gooseberryhigh | (no subject)

Who: Veronica Powers & Jeremy Rasmussen
When: [Backdated to 5/15] After this
Where: By the Lake
What: A simple chat. And maybe something more.

Jeremy, true to his word, was waiting outside the Lodge after dinner for Vee. There had been something on his mind the last couple of days and the simplest way to handle it, he had come to realise, was to just talk to the girl about it. He was leaning against a tree, his hands tucked in his pocket, hands folded across his arms as he waited for her to arrive.

Vee honestly couldn’t imagine what Jeremy wanted to ask her. It was a rather odd request, but considering everything he’d done for her (and yes how much she still missed him), she couldn’t do anything but agree. Not that her curiosity would let her do anything else anyway. After she finished eating, she headed outside the lodge, her mind already half on next practice and any new routine elements they might be able to incorporate at their next practice that could be ready in three weeks.

Spotting Jeremy, she smiled despite herself, coming to a stop beside him. “You know, I had hoped to work on that ‘stay away’ stance you have before you graduated,” she teased as she stopped fully.

The sight of her still brought a smile to his face, that much he couldn’t deny. Even if a lot of things had changed, that was one thing that remained constant. He reached over and mussed the hair on the top of her head, grinning. “That’s exactly the reason why it’s finally okay to meet you like this,” he told her.

“C’mon,” he indicated with a slight incline of his head. “Walk with me for a bit. There’s something I want to show you.” He turned to walk towards the lake.

When they finally arrived, Jeremy picked a spot on the bank that was open and bright enough under the moonlight. He pointed his wand at a spot on the ground.

There was no incantation to give any hint as to what was going on in his mind. And at first there was truly nothing out of the ordinary. But then, out of what seemed like an ordinary blade of grass on the ground, a single rose began to emerge. The stem appeared first, in all of his thorny gloriousness, then the tip of the stem continued to bud, growing into a beautiful dark maroon rose, so dark it bordered on black.

When he had finally completed the transfiguration, he bent over and picked it up, bringing it to Vee. “For you,” he told her. “I don’t have a promposal. Or even anything truly fancy. But that’s because you deserve to go to Prom with someone who will truly be there for you. Even beyond this school year and to the next.”

He gave her a small smile. “I can’t get it to turn any other colour. Sorry it’s almost black. But that’s probably an apt colour, given that it’s from my cold, dead heart. But if you could find it in you, I’d love to have that last dance with you at Prom before I leave this place for good.”

And that was probably Jeremy being the most honest he had been about his own feelings for a very long time.

“What’s the reason? That I don’t stay away?” she wondered, still smiling despite her initial playful scowl at him mussing her hair. Vee’s eyes sparkled still, and it was impossible to hide the smirk on her lips despite how she acted like she hated it. She was honestly surprised there had ever been a time when she was mad at him.

At the incline of his head, she merely nodded, though her expression turned obviously curious. Vee didn’t ask where they were going, more so because she didn’t mind walking with Jeremy nearly anywhere. So long as he didn’t head towards the woods, she was fine. Once they stopped by the bank, Vee looked around, confusion taking up residence on her face. Before she could ask, Jeremy was pulling out his wand, and she was transfixed as she watched the rose begin to take shape. It was impressive work, even from someone who claimed transfiguration as their strongest subject, and her lips slowly curved into a smile once it finished. The shape was perfect, the stem long and elegant as it led up to a perfect bloom. Dark or not, it was beautiful, and her expression said as much as she took it from Jeremy. “It’s beautiful, but what-” she started, though as usual she was speaking too much. He had more to say, which she wasn’t used to, but she quickly closed her mouth so she could listen.

Vee had to bite her lip as the words came, and she felt a slight tightening in her chest as she tried not to show how much emotion she felt. She hadn’t expected anything like this from Jeremy, and had an easier time staying quiet the longer he spoke. She felt a pang as he mentioned leaving this place for good, though tried not to let it show lest he feel bad and the moment be ruined. When he finally finished, she brought the rose to her face, inhaling the sweet scent gently for a second while she tried to organize her thoughts. “First of all, your heart is neither cold nor dead nor black,” she said softly, raising her eyes to him as her lips curved up softly. “Second, whether you believe it or not, this would have been the perfect promposal. And I would have been lucky if you’d asked, no matter what you might think about what you or I deserve.”

She took a step towards him, still looking up at him, the rose now dangling gently in her hand by her side. “And third, I would be honored to give you that dance,” she added softly, though her expression made it clear he could have as many dances as he wanted, whenever he wanted. Vee arched up on her tiptoes, which was really the only way she was going to give him the kiss she wanted to thank him.

The kiss was a surprise, but Jeremy didn’t push Vee away. He returned the kiss. A gentle pressure against her wonderfully soft lips. It was bittersweet, almost. Because this was probably goodbye and both of them knew it.

He had his arms around her waist to hold her, purely for support. And when the kiss was over, he set her gently on the ground. There was a moment’s silence, where neither of them really wanted to break the silence. Understandable, given it was a somewhat sombre mood.

Finally, Jeremy still was the first to speak. And when he did, it was as though a weight on his shoulders had lifted, if he could be honest with himself. When the end of the year finally arrived, he would not be returning. Vee would. He wanted to make one of their last few memories at this high school together a memorable one.

“The last dance,” he agreed, that same small smile on his face. “And maybe a couple more in between then too. If I can manage to steal you away.” It was closure. And at the same time, possibly immortalising the happy times they’d spent together in this place where they had been together on and off for more than a year.

“C’mon, it’s getting late. I’ll walk you back to Ebonhide.” And for that one last time, he proffered his arm, indicating his services as an escort for the duration of the next couple of minutes’ walk back to Vee’s cabin.

It felt weird, to be saying this sort of goodbye even though they still had a month left. It also felt weird to think about only having a month left. Vee couldn’t help but think of how tumultuous the past few months had been, and how maybe she’d wasted the last little bit of time together that they had being mad at him for how he’d handled things before. There was nothing to be done about it now, except to enjoy the feel of his arms around her waist as she allowed herself one last kiss. It was definitely closure, and she needed it.

The silence once he set her back on her feet seemed to drag on, but it wasn’t really uncomfortable. There was a heaviness between them, but also a lightness. Vee couldn’t help but feel like some kind of weight had been lifted. Had she been waiting for this kind of finality with Jeremy the whole time? Whatever the reason, it felt...right. The companionship they’d been reconstructing lately was a comfortable feeling, and having all the emotions out in the open just made it feel like this was the way it was meant to be.

“It’s a deal,” she said with a smile, feeling indeed like they were cementing something here. No matter what people said or thought about him, Vee knew the truth. Jeremy was one of the best, maybe not in always saying the right thing in the right way, but he was good down deep where it counted. She was going to remember that the most from their time together, even if it was painful to think of not being able to talk to him whenever she wanted anymore. It was still okay.

Taking his offered arm, she gave him a grin, looping her own through his as they started to walk. It didn’t take long, much shorter than she wanted honestly, but there was no lingering tension; no awkwardness. Only a bittersweet air of all that had been between them, and the peace they’d seemed to finally reach. When they arrived at her cabin, Vee gave him a smile and a kiss on the cheek before telling him goodnight and dashing back inside. There were too many emotions to process still, but in a good way. She’d needed this.