#garreth weasley

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From a scene in Chapter 4 of Stay With Me, feat. Prim (Diane Huang) and Lance Weasley, Garreth's ever-suffering cousin... 📚🍰🐦‍🔥🧡

Obvious reference below:

[poxi3]

Teachers Pet - ch. 14 of 20 Pairing: Sebastian Sallow/Garreth Weasley Rating: E Status: Complete Summary: Sebastian Sallow was under the impression he’d never have to see Garreth Weasley again. He was wrong. Now they’re both teaching at Hogwarts, both entirely insufferable, and somehow even worse around each other than they were at seventeen. Unfortunately, time has not made things simpler. If anything, it’s made them… complicated. Genre Tags: enemies-to-lovers, slow burn

“Are you going to do my work for me?” He asked sardonically. 

“Maybe. How hard can it be?” 

Garreth raised his eyebrows and walked over. He stood right next to Sebastian and looked down at him, his head tilted to the side as he regarded him thoughtfully. Fucking hell. Sebastian felt himself itching to reach out for him, so he did. 

He lifted one hand and gently trailed his fingers down the side of Garreth’s forearm, the same one that had been nagging him all day. His eyes dropped to watch his hand slide down along the freckled skin and he swore he saw goosebumps emerge. Garreth didn’t say anything, or pull away, but he did raise an eyebrow at the action. 

He took the silence as permission and let his hand slip into Garreth’s.

Sebastian had never been good at displays of emotions. When he was a child, he was very openly expressive of how he felt, whether good or bad. One day, when he was about six years old, he had been inconsolable about another little boy that had picked on him. The reason had been long forgotten, but his mother’s words stuck with him even now. She hugged him in her lap and spoke in dulcet tones. 

“My love, you feel things very deeply. This is not bad, but not everyone is like this. So, there is a chance you may react more strongly to things than others.” 

He knew she meant well, but her words played on repeat into his adolescence. Unfortunately, after her untimely passing, it only became worse. For a long while, he would fly off the handle at the simplest of things. Eventually, it evened out, as the passage of time tends to allow, until he had his first “relationship” at thirteen. It was with Samantha Dale, and he was smitten, but it didn’t end well. One day, he had decided to do something for her that, in his mind, had been a simple display of affection. He gave her some flowers he thought were nice during lunch one day. The way she looked at him cut a wound that affected him so profoundly that he buried that moment deep within the darkest parts of his mind. From that day on, he resorted to guarding his emotions like his life depended on it. Not wanting to feel that intense, stabbing refusal again, and he thought the best way to accomplish that was to ignore any type of emotion that might leave him vulnerable. He had kept to that promise for nearly fourteen years, and rarely ever came close to breaking it. Even in adulthood, when he entered relationships with people he genuinely liked, hiding had become so hardwired into his psyche that he found it incredibly difficult to open up. 

So, imagine his surprise when, over a decade later, those impossibly high walls had begun to be dismantled by the very person he never—never would have suspected. Granted, the walls were still high. But Sebastian recognized the cracks in the foundation, and he attempted to fix them, but it was in vain. As if he were trying to carry water in his hands. Another thing that had caught him off guard, even though by this point it really shouldn’t have, was that being in a space where Garreth’s entire existence was undeniable, it felt easier to test his limits. Although, as time went on, he found his limits were further away than he imagined. For example, Garreth’s compliments didn’t make him want to rip his hair out. So, when he finally vocalized that he did, in fact, like that sweater on Sebastian, not only was Sebastian pleased that he had been correct, he also felt a sense of flattery instead of pure embarrassment. Moments when Sebastian reached for Garreth, his hands acting of their own accord, the urge to hesitate was only a quiet voice, whereas before it was an alarm blaring in his head. 

There were even times when he let himself watch Garreth just… exist. Silently cataloging all the things that he found amusing, or interesting. Like how when he was planning the week's lessons, if he wrote something, but didn’t like how it looked, he would vanish the ink and rewrite it. However, though meticulous in his lesson planning, the small table next to his bed was a cluttered mess. The most random objects littered the top: a half empty glass of water, something called a baseball, his watch (that he almost never wore), a bezoar, for some bizarre reason. Garreth was the definition of a walking contradiction. This side of Sebastian only existed in Garreth’s space, though. As soon as he walked out of said space, he went back behind the weakened wall. So, a month after going to Garreth’s room for the first time, as he sat next to Rosie with Garreth on her other side, he was not obvious about the fact that he was fully listening in on their conversation. 

“You know how to shoot a gun?” Rosie asked incredulously. Sebastian felt as surprised as she sounded, but he kept his gaze on the house tables in front of them. 

Garreth nodded. “Yeah, a friend of mine's wife is a Muggle. Her family showed him, and I happened to be there, so I learned, too.” 

“Is it difficult?” She had turned to face him, her back to Sebastian. Not that it mattered, they hadn’t been talking anyway. Plus, with her facing away, it was easier to sneak glances at Garreth. 

“No, but it’s intense at first. They’re really loud, and when you actually pull the trigger, it jerks back against your shoulder so you have to learn to brace against it,” Garreth sounded like he was talking about the weather, not using a Muggle weapon that had been known to kill people. “I learned that the hard way. The first time I shot one, I swear I nearly dislocated my shoulder.” 

Rosie’s jaw dropped slightly. “How big are they that they can do that?” 

“The ones my friend has are rifles, they’re bigger, about this long,” he held his hands out to show the rough length. Then proceeded to pretend he was holding one as he described the motions. “You have to place the end of it here, and use both hands to hold it, like this,” Sebastian looked over and saw Garreth in a halfway stance as an example. 

Just then, the mental image of Garreth focused, intent, and shooting forced its way into his mind. It was accompanied by a stirring low in his gut. The fact that Garreth had his sleeves rolled up to expose his (surprisingly) toned forearms absolutely did not help. Sebastian cursed the bad timing and desperately tried to force the mental images that attempted to overtake his mind into the furthest corners where they belonged. He looked away back to the house tables, he tried to think about something, anything else, but it felt like the harder he tried to squash them, the harder they tried to be seen. The grip on his knife tightened and he took a deep breath in an effort to recenter himself. It worked long enough for him to get up and leave before he could hear anything more about Garreth doing… that. Much to Sebastian’s dismay, and irritation, the images of Garreth using a rifle did not let up throughout the rest of the day. It felt as though as soon as he managed to quiet the voice, he would see or hear something that would make the thoughts reappear, the voice becoming louder every time. 

So, by the time that evening had rolled around, and Sebastian had slipped into Garreth’s room after making sure no one was lingering in the corridor, he was just about at his wits end. Garreth looked up from where he was standing near his wardrobe when he heard Sebastian walk in. 

“Hello,” he said pleasantly, as if he hadn’t been tormenting Sebastian all day. 

“Hi,” Sebastian replied, sounding calm but wanting to scream because Garreth was just standing there, sleeves still rolled up, top button undone, that stupid, defense-lowering look on his face. As much as he wanted to walk over there and do… something, he abstained. 

Instead, he strolled over toward Garreth’s desk and sat himself down in the chair. He leaned back, hands folded in his lap, and watched Garreth finish hanging up his sweater he wore that day. When he turned around and saw Sebastian, his eyebrows furrowed for a split second. 

“Are you going to do my work for me?” He asked sardonically. 

“Maybe. How hard can it be?” 

Garreth raised his eyebrows and walked over. He stood right next to Sebastian and looked down at him, his head tilted to the side as he regarded him thoughtfully. Fucking hell. Sebastian felt himself itching to reach out for him, so he did. 

He lifted one hand and gently trailed his fingers down the side of Garreth’s forearm, the same one that had been nagging him all day. His eyes dropped to watch his hand slide down along the freckled skin and he swore he saw goosebumps emerge. Garreth didn’t say anything, or pull away, but he did raise an eyebrow at the action. 

He took the silence as permission and let his hand slip into Garreth’s. Sebastian looked back up at Garreth who was watching him curiously. Sebastian’s fingers wrapped tighter, and stalled for a brief moment before he tugged on Garreth’s hand as a silent invitation. Sebastian could hear Garreth’s breath catch before he slowly, but surely stepped closer and straddled Sebastian. 

The weight of Garreth settling in his lap made his head swim. His lip briefly pulled between his teeth as his other hand went to rest on Garreth’s thigh. The proximity made Sebastian’s breaths come heavier, and the low heat that had begun to pool in his abdomen shifted. Sebastian then pulled his hand from Garreth’s and reached up to delicately brush his hair to the side. His eyes darted from his hand in Garreth’s hair, to his eyes, then his mouth. 

Sebastian let his hand drop to Garreth’s neck, his fingers wrapping around the back. He swallowed heavily, his mouth suddenly felt very dry. A buzzing had appeared alongside the increasing heat in him, and it spurred him on. Sebastian slowly pulled him down and brushed his lips against Garreth’s, more of a question than an answer. When he wasn’t met with resistance he tilted his head and deepened the kiss. 

His hands went to Garreth’s waist and he gently pulled him closer so they were pressed flush against each other. Their mouths moved slowly and deliberately, but increased in intensity as the seconds went on. Sebastian’s tongue trailed along Garreth’s bottom lip, coaxing its way in, and he angled his face up against Garreth’s, the steadily growing desire for more taking over his actions. 

The urge to be even closer was abrupt and overbearing. Their current position suddenly not feeling like enough, so Sebastian pulled away and motioned for Garreth to stand up. Sebastian stood up as well and immediately pulled Garreth back in, mouth landing firmly on his as Sebastian's arms wrapped around his neck. Their kiss became more heated, edging into needy territory, and they made their way to the bed. Garreth eased Sebastian down on his back and positioned himself between his legs. He looked down at Sebastian, quickly and silently checking in. 

Garreth looked at him in a way that made it hard to focus. He reached up and pulled Garreth back down, their lips meeting once more. There was no way he was stopping now, he wasn’t sure if he could if he wanted to. Sebastian’s hands moved from Garreth’s neck down to his chest, his fingers curling in the fabric of his shirt when their hips pressed together. 

A quiet moan was swallowed by the kiss, and his legs fell open to accommodate Garreth. Sebastian felt like he was slowly being burned alive with how constant Garreth’s hands were on his body, he vaguely noted how he had never been this affected by something as simple as this. If he weren’t so aroused, he might be worried by the intensity. His need to feel Garreth against every inch of his body was overwhelming, and he desperately wanted to give in to it.

The heat that had stirred in his gut flared up when Garreth pulled back and latched on to Sebastian’s neck. His mouth felt hot against his skin, and Sebastian’s head fell back to expose the area. He was just about to start untucking Garreth’s shirt when a loud bang came from the window. 

Sebastian almost jumped out of his skin at the sudden noise, both of their heads whipped around to see what the source was, but saw nothing. Sebastian’s heart hammered in his chest, the almost instantaneous switch from aroused to startled sent a shock through his system. 

Garreth got up and went to look through the window, his eyebrows furrowed when he didn’t see anything. He turned back to Sebastian and shrugged, and as he walked back over to his bed, Sebastian rubbed his hands over his face and chuckled. He was still coming down from the scare, and apparently his body decided the best way to do that was to laugh. It was a breathy, anxious sound. The kind that came from an overflow of nerves and not amusement. Whatever state he was in before was retreating rapidly, and by the time Garreth settled back down next to him, he had unfortunately been pulled completely out of the moment they were having. There was a tiny flicker of disappointment at how quickly Sebastian had been ripped from his mood, but he was too busy recovering to dwell on it. 

The space between them had calmed down back into the comfortable silence they both had grown used to, Sebastian relaxed against the bed and turned to look at Garreth. He held eye contact for a moment, then noticed Garreth’s attention dip to his neck, a very slight grimace formed on his face. 

Sebastian reached up to feel the spot where Garreth had been attached minutes prior. “Did you leave a mark?” He asked accusingly. 

A sheepish look crept over his face. “Sorry,” he flipped over onto his stomach and laid his head on his folded arms, his eyes peeking out from where his face was nestled in the crook of his elbow. “Don’t be mad.”

As much as he wanted to be annoyed, he couldn’t be. Which was irritating in its own way. Instead, he playfully shoved Garreth and scowled. “You better be good at healing bruises.” 

The corners of Garreth’s eyes wrinkled as he smiled. “What if I wasn’t?” 

“Then this will be the first and last time I let you give me a hickey like some stupid teenager.” 

Garreth’s laugh was muffled, he lifted his head and propped his chin on his arm. “Damn, whatever will I do now?” His tone was sarcastic and teasing.

Sebastian just rolled his eyes and turned on to his side to face Garreth. A faint awkwardness swept over him, he suddenly felt like he didn’t know what to say or do, and it made him feel fidgety. He looked down at the blanket under them, absentmindedly scratching the fabric as he tried to think of something to say. 

Minutes dragged on, neither of them said anything, and Sebastian only felt more and more tense. He glanced up at Garreth and saw he was staring at some point behind Sebastian, he seemed to be lost in his thoughts. When he spoke, his voice was quiet. 

“Is there anything you’re super nitpicky about?” 

Sebastian raised an eyebrow, and thought for a moment before answering. “Not that I can think of. Why? Is there something for you?” 

Garreth hummed, he looked at Sebastian and hesitated before speaking. “Yeah…”

Sebastian prompted Garreth to continue with his hand. 

“When I was little, I used to have a lot of nightmares. When I woke up, I would go to my parents room and sleep in their bed for the rest of the night,” he sounded a little distant, as if he were reliving the story and just happened to be narrating it. “My mum would scratch my back until I fell asleep, but she did it in such a specific way. I loved when she would do it, but no one's ever been able to do it the same way. She would have her hand under my shirt, and just barely drag her nails over my back. I would get goosebumps from it, but not in a ticklish or itchy way. It was calming, and it always put me to sleep so quickly.” 

A weird sort of fluttering feeling cropped up in Sebastian’s stomach as he listened to Garreth talk. He wondered what Garreth was like as a child, but he pushed the question aside for now. Sebastian smirked slightly and raised his eyebrows. “Okay, princess.” 

Garreth laughed. “One person tried, and when it wasn’t right, I had tried to explain it but they just looked at me like I was crazy—“ 

“You are.” 

Garreth looked at him deadpan and pursed his lips. “Whatever. I’m just saying, no one has ever been able to do it right.” 

Sebastian smirked and huffed a quiet laugh as he stored this new piece of information away into a part of his mind that was quickly becoming a bit too crowded.

[poxi3]

Teachers Pet - ch. 13 of 20 Pairing: Sebastian Sallow/Garreth Weasley Rating: E Status: Complete Summary: Sebastian Sallow was under the impression he’d never have to see Garreth Weasley again. He was wrong. Now they’re both teaching at Hogwarts, both entirely insufferable, and somehow even worse around each other than they were at seventeen. Unfortunately, time has not made things simpler. If anything, it’s made them… complicated. Genre Tags: enemies-to-lovers, slow burn

“You seem distracted tonight.” 

“I am,” he dragged his teeth over his lip, and picked at his nails. He could feel Garreth staring at him, and even though Sebastian knew Garreth was looking at him like that, he risked a glance anyway. He immediately regretted it. 

Garreth had this annoying trait of being able to see right through Sebastian. The unintentional depth of his gaze always set him on edge. Before everything changed, it made anger and annoyance boil in him, but now, it just made his stomach do flips.

Even though the whole situation with Garreth was new, strange, and sometimes uncomfortable, one thing that Sebastian was now easily able to admit was that he liked watching Garreth work. Whether he was grading papers, or practicing a brew, Sebastian could just sit and observe, perfectly content. He’s not entirely sure why that was, but he figured it most likely had something to do with Garreth’s lack of a poker face. Three weeks after he gave Garreth the dittany, and Sebastian had become trained in noticing when Garreth was confused, annoyed, or amused because his expression would always change. When he read something confusing a student wrote, his eyebrows would stitch together and he would squint as he reread the words, trying to decipher what they meant. Or he’d frown when something didn’t go the way he had planned while brewing a potion. Sometimes seeing a reaction from Garreth would trigger a train of thought that derailed into something unrelated to watching him work, and he would get lost in his musings. So much so that if Garreth tried talking to him, he didn’t immediately register it. 

Sebastian frowned and looked at Garreth when he felt a rough nudge against his calf. “What?” 

“I said,” Garreth’s mouth pulled to one side, his hands folded on the desk as he looked at Sebastian with raised eyebrows. “I have to go down to the lake and harvest some fluxweed. I know it’s getting late, but would you like to come with?” 

“Oh, uh,” Sebastian swallowed and fidgeted awkwardly. “Sure, why not?” 

“Okay,” Garreth smiled and put the stack of papers in his bag before standing and grabbing his coat. 

The daze that Sebastian had been in before Garreth’s interruption still lingered. Moments where he found himself standing on the edge of truly giving in to his feelings had become more common. He knew what was happening, he wasn’t stupid. It was just… daunting. In the brief and fleeting times he allowed himself to think about it, he might describe it similar to going into a tunnel without knowing when he would approach the other end, if at all. The closer they got to the lake, the more painfully aware of this fact Sebastian became. He didn’t know what caused the sudden switch in attitude, that night had been like any other so far. Quiet, unassuming, comfortable. All things Sebastian had grown familiar with. And yet, there he was, feeling stiff and awkward as they approached the shore. 

He was grateful for the distraction when they arrived. Garreth walked over to where some fluxweed bushes grew, and began picking leaves. Sebastian busied himself with doing the same, forcing his thoughts to remain on the task. A few minutes later, he had a handful of stems and leaves, and was about to shove them in his pocket when he paused to look for Garreth. 

“Can I put these in my pocket? Or do they need to be stored a certain way?”

Garreth looked up from where he was crouching in front of a bush, smiling briefly before standing up to walk over. He held out a jar for Sebastian to put the plants in. 

“This is why you were always rubbish at potions,” he tsked and chuckled quietly. “Disrespecting the plants.” 

“Like you were any better. Half of the stuff you made blew up.” 

“Eh,” Garreth shrugged. “Semantics.” 

Sebastian rolled his eyes and went back to looking for more shrubs to harvest. They continued on in silence until the jar was full. Unfortunately, as Sebastian gently pressed the last of the stems into the container, the persistent tension from earlier returned, determined to be acknowledged. Sebastian cleared his throat and looked over at the lake. He grumbled internally how it seemed every part of him was stubborn, even the parts he wanted to ignore. He sighed and walked over to a fallen tree on the shore, and sat down. The sound of the small waves lapping at the shore, and the light from the moon did little to quiet the noise that blared in his mind. 

“You okay?” Garreth asked as he sat down next to Sebastian. He thumbed the lid of the jar as he looked over. 

“Yeah…” Sebastian trailed off, not wanting to look at Garreth. He wasn’t sure what would happen if he did, so he stared at the water in front of them instead. 

“You seem distracted tonight.” 

“I am,” he dragged his teeth over his lip, and picked at his nails. He could feel Garreth staring at him, and even though Sebastian knew Garreth was looking at him like that, he risked a glance anyway. He immediately regretted it. 

Garreth had this annoying trait of being able to see right through Sebastian. The unintentional depth of his gaze always set him on edge. Before everything changed, it made anger and annoyance boil in him, but now, it just made his stomach do flips. He hated it. Luckily, though, Garreth did not ask Sebastian to explain. He guessed one plus side to being seen through, was that Garreth knew when Sebastian didn’t want to talk about things, and he would graciously just leave it be. Instead, he quietly sat next to Sebastian, his body heat emanated off of him in waves much like the ones in front of them. Calm and slow. Sebastian looked down at his hands in his lap, his eyes darted over to Garreth’s and he reached out. As their hands nestled together, he thought about how unexpectedly quick he had grown to like the contact. He blamed it for his diminishing ability to ignore certain parts of himself. 

His eyes crept up to look at Garreth, now that he had looked away, it felt safer. Sebastian let himself study the way Garreth looked in this lighting, and noted how it suited him. The glow from above shone down like a gentle spotlight, highlighting the endless freckles, his ridiculously long eyelashes, the shape of his nose, his mouth… Something dropped in his stomach, sudden and jarring. It urged him to act, forcing his attention to remain on Garreth’s profile. When he tried to allow himself to examine the feeling a little closer, he spoke the first thought that came to mind. 

“I’ve always loved how bright full moons are,” his voice was barely above a whisper, like he was scared to say it. 

Garreth looked over, his eyes narrowed a fraction of an inch and a smile teased at the corners of his mouth. “You’re not even looking at the moon.” 

“So?” 

Even in the subdued moonlight, Sebastian could see the flush that appeared on Garreth’s face. How he looked away in a feeble attempt to hide it. The display of bashfulness made his insides wrench tighter. Sebastian blinked and looked down at his lap, his thumb slowly stroking the back of Garreth’s hand. When he looked back up, Garreth was looking at him again, this time something in his expression had changed. The shyness from moments before was replaced with a look that was new to Sebastian. If he had to try and name it, he would say maybe… apprehensive curiosity? It was a very nuanced look, Sebastian knew that much. Before he could stop himself, Sebastian had pulled his hand away from Garreth’s and reached up to gently brush a piece of hair back from his forehead. His hair was always falling out of place. It was quite unruly. But it felt soft against the pads of his fingers as he slowly dragged through the strands. Sebastian felt his nerves suddenly spike from his gut up into his chest, as if his body had decided to ignore his brain. His hand drifted down the side of Garreth’s face, trailing along his cheek, before settling on the side of his neck. Sebastian’s thumb rested lightly against Garreth’s jaw, and his skin felt hot under Sebastian’s hand. Probably due to the deeply pink blush that was making its way back up to Garreth’s face. 

He felt a strong pull in his chest, the weight of everything he was experiencing being dredged to the surface. It was almost overwhelming, the need to act had reared its head again, this time refusing to be ignored. He wanted to express these feelings in the only way he could think of, so he slowly leaned forward. However, as the distance between them shortened, he paused, hesitating. His eyes dropped from Garreth’s down to his mouth, then back up, and as he continued to close the distance, so did Garreth. When they met in the middle, the heat from Garreth’s lips on his own rippled down through his body, smoothing out the harsh edges of the discomfort he felt earlier. His hand curled tighter around the back of Garreth’s neck, gently pulling him even closer. The kiss started slow, and measured, but morphed into something far more intentional and deep. Sebastian felt Garreth’s hand on his thigh, and the contact sent a shock shooting up to his chest. He tilted his head, letting himself sink into the motions, his mind becoming muddled and foggy. 

When they did eventually pull apart, it was slowly, like neither of them really wanted to, but knew they had to at some point. Sebastian’s hand slipped down to Garreth’s chest, his lips pressed together as he opened his eyes to meet Garreth’s. Sebastian was sure he had the same satisfied, yet slightly disbelieving look on his face, and he couldn’t help but stifle a small chuckle at the thought of how young he felt at that moment. The only time he remembered feeling anything even remotely close to that was when he had his first kiss at fourteen. Except this one was far better in every way he could think of.

~

Garreth did not sleep well that night, or the following three. How could he? Between the dittany, the jumper, and then what happened at the lake Garreth thought he might blow a fuse from trying to process everything. He had never been involved with someone like Sebastian, and the differences made him feel uneasy in the best way. In the past, whenever a significant other got or did something for Garreth, it was always with the expectation of something more than a simple thank you. So having someone do these things and then act like they didn’t happen was highly unexpected and took some getting used to. He felt like he needed to return the favor, but he had an inkling that if tried, Sebastian would just shut him down. The jar of dittany sat on the shelf with the rest of his potions ingredients, but acted like it had a sign or flashing lights drawing attention because he didn’t get it himself. It was different. As much as Garreth wanted to be normal about it, he couldn’t help feeling like it was special dittany. 

In all the years he had known Sebastian, Garreth knew that he was hiding something. But he always assumed it was something more shallow than the thoughtfulness and unique form of affection that he’d be witnessing lately. Garreth questioned if something had happened to drive Sebastian to keep this side of him under such intense guard, or if he was just like that by default. Regardless, seeing this side of him slowly unfold had been like seeing a Phoenix. He tread carefully, not wanting to do anything that might send it back into hiding. Garreth felt the need to question how long this would last. A small, annoying voice in the back of his head warned him not to get too comfortable, but he tried to ignore it. Garreth was so lost in his thoughts even four days later that he didn’t realize Sebastian had walked into his classroom until he felt someone staring at him. He looked over to find Sebastian standing near his desk, arms crossed with a hip cocked to the side, and an amused look on his face as he watched Garreth stare down the shelf on his wall. 

“How long have you been standing there?” Garreth suddenly felt hyper aware of his body, like he didn’t know what to do. He tugged the sleeves of his sweater down over his hands and turned to face Sebastian. 

“Long enough to see you gazing longingly at those jars like some tragic romantic,” Sebastian smirked. 

“Well, maybe I am. Maybe you have some competition,” he nodded his head towards aforementioned jars and bit back a chuckle at the deep flush that appeared on Sebastian’s cheeks. 

Sebastian walked over and peered at the jars, a curious frown on his face. “I like my chances,” he looked at Garreth, a defiant glint in his eyes, before he slowly turned around and walked back to the desk. 

The look Sebastian gave him made something in him swell. He brushed it aside for now and followed Sebastian over to where they normally sat. Garreth looked down at the stacks of assignments, suddenly coming to an impromptu decision. 

“I was going to work in my room tonight,” Garreth said as he tried to ignore the anxiety that cropped up. “You’re welcome to come if you want to.” 

“You mean you’re actually going to leave your classroom?” Sebastian asked with a false sense of incredulity. 

Garreth rolled his eyes. “Yes. I do leave, you know. Every night, in fact.” He finished putting his things in his bag and finally looked up at Sebastian. 

“Okay, yeah. Let’s go. I want to see if you’re as neurotic about your room as you are about your classroom,” Sebastian teased. 

“I’m not,” Garreth chuckled, trying to ignore the knot forming. He moved toward the door and led them both to the faculty tower. The whole walk there, Garreth grew more and more nervous about having someone in his room. Well, not just someone, but Sebastian. Rosie had seen his room before and he wasn’t nearly as tense as he was at that moment. Garreth was curious if Sebastian could tell how anxious he was. 

As they reached his door, he pushed it open and headed straight for the desk on the far end. He wanted to say something, anything, to Sebastian. Tell him to make himself comfortable, something normal, but Garreth’s mouth seemed to have dried up during the walk there. Instead, he busied himself with setting the papers on the desk and ignoring how Sebastian was now slowly walking around his room, looking at everything, but not saying anything. He was currently standing in front of Garreth’s dresser looking at the small handful of pictures from his time in America. 

“Do you ever miss the States?” Sebastian asked as he squinted at a picture of Garreth and one of his friends from the country. 

“Sometimes, yeah,” he glanced up at Sebastian then back down at the desk. 

“You’ll have to tell me about it sometime,” Sebastian was inspecting a picture of Garreth and his old roommate, the corners of his mouth ticked up in a faint smile. 

“Okay, yeah.” 

He wasn’t sure what he was so worried about. Nothing in his room was weird or unusual, Garreth was a very average person. His hobbies and interests were ordinary. Just knowing that someone new was coming into his space, and he actually cared about their opinion overwhelmed him in a way that he hadn’t been in a very long time. It felt like forever had gone by since they came into the room. Garreth had settled in at his desk, and was able to halfway distract himself with some work while Sebastian looked around. After a little while, he let himself cautiously watch Sebastian. Garreth noticed how Sebastian’s attention seemed to snag on his bed and saw him shift his weight. Garreth’s face heated up so quickly at the observation that he felt a tinge dizzy. Garreth forced himself to focus on the work in front of him, and just waited for either Sebastian to be done, or make a comment. Really though, how long could somebody spend looking at stuff in a very boring room? It’s not like he had all these interesting things, he had only been to one other country. Maybe the most attention grabbing thing was the sheer amount of knitted blankets his mom forced on him—

“I like your room,” Sebastian commented as he stood next to Garreth’s desk, looking at the small plants on his windowsill. “It’s very… you.” 

“Oh, uh,” Garreth didn’t know what the hell Sebastian meant by that, but it sounded like a compliment so he took it as such. “Thank you.” 

A wave of relief washed over Garreth at the simple comment. Even more so when there was no hint of sarcasm or deception in Sebastian’s tone. Even though there were some lingering nerves, it was much more tolerable now that Sebastian appeared to be satisfied with what he saw, and had sat down in a chair near Garreth’s desk and began reading his book without another word. 

[poxi3]

Chapter 7!! Hope you guys have been enjoying it so far! Thank you for everyone who’s been following along. Love you 💖🫶🏻

[poxi3]

Teachers Pet - ch. 12 of 20 Pairing: Sebastian Sallow/Garreth Weasley Rating: E Status: Complete Summary: Sebastian Sallow was under the impression he’d never have to see Garreth Weasley again. He was wrong. Now they’re both teaching at Hogwarts, both entirely insufferable, and somehow even worse around each other than they were at seventeen. Unfortunately, time has not made things simpler. If anything, it’s made them… complicated. Genre Tags: enemies-to-lovers, slow burn

“I didn’t know someone could look so sad while holding an empty jar,” Sebastian teased as he leaned his elbow on the desk. 

“No,” Garreth sighed. “I ran out of dittany, and there’s a shop in Diagon Alley that grows very high quality plants,” Garreth put the jar back down and turned to face Sebastian, looking defeated. “But I hate going there. The owner is mean and weird and… I just don’t like dealing with her.”

Sebastian stared at the storefront for a moment while he recalled the conversation, he peered into the window to see if the owner was in there. He saw an old woman with glasses that made it look like she had bug eyes, he snorted quietly to himself before he went into the store. He walked back out ten minutes later with a container of dittany and a sour mood. Garreth wasn’t being dramatic, the owner was a menace.

Sebastian was standing in front of his wardrobe holding the jumper he wore two days ago. As he stared down at the fabric, he thought of how he caught Garreth practically gawking at him. The memory stirred a weird feeling of satisfaction in his stomach, and wondered if the sweater had anything to do with Garreth's reaction. It wasn’t uncommon to catch Garreth looking at him, he had grown used to it by that point. If pressed, he might reluctantly admit that it stroked his ego in a certain way that he hadn’t experienced before. Even still, the level of the intensity from that particular moment was difficult to forget. He figured, what was the harm in wearing it again? It wasn’t dirty, it had been cold, and he did like the sweater well enough. A fleeting look of resignation crossed his face as he pulled the piece of clothing over his head. He walked over to the mirror that hung on his wall and adjusted the collar and sleeves. A faint, quiet voice in the back of his head noted how the shade of red was the same as the Gryffindor colors, and how funny of a coincidence that was. Sebastian ignored the voice and walked out of his room.

As he walked down to the apparition point outside the castle gate, Sebastian felt a minuscule twinge of disappointment that he didn’t see Garreth and get to test his suspicion. He didn’t get too hung up on it, though, because he would get a chance later that evening. He reached the barrier and apparated to a small restaurant that he and Ominis went to sometimes on the weeks they met at the Ministry for their lunch. 

Normally, they would just go to the cafeteria at Ominis’ work, but Sebastian had received an owl that morning asking to meet out in the city. He didn’t bother asking why, he simply agreed. He figured he would find out why when they met, and he was right. As soon as he saw Ominis, he knew the reason most likely had something to do with one of his coworkers he didn’t get along with. Sebastian chuckled internally, sarcastically wondering if it was the same situation as him and Garreth. As he walked up, Ominis’ scowl did not falter. 

“Please tell me you have something interesting to talk about? I might explode if I have to spend another second thinking about Lawrence,” Ominis grumbled as he walked towards the front door and led them both inside. Sebastian waited until after they were seated to answer. 

“I don’t, sorry,” Sebastian replied as he leaned on his elbows on the table. They didn’t bother looking at the menu anymore, they both had been there so many times they had it memorized. 

Ominis sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. “Seriously? Not even another dumb fight with Garreth?” 

Sebastian tensed up slightly at the mention of Garreth, he had somehow forgotten how direct Ominis could be sometimes. “No, I haven’t had the misfortune of seeing him lately. Maybe he finally got the hint and is avoiding me now.” 

A heavy silence formed between them. Ominis’ eyebrows knitted together, and he tilted his head to the side. “I find that hard to believe.”

“What? Why?”

“Call it intuition,” Ominis shrugged. “A hunch. Whatever you want, but this will be the… third? Fourth? Lunch in a row where you haven’t mentioned him within the first five minutes,” a knowing smirk appeared on his face. 

“And? I’m not allowed to talk about other stuff?” Sebastian’s instinctive defensiveness caused his voice to take on a harsh edge. 

“You are,” Ominis smiled, clearly amused. “You know, you are also allowed to change your opinion. No one would judge you for it. Especially not me, I hope you know that.” 

Sebastian didn’t answer for a while. He knew Ominis was right, but admitting what had changed just seemed too high of a mountain to climb. “I know.” 

“Now, speaking from a strictly hypothetical, objective standpoint, someone could do much worse than Garreth,” Ominis pretended to ponder what he was saying. Sebastian just looked off to the side, bored. “I know you don’t think much of him, but he’s smart, nice, easy to talk to, and surprisingly patient if he’s able to tolerate you.” 

As Ominis listed all the things that made Garreth attractive, Sebastian felt a very strange mixture of annoyance and… something bitter that made his jaw clench. He decided to ignore it and save that acknowledgment for another day. 

“Can we talk about something else? How’s Lawrence?” Sebastian raised his eyebrows, a mischievous tone in his question. 

“Seriously?” Ominis groaned and slumped against his chair. “That man has about as much competence as a bag of rocks. Truly nothing worth talking about.” 

Sebastian chuckled and listened raptly to Ominis’ ranting about his dimwitted coworker in an attempt to ignore the unwelcome feelings that his comments had stirred up. 

The rest of their lunch went on as usual, Ominis getting himself worked up as he complained about work, and Sebastian just sitting there listening. Once finished, Ominis reluctantly headed back to work and Sebastian had a free period for the first half of the afternoon so he decided to take the scenic route through London on his way back to the castle. He had to stop in Diagon Alley for some things he needed for work, and was standing in front of a small specialty potions shop when he recalled something Garreth had told him.

They were in Garreth’s classroom when Sebastian saw him staring at an empty jar with a forlorn look on his face. 

“I didn’t know someone could look so sad while holding an empty jar,” Sebastian teased as he leaned his elbow on the desk. 

“No,” Garreth sighed. “I ran out of dittany, and there’s a shop in Diagon Alley that grows very high quality plants,” Garreth put the jar back down and turned to face Sebastian, looking defeated. “But I hate going there. The owner is mean and weird and… I just don’t like dealing with her.”

Sebastian stared at the storefront for a moment while he recalled the conversation, he peered into the window to see if the owner was in there. He saw an old woman with glasses that made it look like she had bug eyes, he snorted quietly to himself before he went into the store. He walked back out ten minutes later with a container of dittany and a sour mood. Garreth wasn’t being dramatic, the owner was a menace. She interrogated him about why he needed dittany because she had never seen him before. Sebastian wasn’t sure why those two things had to be related, but bit his tongue and just made the transaction as quickly as possible so he could leave. 

That evening, when Garreth met Sebastian in his office, he ensured the dittany was on his desk in plain sight. Garreth didn’t tend to make a big deal about things, and Sebastian hoped this time wouldn’t be any different. Sebastian was sitting at his desk, focusing on the work in front of him, and only briefly glanced up when Garreth walked in. Sebastian could see Garreth sit down in the chair by his desk out of the corner of his eye, and waited. 

The sound of rustling papers stopped when Garreth noticed the container. 

“What is that?” He asked, as if he didn’t already know. 

Sebastian looked up, first at the jar, then at Garreth. “Oh, that. I stopped at Diagon Alley on my way back from meeting Ominis today and saw that store you were talking about. It’s for you,” Sebastian tried to sound unaffected. “You were right about that store owner though,” the quiet laugh that slipped out was a little more forced than he would have liked. 

“Oh,” Garreth stared at him, shocked with an undertone of something softer on his face. “Thank you, you didn’t have to do that.” 

“I know,” Sebastian went back to his work and didn’t say anything else. He could feel Garreth still staring at him, and hoped he didn’t look as exposed as he felt. 

A few long minutes went by, and Sebastian mentally noted that Garreth was staring again like he was the other day. The last time he wore the sweater he had on. 

“Didn’t you just wear that jumper the other day?” Garreth asked. 

Sebastian caught the tail end of Garreth quickly looking back down at his assignments. “Yeah, and?” 

Garreth shook his head, still not looking at Sebastian. “No reason. Just making an observation is all,” he reached up and scratched the side of his neck as he leafed through the papers on his lap. 

“Hm,” Sebastian hummed quietly and looked back down at his work, his chin propped in his hand to hide the satisfactory smile that crept up on his face. 

[poxi3]

Teachers Pet - ch. 11 of 20 Pairing: Sebastian Sallow/Garreth Weasley Rating: E Status: Complete Summary: Sebastian Sallow was under the impression he’d never have to see Garreth Weasley again. He was wrong. Now they’re both teaching at Hogwarts, both entirely insufferable, and somehow even worse around each other than they were at seventeen. Unfortunately, time has not made things simpler. If anything, it’s made them… complicated. Genre Tags: enemies-to-lovers, slow burn

Garreth shook his head a fraction, and shrugged. “I don’t know,” he sounded as confused as Sebastian. “Guess I just like your company.” 

The compliment had slipped out, Garreth froze and looked at Sebastian to gauge his reaction. Sebastian had also stilled, a faint blush appeared on his cheeks and an uncomfortable but not upset expression formed. He maintained eye contact for a second before he turned and began to slowly walk out of the room. He was a few steps away from the door when he looked back at Garreth. 

“Are we going or what?” As he spoke, a faint smile teased at his mouth.

Garreth stood in the broom closet for a few minutes after Sebastian left. If he didn’t have a class he needed to go teach, he probably would have stayed there for the next hour staring at the door like a halfwit. He spent the short walk down to his classroom trying to refocus himself, and managed just long enough to set a random assignment that would take the whole period and went to sit at his desk to let his mind wander. He was still trying to fully comprehend what happened. Garreth knew that Sebastian had been having a hard time processing everything, and was happy to give him space, but the last thing he expected was a physical manifestation of his struggles. Garreth wasn’t exactly complaining, but he wondered how much of it was because he needed an outlet versus he actually wanted to. 

The intensity at the start of it made Garreth think it was just a form of release. However… the way Sebastian softened and leaned in was a clear indicator of the exact opposite. Garreth could still feel the warmth of his hands on his neck. How he had drawn closer to desperation before letting himself let go. Garreth wondered what would’ve happened if they hadn’t been interrupted. Sebastian clearly didn't mean it when he told Garreth not to let it go to his head. At least, that’s the impression he got, if the barely concealed smile was anything to go off of. Garreth felt torn. The kiss was hard evidence that Sebastian did feel something, and was okay with his feelings on some level. But the haphazard way it had started made Garreth question the sincerity of it. 

Ultimately, as much as he hated it, he knew he would just have to wait and see if anything changed. Garreth was a pretty patient man, but even he had his limits. So, the rest of the day, Garreth kept to himself. He did not try and find Sebastian, he wanted to respect the fact that Sebastian just… handled things differently than he did. Even though it didn’t make any sense to him. When classes ended the following afternoon, and Garreth had not heard from or seen Sebastian, he was beginning to get antsy. How long did someone need to process a weirdly initiated kiss? Garreth was trying to focus on grading some homework, but he wasn’t doing a very good job. He found himself repeatedly glancing at his door, thinking he’d see or hear Sebastian walking in. 

He had his arms folded on his desk, and was resting his head on top trying to convince himself to just calm down when he heard footsteps. Garreth looked up so quickly he nearly gave himself whiplash, and he pressed his lips together to keep from smiling when he saw who the footsteps belonged to. Garreth quickly went back to looking at his work, not wanting to make Sebastian feel awkward with his weird staring. Though, as Sebastian entered the classroom, it became clear that he didn’t need any assistance from Garreth in feeling awkward. Despite his gaze being dutifully trained on the papers in front of him, Garreth could feel the tension that Sebastian brought with him. 

The hand that was holding his quill wasn’t moving, and his eyes were stuck on the same spot. Anyone who looked at Garreth for longer than a second could see that he wasn’t actually doing anything. It also didn’t help that as soon as he saw Sebastian, all he could think of was the way he changed during the kiss yesterday. How his hands felt sliding up his chest and onto his neck. The memory caused a pull that wasn’t entirely unpleasant, but then his thoughts were interrupted. 

“Uhm, hi,” Sebastian mumbled, not looking directly at Garreth. 

“Hello,” Garreth replied. 

Sebastian shifted his weight, Garreth noticed he was holding a book, but couldn’t tell what it was. He placed a hand on the back of the chair near Garreth’s desk. “May I?” 

Garreth simply nodded, and watched as Sebastian sat down, cracked open the book, and started reading without another word. This act alone wasn’t necessarily out of the ordinary. Ever since that day when Sebastian admitted there was something else at play, silence between them wasn’t anything weird or uncomfortable. However, there also hadn’t been the weight of a messy, seemingly compulsive kiss between them either. Sebastian didn’t seem to be interested in talking about what happened, so Garreth reluctantly held his tongue for now. He eventually dragged his eyes away from Sebastian and went back to work. Even though the ambiguity of their relationship hung over them, Garreth found that simply having Sebastian around made it easier to bear. 

Feelings and emotions had never been particularly difficult for Garreth to handle. Even with that being true, the rate in which Garreth found himself becoming attached to Sebastian was… maybe a tiny bit concerning. He tried to slow himself down, really, but whenever he saw Sebastian, his composure cracked. Every quiet laugh or restrained smile affected him in a way that he was almost embarrassed to admit. What was more difficult had been hiding these feelings. The last thing he wanted to do was scare Sebastian off. So Garreth kept his mouth shut during that time. Sebastian had come to him first, which again, wasn’t unusual at that point. But given their current situation, Garreth knew that was a good sign. He worked quietly, and did not try to initiate any conversation. He’s pretty sure if he did, Sebastian would short circuit because he wouldn’t know how to respond. 

About an hour had gone by, Sebastian still reading, Garreth still working. The only sounds in the room were the occasional rustle of papers or a sigh. Sebastian adjusted in his seat, and stretched out his legs, causing his feet to bump into Garreth’s. When he looked up, he saw Sebastian had tensed as he began to pull away. However, when they made eye contact, Sebastian relaxed and kept his feet there, resting against the side of Garreth’s leg. Sebastian’s eyes lowered a bit, landing on the desk, looking pensive. A long moment went by, Sebastian’s teeth caught on his bottom lip for a brief second, glanced at Garreth, then went back to his book. He didn’t move his feet, and they remained in that same spot for the rest of his visit.

~

Two days had gone by since that moment in the broom closet, and Sebastian had come to Garreth’s classroom on both days. Each time the same thing happened: he sat down, read his book, and stretched out his legs to let them rest against Garreth. It was minor, but Garreth had to stifle a smile every time. On the second day, Garreth wanted to take a break by going for a short walk. He wanted to ask Sebastian if he would come with, but wasn’t sure if he would be okay being seen with Garreth. Not by any students, but by Rosie. Or really any of the other teachers. So, when Garreth asked anyway, and Sebastian agreed, he was surprised. 

“Really?” Garreth blinked dumbly at Sebastian.

“Yeah, why not?” Sebastian stood up and stretched, his arms up above his head. 

“I figured you would be worried about Rosie or another teacher seeing us.” 

Sebastian smirked. “Then why did you ask?” 

Garreth shook his head a fraction, and shrugged. “I don’t know,” he sounded as confused as Sebastian. “Guess I just like your company.” 

The compliment had slipped out, Garreth froze and looked at Sebastian to gauge his reaction. Sebastian had also stilled, a faint blush appeared on his cheeks and an uncomfortable but not upset expression formed. He maintained eye contact for a second before he turned and began to slowly walk out of the room. He was a few steps away from the door when he looked back at Garreth. 

“Are we going or what?” As he spoke, a faint smile teased at his mouth. 

~

In his day to day life, Garreth’s way of thinking leaned more analytical. He liked to observe things, dissect them in his own way, and sometimes he would notice trends forming. Like the trend of how Sebastian had been doing small, subtle things, that showed he was warming up emotionally. At least, that was Garreth’s theory. He didn’t know if this was true; he hadn’t brought it up at all. Because if he was right, the last thing Sebastian needed was someone asking about his lowered defenses, that would just make them shoot right back up. And Garreth definitely did not want that to happen. 

So, he just sat and observed. However, one day roughly a month after the broom closet incident, something happened that pushed his theory very quickly into indisputable fact territory. One thing about Sebastian is that, when he wanted to be, he was a good listener. Garreth would get carried away talking about experimental potions ingredients or hypothetical brews, while most people’s eyes would glaze over and they’d default to noncommittal hums in response, Sebastian actually listened. Not in an active listening type of way, he didn’t ask questions or anything, but Garreth could tell Sebastian was mentally present even as he blathered about how someone claimed they made a Vampiric version of Wolfsbane. It was a nice change, but also a confusing one. Garreth knew Sebastian didn’t care about potions, so why was he content to listen to Garreth yammer on? No one else was willing to sit and listen to Garreth’s ramblings. Even though he would love to know why, he knew beggars couldn’t be choosers. So, he just accepted it. Garreth was in the middle of animatedly talking about the ingredients of said Vampiric Wolfsbane when he noticed that Sebastian was listening… differently, somehow. 

They were sitting at Garreth’s desk, it was a weekend so there were no lingering students or teachers on that day. Sebastian was in his usual chair, and was sitting on the same side of the desk, facing toward Garreth. His legs were outstretched, leaning against Garreth’s, as was the new normal. Sebastian’s head was propped up by his elbow on the desk, and his eyes seemed more open than usual. They had a look that was as soft as it was new. 

Garreth ignored it, and continued. Then, barely minutes later, Sebastian reached out towards Garreth. His hand was about halfway between them when he paused, only for a split second, and then kept going. He reached up and pushed a stray piece of hair that had fallen against Garreth’s forehead out of the way. The same piece of hair that Garreth had moved back himself about three times by that point. He tried to keep talking, his speaking had slowed down during the brief interaction. The words faltered as he swallowed a quiet gasp when Sebastian’s fingers just barely brushed Garreth’s cheek as he pulled his hand back. Still wanting to stick to his plan of not drawing attention to the change in Sebastian’s behaviors, Garreth acted as though nothing happened. Sebastian did the same. Sebastian leaned back into his chair, hands folded in his lap, and resumed his attentive listening. Even hours after that moment, when Garreth had gone up to his room for the night, the look on Sebastian’s face and the incredibly gentle, almost indiscernible brush of his fingers lingered in Garreth's mind until he finally fell asleep. 

~

Sebastian was already at the kneazle pen a week later when Garreth walked up. He was standing at the fence, hands resting on the railing. A quick glance was thrown in his direction before Sebastian turned back to the animals. He didn’t say anything when Garreth walked up. The now familiar and easy silence that often accompanied their meetings settled over them. Garreth didn’t want to disrupt it, so he stayed quiet. Once he reached the pen, he grabbed a handful of food from the bag that hung on the fence and offered it to the kneazles. One of them (they had decided her name was Molly II) came up and took the offering, letting Garreth pet her after. 

Garreth looked over at Sebastian and let himself admire him for a moment. His nose was tinged red from the cold and little clouds puffed out from his breaths. He was looking down at the kneazles, his expression was almost entirely calm, except for the way he worried his teeth on his bottom lip. One spot in particular, it was always the same spot. He let himself really look, Sebastian had gotten quite a bit taller since they graduated, almost reaching eye level with Garreth. He had maintained the same sturdy build from his youth, and his freckles had become more noticeable, if anything. Garreth glanced down and saw their hands lay inches apart on the railing, then his eyes drifted back to the animals in front of them. 

A few more minutes went by, and Garreth swore he felt something shift in the energy around them. He was trying to figure out how it had changed when he felt Sebastian’s hand on his own. Garreth’s chest clenched at the unexpected contact, and he allowed himself a very brief peek down at their hands. Sebastian had silently slipped his hand under Garreth’s, and wrapped his fingers around the edge of his hand. Garreth looked up at Sebastian to see he was staring down at their joined hands, he looked calm, and curious. He looked at the contact like he was studying something new and fascinating. The weight between them was relentless, and it only became more intense when Sebastian looked up at him. 

The same softness from the other day had returned, and this time it was unmistakable. Sebastian only held eye contact for a moment, before he turned back to the kneazle pen without ever saying a word. The warmth from Sebastian’s hand radiated up Garreth’s arm, and he let his fingers curl naturally around Sebastian’s hand, forcing himself not to take it any further. As the minutes dragged on, Sebastian did not pull his hand back, or move even an inch. It became easier to accept the moment for what it was, and Garreth was just happy it even happened at all. 

After that day at the kneazle pen, the change that occurred in Sebastian was a subtle, yet unmistakable indicator that sometimes the smallest thing can trigger something far bigger. Ever since their last meeting at the kneazle pen, Sebastian had quickly grown more physically affectionate. In the right setting, he no longer hesitated to reach for Garreth’s hand, or adjust a stray hair or crooked collar. Every time Sebastian found some small way to display his fondness, Garreth found himself watching Sebastian with an openness he didn’t bother trying to hide. Occasionally, Sebastian would catch Garreth looking at him that way, and the only response Garreth got was a faint blush and a shy, quickly stifled smile. Sebastian had his own way of showing his affection. It wasn’t anything blatantly romantic, and he always downplayed it, but Garreth had a strong feeling that it was never anything that occurred out of “convenience”, as Sebastian liked to claim. 

For instance, two weeks later they were in Sebastian’s office while he graded some essays. Garreth sat near his desk and was sorting through a box of hard candy that he liked to eat while he worked or read. He sat there, box in his lap, while he meticulously picked out a single flavor one by one and was putting them in a pile on the edge of the desk to get rid of later. He had been so focused on the task that he didn’t notice Sebastian had stopped working and was looking at him quizzically. 

“What are you doing?” He asked, a small smirk on his face. 

Garreth looked up, eyes wide with confusion for a second before he saw Sebastian glance at the pile of discarded candy. “Oh, I don’t like the orange ones. So I just pick them out so I don’t have to worry about them later.” 

Sebastian didn’t reply for a moment, but amusement glinted in his eyes. “Why don’t you just leave them in there and… I don’t know, not eat them?” 

“I don’t know,” Garreth felt a little exposed under Sebastian’s question for some reason. “This is easier for me. I don’t mind sorting through them.” 

“Huh…” Sebastian bit back a smile as he looked down at the box in Garreth’s lap, then back up. “Okay then.” He nodded vaguely and went back to his work. Garreth watched him for a moment longer and also went back to work. 

Then, about a week later, conveniently right after Garreth had run out of the candy, Sebastian gave him a box of it. 

“Ominis gave them to me, but I remember you saying you liked them so, here you go,” he spoke casually, as if he was lending a spare piece of parchment. Garreth smiled and accepted it, thanking him. However later that night when he opened the box, he quickly noticed all the orange ones had been picked out. The strange, weightless feeling that appeared in his abdomen stayed with him throughout his grading.

It was moments like this that made it harder for Garreth to keep their situation a secret from Leander. They had not discussed anything explicitly, definitely not the nature of their relationship, but Garreth knew that it was something Sebastian would much rather keep private, and Garreth agreed. While he was sure in his feelings for Sebastian, he would rather not deal with the knowing looks or comments from their coworkers. He would be lying, though, if he tried to say he wasn’t itching to tell the one person that Garreth trusted to keep it safe. So, that weekend after receiving the candy, he went to Leanders.

“About time you show up,” Leander teased as he opened his front door, stepping aside to let Garreth in. “I was about to report you as missing.” 

“I know, I’m sorry,” Garreth looked at Leander sheepishly as he entered the house. “But I’ve got a good reason.” 

“You better,” Leander sat down on one end of the couch in the living room, Garreth taking the opposite end. 

Leander raised his eyebrows at Garreth, who was sitting with his hands fidgeting in his lap, trying to figure out where to start. 

“So, remember how last time I realized… uh…” Garreth started to say the words, but they stalled. The sudden weight of vocalizing what was going on came into focus and it was more overwhelming than Garreth had anticipated. “That I… don’t actually hate Sebastian?” 

There was a moment of silence where Leander was staring pointedly at Garreth, and Garreth was unable to maintain any sort of eye contact for longer than a second at a time. 

“That,” Leander gestured toward Garreth with one hand. “Alone tells me everything I need to know.” He laughed as Garreth rubbed a hand over his face. “So, what happened?” 

Garreth sighed and looked down at his hands in his lap. He rolled his eyes at the shit-eating grin that was on Leander’s face, then proceeded to tell him everything. He started from that night after leaving Leander's house when Garreth ran into Sebastian in the faculty tower, all the way up to the messy first kiss.

“He’s come around more since then… but, yeah,” Garreth said as he pulled a face and looked at Leander, who was currently gaping at Garreth, mouth hanging open. 

“Bloody hell, mate,” Leander chuckled and leaned back against the couch. “You two can’t make anything simple, can you?” Leander huffed another laugh, and looked at Garreth. “How are you doing, dealing with all that? You don’t generally handle messy that well.” 

“It’s not even the mess that’s been difficult,” Garreth let out an exasperated chuckle. “It’s waiting for him to come around. He processes things a lot differently than I do, and it takes longer. So I just have to sit and wait. Which is fine, I don’t mind at all, but…” Garreth rubbed the side of his neck and grimaced. “I’m just impatient, is all.” 

“No you’re not,” Leander laughed. “You just like him a lot.” 

Garreth felt his face heat up and he turned to look at the fireplace. “It sounds so weird, to hear that. I haven’t even been able to say it out loud. I don’t know who I would say it to—you’re the first person I’ve told any of this to.” He paused for a moment, still staring at the fireplace, but then quickly turned to look Leander in the eye. “He cannot know I told you any of this.”

Leander opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off. “I know you don’t ever see him, but if you were to, for whatever reason, you cannot say anything,” Garreth was teetering on pleading, his eyes having an edge of urgency to them. 

“Okay, okay,” Leander held up his hands in defense. “Calm down, crazy. I won’t say anything.” 

Garreth sighed and leaned back. He picked at a thread that had come loose in the seam of the couch. A long few minutes went by, the only sound was the crackling of the fire and the ticking of the large grandfather clock near the hallway. He definitely felt better, being able to unload everything on to Leander, but it didn’t do much for the anxious, giddy energy that buzzed within him. 

Later that evening, Sebastian and Garreth were in Garreth’s classroom. They had been in there for about an hour, this time Sebastian had brought a stack of assignments he needed to work on. Garreth had been having a hard time focusing, for a couple different reasons. One of which was that something was different about Sebastian. Garreth had been sneaking glances at him all night, trying to pinpoint what had changed. There was nothing glaringly obvious, his hair was the same, face was the same, clothes were the—oh. The realization hit him suddenly: it wasn’t the type of clothing, it was the color. Sebastian was wearing a dark red jumper, and he didn’t think he had ever seen Sebastian in that color before. If he did, Garreth definitely didn’t notice. 

He knew he was staring, for much longer than was considered normal. Garreth knew he was bordering stalker territory, but he didn’t care. Not only did this particular color look very good on him, it was the same exact shade of red that was part of the Gryffindor colors. A connection that made Garreth wonder if this was an intentional choice, just to mess with him. 

Regardless, Sebastian looked up at Garreth after he had already been ogling him for a solid five minutes. Sebastian regarded the blatant staring happening, and when they made eye contact, Garreth felt his face warm with a deep flush and he quickly looked back down at the paper in front of him. Normally, he didn’t really mind being caught looking at Sebastian, but this time was different due to the sheer intensity. Garreth kept his head down, he knew Sebastian was still looking at him; he could feel it. What he did not see, though, was how Sebastian’s eyes narrowed a fraction of an inch at Garreth’s embarrassed reaction to being caught, or how the corners of his mouth had tugged up in a smirk. 

[thomassine]

HL boys but they're from mob psycho 100

sorry I cannot finish this LOL it was unexpectedly really difficult and I gave up. Maybe someday, I'll continue it.

(I mildly dislike drawing sebastian's hair)

[poxi3]

Okay so, because I’m obsessive, I’ve created female OCs for Sebastian, Ominis, and Garreth. They’re not characters I’ve ever played in the game, just made up women I think would suit each of them. Right now, they’re mostly just on standby in case I ever write a story where one of them needs a girlfriend or wife.

HowEVER, each of them are fully fleshed out characters. Including their stories with each man. Obviously I would be HAPPY!! To explain each woman in more detail in case anyone was curious. But just like, right off the bat…. Which one speaks to you?? Lmao

I know which one I would want to write first, but I’m curious if others feel the same pull 💖💖

If I were to write one of these stories, which would you want to read?

Sebastian & Janie - sharp-witted Farmgirl

Ominis & Lucy - Penelope Garcia adjacent

Garreth & Anike - ethereal animal whisperer

Voting ended on17h