Potions & Charms

Discussing

Scott left the day after, at noon.

Their goodbye was short, while the baritone was holding his passport tightly in his hand and seemed unsure of how to make it easier for them to part ways for now the Potion Master wrapped his hand around the back of his neck and pulled him down.

They shared a short yet sweet kiss and when Avi let go Scott noticed a gentle smile on his lips. "Come back soon?"

"Of course" Scott mumbled and looked at Avriel. For the first time since he met him the man seemed happy. Not fully, definitely not, but he was getting there and he was healthy, his wounds had healed and he had gained weight.

He smiled and gently patted Scott's chest. "You have to go, otherwise you'll miss your flight."

"Maybe I want to miss it and just be with you?"

Avriel chuckled softly and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. "Minerva would kill me for stealing her Charms professor after she lost a Potion Master."

"Probably, yeah. Promise me not to run away again? Whatever happens? If you feel like you have to then do it, but let me know where you are. So I can come and visit you."

"I will." He reached for Scott's hands and squeezed them lightly, three times. A nonverbal I love you. "Take care. And tell Kirstie and Mitch that they are welcome to visit whenever they want."

"Yeah, and then I went through security" Scott mumbled and finished the story. He reached for his glass of wine on the small coffee table in Mitch's chambers and sighed softly. "I miss him."

While Scott was on one couch, Mitch and Kirstie were sitting on the other. It was late, almost one in the morning, but after they hadn't seen each other all summer long there was lots to talk about. Avi was, of course, the main topic that evening and even though Kirstie had been rather salty about Scott not visiting her she was more than happy to hear about their reunion.

"And he's not coming back?" She asked with her head tilted slightly. "Weird, I thought I saw him but then everything went blurry, I don't know. Maybe he changed his mind."

Scott shrugged. "I don't know" he simply said and emptied his glass. "For now he's happy where he is. And who knows what he wants to do next. Avi doesn't need this job to pay his bills, he's better at other things. Honestly, I never really saw him as a good teacher. He knows a lot, yes, but he's not the right guy to explain things to a bunch of kids on what feels like crack."

Mitch couldn't hold back a chuckle. "Probably. He's too smart to stay here for the rest of his life. But it'll affect your relationship. Any plans for that?"

"Long distance for now until he's more stable. Then we'll see. I know that he has been thinking about moving again and he probably has a plan already, but he hasn't said anything to me yet. Which his fine, Avi has to think about his decision for quite a while before he is comfortable sharing them with me."

"Isn't that super annoying?" Kirstie asked and refilled her wine glass. "And he doesn't give back much either, from what I've heard. How are you not frustrated?"

The tall man thought for a moment. She was right, being with Avi meant a lot of waiting and patience, but then again she was wrong. Avi gave back a lot. "He gives back a lot, especially trust. Every time he scoots a little closer at night or turns his head to tuck it under my chin when we cuddle, when he bumps into me or brushes his hand against mine my heart bursts. He's so sweet. It means the world to me that he has met hundreds of people in his life and yet I'm the one he trusts the most and- and approaches for comfort. It's hard to explain, but- Avi is very sweet."

"Scott, we're glad you found someone" Mitch said and swirled his wine before he reached for some crackers. "But we saw you going through hell for this man and we were worried."

"I know. I understand. Honestly, it was a hell of a trip and I don't think it's over yet, but he's working so hard on getting better and I believe that he's on the right track to get better. Trauma from years of abuse doesn't just disappear overnight."

Kirstin hummed in approval and looked at him. "When will you see him again?"

"Probably not before Christmas, I don't know yet."

"That's fucking sad."

"Thank you, Mitchell."

"But you're not planning on leaving us, right? For Avi?"

Scott frowned. "Why would I? No, no plans on leaving. After all I do have to earn money, I'm not as talented as my handsome boyfriend. Can you guys imagine that he wrote a whole book and then didn't publish it because he couldn't find a fitting title?"

The woman groaned before she took another sip of her wine. "Are you serious? Merlin."

"Yeah, exactly. He doesn't need a job to survive, he just works cause he enjoys it. Anyway, I'm not leaving anytime soon. Not before I get famous and make money by just sitting on the couch."

When Scott entered his chambers that night he couldn't help but smile. He spotted a package on his couch table and, sitting on the back of the couch, a great barred owl that was staring at him through its liquid golden eyes.

"Jesus fucking- who are you?"

The owl just blinked and then hooted. It spread its wings for just a moment before folding them against the sides of its body again, tucking his neck in to prepare for sleep.

Scott walked over to the fireplace and took the package, then removed the paper and revealed a beautiful yet heavy book and a piece of parchment with Avi's handwriting on it.

"First draft" Scott read and hummed. "tell me if you like it? I would've told you but we were too busy kissing. Oh, and Aldrich bites. Keep the bedroom door closed, otherwise he will try to take over the bed. Love and miss you, Avi." He chuckled quietly and made his way to the kitchen to fetch a couple of owl cookies for the animal before he had a closer look at the book.

His eyes went wide when he not only noticed the detailed drawing of the plant Avi had grown in the dungeons on the cover but his own name below Avi's as well. Avriel B. Kaplan and Scott R. Hoying, followed by "Genetics, Toxins and Overall Preferences of the Common Vampire Hybrid — An Observation".

The baritone couldn't hold back a grin and found himself in bed just five minutes later with the book in his hands.