With no class the next morning, Saturday nights were the worst in Liam's dormitory. It was rowdy and often uncomfortable, so since second year, Liam refused to spend time in his dormitory on the weekend. It wasn't as though he disliked his roommates; he just wanted quiet. But, at the beginning of 5th year, he decided to give his roommates a chance and he found himself spending weekend nights studying on his bed instead. After all, it couldn't be that bad to socialize with his roommates.

It only took a couple weeks to see the invalidity in his presumption.

"You broke up with Audrey Pope?" Liam heard his roommate Diego say loudly. He was trying to ignore their conversation by hiding behind a book, but it was simply impossible. He didn't know how Eleanor could manage to ignore everything by having a book in front of her face.

Glancing up, he saw Joseph shrug indifferently, then throw Diego a scowl just for good measure. "She was too clingy. Every time I turned around, she was right there. Couldn't deal with that."

"But-" Harrison then spoke up, "she was really-"

"Fine? Oh, I know," Joseph interrupted him, "but there's always more girls; I don't need to settle down with a crazy one."

"She's not crazy-" Neil exclaimed, always the one to try to see reason, but he was drowned out by the rest of his roommates laughing.

"I'm thinking about Amy Sutton-"

"No!" Diego was furiously shaking his head. "You told me you're staying away from her because I've been to the library numerous times over the past couple months trying to get her to like me – you know how she is!"

"So?" Joseph's lip curled. "I bet I could do that in a day."

"Don't even-"

Liam rolled his eyes, pushing himself farther back on his bed to get away from the conversation. He knew that Joseph was the experienced with girls; he seemed to have a new one every month. All he had to do was give a girl his smile and lean across the table with a raised eyebrow and he had them.

He wasn't such a bad roommate though. He always got his work done on time, kept his side of the dormitory very clean, and would stop to say hello in the corridors. It was just how he spoke – having no respect for the opposite sex – that got on Liam's last nerve.

"Amy Sutton really isn't my type-" he heard Joseph saying, "I swear her skirt is longer than everyone else's. I thought there was supposed to be some sort of dress code that allowed you to see some skin."

Liam always wondered if his roommates wanted him to join in on their conversation, but he didn't know if Amy Sutton's skirt was longer or if Audrey Pope was crazy.

"It is longer," Harrison said softly. "I compared it once to Eleanor's-"

Liam peeked over his book, watching his roommate's reactions.

He saw Joseph's eyes light up. "Speaking of Eleanor Bennett, she could really do with undoing a couple buttons on her blouse. She doesn't have to button it up all the way to the collar – show something at least-"

Liam's fingers flexed, his grip on the book tightening.

"Something, you know – I mean, if she just loosened up, can you imagine-"

Taking in a deep breath, he tried to still his shaking hands, but he could hear Joseph go on and on and he couldn't block it out.

"Hey Liam!"

Liam looked up quickly, biting down on his tongue.

"How much have you seen?" Liam could taste blood but ignored it. "You've got to have to see more than any of us – does she put on a little show for you – you know, when you're alone and-"

"Shut up," Liam said through clenched teeth. "Just shut up."

Joseph's eyebrows raised and he looked back at the rest of the guys. "Is it private then? So, she's different when you get to know her? Do you think she'll show me more if I-"

Liam stood up, ready to give his spiel about Joseph knowing nothing about respect and relationships, but he couldn't even think straight. His fingers itched to form into a fist and just punch Joseph right in the nose, but instead, he glared and tried to catch his breath.

"What?" Joseph asked, looking almost innocent.

There was a long pause where they stared at each other, Joseph with his little smirk and Liam with a hardened gaze. "You guys are sick," he finally murmured before turning around and leaving his roommates with no answers.

-x-

"You do know it's midnight."

Liam jumped when he realized Eleanor was sitting in front of the fireplace, probably listening to him murmur to himself about how stupid his roommates were. He had only been down there for a couple seconds and didn't realize she was sitting right there. She wasn't supposed to be in the common room; she was supposed to be sleeping already and he wasn't supposed to deal with this whole thing until tomorrow.

"Uh..." He stopped in front of her, not even remotely sure what to say. He couldn't tell her what his roommates said. But he couldn't pretend nothing happened. He didn't know what to do anymore and she was just staring up at him from her seat on the couch with no clue what had happened.

"What are you doing awake?" she asked instead, moving aside for him to sit.

But Liam couldn't sit. He couldn't even breathe. He couldn't think straight.

"Are you sick?" And then she was leaning forward to stand up in front of him, pressing a hand against his forehead. "You aren't warm."

Liam gulped, trying not to think of Joseph's words but they kept replaying in his head over and over again. They never – he would never -

"What's wrong?"

She wasn't going to give up. He couldn't lie to her.

Dropping his gaze to the floor, he let out a slow breath and muttered, "My roommates were just talking about you." He didn't dare look at her, but he heard her "oh?" He wasn't going to tell her. He wasn't. He wasn't. "They...they were saying things about you that were..."

"Were?" she pressed.

"Absolutely and sickeningly inappropriate," Liam let out in a mess of words.

He expected her to be surprised or disgusted but when he chanced a look at her, she had a blank expression. "Oh, really?"

It was downhill from there. "They were saying things about you and your – and they really shouldn't – it was just all – I'll go back and punch them if you want, all I did was yell at them and leave and I could have-"

"Liam!" Eleanor's hand was pressing into his shoulder blade, causing him to lose his balance but it made him stop rambling. He instead stared at her with wide eyes, waiting for her reaction.

But she just shrugged, pulling on his hand and making him sit down on the couch next to her. "It's okay-"

"It's not!" he interrupted her. Joseph's words wouldn't get out of his head and it was taking him everything not to look at Eleanor's blouse.

And she didn't even know and all she was doing was giving him a strange look. "I'm fine with it-"

"No, listen, I'd never-"

When he stumbled on his words, he could tell she was analyzing him. "This is really upsetting you, isn't it?" He only continued his determined gaze on the floor. "Look, you don't have to fight for my honor. I can deal with it, Liam."

"But they-"

"They're boys, of course they're going to say things like that."

She didn't understand. "But I'm not like that!"

Her eyes narrowed accusingly and Liam found himself blinking a few times before asking, "Why are you giving me that look?"

"You're still a boy, Liam and we're not eleven anymore. I've accepted that things are bound to change between us and I thought you understood that too."

He must have looked like an idiot by the way he was staring at her with his mouth dropped open. "What changed?"

She wouldn't answer him. Instead, she gave him another look and Liam understood she was talking about the most awkward thing ever – their bodies.

"Seriously?" He just felt like curling into a ball on the couch and trying to figure out everything for the next couple hours. He had no clue where anything stood. He felt like he didn't even know Eleanor anymore, especially with the way she wasn't even upset by Joseph's remarks. "Is this how it feels like to grow up?" he muttered to himself.

He heard Eleanor laugh and then add, "Don't worry about your roommates. I know what they've been saying; Suzanne told me the other day. Personally, I don't see any problem with dressing modestly. I swear, they act as though I don't know my own body and unconsciously decide to dress like this-"

"Please stop talking," Liam cut her off, "I can't...I don't know what to think anymore."

She wasn't helping by the way she wouldn't stop laughing.

AkieriN is awesome and helped me bunches. So thank you AkieriN!

Oh, Joseph Carrington, I love you and your awfulness. Love him too, guys. He's pretty interesting.

Thanks for reading!