mickey einstein just wants to make a name for himself in the quidditch world and move far away from everything and everyone. a certain haughty james potter is getting in the way of that.
[intrigue universe]
[james x male oc]
[james' sixth-seventh ye...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
10
Mickey is definitely overreacting. He's known James for four months at most, and the term love is a bit overused at this point. He mulls over his recent thoughts as he lays down and decides it must be the planets. There must be some kind of retrograde-or-other making him feel emotional. He can also chalk it up to loneliness, and his uncanny ability to cling on to the first person who so much as breathes in his direction.
He decides he's not in love, and he might not even have a crush.
He likes James a lot, as a person and a friend. But he doesn't know why it should be more than that. James has never hinted towards being anything other than straight, and Mickey doesn't want to act like he has. James is just really good at making people feel as if they belong, and that's something Mickey has longed for for a long time.
Mickey reckons he made a mountain out of a molehill.
He talks to Millie Yoon about it, because she's nice to him, and she wouldn't make him feel stupid about his ever-changing feelings.
Her hair is black again — dyed after the last Hogsmeade trip — and she's got on dark pink lipgloss that leaves a mark on her cigarette every time she takes a drag. "Benji's the same way. He gets carried away with people."
"I don't want to," Mickey says. "He's with Lily now, and it's weird. We're getting really close, and I've never had a friend who is genuine with me the way James is. I don't want to ruin that by being a creep."
"First of all, you aren't a creep just because you like someone." Millie pouts at him, eyes concerned. "Do you think you aren't allowed to like James?"
Mickey shrugs. "Not just James. I can't like any boy. Not really. Not unless I want to get beat up. Or get my crush beat up. Roman already suspects I like James. He suspects I like every boy I hang out with. Maybe I do, I dunno."
They're in the Clocktower Courtyard, sitting in front of the giant pendulum and trying to study for their upcoming potions exam. Really, all exams should be in the forefront of Mickey's mind, since there's only a month or so left in the school year. Mickey should be worried about spending yet another summer with his dad and brother, not about liking or not liking a boy.
His first draft is already finished, and Millie has a thing about gossip breaks after milestones. Mickey doesn't mind, since he doesn't really have anyone else to talk to about this predicament. Adam is an option, but he is also really good at making Mickey feel bad about stuff he shouldn't feel bad about. Mickey doesn't like putting himself through that.
"You shouldn't be around Roman or your dad," Millie says. She snuffs the butt of her cigarette into the wooden floor and gives Mickey a pity-filled look. "Sirius is talking about getting an apartment this summer. Benji and I are probably going to move in with him."
