Deal me in

[istillspeakgoblin]

"Oh." Dirk hadn't considered that figuring out if a bloke fancied him or was flirting would be any harder than figuring out if a girl was doing it. "I don't think I've ever been able to tell if someone was interested. Not that I was really paying attention to that with girls. But I guess that's all the more reason to take some time figuring everything out. I think dating still isn't really a priority," he admitted, the closest he'd come to acknowledging his whole waking up in the future the same age thing to these blokes since telling Drew and Timmy about everything Bash's mates asked him. Dating wasn't a priority when Dirk's whole life was a mess. "But it's nice to know its something I might actually be interested in at some point, now I know blokes are an option." He wondered whether Bash knew blokes were an option, and if he might be more interested in dating if he knew....but that didn't matter, for a lot of reasons. "I've gotta say, I figured I'd learn some things hanging out with Ravenclaws, but this is not the kind of thing I thought I was gonna learn," he remarked with a laugh.

[fenwickb]

"Well maybe with blokes it'll be easier, now that you know it's a thing," Benjy replied not wanting to discourage Dirk. "When you decide you want to that is. Nothing wrong with dating not being a priority." He had never judged anyone for not dating. Especially with how much time school took up. Not that he was worried about that anymore. Something he was actually really happy to have given up. It made life a little less stressful. Considering how stressful the Order was he was happy to have less other stress. He laughed when Dirk said he hadn't thought he'd learn this hanging out with Ravenclaws. "We Ravenclaws have lots of interest, never know what you might learn from us," he quipped back. Hopefully Dirk hung out more, so far Benjy was really enjoying talking to him.

[istillspeakgoblin]

Dirk was glad when Benjy and Timmy laughed at his teasing about them being mushy. He grinned when Benjy said they were going to live their adults lives how they wanted. It was a nice sentiment. If only Dirk knew what the heck he wanted to do with his own life. Frankly, this new realization that dating blokes was an option that he was maybe interested in was just another curveball in all his plans and expectations that had blown up overnight, or at least overnight to Dirk. Though this one felt less like it was blowing up his life, and more like an added complication he maybe would have encountered anyways. It definitely seemed complicated though, especially with Benjy saying not to look for a boyfriend until he figured things out but also that a boyfriend might help him figure things out. And then there was his addition about gay dating being harder. Dirk's brows furrowed. "Is it? I hadn't really given much thought to straight dating, but it always sounded sort of stressful to my mates who wanted to ask girls to Hogsmeade. Why is it harder for gay blokes?"

[fenwickb]

Benjy listened to what Dirk said about his mates at Hogwarts and wondered if he'd maybe gotten it wrong. "I might be wrong," he admitted sheepishly. "In truth I was the only one who dated in our dorm room so I wasn't close to anyone dating girls. It just looked easier." Benjy didn't say none of them were interested in girls because he was not going to speak for Drew or Bertie even though they were clearly not. "I am also going by the assumption that most of our classmates are straight and I have no proof of that. Maybe dating in general is really just hard. But for me the hard part was always trying to figure out if a guy was interested, actually flirting, or if he wasn't." It had worked out really good for him the one time he took a chance with a bloke at school. Bash had been into it. That was the only time he'd gotten up the nerve to try at school. And he was glad he didn't have to do it again. As far as reasons why dating Timmy was great, not having to worry about if a bloke liked him or not was not in the top. But it was still on the list.

[istillspeakgoblin]

Benny’s expression at Dirk’s question wasn’t very reassuring, but it wasn’t a surprise to hear that people who were jerks about muggleborns were also jerks about gay people. Or that the school board wanted things traditional. Dirk pulled his own face at that. But he listened as Benjy explained that while some people were jerks about it, it wasn’t something he had to hide if he didn’t want to. That was reassuring at least. Dirk wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with all that, but at least he had options. Assuming he ever had a boyfriend to do things in public with. Which, dating hadn’t exactly been something he was concerned with. But that had been when he thought girls were the only option… Only it wasn’t like Kingsley was an option. And Bash…. Dirk didn’t even know if Bash liked blokes. He definitely liked girls. But even if he did like blokes, that didn’t mean he liked Dirk. And even if he did like Dirk, he was Dirk’s best friend his own age. Only Timmy and Benjy had been best mates and that worked out great for them… Not what Dirk needed to be thinking about. He smiled at Benjy and Timmy as Timmy replied, “I love holding my boyfriend’s hand too,” and lifted their hands to press a kiss to the back of Benjy’s. They were sweet together. And Dirk was not thinking about holding Bash’s hand. “You blokes are cute,” he said with a grin. “A little mushy, but cute. Thanks for talking through all this stuff with me. I’m not planning to rush out and find a boyfriend, but it’s nice to know where things stand. And to know I can talk to you blokes."

[fenwickb]

Benjy beamed when Timmy said he loved holding Benjy's hand too before giving it a little kiss. Timmy had always been a great mate, the best bloke Benjy knew. But he hadn't expected Timmy to also be romantic. Not every bloke was. It felt great having his energy matched, sometimes even exceeded. Benjy hadn't been lying when he said it felt like he was lving his own romance plot. He knew he'd never get tired of holding Timmy's hand, kissing Timmy, cuddling with him, and all the other sweet details about their relationship. He laughed when Dirk called them a little mushy. "That's better then what Drew calls us. But we don't care. We're going to live our adult lives how we want." Benjy didn't take offense at being called mushy, or even Drew's comments. He was mushy, he maybe did kiss his boyfriend too much, etc. But he also wouldn't be sorry for any of it. "And you're welcome. I'm glad we could help you out. I'd definitely say figure things out before you do try to find a boyfriend, but sometimes having one helps with the figuring out." Benjy gave another soft laugh at his own contradictions. "Even though you said you weren't planning on it I feel like I should warn you, gay dating seems a little harder then straight dating." It definitely seemed that blokes into birds had a much easier time getting a date. But who knew, maybe Dirk and Bertie would hit it off. That'd be fun. Benjy wasn't exactly sure what would happen to the criminal currently breaking into their flat on the regular but maybe he'd be decent about it.

[istillspeakgoblin]

Dirk smiled at the way Benjy looked at Timmy when the latter started to share about their relationship, and the way Timmy was smiling back at Benjy when Benjy spoke up. Though it was replaced with a look of surprise when Benjy said he thought he was the only gay bloke in their dorm room. And that he'd tried to not fancy Timmy because he was his mate. Which was hitting a little too close to some uncomfortable thoughts Dirk was trying not to linger on right now. But he smiled and laughed when Benjy compared his life to a romance novel. "That does sound like a romance novel," Dirk agreed, turning to Timmy curiously. "Did you also not know liking blokes was an option?" Dirk realized maybe he shouldn't have asked that when Timmy's face fell a little and he seemed to squeeze Benjy's hand a little tighter. "No, um. I knew I liked blokes. I had a massive crush on Benjy for ages. I just...my dad is kind of awful, and there were a lot of expectations about what I was supposed to do and not do, and dating a bloke was not part of his master plan for my life. And I stupidly tried to follow that master plan for way too long. Benjy helped me break out of all that. And as soon as I did I couldn't hide my feelings any longer." Timmy let out a soft chuckle at that, and Dirk gave him a smile as he shared a look with Benjy that was a bit of a marvel to see between two blokes. "Wow. I'm glad it all worked out for you two," Dirk said, instead of commenting on Timmy's apparently terrible father. He didn't want to bring the tone down, but he couldn't help asking, "...Is there a reason Hogwarts doesn't teach about same sex couples? Is it one of those things like being muggleborn that some people think is bad?" Dirk was used to people thinking things that were normal and out of his control were bad, especially now that he wasn't just a muggleborn but a muggleborn who disappeared and then reappeared exactly the same. But he'd like to know, at least, if this was going to be something else that some people might be jerks about.

[fenwickb]

Benjy squeeze Timmy's hand back when the other talked about his dad. But he frowned a little when Dirk asked about people's attitudes. "Maybe a little. Certainly a lot of the same people who have problems with muggleborns have issues with gays from what I've seen. I was told that it wasn't taught in sex ed because the board wanted to keep the traditional curriculum." He made a face that showed what he thought of traditional. "It's not illegal here like I've heard it is for muggles. But some people care about family lines and conception way more then love and sexual attraction even. Usually arseholes," he added bluntly. Which Timmy's dad was. "So those people will give you a look or maybe even say something depending on how big of an arsehole they are. But most people don't seem to notice. Maybe if we were snogging in the middle of the shop or something," he added with a slight laugh. "I've dated a couple of blokes from other schools and some were open about it and others were very careful about what we did in public. So I guess it's maybe the same other places too. And there's no wrong way to be. I love holding my boyfriend's hand," here he squeezed Timmy's hand again. "But if Timmy wasn't comfortable doing that out then I'd just hold it here."

[istillspeakgoblin]

Dirk smiled when Benjy said he understood, his smile a little sheepish when Benjy pointed out that the thoughts Dirk thought were weird probably weren't actually weird at all. "Good point," he said with a sheepish chuckle. That made a lot of sense, actually. None of the thoughts he was thinking of would have been weird about a girl. About a girl he fancied. Which... Realizing he might be into blokes was not nearly as unsettling as the realization that he was almost definitely into two very specific blokes. Or one bloke, and another bloke who didn't exist anymore. Only Kingsley existed, obviously. He was just an adult now, and thinking about fancying an adult was weird. Dirk didn't think he fancied adult Kingsley either. But he definitely fancied teenager Kingsley, who had been a huge part of Dirk's life until about a month ago. And was kind of the same person as adult Kingsley. Only not. And thinking about all this was starting to make his head hurt. He grimaced and brought a hand to his temple. "Thanks. It's less the fancying blokes part that a lot, and more realizing..." Dirk trailed off and shook his head a little. He did not wanna talk about fancying Kingsley with these blokes who were being very cool about him being a weird zombie bloke, and he also didn't want to talk about fancying Bash with these blokes who knew Bash. "Yeah, it's just a lot," he said instead. "But thanks. And--sorry again, I didn't mean to stare or make you blokes feel weird or anything. It's really cool that you're dating each other. Er--how long have you been together?" Dirk watched as Timmy looked over at Benjy and smiled. "Not nearly long enough. Just about [idk like a month? the timeline is fuzzy lol]. I took way too long to get up the courage to tell Benjy I liked him."

[fenwickb]

Benjy wondered if whatever Dirk had realized had something to do with his disappearance/reappearance. Like the bloke he fancied was now and adult and moved on. Or maybe just added another thing to his sort of complicated life. Maybe this wouldn't be that complicated though. Benjy smiled, turning a little to smile at Timmy, when Dirk asked about them. Timmy was his favorite subject to talk about so he didn't mind. "I feel so dumb," Benjy added with a laugh. "I had no idea he was gay. I thought I was the only gay bloke in our dorm room." It was funny to think about now. He had only been the one who was interested in dating. "And with Timmy being not only my best mate but, I thought, straight, I did my best not to fancy him. Which turns out I was very unsuccessful at," he added with another laugh. "I've always been into romance novels and romantic films. Never had any clue I was practically living the plot of one." Because that's what it felt like their very own friends to lovers plot.

[istillspeakgoblin]

There was a lot going rough Dirk’s mind at the moment, but he grinned back at Timmy and Benjy when they said he was in good company. It sure felt like he was, just like sharing that he was pretty sure he might be into blokes felt like the right choice. It was nice to know he wasn’t alone in this. Not that he couldn’t have talked to Mitch or Ted or Jacob…or Kingsley about being into blokes. Or Leo. But it was just different with them now. Dirk wasn’t sure he wanted to talk to a bunch of adults about liking blokes, even if those adults were his friends and would be supportive. It was nice to have blokes his own age who also liked blokes. Of course, there was also Bash. Who had left the door open for Dirk to talk to him about dating stuff. But Dirk wasn’t sure he wanted to talk to Bash about how he was pretty sure he was into blokes because snogging hadn’t sounded remotely interesting until he’d thought for a second that Bash was offering to snog him. But maybe he could just talk to Bash about it more generally. Dirk wondered if Bash even knew blokes was an option. Dirk chuckled at Benny’s addition. “Glad to hear it. ‘Cause I’ve definitely got some stuff to figure out,” he admitted with a soft laugh. Then he paused, considering for a moment. “At least, I think I’ve got some stuff to figure out. To be honest, I’m not sure how much of it is figuring out versus just processing that I’m into blokes. I’m pretty sure I’m into blokes. It’s just, I was never interested in talking about girls or wanting to snog or date them. A few of my mates were, but it wasn’t something we talked about all that much. And then I had another mate who also wasn’t interested at all in that stuff, so I just never really thought about it that much? But then I’ve sort of also had some….thoughts that I thought were sort of weird but now I think just means I’m into blokes.” It wasn’t even just his thought about snogging Bash. Or Kingsley. It was those times he’d been sitting near Kingsley and briefly thought about reaching out to touch his hand or his arm, or how he’d had similar thoughts about Bash, or how he’d caught himself staring at both of them a little too long, and in this moment Dirk wasn’t sure which crush realization was more disconcerting. “It’s just a lot to wrap my head around.”

[fenwickb]

Benjy listened as Dirk talked about what he was feeling. He hadn't expected to help someone out of the closet today but it felt nice. "Yeah, we get it," he replied when Dirk finished. It could be a lot. "If those thoughts would have seemed less weird if you were thinking of a girl instead of a bloke chances are they aren't weird at all." He wouldn't say definitely because some people were into weird things. "Not being interested in girls doesn't necessarily mean you're into blokes. Some people just aren't and some people like both. Not me," he added. "I'm like you, never had any interest in girls at all. I did like blokes though." Benjy gave a sheepish chuckle because he had been a little boy crazy. Had he known his best mate was interested Benjy was sure he wouldn't have been. "But you're right, it is a lot. It's okay to take time to process it. There's no one way to figure this stuff out or timeline to follow."

[istillspeakgoblin]

"Oh," Dirk said faintly when Benjy explained that Hogwarts was apparently just omitting the fact that dating the same gender was an option in their sex eds classes. They hadn't covered that in his sex ed classes at the orphanage either. But apparently it was an option. Very much an option, according to Benjy. Which was....something. Something common. Apparently so common that Benjy was certain Dirk knew more blokes who were into blokes. Dirk wondered if Benjy would be so confident if he realized just how few people Dirk actually knew currently. Unless he meant blokes Dirk did actually know. Dirk's heartbeat picked up weirdly as the thought that Benjy might be talking about Bash occurred to him. Then he thought again about Bash's offer the other day, and how it had almost sounded like....but Benjy hadn't said Bash. Was Dirk being weird? He was probably being weird. Plus, if Benjy did mean Bash....how did he know??? Had Bash snogged Benjy or Timmy? Or maybe Benjy just meant Drew. Or he was just talking statistically. Benjy had just said he was a numbers bloke, so he would probably know. This was a lot to process, and Dirk was staring dumbly at the other two blokes again, though at least Timmy's nervous look had shifted to an encouraging smile at Dirk. "That's....wow," was all Dirk could think to say, followed by, "I think maybe.....I might be into blokes?" Surely that was okay to say, after all Benjy and Timmy were both into blokes and dating each other. And...well. Dirk wasn't entirely sure yet. All he knew was that the idea of snogging or dating a girl had never appealed to him, but ever since the idea of snogging Bash popped into his head....suddenly Dirk was finding himself curious. Which hadn't made sense at all, until right now. Because liking blokes was an option. "Well if you are, you're in good company," Timmy replied with a smile, his hand moving to rest on top of Benjy's hand on his knee. "And it's okay if you're not sure yet. It can be a lot to figure out when its not something we hear very much about."

[fenwickb]

Benjy had been pretty sure that Dirk was heading towards a realization that either he was into blokes or that his previously known interest in blokes was okay and normal. He hadn't expected verbal confirmation quite so quickly. Especially as it sounded like Dirk was still working it out. He smiled at Timmy when the other spoke up, giving Timmy's knee another little squeeze. His boyfriend was amazing. Always had been but he was getting more and more so as he continued to grow free of the huge shadow his dad had been in his life. "You sure are," he agreed turning his smile to Dirk now. "Ultimately it's something you have to figure out for yourself. That said we're happy to help any way we can. It's a lot easier to figured it out when you've got people who are supportive and you can talk to." Benjy felt lucky there, he'd always had a great group of mates. "And like Timmy said you don't have to have it all figured out right away. It's not a requirement to be mates with us," he added with a light laugh. Not that he thought Dirk was trying to fit in but he was trying to help Dirk feel like this was a safe spot to talk about however he felt. Benjy didn't know what the deal was with the blokes Dirk had roomed, and presumably been mates with. But they'd all be a lot older and maybe this would be easier talked about with blokes his own age, who also were into blokes.

[istillspeakgoblin]

Dirk laughed when Benjy described a flat overflowing with piles of books, everywhere except on the floor which seemed like a fair enough rule to Dirk too. Though he was quickly distracted from their conversation when Timmy and Benjy kissed in front of him. At least Dirk was pretty sure that was what he saw, only he couldn't be entirely sure because he was pretty sure blokes kissing wasn't a thing. Only then Benjy was putting his hand on Timmy's knee and declaring that he and Timmy were dating. Boyfriends. Oh. Dirk stared for another few seconds, his brain trying to process how this was a thing and he'd never known it was a thing. Then he caught the nervous look Timmy shared with Benjy and realized he'd been staring. "Oh! Sorry. I didn't mean to stare." Dirk should really know better than anyone after last week that staring was shitty. "I just--I er, didn't know blokes could date each other?" He tried to explain, his heartbeat picking up as he did so. Blokes could date each other. Blokes could kiss each other. And suddenly he found himself thinking back to the conversation he'd had with Bash after that terrible class. How it had almost sounded like Bash was offering...only that was still a silly thought. As was the thought that Dirk maybe wouldn't have minded if Bash was offering.... "Uh." He swallowed, trying to push that thought away. "That's really cool," was all he could think to say. Because--it was cool. Really cool. Blokes could date each other. It occurred to Dirk a moment later that he'd never thought anything about dating seemed cool. So this was--a development. "I didn't know that was an option," he added in a softer voice, more to himself.

[fenwickb]

Benjy tried to give Timmy a reassuring smile, squeezing his knee again, as they waited for Dirk's reaction. Hopefully Timmy knew he wouldn't let anyone disrespect his boyfriend and their relationship in their own flat, or anywhere else. Benjy had never tossed someone out before but he was fully prepared to make Dirk leave if need be. Except it didn't seem to be needed. Thank Merlin! It wasn't a big surprise to know that Dirk hadn't realized blokes could date each other. Things in the Wizard world weren't like muggles there were still plenty of people who had similar attitudes to muggles about it. Before Benjy spoke up about that Dirk started talking again. The really cool had him wondering but his softer addition had him pretty positive that maybe Dirk was more then just surprised by the news. "Hogwarts is still not including same sex couples in their sex ed so it's no surprise you weren't aware it was a thing," Benjy told him. He'd had a lot to say about that class since they'd attended and it was all bad. "But it is very much an option. In fact I'm positive we're not the only two blokes you know who are into blokes. It's a lot more common then people realize," he added hoping not to out anyone. Drew didn't talk about how he identified and he had no idea what Bash was saying. All he knew was Bash had been very into snogging him. There was sure to be one or two other blokes Dirk knew who were into blokes in one way or another too. It felt like a safe thing to say without outing anyone.

[istillspeakgoblin]

"Really? Wait, so where did you have all those books before you got the shelves?" Dirk asked, curious and a little amused at the thought of all those books just taking over the flat. It felt very Ravenclaw, in a good way. He listened with interest as Benjy explained he was a numbers guy, which felt a lot more Ravenclaw than Dirk's dabbling with language. Dirk laughed when Benjy pointed out it was kind of the opposite of languages. "Sounds like it," he agreed with a nod. "It's a little bit of both. I'm more into learning languages, but part of why I like learning them is because of what they show about a country's history and culture, you know? You can learn a lot about a place without even going there from learning the language. And not just places, but people too. Gobbledegook and Mermish are different from any human language I've ever learned but there's also some ways our languages have crept in and influenced theirs, especially goblins," he explained enthusiastically, happy to talk about something that felt very normal for him for once. "Gobbledegook?" Timmy's voice chimed in as the other bloke stepped out of the kitchen with three mugs of tea precariously balanced in his hands. He handed one to Dirk, then crossed over to Benjy and handed him the other, leaning in to give him a quick kiss before settling in next to Benjy. Right next to Benjy. Timmy was saying something else, but Dirk missed it entirely, his brain short-circuiting as he tried to process what he'd just witnessed. Did he hallucinate that or did Timmy just kiss Benjy? Was that a thing? Surely Dirk would know if that was a thing.

[fenwickb]

"They were in stacks everywhere. Mostly everywhere, Drew was adamant that they had to be off the floor. Which fair, they probably would have been messed up. So there were stacks on boxes too,' he admitted with a laugh. It had been a little messy. Also had involved a lot of transferring stacks from one place to the other when they tried to do anything. "We underestimated exactly how many books we would have." The bookshelves were a welcome gift despite their origins. Benjy did not know that languages showed anything about history and culture. He'd never thought of it. But he listened with interest to what Dirk had to say. It was clear why Timmy and Drew got along with him, he did seem to have a lot of Ravenclaw in him. Benjy chuckled when Timmy chimed in with exactly what he was about to say. He'd been more out of the closet then in long enough to notice other people's reaction to him and a bloke. Dirk's reaction did not go unnoticed. He just wasn't sure what to make of it. Moving his free hand to Timmy's knee as a way to shield Timmy or at least support him Benjy spoke up. "Timmy and I are dating. We're boyfriends," he told Dirk. His voice was steady and clear and he watched to see what Dirk's reaction would be, giving Timmy's knee a slight squeeze.

[istillspeakgoblin]

"No way?" Dirk asked, curious about how a friend of Bertie's had spare bookshelves when they were all just kids. Maybe they were his parents', or he'd found them at a secondhand shop or something. He smiled at Benjy's offer to borrow something before laughing at the other's teasing about Dirk being a nerdy Hufflepuff. "I get that a lot," he said with a grin. "Even the hat contemplated putting me in Ravenclaw, actually," he added with a chuckle. Dirk hadn't know what any of what the hat was talking about meant at the time, but he was happy with where he'd ended up. He was also happy with the thought of making some Ravenclaw friends, though. "But my nerdiness is pretty confined to languages, I think. That and solving weird Hogwarts mysteries, but that was more my mate Kingsley's thing, I just helped." Dirk shrugged. "What about you, what are you a nerd about?" That seemed as good a way to get to know a Ravenclaw as any, Dirk thought.

[fenwickb]

"Yeah, we just got everything set up this weekend." The bookshelves were point of pride in the flat now despite their shady origins. And as Drew put it if Bertie's friend was gonna drop gifts off in the flat at least it was something useful and not tacky. "Did it? Guess it was on to something." Benjy almost said it was a shame he hadn't been Ravenclaw before he remembered Dirk wouldn't have been in their dorm and didn't. It felt almost like bait when Dirk brought up solving weird Hogwarts mysteries as if that wasn't what he was. "Languages are cool," is what he went with instead. "I'm a numbers bloke. Probability. Arithmancy. That sort of stuff." Benjy decided not to bring up the gambling bits. He didn't know Dirk after all. "Sort of the polar opposite to languages I guess," he added with a laugh. "So do you like know a lot of languages then? Or is it more of a where language comes from sort of angle?" He was interested in finding out even if the mysteries thing sounded more interesting.

[istillspeakgoblin]

Dirk was a little nervous about coming over to Drew and Timmy's to hang out and meet their other roommates. Not because of anything to do with the blokes; they all seemed nice and really cool, in a nerdy way, which was Dirk's preferred version of cool. But it was because the blokes were nice and cool that Dirk was nervous. He just really wanted to make some new friends. Bash was great, and Dirk didn't want to start hanging out with him any less. But he'd been having some weird thoughts to do with Bash, and as awesome as Bash was, it was kind of depressing having only one friend Dirk's own age. Dirk was hoping that with this group of blokes maybe he'd find another place where he wasn't constantly reminded of the seven years he'd lost. Being in Drew and co.'s flat was certainly a nice distraction. As was the arrival of Benjy, though Dirk couldn't help but hope Benjy wouldn't think he was weird. He wondered if the blokes had all talked about him. Probably they had. But they'd still invited him over, hopefully not to ask him weird questions. "Hi Benjy, great to meet you!" Dirk greeted the other with a grin before Benjy called to Timmy and Timmy called back, "No thanks, babe, I'm all set!" Wait. Did Timmy call Benjy babe? That was odd. Was that a new thing teenagers were doing? It felt weird to ask, so he just said, "Your flat is really cool. You've got a really impressive collection of books, though I guess that's not surprising for a bunch of Ravenclaws," he said with a grin. Hopefully some light teasing wouldn't annoy them; Dirk liked books.

[fenwickb]

When Timmy said he was all set Benjy sat down, his grin a little wider because being called babe by Timmy was still pretty new and solidly rad. "Thanks! Heh, yeah, we got a pretty great mix. We actually got the bookshelves free. A friend of Bertie's brought them over." Benjy decided not to mention the fact that they were not sure if they were stolen or not. It wasn't like they could have found the owner and they were lots better then what they had before. "We didn't think we were going to fill all of them but..." Benjy motioned to the full bookshelves. "You're welcome to borrow one if you see something," he offered. While they weren't all his he doubted any of them would mind if Dirk borrowed one of the ones out here. "Drew and Timmy said you were kind of a nerdy Hufflepuff." It was light teasing but also more or less what they said. "Almost enough to be a Ravenclaw," he finished up with a laugh.

[fenwickb]

Benjy had been in the middle of getting dressed after a quick shower when he heard Timmy answer the door. He assumed it was the mysterious new bloke that Timmy and Drew had told them about. They'd discussed theories on what might have happened to Dirk for hours after the pair of them had gotten back from class. While Dirk wasn't officially part of their friend group it was still kind of funny how now they had a bloke who had faked his own death to get out of the Death Eaters and a bloke who had been presumed dead but walked out of the forest seven years later without having aged. Not to mention the Knockturn thug climbing into Bertie's window and Timmy's notbrother brother situation. And to think they'd been labeled boring nerds at school. Adulthood was really weird so far. He quickly finished getting dressed and went out to meet Timmy's new friend. "Hey, you must be Dirk, right? I'm Benjy, nice to meet you," he told the bloke sitting on their sofa with a smile. He could hear Timmy making tea in the kitchen. "You need any help in there, Timmy," he called out to check in with his boyfriend before sitting down.

[fenwickb]

timothymarchbanks​:

Timmy grinned again when Benjy said he was the one who always looked amazing. That was definitely Benjy, but Timmy liked that Benjy thought the same about him so he didn’t protest beyond telling him, “You’re just biased,” very clearly pleased by the fact that Benjy was biased in his favor. He was even more pleased by the surprise on Benjy’s face when Timmy revealed he’d gotten their roommates to give them the flat for the night. “Really!” he said with a wide smile. “It was nothin’, just have to take on their chores for the weekend.” Which was completely worth it to have the flat all to themselves for a night. It felt like it had been way too long since he and Benjy had some time to be completely alone. His smile widened at Benjy’s reaction when Timmy told him about the job, and the kiss that followed. Definitely worth waiting to tell Benjy in person, seeing the look on his face. He laughed when Benjy seemed to agree that a bookshop was even better, the best place Timmy could hope to get a job to occupy him until he had a better idea of what he wanted to do with his life. Other than be with Benjy. “Good! It’s really groovy, I think you’re gonna like it.” Timmy would have wanted to show the bookshop to Benjy even if he hadn’t just gotten a job there, but this was even better. It wasn’t that much of a surprise when Benjy said they should be celebrating Timmy instead of him, or when he said he’d just been holding Timmy’s hand through everything lately. Benjy had done so much more than that. He’d been Timmy’s rock. Kept him grounded. Kept him hopeful. And Benjy was just glad he could do it, like it hadn’t been hard on him too. Timmy really didn’t know how he got so lucky with a best mate and now a boyfriend like Benjy. But he was the luckiest bloke alive and he wanted to make sure Benjy knew how much he appreciated him. And make sure Benjy got romanced in all the ways he deserved to be. Timmy smiled up at Benjy, warmed by his words, by the fact that Benjy was proud of him. The smile stayed on his lips as Benjy kissed him, Timmy letting himself melt into the kiss, the hand on Benjy’s lower back pressing Benjy a little closer to him. “You’re my favorite,” he murmured, smiling up at Benjy once the kiss ended, his thumb on his other hand brushing over Benjy’s cheek. “And you haven’t even seen the best part yet,” he  added softly, sliding his hand down from Benjy’s cheek to his chin and gently tilting it upward so Benjy would see the stars scattered all across the ceiling of the flat. 

Benjy gave a slight shrug because there was no denying he was bias. Was still true but he definitely was bias in Timmy’s favor. He chuckled when he found out what the price had been for their night alone. It was good of their mates to go for it considering this was their place too. “I’ll help you with them,” he replied. Couldn’t let Timmy do all the work when this was something nice for both of them. Finding out Timmy had gotten a job, and that was the reason for all of this, made him even more determined to help out with the chores. All of this should really be about celebrating him after all. “It’s a bookshop, already pretty easy to like. But clearly  a groovy place if they hired you so more reasons to like it.” He was excited to check it out. Excited too to celebrate Timmy getting the job tonight. Benjy felt like he should be the one romancing Timmy over this but he wasn’t upset that it was timmy doing it. Romance was good regardless of which party was initiating it, he thought. But he’d definitely have to plan something for Timmy even if it couldn’t top this night. For now he was just going to enjoy his romantic night with his amazing boyfriend and wonder how he got so lucky. A thought that just intensified when Timmy pressed him a little closer in their kiss. He hung on to Timmy enjoying the closeness and the fact that this kiss wasn’t going to be interrupted like a lot of their kisses were. His smile was wide again at Timmy’s words after their kiss. The gentle way Timmy brushed his thumb over his cheek just adding to the warmth he was already feeling. ‘Forever favorite,’ he whispered back. It didn’t matter that they had only been dating for a short time, he knew in his heart that Timmy was the one for him, the only. His reaction to Timmy’s words was a questioning look because Timmy’s action with his hand was confusing. But dutifully Benjy let Timmy lift his chin and somehow managed to pull his eyes from timmy to look up. The sight above him was a huge surprise and his eyes were as wide as his open mouth. “Oh wow, Timmy, that’s amazing. It’s even better than the ceilings in the tower.” He looked back over at Timmy. It felt amazing that he had a boyfriend who would do something this wonderful for him. Especially considering it was Timmy’s job they were celebrating. “We can have dinner under the stars, epically romantic,” he told Timmy. Benjy pulled him closer for another kiss. He lingered in the kiss for a few moments enjoying that they had all this privacy, something that felt like a luxury like it had back at school. “I really am the luckiest bloke alive,’ he told Timmy after the kiss ended. He certainly felt like he had all the luck thanks to timmy. Like he could march into any gambling room on Knockturn and win it all. But also like he had it all standing right here in front of him.

[fenwickb]

timothymarchbanks​:

“I am not!” Timmy reacted with a laugh, feigning indignation when Benjy called him a liar. “You always look amazing,” he explained with a grin, giving Benjy another peck before getting the pizza out of the way so he could stand closer to Benjy. A mischievous grin pulled at his lips when Benjy mentioned the blokes. “Hmm, alright, I guess leftover pizza is a good thank you to them for agreeing to give us the flat tonight,” Timmy answered, grinning wider at Benjy, pleased with himself for clearly surprising Benjy with that part of his plan for the evening as well. And all he had to do was Drew and Bertie’s share of the chores for the weekend. He was also very pleased with the way Benjy mirrored his own position, arms wrapping around Timmy, and he never felt quite so warm and happy as he did when he was in Benjy’s arms. It was even nicer now he didn’t have to find ‘friend’ excuses to touch Benjy like this; he could just do it. Timmy chuckled when Benjy said he’d suspected they were celebrating something, though he made a mental note that sometime soon he’d have to surprise Benjy for absolutely no reason at all other than he was the greatest boyfriend Timmy could have ever hoped for. Tonight was sort of already about that, but also—“I got a job!” He confirmed, beaming, even happier for the fact that Benjy had guessed it. He’d known Benjy had full faith in him finding something, but still it was nice to hear it again. “It’s not fancy, but I’ll be working at a bookshop! Can you believe it?” He asked, still grinning broadly. Of all the places to find a job to keep him busy—and making money—while he figured out what the heck he was supposed to do in his life aside from follow his father’s plan to the Ministry, he’d found a job at a bookshop! “It’s that new one that popped up a few blocks from the Leaky. We can go see it tomorrow, maybe?” He asked, glad tonight coincided with Benjy having the next day off. There was no question Benjy would want to see the place Timmy would be working. “I wanted to owl you right away but then I decided it’d be more fun to surprise you,” he added. “Because we’re celebrating you too, you know,” he added in a softer voice, his smile softening as well. “I know these past few weeks have been hard, but you’ve been so wonderful, Benjy,” he said, moving one of his arms from around Benjy’s waist to gently cup Benjy’s cheek. “I really don’t know what I’d do without you.” He’d probably have turned into some nervous wreck Minister clone years ago. Definitely wouldn’t be here, in the flat he shared with his best mates and his boyfriend, free of his father, feeling hopeful about his future for the first time in a very long time. A lump settled in his throat, his voice a little thicker as he continued, “I’m so lucky to have you. As a best mate and as a boyfriend,” he said, because he loved that Benjy was his boyfriend but Benjy was also still his best mate, always would be. “So I wanted to do something special for you. ‘Cause you deserve it,” he finished with another smile, his finger brushing gently over Benjy’s cheek. “And ‘cause I just love you so much,” he tacked on. 

Benjy chuckled when Timmy denied being a liar but it soon turned a little sheepish with Timmy’s explanation. “That’s you,” he said. Timmy definitely always looked amazing. He still wasn’t used to the fact that he got to come home to Timmy looking amazing for him instead of just his usual amazing. Before Benjy could question, or more likely point out how much he liked that grin on Timmy’s face, timmy was explaining himself. “What? Really,” he asked shocked. They hadn’t been alone since that weekend away Rich had given them. Not for a whole night. Leftover pizza didn’t seem like a big enough thank you for that. “How’d you manage that?” Not that their roommates were unreasonable but it still felt like a huge thing. It didn’t clear up why all of this was happening but them being alone for the night did make all of Timmy’s preparations seem better planned. The blokes coming home in the middle of their romantic meal wouldn’t be that romantic. Still the why felt like an even toss up between anniversary or celebrating. Bendy was glad he’d gotten it right. Especially because he knew timmy had been stressing over the job. “Babe that’s fantastic,” he told Timmy before giving him a quick kiss. He listened as Timely answered what would have been his next question. “A bookshop? that’s even better!” A bookshop felt perfect. Knowing it was the new one seemed much better than one directly on Diagon. Less likely his dad would show up. “I’d love to go and check it out, of course!” He’d been wanting to so this was even better. His smile was already as broad as it could be so it didn’t change until Timmy said they were celebrating him too. It softened at Timmy’s words. “Me? We should be celebrating you, you’re the one that’s had so much happening. I’ve just been holding your hand through it,” he added, leaning in for another quick kiss since he wasn’t holding Timmy’s hand right now. “I’m just glad I could be there for you.” He wouldn’t have wanted timmy to go through any of that alone. His smile got wide again as Timmy got emotional. “You are the best boyfriend and best mate a bloke could have. I really won the jackpot with you. I love you so much too. I’m so proud of you for everything.” Timmy had a lot of things thrown at him but he’d come out of it wonderfully in Benjy’s opinion. He was just glad that something other than them dating was turning out good for Timmy. Timmy deserved all the good things in his opinion. “I can’t believe you did all of this for me. To celebrate you getting a job. You’re so amazing, Timmy.” Benjy leaned in for a lingering kiss with his amazing, job having boyfriend.

[fenwickb]

timothymarchbanks​:

Any nerves Timmy had about where to stand or what to say when Benjy came in dissipated when Benjy walked through the door with a wide grin and—oh. Pizza. Oops. Maybe Timmy should have told Benjy not to pick up dinner. But it wasn’t like Benjy brought home dinner every night, and saying something would have spoiled the surprise. And the surprised grin on Benjy’s face was absolutely worth it. Timmy’s own smile widened as Benjy greeted him with a kiss, and he chuckled at Benjy’s comment about the pizza. His smile widening again when Benjy said he looked amazing, his heart doing that flippy thing it always did when Benjy said things like that. He smiled against Benjy’s lips, one hand settling lightly on Benjy’s hip and the other cupping his cheek, holding him close for a moment before he finally broke the kiss. Even when Timmy was having a good day, he always felt better once Benjy got home, and he felt even better once he was touching Benjy again—even just a little touch, like the smallest contact from Benjy brought the world into clearer focus. He grinned widely at Benjy when he pulled back. “You look amazing,” he said, because Benjy always looked amazing. Timmy gave Benjy another quick kiss before letting go of him and taking the pizza box and the newspaper, moving to set them on the counter. “And the pizza is perfect, since we’re already having Italian. It’ll go great,” he added as he did so, because Benjy bringing home pizza for them was sweet and something Timmy appreciated and there was something special—or maybe Timmy was just being overly sappy—about the fact that Benjy brought home food that paired perfectly with the food Timmy had gotten. Both of them in sync, even when Timmy was setting up a surprise. Now that Benjy’s hands were free Timmy moved back over to him with a grin, wrapping his arms around Benjy’s waist, hands clasped together at Benjy’s lower back. “We’re celebrating,” he told him finally, grinning a little wider. “Wanna guess why?” 

He and Timmy had always been touchy, another thing that should have clued him in to the fact that there was more than best friends happening. But now that they were dating Benjy was enjoying all the additional touching an the kisses that were happening. He’d always been an affectionate person and that was something he’d wanted in a boyfriend, someone who’d match his energy there. Timmy did. He matched Benjy in all the ways Benjy thought were important. But he wasn’t thinking about those things just how good kissing Timmy felt. Like he could just leave all the stress of the world outside. It was a nice feeling on nights when order missions were horrible but it made even long days at work better too. Benjy let his free hand settle on Timmy’s hip as they kissed. His own grin matching Timmy’s after the kiss because how could he not smile after a kiss like that, after any kiss with Timmy. Benjy chuckled lightly at Timmy’s words. “Liar,” he teased softly. He was sure he was no where near as nice looking as Timmy  was, especially not after a  full day of work. It was just like Timmy to  decide the pizza would work. “Nah, it’s okay, we can just give it to the blokes. Maybe they’ll eat it in their rooms or something,” he added. If they weren’t already home they’d likely be home soon. Maybe they could bribe the blokes with pizza so he and Timmy could enjoy the nice set up Timmy had done. He was very happy to not think about their roommates when Timmy came back over to him. Once more he was mirroring Timmy’s pose, wrapping his arms around Timmy in the same way. He chuckled softly again at Timmy’s words. “I kind of suspected that.” It certainly felt like more than the normal meal together. Benjy just hoped he guessed right or he might upset Timmy. Which was something he did not want to do ever. Only he wasn’t sure what it could be. It didn’t seem likely that the Minister had declared a truce. That felt like it only left two things.  Some anniversary that he was gonna be upset at himself over not remembering or Timmy got a job. Odds were fifty-fifty so Benjy picked one and hoped he got lucky. “Did you get a job?”

[timothymarchbanks]

Timmy couldn’t believe his luck. A job at a bookshop! A bookshop tucked away in a corner of magical London the minister was very unlikely ever to wander into. That ghost had been a little odd, but still—it was a job! Timmy had almost owled Benjy right away, eager as he was to share the good news. But then he’d thought about how he’d much rather tell Benjy face to face. And then he thought about how he’d much rather give Benjy an even better surprise than just his good news. The past few weeks had been difficult, with them moving out of their old flat and staying with Benjy’s parents and then moving in someplace new and Timmy looking for a new job and jumping every time a letter got delivered, worried the Minister might have found him. The weeks leading up to Timmy’s decision to leave the Minister had been rough too, actually, with the potions and Timmy finding out about Richie and then their awful fight. Timmy was glad that was behind them. But Benjy had been so wonderfully supportive, Timmy wanted to do something special for him. That was from him, not Richie putting them up in a fancy hotel. Which had actually turned out to be a wonderful night that he was never going to discuss with his big brother. But the point was, Timmy wanted to do something for Benjy from him. He knew that Benjy was a romantic. He’d always told Timmy about all the grand hopes he had for finding his one true love. Timmy still felt all warm inside when he remembered how Benjy had said Timmy was his one. And Timmy knew that didn’t come with any strings attached. But he also wanted to give Benjy everything he dreamed of. Big romantic gestures included. The problem was, Timmy didn’t have much to work with given that he was—up until today—unemployed and laying low and had never dated before. 

But being best mates with Benjy meant he had an idea of what was romantic, or at least what sorts of things Benjy thought were romantic, which was what mattered. He’d gotten Bertie and Drew to agree to stay out of the flat for the night and spent the rest of the afternoon preparing. First he’d messed around with a few charms until he got the ceiling of their flat to look like a night sky spattered with stars—which he was quite proud of, actually. Then he’d pulled out the record player Bertie rigged up to run on magic and set up a nice slow record. Next he used another charm to push some of the furniture out of the way in their living room, clearing a space under the fake stars he hoped would maybe work for dancing. And then he set the kitchen table, a few flowers he’d picked from outside their building in a vase in the middle and two glasses of sparkling apple juice, charmed to stay chilled. There was also, of course, a fresh pot of coffee brewed. He set candles up all along the kitchen counters, framing the table in candlelight in addition to the starlight overhead. Then he owled for Benjy’s favorite takeaway and went to their room, making up their bed tidying a few things that were out of place and lighting more candles with magic so they wouldn’t accidentally burn anything down. He wished he’d thought to get some rose petals, but the candles were still nice, he thought. Especially after he charmed the ceiling of their room to match the shared space in their flat. Last he changed into some nice slacks and a sweater that Benjy had said he thought Timmy looked nice in. He brushed his hair, fiddling with it maybe a little too long, which was stupid because Benjy already liked him, obviously. He just wanted this to be special. It was the owl showing up with their food that had him finally giving up, walking back to the kitchen and setting the takeout on plates, charmed to stay warm. He glanced at the clock, heart racing in anticipation; Benjy should be back soon. And Timmy wasn’t actually sure where he should be standing when Benjy came in. Did he stand at the table? Wait at the doorway? Hide and jump out and say ‘surprise!’ when Benjy came in? Probably not that last one. He was standing frozen in the middle of the kitchen trying to decide what the heck to do with himself when he heard the door opening. Apparently standing in the kitchen it was. Timmy turned toward the door with a wide grin. “Hi Benjy.”

[fenwickb]

Things had been a roller coaster. All the moving. Timmy finding out about the order. Benjy deciding not to worry about his NEWTs. Finding out about how fucked they all really were in the Order. Another reason to be happy timmy was not directly involved. While also being happy Timmy knew so that if anything happened to him, Timmy would know why. But there had been  the good parts too. Moving in with all the blokes. Dating Timmy. That was of course the highest of the highs. He still couldn’t believe how dumb he’d been. Always ready to bet it all, take a chance, see if he came out on top all to meet the one. Except Timmy had been right there in front of his face the whole time. When he had a bad day at work or an even worse one for the Order, knowing he was coming home to Timmy made it a little easier to be in a decent mood by the time he walked through the door. Timmy had always done that it was just now it was more. The ultimate mood booster. Yet he still didn’t expect the mood booster that was waiting for him after a busy but not horrible day. Benjy stepped in the door with a pizza and the evening edition of the paper, though he doubted there were any new jobs listed.  But  he knew Timmy really wanted to find something. It was a surprise to hear slow music playing and see the living room furniture all moved. Timmy’s voice drew his gaze into the kitchen. Where more surprises waited, candles and flowers, and a nicer looking dinner than the pizza he had in his hands. Italian, from his favorite place it looked like. “Timmy, what’s all this,” he asked with a large grin on his face. He shut and locked the door before walking into the kitchen. They hadn’t been dating long enough for an anniversary. Had it been a month, were they doing months? Not that Benjy would object just he hadn’t expected anything and fuck if he forgot an anniversary —month-versary?— he was gonna be upset at himself. He gave Timmy a quick kiss. “Here I thought I was doing something bringing home dinner,” he said with a smile. “this is amazing. And you look amazing,” he added giving Timmy another kiss. Because he could, because they were dating.

[timothymarchbanks]