For the Hogwarts Forum
Showtime, "Spy Again" (regret)
World Orphan Day (Write about someone with no family)
Count Your Buttons (welcome mat)
Piers lingers in front of the door, eyes fixed upon the dusty welcome mat. Maybe coming here is a mistake. He shouldn't burden Dudley with his problems. It's too cruel.
Still, the moment his father threw him out and screamed every possible slur at him, all Piers could think of was Dudley. He's been Piers' best friend and partner in crime for years. They have always stood by each other's side.
They've spent years tormenting people, bullying them, just as Piers' father has tormented and bullied him. Regret sours his stomach. Now he knows what it's like to have someone split his lip out of hatred.
He stands there, arm raised. His bruised hand lingers in the air, but he cannot bring himself to knock.
The door opens before he can change his mind. Dudley's blue widen at the sight of him. Without preamble, he ushers Piers inside. Piers tries to protest, but the door shuts behind them, and he doesn't have it in him to turn down this hospitality.
"What happened?" Dudley asks, gathering the necessary supplies to treat Piers' injuries.
Piers stands there awkwardly. He doesn't move at all until Dudley guides him onto a chair. "My dad… My dad disowned me," he says quietly.
"Why?"
He wants to tell Dudley. The truth snakes its way up his throat, sticking to the back of his mouth. Even taking a deep breath fails to steady his nerves. "He found out… He found out I'm gay."
He expects outrage. Dudley has never appreciated anything that's different. Piers can already imagine his friend's knuckles crashing into his face, finishing his father's handiwork.
Instead, Dudley dips a rag in something and presses it gently to Piers' busted lip. "Good."
"Good?"
Piers can't believe what he's hearing. He's been beaten. His family has turned their backs on him. How on earth can Dudley find any of this good?
The blond swallows dryly, his cheeks blushing a soft pink. "I mean, it's good because that means I may have a chance."
At first, Piers doesn't understand. Slowly, a smile tugs at his lips. He hisses as the slight strain causes pain.
"If you want. I mean, I don't want to assume," Dudley says quickly.
Piers nods. "I'd like to."
Maybe he's lost everything else, but at least can keep Dudley in his life.