Shipping Bingo: D2 - Not What It Looks Like

Trope Bingo: C2 - Paper tiger

Spring Bingo: E5 - Clean

Team: Brilliant Snitch
Scavenger Hunt: Sp WD (Autism)
Chimera Creator: Love/Hate

Stacked With: FPC; BAON; ToS; Star; Fence; Shower; T3; Ship; Sp/Tr Bingo; Chim; Hunt

Individual Challenges: Gryffindor MC; Durmstrang MC; Neurodivergent; Rian-Russo Inversion; Ethnic & Present; Hold the Mayo; Zed Era; Old Shoes (Y); Short Jog (Y); Bucket Listing (Y);

Representations: Hermione is autistic; Trio as Fam; Proposal Planning is a Group Project; BC Use

Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenges: Spinning Plates; Unwanted Advice; Tomorrow's Shade; Second Verse (Not a Lamp; Found Family; Nontraditional; Zucchini Bread); Chorus (Wabi Sabi; Fizzy Lemonade; Machismo; Peddling Pots)

Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges: T3 (Toad)

Warnings: Fear of Cheating & Abandonment

Word Count: 1277

~o0o~

She had said she was meeting Harry. Viktor couldn't believe his eyes. That was why she was gone so much lately. Distracted. Secretive. A part of him always knew this would happen, he supposed, but… he had hoped that she would at least have been kind enough to tell him to his face. He always knew he was Hermione's second choice. Ever since he had asked her to the Yule Ball. How long had it been since then? Ten years? When they reconnected he had been so happy. He had truly liked her. Everyone thought it was her disinterest in him as a Quidditch Star, but he liked her drive with S.P.E.W. which had now grown to become the Society for the Advancement of Magical Beings (which he helped her with when he wasn't on away games). When he sat next to her, even when they couldn't find anything to say, he didn't feel lonely. He liked her passion, her curly hair, her warm brown skin, the way her eyes looked like hessonite in sunlight. She was witty and clever and he was head over heels.

When it became clear his feelings for her were more than she felt for him, she told him the truth. That she had only accepted his invitation to the Yule Ball to make the boy she liked jealous. It had hurt, but he appreciated her honesty and she even said she liked him a lot. And then she liked him just as much as he liked her.

And now, four years after they reconnected, they were living together. He met her family back in the Dominican Republic, she met his in Bulgaria. She was learning Bulgarian, he was learning Spanish. He thought they were happy, but now?

How could he have been so foolish? His family was right. He had no business pursuing love. He had no looks, no charm. And in the shadow of his siblings' accomplishments he would never come first in anything.

Taking a deep breath, he returned home. Part of him wanted to confront them. Yell, cry, play the jealous boyfriend role. But he couldn't do that. It wasn't in his nature. Life didn't afford him the privilege of screaming and yelling. That only caused more trouble than it was worth. And at this moment, he didn't think he could bear her explanation. He'd pack a bag, book a hotel room, step aside quietly. The one thing he had always been good at was suffering in silence.

"Stop it, silly cat," he muttered as Hermione's kitten, Skimbleshanks, hopped into his suitcase. He just needed enough for a few days and once he could even think about his relationship without crying, he would return for the rest of his things.

Zdravkov men don't cry! He had often been yelled at. It seemed years of pent up tears were spilling down his cheeks now.

What was he doing? He picked up the half-packed suitcase and tossed it aside, cringing at the clatter it made. What was he doing? Viktor dragged his hands down his face and laid down on his side of the bed, curling up. He felt sick. What was he doing?

"Bomboncito," Hermione called. "Are you home? I see your shoes by the door."

He took a deep breath. "I am in here."

She entered the bedroom and immediately noticed the suitcase.

"Is there an away game I wasn't aware of?" she asked.

"No, I think Skimbleshanks had zoomies and made mess," he lied, unable to face her. "I was tired and laid down as soon as I got home."

"Not much to be done about cat chaos," she said and sat down on the bed. "Are you alright?"

She brushed his cheek with her knuckles. His heart twisted up in his chest. Was he not attentive enough? What was wrong with him? How he spoke? How he acted? She usually had no problem telling him if she was unhappy and the time he put dish soap in the dishwasher was a dark day in the household, but… that was when they first moved in and she had already had a bad day at work. He couldn't just go home without seeing her ever again.

"Viktor?"

He pulled her into bed and kissed her. Passionately. Desperately. Maybe if she realized he loved her with every fibre of his being she wouldn't leave him. Maybe he hadn't been attentive enough. He wasn't the best at talking about his feelings. She teased him about being more of a physical being and how that was fine by her since she could never stop talking.

Then physical he would be.

"Is it your birthday?" she panted when they parted.

He chuckled and shook his head.

"Oh… is it my birthday?"

"No." He pressed his face into her neck. "I just love you."

"Oh… you found out, didn't you?"

"Nothing gets past you."

"I was going to tell you tomorrow night," she said, running her fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry, I was trying so hard not to let you find out."

His throat tightened. That was so soon. He couldn't let her go. Not again.

"Please don't leave me," he said, pushing himself up so he could look into her eyes. "I don't know what's wrong, but we can fix it! We can work through it."

"What?!" she gasped incredulously and started into a fit of giggles.

"Hermione…" he sighed and sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

"I—I'm sorry!" she said. "You thought I was going to break up with you?!"

He swiped a stray tear from his cheek and nodded.

She hugged him tightly, pressing her cheek into his shoulder. "Oh, Viktor. I'm sorry. Maybe I was being too secretive."

"You are not breaking up with me?"

"No, of course not," she said. "I love you, Viktor. I was going to propose. Ron was helping me walk through our date tomorrow so I could decide the best place. He came because Harry was busy. Oh, please don't cry." She turned his face to hers and kissed him gently. "I had to go to every jeweler in town trying to find a place that would make an engagement ring for a man. I didn't want any old band. And then—Oh, now I've gone and spoiled it."

Viktor stared at her wide-eyed. "You… you want to marry me?"

"Yes! We've talked about it, haven't we? And you didn't seem to be getting the courage and we're already living together so I thought… why not?"

His heart melted and fresh tears burbled up.

"Are you alright?"

He nodded. "I'm sorry. I was so terrified at the thought of being alone and I couldn't bear never seeing you again."

"I'm not hearing an answer, Viktor," she said. "If you do want to wait a little longer, we can."

"Yes! I mean—no! I mean…" He took a deep shuddering breath and used the corner of the blanket to dab at his face before turning to look at her. How could he have doubted? It wasn't what it looked like. He had let his insecurities overshadow his logic.

"Er, let me do this right," she said and got up. "I wasn't planning on proposing like this, but the cat is out of the bag."

Viktor was still dumbstruck. It was all to propose to him. Hermione brought a velvet box out of a drawer, knelt down in front of him, and took his hand. Her expression was earnest and her eyes were full of love.

"Viktor Krumov Zdravkov," she said. "I have something I want to ask you."