Hi guys, I'm back. Hope you enjoy!

Not so bad:

"This is a mistake," Maurice Cole warned, clutching his boyfriend's hand.

Edward Midford squeezed his fingers, "it'll be fine, my family doesn't care that we're both boys, they just want to meet you."

"Our shared gender is the least of my worries," said the shorter blond, "they won't like me! I'm…" He trailed off, searching for the right words.

"Useless?" Edward supplied, because that was the word his silly boyfriend always used to describe himself.

Maurice gave him a mock-sour look and pulled on his arm, "I was going to say because I'm the worst person alive, but thank you for reminding me that I'm also useless, ya prick." He muttered these last two words. Edward smiled, once upon a time he'd never have dreamt that they'd be standing here having this conversation but right now he was so glad he'd taken a chance and confessed to the Scarlet Fox student, Maurice could get him to lighten up like no-one else.

"The only person who thinks you're useless is you," said Edward, "so you'll be fine. Lizzy already adores you."

"I notice you didn't deny that I'm the worst person alive," pointed out Cole, before sniffing haughtily, "of course Elizabeth adores me, I'm the only person who understands what she's talking about when she brings up hair, make-up and accessories. And it's your mother I'm worried about, you've told me so many times that she doesn't like anyone. Why would she like me?"

Oh why had he said that?! Edward mentally kicked himself, "I, uh, was exaggerating," said the Green Lion Prefect who most certainly hadn't been exaggerating. "And she'll like you because you're likeable. You have good qualities, even if you can't see them. And my mother will, at the very least, like you because I like you." Edward promised. His mother was strict, no denying that, but she could tell what was truly important to her children and Maurice was important to Edward. She wouldn't bodily throw him out of the house at least.

Probably.

With any luck.

It did not go well, it was a sign of Maurice's backbone of steel -whatever his faults, he wasn't a coward- that he didn't shrink under Francis' stern gaze, but no matter what he did or didn't or didn't do she didn't warm up to him, at all.

Maurice told himself he didn't care, it didn't matter, as long as Edward loved him he could deal with anything else, but the truth was; he did care. He didn't want to come between Edward and his family, he loved him, the last thing he wanted to do was make him unhappy. And from what he had heard from Edward his mother was an exceptional woman and he did want Francis to like him.

But no matter what he did or said her impression of him didn't change from flighty, airheaded double-crosser.

He supposed that was his own fault, he gave that impression to people for a reason. He was blond and perky almost to the point of being bubby and though he had grown out of being a backstabber, good deeds were far quicker forgotten than bad ones.

But he doubted that even if he was perfect in every way Francis would like him, Edward was her only son and she was protective of him. But he wasn't perfect, he hadn't been good enough for Redmond, why would he be good enough for Francis?

It was these self-depreciating thoughts that Cole was thinking when he heard Edward yell.

Part of the stone balcony railing above Edward and Lizzy had been weakened over time and just collapsed, the older brother had instinctively twisted to cover his sister and now his arm was bleeding from a bloody furrow in his arm.

Francis ran over but Maurice was quicker, he stopped to check on Lizzy who was upset and understandably shaken then he took Edward's arm gently in both his hands, inspecting the wound as he yanked off Edward's suit jacket. Edward grimaced and bore it but Maurice was more upset than Lizzy,

"Baby look at you, you're all covered in blood," he said miserably as he peeled off Edward's suit jacket and rolled up his shirt sleeve, the cut was long but it wasn't too bad. However even though Edward hid it well and was stronger than most people but there would never be a time when seeing the man he loved hurt didn't distress him.

Francis watched blood run over Maurice's perfect manicure but the slender blond didn't seem to notice, he was highly concerned but his hands were steady as they padded the jacket against Edward's arm and then bound it there with both their ties. "Why do you keep getting hurt?!" He demanded angrily, brushing aside tears impatiently, leaving a bloody smear on his cheek, "it's downright worrying."

Edward reached out with his good hand and tilted Maurice's chin up with a gentler touch than Francis had ever seen him use, "why would I worry? I have you to patch me up."

Maurice leaned over and threw his arms around Edward, careful not to jostle his wound and the Green Lion prefect wrapped his uninjured arm around the smaller male's figure, crushing Maurice to him. Francis reluctantly let herself smile.

Maybe Maurice Cole wasn't so bad after all.

Hope you liked it.