A Bit of This and That (Dare/Michael)

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

It was beautiful outside, one of those autumn days that made Dare want nothing more than to crunch through fallen leaves, run around and generally make an ass of himself. He'd done a bit of that on his way to the lake, but now he was sitting beside the lake, setting out lunch and waiting for Michael.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael wasn't coming from his normal direction of the castle, nor was he coming from Hogsmeade. No, he had had a little extra time and decided to swing by the greenhouses to find one of the last lilies of the season, one with perfect white petals. He was feeling good, and when he came upon Dare he bent down behind him and brought the flower around in front of Dare. "Happy Thursday," he said, with a smile and a twinkle in his eyes.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare's lips curved as he turned to look over his shoulder at Michael. "Happy Thursday," he chuckled. "You're in a good mood." He hadn't seen Michael this happy in far too long, not outside their weekends together, and it lifted his mood even higher. He stretched to steal a kiss, perfectly willing to go with it. Why question a good thing?

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael returned the kiss, letting it linger for a few moments before he sat down, letting the side of his body lightly touch Dare's. "Yes, I am in a good mood," he said, shifting to give Dare another light kiss. "I know you told me not to...but I went and talked to Emilian." It was best to get it over with now, and he was in such a good mood, surely Dare couldn't have too much bad to say about it.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare blinked, though he shouldn't have been surprised. He hadn't really thought Michael would listen to him, just hoped. "What happened?" he asked. And why had seeing Emilian made Michael so happy? God, I hope they're not friends again. He wanted Michael to have friends, but Emilian was a jerk. Dare told himself that at least Michael didn't seem to be moping about being left. He'd been wrong on one count.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

"I..." Michael paused for a few moments while he tried to think of the right word. "Vented." That seemed like a good one to settle on, it fit. "I told him we were staying together, that we love each other. I told him he has no right to say what he was saying to you and told him to stay away from us. I even told him some of the things I've told you to prove that you weren't going to leave because of something I said."

He reached for Dare's hand and turned it over in his own lap to trace the lines there. "I know that I haven't been the most...I don't know how to say it...I know I always had that underlying feeling...a phobia, almost, that you would leave me. But as strange as it sounds...I think lecturing Emilian helped push it all away for good." He looked up at Dare again, feeling completely open to him right now. "I know you'll never leave me, and I'm so sorry that I was afraid it would happen."

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare was silent, unsure what to say. He knew, and he'd known for a long time, that Michael had that fear of him leaving, and it had hurt, but it had just been there. It was strange to think of it being gone, and he didn't know how talking to Emilian had done it. Had Emilian played an even bigger role in all that than even he had realized? Had Emilian's ghost been more than an impediment to them being physical?

He shook his head, trying to brush off the strange feeling of actually hearing it said. He couldn't think of a word, so he stole a kiss instead, a soft brush of lips that asked for more and quietly spoke of acceptance.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

It had to have been the act of trying to convince someone else that Dare would never leave that made it all click together for Michael, the feeling of defending Dare so vehemently that pushed the fear from his mind and heart. He wished it hadn't taken so long to get to that point, but as he returned the kiss he knew that Dare didn't hold it against him any more than anything else. He linked the fingers of one hand with Dare's and closed his other over the opposite side.