Nov. 19: All The Strings Attached: Benji: Library

[Benji Fenwick]

"Get out."Benji said, deadpan, as Willa started speaking about her family. Particularly her brother, the curse-breaker...the curse-breaker, Daniel Robbins. The Ravenclaw berated himself in his mind at not having made these connections before. Maybe he had subconsciously, it came so easy to him now before Willa even stopped speaking, he must have put those pieces together with little to no actual thought. Maybe he had known all along but had been too wrapped up in all that was Willa to realize. It was yet another level on which they met even ground. Their older siblings knew each other, Benji was sure of that, -Nina didn't speak much about her job but he was sure he had heard the name Daniel - and he had sort of looked up to Daniel whilst they were in Hogwarts together. The older Robbins was always very kind in indulging him a few hundred questions and Benji always envied his ease, the way he made girls swoon with no effort at all. Of course, he would be Willa's older brother.
Making people swoon must be a Robbins thing.

"Actually, yes, I think I do know him. Not too closely though, he probably doesn't even remember me." he admitted when she paused. As she went on, speaking of the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff siblings stealing away to the kitchens to cook meals they learned from their mother, Benji found himself smiling again. She liked to cook, and he liked to eat, what could be better? His smile falters as Willa's voice did and it took him a serious moment of consideration to determine what had made her voice so careful. She was only speaking of her little sister and she seemed fond of the girl...ahhhh.

Benji smiled again, brighter this time. "Then you would have had one in each house, except Slytherin of course, but who wants to be there anyway." He said, trying to come up with the words that would put her at ease, that would let her know he didn't give one lick that she had a muggle mother or a squib sister. In fact, it endeared her to him more. "I had to really put in the begging to get a telephone, it must be awesome having Jo around, you have to have those things, right?"

Then Willa was tugging on his arm and his heart, leading him to the clock tower. Benji felt a tug somewhere else at the thought of being alone in a tower with Willa Robbins but he quickly shoved that thought off. "Oh, you were right." He admitted when they crested the last step and all of Hogwarts grounds was spread out before them. It was a lovely view but Benji turned away from it to view a lovelier one. He walked closer to the Hufflepuff, feeling nervous again but wanting more than anything for that to be a thing of the past. A cool wind swept past them and instinctively Benji reached out to rub at Willa's arms, worried she might be chilled as he was. He retracted his hands and smiled sheepishly, hoping to break his awkwardness with the first thing that came to mind. "Do you like comics?"

[Willa Robbins]

How didn't you put this together before, Willa? They're only a few years apart, and Danny was on the team for so long - they've got to know each other! She made a mental note to write to her brother soon; to hear of his life, of course, as much as he could tell her, but to also get his opinion on the ex-housemate of his that she was currently getting to know better. Had they been friendly? Or would Danny not know him, as Benji seemed to think? Willa gave a laugh and a shake of her head, finding it hard to believe that Danny could lose memory of this fellow. "I'm absolutely positive that he remembers you," she assured. "You're awfully memorable, and he's got as good a memory as anybody could hope for." In shifting into speaking of Jo, Willa hoped that she was right about her assumptions. That Benji would get it without her having to say more, and that he wouldn't be judging her family as she started to open up. She watched him out of the corner of her eye, his smile rising and falling and rising again, and had to smile back when he replied. "A Robbins in Slytherin House? I don't think we'd make it," she laughed, relieved to say the least. The badger turned to him as he spoke of getting a telephone in his own house, and she was all but grinning. "Oh geeze, yeah, we've got all of that. She's got to be able to talk with her friends, you know. Your family has a phone too? We'll have to talk over the holiday!"

Willa ducked with him into the stairwell, winding up and up and up, pausing in their talk because of it, and let out a breathy chuckle once they reached the top. It was a favorite spot of hers, one of those places where you could see out in a full circle, the grounds, the lake, the mountains, bits of the castle itself. The wind whipped through it, to be sure, but she didn't really mind...especially when, possibly chilled himself, Benji came by to warm her up. But, seeming embarrassed, he was quickly retreating...

"Oi, come back," Willa teased with a smile, trying to put the Ravenclaw more at ease as she reached back for him. "You're nice and warm," she said by way of excuse explanation, pulling his arms around her. "See? Better. Right?"

Oh for Merlin's sake, Willa, give the lad a break.

    What? Would we've kissed last night if I hadn't initiated it?

Her new...Benji...was a sweet boy. Kindhearted, thoughtful, and innocent, although he kissed her like he wasn't. Last night in the Forest, he'd looked at her with those amazing green eyes with all of the intent in the world. But she'd been the one to make a move, and it had gone over well by all accounts. So long as she wasn't making him or herself uncomfortable, was there harm in trying this out? In seeing what they could make each other feel? Willa already knew she was fond of him, and when they kissed he made her feel things she hadn't felt since her year in Brazil, and being held by him now, leaning into his shoulder, feeling the warmth and presence of him...it's good. Will take some getting used to, but it's good.

"I can't say I've read many comics," Willa said after a few quiet moments, fingers idly stroking the forearm around her middle as she looked out over the grounds. "What's a favorite of yours?"

[Benji Fenwick]

Talking of her family made Benji feel closer to Willa Robbins in a way he had only imaged. Sure the physical was always good -in his limited experience- but he felt more for the girl with him now than he had ever felt for anyone. "If you have confidence in him, so do I. So...memorable huh?" He wanted to say more but his throat felt a little constricted at her compliments. Later, later they would talk more about Daniel, when he wasn't thrown off by Willa thinking he was worth remembering, but for right now talk turned to her other sibling which was just as well for him. "Nonsense," Benji said with false gravity. "A Robbins in Slytherin would only increase its esteem, I'm sure. Otherwise, it's a pretty horrid House with little good to stand on. It would be lucky." He laughed at his own joke, as if Slytherin would ever be worthy of a Robbins and allowed himself to be swept up in Willa and their conversation and the way he felt when he was near her. And not in whether he looked and sounded like a fool all of the time. "Yea, we have to exchange numbers before we leave for break. Maybe we could get together then too, I'd love to meet Jo." He gave a nervous laugh, completely aware of how he had just basically asked her to go out with him over the break. There was a time that doing something like this would have made him physically ill.

And his past self almost did rear it's ugly head when she pulled him close again after his failed attempt at warming her. Fitting her back against him, she wrapped his arms around her waist because he couldn't seem to function properly to do it himself and Benji tensed. Breathe! He told himself. And he did. He took a deep breath in, bringing all of Willa's scent in with the air and it was all he could do not to let his head loll over and grin stupidly. It did help him relax though and Benji was able to fix his arms more perfectly around her. He had never been this way with a girl and it felt like...too much to cope with. How was he expected to keep his hormones in check like this? He already had to keep a safe distance between their lower halves! But he also liked it too much to let go. She felt right, pressed up against his chest, warm in the circle of his arms. "Much better." he admitted quietly, unable to resist the urge to place a kiss just below her ear.

He rested his head on her shoulder and looked out over the grounds, though he wasn't really seeing them. His entire being was focused on Willa. He enjoyed the quiet, comfortable moment until his partner broke the silence by answering a question he had all but forgotten he had asked. He chuckled, turning his face to hers. They were almost unbearably close like this...all he would have to do is lean in..."Spider-man." He answered instead, his voice dipping low again as it had earlier in the library after they had kissed. Kiss her. "What do you like? Music? Movies? Hmm, knitting maybe?"

[Willa Robbins]

Willa's eye flicked to his as the bloke's voice cut itself off, and she smiled, giving a decisive nod and a squeeze to his hand. "Yes - memorable." It was a pity, truly, that this year was the year she'd met him. Had they been in the same House, Willa was certain she would've gotten to know him right away, and he wouldn't have reason to doubt her sentiment. Because Benji Fenwick was memorable - he was handsome, knew his plants and showed his passion and excitement for them, was thoughtful beyond belief, adventurous and kindhearted... It was a mix that was sure to keep her on her toes, and Willa rather liked the thought of it. It seemed the bloke had no love for Slytherin, though, as talk turned to her family and she let on to Jo's status - but everyone had something that they disliked. Willa couldn't say she'd made any friends in that particular House, but she did admire them in some respects. She'd only met a few Slytherins who lacked confidence, who didn't stand tall, who let their voices be taken from them. But, not wanting to get into that when Benji was so obviously against them as a whole - something to dig into at another time, perhaps - she stayed quiet until he brought up a visit to her home.

"Maybe we could," she agreed, smiling up at him to stop his rather anxious sounding laugh. She'd never brought a boy home before, would her mother and father be okay with a visit? After the spirited debate that had followed her unplanned escapade with Sirius the summer before, Willa wasn't entirely sure. But there was no need to put a damper on the idea yet, was there? "I'm sure you'd enjoy Bathampton, it's a lovely little town, the forest is just lovely in wintertime too. What's it like where you're from?"

Did you feel that? You're putting it on too much, Robbins...

While Willa had an air of confidence and didn't feel like her move had been so presumptuous, given how close they'd been the night before, Benji felt more like one of the suits of armor in the corridors than a boy she was starting to like the moment she tucked herself into his arms. But there was no way to extricate herself without embarrassing the both of them, was there? She was thinking through possibilities - Make an excuse, walk closer to the crenelations for the view, something. - when she felt a few deep breaths loosen his hinges. And then, his voice soft and low and assuring, his lips planting a kiss on her neck, his chin on her shoulder, and it was her turn having difficulty with the closeness. Well, perhaps "difficulty" was too strong a term - "surprise" at its ability to affect her? Because she could feel his laugh, and his belated response to her question jogged something in her memory that she couldn't quite pin down because his tone was bringing her back to their shared time in the forest. Focus - you know that from somewhere. Spider-man wasn't something she'd really heard about before...the Halloween masquerade a few weeks back. She'd shared a dance with a bloke dressed as the muggle superhero and had a perfectly nice time, and now Benji had named the character... Before she'd put her words together, Benji was asking about herself, and the girl laughed.

"Knitting?" Benji wasn't wrong, but that he'd never asked about her delight with or aptitudes for crafting - much more commendable when magic supplemented what she'd learned at home, to be honest - and hit the nail on the head with his first guess did make her laugh, because - "What is it about me that gives that away?"

The Hufflepuff turned towards him in her amusement, forgetting that he was so close and quickly faced front again with cheeks rosy from the autumn wind and her proximity to this boy. "Spider-man, though," Willa went on, smiling over at him now that her initial surprise was done for. "You didn't...dress as him for the masquerade this term, did you?"

[Benji Fenwick]

    She’s not saying no.

        She’s not saying yes.

            Yea, but she’s not saying no.

                She’s saying maybe and that’s better than expected. A win!

“I’d love to see it.” He said, making sure to not come off as too pushy, even though he was biting at the bit to get closer to her, see what she was like outside of the castle, in her element. He met her eye from over her shoulder and tried hard not to hone in too much on their proximity to each other. Benji had to keep that part of himself in check, box it away, put it on a shelf hopefully for later. Now was not the time to get too fresh, his fathers voice coached him, reminding him that any time with Willa was a good time, he didn’t need to be touching her at all, though it was nice that they were cuddling now. He liked just talking to her besides, she made it easy to chat without any anxiety over saying the wrong thing. Because she was genuine, and he wanted to be genuine too. “Cheshire. Moulton to be exact. We used to live in a village, above a pub, it was a lot of fun. Before I came to Hogwarts we moved out to the countryside, dad made a bang up new broom model and got a promotion. Mum loves it out there, I love my garden. It’s nice, and the county has some of the best landscapes, and wild herbage in all of England...in my opinion at least. Except maybe Derbyshire... and Oxford, alright maybe not the best but it’s definitely in the top five.” There he was rambling on again but this time he didn't feel too shy about it and managed to shoot Willa a roguish smile. “Maybe I’ll get the chance to show you around sometime.”

                                Bold move Fenwick.

                                    I've heard that fate favors the bold.

Willa made him feel like he could relax, be himself, be bold, make a move. She made him feel like she wanted him too, that she was as into him as he was into her. And by the way she shot him a look at his question and his resounding laugh at her follow up, they were for sure on the same page. For his part, he knew her better than even he knew. “Lucky guess,  I suppose.” he said around a smile, not wanting to go into detail about how he viewed her and how knitting seemed one of the more logical pastime for a girl of her sweet nature. Benji’s chuckling was cut short and his brain refused to function as suddenly he was face to face with Willa, his breath seizing in his lungs as he stared into her doe like eyes, and then her mouth, he leaned in on instinct... But in a flash she spun back around and he let out a breath, bringing his arms around her again. Lord, she kept him on his toes. Would she ever not affect him so much? He sincerely hoped not, he liked the way she made him feel. He glanced at her as she looked up at him, his brows furrowing at her last. Immediately his mind took him back to Halloween and the amazing, memorable night he had had at the ball. Finding a date in a stranger that hadn't laughed at how ridiculous he looked in a bodysuit and full face mask. “I...did...actually.” He tilted his head to the side, pulling away to tug on her hands -even though his body objected fiercely- until they were facing one another, though there was a respectable distance now to keep him from derailing the whole conversation with his hormones. He felt his was on the brink of something, but the pieces weren’t falling into place just yet. He felt so slow! Like he was missing something completely obvious. Must be the proximity to Willa, loss of analytical thinking, among other things. “Why do you ask? What did you dress up as?”

[Willa Robbins]

Hearing Benji speak about his home, his family...It was a different sort of warmth to feel from him, for him, as she listened. There's a lot of love there. While the Fenwicks hadn't been in their current space for a terribly long span of time, it seemed to Willa that they had done much to make it their home already. And that they had grown into it together, as a family? Absolutely lovely. She couldn't imagine that he could've had room for a garden in his first home, and how wonderful for him that he did now! Growing up gardening with her mother had undoubtedly shaped her affinity for Herbology, and she still felt most like herself with a bit of fresh earth caught in the lines of her hands... But the best landscapes and wild herbage? The Hufflepuff's smile grew as he corrected himself, and continued correcting, until he shot her an unabashed grin. "Maybe," she echoed, feeling it was perhaps a tad too soon to commit to either of them visiting the other - but there was no harm in leaving the door open for now, was there? "I haven't spent much time in that area, just to visit Lily, really. It's always nice to see a place through someone else's eyes, though, and it sounds just wonderful. Do you rotate what you're growing, or try for the same crops each summer?"

Cripes, Willa! You should've stayed facing him! Now he's going to think you don't want to be close to him like that.

    And you do, don't you?

The boy had even started to lean in by the time she'd spun around...You're just out of practice. Carry on, carry on. Thankfully. one of them had kept their wits, and after answering her - It was you?! - he brought them face-to-face again. The autumn wind sliced through the sudden space between them, and Willa met his dark eyes, his hands solid and grounding in hers. She allowed herself a breath, and quietly teased, "Then I have a bone to pick with you. I thought we were having a grand time, but you ran off at the unmasking! I was the fox, Benji. In the brown dress?" Was her masquerade mystery truly about to be solved? While her dance partner at the end of the night had come across her mind a fair bit in the last weeks, Willa had lost hope in actually running into him. Their connection had felt so strong that she'd debated writing into the school paper for help, but had scrapped the idea. He'd left - what could there be to gain in chasing someone who hadn't wanted to show himself to her? But knowing that that had been Benji... Nerves? Nerves, it must have been, pure and simple.