House: Horned Serpent
Class: Career Planning
Task 3 - Wand Maker: Write an artist AU
Prompts: [song] Fortune cookie - Emma Bale, Milow (main); [Dialogue] "The secret of success is to do the common thing uncommonly well."; [Quote] "If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time." -Steve Jobs
WC: 1043
TW: None
⁂
The downstairs neighbour was singing again. Theo had never met the man, although whether that was a blessing or a curse, he couldn't decide.
He had caught a glimpse of the other man's arms one day early on in his tenancy: olive-hued and toned, a intricate design of watercolor flowers coiling over one forearm, as the neighbour below him pulled his delivery through the window. That split second snapshot haunted Theo's dreams, his stomach twisting with almost insatiable curiosity. But he couldn't.
Theo knew it was his anxiety, his need to control his surroundings — he'd laughed when his therapist first mentioned it, tentatively, as if she expected Theo to be offended — but knowing didn't make it go away.
The song was surprisingly clear, floating in through his open window, mingling with the calls of the birds that frequented the feeder outside his window. The numbers on his spreadsheet — organised and colour coordinated to his exacting specifications — were beginning to dance before his eyes, and an uncomfortable pressure in his thighs alerted him that it had been too long since he last took a break.
His knees cracked as he stood — Theo biting back groans of pain as he stumbled to the window, sunshine warm on his skin.
A cry broke the morning peace. The birds took flight, their frantic wings like a heartbeat before they settled once more. Theo remained frozen, his grip on the windowsill feeling strong enough to indent his fingerprints onto it. Has he only imagined it?
(He knew he hadn't, mind set adrift and scrambling for some semblance of reason.)
The downstairs neighbour had stopped singing.
"Hello?" Theo's voice was cracked and rusty, but he pushed back against the fear fluttering in his chest and closing his throat. If he was injured, he would like help too, and it was that single thought that let him call out a second time. "Do you need any help?"
"Hello, angel." The man's voice was deeper than Theo expected — their only interaction to present had been through the other man's singing and the odd parcel left on each other's doorsteps with post-it note explanations of the postman's inability to read addresses. 'Angel' was a surprise, a flush cascading across Theo's cheeks, warmth pooling down his spine.
"Help would be—" A distant yelp of pain sent Theo's heart rate spiking. "—appreciated."
"My doors unlocked," the man continued, "But if you're going to rob me, I am a starving artist so please don't."
Theo barked out a laugh despite himself, fumbling with the laces to his boots, before giving up and managing to wedge his feet into them. The leather was soft, broken in but it clung to his bare feet uncomfortably as he moved down the stairs. Nothing felt quite real. His heart was beating too fast, and he was braced for something to leap out at him, as if this was an elaborate prank.
He paused in front of the small door that led to the other flat, hand resting on the doorknob. One small change. Wouldn't his therapist be proud?
It swung open easily into a world of colour. Where Theo's shelves groaned with books, the walls here were bare but the ceiling was a riot of threads hanging like bundles of drying herbs from small hooks. The pattern was vaguely familiar to Theo, putting him in mind of a constellation although he couldn't picture which one.
"Hello?"
Theo jumped, startled into action. "Hello?"
"If you're my angelic rescuer, I'm forward and to your left. If you're a burglar, I'm not here."
Theo chuckled, the sound echoed by the other man, low and rich, and walked towards him. Theo's throat was dry, palms damp as he fidgeted with the zip of his jacket. He had to do this.
The man grinned up at Theo, despite the lines of pain creasing his face. "I think 'angel' is a good name for you."
Theo blushed harder, feeling the colour spread over his cheeks and down his neck as the man studied him, his gaze following the passage of Theo's blush.
He didn't look injured. He looked beautiful, in a casual sort of way that people would pay thousands to emulate and never achieve.
"My name is Blaise Zabini," the man said with a wave, "and I think I've broken my ankle."
"Theodore Nott," Theo replied reflexively, studying the other man's leg, "and I think it's a sprain."
"An angel and a doctor," Blaise laughed, tipping his head back against the sofa he was sitting against. "My lucky day."
⁂
"So you made all of these?"
Theo couldn't sit still, but he made sure to stay in Blaise's eye line as he roamed around the room. The portraits were beautiful mosaics from afar, but up close Theo could see each individual stitch that came together to create another picture within the larger portrait.
"The secret of success is to do the common thing uncommonly well." Blaise shrugged, leaning forward to prod at his ankle, backing off when Theo stared over his shoulder at the other man, eyebrow raised. "I always liked making things so I'm lucky enough to be able to make a living off of it. My mother doesn't approve, but she accepts it has some worth in her eyes."
"They're beautiful." It felt like a trite compliment, words Blaise had probably heard a thousand times before, but the other man's voice was bright and delighted when he replied.
"Thank you!"
Blaise started to idly hum again, the song Theo recognised from earlier as he watched Theo inspect his home.
"And thank you for coming to help me. I'm guessing you don't have a lot of free time being an angel for those in need—"
"I'm an accountant."
"—my own personal guardian angel then," Blaise continued with a wave of his hand, each finger decorated with a cold metal ring. "Most wouldn't, so thank you, Theo."
"I'm glad I could help." Theo grinned back, and felt his heart flutter in his chest, no longer anxious at this change. Blaise winked to see his cheeks flare once again, the other man's low chuckles settling across Theo's shoulders like a blanket as he continued his exploration, content and calm.