Rory knew that she wouldn’t get out of dealing with Ethan forever. It seemed that everywhere she turned, she had someone telling her to stop being a bitch, or to talk to Ethan, or to get the fuck over herself. Which, to be entirely fair, wasn’t something that she particularly disagreed with--or that she would have disagreed with had the situation been turned on anyone else.
Still, it didn’t make it any easier to deal with.
She had so many things to say that she didn’t know how to, and it wasn’t fair to make her talk when she didn’t have the words out there. Rory knew that Ethan wouldn’t particularly like what she had to say, so she didn’t see why it mattered if he was mad at her for talking, or mad at her for not talking.
So instead of moving to fix it like people continuously thought she should, she spent most of her time actively avoiding him. The girl probably was taking for granted how much he cared about her, but she just figured that she could get her space and it would also be okay in the end.
Currently, she was in the Art room, working on a painting that wasn’t due for a couple of weeks. Losing herself in the colors and design, though, took away the constant tornado in her gut... for a little while, at least.
It was decided due to Ethan's surprise visit and lots of social events that Ethan and Rory would have their own little private Christmas in Rory's room the night before they leave for Hogwarts. This gave them both time to make sure they had an appropriate gift, plus any promise of quality time was always needed. They were sitting on the floor of her bedroom eating some food that Wizzy brought up for them. "Alright... I think I should open first unless you have objections."
Rory's brother had left for a mission a couple of days ago, leaving her with what he had mentioned before playing through her mind. Her da, as had been the norm for the trip, was at work, and her mother was working hard trying to get in touch with all of her muggleborns so that she could make sure they were set up for the new semester.
That left the young couple alone, and they were planning on spending a night in together, giving gifts and just enjoying the comforts of not being back at Hogwarts. They ate, and then set their plates aside so they could give gifts. Ethan volunteered to go first, which made Rory smile. "Of course. But you have to open the big one first."
Ethan smiled reaching out for the big present just like she told him too. "Alright, opening the big one." He opened it and inside was a sleek and silver vinyl record player. "This is beautiful. These things play music better than any other format. I could argue that all day, but I won't. Thank you, love."
"That's what Cant--," she stopped, realizing that she didn't need to say that. So Rory smiled, nodding her head again and changing courses. "I heard that it was good for music. I don't know if wizarding music comes in them or anything, but it would be good for you regardless... The guy in the shop had to pick it out." She blushed a little at that admission, but then she looked down at the thinner package, grinning again. "Here. Now open this."
Ethan gave Rory a sad smile when it seemed like she pulled back from mentioning Cantus, letting her know he didn't mind her mentioning him. Cantus was a brilliant educator and a great mentor. "Yeah you can any music on vinyl now. People really love it so its usually an option, it's brilliant." He reached out for the smaller package, opening it up quickly to see Orson Welle's radio broadcast of the 'War of the Worlds,' "This is rare... and amazing. How did you know about this?"
She waited nervously as he opened the other package, not sure how he was going to like it. Those fears abated, though, when he seemed to really enjoy it. Ethan asked her a question, and in response, Rory stood up and walked over to her mattress, where she lifted up the corner and pulled out a book. It wasn't thick--just a small book with a lot of pictures--but it was a book about the history of the radio. "I got this... at the beginning of break. That story is in here... About Orson Welles, and what he did with that broadcast... and I just thought that... it was kind of fitting. I mean... look at what someone on the radio can do. I figured you might need reminded that you can do great things." Rory sat back down beside him them, biting her lip, unsure if that was over the top or not.
Ethan watched as Rory went to get a book from under he bed, showing him that she had been doing some reading about the radio business. "You read this?" he asked in complete awe. "I...you're amazing and I can't believe you did this for me." He leaned over to kiss her on the lips softly, feeling absolutely touched by it all.
"Yeah..." Rory said, a little nervously. "It took awhile, but... I did." When he spoke again, she smiled, and her body relaxed a little. He leaned over to kiss her, and Rory brought a hand up to his cheek, enjoying the way he kissed even more than she usually did.
Ethan leaned back from her giving her a smile. "Seriously I never expected that. I'm very lucky." He reached into his pocket pulling out the box that was neatly wrapped. "This is for you," Ethan said feeling himself get nervous which was odd for him.
Rory smiled, blushing and looking down for a moment to try and pull herself together. Then he handed her the present he had for her, and Rory undid the bow before she could lift open the lid. It was a small jewelry box, and she expected to open it and find a great pair of earrings or a necklace... but what she got was different.
It was a ring--or rather, a set of rings. Three rings that fit together to form a cohesive design. The band was silver, with gold designs, and then the outside edges formed a heart that surrounded the middle piece, which was an Irish claddagh. Her eyes immediately started to water, and she swallowed hard to try and keep it at bay. "It's beautiful."
Before Ethan did anything with the rings he reached out to pull the claddagh ring she was wearing on her right hand off. Then he reached out to take the rings from the set that way he could put it on her, soon after, he took her left hand in his free one. "This reminded me of you and I really liked what it represented. It feels like us." He took the top one that showed the top of a heart, placing it on her left ring finger. "This represents love. It's engraved on there as well. We both love one another...it's apparent and we're both secure with it. He took the ring that held the green jewel and the crown, slipping that one on next. "Loyalty...because without trust and without that commitment the love won't last." Then he picked up the bottom piece that had the bottom of the heart. "Friendship, because that's what helps people grow in their relationships together. We have all three." Ethan leaned over to kiss her finger softly then looked into her eyes. "I know this isn't a big and fancy ring... I promise I'll get you one. I just... wanted to make our promise to one another clear to everyone. It's you."
When he took her right hand to pull off her ring, Rory felt a lump grow in her throat that she couldn't swallow down. It was the thing about the claddagh, and how you wore it--each position meant a different thing. For years, Rory had worn it with the heart pointed away from her on her right hand, meaning that she was single. Then when she got with Ethan, the ring was turned to face in, indicating her relationship. And when he started to put the ring on her left finger, he pointed it out--indicating their promise of engagement. Later, in the future when they took that leap, she'd turn it to face towards her to indicate their marriage.
What really captured her attention, though, was his words. The claddagh represented these promises with its own design, but this ring took it even further, and in a beautiful way. With the three rings, each engraved with their own word, they were promising to keep these three things in their relationship. Love, friendship, and loyalty. For some reason, Rory didn't think that it would be hard.
When he finished putting the rings on, Rory still held his eyes, and then nodded her head. "It's you," she repeated, and then, because she didn't think she could say anything else without crying, she leaned in to capture his lips in a kiss that said it all.
Ethan returned Rory's kiss immediately, pulling her closer to him as he wrapped his arms around her fully. He pulled back from the kiss slowly just enough, so he could look into her eyes. "I love you."
She didn't want him to move, but when he did, she met his eyes and didn't mind at all. When he whispered to her, she nodded, whispering right back. "I love you, too," she told him, hoping that he felt her words as much as she felt his.
Ethan continued to look into her eyes for a moment before leaning in to kiss her once more deeply, moving his hand to her cheek as he got lost in their kiss.
After the two of them kissed for awhile, enjoying the taste of each other and the emotion that seemed to be flowing between them, Rory pulled on his bottom lip and leaned back while she started to get up off the floor. The girl held his hand the whole time, pulling him toward her bed and stopping when she reached the edge. Rory almost reached down to lift her own shirt off, but then she decided that since this night was about them coming together, they needed to really focus on each other, so her hands moved to the buttons on his shirt and started to undo them until she could push it off of his shoulders.
Ethan followed Rory as they stood up from the floor moving to the bed slowly. Her hands began to unbutton his shirt, Ethan moved his arms so she could push the whole thing off of him. Once his shirt was on the floor his eyes met hers as he reached out for the hem of her shirt, pulling it off of her slowly until he threw it to the side. His hands touched the bare skin of her tummy, moving them up until he could remove her bra completely.
The way her hair fell back to her shoulders and back when he pulled her shirt off always made Rory shiver. It cascaded down against her bare skin, a soft, breezy feeling that made her feel like she was flying. As his hands warmed her body, she reached to his belt, slowly undoing the buckle for him before she could undo his jeans. It wasn't that Rory wanted to rush this, but she wanted to be on that level together, under her covers with bodies bare and connected.
Ethan's hand moved up to cup her breast as he leaned down to kiss her neck softly. Her hands moved down to his pants unbuckling and unzipping them, once they were gravity did the rest of the work. Ethan's thumb moved over her nipple roughly then moved down her body to her skirt and knickers, pulling them both down so that they were both completely naked.
Her breath caught in her throat when he began to touch her breast, working it over in that perfect way that he knew. After he had taken care of the rest of her clothes, Rory pulled back the blanket on her bed and started to move down onto it, hoping that he would follow her. She just wanted to be in a world where the two of them were all that existed for a little bit.
Ethan watched as Rory got into bed, smiling at her he climbed onto the bed with her. He placed himself between her legs then leaned down to kiss her on the lips deeply, slowly he began to deepen the kiss as he became more and more lost in one another.
Rory pulled the blanket over the two of them, hands going to his shoulders as she kissed him hard. She held him tightly between her legs, and soon enough her hands started to move down his body so that she could trace every muscle that he had. His arms, his back, his chest, his shoulders... they all fell under Rory's feather light touches, while her legs wrapped around his waist to hold him in place.
He was completely focused on Rory, feeling her hands on him and the way she kissed him. It felt incredible to be that present, completely aware of everything that was happening. He moved himself better between her legs, moving over her entrance slowly before moving inside her completely.
Everything that was happening right now was what Rory needed. To be in Ireland, in her room, which was the safest place she knew. To be there with Ethan, the man she loved and wanted to spend her life with. And to have given the promises that they'd given to each other, knowing that even though they'd known it before, they now had a symbol of their wanting to spend their lives together. So when he pressed into her, it was like everything had built to that moment, and Rory had to pull from his kiss to let out a long, low moan.
Ethan bit his lip as Rory held him in with as she tightened around him completely. As soon as he knew the both of them were ready he began to move inside her slowly at first until he began to roll his hips harder, wanting to go as deep as he possibly could.
He was pulling breaths from her throat with every thrust that he gave her, the sound of them complimenting the sound of their bodies coming together. Rory arched her back a little to help him with the angle, and her fingers found the ridges of his shoulder blades so that she could hold herself in place. Rory's eyes closed completely, rolling back into her head for a moment until she decided that she wanted to just see him while they moved. So her eyes opened to meet his, chest heaving from the exertion of her breaths.
Their love making wasn't rushed it wasn't about completion. It was about making one another feel good and staying connected at the same time. He kept the same intensity, but he varied the pace to keep Rory guessing and to make sure he didn't get to the point of no return. His mouth moved from her neck to her shoulders, leaving soft kisses as he continued to move inside her.
Rory loved the way he felt inside her. Like they fit together perfectly, and that it was supposed to be that way. That was the thing about sex that neither of them had experienced before each other, and it made everything more beautiful and mean a whole lot more than it did in any other instance. Ethan made sure that he led them through it with all of the unexpectedness and connection that they felt emotionally, and it made everything bigger. As he continued to move, and kiss her skin, Rory ended up tilting her head so that she could capture his lips again, not caring if her moans fell against his kiss, but wanting to just connect to him in another way as well.
Ethan returned her kiss passionately as he moved her legs closer to her body, so he could get a better angle, moving inside her deeper and harder than before. He could feel himself getting closer each thrust, but he didn't want to let himself go without taking care of her first. He moved a hand between her legs, stimulating her clit with his fingers as he continued to move.
Once he moved her, Rory gripped him tighter, unable to continue the kiss as her lips were forced open with her groans. She leaned back again, eyes holding his, feeling that knot in her middle grow more and more taut as he really worked her towards her orgasm. Rory could feel herself squeezing him tighter and pulling him in as deep as he could go, making the whole experience more and more overwhelming for her. When it finally crashed onto her, she dug her nails into his shoulders, and her whole body jerked up off of the bed, spasming around him as her muscles tensed and relaxed over and over.
Rory tightened around him completely as she fell over the edge it only took one more thrust before he followed her. He groaned moving slowly until he was completely spent. Ethan leaned back to kiss her on the lips softly wanting nothing more than to continue kissing her.
They both stopped moving, and focused on the kiss, putting all that they had left into it. When Rory felt like her lungs were burning, she pulled back, taking in shallow breaths while she kissed the corner of his lips. "I love you," she told him again, because she wanted to.
"I love you too," Ethan said softly then leaned in to kiss her on the lips softly.
Rory returned his kiss, then just leaned her forehead against him, content to lay there with him until they absolutely had to move.
Things were getting harder for Rory, and she didn’t think that anyone was noticing. That was probably a good thing, really. It meant that she was better at hiding it, or that she wasn’t reacting as harshly as she did before. That was good. That was what Rory wanted. But it didn’t make it any easier for her, as she felt those old familiar feelings creeping up in her. She knew where they led to, and this time there was a feeling there that was more terrifying than anything else before. Moving back into it scared Rory beyond comprehension. And yet... she knew that’s where she was heading.
After awhile, she knew that she couldn’t handle it anymore on her own. Everything that’s been coming out lately in the news, added to the stress of school, added to the stress of just being around people sometimes was getting to be too much for her. And while Rory almost wished that someone noticed, she knew that it wasn’t everyone else’s job. It was hers. She had to take care of herself.
That’s why Rory went up to his room that afternoon. He’d been busy--he’d been busy a lot, actually, and she slowly felt it pulling them apart--but she didn’t have time to wait for him to have time. She needed him. Rory had to tell him how she was feeling, and she had to say that she needed things to change. The problem was, Rory didn’t know if it was good for him, or if she was being selfish in all of it. But she figured that figuring out how to work it out for both of them was a job that both of them should take part in.
Rory knocked on his door and waited for a few moments before she slowly pushed it open, giving ample time for someone to protest if she was barging in. Luckily, she didn’t hear anything, and a quick sweep of the room showed that he was alone. The Slytherin walked across the floor to his bed, biting her lip and sitting down on it softly, not greeting him with a kiss or anything over than that blank look on her face. “We need to talk,” she told him softly, eyes finally lifting to his.
Sitting at the end of the Ravenclaw table Fletcher poured himself a glass of water as he waited for Ethan, the sounds of the other students already echoing off the walls. It was French Night, one of Fletcher’s favorite themed dinners because partly because of the endless supply of bread and well ok mostly because of the endless supply of bread. God he loved bread. Pulling a loaf over to his plate he cut it in half and picked off a large chunk.
The first thing that Rory had to do when she got back to school was meet with Capscien in the Headmistress’ office. The woman didn’t say anything to her, besides offering her a place to come if she felt like she needed to take a break. Apparently, the terrifying quality of a student who self harmed got to her, and she just wanted to make sure that Rory felt like she could go to someone if she needed to. Of course, Rory knew that she probably wouldn’t come to Capscien if she needed someone, but at least the school had covered all of their bases. Rory’s da would be proud.
Once she was done with the meeting, and she was able to grab her extra work and head out, Rory went into the corridors to feel eyes on her constantly. Whispers followed her, and Rory could only imagine what had been said about her behind her back while she had been gone. Her head ducked, her hair covered her face, but she knew that her hair didn’t do much to make her appear anonymous.
Rory turned, heading up to Gryffindor tower. She didn’t know if he would be there right now, but Rory could wait. He had waited long enough on her, she could definitely wait a little bit for him.
Luka walked into the dorms, having seen Ethan head up there after dinner. The guys were still all out, no doubt enjoying their last hour or so of freedom before the end of the day and the beginning of the tournament tomorrow. When he walked into the room, Luka shut the door, then walked over to his friend. “We need to talk,” he said, already having fallen into Italian. “It’s important.”
Luka felt the warm water rush over his body and he wished that it could wash away how he felt like it washed away everything else. He needed something to wash away the confusion, and the anger, and the stress... but the showers here at Hogwarts weren't that magical, and he knew it. So he just let the water rush over his face, thinking for a second that everything would be easier if he faded into the background like usual. The things that made him stand out were the things that made him want not to. How ridiculous, really--there was no right answer for who he wanted to be.
When the water started to turn cold, he shut it off, not even caring if he was late to meet Ethan. To be honest, he wasn't looking forward to going out and getting drunk or acting stupid and either pretending like it didn't happen, or talking about what happened way too much. Every possibility seemed like something Luka would rather avoid--but Ethan had been so sincere in his trying that he didn't have any power to tell him no. He grabbed his clothes to put on, and then Luka rubbed the towel through his hair as he moved back to the dorms.
