— 𝐜 𝐨 𝐧 𝐭 𝐚 𝐜 𝐭
NOTE: I am forever backtag friendly and absolutely open to doing things from past events that won't really have an effect on things at any given time. For example, if you'd like to do something with Peter aged down or when he was his spider dream guide, etc.
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Wait, are you talking about like... singing to her? Like in the movies?
[ That's the image that "do a little extra" and "make her swoon" draws forth in him. Like..... playing a girl a song on guitar and singing to her is definitely a thing that people do in movies. ]
I don't know. I'm um.... I'm not good at stuff like that. And I'm not even really that good at guitar, to be honest. [ He... is absolutely downplaying himself here, but that's just Peter. He's very shy and very... anxious.... ]
Has she uh... mentioned something to you about wanting me to... do that?
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Yeah, yeah! Just like in the movies. Come on, it'll be great!
[Look, Ruby's ex-boyfriend was a disney. This just kind of seems natural to her at the moment.
She gives an encouraging smile.]
I bet you're better than you think, Peter. Honestly. At the romantic stuff and at the guitar stuff if you want me to be specific.
And even if you're not super confident-You could always practice before hand.
Oh-Or you could it from outside and she can be looking out from her window- Like the movie with the guy with the boombox!
[Because she knows Peter probably needs all the encouragement that he can get.]
Maybe- Not like so directly-
-But she said she liked spending time with you
-and that she wanted to do that more
-and she said she liked your music
-and that you could play instruments
[There's a pause as she realizes what she has said.]
I mean the bird said that! It was definitely a bird and not her directly-
But it was like she said it directly!
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But...... Luna said all those things? About him? The boy's blinking, his cheeks and ears warming all over again. He pretty much knows Luna thinks those things, but.... the fact she said that to someone else? That feels pretty nice, actually. ]
Oh, she uh... she said that? [ There's a pause, and then a soft laugh, at Ruby's fluster. ] Well uh. I'm glad she thinks so. The bird.
[ This bird who definitely isn't named Luna Lovegood. ]
I did make her a mixtape, for Christmas? And I think she really liked it. [ He can't help smiling a little to himself, and maybe it shows in his voice. ] But that was uh, covers of some of my favourite songs I thought she'd like, too. If she likes hearing me play, well..... maybe I should do more of that.
[ A pause, though, as he thinks of something. ]
You don't think it'd be like too.... bold though, do you? I mean... we're not exactly dating? Not technically? I don't want to like, come on too strong, you know?
[ All of a sudden, Ruby is now a Love Guru and he's just going to ask her for her thoughts on that, okay. But playing a girl a song called "And I Love Her"..... What if it's too much??? Never mind that he included the song on his mixtape.... as well as several others that were very romantic. But it feels a bit different if he'd directly.... sing a song about it. A bit more.... intense. ]
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Her grin goes a little wider seeing Peter blush like that and confirming that they indeed still talking about A Bird. She didn't completely mess this up. Luna cant call her out about that.]
She did. She being The Bird. I promise, she did. It pretty cute how she said those things about Luna saying those things about you.
[The fact that Peter hasn't said is a sign that she's making some progress here and she understood if there were leaps he wasn't sure about making yet.]
I might have caught wind of the mix tape-
Miiiiiiiight have been how I knew about the Beatles.
I don't think it's too crazy- You're sharing something both of you enjoy with her. That's what relationships-whether they're friendships or something more are kind of about, right?
Besides, my reliable source said she wanted to spend a little more time with you. Why not show her you want to do the same?
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....What she got me for Christmas was really nice, too. [ He says, out of nowhere, even though nobody asked. Maybe he wants to shyly brag a little about it too, okay... ] She um, made us these really awesome matching bracelets, in each other's favourite colour? They're really nice.
[ He won't mention what she made for Paimon..... Which was also really nice, and time-consuming, to be fair. But this isn't about you, Paimon. King shit. ]
But uh, yeah, I uh. We do see each other a lot, but I guess we still don't do a lot of the whole... going on dates thing? We mostly just hang out at home together. [ Which has been perfectly suitable for them, and especially given the dangers of Deerington, and everything over the past months..... But maybe a little something special would be nice? ]
I just don't wanna do anything too intense and like, make her weirded out. We're still taking things pretty slow. With.... everything going on. [ Demons sprinkled in the middle of awkward first romance excursions. Peter's been very careful. ]
Do you think it's okay that like, the word "love" is in the song, though? It's not too much? Should I pick a different one?
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[Peter had every right to be proud of it. Ruby hadn't heard any of the songs but it seemed like something Luna had enjoyed. That's what counted.
Her eyes brighten up and it can be heard in her voice when Peter describes the gift he received. It was- It sounded a whole lot like what people would have done in her world. It was more than a little cute to hear that it possibly customary here too.]
Oh my gosh, really? Oh that's amazing. We do something like that in my world too. The whole exchanging colours thing.
[Paimon is the worst. Hands down.]
There's nothing wrong with that. Take it at your own pace. Do what makes you comfortable, maybe hanging around at home is closer to the ideal date for you too?
[She's quiet at the moment, taking some time to think this out.]
I feel like you'd have to do something pretty extreme to weird Luna out. You should be good. ...But I get it if you're kind of worried about your uh- housemate? But that shouldn't stop you from living your life.
[Hm. That's a very good question.]
Okay-That's a good question... I'm going to throw one back at you.
Have you said it to her before? Would you want to?
If the answer to either of those is yes. Then it's definitely not too much and you shouldn't pick another one.
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It's not something people typically do here, I guess? At least not where I'm from. So it was a really nice surprise. She's so good at making stuff, too.
[ Peter hesitates a moment or two before he snaps a quick photo of the blue bracelet on his wrist, to send it to Ruby and show her, too. ]
Yeah, he's definitely........ a thing. [ It's hard to know what to say about Paimon. They're... actually handling that whole situation pretty okay, all things considering? The demon listens to Luna, and actually behaves itself pretty well. But it's still.... a big thing. ] Half the time I'm like, worried it's gonna proclaim its love for her or something. It's obsessed with her.
[ WHAT THE FUCK PETER, PAIMON RESENTS THAT FOOLISH ASSESSMENT. But speaking of "love".... oh boy. Oh, oh boy. Have some shy stuttering. ]
I— We haven't uh— No, I haven't said it to her before. [ Honestly, he really doesn't mind to not put labels on what he has with Luna? It's... just something that belongs to the both of them, and that's more than enough. But sometimes it is hard to finagle what he's meant to do or how. Should you be dating someone for awhile before you say you love them?? Does it matter??? It feels like for them, it really doesn't matter, but he doesn't know!!! ]
...But I do. I do love her. She's.... she's my best friend. And um... a lot more than that. [ He's not embarrassed to say those things aloud, just shy. And a bit afraid to, because loving someone is..... admittedly, terrifying. ]
I guess saying you love someone just feels like... a lot. We both.... we've had a hard time with... people, I guess. So saying it is..... it's like... a lot.
[ A beat. Talking about all of this out loud is... kind of hard, but it also helps? Peter tends to internalise everything. ]
I guess part of me's like..... I'd want to tell her that after I was..... better. You know? Like, if I could be a better person, then I'd be good enough to tell her something so important. If that makes sense.
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She got me a cute scarf. Something about gryffin's door or something. I like it.
Ooooooh~! That's co cute. Jeez, she really is great at this.
[She certainly knows what it's like to feel conflicted abotu what to say about something like Paimon. This just sounds outright weird.]
Uh- That's more than a little gross. ...Do you think it's got something to do with that deal thing that she made with it?
[Ruby's not exactly sure about the proper way to go about this. She didn't have a manual with her first boyfriend. They just kind of did things and it felt right at the time. She listens to the mumbling quietly and patiently only answering after he's finished.]
There's nothing wrong with not having said it before, it's something I think you won't really know if you're ready to do it until you're actually doing it.
But... I'm sure Luna likes you for who you are right now, just as much as she'll like whoever you are in the future. And- well... If you're set on feeling like you have to be a better person- Don't you think saying how you feel might be a step toward that?
I get that it's a lot and that you both have your struggles with that- but it can be a huge relief to know that you've got that person in your corner through out it, you know?
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Ah yeah, from her school's house things. She made me one last year, too. Mine's uh.... Hufflepuffs. I can remember that one because it sounds like Cocoa Puffs. [ Oh, look at how these two are butchering your world, Luna.... ]
I have no idea, but it's been weirdly obsessed with her even before that happened? Because she's a witch? I think that thing's a creep, to be honest.
[ Peter.... You probably shouldn't talk so poorly about the very powerful demon king inhabiting your body. You're going to upset him. He's not a creep! Don't be mean! ...On the other hand, it feels sort of good to talk shit about Paimon sometimes, okay. Peter swallows down a lot about that whole situation and there's maybe a bit of resentment he could do with letting out. ]
I guess I'm pretty stupid at all of this. [ He admits with a soft little laugh, running a hand back through his hair for a moment, and moving to sit down on his bed. Honestly though, it's nice to talk all this out with a friend. It does help. ]
But that's good advice. I uh... It's dumb of me to worry so much about everything. I already know we've got each other in our corners, so I don't know why I get so... nervous all the time. [ The fear of... messing up something good, of losing someone good... it's a lot. But he and Luna have certainly faced and survived their fair share of adversity together, already. And..... these nerves, the teenage ones? They're not really awful. Not compared to other nerves, like when he'd opened up to Luna about Paimon. No, these nerves belong only to the two of them, and it's.... kind of exciting, through all of the twists his stomach gets up to in the process. Working through the journey of one's first love. ]
I'll uh. I'll do some thinking on this whole.... singing thing. It's a cute idea. [ The small smile shows in his voice, probably. ] Thanks, Ruby.
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Hufflepuffs? Oh wow. That's so cute. Her school sounds like a lot of fun, the whole doing magic and having houses and stuff. [Luna is going to learn to regret telling them these things. Cocoa Puffs are like my favorite cereal I've found here.
[She makes a thoughtful little "hm." sound as he describes Paimon.]
Oh. I didn't know it had been going on that long. Honestly, I think you're on the right track with that one. It kind of backed off a little about my eyes when I asked it to, but it's still weirdly persistent about it.
It's got total boundary issues.
[She can't help but giggle just a little to join in with his laugh.]
You're not stupid at all, Peter. You're figuring it out and you're doing fine.
[It's helpful for her too. She didn't exactly have someone to talk her through this when she was figuring it out. It was nice to kind of share what she had learned detached from how she had learned it.]
I'm glad you think so, I-Well I've been there before, I guess? You have something nice and you don't want to mess it up. That's pretty reasonable. But- You can't let it hold you back either.
[She grins brightly hearing that he'll consider it.]
You're welcome, Peter. Just give it some thought, if you're comfortable with it go for it.
...And until then, maybe just give her a call and ask if she wants to hang out? I think she'd like that too.
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It honestly kind of reminds me of your world, too? Like.... She's told me about all these scary creatures they have where she comes from. One even showed up here last year — this one really freaky guy who steals your soul. [ Peter's description of a Dementor, everybody. But really, Luna's world.... scares him a lot. ""Hufflepuffs"" is a deceptively cute term. ]
Is he still bothering you about your eyes? Oh my god, dude..... [ "It" becomes "he" when he's showing An Emotion about Paimon. Towards Paimon? Peter still doesn't exactly speak to him directly, but he like... talks to him through talking to other people. Like now, he's pretty sure the demon's listening, so have some indirect threats, fucker: ] If he keeps bothering you, I can talk to Luna and ask her to make him stop. I don't know what his problem is.
[ Peter...... you're going to get thrown into the wall if you don't stop this. ]
Yeah. It uh.... this stuff is all a lot to figure out, but it definitely helps talking to someone else about it. Especially someone who understands. [ His tone softens a little, because he is, of course, very aware that Ruby's recently gone through a break-up. And here she is helping him with a bit of romance business. It's quite kind of her. ]
I'll call her soon, see if she wants to do something. [ He and Luna really are together a lot, and it's very comfortable, but it's true that he could do with some more.. well.... intentional acts. Romantic ones? They're slowly starting to navigate that sort of thing.
Of course.... not long after this, everyone ends up at a hotel away from Deerington for like a whole month. Maybe he'll be serenading to Luna in a hotel room. ]
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Ruby's tone remains a bit more curious hearing that. Honestly she hadn't really got a tone of detail on the rougher aspects of Luna's world, but with how the girl carried herself she wasn't surprised that they existed.]
Seriously? I hadn't quite pegged it as that dangerous, but yeah-I could see that. Stealing souls definitely sounds freaky deaky. Kind of sounds like a Chill from where I come from- They kind of jump into peoples bodies and possess them.
[There's a nervous laugh hearing that reaction. She knew Peter didn't have a lot of power to do much about this so it wasn't something she particularly liked to bring up to him.]
A little. It's been a couple months since the last time he really outright tried to talk to me. But he's pretty adamant about getting a closer look at some point. they definitely remind him of something about himself-I guess.
I'll keep Luna in mind. He hasn't bugged me recently. [Outside of giving her a christmas present, but Peter doesn't need to know that.]
But I'll let you and Luna know if it becomes a problem. No big deal right now. Don't worry about it too much.
[Ruby's style of leadership boiled down to "Put your teammates first and yourself second." If she could help her friends she felt it was helping her at the same time. Plus she just wanted Peter and Luna to be happy.]
Hey. That's what friends are for, right? If you ever need someone to talk to, just call me up. I'm sure you and Luna will figure this out though. You're both good to each other. That's what counts.
[Her tone brightens up to hear that. The grin can pretty much be heard through the fluid.]
You can do it! I believe in you!