The Tribrid and Her Prison {COMPLETE}

Drop The Attitude

It was the middle of the night, but Hope couldn't get her conversation with Albus out of her head. Newt could tell she was too distracted to do much else than ponder her intrusive thoughts and told her to go and speak with him. Telling her that she had his full support in following the path of love, wherever it may lead.

That path led to Albus' office, which surprisingly was empty upon her entrance. She'd half expected him to be sitting by the fire in his chair with a cup of tea and a book. Though he hadn't slept soundly in so long, he probably collapsed onto the bed and passed out.

"Hope?" Albus asked, brows furrowing as he stepped out from the door that hid his chambers. He was still in his day clothes, but it seemed she'd caught him undressing as his shoes were off and his tie undone.

"Is everything alright?"

"You always ask me that."

He smiled crookedly. "I always will."

She let out a sigh and ran her fingers through her hair as he moved closer. "You seem very," he paused for the right word, "frazzled."

Rubbing the back of her neck, she nodded as he leaned against his desk, crossing his ankles. Why did Gray have to look so good on him?

"Yes, frazzled..." Hope trailed off and forced her eyes to look up at his. "I may have," she swallowed hard, "confided in Newt about a dilemma of mine."

His arms slowly crossed, eyes narrowing on her. "And what dilemma might that be?"

"Are we going to play that game?"

"You do like games."

"As do you," Hope matched his smirk.

Albus tapped his fingers against his elbows, watching her. Seeing through her. "What precisely did you confide in him about?"

She walked toward him, moving beside him to lean herself against the desk as he did. "I may have told him I have feelings for two people."

"Hm," Albus nodded slowly, staring at a place on the wall ahead, "and his response was?"

Hesitating, she watched his profile. Waiting for him to look at her, but he never did. "Why choose."

Now, he did look at her. "He said that?" He frowned.

"You seem surprised," Hope smiled, "I guess I was too. I didn't exactly expect him to be so understanding. I imagine most people wouldn't take too kindly that their girlfriend has a crush on another person."

Albus smiled thoughtfully. "You love him." He looked over at her, and she nodded.

"But I...well, he's not the only one who's proved himself worthy of my love..." Hope swallowed dryly, seeing the light in his eyes shift a little. "Talking about it might feel sudden, but the feeling of it wasn't."

Hope watched as he parted his lips, and she knew what he was about to ask, his expression puzzled.

"Remember when you first gave me the room of moonlight?" She asked softly.

Albus hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yes." His voice rumbled soft and deep.

"Tell me," she touched the silver ball on his desk, making it float in the air with a simple touch, "why did you design it like that?"

She looked up, meeting his eyes.

"Because," he started, carefully taking her jaw in her palm and stroking the apple of her cheek lightly, "when I think of you, I think of the moon."

Hope let herself lean into his touch. Relaxing, she closed her eyes. Letting herself get lost in the way his thumb stroked her bottom lip. The pressure of lips she'd been expecting never came.