The late afternoon sunlight bathed Laric's house in a warm gold, casting a deceptive glow over the impending uncomfortable conversation. Fionn was curled up in one corner of the couch behind Harry. Harry shifted from foot to foot, as he waited for Laric to bring Fred and George over. He wasn't sure how the Warrior was going to keep Ash from coming along, but he refused to worry about the possibility of having to tell Fred and George what he had done, with Ash in the room as well.
With a CRASH of thunder, Laric, Fred and George were suddenly standing in front of him. Harry jumped, and looked at the twins with wide eyes as he wrung his hands unconsciously.
"Harry, mate, you look like you've seen a ghost," Fred was the first to break the silence. His gaze shifted from Harry to Fionn who had startled at the sudden appearance of the trio.
George's eyes roved over their surroundings before settling on Harry as Laric moved to gently guide Harry to the couch, sandwiching him between the Storm Demon and Fionn.
Harry gulped, trying to assemble his scattered thoughts into sentences. "Guys..." he started before he trailed off, nervousness creeping into his voice.
Fred and George exchanged glances, their expressions shifting from teasing to serious. They were accustomed to Harry's quirky mood swings, but the fear reflected in his eyes was an unfamiliar sight. George moved to kneel in front of Harry, capturing his nervous gaze with a steady one of his own.
"Harry," he said, his voice soft and comforting. "Whatever it is, you can tell us. We promise not to laugh."
"Harry's Law." Fionn murmured softly.
Two sets of blue eyes snapped towards the Fae, before looking back at Harry. The Water Demons relaxed slightly. "Is that all? What mischief have you managed to cause now Harrikins?" Fred grinned down at him.
Harry looked back at Fred, his eyes wide and worried. He wet his lips nervously before beginning, "It's not mischief..." he trailed off, looking to Laric for support. The Warrior gave him a firm nod, prompting him to continue.
"I think... I think I've done something really bad this time," Harry confessed, his voice barely above a whisper.
Fred and George exchanged puzzled glances, their earlier joviality replaced by solemnity again. "Harry, you're our friend, you know we'll help in any way we can. But first you need to tell us what happened." Fred joined George in kneeling before the couch, looking up at the three curiously.
"Yeah," George echoed, "we're here for you, no matter what." His hand reached out to give Harry's knee a squeeze.
Harry nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Right," he began, his voice shaky. He looked down at his hands, wringing them together in his lap. "I think... I think I've bonded us."
"Bonded?" Fred frowned, glancing to George for any sign of understanding. But George was just as clueless, mirroring his twin's puzzled expression.
"But isn't that what you wanted to do? Bond Laric into your mateship?" Fred's eyes flickered between the three on the couch in front of them, before settling on Harry again.
"N-not Laric. You. And George. And I'm sorry! I don't know how it happened, but the Healers were able to do a ritual that showed it was you two. And I've been feeling your emotions for ages, but thought I was going crazy because I didn't know what was happening. And I know you aren't interested in me, but I don't know how to break the bond..." Harry was babbling and he knew it, but the shocked looks Fred and George were giving him made him afraid they hated him.
The silence that fell after Harry's confession was a heavy one, leaving an uncomfortable tension hanging in the room. The twins were staring at Harry in shock, their faces pale.
"You- us- but..." George stuttered, tripping over his words. He shared a glance with Fred, who was looking just as shell-shocked.
"So we're bonded to you, but not to Laric or Fionn?" Fred's blue eyes were steady as they looked at Harry.
Harry nodded slowly, swallowing hard. "Yes," he confirmed in a whisper, leaning harder against Laric for support. "And I don't know how to break it..."
"We don't want you to break it." The words slipped from George's lips before he could stop them.
Fred's eyes widened in surprise at his twin's words, and for a moment, the room was silent. Then slowly, a small smile curled up at the corners of his lips. He looked from George to Harry, his gaze softening.
"We don't want you to break it, Harry," Fred echoed George's words. His words hung in the air, punctuated only by the soft rustle of Fionn shifting on the couch.
"But…" Harry began, looking startled and confused. His gaze flicked between Fred and George as if trying to find some semblance of a prank in their words.
"No buts, Harry." George replied firmly. His eyes were steady as they met Harry's. "We might not have been aware of this bond before, but that doesn't mean we...dislike it."
"The only thing we dislike, is that it's only to you. You're part of a mateship, and since living here in the Realm, we understand how important that is. It's not fair to Fionn and Laric if we are only bonded to you." Fred stated calmly.
"But we understand if you want the bond broken, and not expanded." George continued, looking up at Laric and Fionn.
Laric, who had been a silent observer up until that point, finally spoke.
"I will admit I am uneasy about adding you to our mateship while George is still my Vorthr." He held up a hand to stop them from speaking. "But what is done is done. And Harry does not wish to break your bond. He was afraid you would hate him for doing it true, but you know how his mind works."
Fred and George shared a look once again before turning back to Harry. "You should have trusted us more."
"Yeah," George continued. "How could we possibly hate you?" Looking back at Laric with a hint of mischief, George leaned forward more and shifted a bit to lean on the Warrior's legs instead of Harry's. "I promise to listen to you just as seriously as I ever have, even if the bond is extended."
Laric sighed and covered his eyes, shaking his head slightly. "Demons. And I mean that in all the senses of the word." Dropping his hand, he looked down at Fred and George. "I suppose this means we all must enter Courtship. Stretch the bond in the simplest way to extend it to all of us."
Harry suddenly sat up, which pulled him a bit away from Laric's side, as he suddenly remembered. "Gideon. He was supposed to be asking us to Court. We're going to have to tell him no now, since we'll be Courting Fred and George."
"Really?" Fred's voice was delighted. "When did this happen?"
Laric pulled Harry back against his side, speaking nearly at the same time as Fred. "We are allowed to Court more than one person at a time. It usually is not done, unless twins are involved. But that does not mean it is impossible."
"Last week. Laric said Gideon went to his uncle and requested he take some of the Heirship duties back. But he hasn't actually asked us yet." Fionn smiled slightly, still amused at how that conversation must have gone.
"So we're going to Court you lot and Gideon?" George asked, his eyes glinting with mischief. The prospect of Courting four in one go was daunting. Especially with the Warriors included, but if it included Harry, Fred and George were up for the challenge.
"Seems like it," Harry nodded, perking up at the twins' enthusiasm. He glanced at Laric, receiving a nod of confirmation.
"Harry's Law strikes again!" Fred and George said in chorus, before scrambling up onto the couch with the other three. There was a soft oof, and a mad flailing of limbs as well as pushing and shoving. When they all settled again, Fred had Fionn in his lap and an arm thrown over Harry. George was sitting cheekily in Laric's lap, with one arm thrown around the Warrior's neck, and his legs in Harry's lap.
Harry's cheeks flushed with contentment as the twins settled in, all of them comfortable and happy in each other's company for the first time since Harry's confession. A soft sigh escaped from him as he leaned into Fred, his head resting on the other boy's shoulder. The lump in his throat that had been there ever since he'd learned of the bond had finally disappeared.
Laric, however, was not quite as comfortable. With George sitting in his lap, he was stiff and clearly unhappy about something, although he didn't say anything about it. He just sat there, staring straight ahead with a look of mild displeasure on his face. Fionn, who was watching Laric with a small smirk, could barely contain his laughter.
"We should probably get started then," George suggested with a cheeky grin. He wriggled teasingly in Laric's lap to catch his attention - and got a half-hearted glare in return.
"Gideon will never see this coming." Fionn remarked, looking rather comfortable in Fred's lap.
Laric groaned, covering his eyes again with one hand. "He better be prepared to deal with you all," he muttered.
"I think we're going to need a bigger couch," George remarked with a laugh.
"And possibly a new house," Fred added cheekily.
"But first things first," George said from Laric's lap, looking up at the Warrior with a devilish smile. "I've been wondering something for ages..."
Laric looked at George with one eyebrow raised. "Dare I ask what?"
George darted forward with a soft laugh, and kissed the Storm Demon, winding a hand into Laric's long black braids to try and hold him still long enough to actually be kissed.
To say that Laric stiffened further would be an understatement. The Warrior's entire body froze, his ice blue eyes widening as George kissed him. He tensed, unsure of how to respond to this new development. Torn between doing what was right as George's mentor, trying not to take advantage of him. And giving in, now that they were all to be Courting. Finally with a soft sigh, his body slowly relaxed and he briefly returned the kiss. Pulling back after a moment. Baby steps. He would need to get past the fact that George was his Vorthr, but it was going to take time.
Fred, on the other hand, burst into laughter at the sight. "George!" he scolded, though there was no real reproof in his words. He was too amused by George's audacity and Laric's flummoxed reaction.
Fionn chuckled softly, shaking his head at their antics. "Well, that escalated quickly," he muttered under his breath, grinning broadly.
"Indeed it did," Harry agreed wholeheartedly, his tone filled with amusement.
Fred and George were still laughing. Fred had slung an arm around Harry, pulling him closer as he struggled to regain his composure. Harry squirmed and they both tumbled onto the floor in a fit of laughter, somehow leaving Fionn behind on the couch.
Laric watched them with a bemused smile, George still perched in his lap and laughing just as madly as the two on the floor. He was blushing faintly from George's stunt, and ignoring the way the Water Demon was bouncing slightly as he laughed.
He cleared his throat before speaking, "Alright, let us get serious for a bit."
The others slowly stopped laughing, and looked at Laric, eyes sparkling with happiness.
"I think it best, if the two of you were to do the asking. As Harry is already partially bonded to you, you should be able to get the Courtship to come online for Fionn and I."
Fred and George looked at each other a moment and then nodded. Speaking in unison they said "Will you, Laric, Fionn and Harry, allow us to Court you?"
"We will." They said, not as in sync as Fred and George, but closely enough.
"Requested and Accepted, our Courtship has begun." Fionn said softly, binding them all as there was no one else to do it for them this time.
They all felt the bond settle, and then suddenly they could feel each other in the back of their heads. Wonder and excitement. Happiness and mischief. A slight bit of hesitation, but mostly contentment from all 5 of them.