Hearing her say his name, he looked over at Ili like he was so relieved she'd shown up. He swallowed hard as she took his hand, his other hand going to his face, rubbing at it like he might rub off this wave that hit him. Sophie looked at Iliana as she spoke to her, seeing the effect she had on her ...

Nova laughed, "It seems like it would make the most sense." She shrugged, doubling a little as they walked. She laughed at Ili saying Nate had no mercy, and he made a face that said maybe she wasn't wrong. When he told her to duck first, he chuckled, shaking his head, "See you soon,&q...

Nova laughed softly. "Well, I have an idea to make it so it can fit multiple occasions, like maybe the longer part can come off if you're going somewhere more casual." She tapped her pencil on her chin as she considered it. She looked over again when Nate defended Ili, then smirked at Ili ...

Nova just guffawed at Ili's teasing her before they made it into the hall. Hearing she liked the idea, Nova beamed, and Ili might realize that the note on the side read "night sky," with little stars drawn around it. She looked away as she realized there was a moment happening between the ...

"That's fine, and I'll even get you an extra butterbeer to repay you for the absolute travesty of wasting your time," Nova said, still being utterly dramatic. If there had been a theater class at Hogwarts, she'd be unstoppable. She did look horribly offended when Ili corroborated that she...

"Good," Nova whispered, "Because you'll probably get the lion's share." Nova gave a dramatic sigh of relief, hearing Ili say she had the homework and would look at her answers, "Thank you. I usually am overthinking it, it always just sounds wrong to me," She shook her ...

"I mean, I've been doing it since the beginning, might as well make it an official job," Nova snorted in response to Ili's comment as she passed. He watched as she pulled it together again, smirking a little as she walked away before he'd followed. "I don't know if I know how to do n...

Nate held onto her hand when she took it, smiling softly at her as she did. He chuckled lightly at her dramatics before Nova had come up. He huffed at Iliana's comment about Nova never being silent, shaking his head. Nova laughed a little, "Look! I just don't see why I shouldn't say hi! Especia...

Nate chuckled lightly at her "careful", an actual smile coming to his face, softening the edges of his usually hardened expression. When she kissed his cheek, he felt his own cheeks burn as his heart did a little flip. He smirked at her quiet statement before straightening himself out. He ...

Nate seemed to ease again as she held onto his hand, like she was an anchor, a buoy in a storm, letting him feel like he could breathe for a minute. He took a deep breath at to defend privacy and safety, like a part of him hadn't even registered that that was what had been pushing him forward. It wa...

The kiss was enough to snap him out of the haze, like a jolt to a system to reset it. He rubbed the back of his neck with his other hand, "Oh no, I know her well enough to know she'll go until she either realizes the gamble isn't worth the rush or until it blows up in her face," he muttere...

As soon as Iliana's hand found his arm, something in Nate's posture shifted. His shoulders dropped a fraction from the rigid line he'd been holding, and he looked down at her, the hard set of his jaw easing just slightly. "She made it clear she wasn't going to linger," he muttered, by way ...

Nate stood across from his cousin at the base of the moving stairwell, her back to the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. "Why are you even still writing that trash?" he scoffed at her, talking about her gossip pamphlet. She put her hand on her chest in mock offense, "Trash? Natha...

Nate closed his eyes as she curled up into him, "Mmmm," was his answer to being "stuck. At her grounding him from what he knew aited for him, he did relax a little more. "Tea does not, in fact, count," he chuckled, a little exasperated, at her answer. But she was snuggling i...

As she settled into him, he lightly rubbed her back, sighing once they were both completely settled. He felt like his whole being had needed this moment, to have her back close to him. He chuckled softly at her saying she didn't mind, "I'm sure you don't," he smirked. He closed his eyes fo...

Hearing her say a kiss would keep her smiling, he gave a breathy chuckle, "Yes, ma'am," he murmured with a smirk at her telling him that he had to earn it. His thumb brushed her cheek as his hand was still at her cheek, sliding down more toward the side of her neck as she gave her permissi...

When she said his name, he couldn't help but smile, the kind of smile he had always saved only for her, like a knot that had been bound tight since they'd broken up had come loose. Feeling her lean into his touch, into him, it felt like all the pieces were finally moving back into alignment. He neve...

Nate was quiet as usual as she spoke, looking over as he heard her voice waver, eyes scanning her face, shifting his leg until it pressed up against hers as she turned more toward him. He gave a little snort of a laugh at her teasing him about PDA, looking back down to his lap, rubbing the back of h...

Nate listened to her without interruption, letting her get what she needed out, looking down at his hand. When she finally looked at him, he glanced over at her, watching her face as she spoke, taking in her expressions. He wasn't good with words himself, not when it was things like this. Nate was a...

Nate just listened as she spoke, really trying to understand what she was feeling and going through, giving a little nod. His mom sometimes got that look at him, like she knew something was happening, but Nate wouldn't tell her the truth of it. He took a deep breath as she spoke of wanting to fall a...

Nate just listened to her, his hand shoved into his pockets as he didn't really know how to respond. He didn't know what that kind of pain was truly like. He'd never experienced anything like it. But he felt he needed to help...somehow. "I know many people would try and throw out the sentiment ...

Hearing her reaction made him wish maybe he wasn't so direct for once, but he didn't know how to be anything but at this point. Lying usually only made things worse. He shifted his feet, still standing by the door in case she decided she did want him to leave, though seeing how she was... and was th...

Nate looked at her as she stood, not having expected her to rise, though Rachel had waved much more enthusiastically when she'd seen her, "Just don't... worry too much about it. If something comes of it great, if it not... I'll figure something out. I always do," he muttered. When she told...

Nate looked as she opened the door. Shit, well there went getting away before she saw him. And then there was what she was wearing and the lack of explanation for why he was there, and she'd get to see a side of him that he rarely ever had happen- flustered, "N-No, I-I don't mean to intrude, I....

Nate gave a grunt of sorts to her initial comment about everything being a dead-end, but as she began to spin some ideas, he looked up at her, giving her his full attention as he usually did. More so now because she was giving some excellent options on how to get Rachel and Olly out from under his f...