Otto kinda felt silly for fretting and worrying over this, but he was fine now and that was all that mattered. His eyes briefly fluttered shut and his mind wandered over to something that he had been planning to do, the crazy idea he had more specifically.

I am going to wreck the Potions classroom.

He thought to himself shamelessly, it was frustration fueled prattle thoughts because he was so frustrated and upset. Otto could handle this situation, not the headmaster.

Wild blue eyes stared into Ren's soft brown ones, heart beating fast against his chest until he felt his shoulders slump in relaxation. He was the number one prefect, Victor had told him that and it boosted his confidence in his role as a prefect. He tried his best to keep Ren close, he didn't want Ren to leave them alone, to leave him in this semi-calm semi-upset state. But, his hands were pried away from Ren, and the brunet helplessly watched as the other got off the bed and left. It almost made him cry again because he thought that Ren was annoyed with him, done with him and wanted to be left alone. Otto restrained himself, and took in a deep inhale so he could remain calm, hoping that Ren would come back, he wanted to cuddle up with Ren and be held by him. He rolled over onto his back, letting out an audible noise of protest when Ren left, growing moody with the seconds that dragged by of Ren being gone. Otto only stopped his silent hissy fit when Ren came back, Tomodachi in his hands. At least Ren came back.

Otto's eyes followed Ren as he heaved himself back onto the bed with lizard in hand. And then the lizard was placed on his chest, his eyes once again meeting Ren's in a rather meek manner. His heartrate calmed down and his fingertips brought themselves up to touch the lizard gently in content. His head threw itself back onto the pillow, eyes solely fixated on Tomodachi who looked to be rather content on his chest before he seemed to notice that Ren had inched towards him. The brunet's eyebrows furrowed slightly at the movement before his lips were given affectionate attention once again but this time from Ren. Instictively, Otto kissed back and tried to keep Ren in place but with no avail, luckily a kiss was placed on his forehead so that made him feel better. Well, until Ren had decided it would be a swell idea to squirm and worm his way into the middle so Otto wouldn't be getting any up close attention from Victor now.

Otto exhaled a few breaths, eyes wet and he had stopped crying, he had stopped worrying, he had stopped being so anxious. His eyes fluttered shut sweetly as his fingertips gently rested on Tomodachi. He craved physical affection, and now that Ren had wormed his way into the middle which basically blocked Otto off from getting comfort and affection from Victor, he simply settled on getting it from Ren himself. He attempted to squirm closer to Ren, still laying flat on his back to accomadate the lizard laying on his chest. He used his free hand to grasp hold of Ren's hand and he sure wasn't letting go anytime soon.

He was calm, he was relaxed. Otto was fine and he had his eyes closed. "Thank you guys for helping me calm down." Otto murmured softly to the other two, sounding rather tired and he wanted to cuddle up next to Ren for affection, not warmth, he was warm enough in his oversized green sweater.

"This is nice and all but I cannot sleep in my binder, remember?"

Otto reminded breathily that he was still wearing a binder.