Our First Valentine's Day (Madley)

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Finley was nervous. Okay, that was normal, but he was really, really, really nervous today. He'd spent the evening before in the Ravenclaw Tower making a card for Madison for Valentine's Day. It was only simple, he had retrieved a small piece of card, and found a few colouring pens (well, Naomi had gifted both of these to him from her craft supplies). He's sat opposite Naomi the whole time with very deep red cheeks, not looking up as she smiled at the top of his head knowingly.

The outside of the heart he'd drawn was quite wobbly - Madison made him more nervous than normal, but in a good way - but he felt this was better than a bought card. Finley had coloured the card in carefully, and then opened it.

To Madison,

Happy Valentine's Day! I can't wait to spend tomorrow with you in Hogsmeade - hopefully you're still up to going? Anyway, I'll get you something you like tomorrow, because I would rather buy you something you want (and that is useful) than get you something you don't want...

L

Love from,

Finley xxx

Finley was slightly annoyed that he'd crossed the 'L' out, second guessing himself before continuing it. Madison was his girlfriend, he could write 'Love from', he was sure of it!

The next morning, Finley had gone down to the Great Hall, waiting for Madison to show up for the day. A smile was on his lips, and no matter how much he had checked in the mirror that morning, he felt like his tie wasn't quite straight or something. So he continued to play with it, altering how tight it was, and checking himself over again and again. Today had to be right, Finley had told himself that more times than he could count. He wanted Madison to enjoy the day, to be happy.

And definitely not think she'd made the wrong decision in agreeing to them being... together!

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This was not what Madison had ever imagined or planned for, and she had a plan for everything, from what she would be wearing the next day to how she would interact with the different people she came across. She knew, for example, that she wanted Beth to question her safety as one of hers (since the younger witch had been seen talking to some people Madison had not approved of), and she knew she would do so by brushing past the younger Slytherin that morning during breakfast.

She also knew what she would be saying to Nirek the next time she saw him, and how she would be selling her actions. It would be a casual meeting on her terms, one that would seem as though accidental - she would 'bump' into him sometime that evening.

So it was only natural that Maddie had planned every step and every move she was going to make when it came to Finley. But there was one small thing that she had not accounted for, and that was emotions. Madison Bishop had, somewhere, somehow, fallen in love with the Ravenclaw, and everything that had been so carefully pieced together came unravelling before her.

That was how, on February 14, instead of spending her time working on Finley, she found herself getting ready to go out with him, instead. Choosing one of her favourite dresses, Madison left the Slytherin common room and made her way to the Great Hall, where they had agreed to meet.

The card the previous day had been unexpected, and she had hidden it quickly lest anyone tried to comment on it. The last thing she needed were questions from inquisitive females; she needed time to work through the situation and come up with an appropriate story to tell Nirek, and that meant time - time she wouldn't have if people started talking about cards and the like.

She had, however, sent him a reply in the form of a small piece of cardboard paper, not unlike a business card, that had on one side her lipstick print, and two words: "Can't wait."

Catching sight of him waiting there, she contemplated hurrying over and then decided against it (she didn't want to seem desperate or anything), instead moving casually over, making sure to stay out of his line of sight. Once she was close enough, she quickly covered his eyes with her hands. "Guess who?" she murmured, teasing the boy.

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Waiting was not enjoyable, Finley decided as he continued to wait for Madison, only just stopping himself from rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. Yes, his nerves were deep today, but he was trying very, very hard to keep it together. After all, Madison wouldn't want a pathetic boyfriend by her side all day. Though, that is exactly what you are, the voice in his head reminded him.

Finley had just shaken that thought free when a set of hands covered his eyes. He jumped, fearing the emergence of Nirek or some of his friends. Why today, couldn't he just have one more day of freedom from the Gryffindor's wrath?

"Guess who?"

The worry faded from his body in that moment, and a smile touched Finley's lips at the familiar voice. He chided himself for panicking so unnecessarily and responded. "M-Madison." His voice was sure despite the stutter, how could he not know her voice? With time, he was sure he would know her in even more ways, but for now, her voice was the give away.

Turning around to his girlfriend, Finley took her in. Her dress was very pretty, which in turn only enhanced her beauty. That much, Finley knew would have been very good to say, but instead a light hue of red touched his cheeks as he opened his mouth to say the words, only for nothing to come out. Closing his mouth, with a small sign of frustration on his brow, Finley went for something else, instead.

"Hi." He said softly, trying to get over the relief of seeing her here. "T-thank you..." For coming, he thought. "For my c-card." He said, motioning to the pocket on his shirt where he had tucked it away for the day. Finley had been so happy upon receiving it, how couldn't he have been? He'd gotten everything he wanted today, and now... well, he'd forgotten how to say and do, everything.

Taking a moment to collect himself, Finley motioned to the front door, where the students were heading off down to Hogsmeade. "Umm... sh-shall we?" He asked, still trying to work out how to tell her she looked nice without sounding silly whilst he did so.

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Her smile widened a little as he spoke her name. "Who else would it be?" she teased, lightly, removing her hands and waiting for him to turn around. He looked so very handsome, and for a moment, Madison wondered how on earth she could have ever not noticed it before. Why hadn't she seen the possibility of emotions when she had first laid her sights on him? He was handsome and smart, and she should have realised it from day one. Perhaps she could have avoided all this if that had been the case.

Would I want that, though? The thought was intrusive, sudden, and not something she wanted to deal with, but she knew the voice had a point, and Madison distracted herself by reaching forward and giving Finley's tie a tug, straightening it. "There," she murmured. "Now you look even more perfect."

His attempt at speech amused her, but she said nothing of the teasing sort, instead waiting for him to get a hold of himself. When he finally did, she flashed him a grin. "The card?" Maddie shrugged casually. "That was but a promise of what's to come." Now she was teasing him, and she was sure by now of what would make him blush. Yes, Madison may have had feelings she didn't intend to have, but she knew she was still very much in control of how Finley felt.

Simply put, Madison knew how to play Finley, and that would never stop just because she had emotions. It just meant that she played him for different reasons - not to destroy him, but so that he would become hers. And in many ways, he already was.

"Lets," she agreed, stepping forward and slipping her arm through his in a casual motion that was more calculative than anything. She wanted people to see - as many people as possible - so that they would know he was hers and not for the taking. And nobody who had half a brain would ever try to take something that belonged to Madison Bishop.

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Finley simply smiled a little wider when he was asked who else could it be. Nobody, he thought in that moment, though of course he had thought of others but it was just him panicking and not really - not at all - thought through. A comedian might have said something about another person they were expecting, but Finley was not that kind of person. There was only Madison that he was waiting for.

With Madison' hands moving to his tie, straightening it up for him, Finley could feel his cheeks warming at the (slightly) intimate situation before she'd even spoken about perfect. At that moment Finley was a deeper shade of red and he shook his head. "I... n-not perfect." He responded softly, because Finley's confidence was not anywhere near that level. Not to mention no one was perfect, people were fundamentally flawed.

The promise of something to come though brought no response from Finley. At least, his cheeks stayed red, and his eyes averted from Madison's for a moment, but his head. Oh his head was off on a mission, exploring the possibilities of those words and getting way too lost in all of them. Finley swallowed, ever so softly, his Adam's apple bobbing once as he tried to think of something, anything to say. But he gave in to saying nothing, knowing there was no right response to that.

He was saved by their movement, though, as Madison took hold of his arm, Finley looked down at her hands on his arm and couldn't help but smile. True, public displays of affection were new to Finley, and sometimes being touched put him on edge. But - the overriding thought in this - was that Madison wanted to show everyone around them that they were together. She wasn't embarrassed and that... that made Finley feel so... important in that moment.

Even if hand-holding and this was part of relationships, Finley hadn't thought... well, he simply hadn't though, end of.

Finley took a short while to grow used to it as they walked. His eyes on the floor or glancing sideways at Madison because confidence was still something he was learning. And, not to mention, he was still getting used to this. "I... umm... I b-booked a table at M-Madam Puddifoots for us." Finley explained as they crossed the grounds. "If... If that's o-okay with you?"

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His statement almost made her roll her eyes, but she held it back and instead offered him a smile. He was wrong, but she wouldn't tell him that. No, Madison knew all the words in the world wouldn't convince the Ravenclaw. Instead, she would show him that she was right - that he was, in every sense of the word, perfect. Not as a person and not character wise, but rather, in her eyes. He was perfect to and for her, and Maddie was willing to spend the rest of her life proving this to the boy.

It was in that moment that she saw a new play, and she finally figured out what she would do. Everyone needed something to work towards, a goal and a purpose. Hers used to be fixing the Ravenclaw that now stood before her, but she had come to realise that he didn't need that when she had fallen for him. Instead, her new game was now to make him believe what she knew to be true - that he was more than just 'okay', and that she was the lucky one.

A new game meant new strategies, but those took time to create, and so for the time being, Maddie let his comment slide; she wouldn't attack it yet, just file it away for later consideration. But she also knew that if she said nothing, he might think that was her agreeing, and so she leant over and pecked him on the cheek. "You sure do look it," she muttered as she pulled back, just loudly enough for him to hear her words.

As they walked, arm in arm, she let the silence stretch. There was nothing for her to say, and if Finley wanted to talk, he would. Or at least, she hoped he would. Making a mental note to start conversation should the Ravenclaw find himself at a loss for words (which, more often than not, he was, especially, she had found, when she was involved), Maddie let him lead, and just waited.

And then, as she suspected he would, Finley spoke, and she spent a moment for her to place the location mentioned; it took all of her mental strength not to wince. It was a cute place that couples often visited, and held the stench of love and romance and all sort of shit that Madison hated. Except, of course, she was now in love, and that meant making sacrifices.

It was unusual for her, but wherever Finley was concerned, she wanted him happy, more than she wanted what she wanted, and so it was only due to this that she smiled and nodded. "It sounds perfect," she said, lying through her teeth, but lies and truth were subjective anyway, and she never saw the harm in making things up. They only got people in trouble when people started forgetting what they said and contradicted herself, and Madison reckoned herself too smart to do this.

Guest

The kiss to his cheek made Finley, subconsciously and not highly recognisably, tuck away the piece of information that Madison had told him. She thought he looked perfect, and she had kissed him, insisting that he looked it. Those actions were noted, but not acted upon in that moment. They would be the thoughts that Finley came back to when he doubted himself at a later point, but at the moment, the Ravenclaw was oblivious to the background workings of his mind.

Finley didn't hear the lie - only the words spoken - so with Madison's agreement to his idea, he couldn't help but feel relieved that he'd gotten it 'right'.

From there, Finley was quiet until they reached the shop, and after opening the door for Madison, he informed the girl at the front of house of their booking and followed her to the table that had been reserved. The shop was, of course, littered with Valentine's decorations, many and more couples filling the tables looking doe eyed at one another. The tables had small heart confetti littered over them too. Finley thought this was what girls wanted - yes it was a very, very broad statement, but he didn't know any better. Especially when he and Madison had only just started dating, really.

Pulling Madison's chair out for her, and waiting until she sat down to move to his own, Finley took his seat and smiled across the table at his girlfriend. "H-Happy Valentine's Day." He told her, just before the 'afternoon tea package' arrived. With tea, scones and small sandwiches now on the table, Finley gave Madison a hopeful smile.

"I hope it's a-all okay." Finley added, not moving to pick any food until Madison did so, because that was polite.

Guest

Finley started no conversation as they walked, and Madison decided to keep it that way. Things wouldn't progress so quickly - no matter how much she wanted it to - she knew Finley probably couldn't take the sudden pressure of too much PDA or anything like that. But Madison also knew she would have to kiss him and hold his hand and things like that, not to make him uncomfortable but to show the world that he was hers.

No, Madison Bishop shared only with her sister, and if she wouldn't share Finley with Melody, there was no way in hell she was sharing him with anyone else.

As they approached the tea shop, Madison braced herself and was just about able to keep the disgust off her face as the doors opened and she saw... couples and hearts and love everywhere. It was gaudy and mockable and all around something she would normally avoid even if it was the only thing that could save her life. But, for Finley, she would tolerate it, and smile, and tell him she appreciated it. At a later date, though, when he was more comfortable around her, she made it a mental promise to hint at preferring things to be more casual.

After all, it was things like this that made her almost reconsider having pink as her favourite colour.

But, she said nothing, instead smiling widely at the Ravenclaw and allowing him to pull her chair out for her. "Thank you, Finn," she replied, avoiding looking around lest she gag at the sight of all the romantic gestures happening. The food arrived moments later, something she honestly liked; the selection was a good one.

"It's perfect," she replied, reaching forward to take a square of what appeared to be a cheese sandwich. "Thank you," she repeated. "You're the best boyfriend." The words were cliche, she knew, but she honestly meant it.

Guest

With the knowledge that Madison thought this was perfect, Finley couldn't help but smile fully back at her. He was relieved at the idea of doing this right, because he really hadn't been sure. But Madison was happy, and as she took a cheese sandwich, Finley opted for a ham sandwich of his own.

However, the best comment was when Madison said he was the 'best boyfriend'. Finley's cheeks - as ever when Madison was around - flushed a deep red at the praise, and the small ego he did have was boosted with hearing those words. "T-thank you." Finley replied softly after finishing his mouthful.

A small silence ensued as Finley ate another mouthful of sandwich and swallowed softly, looking around for only a moment before concentrating back on his girlfriend. "So... umm..." Finley paused, thinking for a moment longer. "D-did you like y-your card? I thought that a- a h-handmade card would be n-nicer..." He explained, though he didn't have to explain himself. "And, I... w-what did you want to d-do after we f-finish here?" Finley asked, his nerves growing a tiny bit in that moment as he subtly admitted that he hadn't planned past this moment in their date.

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The effect she had on him was clear, and that meant she knew his thoughts and what he was feeling each and every moment she spent with him. His tells were obvious, more like giant flashcards boasting his emotion or mood than a book; there was no need to 'read' or spend time thinking about what it was.

This meant that Madison was slowly but surely building up a database of reactions, and she knew what to do to get what result. She already had one in regards to their friendship, and all she needed to do was add to that in regards of a relationship.

Flashing him a smile, she reached up and swept back some of her hair, keeping it out of her face as she nodded. "I loved it," she replied, truthfully. While she had indeed not let others catch a glimpse at it lest they start gossiping - she controlled what was said about her, and she hadn't been sure what she wanted people to say in regards to Finley at that point - she had indeed liked the gift.

The words of not knowing what to do next were no huge surprise; Madison had always been the one who led him to do things, and there was no shock that he hadn't planned anything much. That wasn't something she worried about, though; she had no qualms about directing the boy in such a manner that he was oblivious to that fact. "Well, the weather outside is nice today" she commented, hinting at a walk, then smiled again. "But whatever you have in mind is perfectly fine."