Don't Kiss the Messenger

Osmund hadn't minded being on his own the past summer. In fact, he rather enjoyed his stay at the D'Angelo's house, even though it didn't seem like Christian's father enjoyed his presence there that much. He was perfectly content with staying at school for the winter holiday and then finding another friend's house to crash at the following summer, but his plans changed when he entered the Owlrey only to find a letter for him.

At first he had thought it was probably from Helena, who was surely trying to get him to come back home, but he found, with some disappointment, that yet again he hadn't heard from the woman since he had left the house that summer night. Instead, it was from his father. Osmund's heart went off on a race. He hardly ever heard from the man and was half afraid that it was going to be another howler. Once again, he had guessed wrong and his eyes widened as he read the writing, clear as day, on the parchment.

"He wants me to come home?" Osmund paraphrased to himself and the owl. A smile filled his face. This is what he had been working for since the divorce had happened. Putting aside all motives that his father had, Osmund was elated that he had finally succeeded. He felt like jumping around and cheering, two things the somber boy never did, but instead he stood in his place and grinned like a fool as he read the letter once more.

Someone entered the Owlrey then and Osmund was pleased to see that it was Xavior. Without thinking about it twice, Osmund ran over to give the boy a celebratory hug. Instead, he found himself kissing the other boy and quite passionately too. He had never been this happy before.

Xavior entered the owlery with the intention to see if his mother had written. She wrote him weekly to check on Paige, but the days she wrote were sporadic and hard to predict so he ended up in the owlery frequently. His mother acted as if Paige was fraught with peril everyday, whether it was Transfigurations or History if Magic his mother demanded to know if anything dangerous could possibly happen. She was becoming insufferable.
When he walked in the room however, he was greeted by Osmund rushing him, and before he could react, kissing him. He was completely unprepared and gasped into the kiss. He didn't know why Oz was kissing him, but he wasn't about to complain. He snaked his arms around Oz's neck and pulled him closer.He had no clue why the kiss was happening, but after a summer apart he had really missed his friend and their intimacy.
"What was that for?" He whispered into the other boy's lips. He had pulled away reluctantly and was a little breathless as he stared into Osmund's eyes.

His heart had been racing enough when it was just him there grinning at his good fortune, but as soon as his lips met with Xavior's, his heart was sent into overdrive. For once, he didn't have to think about the kiss or tell himself what to do to make it good. He didn't know whether or not the snog was satisfactory, but in that moment he didn't care.

Pulling away, his dark eyes met with Xavior's and he could feel the boy's heavy breath on his face as they both needed to take a moment to catch their breath. The answer to the question Xavior asked rested crumpled up in his hand. When he finally caught his breath, Osmund started, "It's my father!" he held out the note for Xavior to see.

He was bursting at the seems with joy and grabbed Xavior by the waist and held the boy tight to him, his face buried in the long brunette hair. "My father loves me!" Osmund said, giving Xavior a happy squeeze. So this is what it felt like to be loved. He had to admit he was a bit obsessed with it.

Xavior couldn't help but smile at Osmund's joy. He loved seeing his friend happy and he was glad to see he had finally reconciled with his father, as he knew how much he looked up to the man, no matter how misguided his affection was. He wrapped his arms around the other boy's neck and layed his head on Oz's shoulder. He had always loved hugs, ever since he was a child, but he personally thought Osmund gave the best hugs. Osmund's answer made him giggle.
"You're adorable." He said. Osmund truly was adorable, no matter how scary he tried to be. He supposed that other people were more susceptable to Oz's unfriendliness, but after four years of friendship he had grown used to it and even endeared by it. Osmund was like a cute child when it came to his father, and it made him smile.

Osmund wasn't ever quite a touchy person, having grown up in a household where everyone kept their space and affection was hardly physical, if there at all. However, Osmund felt like a different person in this moment. He felt truly happy and wanted to celebrate for once and now he was understanding why everyone was so crazy about hugs. Being that close to someone else and having them cling to you made one feel important and wanted. He was enjoying every moment of holding Xavior and having Xavior hold him back. He didn't think of it as anything more than just an act of friendship until Xavior made an unexpected comment.

Osmund had been called a lot of things since he had started school but adorable was not one of them. He almost didn't know how to take the compliment when he realized how good the compliment made him feel, as much as he didn't want to admit it. Xavior thought he was adorable. Did he mean that in the sense that he was attractive? Osmund blushed a little, thankful that Xavior's face was in his chest and therefore couldn't see him. He suddenly had an outside view of himself and Xavior and turned an even darker shade as he suddenly pulled away, his heart racing. This was starting to feel like something more than friendship and he was reminded of the dreams he had all summer long of Xavior in compromising situations. He had thought that it was just the summer heat getting to him, but now seeing Xavior in the flesh and after kissing him like how he had before, Osmund was starting to think it all meant something more.

He felt scared suddenly. Scared of himself and a foreign idea that perhaps he actually liked someone for once, that he would actually care about losing for once. His mouth went dry and he backed up even more, looking frightened. "I....I..." He didn't even know what he was starting to say.

Xavior pulled away when Osmund did. When he saw how flushed Oz's face was and how scared he looked Xavior's stomach dropped. Osmund looked terrified and it terrified him. The mood in the room had shifted so abruptly it left his head spinning and he feared they would never be able to recapture it.
"What's wrong?" He asked nervously. He started biting the inside of his cheek, a horrible nervous habbit of his, as it left his mouth raw and scarred but he couldn't help it. He just wanted Osmund to stop backing away and hug him again. He had felt so close and safe just a moment ago, and now all of that was gone. He felt just as alone as he had all summer and he never wanted to feel that was again.

His wide eyes scanned Xavior like a hunted animal would its killer. His mouth was too dry to make sounds adequate enough to answer Xavior's question but even with the proper amount of saliva, he wasn't sure he was able to express what he was feeling. He had never felt this before and was absolutely afraid of how strange it wasn't, even more frightened by his lack of ability to describe it in words to be able to get help.

"Xavior..." Osmund said, dumbly. His back was against the wall of the Owlrey and he was standing right in a pile of owl pellets, which would've made him upset if he were in his right mind, but he wasn't. "I don't know, Xavior. I don't know and I...I'm scared." He admitted, still keeping his space. The idea of having Xavior as more than a friend was both exciting and frightening. With his personality, he was liable to mess up and drive Xavior away from him forever. He frowned at that lost of losing Xavior. He didn't ever want that to happen.

The way Osmund was looking at him made Xavior nervous. It was a predatory look, and he didn't know what it signified. Maybe his friend had decided their friendship was over and Xavior was available as prey again? He hoped with all his heart that wasn't the case. Osmund was his closest friend and losing him would tear Xavior apart.
Xavior couldn't imagine what had the other boy so scared, all he wanted was for Osmund to come back so he could explain what was wrong and Xavior could help him. "Why are you scared Oz? It's alright." He reached his hand out to the other boy, hoping he would accept the offer and come closer.

Osmund had never felt so vulnerable before than in that moment. His heart ached as he looked at Xavior, offering him comfort if only he accepted it. Osmund looked at the familiar face of the boy who had been his friend for so long, but this time he saw Xavior differently for a moment. He didn't just want to kiss Xavior anymore. He definitely wanted to continue kissing him but he also wanted to hold him and be held by him and be able to trust someone and count on someone. He wanted to be able to call Xavior his own. Osmund had no idea why he hadn't seen that sooner but as soon as he determined what he wanted, he was filled with dread that revolved around the paper that he held in his hand that brought him so much joy moments before.

Xavior is a half blood and a boy, nonetheless. His father would never approve of Xavior and Osmund wasn't going to ruin his relationship with his father, whom he had just gotten back into his life.

Osmund folded his arms across his chest, feeling a bit sick now. "Xavior...I don't think we should practice kissing anymore..." It would be best for the both of them if they just started acting like normal friends and surely it'd be easier for Osmund to forget about Xavior like that if they stopped being so intimate with each other. He hoped the other boy understood.