Marina and Lee waltzed into the room like they lived there, which was in fact partially true, but the phrase released Josie's frustration. Each of them held a knowing smirk as they fell back onto Lee's bed in a tangle of limbs. The twins sat on either side of Josie, George's shirt now fully on as Fred finished tugging his down over his hips. "Having fun?" Marina asked playfully, setting her cup of punch on the floor as she hung herself upside down from the bedside. Josie wanted to hit her. "Loads." she sighed back as she settled in between the twins, and pulled her legs to her chest in order to hide her awkwardness. Her heart still hadn't settled back into a normal rhythm, and the teasing touches George was trailing along her spine under the back of her shirt were not helping the flush on her cheeks fade. One look up into his eyes told her that was his intention.
"What do you two want?" Fred asked as he grabbed the bag George had brought with them earlier towards him and opened it, rustling through its contents. "Wanted to hang out with my best mates, besides most everyone is going to bed anyway." Lee answered. "Wonderful." Was the reply he got as boxes of taffy were thrown to him. "Selfish pricks." Lee joked as he nodded to the bag of sweets and foods they had kept for themselves, earning another box of taffy to the side of the head as Fred fell back onto the bed and kicked his feet up to rest against the bed post. "They deserve sweets after you insisted we walked in on what was probably the most sexually frustrating moment of Josie's life."
The twin's heads both snapped in her direction, eyebrows raised and that devious glint that had faded upon their interruption igniting again. Josie felt their eyes on her as she stiffened, eyes widening around still dilated pupils that shot to the animagus's face. Feeling her mouth grow dry from embarrassment she swallowed hard before her expression turned to one of disbelieving mortification as she spoke. "Marina! Th-"the other girl crumpled into a fit of giggles at Josie's stuttering yell. "That is completely- That's just- You shouldn't say things like that!" Looking away, she rubbed her arms to release the tension that had built up as Lee and Marina howled on the opposite bed, falling over each other.
"Now at least we know it's true." Fred chuckled from beside her. "Obviously!" Lee called from his place thrown across Marina's lap. Josie's throat closing up kept her from saying anything else embarrassing, forcing her to settle with a frustrated yell as she buried her face into her hands and folded in on herself to hide her shame. She only moved when their laughing had died down and hands made their way around her waist, pulling her back between a long set of legs as a chin settled itself on her shoulder. She looked up to find George smiling at her, eyes warm and crinkled at the corners from his grin. The room fell into comfortable silence, the five teenagers picking open candy wrappers and just enjoying each other's company for once until they one by one decided to go to bed.
The next morning Josie was awake long before she opened her eyes, pulling the covers up over her chin and curling into the bodies pressed on either side of her. She only opened her eyes when one of them shifted behind her to shush Lee and Marina chattering in the bed next to them. Sure her bangs were matted to her forehead and her hair sticking out she ran her fingers through the stands before she attempted to sit up. As soon as she shifted at all Fred's arm tightened around her waist, pulling her down into his chest as he rolled onto his back. Marina stifled her laughter as Josie pleaded with her eyes for help, her cheek pressed against the hard body beneath her. George only laughed at her attempt to wriggle out of his grip, Fred's act of pretending to be asleep breaking as he smiled at her actions. Her freedom was found when she poked his sides enough to get him to loosen his grip, slipping out from under his arms. Kissing each twin gently before leaving out the door, Josie followed Marina back into their own dorms; glad everyone was already at lunch so no-one could stop to question their ruffled states.
Josie had just begun to button up her shirt when loud laughter burst through the room, startling her enough that her boots thudded on the hardwood when she landed and turned to see who was causing such noise. Marina was doubled over her bed, holding her stomach as she crumpled into a fit of giggles and pointed a painted nail in her roommate's direction. "What?" her voice rose over Marina's laughter due to her surprise, Josie's hand quickly clamping over her mouth in embarrassment. "I knew you had a good time last night, but I didn't think it went THAT well!" Marina said as she moved to push Josie's hair behind now flushing ears with a wink, bright eyes flickering over the shorter girl's neck in interest. "What are you talking about?" the question hung in the air as Marina stepped back to raise an eyebrow; her lips quirking into a smirk as she spoke. "The twins."
That was all it took to send Josie bolting to the mirror, light eyes growing wide and a small shriek echoing through the halls as she saw what Marina was talking about. Red and purple marks dotted her otherwise pale skin, trailing from her jawline all the way to the swell of her breasts that rose above the line of her bra. Most of them were small, light, or easily hidden but one stood out from its place hidden behind her ear. "I'm going to kill them!" Josie exclaimed, her voice cracking halfway through her irritation as she examined the dark purple, galleon sized mark that peeked out from under her hairline. Her body shook with memories of the night before as she ran her fingers over it, wincing as she pressed experimentally on the sore skin. Anxiety of covering it flooded her, pushing away the slight giddiness at the thought they would want a mark like that on her for everyone to see.
"What am I supposed to do?" She squeaked, turning to Marina as she quickly unbuttoned her shirt to change. "Lay low?" was her sarcastic response, drawing a loud sigh of irritation from Josie before she began to rummage their roommate's things. Josie busied herself with finishing getting dressed, grumbling loudly as she realized the turtleneck she had traded for her blouse didn't cover four of them, including the one behind her ear. Marina pulled her to sit on her bed as she opened a compact from what Josie assumed was Catherine's makeup bag, and began to apply makeup over the mark in an attempt to hide it. After what felt like ages of Josie awkwardly tilting her head, Marina closed the small silver case and stepped away. "Well that fixed it a bit, but you can still see the dark one through the makeup." She commented as she once again began to move about the room.
"Wonderful. I'm staying here all day." Josie huffed as she fell back onto the mattress, bouncing slightly before settling into the sheets with her face hidden under a nearby pillow. "Your boyfriends snogged you so hard your lips are still swollen, AND our team won the cup if you've forgotten." Josie could hear her moving about. "We're throwing all of that into everyone's faces; you're going downstairs." The pillow was removed from Josie's face as she was jerked upward to finalize Marina's statement. A bright crimson knit scarf was thrown around her neck, flipped hair pulled from underneath it by coffee colored hands before they pat Josie's head. "There now get up; I'm starving, you've had nothing but a few sweets since the supper you picked at last night, and we have boyfriends to see." She drew out the ending to "boyfriends" longer than needing, causing Josie to crack a smile at her joke on her relationship. Reluctantly, Josie stood and allowed herself to be led downstairs by her friend, nuzzling her face down into the scarf and smiling when George's scent filled her lungs.
They walk down to the Great Hall was one of the more nerve wracking experiences of Josie's life; even more so then when she had tripped and fell down half a staircase the first week of class. She stiffened every time someone looked her way, Marina's cheerful greetings to nearly everyone who passed drawing more attention to the two of them than Josie was comfortable with. She was met with questioning looks from all four boys sitting at the table, the twins' expressions quickly changing to smug, flirtatious grins when they seemed to realize why Josie was wearing the attire she was.
The twins split apart to allow Josie to sit between them, both of them lacing fingers with hers to squeeze them playfully as they wished her a good morning. Her muffled good morning was drowned out as Lee began to rattle off about a fight that had broken out on the second story landing as they were walking down for lunch. Marina squished herself between him and Alicia to hear the story, the two girls playfully arguing over the small space as Josie tried to keep her eyes down from the prideful looks of the twins and the analyzing gaze of Oliver wood. She dreaded when he would question her, she wondered if he knew, she wanted to just curl up into the twins and die from embarrassment.
"Are you cold? A little warm in here for a scarf, isn't it?" the Quidditch captain questioned, thick brow raised and elbows braced against the table as he reached for another drumstick. The twins tried to stifle their laughter besides her, failing and breaking down when Josie firmly shoved her elbows into each of their sides. Josie's eyes grew wide from the comment, her mind racing for a response as Fred and George offered no help as they howled. She knew if she didn't think of something quick that everyone would know. If everyone knew, she would be embarrassed enough to want to shove herself inside a caldron. The wood of the bench pressed into her thighs as she shifted in her seat, beginning to put food on her plate to stall for time. Mind racing for a response, she finally settled on an answer. "Can't I wear my boyfriend's scarf because I want to?" she finally asked, raising a brow at Oliver as her hands shook while she poured a goblet of water.
"Not when it's to hide their marks." Lee interjected, Josie almost losing her grip on the pitcher as the twins shook with chuckles beside her and Oliver's jaw dropped a little father than usual. Feeling herself growing hot, hands quickly covered her quickly flushing cheeks and wide eyes. Arms wrapped around her waist as the twins closed in on her, breath brushing against her neck and sending shivers down her spine as they spoke. "Let us see!" they chimed together, prying Josie's hands away from her face to meet her eyes. If they knew what they were doing, Josie was going to hit them for it. One look into their eyes changed her forming exclamation of no into a stutter, the smug and almost yearning look in their eye turning her defiance to mush.
"Didn't you see it this morning?! Hell, you could see it last night when she went to sleep. It's brutal." Lee continued as Josie pushed back her hair as discreetly as possible while Fred tugged down the side of the scarf he knew the mark was on, earning him a frustrated look from Josie. George leaned around her, his chest pressed against his back as his hands gripped her waist so he could look. Both boys dug their finger into her side tighter, grinning widely as she flushed bright red and quickly hid it again.
"I thought it was going to be darker than that." Fred said with a smile. "It is. I just covered it in makeup." Marina said through a mouthful of bread, laughing when Lee stuck is tongue out at her in false disgust. "I do not want to know about you three's sex life." Oliver said as he stood up from the table with a nod, Josie turning even redder with embarrassment as she curled into George to hide her face in his shoulder. "Because you don't have one." Fred replied, fingers still gripping Josie's side. "Neither do you." Marina retorted, a smile tugging at the corner of Josie's lips as her friend came to the rescue of releasing her embarrassment. "That you know of." Was all Josie heard Oliver reply to Fred's statement, a thump sounding behind her causing Josie to lift her head to find Oliver's napkin splayed across Fred's face. The table quickly began to roar with laughter, Josie shaking with giggles as she fell over onto Georges lap holding her stomach as her embarrassment disappeared.
She found herself later wrapped in George's arms by the lake while Fred skipped stones off the newly unfrozen surface. Her skin rose in goosebumps as his hands slipped under her shirt to rest on her stomach for warmth, the air still chilly enough to bite in the wind. They were quiet, George making rare comments on Fred's capability only to earn taunts back, Josie laughing softly at their antics. Her body relaxed into the firm chest behind her, hands slowly running over her hips and lulling her into a daydream of twisted limbs. Just as she was playing images of the twin's teeth on her neck and her fingers tangled into her hands she became aware of the very real lips pressing into her skin, a shiver running down her spine as she turned to look at George behind her.
"Oh now you pay attention!" he teased, pulling her closer and planting a kiss on her cheek. Upon looking around she realized Fred had sat himself down in front of her, now caught up in staring at her with a grin. "What is it?" She asked softly, flushing at the thought that they had been sitting there watching her while she daydreamed. "We want to see them. Actually see them." Fred said bluntly, his chin resting in his hand. Confused on why they would want to do such a thing, Josie tilted her head before questioning. "Why?" Her question was lost on the wind due to its softness, her legs shaking slightly as Fred sat up to push between them and take her cheeks between his hands. His lips were on hers briefly, her bottom lip trapped between his as he broke away. "Because we made them-" "-and we always like to see-" "-the product of our handiwork." They said with a wink, Fred sitting back on his knees to smile at her. "Not to mention it's bloody attractive." George added behind her. "It is?" Her question caused them to shake with chuckles, George shifting against her back to lean around her so he could look her in the eye.
"Well yeah, of course it is." "Don't tell us you already forgot how you got them." "Or that you didn't enjoy it as much as we did." Josie rolled her eyes at their teasing, leaning back against George's chest to look between them. "I'm sorry, but have you met yourselves? Of course I enjoyed it." She joked, smiling when George squeezed her tighter and Fred laid himself between her legs, head resting on her as he stretched himself out. "Go on." They said together, matching smirks sending her into a fit of flushing. "I-I don't know what you want me to say. You were there after all." She replied, her words stuttering out from between her lips. "We know." The three of them fell silent, looking between each other as the wind blew Josie's hair against her cheeks and the sun began to sink towards the edge of the lake. Nudging Fred off her thighs as the sky began to dim; Josie stood up and turned to look at them with hands planted on tilted hips. "Well come on then, if you want to see them I'll have to wash this makeup off." She said before turning on her heels and heading back up towards the castle, smiling to herself as she listened to them scramble to their feet and jog up the hill to catch up to her.
Settling them-selves in the second floor girl's lavatory, Josie sat on the edge of the sinks her boots swinging inches away from the floor as George ran water on the edge of his sleeve. Standing between her legs while Fred leaned against the porcelain next to her, George pulled the scarf from around her neck. The entire moment felt heavy around her, Josie's heart racing as the cold water and thick knit met the sensitive skin of her neck. The feeling pulled a sharp gasp from her lips as she shuddered so hard she teetered on the edge of sink, falling forward into his chest as Fred's arm wrapped around her waist to steady her. It was almost torture to keep from making any sound, her lip caught between her teeth until it was done. Blue eyes fluttered open to meet theirs, watching as their gazes shifted from her own to the pale skin of her neck. Her mouth went dry as she watched their expressions change, pupils dilating much similar to the night before as an almost inaudible groan met her ears as she watched Fred lean down to press his lips over the area.
"Bloody hell." He muttered as he pulled away, smirking wide enough she thought his face would crack. "Didn't think it would be that dark." The comment forced a laugh out of her, not being able to keep herself from smiling as she looked up at them. "You're kidding, I was afraid I had been dating vampires from how you both attacked me." She said through her giggles, leaning her head against Georges shoulder as she shook. "Not our fault." "We can't help it." "We can't keep our hands off you." Both of them shifted, her chin caught between fingers to be lifted so they could look down at her with those devious grins. "Besides, you wouldn't want us any other way." They said together, her cheeks flushing as they each kissed her cheeks. Josie's smile didn't falter as she became flustered, her eyes tilting up to meet theirs as she spoke. "No." Eye brows rose as she spoke, lips turning upward at her answer and making her stomach flutter. "Any other way and you wouldn't be you."