Fall~ (Dare/Markise)

[Markise Sterling]

Markise had decided he loved the lake. He'd always considered himself an indoor person, avoiding the outdoors as much as he could in favor of a controlled environment, but it was fall right now. The bugs were hiding or hibernating or dead, and the weather was cool, absolutely perfect if one had a light coat, a scarf, and a pair of fingerless gloves. Markise did, and so he was happy. He lay back on the fading grass and a scattering of leaves, not caring if they stuck in his hair.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare had been looking for Markise. He'd met with Markise twice at the edge of the lake now, so when he had time, he'd headed there immediately. He almost didn't see Markise lying back, but his pale blond hair stuck out against the deep reds and oranges of the fallen leaves. Dare paused a moment, just outside Markise's view, and watched him for some moments, just thinking. Markise was so different now, but so much the same, too. It was odd seeing him with blond hair, but other than that, he looked the same. And the last time they'd met at the lake he'd acted the same, too, up until the moment that Logan had arrived.

Dare thought about all the things he needed to talk about, too. He needed to talk about him and Michael, for one. He needed to talk about Markise and Logan. He couldn't let himself get sidetracked, couldn't let himself leave before it was done. If he had to miss Muggle Studies, he'd make up the work.

Dare moved into the small clearing, then walked to Markise's side, sitting down on the leaves next to him. "I've been looking for you," he said. He went silent then, and started deciding where to begin. He wrapped his arms around himself against the bitter wind, silently cursing it just for a moment before turning his attention back to Markise. Maybe he'd been right about the jackets.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise looked up at Dare a moment, somewhat surprised to see him. After what had happened the last time, when Ariel had gone all pissy, he hadn't really expected to see him again. Then after his meeting with Michael, which had been even worse, he'd been almost sure that Dare would just give up on him. "What's up?" he asked, his eyes slipping over Dare. It didn't take much for him to see how cold Dare obviously was. He wasn't quite as bad as Ariel, stealing some kid's tore-back cloak, at least. "Are you ready to let me make you a coat yet?" He'd already intended to, actually. But if Dare let him, than he could just do something else as a Christmas present.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare's eyes narrowed slightly at Markise's ability to read him, then dropped. "I wouldn't say no," he admitted. That wind was cutting right through his hoodie and Markise was just laying there like it was nothing. Dare thought about it a moment, then shifted to lay back too. He was surprised at how much it cut the wind down, and though the ground wasn't particularly warm, it wasn't as cold as he'd expected either.

"I'm not here to get you to make me a coat," Dare said, drawing his thoughts back. "I'm here to talk about me and Michael." If Markise knew, then he wouldn't have anything to ask Michael anymore. Dare and Markise had talked about a lot, confided a lot in each other, and though they'd never done the same with their relationships, and certain sensitive subjects in Dare's case, maybe they were ready now. He wanted Markise to confide in him, so he needed to confide in Markise.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise let the subject of the coat go at Dare's words. He turned his head to look at him, and it looked serious. A thousand thoughts vied for attention in Markise's mind. Was Dare not going to see him anymore? Had he and Michael broken up and he wanted Markise back? It was a dangerous thought. Markise had finally gotten somewhere with Ariel, and he didn't want to be torn like that. He told his overactive imagination to shut the hell up and nodded for Dare to go on. "What do you want to tell me?" he asked.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare took a deep breath. "Everything," he said, letting that breath go in a rush. "I'm going to tell you everything I can, and if there's something you want to know, ask and I'll do what I can." There were some things that he wouldn't tell, wouldn't even hint at, like Michael being an ex-Death Eater. That was no one's business but Michael's, and if he wanted anyone else hearing it, he could tell them. And he still couldn't tell about Silver, or the truth about how Mom had died.

Dare looked at Markise, making sure he was ready, then turned his gaze up into the trees, where leaves dangled, threatening to fall, but hanging on somehow despite the breeze. Then he started his story. He told Markise about how he'd met Michael, only weeks after he and Silver had gotten to Hogwarts. He told how they'd connected over art, and how even then he'd felt something he couldn't deny, and that he'd tried, and Michael hadn't been ready. He told how things had happened so naturally that he'd hardly seen them happening until he'd looked back and seen how far they'd come, and about how he'd realized he loved Michael.

He told Markise about the Daily Prophet outing them and how even that had brought them closer together. And when he finished his story, he paused and looked aside at Markise again. "I want to marry him some day." It didn't feel traitorous to say it; he and Michael had talked along those lines, if only hypothetically, but the thought was there. Dare stopped at last, wondering what Markise would say.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise could only look at Dare in stunned silence for some time. When Dare had said he loved Michael, somehow he hadn't taken it that far, hadn't taken it nearly that far. Dare loved his guitar, loved his sketchbook. This was entirely different. Markise's eyes welled with the threat of tears. There was no even pretending he thought they were allergies. He rolled toward Dare and wrapped his arms around him in a hug. "I'm so happy for you," he whispered. He was sad for himself, for what would never be, but that was nothing compared to knowing Dare was that happy. He couldn't feel selfish after words like that.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare's lips curved slightly, and he returned Markise's hug, as surreal as it was. It had been so long since the days they'd laid next to each other on the grass at SWIM, or on his bed at home and just talked. He was teary-eyed himself at Markise's whispered words, and he could feel the emotions behind them. "Thank you," Dare murmured. He pulled away from the hug, laying back again, but looking aside at Markise. "I haven't asked him," he said. "I haven't even brought it up, so don't say anything, all right?" That hug had felt like everything was all right again. If Dare could just work with Markise on how to talk to Michael and how not to, maybe this could all be saved.

[Markise Sterling]

Markise nodded, then wiped the back of one gloved hand against his eyes as he propped his head up to look at Dare. "I promise," he said. His gaze moved over Dare's face, then paused at a piece of jewelry he hadn't even noticed until now. "When did you get that?" he asked, gesturing lightly to Dare's lip ring. It couldn't have been long ago, Dare had only turned seventeen a couple weeks before. "It looks good." Too good, actually. Markise shifted to lie back again, looking up into the trees rather than wondering what it would be like to kiss Dare with the ring in.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

"On my birthday," Dare answered. "Me and Michael went to London to get it done. It was pretty awesome. We found a club and everything, you need to go check out London." Dare nearly suggested that Markise bring Logan to knock some sense into him, but that was the other major subject they needed to cover before Dare would even consider letting Markise go. Dare cleared his throat as he looked up at the leaves. "Tell me about Logan," he said. "Don't mince words, either. I've talked to him a few times, and I want to know what's going on."

[Markise Sterling]

That certainly stopped Markise from asking what club they'd gone to. He pressed his lips tight a moment, then glanced aside at Dare. He didn't have nearly as much to tell, nor did he know exactly what it was Dare wanted to hear, so all he could do was guess. "I met him on the train," he said. "Well, me and Brindle met him. I wasn't impressed. He was a little pissy, but I didn't have anything else to do, so I bought a pack of gum off the cart lady." That was where everything had started. "He kept looking at me, watching me blow bubbles, and we ended up talking. I wasn't sure if he was gay at first, but he just kept watching. Anyhow, nothing happened, so I didn't figure I'd see him again."

Markise looked aside at Dare, but all he got was a definite go on look, so he took a breath and started again. "I met him again by the lake. He was going swimming, so I joined him, and he kept looking at me again. I knew then, and I ended up kissing him. He tried picking at me after that, telling me he was straight, but every time I kissed him it was like..." Markise didn't even know a word that would begin to describe it, especially not to Dare. He was only doing all this because Dare had asked. "Well, suffice it to say I knew he was talking bull."

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

That sounded like the guy that Dare had met at the lake, and again in front of the library. Pissy. And for some reason, Markise had kissed him. Dare wasn't anywhere near understanding, but Markise had paused, and was obviously waiting for Dare to say something or tell him to go on. "Why did you keep kissing him if he's suck a jerk? You don't need another Kwami, Markise. There's no reason to put yourself through that again." Dare wouldn't let him put himself through it again.

[Markise Sterling]

So that was it. Dare was trying to protect him from himself. He didn't need to, though. "I've already thought about that," Markise said, looking up into the trees. "Ariel isn't Kwami. I kept going back to him because when we talked, he told me things he'd never told anyone, and..." Markise took another breath, trying to find the words. "He likes me how I am. He was picking at me, but I don't think he really minded about any of the things he said. He liked my hair." It sounded so silly saying it out loud, but even that had meant something to Markise. "Anyway, we're over that now. we talked, and we worked things out."

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare's brows creased slightly, and he glanced aside at Markise again. "You just skipped some things," he pointed out. "When you came to the club that first time you and him were half at each other's throats." They hadn't actually argued there, hadn't so much as spoken to each other, but Dare had been able to put the pieces together when Markise and his friend had sent security after Logan and his dance partner for making out on the floor. "What happened before, and what happened since?"

[Markise Sterling]

Markise really didn't want to say. There were some things Dare didn't need to know about, and that was definitely one of them. He couldn't forget Ariel's reaction, and wanted nothing to do with letting Dare know. Besides, it was nothing, he told himself. He'd just been trying it out. "We got in a fight," he said instead. "He told me to find him when I got over it." That was going to have to be enough.

"I found out he hadn't even considered us together. Anyway, when I saw him again after the club, we fought a little, but we talked about it and he said he'd try. He actually made a joke to get me to laugh and we ended up just talking for the longest time." They hadn't just talked, not by far, but there was another thing Dare didn't need to know. At least, not unless he asked. "He's been great since then. I'm really happy." Of course, it hadn't really been long since then, but so far everything looked great.