KinnPorsche at Hogwarts

Time x Tay x Tem [3]

Tay was going to leave him.

It was only a matter of time before Tay realized he could do so much better and Time was left in the dust. Groaning in frustration at yet another crumbled mold, he scooped the clay off the rolling slab and slapped it back on again, sighing to himself. This was what you got when you fucked around found out.

Thing is, Time had known Tay would get mad. A part of him hoped Tay would get mad. But he hadn't really prepared himself for the way watching Tay get that lost, empty look in his eye would make Time feel. Because Tay knew, at least, Time assumed Tay knew that there was no one else. Time liked to flirt, he let people touch him, more often than not it was harmless and he loved the attention. But he hoped that Tay knew it never went beyond that. Not since... not since that big fight that had led to Tay and Tem being a thing.

Nothing could set you more straight than realizing your boyfriend knew he had options. Realizing Tay was aware of the appeal he had over other people. Because Tay liked to move like he didn't know. He'd walk into a room, head held high, like he was above human attention and didn't give a fuck. Tay was worldly because he read romance novels and wrote raunchy stories about sex, but Tay didn't think of himself as sexy. Didn't believe Time when Time tried to flirt with him.

Which was why he was safe. Time loved that Tay didn't recognize or care that other people wanted him... until Tem. Whatever Tem had done had awakened a new kind of knowledge in Tay that Time couldn't comprehend. Suddenly, Tay was walking with a swag, looking people in the eye, flirting with people and walking away.

It hurt to see it. But it was also incredibly intoxicating to see Tay work some poor bastard up to the point of breathlessness, because Tay would eventually come right back to Time.

But how many times would Time fuck up before Tay stayed away? Because Tay had choices now, Time wasn't the only one anymore. And every romantic notion of one true love was on shaky ground, as long as Tem was alive and well.

The door to the shed cricked open and Time looked up.

There Tay was, leaning on the doorframe.

Time stood to his feet, wishing his hands weren't covered in clay, and he didn't have a muddied apron on.

"I'm sorry," he said, immediately.

Tay didn't come in. He just stood there, bathed in the sunlight coming from outside. Ethereal as always, with his blond hair and Hufflepuff scarf, practically blended into each other.

"I shouldn't have kissed him."

"I shouldn't have thrown Romo and the rest in your face," Tay said, looking away as his fingers picked at the door frame. "I was just being petty because I know they don't mean anything."

As he took a step into the shed, Time's heart floated in relief.

"I wish I could say the same about Tem." Time looked down at his hands, wringing the clay drying off and dumping the excess on the slab. "I would, in the spirit of reconciliation, but I'd be lying and you know when I'm lying, so..."

Tay smiled, dragging a stool to sit opposite Time as he pulled Time to follow.

"I know it's not the same."

"I'm not trying to be a hypocrite because, god knows, I fucked a lot of other guys-"

"I get it." Tay pulled out a kerchief to clean his hands, as he crossed his legs, off to the side. "Should we..." Tay looked Time in the eye. "Should we talk about it? I think we should."

"I want to." Time wiped his hands on his apron but that didn't clean it much.

"I'll take some responsibility for-"