bakerstreet | Hogwarts AU

Spot's about to automatically say no, because there's no way he'll be able to go to Scotland, but he's halfway through writing it when he realises that he doesn't have to think like that any more, and he can just ask.

So he does, and Medda says of course, though she writes a letter to Oliver's parents to enclose with Spot's letter to Marcus, to make sure it's fine with them and to confirm it's fine with her as long as she knows all the whens and wheres of it.

He scribbles out what he was going to write and instead says that he'll be there. He sits over the parchment for a little while before finally continuing, finding it a little easier to write the words and say them.

I know you think it's dumb, but I'm used to it by now. The thing is I was named after my dad, so it's hard to hear my name without thinking of him. Mum called me Patrick to tell us apart, but I don't even really like that. Both names have just got a lot of bad memories attached and I haven't really ever managed any good memories to replace them. I don't know. Maybe that'll change.

Maybe his name wasn't so bad when Marcus said it.

~~I'm trying to get better~~ Anyway I'll see you soon

S

Fuck your dad, it's your name now. Anyway, we're meeting at Gate D Floo, Oliver's dad works for the league nothing fancy we've got pretty good seats, again nothing fancy. But uh this is either a late or early birthday present I dunno just wear it to the match. With the letter, there is a brown package with a black t-shirt across the front it says Ballycastle Bats, with a large red bat on the back.

Oliver, Adrian, Basil, and Marcus are waiting at Gate D, the stadium charmed to be hidden from muggles it's also in the middle of the countryside. Adrian and Marcus are in Bats jerseys with Irish flags stitched on one sleeve, Basil and Oliver in PU gear.

Spot's never had a friend who got him a present before.

He's glad he's alone when he gets the letter because he can't hide his emotions at all, and he immediately tears open the package to run his fingers over the soft fabric of the shirt almost reverentially.

So of course he's wearing it when he arrives at the stadium (his first time using floo powder, as well, not that he'll admit it) and he heads over to Marcus and the others trying not to look as awkward as he feels.

"Hey.."

"Hey." Marcus smiles and the others greet him too, Oliver hands out the tickets for the game. "We've got time to get stuff from the concession stand," Basil says.

"Starting to think you only come with us for the food," Oliver says with a laugh.

"I do, certainly not to see you lot," he smirks.

Marcus gets a butterbeer and one for Sean. "Here. You can get the next ones." He smiles.

They settle into there seats and Marcus and Oliver look about as intense as they do when they are on the pitch.

"Uh they are a little nuts about this... more so when it's The Bats and PU." Adrian whispers to Spot. "Consider this you're warning," Basil adds with a laugh.

Spot takes his ticket and just kind of lets the conversation wash over him - he's not ignoring them quite the way he was trying to in the library, he just doesn't really have any contribution to make - keeping up with a friendship group isn't exactly something he's practiced at.

Mostly he's just trying not to think about the way his heart skipped when Marcus' fingers brushed his as he handed over the butterbeer.

"Pretty sure I already owe you plenty," he rolls his eyes, but follows them over to the seats and takes a sip with a private little smile because he loves butterbeer, it plays right into his sweet tooth and he almost never gets to have it and for all he feels awkward and out of place there's already something kind of perfect about today.

"'Course they are," Spot snorts, amused "Quidditch is basically their whole thing. I ain't surprised."

"I would say lives..." Adrian laughs softly.

Marcus' leg is leaning against Sean's eyes locked on the game yelling during certain plays, you can see why the pair are friends. Marcus' fingers brush against Sean's again once his butterbeer is done. The game is good The Bat's win (barely) but Marcus still rubs it good-naturedly in Oliver's face.

As they file out, "Oll and I have time to get food before we head back what about you guys?" Marcus asks.

His heart is racing because it's an exciting game. That's it. That's all. The game.

Only, the longer the game goes on, the more... well he and Oliver are so close. They poke and prod and tease each other but they clearly have a connection, and this is where Marcus came when he didn't have anywhere else to go.

Then there's the comment about getting food and honestly? Spot hates himself a little for getting so... caught up in Marcus. Just because he gave him a t-shirt and bought him butterbeer and Quidditch tickets, just because his touch made Spot's breath catch. It didn't mean anything.

The problem was, the realisation that there was probably something going on between Marcus and Oliver forced a subsequent realisation that he was jealous, which in turn sent him crashing into admitting that he was attracted to Marcus and it didn't fucking matter because he was taken.

It was a very complicated few minutes of revelation, and Spot would very much like to have not experienced it, thank you.

"I should probably head back." even though Medda had said he could stay out as late as he liked and even stay over, if he wanted.

Disappointment flashes across Marcus's face he takes a deep breath and kicks at the gravel on the ground. But Marcus is good at getting what he wants and he wants Sean to hang out a little longer.

He tosses an arm around Sean and smiles, though he's still getting used to that. "Please come." He says. God he was becoming a sap, "You know you want to."

Given everything he's just realised it's almost heartbreaking to have Marcus look so disappointed, and almost overwhelming to have him sling an arm around his shoulder and fucking smile like that and say please.

It was like he knew exactly what would break through Spot's defences. (It was him. He was the thing that broke through. He'd already done it, it had just taken Spot this long to realise).

The bastard.

"Fine."

Fuck it. Marcus thinks and doesn't take his arm off Spot's shoulder as they walk. He'd never been this fucked up about trying to date someone before. At school normally, it was just wanna go make out under the quidditch stands, go to Hogsmead. Blah Blah Blah. He didn't know why this shit was different.

They find a place to grab dinner when they get seated by a young wizard around their age, Marcus doesn't sit next to Oliver he slides in next to Sean to the point where their legs are almost touching. "I'm getting a milkshake tonight, I think." He mumbles starting to flip through the menu.

God it's like he fucking knows and he's just trying to torture Spot.

He should shrug Marcus' arm off, he shouldn't let him do this, but he's fucking weak and desperate for the touch even if it doesn't mean what he wants it to mean, so he lets it happen.

And then of course Marcus sits opposite Oliver, leaving him close enough to Spot that their legs are pressed together, again, and Spot's scowling as he stares at the menu because it's just not fucking fair.

Marcus starts to wonder if he was reading the signals wrong, but he pushes that from his mind. He leans his leg against Sean's and smiles a little, they order cheesy fries to split between the table. They eat and talk, it's nice Marcus starts to feel normal again, well, as normal as who's happy about their dad sitting Azkaban can feel.

"How's the place you're staying?" Marcus asks Spot.

"Yea it's... it's good." Spot admits. He doesn't exactly want to talk about it in front of other people but he also knows, now, that his story was splashed all over the front page of the daily prophet so half the wizarding world knew how much of an asshole his father was. Which. Thanks so much journalists.

"Medda and Bryan are really nice." he shrugs "They, uh, they bought me a broom. So maybe Hufflepuff will actually have half a fucking chance this year, since I won't be stuck on one of the school ones."

Oliver smiles at Spot, "What kind did you get?" He asks excitedly before Marcus can, But Marcus is smiling big at Spot.

"That's great." Marcus says, "We should figure out a day to fly together." Marcus says leg doing that bouncing thing again, only this time it's kind of against Sean's leg.

He's got such a nice smile.

Spot's so taken with looking at Marcus that he barely catches the question from Oliver. When it filters through he immediately drags his gaze away to stare at the table, feeling like a dick. Oliver's being so nice and all Spot can do is want his boyfriend. Great.

This is why he doesn't have friends.

Well okay, this is an entirely unexpected situation, but still.

"Uh, it's a nimbus" he answers "And yea, yea we should... do that..."

How was he supposed to ignore Marcus' leg when it was bouncing like that?

"Brilliant." Marcus grins "You're gonna have ta' get used to it before school starts." He says hopefully, poking at them going flying together again.

They finish eating split the check and head out. "Uh, I'll send you an owl about testing out that broom of yours." He smiles again, scuffing his sneaker in the gravel.

The other three look amused, and Marcus would punch them all if he could.

"Yea sure.. I'll uh.. I'll see you soon then I guess." he replies, confused why Marcus seems to be so nervous, but at least he's smiling.

"Oh.. thanks.. thanks for the shirt, by the way." he tugs slightly at the hem of it.

"Gotta make sure you don't fall in with the wrong lot." He laughs nodding at Basil and Oliver in PU blue.

Basil give Marcus a mock offended shove, making Marcus laugh.

When they part ways and Oliver and Marcus are back at Oliver's "You like him..." Oliver says in a teases voice.

"Shut up, or I'll tell your parents you're dating, Percy Weasley." He says narrowing his eyes.

"How..."

"I'm good a figuring things out." Oliver smiles, "also you left that letter on the table, you're mum almost picked it up." He laughs.

A few days later Marcus sends an owl to Sean asking if he wants to come over and fly on Saturday.

Honestly, Spot isn't sure, he doesn't know if he wants to be around Marcus' friends again, even though he can admit that actually the game was a lot of fun and they're alright people who clearly don't bear a grudge for his outburst in the library (or, thank god, treat him with kid gloves after knowing what happened to him) - though maybe that was because they also knew he could turn into a leopard and fucking maul them if he wanted to.

It probably wasn't that. It was probably the good people thing.

But he also can't not be around Marcus, so he agrees, of course he does, and when Saturday comes he's back in the bats t-shirt and heading over with his shiny new broom, and okay he's kind of excited to get flying.

Marcus smiles with Sean shows up, Oliver's parents had figured out Oliver was dating and that had been fun, but it also meant Oliver was now out on a date and wouldn't be back for a while.

Oliver's parents are sitting at the kitchen Oliver's dad reading Quidditch Weekly his mom reading The Daily Prophit. They greet Spot and chat with Spot a little while Marcus grabs his broom.

"Are you two going to be back for dinner or are you walking into town?" Oliver's dad asks the pair.

"Dunno, we'll come let you know?" Marcus says looking a little uncomfortable.

"Sounds good." He nods.

He smiles at Sean, "Come on."

Making small talk with parents is a new experience, but Spot is carefully polite and says as little as possible and tries not to be too obvious how relieved he is when Marcus gets back with his broom.

It's once they're out of the house and actually heading towards the field that he can't help but ask, his tone as casual as possible, "So, no boyfriend today?"

Marcus blinks as they walk and looks very confused, as they walk up to the field surrounded by apple trees.

"I don't... what boyfriend?" He asks changing the shoulder his broom is resting on.

"..Your boyfriend? The Scottish one with the bad taste in Quidditch teams? You got another one?"

He doesn't understand why Marcus is so confused

Marcus blinks and starts to laugh, "I'm not dating Oliver, I'm not dating anyone." He says shaking his head. "Oliver is one of my best friends, that'd be like dating Adrian or Basil." He wrinkles his nose. "Olivers on a date now, it's why I asked you to come over today." He says awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

"...you're not?"

He's not dating Oliver, he's not dating anyone, he's single.

Yea and he's still not going to be interested in you, asshole he tells himself.

"Shit... uh.. sorry, I just... thought.. you were.."

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