"I am not your best mate." He defensively bit back, as if that would do anything. "Now fucking let me go." He shook himself free and kept walking.
"Marcus, wait up!"
"What!?" Marcus was fuming by now. Why couldn't Oliver understand that he wanted to be left alone? Wasn't it enough that he was forced to spend his Sunday evening at detention in the forbidden forest? Did Oliver have to be difficult on top of that?
"For fucks sake, Flint. Would you stop being a cunt for five seconds and talk to me? Talk to your best friend, since for fucking ever, instead of walking away like a little bitch? Could you do that? Could you?" Oliver shoved Marcus from behind, which did nothing to sooth Marcus' nerves seeing as shoving was one of the reasons he was in detention right now instead of under a warm blanket in the dungeons. He wanted nothing more than his bed at the moment. He had to tell himself to stop thinking about his bed, because his bed was just another somber reminder that he was freezing his butt off out in the cold, dementors swarming the premises.
Marcus decided enough was enough and snapped. "We're not best friends anymore, why can't you see that?!" He yelled out in frustration. "Everyone knows it! You ask anyone in the castle and they'll tell you: Oliver Wood and Marcus Flint HATE each other. They can't stand the sight of the other, and that's exactly how it should be. The balance of the school is restored."
"No one fucking says that. People aren't stupid. You, on the other hand, are an idiot. Has anyone ever told you that? Oh right, me. About a hundred and forty three times." Oliver took a pause to let Marcus take it in. "Do you even hear yourself? We've known each other for what, twelve years? And all of a sudden, out of nowhere might I add, you claim that we're not best friends anymore? Huh? Is that it? The last twelve years have meant nothing? It's all been some practical joke? A big fucking lie!?"
"That's not what I'm saying-" Marcus tried to defend, but Oliver immediately cut him off.
"Oh, but it is!" He clapped back. "You're saying that we're not friends anymore. Anymore. What does that even mean? Was there a time when you did consider me a friend? If so, what time? When did it stop? And why did you not think to tell me about it?" Oliver said the last part with tears in his eyes, and Marcus too felt all the anger in him simmer away at the sight. Oliver in this state was apparently enough to make a grown man cry. He hated the power Wood had over him, but he couldn't help it when tears prickled in his own eyes. And suddenly he remembered why the night of the sorting had been such a blur.
When Oliver and him hadn't ended up in the same house, Marcus had put on a great facade about how cool it was. In reality, he'd spent the evening in his bed crying his eyes out, because he'd been so sure about coming to Hogwarts, knowing he'd be having Oliver with him. When they didn't end up in the same house, it dawned on him that he didn't anymore. Oliver had found Percy so quickly, but who did he have? He'd closed his blinds and had quietly sobbed into his pillow, hoping no one could hear him. No one had commented on it the next morning, so Marcus was pretty sure he'd gotten away with it. Crying on his first night wasn't something he was proud of, and he couldn't remember crying ever since… until now.
They both stood there, sobbing, exhausted, just looking at the other. It was Oliver who made the first move to wrap his arms around Marcus in a hug that in that moment felt never ending. Especially since Marcus never wanted it to, or had any plans to let it. Instead they stood there in silence. The body contact warmed them from the cold, face buried in the other's shoulder, both now wet from tear stains.
"I love you." Marcus whispered.
"I love you too you doofus." Oliver responded back, almost like a reflex. They'd only ever said it that one time after making Captains, or when they were drunk which didn't count. Hearing it float off of Oliver's tongue so easily made him want to cry some more, but he really had a reputation to uphold, and crying for the first time since he was eleven, was already bad enough. Him continuously doing so felt redundant.
"No, you don't understand." It was now that Marcus broke free from the hug. Not entirely, but enough for him to now be face to face with Oliver, whilst still holding onto his arms. The tear stains on his shoulder went cold once the wind finally got a chance to attack it, but Marcus paid it little attention. What he was about to say next could definitely turn more uncomfortable than a couple of tear stains.
"When I say I love you, I don't mean it in an "I love you as a friend" kind of way. I mean it as an "I love you passionately" in a lover kind of way. And I have for many years now. Ever since that midnight fly we took when we both made the quidditch teams. It was then that I knew that we were no longer best friends, because I could not stand the idea of being in love with my best mate. It just felt morally wrong to not tell you such a personal and intimate detail of myself, so inside my head I decided that I no longer had a best friend. That the only real best friend I ever had was a young boy named Oliver Wood, and that one day he disappeared from my life, and I never knew what happened to him. In his place I'd filled the hole of a missing friend with the love I felt for this new guy in my life, who just happened to be named Oliver Wood as well. But standing here, right here right now. It's like I've finally found my best friend again. He was here all along; hiding behind the shadows. Lurking for the right time to come out. And I guess now, was that time."
"You're an idiot." Was all Oliver could get out. He was shaking his head in disbelief. "You know that? A stupid fucking twat!" He said before pulling Marcus in for a kiss. Although shocked, Marcus quickly adapted to the situation and started kissing back. His hand ran along Oliver's back, whilst Oliver had an arm around Marcus's neck that he used to deepen the kiss further. It felt like he was trying to eat Marcus up, but Marcus didn't really mind all that much. If this was to be the end of his life, he didn't really care. For after such a long time, waiting, wanting, craving; he was finally getting exactly what he wanted, and that was quite a powerful feeling. Something he was unwilling to give up anytime soon.
Of course his brain decided to be a massive dick about it though, and he had to pull away. As their lips parted, Oliver whined. "Ollie, we can't." What the fuck was he doing?
"Why not? Why can't we?"
"Because…"
"Because?" Oliver was rightfully annoyed.
"Because you deserve better Ollie. Because... because you'll wise up someday and realise what a horrible human being I am. You know why I ignored you? Because I broke you."
"I'm not a glass figure Flint." Oliver argued.
"Are you even listening to me? I almost wrecked everything after a simple dispute. Is that really who you want to be with?
"Flint-"
"I'm telling ya. You'll find someone better. You deserve better-"
"How dare you speak about my best friend like that?" Oliver interrupted, "Even worse, how fucking dare you feel so entitled, as to claim to know what is deemed most fit for me? Who gave you the right to voice the slightest ounce of opinion about my decision to love you? It is not within your right to determine if I find you fit or not. The only way you can waver my opinion is in your behaviour, and even then it is borderline insulting considering you've given me one hell of a week of doubt and wonder, and guess what? I'm still fucking here. I still want you. Don't you think by now, I already know what kind of person you are? You think I don't know my best friend? So I ask you again. How dare you?" Marcus was left stunned.
Before he could help himself he asked: "How long?"
"Really? That's what you're gonna ask?" Marcus just shrugged. "Since forever dumbass." Oliver rolled his eyes. "Remember when you told me about kissing Gemma?" Marcus just nodded. "Well, I got really jealous. At first I thought I was jealous of you for kissing Gemma, but I quickly realised that I was more jealous of her getting to kiss you."
"That's... really fucking cheesy Wood." This earned Marcus a laugh.
"Says the guy who just pulled a love declaration out of his arse. How long have you been sitting on that one? Did you rehearse in the mirror earlier?"
"Ha, ha. Very funny." Marcus rolled his eyes fondly, allowing Oliver to pull him in for a lasting kiss. Marcus was still going to be an insecure and jealous arse who'd always believe Oliver deserved better. He still felt massively guilty for his behaviour throughout the week, but right now he was trying not to think about that. He told his brain to fuck right off and put his focus on eating Oliver's face. He figured as long as the keeper would let him, he should cease the opportunity.
"I'm still pissed at you for ignoring me for a week."
"Does it help that I thought of you the entire time?"
"Hmm." Oliver made an exaggerated face as if to show that he was really thinking about it. "It doesn't not help."
"I feel kind of stupid for not realising sooner."
"No one has accused you of being observant. You're so oblivious my guy."
"Me?" What about you?" Marcus accused. "I've been practically swooning over you for years. I swear, half the castle knows."
"You got a point there. Percy definitely knows, he always had this look on his face whenever I mentioned your name. A mixture of fright and knowledge of something I didn't."
"Hmm, yeah. Pucey and Higgs know as well. By the way, they will never shut up about this. I'm not looking forward to telling them they were right."
"What if we just didn't?" Oliver suggested. "I mean, must we?"
"No." Marcus said, considering the suggestion. "But then I can't annoy everyone in my presence by snogging you, and I don't know, I feel like that's a missed opportunity." Oliver blushed.
"That's definitely a pro." Oliver snaked his arms around Marcus' neck, "Plus, we're a damn power couple Flint. You do realise that, right?" Oliver added.
"Calm down Wood, we've kissed like twice. I'd hardly go as far as calling us a 'power couple'" Oliver laughed, Marcus didn't get something that was obvious to him.
"Don't you get it? We don't need to be snogging to be a power couple. We've been attached to the hip since we first came to Hogwarts. We're a package deal. You can't have Marcus Flint without Oliver Wood, and the other way around. Power couple, I'm telling you."
"You know what's funny?"
"What?"
"We're in the forbidden forest during a detention, and we should really get back because it's late and I'm freezing, and a dementor could attack at any given moment. And sure, logically we should get the hell out of here, but before that I might just want to kiss you again to make sure I'm not dreaming, because this is just not real."
"I can assure you that you're not dreaming. If you were, we'd be somewhere nicer."
"Don't underestimate how fucked up my dreams can be, Wood." Oliver just laughed, and kissed Marcus a final time before pulling him with him as they made their way to find Hagrid.
