LIFELINE | 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙮 𝙒𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙮

▪︎ 32.

"I wonder what will happen to Nearly Headless Nick." Eliza wondered as they sat around the fire late at night.

They deemed it best not to wander around anymore.

"He can't die again." Percy muttered deep into his Transfiguration book.

To be quite honest, he wasn't really that interested in the book. He was nervous about spending more and more time with Eliza.

Love. That feeling was scary. He didn't even know if it was love. He was debating again, was it love? Or was he just overthinking?

The complexity of Human Transfiguration— Was his mind playing tricks on him?

He liked her, yes, he wanted to spend every second with her, yes. But was it love that he was feeling?

"Are you listening to me?" Eliza asked as she seated right in front of Percy, her back to the fire, on the ground.

"Y-Yes. Er – I was..." Percy said, dazed by his thinking.

Eliza shook her head. "Oh yeah? What was I saying then?" She said playfully, folding her arms.

Flustered, he fumbled for words, "You were talking about Nearly Headless Nick and his fate." He tried.

"I was talking about that before." She said, raising a brow.

Percy readjusted his glasses. "Uh... well..." He faltered.

Eliza chuckled. "I said you should keep that photograph we took." She said, leaning forward.

Percy didn't miss the movement. Flushing red lightly, he answered back. "N-No, you can keep it."

She smirked at his stutter, "I wasn't asking." She said, placing a hand on his cheek and her lips hovering above his, but not making an attempt to kiss him.

"I..." He started to speak, but even he knew his voice would fail him, and so it did.

"You...?" Eliza whispered.

"Kiss me," Percy said, his breath shallow. He knew it was pointless to drone on the moment. He would just ask for it in the end. It was that much power she had over him.

"What's the magic word?" Eliza teased further, caressing his cheek with her thumb.

Percy closed his eyes instinctively. He squirmed under her touch. He could feel her breath against his. She was driving him crazy, yet he would never complain about it.

"Please." He gave in readily.

Eliza grinned, pulling away. She had to give herself a treat of seeing Percy, the boy who prided on being a Prefect, the boy who took no riff-raff from others, red under her touch. The same boy who looked positively embarrassed in this moment.

"Alexandera," He whispered, lightly pulling his sweater down his torso.

"Yes, darling?" She said, making him go even red with the nickname.

Percy looked away. Eliza could clearly make out the dying flames that were dancing around the fireplace, though the reflection of his glasses. He couldn't look at her, he was scared that if he did, he would blurt out I love you, which he was sure that if he did, he'd be seeing Merlin the next second.

"Kiss me, please." He spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm b... begging you."

Eliza giggled at his state. She couldn't tease him even if she wanted to. She, too, wanted to kiss him.

"You're so adorable, you know that?" Eliza said, pushing herself forward and kissing him firmly.

Percy let out a small whine as he kissed her back, pulling his sweater down even more, Seemingly lost in his thoughts as they kissed.