Fallin' For You (Bro AU)

Professors Posts : 147

Brooke Walters, 20.

As the second year of Uni life rolled in, Brooke was already settled into her room and had finished unpacking. She had purposely gone a few days earlier so that she could readjust to the scenes and life of Merlin's Academy, as well as do some last minute revision without the constant distraction of family. Auror training had been tough but rewarding the previous year and already she was looking forward to this term of studies. Classes were starting the next day, and waking up to wonderful weather, Brooke did not want to spend the day indoors. Deciding to go for a walk, she slipped on a jumper and left her dorm.

The weather outside was perfect - sunny but not overly hot, with a light wind that chilled the heat of the sun. The ground was covered with leaves of different colours, some crunchy and others soft with dew, and they made music as Brooke walked slowly, enjoying the atmosphere and the temporary freedom that lay between home life and studies - when she was by herself and had no responsibilities to fulfill.

Glancing around, she caught sight of a flock of people and felt her heart did a tiny flip, frowning in annoyance at herself. She recognized the locks towering over the other colours of hair, and try as she might, was not able to shake the whirlwind of activity that started in the pit of her stomach. Joe Astrid. The one person she actively avoided, but not because she hated him - Brooke was taught never to hate anyone. Rather, she had a crush on the boy, a thing she would never, ever admit, not even if faced by death.

Brooke Walters, who swore up and down to all her friends she wasn't interested in guys, who wanted nothing to do with relationships of that kind, who insisted that 'petty' crushes and infatuations weren't something that happened to her, had a deep, dark secret that nobody knew of, not even her mother (who, by the way, she told everything to) - she had been crushing on Joe Astrid for a total of 4 years.

Not love - she would never use that word - but ever since brushing against him in the corridor back in her 4th year in Gryffindor (he was a Hufflepuff and older than her by a whole year) she had somehow fallen. Hard. Why, she honestly had no idea, because she wasn't interested in relationships and yet, every time she saw him or taught of him or heard him being mentioned, something happened inside her and she felt all warm and fuzzy and cold and happy and nervous all at the same time. It was as though he alone held the power to conjure up butterflies that flew around in her stomach, and she both hated and adored the feeling - hated, because it was just not her; adored, because it usually meant he was near.

She dare not admit it to anyone, for fear of mockery and embarrassment. Even to herself, she tried to deny it for the better part of two years, until it got to a point where she just couldn't and she compromised by allowing herself to mentally freak out in the privacy of the bathroom, when she was showering - it was the only time that nobody would ever see her. Honestly speaking, Joe was not the type she thought she would fall for - if ever - because, simply put, he was out of her league.

Logic told her that it was stupid and pointless to like Joe, because he was one of the 'popular' boys, the one that all the up-there girls went after, flinging themselves at him and flirting shamelessly, and Brooke just wasn't one of them. Oh, sure, as a metamorphmagus, she could very easily alter her looks to something that was eye catching, but that was not who she was.

Brooke's standards for herself were high - but not in an egoistic manner - having been raised to value both herself as a person and as a female. Her mother taught her never to stoop so low as to use body parts to attract male attention, and her father had instilled firm teachings of what a proper gentleman should be like. As such, Brooke knew better than to flaunt any features she may or may not have, and would never consider changing anything to make her more appealing. It was a struggle, because the desire to be noticed or acknowledge by Joe Astrid was overwhelming, but in the end, morals and what her heart had been moulded to be won, and Brooke had to be satisfied with hallway passings and glances in class.

Now, as her heart did gymnastics, she let out a soft sigh and forced her head to turn away from the direction of the gang. It was no doubt Joe and his usual posse, and a part of her wished she could be there, with them - or with Joe. It won't work, she told herself as she continued down to the forest, which she had grown to love over the year. He's a popular kid; I'm a nobody. I should just forget about him and move on. But it wasn't as easy as just thinking - she had been doing that for the past 4 years to no avail. At least, at the very least, she had managed to keep it a secret from her friends and no one knew.

Making her way to a clearing that she had stumbled across the previous term, she tried to think of other things - studies, Tristan, her family - but her mind always brought her back to the one boy she just did not want to think about. With another sigh, she stepped out into her spot and made her way to the fallen tree log and pulled herself up. It was old, and half decayed, but still in very good shape and made for a very comfortable place to sit or lie down. When the weather was particularly nice, she would bring her homework and assignments to complete out here.

Today, however, she had nothing to do but lay on the moss-covered wood and stare at the sky above, covered with a netting of green leaves. Thankfully, the canopy above was not thick, and there was a large amount of light that shine through, making this hideout a perfect spot - and that was also why Brooke kept this place a secret; it was for her and her alone, when she needed to get away and just relax.

Eyes open and staring up at the interlocking patterns above, she began to day dream, smiling as she lost herself in a world of her own creation, that existed only in her mind and nowhere else.

[[OOC: OOPS! Sorry it's so super long; I totally got carried away. O.o And uh, I kinda, sorta couldn't help it - their first meet in a forest just seemed apt. ]]

Healer In-Training Posts : 30

Fallin' For You (Bro AU) Tumblr_n5pyrcPuEu1s5ds29o1_500

Joe Astrid, Age 21.

Being back at university was the best feeling. Now in his third year of studying to be a healer - much to the confusion of just about everyone who knew him back in Hogwarts - Joe Astrid was fairly happy to say that he was making his way up in the world. For the last few years he had been earning a meager living as a barkeep in a pub close to his home, but he didn't really need the money. It just felt cool to be able to say he earnt everything himself.

The boys (well, men, but it felt odd to refer to them that way) - Taylor, Dylan and Michael - had been Joe's best friends throughout Hogwarts and in the time after. They were practically four halves of the same being. When one of them laughed, they all laughed, and when one of them got in trouble, they all willingly took the fall. It was just how they rolled. All for one, one for all.

Each were training for a different profession, but that did nothing to stunt their friendship. They still adventured together, sat in the local bars for drinks on a Friday night, still met up almost every day for regular chats and friendly laughs. Joe loved them, loved them all, and he told them everything.

Well, mostly.

While the other three were willing to talk very openly about girls and their romantic (and often otherwise) interests, Joe was much more of a closed book. He was the ringleader of the group, the man with the plans as it were, but he felt that his interests when it came to girls, and boys- but the other guys knew about that and were totally cool - were to be kept on a much more personal level.

As they all walked side by side with Joe towering a few inches above his friends, they were never short of laughter, never without a grin on their lips. The grounds were huge, surrounded by a forest they had dared to venture into a handful of times, but they never found anything of interest.

Today seemed to be different on that front.

On their travels around the grounds, Joe saw a girl. He recognised her instantly; they'd had a small collection of run-ins back at school, and he was sure they'd worked on a potions assignment together once when Dylan was ill and Taylor decided to favour Michael that day. Brooke, he was certain her name was, and the young brunet couldn't help but grin a little as he saw her headed towards the forest.

"I'll catch up with you later, okay?" he told the other three, hanging back for a moment before he headed off in the direction the dark haired witch had done. A wolf-whistle from the lips of the only boy in the group who knew how to do so rang in the air and Joe rolled his eyes, waving them off as he followed after her. He heard a few twigs crack under his feet, his curiosity only growing as she ventured deeper into the trees, before she stopped dead and sat down.

For a while, he stood in silence, watching her chest rise and fall with each breath she took. He couldn't stay there any longer though, feeling just a little creepy for it, and he emerged from behind the tree with his arms folded. "Pardon if I'm being dreadfully rude..." His words penetrated the silence, surprising himself a little, as he took a few steps closer to her. "But isn't the point of being back at University to meet and greet your friends again?"

[[OOC: what was that you said about getting carried away? It's cool I totally do it too!]]

Professors Posts : 147

The serenity of the place was something Brooke thoroughly enjoyed; it was calmer than the lake and the chances of someone else stumbling across it were very, very slim. As with all forests, there were other creatures - Muggle and magical - and she had already come to name the individual thestrals that had been her companions at times. Sounds like footsteps and rustling leaves were common, as were the breaking of twigs - not all the animals that stayed here walked carefully - and it didn't once concern her to hear such noises. In her mind, there was no possibility of it being another person.

She was just beginning to hum to herself when a sudden human voice pierced her thoughts. Bolting upright in shock, she tried to place the voice as she turned; there was just something familiar about it, but in a distant sort of way, as thought she had only ever heard it in her mind. And then her eyes caught sight of the man approaching her, and she felt her reply catch in her throat as Joe Astrid continued speaking.

In her mind a thousand things started up, and she blinked uncertainly at him as thoughts raced. What is he doing here? Is he talking to ME? Why would Joe be here? What do I say? Oh my gods, what do I do? Am I dreaming? Did I fall asleep? Merlin's beard did he follow me into the woods? No, don't be stupid, Brooke. There's no way he would do that. Then WHAT IS HE DOING HERE?!

Realizing that she had been staring at him silently for the past few seconds, mouth open slightly in surprise - at both someone being there, and that Someone being Joe - she attempted a smile. Brooke could feel her breath getting caught, but also knew she had to reply, because he had asked her a question and she couldn't very well just keep silent. Below her jumper, she could feel her heart racing, beating at a pace she didn't know was possible - and was it just her imagination or was all her other functions slowed down?

Nodding slowly to buy herself time, she offered another smile that she was sure came out crooked. "Th..-" Coming out terribly coarse, she gave a cough before continuing. "They went to the village." It was true - the note left on the table of her dorm told her as much, and although slightly hurt that she hadn't been invited, she had just shrugged it off. "I could say the same for you," she added, trying to act normal and not as though she felt her heart was about to explode. And also because I don't want to seem as though I was spying on you earlier, her mind piped up, and she forced back a blush.

Healer In-Training Posts : 30

For a second Joe felt bad about disturbing her. She had looked so peaceful, so at ease with nature and with the world, so when she jumped up, he couldn't help but feel an odd warmth creep up his neck. It was the same kind of feeling he got when he was caught in the broom cupboard with his latest catch, but there was something distinctly different. In those instances, he wasn't actually feeling any regret, but right then, he wanted to leave her be.

The way she stammered as she spoke made him chuckle. Not deliberately of course, but the sound bubbled in his chest, rising to his throat and before he could stifle it, there the noise was. He tried to cover his back with a cough, raising a hand to his mouth and rubbing his throat afterwards, though he doubted highly that the intellectual witch before him would fall for such games.

Her words met his ears, and Joe could only think "without you?" in response. He narrowed his eyes slightly, taking a few careful steps towards her and towering over the witch from a few feet away. "I already have," he said in reply to her, offering a shrug as he looked pointedly at the ground next to the witch silently asking if he would be allowed to sit at her side. "I'm going to catch up with them later. There's only so much of those boys that I can take."

As he looked her over, eyes scanning her face, the way her hair fell and the way she sat, Joe stifled another soft chuckle. She looked so different to how he remembered her, but then again, his biggest memory of Brooke involved a rather nasty explosion in a potions classroom and an odd mixture of ingredients in his hair. It had taken three showers to cleanse himself properly after that, but he didn't blame her; it was at least fifty percent his fault for not being good at potions.

"I must say, you do look better without a failed Amortentia attempt on your clothes."

Professors Posts : 147

As Brooke sat there, staring at Joe, her mind suddenly started working again and it was as though the floodgates had been closed. Emotions and jumbled up sentences that once flew around her head organized themselves and she slowly began to make sense of it all. And, as if it wasn't obvious before, she realized that this wasn't a dream and Joe was actually standing right in front of her.

How many times had this scenario run through her head? How many times did she daydream of him coming over to her and saying 'hi'? Asking 'how are you'? Giving her just a little attention? She was disgusted at her own self for even doing that; she felt like a love sick puppy and it just wasn't something she ever thought she would become. At times she almost felt like some crazy psycho stalker but then again, she didn't actually stalk him. So to now look at the man before her and realize that it wasn't a daydream and that he really was standing there and he really was talking to her... Well, it simply floored her beyond belief.

The question 'why' lingered on the tip of her tongue but it was silenced when he laughed. Or was it a cough? The way he massaged his throat and covered his mouth... But no, she was pretty sure it had been a laugh - or a chuckle, whatever one wanted to label it. Was it at her, then?

She didn't have the time to process it completely because Joe was speaking to her and saying things about having left his gang .. but to what? Sit out here in the middle of the forest with a nobody like her? His gaze didn't skip her notice and she nodded, both at what he was saying and as an answer to the question he didn't voice, but she was sure he was asking.

Just to be sure he understood, she gave a half-smile and said, "There's enough space for the both of us. Do you want to sit?"

His next comment confused her for a moment, before she rather abruptly recalled the particularly embarrassing situation. It had been way back in their Hogwarts years when they had ended up working on a particularly challenging potion together - and this was before her whole stupid crush thing started, which partially explained why she didn't instantly remember what happened - and, as it usually did with Brooke, the potion had gone terribly, terribly wrong. In short, it exploded over both students, and about half the class with the thick goo - that was not supposed to be thick.

She let out a giggle. "And you look better without that slime in your hair," she quipped, forgetting for a moment that she was talking to the Joe Astrid. But of course her mind had to bring that back up and again she found herself shy. "Soo..-" she started, trying to come up with something to talk about. It would be rather awkward to just sit there in silence. "What brings you out here?"

Healer In-Training Posts : 30

Joe was almost relieved when she asked him to sit - or rather, if he would like to - and he sat down at her side, leaning against the same log as the witch, and he turned to face her slightly, intrigued by her for some reason. He guessed he always had been, intrigued by the way she seemed to shy away from him, by the way she got all flustered. It was entertaining, and a little endearing, but he'd never admit that.

He couldn't remember when he'd met the witch for the first time. Not properly. She seemed to be omnipotent, in a way - ever present, ever powerful over the boy, and he was confused about when she'd started appearing. He was the year above her, that much he knew, but other than that he couldn't place anything, other than the fact that one day she was there, when the day before she was not.

He'd made a few vain attempts to get her attention. Deliberately colouring the drinks of all the Gryffindor table to make their lips turn blue for a day; throwing paper balls at the back of her friends' chairs; making sarcastic remarks to the professors for the classes they were in together. No matter how hard Joe seemed to try, she just seemed to run away, and he'd taken the hint after a while.

The pretty girl just wasn't interested.

Truth be told, it wasn't something Joe was used to. He was used to having girls falling at his feet, begging to be his date to Masquerades and hanging around him just for a dance, but he'd never been not able to get someone he wanted before. Brooke was a challenge, or at least - she had been. He'd sort of given up after 6th year and now she was a bit of a faded memory.

"You're not wrong," Joe chuckled, running his fingers through the dark strands that had fallen down over his forehead. "Trust me, it takes time to look like this, and that potion attempt messed me up for three days."

Her next question perplexed him, for no other reason than he didn't want to give her the real answer. He didn't want to say "I saw you headed out here and jumped at the chance", because not only did that sound a little desperate (and Joe was not desperate), but because it was weird. It was odd to just follow someone you knew once upon a time out into the forest - he was impressed that the girl hadn't headed for the hills.

"Like I said," he started, once he'd managed to gather his thoughts enough to find a believable response. "There's only so much of those guys I can take. They're absolute lads, I love them, but I like to be alone sometimes, you know?"

It wasn't until after he'd said it that Joe realised; alone, he'd said, but he wasn't alone at all, nor did he really want to be. A girl of Brooke's intellect would figure that out in a heartbeat, he was sure, and he had to cover himself. Fast. "Well, sort of. Alone, I mean. It's nice to just not be surrounded by people who wolf-whistle when you go off into the woods on your own for a few minutes, isn't it? People who can hold an intelligible conversation. What about you?"

Professors Posts : 147

She had to fight to keep the nerves down when he moved to sit beside her. It was all so surreal that she couldn't help but wonder if she was going to wake up at any moment. It wouldn't have been her first time dreaming of him; many night she had woken up, inches away from him asking her out, or just seconds after they started talking. Frustrating and very heart wrenching, Brooke had learnt to deal with such dreams. But if this was a dream, she realized that it would be a very painful one to wake up from; it was the most interaction she had ever had before.

Her stomach flipped as he swept back his hair. It was something she had seen him do quite often - not that she'd ever admit to watching him, of course - and figured it to be a habit by now. If it indicated anything she wasn't sure; she knew that sometimes things like that were tells, but to what (if any) she didn't know. Perhaps he was bored, or perhaps he was actually interested in their meeting.

Yea, right. As if he would ever be interested in a nobody like me, she thought, subconsciously reaching up to wind a strand of her black hair around her finger. This was her tell, but she did not know of it; whenever she was nervous or feeling shy, it was something she did. And she was most definitely not feeling herself in this moment.

Instead, she let out a chuckle, but didn't dare reply immediately. She was sure he was joking around and wasn't honestly that stuck up, but at the same time, he was right. He looked absolutely stunning, and was it just the way the light was shining or did he look even better up close? Her stomach did another somersault that she forced herself to ignore.

"It took me all but ten minutes and a quick shower," she said, because the silence was too much. It was true; all she did was regrow her hair and step under running water for a couple of minutes for everything to go back to normal. But even as she spoke, she wondered if he even knew of her abilities - Brooke wasn't one to brag about things, so she kept it on the down low, but didn't exactly hide it either. It was part of who she was and that was it.

Alone. The word penetrated her mind and engulfed her entirely. Was he asking her in a nice way to go away? Did he mean being with her now was not something he wanted or enjoyed? Her heart sank all at once and her eyes momentarily lost their sparkle as she looked down and away. I should have known. I'm a nobody, she thought to herself, biting back the taste of disappointment. She was used to the feeling by now, so it wasn't too difficult.

But then Joe was continuing and it made the spark come back alive. He thought she was able of that? The question was then returned her way, and she hesitated again before lifting her head to look at him; it was impolite to converse without looking at the person whom one was talking to.

"I wouldn't know. Nobody has ever wolf-whistled at me," she said with a shrug and a smile, showing she didn't really mind that fact. It honestly didn't bother her, because then she could focus on her studies. "Me? Oh, I just like the solitude, getting away from the hustle and bustle of everything, you know? I'm not exactly a social butterfly." Like you, she added mentally, but didn't say it aloud.

Instead, she smiled again and shrugged casually. "It's nice just being alone with my thoughts. But.." she hesitated, wondering if she should. Then, deciding there was nothing to lose, went on. "But I'm glad you're here. It was getting boring."