Am still ridiculously happy every time we trend. Not even a break up can keep us down. Are we crazy, are we clowns, are we hopeful, are we visionaries, who knows but we chat about our boys regardless
A/N: This is it, folks. The last one, the last chapter of this story. I am really emotional right now (and also this mf gave me a really hard time). Keep an eye out for the epilogue that will be uploaded directly after this! ENJOY THE FINALE 💛💛💛
Word Count: ~ 5.000
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Chapter 35: Wishing on a Silver Night
When Lizzie and Orion turned their backs on the hustle and bustle of the party, the air around them immediately grew colder. Now, away from the noise and the light, it took Lizzie’s eyes a moment to adjust to the light of the stars and the moon.
They were heading down the path leading around the Black Lake, walking further away from the castle. The air was rich with the sounds of the summer night; she could hear the crickets chirping and the water of the lake murmuring as it was slapping against the shore. Every so often, a dark, winged shadow would pass over their heads; probably owls from the nearby forest on their nightly hunt.
The air was mellow and smelled of grass and the still warm pebbles littered around the waterfront. Lizzie was loving everything about the peaceful atmosphere, feeling herself relax more and more with every passing moment.
She hadn’t realised just how much she had missed being in Orion’s presence. They were talking about everything and nothing; the match, the party, their friends, Skye’s father and why exactly that bloody House Cup had to be so heavy, it had taken Skye’s and Lizzie’s combined strength to lift it up properly.
Anyone other than Lizzie might have been surprised at Orion’s casual tone and how easy it was to make him laugh; but she knew that this was a side of him not many people were allowed to see. She remembered him telling her how he was using his detached demeanour to determine who was truly willing to listen to him on that night on the Astronomy Tower. He had trusted her enough to share this intimate piece of information about himself. Back then, her conscience had been weighing heavily on her with all of her lies still on her mind.
But there were no more lies left now, she had scraped up every single piece of dishonesty and gotten rid of it. All that was left were these moments right here and now.
Orion had let go of her hand some time ago; his arm was now resting draped across her shoulders and Lizzie was leaning ever so slightly against him. Being so close to him and actually being allowed to enjoy it still felt surreal; she had to constantly remind herself that there was no reason to have a bad conscience anymore.
She couldn’t help but smile broadly as Orion dipped his head back and laughed at something she had said, making her giggle herself all over again. Her cheeks already hurt from laughing but she had no intent of stopping anytime soon.
“You are absolutely right,” Orion chuckled. “If Murphy is not going to lose his mind about the impossible improbability of your last pass, I don’t think I ever knew him at all.” He glanced at her from out of the corners of his eyes. “But by now he should know, nothing is impossible when it comes to you.”
They fell silent as they continued walking along the moonlit path. It didn’t feel like much talking was needed between them; they were just enjoying each other’s company..
As they moved further away from the castle and the people celebrating, Lizzie became increasingly aware of Orion’s hand on her shoulder. A touch of something else was starting to surface beneath the familiarity of Orion's presence. Lizzie’s heart was beating faster in her chest and the fluttery feeling that had arisen inside her stomach was spreading into every last corner of her body. She thought about adjusting her hand’s position on his back for a moment, but she didn't dare to move it, afraid of making him withdraw his arm.
Lizzie was more than surprised by her own shyness. It wasn’t a feeling she was particularly used to and through the tension that had started building between them during their continued silence, she was unsure on what to do next or whether she should be doing anything at all. The sheer thought of ruining the mood by doing something wrong was scaring her and made her go even quieter.
This wasn’t what she had expected to feel like when she had agreed to leave the party with Orion. With the conflict between her and Rowan being settled for good, Lizzie was free to do whatever she wanted and she was sure about one thing at least - this was exactly what she wanted, what she had wanted all along.
But the fact that there was nothing and no one keeping them apart anymore didn’t make her feel happy at all; instead, she suddenly felt very vulnerable. Her heart was lying out in the open and there was no Rowan serving as an excuse to hide behind anymore.
Noticing her shift in mood, Orion tilted his head to look at her.
“What are you thinking?”
Caught up in her musings, his question took her by surprise. “Sorry, what?”
“You have gone very quiet. Is something wrong?”
Embarrassed her thoughts had been showing that much, Lizzie felt herself blush.
“It’s nothing really, don’t worry,” she mumbled.
Orion stopped and let go of her, placing both of his hands on her shoulders instead; Lizzie was missing his warmth instantly.
“I have always known you to carry your heart on your sleeve, Chaser; until this year, that is. Now that you and Rowan have made your peace, I had hoped you would go back to not being afraid of your own thoughts anymore; you don’t have to hide when you’re with me.”
Although her heart was beating faster, Lizzie felt herself calm down. There was nothing but sincerity and affection in Orion’s eyes, coaxing an apologetic smile from her lips.
“It’s just that I’m not used to feeling so awkward around you.”
Slowly, to give her the time to move away should she choose to, Orion raised his hand to her face and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Lizzie’s breath hitched as his fingers brushed her cheek.
“We can always go back if you don't want this,” he told her quietly, his expression not giving his thoughts away.
Lizzie quickly shook her head. There was no place she’d rather be than right here with him. She felt a shiver running down her spine as his thumb caressed her cheek and she covered his hand with hers, his eyes growing soft as he took in her face.
“Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?”
For a moment, a memory resurfaced in the back of her mind: her and him on the dancefloor at the Three Broomsticks, Orion brushing her hair out of her face and telling her she was looking beautiful with her hair down.
Back then, she had felt confused and terrified, like a deer caught in the headlights. This time, however, she didn’t feel scared; it felt like the moment before jumping off a cliff without knowing how deep the water below might be. She held her breath as Orion’s eyes dropped to her lips and realised for just how long she had been ready to make this jump together with him.
Just as she was about to let go of her thoughts and lose herself in the moment, the approaching sound of hushed voices and subdued giggling cut through the air and had them look up in surprise.
Lizzie strained her eyes trying to make out who was coming up the path behind them. She heard Skye’s familiar laugh and raised her eyebrows in disbelief at the tall blonde figure accompanying her. What business had Rath and Skye going for a walk around the Black Lake together?
So far, the two girls hadn’t seen them and before she could react, Orion took her hand and pulled her off the pathway to where they were concealed by the shadow of a tree. He put a finger to his lips to indicate for her to be silent and Lizzie nodded. She was trying hard not to think about what Skye and Rath had just interrupted.
To calm herself down, she took a shaky breath and leaned a bit forward to better see. Skye and Rath had stopped next to a huge willow tree, apparently engaged in conversation. Lizzie could see Skye squaring her shoulders and raising her chin, but to her surprise, Rath didn’t snap back at whatever she might have said; on the contrary, the deep, warm timbre of her laugh was floating over to them.
A moment later, she had pushed Skye against the trunk of the tree; Skye’s hands vanished in her blonde mane of hair as the two girls Lizzie had always thought detested each other started making out right in front of their eyes.
Not believing what she was seeing, Lizzie’s jaw dropped to the ground. She was speechless for a moment before a giggle escaped her mouth. Trying not to laugh out loud, she clapped a hand over her mouth, her whole frame shaking from the effort to remain silent.
Grinning broadly himself, Orion nudged her and shook his head. He leaned over to her and even through her laughing Lizzie felt the fine hairs on her neck rising as he whispered into her ear.
“Even the most steadfast rivalry can turn into fondness, it seems.” Lizzie could hear the laughter in his voice and turned to look at him; his eyes were sparkling with laughter as he continued, “Maybe we should leave them to it.”
They silently left their hiding place behind; as soon as they were out of earshot, Lizzie couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst into laughter. There were a lot of things she would have expected from Skye but snogging her arch nemesis? The thought made Lizzie laugh even harder; she had to double over making Orion shake his head when she couldn’t stop. He couldn’t hide the grin on his own face, however.
Lizzie’s laughter being contagious, it quickly turned into a chuckle and then into a laugh of his own. The charged atmosphere between them had evaporated completely and made way for the same relaxed mood Lizzie was used to from Orion’s company. She half regretted losing the moment they’d had earlier, but was also half glad to tread on familiar ground again.
When she still couldn’t stop snickering, though, Orion put his hand on her back. He had regained his composure, but Lizzie could see how he was fighting to not start laughing again.
“You need to calm down,” he told her with laughter still ringing in his voice. Lizzie really tried, taking a deep and deliberate breath, but she was so far gone now that the mere thought of having to stop send her into a fit of giggles yet again; it was all too much for her, their almost-kiss, Skye and Rath of all people and the whole situation in itself were making Lizzie hysterically giddy.
Sensing words alone wouldn’t help, Orion lightly laid a finger on her lips.
“Hush now,” he said softly, “calm down.”
His gentle touch broke her out of her state immediately. The fluttery feeling spreading through her body was so intense it was close to overwhelming and she could feel her heart skip a beat.
It didn’t help much in the way of calming her down, but Lizzie had stopped laughing in any case. Her lips curved into a smile again - this time directed at Orion - and she rested her cheek against his chest as he pulled her closer.
Lizzie could feel the smooth pendant of his necklace against her skin and took another deep breath to calm her tingling nerves, the by now so familiar scent of ginger, patchouli and cilantro enveloping her. It transported her straight back to another night, up on the highest point of the castle, overlooking the Black Lake gleaming in the silver light of the moon. The same cool night air touching her skin had made her shudder back then the same as it did now, a stark contrast to the warmth of Orion’s arms around her.
At the memory of what had happened that night, all the tension between them was back. Lizzie lifted her head away from Orion’s chest and raised her eyes. She was surprised to see the flicker of uncertainty crossing Orion’s face; she wondered for a second if her otherwise so confident captain was just as uncertain about what to do as she was.
Lizzie knew he wouldn’t draw back if she simply stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. She contemplated doing it; no use pretending this wasn’t what she had forbidden herself to dream of ever since she had let him go. But yet, a shred of doubt remained, the tiniest hint of fear that something could go wrong and she might mess things up again.
Lizzie didn’t even know what she was so nervous about; after all, it wasn’t liked they hadn’t kissed before. But deep down, she could feel there was more to this moment. It wasn’t merely about a kiss, it was about something greater than that, the way things should have been from the beginning.
Before her emotions had the chance to overwhelm her, her eyes dropped from his face and she bit her lip. Her eyes wandering over their surroundings, she spotted a huge, old tree trunk lying on its side close to the shoreline; it was a popular place to lounge by the water during the day. To mask her blushing face, Lizzie broke free from Orion with a nervous laugh and walked over to it.
“What are you doing?” Orion wanted to know as he followed her; Lizzie could have sworn to hear the same mixture of frustration and relief in his voice that she was experiencing herself.
Feeling more secure in herself again, she flashed him a cheeky smile across her shoulder before hopping onto the fallen tree.
“Balancing,” she grinned down at him; standing on top of the tree, she was now almost a head taller than him.
He shook his head. “You really are one of a kind, Chaser.”
Lizzie extended her arms and balanced along the length of the tree, trying not to look back at him. She couldn’t help but curse herself inwardly for her cowardice; she had positively fled from Orion’s touch, but now she was thoroughly regretting giving in to her momentary panic. She was acting like a child; what was wrong with her?
Caught in her silent argument with herself, Lizzie didn’t watch where she was stepping. Her breath hitched as her foot slipped on the damp wood.
Out of reflex, Orion had extended his hand. “Be careful!”
Lizzie had already regained her balance, however. She stopped walking and looked at him with her eyebrows raised, a teasing smile playing about her lips.
“Do you worry about me falling?”
“One time per day is enough, don’t you think,” he answered with a soft smirk. He placed his hands on her hips to steady her. Lizzie put her hands on his shoulders to support her weight as she leaned slightly forward; standing on the log, she had to look down on him for a change.
“It is,” she agreed, her smile growing wider as her eyes found his. “But once again, you’re here to catch me.” She brushed Orion’s hair out of his face, raking her fingers through his dark curls.
He closed his eyes, leaning into her touch. Lizzie’s hand came to rest at the base of his neck, playing with the ends of his hair as he opened his eyes again.
“I’ll always be there to catch you.”
All of their surroundings, the sound of the water, the chirping of the crickets, even the cool air of the night seemed to fade into the background; Lizzie tried in vain not to drown in Orion’s deep, dark eyes as he pulled her closer.
Brushing all of her flaring nerves aside, Lizzie’s eyes fluttered close as she bent down and carefully, ever so gently, placed a kiss upon his lips. She felt him smile against her mouth as he kissed her back; her heart was close to bursting from the rush of adrenaline washing over her. She could feel the slight pressure of his hands on her hips as he supported her weight. His scent that she loved so much enveloped her, making her head spin and her knees weak. Finally being able to kiss him again felt like reaching the end of an endless journey, the finish line always in sight, yet just out of reach.
His grip on her hips tightened and Lizzie laughed against his lips as Orion lifted her off the tree trunk as if she weighed nothing, spun her around once and set her down onto the grass, all without breaking their kiss. She felt drunk on him and his touch, as if she was flying again, just like she had felt in his arms back on the Quidditch pitch.
When they eventually had to break apart for air and their eyes met again, Lizzie’s mouth curved into the softest smile; her hand went to his face and cupped his cheek, the rough stubble of his beard scratching her palm ever so slightly. He leaned into her touch for a moment; his eyes were closed and Lizzie could tell by the smile on his lips how much he was savouring her touch. After a moment, he opened them again and leaned his forehead against hers, his eyes not leaving hers even for a second.
“I missed you.”
His barely audible confession sent a new set of shivers running up and down her spine.
“I missed you, too,” she whispered back, just in time before he kissed her again, his hands now leaving her hips and pulling her into his arms completely.
Lizzie let herself fall into his touch, forgetting everything around her. She couldn’t believe this was real, this was really happening; and what was more, she didn’t have to feel guilty anymore. The immense relief that was mixing with her happiness was so strong, it brought tears into her eyes.
Sensing her shift in mood, Orion broke away from her, his eyes flickering over her face with worry.
“What’s the matter?”
Lizzie shook her head silently, not wanting to ruin the moment by crying. “Do you know how good it feels to not have to hide anymore?” she whispered and buried her face against his chest out of fear of getting overwhelmed by her emotions.
Orion gave her that moment to herself, cradling her head and stroking her hair until she felt her emotions calm down again. Where she would have felt embarrassed before, now she was thankful Orion understood; come to think of it, he always had.
“Come on,” he took her by the hand and led her past the old tree to another big willow up ahead. Lizzie recognised it immediately; it was the same place she and Skye had watched Orion doing yoga a week ago; it felt like an entire lifetime had passed since then. She knew it was one of his favourite places to spend his time and smiled to herself that he was willing to share yet another spot so close to his heart with her.
They walked to the shore and sat down into the grass. Lizzie winced when she felt the cold seep into her as she put her palms onto the dewy ground. Orion didn’t seem to mind in the slightest; he had already laid down onto his back, one of his arms behind his head and was watching the starry sky above them. Hesitating for a moment, Lizzie sighed inwardly and joined him, trying to ignore the reluctance she felt at the cold grass under her back. Orion pulled her over to him so she could rest her head against his shoulder, the ends of his hair tickling her face.
Even despite the cold entering her body from where it connected with the ground, Lizzie relaxed and enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere. The stars above them were crystal clear; maybe not looking as close as on top of the Astronomy Tower, but the sky seemed to be wider out here, like an ocean of inky darkness and sparkling stars. She could see all the different constellations, her eyes tracing the familiar patterns as they wandered over the canopy above them.
Orion was twisting the ends of her ponytail around his fingers and watching her smile to herself. “Care to enlighten me as to what is making you smile?”
Lizzie chuckled. “I just thought that now I don’t have to pretend to not know my stars anymore.”
Orion hummed in response. “You never had to in the first place.”
They fell silent again, just taking in the night sky and enjoying each other’s company. Lizzie could feel Orion’s heart beat inside his chest and placed her hand on the corresponding spot, prompting him to press a kiss against her hair.
However, as she let her mind wander, there was one thought that kept coming back to her over and over again. The picture of her best friend being pinned between a tree and what Lizzie had always assumed was the person she liked least in the whole school kept popping up in front of her inner eye. She couldn’t help but start laughing again.
“I still refuse to believe it,” she chuckled, the sound of her voice seeming unnaturally loud in between the soft noises of the night around them. “Skye and Rath, of all people! I never even saw that coming.”
Lizzie could hear the smile in Orion’s voice even without looking at him. “It’s the most natural thing for any force in this world to strive for balance.” Lizzie could feel the tips of his fingers lightly stroking her hair as he continued. “If I have learned one thing this year, it’s that opposites do attract each other.”
When he saw that Lizzie was still grinning at the thought, he chuckled silently. “You’ll never let Skye hear the end of it, right?”
She had to laugh at his words. “You know me.”
Orion hummed in response. “Despite everything, I like to believe that I do.” Lizzie felt him shift his position as he propped himself up on his elbows. “But still, there is grace in not pursuing someone’s weakness when it is exposed to us; try to have mercy on her.”
Lizzie’s eyes sparkled with mischief as she looked up at him. “Is that an order, Captain?”
His serene expression changed, a playful grin forming on his face. “Asking your team captain? Yes. Asking just me? Absolutely not.”
Lizzie sat up into a sitting position. “I’m very glad to hear that,” she chuckled. “I mean, we’re talking about Rath! Erika Skye-cannot-get-a-grip-when-she’s-around Rath. In a thousand years I wouldn’t have seen that coming; I am shaken!”
“So much is apparent.”
“Aren’t you surprised at all?”
Orion shrugged. “If you try to master the art of accepting anything the universe bestows on you, you are seldomly surprised.” Upon seeing Lizzie’s sceptical look he added, “But maybe a little bit.”
Lizzie tilted her head to the side. “Nothing ever seems to really shake you, does it?”
Orion’s eyes dropped from her face and wandered over the lake lying peacefully in front of them. His brow furrowed as he contemplated her question.
“I wouldn’t put it that way,” he answered quietly after a moment. “You getting hit by that Bludger today did shake me to the core.” He ran his hand through his hair, distress flickering over his face at the memory. “Seeing you hanging on the side of that tower completely threw me off course for a moment.”
He had sat up as well, pulling Lizzie against him so she could rest her head against his chest once more. He still didn’t look her in the eyes when he continued, but he reached for her hand, intertwining their fingers. “That’s what you’ve been doing for the whole year, to be honest; throwing me off balance. No one makes it harder for me to focus than you.”
His words were spoken so softly and with such open vulnerability ringing behind them, it took Lizzie’s breath away. Feeling her own emotions well up inside her, she snuggled closer to him, the beat of his heart grounding her again.
She smiled to herself as she looked at their joined hands. “It’s been a strange year for sure.”
Orion laughed. “I told you the fifth year is a singular experience, remember?”
“And right you were.” Her smile was fading as she continued. “I’m sorry for all the bad decisions I’ve made this year. All the pain I caused…” She sighed. “ I made a lot of mistakes.”
“Don’t be,” he told her with a slight shaking of his head. He let go of her hand again, placing his hand on her cheek once more, his thumb gently brushing over the corner of her mouth. “Every step that we’re taking and every decision we’re making lead us to where we need to be. Everything you did this year has brought you to this moment right here, hasn’t it?” His eyes were swimming with emotions as he took in every inch of her face. “I wouldn’t want to change that for anything.”
He tilted his head and pulled her closer as he kissed her again, making the butterflies in Lizzie’s stomach swarm all over again. She reached up to place her hand on his neck, but when her fingers touched his warm skin, she felt his shoulders tense.
“Your hands are icy,” he murmured against her lips.
Lizzie instantly drew back and felt herself blushing; even though she had been leaning against Orion for most of the time, she had started to grow colder by the minute.
Orion took one of her hands between his, the contrast between his warm skin and her cold one making her shiver. “You should have said something,” he muttered.
“I’m fine,” Lizzie reassured him, a smile stealing onto her face as Orion placed a kiss on the back of her hand. “I just don’t want this moment to end; I wish it was forever.”
“In some ways, every moment is forever,” Orion smiled back at her before kissing her forehead. “You just need to hold on to what is dear to you.”
Leaning into his touch, Lizzie closed her eyes, trying to memorise the sounds of the lake and the woods surrounding them, the scent of Orion’s hair and the feeling of his fingers absentmindedly brushing over her spine. It was true; she wished she could hold onto this moment and never let it go again.
Lost in her thoughts, she traced her fingers over one of the small woven bracelets Orion was wearing around his wrist, her eyes following the intricate pattern of the soft leather strands.
“What’s going to happen now?” she asked quietly, deliberately leaving her question open to his interpretation.
“Whatever you want to happen,” Orion answered with a sincere smile. He caught her icy fingers that were still playing with his bracelet and pulled her up from the damp grass as he stood up.
“But for now, I suggest we go back and get you near the fire.”
Lizzie felt a touch of sadness at the thought of leaving their place underneath the stars; it was like waking up from a dream to return to the real world. But by now, despite her best efforts, her teeth had started chattering from the cold, the exhaustion of the day and slowly coming down from the continuous adrenaline high she had been on since she had set foot onto the Quidditch pitch. She was glad for Orion’s arm around her shoulders as they were walking back to where they had come from.
When the light of the bonfire and the unmistakable voice of their victory party came in sight again, Lizzie slowed her steps until she came to a halt. Orion turned his head and looked at her questioningly.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Lizzie mumbled, trying to put her feelings into words. “Everything just feels so surreal all of a sudden.”
Orion hummed in response. “Do you want me to let go?”
“No,” Lizzie reassured him hurriedly, “please don’t.”
She reached for his hand still lying on her shoulder to make sure it stayed right where it was. “This is what I want.”
He turned to her and raised her chin with his hand as his eyes found hers. “That’s fortunate, because no matter what the universe has planned for us, I don’t intend to let you go anytime soon.”
Lizzie smiled as she felt his lips brushing against the corners of her mouth before he pulled her into his arms and held her close. A sense of overwhelming happiness took hold of her as she buried her face against his chest.
They smiled at each other one last time before Lizzie reached for Orion’s hand and pulled him back to where she could already see their friends celebrating up ahead.
This was how it should have been all along.
She knew this was exactly what she wanted, what she had wanted for so long she still couldn’t quite believe that Orion was now here by her side.
He was right; regretting what was in the past was futile when every step along the way had led them to this point, this moment, her hand resting in his as they stepped out of the darkness into the light.
Peter tore the mask off his face, letting his senses fully imbibe the dreadful scene before him. Tony Stark was lying before him, bleeding heavily into his suit's delicate circuitry. The shock was numbing them both to the situation, and Peter's brain was kicking into overdrive trying to motivate him to move--to do something--to get help.
Tony's sight grew bleary as he tried to focus on Peter's slackened face. The soot in the boy's hair. The dirt on his cheek. Tony was fighting to take in every last detail.
"I," Tony gasped, flinching, "I want you to know, kid, how insanely proud of you I am."
Peter's jaw trembled, but no sound escaped.
"Really. You're amazing, Spider-Man." Tony tried to reach up to Peter's naked face--tried to touch the boy with his own hands again--but his arms wouldn't move, "I couldn't have done it better."
The young jaw clamped shut, and suddenly Peter's lip was drawn so far into his mouth that Tony thought the skin might tear.
"Mr. Stark--"
"Please, kid. The adult is talking." Tony coughed out the words, black creeping into his vision. "You're like a son to me, you know that? I've only known you for a couple years," Tony's throat tightened, so many emotions clogged his windpipe, "I-I feel like-" He blinked.
Peter watched as his mentor's face grew paler and paler.
Tony forced the words out one after another. They emerged choppily, as broken as Tony's body, "You're a--great kid. You'll--make a great man--someday. Greater than--than me, I'm--I'm sure of it."
Peter leaned over the man's body. He'd never been so unsure. An unseen weight beared down on him. Far worse than that building way back when.
"Spi-" the name caught itself in Tony's throat. "Ki- uck," the man winced again. "Peter. Peter Parker."
Tony didn't speak the name with desperation. He didn't speak with fear. He didn't speak with uncertainty.
There was conviction in his voice, and pride, too. Reverence.
"Peter Parker," he said as clearly as he could as he lied on the ground, consciousness slowly fading. "I love you, son."
Peter watched. He listened. He felt.
Tony's breathing slowed. Less quick gasps and more low wheezes. The boy bit back a so as he leaned down to envelop the man in a final hug.
He brought Tony's face beside his own, listening to the final breaths of his beloved mentor. Hearing those final words.
