Fight
Neville was walking through the castle, the rumors of Draco ending up in the hospital wing because of Mikael running laps throughout his mind. He wasn’t really listening until he heard quiet sobs from around the corner, when Neville walked over to investigate, he looked a tad bit shocked.
There Mikael sat, weeping as quietly as he could. He seemed to not have noticed the taller Gryffindor walking up to him yet as his cries grew louder. Neville heard him mumbling something to himself, but he couldn’t quite make out what he said. Mikael continued until he looked at the floor, spotting a shadow that oddly resembled that of a person when he looked up, startled to find Neville looking down at him with a pitiful frown.
“What?!” Mikael groaned, surprising Neville with his response. “I um.. I heard someone crying and thought I’d check it out…” Neville answered awkwardly when he rubbed his neck, avoiding the other’s eyes. “Okay, well, you should go.” Mikael continued with a stern, cold tone. However, Neville didn’t budge. “No.. I wanted to ask you something, actually.” He said, inching closer to the shorter boy, who backed up until he felt the cold stone wall behind him.
“Why?” He asked. Mike looked at him with a hint of confusion. “What do you mean, why?!” He asked, but not because he didn’t know what the other meant. “What did you want me to do?! Not stand up to him?!! Then what the HELL was that fight we had about?!” Mikael cried, startling Neville. “I- Uh.. I just thought-..” Mike scoffed. “You just thought huh. I didn’t know you could do that! Did it finally get through your thick skull that maybe I never truly WANTED to be Draco’s little helper?! That I actually am able of guilt?!” He sneered as Neville frowned.
“Oh, who am I kidding. This isn’t your fault. I don’t have the right to be mad at anyone, especially not you.” He sighed as tears streamed down his face. He huffed. “I just..- I didn’t know how to leave..” His breath hitched. “He- He- I couldn’t leave. He would tear my family APART!!” He cried. Neville couldn’t help but inch even closer than before.
“Get away from me.” Mike said in a desperate tone that was laced with despair. “I’m nothing but a filthy mudblood. Or so they say.” He continued. “But that doesn’t really matter, does it?! Because I know NO ONE will EVER see me as anything but a blood supremacist.” He sobbed as he hit his head, as if that’d stop the despair filled cries. “I know you’re not..” Neville said, carefully placing a hand on the others shoulder, when he noticed how heavily Mikael was shaking.
“IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YOU THINK!!” Mikael screeched, slapping the other’s hand off of him. “DO YOU REALLY THINK..” He couldn’t help but laugh at the other through sobs. “DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT THAT WOULD CHANGE ANYTHING FOR THE BETTER??” He asked, almost genuinely asking, astounded at the possibility of the other thinking that. Mikael cut the other off before he could even speak; “BECAUSE IT WONT. AND IT’D FRANKLY BE STUPID IF YOU DID!” He sobbed as he turned and backed up in the corridor, Neville taking a few steps forward.
“Mikael..-“ “NO! STOP IT!! I DON’T WANT YOUR PITY!!” He sobbed as Neville looked sorry for him. Or atleast Mikael thought so. Mikael continued to yell; “COULD YOU JUST…. STOP TRYING TO FIX THINGS FOR ONCE?!” Loud sobs escaped the Slytherin boy, as he rubbed his face, or well, that’s what it looked like. He scratched skin off of his cheeks with his nails in a desperate attempt to stop himself from crying. “Mikael, please, I-“ Mikael looked up, his hands close to his face as Neville grabbed his wrists in response to seeing the scratches on his face. Mikael yelped. “LET GO OF ME!! YOU ASSHOLE!!” He yelled as he tried to pull his wrists from the other’s grip to no avail. Neville wasn’t letting go.
Mikael sobbed, breaking down as Neville finally released his wrists to pull him into a hug. Mikael could only protest by ramming his fists on the other’s chest, but that wasn’t all too helpful as he wasn’t that strong, and him having been crying not helping his case. “Let me go.. You.. You moron…!” He sobbed into the others shoulder, but somewhere, deep down inside him, he hoped Neville wouldn’t.
And as he had hoped, Neville didn’t let go. Instead, he rubbed calm circles on the others back. “It doesn’t matter what others think; you know you’ve changed, and that you feel sorry…” After a few seconds, he continued. “I know that you’re sorry..” He sighed as Mikael let out a sob as his grip on Neville’s back tightened in response. Mikael didn’t know how much he had needed a hug, neither did Neville.
“I-I’m so sorry..” He sobbed. “Im s-so, so sorry.” He went on for a while, as Neville put him at ease with some words of affirmation.
“I-I didn’t want to do it… I never did!!!” He sobbed after the two had let go of each other to sit down. Neville didn’t do anything but listen. “Draco.. He- He and I had known each other for so long, I didn’t want to lose him… But he changed when we started here.. It seems that as soon a-as..” He let out a soft whimper and wiped some tears from his eyes. “As soon as we enrolled here..” He continued. “He wasn’t always like this.. But when he started bullying students, I guess I just didn’t want to believe that he was a bad person..” Neville nodded.
“Eventually.. I started standing up to him when he went too far..” Neville noticed Mike was shaking. “B-But then he would yell at me and grab my arm.. Or beat me up, instead..” He sighed. “So.. I stopped standing up to him for a while.. But I couldn’t allow him to do this any longer.. So when I stood up to him again..-“ Mike unbuttoned his blouse and slid the cloth off of his right shoulder. A large scar that seemed to start on his neck and stop at the end of his shoulder rested on his skin. Neville gasped at the sight of it. “He did this to me, and told me to stop being such a…” He sighed as he slipped the cloth back onto his shoulder. “Such a baby.. But I guess… I guess that scar was what caused me to break free from his firm grasp on me..” He looked up at Neville, teary eyed when he weeped, “I just- I was just so scared.. I know it doesn’t justify anything I did and I don’t know why I didn’t leave, I guess I truly am just a coward. I don’t even know what Silene sees in me. Or what… What you see in me.. I am nothing but a coward, after all-“ Mikael was caught off guard by an unexpected hug from Neville. “I see the world in you, Mikael..” He eventually muttered, as Mikael balled his fists around the cloth of the other’s robes. Both crying as they looked at each other.
Neville cupped the other’s cheek, wiping away a tear with his thumb as he scanned the other’s face, his gaze lingering on the other’s lips a little too long. Mikael, through tears, seemed to look a bit confused. Neville was still looking at the other’s lips when he bit his lip. Mikael’s cheeks were dusted in a soft pink color as Neville’s face inched closer to his, Mikael not turning away as he, for the first time, let himself look at the other’s lips as well.
Neville caught the other looking at his lips, and took his chance. Before Mikael knew what was happening, Neville’s soft lips had met his. Mikael let out a surprised whimper, but didn’t pull away. Instead, he kissed back.
After Neville pulled away, they both took short, sharp breaths. Panting, Neville apologized. His cheeks a bright red color. “By M-Merlin’s beard- I’m so sorry!” He said, as Mikael looked at him, transfixed. His cheeks a deeper cherry red color. “I- Um- are you alright???” Neville asked, as Mikael stayed quiet, but cupped the other’s cheek. This time, Mikael initiated the kiss, leaving Neville surprised, but he also didn’t pull away, still cupping Mikael’s tear stained cheeks as he gently touched Neville’s hair in return.
After their second kiss, Mikael spoke. “I’m… I’m sorry…” He sighed. “I don’t think- I um… You deserve someone better.. I’m sorry..” He said quietly, before quickly sprinting off before Neville could speak. Leaving Neville on his own, not knowing what spark, no, flame he had just started within Neville’s heart.