Zak didn't particularly want to be stuck in a tiny little room full of yelling human beings, so when Darryl (who he had incredibly mixed and confused feelings for) grabbed his arm and led him out of the train car, he happily obliged.
"Alright, I saw your face. What's the best word you could use to describe that room?" Dar hummed, his grip on Zak's wrist loosened but still there. Zak tried not to turn red.
"We'll go with stuffy." He wrinkled his nose. "Was hot in there."
"Agreed."
The Hogwarts Express bathroom was still somewhat small, but cool and empty, so that was where the two opted to sit. They slid down the wall near the door, shoulders touching.
"...Hey, Dar?" Zak asked after a moment of comfortable silence. Darryl hummed in acknowledgement. "Um... what if I like a guy?"
"What do you mean?" the brunette asked curiously.
"Like- I think maybe I have a crush on a guy? But I don't know if I'm gay or bi or anything like that." Zak shifted nervously, not meeting Darryl's bright green eyes.
"Well, alright. I'm pan; I can help you figure this out." He rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. "You like a guy, but have you ever liked a girl?"
"Yeees," Zak said uncertainly.
"Did you like these people strictly for who they are as a person?" Darryl asked.
"I mean. The guy, yes, the girl because she was cute and I asked her out on a dare and then accidentally started crushing on her."
"That's... okay, well," Dar muttered to himself. "Have you ever liked someone with more than one or no gender?"
"No," Zak confirmed.
"Well, that sounds like bisexual to me. You like guys and girls," Darryl pointed out suggestively.
"What was pan, that you said earlier?" Zak asked.
"Pansexual. I like people for who they are, regardless of gender," he explained. "I think I've only really had one real crush though."
Zak glanced at him hopefully. "Am I allowed to know?"
"Maybe," Darryl teased. "As long as you tell me who you like. I know him, right?"
Zak laughed nervously. "Yeah, yeah, you know who he is..." he mumbled.
"I don't know what that means, muffin. I'll tell you first if you want," Darryl offered. Zak nodded gratefully, and Dar suddenly looked like he wanted to do that a lot less. "We can start with hints. You know him, too."
"Well, mine likes guys too," Zak hedged.
"Same. He wants to dye his hair someday."
"Mine is really sweet."
"Mine likes to troll sometimes, but he is too."
"Green eyes."
"Brown eyes."
"Absolutely refuses to curse."
"Well, mine curses too much!"
"And his name," Zak said in a hushed voice, face beet red, "is Darryl."
"Aww, Zak." Dar smiled brightly and crawled in front of him so they were facing each other. "I love you too, muffinhead."
And they were this close to connecting their lips. It would have felt right, and it would've- it would've been... well, Zak didn't really know, because a CERTAIN SET OF TWINS CAME IN AND RUINED EVERYTHING.
