Dicing with Death

Being in possession of a sexuality wasn’t frowned upon in profession Quidditch but what depended on you success within the media as an athlete was what kind of sexuality you had. For the majority of Quidditch players, it wasn’t an issue but for those who deviated from the accepted norm and bent themselves at the hips to a slightly off-centre angle, life was quite a bit more challenging and, certainly, the media was much more unforgiving. That was why for the likes of Frank Longbottom, the particularly sexuality he possessed was one that only his nearest and dearest was aware of. It wasn’t something he splashed about. Rather, he preferred to hide, having convinced the Daily Prophet he had a penchant for busty blondes or something of the like. That’s how he’d survived. As it was, he hadn’t found anyone he considered worth bringing home to meet the parents and take home to marry anyway so it wasn’t as though he was going to find himself coming out in any great fashion anytime soon. That wasn’t what Frank wanted but at the same time he loathed the deception and it was the deception which had caught him out.

The people that Frank went home with were nameless faces and those who took him home considered him to be equally as anonymous, also. What he’d found in Toby was something akin to too many tequila shots and he couldn’t stop himself from going back before. Taking the younger man home had been the only option. Tasting every inch of the blonde’s skin had been Frank’s only desire and Toby had met his touch with equal fervour. Neither man could articulate just how much that night had meant despite how, in the grand scheme of things, nothing had really happened. Breathless and exhausted they’d collapsed into the sheets damp with sweat and fell into the easiest of sleeps Frank had enjoyed for the longest time. Morning had come to and Frank had wanted Toby to stay. He’d wanted to treat him and show him how he lived nestled into the countryside with nought but garden gnomes to harass him. He’d wanted that, but of course it had all changed.

Frank had been brought up better, believe it or not, than his club-orientated escapades would suggest. Frank and Hannah had wanted more for their eldest child than for him to be tearing out of unfamiliar bedrooms with his clothes barely on the morning after the night before. They wanted him to settle down and have a family just as they had in any way that Frank saw fit to construct it. In many ways, Frank had wanted that too but he’d never found someone that he wanted to date. He had never found someone who he felt he needed to date. A wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am was good enough and had always been good enough. That was, it had been until Toby had tumbled in and Frank had fallen for the blonde hair, the blue eyes and the smile. Now, with the extra baggage of the other man’s miniscule age, Frank knew he had to make things right. Where he perhaps would have run for the hills any other time, he was determined to endeavour to, somehow, set things as straight as possible considering.

Apparating into the garden of Cooper Cottage wasn’t the problem. It was the part where he had to walk up the stone path and watch Toby let them in where Frank felt his conscience falter and his resilience crumble. He found himself trying to convince his better side to just run. It was as though the devil and the angel had settled upon his shoulder and neither one was making any sense and neither one had a decent explanation for what they’d do but seemed to think, regardless, that, in some capacity, running was ideal. Failing that, crying might also work. But Frank was a Longbottom – not that that meant much but even so – and he wasn’t going to shy away from a fight. Nevertheless, hearing Toby call out to his mother was more than a little bit damaging for Frank’s sense. At the sight of Mrs Cooper, he wanted to die because of course it all made sense, didn’t it? This was the infamous Cooper family. Professor Mother. Deceased Father. Auror Daughter. Disappearing Son. Rookwood Son-in-Law. This was the Cooper family.

“G-good morning, Mrs Cooper,” Frank found himself stuttering. “I wonder if I might … uh, bother you for your ear… for just a moment, or, uh, two. I wanted to, uh, make sure of… well, ask … I wanted to ask you something, I guess. No, I did. I did. I wanted to ask you something about… about Toby and, uhm… well, me. Toby and me.”

Toby had vanished, he'd gone, disappeared, evanesco!

It was a rarity for Amelia to come home from Hogwarts. She was a head of house and even at the weekends her students needed her, especially at the weekends. However that weekend she'd spoken to Katrina-Carlotta who had allowed her permission to have a weekend away from work to spend time with her family.

Upon rising on Sunday morning Amelia placed on her dressing gown and headed to Toby's room. She had done this every day both had been at home together. After losing her son once before the last thing she wanted to do was lose him again, how much of a terrible Mother would she seem then?

Expecting Toby to be downstairs, or hoping would be a better word, Amelia raced down in the living room, the kitchen, the dining room, the tiny study. Nowhere. The garden was empty, apart from the odd gnome that was beginning to come out of hibernation. He was gone. Her worst fear had been realised. Toby had vanished.

Breathing irregular, heart beat fast and sweat pouring from her face Amelia hurried back inside, the house spinning around her. It couldn't be possible. No. Not now, not after finally getting him back.

'Where is it?' Amelia cried to herself before realising her wand was in her hand. Aiming her wand out of the window and thinking of a time when her family was whole, when Hallie wasn't getting into trouble, Toby was innocent and not victim to a werewolf attack and when her husband was alive, a patronus erupted from the end of her wand and out of the window.

Hallie had decided to stay at Theodore's the two had things to sort out she'd told her, probably the decorating for Amelia was aware Theodore was redoing the house for the pair of them.

Her daughter wasn't sleeping, in fact she'd been pacing the kitchen contemplating her pregnancy. The swan burst into the dimly lit kitchen and told Hallie there was trouble and to come quick.

After meeting with her Mother, eventually calming her down, Hallie had decided to head to Diagon Alley and search for Toby. It was possible that he was shopping or sneaking a sip at the Leaky Cauldron and had forgotten to leave a note. Toby knew better, he knew his Mother worried about him but Hallie admitted that leaving notes often slips the mind of a Cooper.

Waiting on eggshells the sound of Toby's call awoke Amelia from the nightmare she was living. Slamming her half empty glass of water on the table the Mother ran from the kitchen and into the hallway, embracing her son in her arms.

'Where have you been?' She gasped, releasing her son from the hug and looking him up and down - her hands still holding tight onto his elbows - unaware that Toby had brought along a friend.

'I've been worried sick! You didn't leave a note! I've had your sister apparating here there and everywhere looking for you!' Amelia continued before finally embracing Toby once again in a loving hug. Then, her eyes caught sight of the fact that she wasn't alone with her son.

Stepping back Amelia frowned in confusion. She recognised the man, he looked an awful lot like Neville Longbottom. Amelia hadn't known him personally but the Gryffindor had been a seventh year when she was a second year and by that point Neville had been the most popular boy in the school what with him standing up to the Carrows. But this wasn't Neville, this was... Surely not. Did Neville have a son?

Toby had never been so embarrassed in his entire life.

The worst part, was that the teenager wasn't even sure who was embarrassed over. There was his mother, holding onto him and exclaiming over how she'd been worried about him like he was some little kid. And then there was Frank, standing there stammering something about the two of them. Toby could already tell that this conversation would haunt his memory forever.

Normally Toby wouldn't be bothered by Amelia's actions. He didn't shy away from his mother's hugs or kisses like most males his age. But Frank was standing right there. The man he'd kissed, the man he'd spent the night with. Frank had seen him as an adult, an equal. Surely he wouldn't after this. The Quidditch player hadn't reacted very well upon learning his age, and after this he'd probably never be able to look at him and see anything more than some kid. It was upsetting and so very, very humiliating.

"Mum, I'm fine. I'm sorry for not leaving a note," Toby told his mother consolingly, "I just wasn't expecting you to be home. I'm not going anywhere, okay? I was just... out." The teenager felt his eyes flicker over to Frank, but pulled them back to his mother the moment that he'd realized what he was doing.

"We should let Hallie know I'm home, no need for her to be worrying over me for any longer than necessary," Toby informed Amelia, trying to keep his tone as even as possible. When he wasn't looking at Frank, it was much easier. Being calm wasn't nearly as much of a challenge when he could pretend that Frank wasn't standing there, listening to every word he said.  

Finally done talking, the teenager twisted until he was gripping his mother's forearm. With a soft squeeze, Toby broke away from her grasp. Even though the contact had been broken, the werewolf didn't take a step back, staying comfortingly close. His mother had gone through so much recently, and Toby was completely convinced that there were few anywhere near as strong as she was.

There it was. The guilt. Toby had been waiting for it to show up, knowing that the emotion would undeniably rear its ugly head sooner or later. The teenager had put his mother through so much. She'd searched for him, mourned for him, taken him back with open arms, and cared for him with unparalleled strength. Toby liked to think of himself as rather independent, but his mother was still his rock. There was little the once-Gryffindor wouldn't do to protect the blonde witch, no matter what the cost to himself. But he'd hurt her, worried her, sent her into a state of panic. And for what? To go get drunk? For a night of pleasure?

But no, Toby still couldn't bring himself to regret the previous night. He regretted not leaving a note, but he couldn't regret Frank. He couldn't. Not even if it got him in trouble. Not even if it got him grounded, trapping inside the suffocating confines of four walls and a roof.

But now was not the time to deal with his emotions. He could sulk around all he wanted later, but now he needed to be strong. Toby may have been only sixteen, but he was the man of the house. It was time to act like it.

...no matter how much he longed to curl up with Frank and forget the world.

(OOC: Sorry I've not replied and I'm sorry it's short!)

Out? What did that mean? Had he left early this morning or had he been out all night? She'd heard Hallie said she was 'out' before and once that had led to her being on an auror duty. Of course Amelia hadn't minded, Hallie was living the life she wanted, she was trained and was learning how to handle herself. Hallie was her husband daughter and Toby, perhaps Toby was too just Amelia wasn't allowing him to be?

'Just as long as you're safe.' Amelia replied. She would delve into what 'out' mean't after she'd alerted Hallie was safe. Withdrawing her wand the charms Professor gave it a wave thinking of a time with her husband. It had been a beautiful summers day, they'd gotten their NEWT results and were walking by the lake. It had been that day Robert Cooper had declared his lifelong love to Amelia. Watching the patronus leave through an open window in the kitchen behind them Amelia turned her gaze to Toby and Frank.

'Are you going to introduce me, Toby?' Amelia said politely. She had her guesses he was a Longbottom but that was all it was: a guess. Had she been a Quidditch fan then for certain Amelia would have known but with other things capturing her attention the witch didn't find herself reading the sports section of The Daily Prophet.

Frank’s opening gambit fell on deaf ears and he should have expected it, really, considering that it appeared as though Toby had not imparted any knowledge about his whereabouts to his family. Frank’s lips met and smoothed out into a strained smile, realising that he was to blame for Toby having not returned home that night.

Frank certainly didn’t regret the night but he did feel uneasy doing the ‘meet-the-parents’ portion before he’d even having gotten over the one-night-stand part of his fledgling experience with this young man.

He hoped that Toby wasn’t the type to tell his mother everything the moment that he walked in through the door otherwise Frank was in for some serious explaining and he’d be lucky if he made it out alive.

He had a feeling Toby wasn’t that type, though.  

“Hello,” Frank spoke sheepishly, reaching up to grab at the back of his neck. “I’m Frank. I’m Toby’s … friend. He, uh, kipped over mine last night. I’m sorry if we had you worried. It wasn’t our intention, at all.”

The tension released from Toby's shoulders at his mother's words. He'd expected to be scolded, at the very least, but his mother had let it go without much thought at all. The teenager couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so relieved. To be fair, Toby had never done something like this before. Even as children Hallie had always been the one getting into trouble. If Toby ever did something wrong, there was a good chance that he had just been following his sister's example. Sure, Toby was far from a perfect child, but he'd always been something of a mummy's boy when it came to doing as Amelia wanted. It seemed to the teenager, that it was all paying off.

Toby stood quietly as his mother sent off a patronus to Hallie and Frank introduced himself. Toby was very thankful that Frank had introduced himself as a friend, and nothing more. The teenager wanted there to be more, and sincerely hoped that Frank still did, but his mother had never met Frank before, and after staying out all night Toby knew such a proclamation would not go over well.

"I was dead tired and Frank was nice enough to let me crash for the night. I hadn't thought I was gonna stay over, or I would have definitely let you know," Toby added, nodding along. Trying to ignore the way Frank's bicep flexed as he'd grabbed at the back of his neck, Toby smiled innocently at his mum. Or at least, he hoped his smile looked innocent, he wasn't always that good at this sort of thing.

'Thank you.' Amelia said, turning to Frank. She wasn't too impressed with Toby, in fact now she thought about it Frank could easily have apparated Toby back to Cooper Cottage, nonetheless Toby was home and safe.

'Next time do make sure you come home though.' Amelia told Toby, adopting a more serious tone of voice. Sure Toby had been safe with Frank, who seemed a little too old to be a friend but Amelia didn't want to go into that yet, but he could easily have been abducted by a dark wizard, captured by Blood's pack or taken back to a strangers house for sex. None of which Amelia intended to happen to her son.

Keeping a stern look on Toby for a moment the Mother turned around, entering through the kitchen door and calling them to follow her.

'I imagine you're in need of some breakfast.' She began opening the fridge and looking to see what they had inside. 'We've got sausages and bacon, I could go outside to the hen hut and collect some eggs too?' She asked them both whilst pouring them both a fresh glass of apple juice.

Frank exhaled a breath of air, smiling gratefully as he took his glass of apple juice. She was beyond calm which was a sharp difference in comparison to his mother who still would’ve been fussing, making sure that there wasn’t a hair out of place on Frank’s head before doing the same to Toby. If she could keep both of them there long enough, Hannah would have also endeavoured to cut their hair and divest Frank of his beard, too. Instead of that, they received apple juice and he certainly he preferred it. His mother would have started by shouting then ended in kisses. He preferred the level-headed Amelia as opposed to the mercurial Hannah.

How Frank was going to broach this conversation he had no idea. What he was unbelievably thankful for was that fatigue and sense had kicked in quick enough last night that had made Frank think twice about going the full monty with Toby. It had been snogging, mainly, and that idea Frank could stomach a little easier. He didn’t think, however, that Amelia would share his thinking. But, what he imagined was that her main concern would be that her son was at a bar in the middle of night – a bar notorious for being the place where debauchery was as widely available a sin as the alcohol it poured. Yet, there was something within him that said that Amelia would probably be more upset that she hadn’t been told rather than the fact that he was there. Well, Frank hoped so, anyway.

“Thank you, Mrs Cooper,” Frank murmured, bringing the glass to his lips. “Oh, wow. Eggs would be great, yeah. I think. If you don’t mind. I can help. I know my way around a kitchen.”

Getting up from the table, Frank set down his glass and rolled up the sleeves of the shirt he’d buttoned up hastily, and wrongly initially though Toby had set him to rights, that morning.

“Just tell me what I can do.” He offered, smiling brightly.