Serpentine [T.M. Riddle]

Sino sangriento

cw for teenage sexual exploration, NO THERE IS NO SMUT, just awkward feelings, emotional baggage, and coming of age stuff.

-

[...]

desde que fui fundado,

y aun antes de que fuera

proferido, empujado

por mi madre a esta tierra codiciosa

que de los pies me tira y del costado,

y cada vez más fuerte, hacia la fosa.

[...]

Sino sangriento by Miguel Hernández

—

She breaks the kiss, "You're an awful kisser."

The cockatiel on top of her head squawks.

He chuffs, but her words bruise him, however lightly. However playful her tone. "I imagine I should practice then." Smooth recovery. The kiss has emboldened him. He wonders how long it'll last.

She lets him kiss her again, thankfully.

—

Elsewhere, there are people running to bomb shelters. To the tube tunnels, to the cellars. Elsewhere, there are people quietly suspecting their neighbours of being Grindelwald sympathizers. Elsewhere, a group of Slytherins and a prefect car are wondering about the whereabouts of Tom Riddle.

He stands on the platform in Hogsmeade. Waiting. Shaking, still. Heart like a hummingbird again, unable to keep still. Head racing and dizzy simultaneously, swimming with...thoughts and feelings–More than one. Maybe even three.

It feels like he's been drugged, but he doesn't feel sluggish or tired, it feels like his blood has been replaced with caffeine and his bones charged with electricity. Like he could stand toe to toe with a dragon and come out of it unscathed.

The feeling is similar to how he felt when he killed his grandparents.

He doesn't know what comes next–after this–after he has...made his feelings clear. Out in the open. He was late, running late. The train is due to arrive, and he wonders if he can speak to his court while still feeling like a foolish little boy with a crush.

Are they...Are they an item? Surely they are, they didn't discuss or establish anything, but–It's obvious, right? That they are exclusive and they are to be officially something. Maybe. Tom's never had any interest in a sweetheart, and the one (sometimes two or three) feeling he has is... Well, it's an insult to say that it's something as mild as a girlfriend.

But what else is there?

They could...get married. That's the natural course of action, isn't it? The right and proper thing to do. He would rightfully inherit the title of baron and the deeds to the Riddle house, as well as the legacy of Slytherin. And she would...be Baroness Riddle? Missus Tom Gaunt? Lady Slytherin? No, she would keep her name, she's worked so hard to find it again. Very untraditional, the rabble would gasp and gossip about it for years, but once he's able to come into his power, it won't matter what they say about her. About them. They'll be family. Bonded in magic. It was his plan, anyways, before he even realized how he felt...

He plays with the Gaunt ring. Toys with the bracelet.

She...does she like him? Does she want him? She must, she kissed him, after all. Or rather, allowed him to kiss her and... Yes, she reciprocated. He thinks. There wasn't protest or neutrality. Rather, it felt like she was curious to see what he would do. How he would lead. Like a test. She was still, only slightly leaning towards him, hand on his thigh.